Help in deciding best set up for FA-011

[james1]

Hi there,

last time i was on this forum, i wrote you all a review on the wonderful meelec a151s!

Anyway..
Looking to buy an amp/dac with usb input, and can also function as a dedicated amp from source e.g. zunehd. I narrowed a few down to the aune mk2, it being good value, functional and good sq, appearance. However, I recently stumbled upon the aune x-1 whilst browsing on eBay to purchase the mk2, they both are priced respectively at around £100, and both function as USB/DAC, so my query was what are the differences between the two? Does one work better in one department than the other? Is the x-1 the successor to the mk2 se? Which one should I go for to pair with fa-011? Are there things I have missed? Are there any newer, better products put there for a similar price e.g. yulong u100?

On top of that - Since the Fa-011's dont need huge amounts of power for volume, but do benefit sonically from an amp, would it be a better idea to get a smaller portable amp, such as a d-zero/fiio e17, e10 than a full size amp/dac like the aune? i'm not going to be taking the fischer's out of the house regularly if at all where there isnt a power supply, but having something smaller may be better. This all depends on whether, for the same price, I can get something smaller without impacting on sound. So will a smaller amp/dac like the d-zero impact on sound? or will the size of a full size not be discouraging enough to warrant better sound?
Triple threat - Also, does anyone know if I can access line-out capabilities from zunehd by using charger cable to the usb input on amp? otherwise, isnt the DAC function pretty redundant when using zune (not computer) if i cant use line-out capabilities? or does the zune have a good enough dac to just use the headphone out and use the aune/or whatever as just an amp? I use my zune about 70% of time listening to music, and the rest is solely the computer. since my soundcard is crappy, i'll need a dac/amp for that.

Cheers guys!
james1

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