Listen to db and polygon they’re smarter than me but just in case
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I’m definitely not smarter, but I am prettier. 
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A good pre-amp is worth its weight in gold. Either keep it stupid simple and just use good integrated pieces or at some point purchase a worthy pre-amp.
I will note that the EC studio B and the LTA MZ3 both function especially good as pre-amps in a simple set-up and also do double duty as their intended use as HP amps. Much added value to each product because of that. Good luck.
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Thanks I’ll try going in a different direction… I can’t afford a $2k+ dedicated pre at the moment but I could swing for something like a holo bliss at $3k sell a couple SS amps. I was hoping I could find an undervalued pre for $500 and spend the rest on a tube amp.
I was happy with my Anthem integrated but if that pre/pro (D2) seems like a “bad” preamp then I’ll look elsewhere. I just wasn’t apparent to me that it would be a subpar piece of gear.
You can look at some of the Primaluna options for a tube pre
How many outputs do you need? I bet i have something that can fit your needs at the price you want to pay for now until you can upgrade big later on. A solid piece, 
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Does anyone here use any kind of mixing gear? I have never decided on a good solution for this. For non dedicated listening I often want to be able to mix PC, maybe a games console and sometimes some background music. Three physical sources.
I’ve tried simpler desktop mixers and found that the smaller ones tend to be cheaper ones and the sound quality is not that good. DJ ones are preferable to me as they tend not to waste channels on on a mic amp I do not need. However they tend to be pretty bulky and I don’t have the space.
Consumer line mixers are surprisingly rare! Passive seems preferable as it is going to be less complex and less likely to have too much effect on the audio. Plus it just doesn’t seem necessary for the use case.
I’m currently using an Art SplitMix4 which does the job but does introduce interference. This is fine on 2 channel as it is too quiet to notice but on headphones…
I chose it because it was the cheapest passive stopgap from a company I know and it does as well as I expected for the price but… well you know how it goes, it isn’t a good solution and that’s kind of why we are here right?!
How would you go about this?
Zahl HM1 
Jokes aside, this is an interesting topic I’ll try and follow! I’ve used Traktor devices in the past and they were nice but indeed bulky and not preserving of SQ to a hifi listening experience level
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DAC should be the easiest part to start with, as I only have Pontus II 12th in consideration currently. Would this be a good all-arounder(even for SR-007/L700 later on)? MHDT Orchid Tube DAC was also mentioned. Not sure what else is out there worth looking at.
I see BRYSTON BHA-1 only has 2W SE, 4W bal(if read correctly) - is this an area of concern?
I am definitely interested in getting a WA22, on the tube side(only 3W bal @ 32ohms? 
). Is there any competition? Or is this an easy choice for a tube amp at this price?
As long as you’re not going for the very hard to drive planars all the amps you’re looking at will have sufficient power to drive dynamic headphones.
You’re locked on going balanced right? Asking mostly before I give you any tube amp alternatives to the Woo.
Yeah, I don’t think I will go after a vintage HE6 6-screw, and can’t think of any 600 ohm phones on my hit list. HD800 is only 300 ohm, and I think some ZMFs? Arya and HE1000V2 seem a bit rough, though, at 94 and 90dB sensitivity.
I suppose most tube amps are SE, right? So that probably doesn’t matter, if it all ends up the same. I would have to change headphone cables between amps, or use a bal-to-SE adapter, I guess.
Yeah so you’re good on power, focus more on finding what matches your sound preferences and synergy.
In the $1.5K-3K other than the WA22 (which is awesome) I’d seriously look at the Feliks Euforia (OTL, will match great with ZMF, Sennheiser and Focal), Cayin HA300, Eddie Current B (if you’re lucky with finding one for a good used price), LTA MZ2 or MZ3 (same as Eddie regarding used price and a different beast altogether) and last one a bit cheaper than the rest of this list is the Quicksilver headphone amp.
That should get you started for research!
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Any objections/recommendations to/over Pontus II as a worthy DAC for most cases, for something with good smoothness & spaciousness?
I wouldn’t call Pontus very smooth but I think it’s a good performer for the price class. Not a lot of interesting competition in the under $2K range but if you’re really thinking about a complete overhaul I would start listing out combinations and understand pros/cons of the different pairings and depending on the headphones and your preferences figure out the best match.
I know I sound like a broken record but it really comes down to that - what you prefer and how everything you have helps you get that sound.
In that price range names that usually come up are Exogal, Soekris, Schiit Yggy, Mojo Audio V2, Spring 2 and 3… I’m sure there are many more but I have a tendency to specific DACs lol
Start reading this for ideas
https://www.sonusapparatus.com/2022/10/m0ns-shit-list/
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Unless you need balanced, you could check out the Qutest too.
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It seems(from reading reviews) most people prefer Pontus II over Qutest, for most cases.
Soekris 2541 seems interesting, probably requiring a warm DDC. I could probably jump to a Tubadour 4 SE or Holo Spring KTE, if it’s worth it. All 3 of these seem quite nice!
The Pontus is no competition to the Spring 3 as it’s in the price range of the Venus.
I’ve owned both the Pontus II and the Spring 3 KTE and it’s a clear upgrade.
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How is Venus to Pontus II, and to Spring? Seems like there’s a nice quality jump at this price point.
Never heard the Venus sorry
I’ve just gone the opposite direction - letting my Pontus2+Iris go, replaced by Qutest. I really dig the Chord / Qutest sound signature. Not for everyone, and requires consideration of the rest of the chain to get good synergy. But for me, it’s a clear upgrade.
My personal upgrade path was dac2541 → Pontus 2 → Qutest. Each step was an upgrade, but needed different gear around them for synergies to be at their best.
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