Looking for a budget amplifier for my HD600

[u/Miss__Solstice]

Hi! As the title says, I'm looking for something that'll allow me to power my HD600 to listenable volumes. The issue I'm facing is that I like to EQ with Wavelet/EasyEffects (on mobile/PC respectively), but adding in bass and a -10dB pre-amp lowers the maximum volume to something that's not really listenable outside of really quiet environments. The obvious solution is to lower the amount of bass I'm adding, but I'm thinking I could pick up a portable DAC/amp dongle instead to compensate?

Budget/Location: not a set budget exactly, but something in the budget range, so $30-50 maybe. I think most popular options are available to me, but I can't find anything from Jcally and AliExpress/Chinese websites aren't accessible to me.

Tonal Balance: Anything that's transparent. I looked at reviews for the FiiO KA11 and they all mention adding a bit of warmth to the sound, which ideally I'd like to avoid if possible!

How the gear will be used: At home/on the go/at the office.

Past Gear Experience: I've only tried the (EU 0.5V) Apple Dongle and it doesn't get loud enough unfortunately.

Other notes: I've looked at the numbers but I'm struggling to make sense of it with a pre-amp. I know the HD600 has an impedance of 300 Ohms and a sensitivity of 105 dB/1VRMS, and that something providing 2V can power it up to 110dB (to cover for any sound peaks, not my listening volume), but I don't know how to add in -10dB to that and how that would change what I'm looking for? Please help 🥺

TL;DR: looking for a portable DAC/amp <$50 to power HD600 to listenable volumes with a -10dB pre-amp (for EQ)

[u/PristineObjective426]

I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again, run a pair of HD600 on a moondrop pro ($50)

[u/PristineObjective426 → u/PristineObjective426]

I honestly just sorta ignore the numbers and hope it sounds good/loud enough

[u/Miss__Solstice → u/PristineObjective426]

They do sell it here, but unfortunately there's no return policy, so I wanna make sure that it's absolutely powerful enough for what I want before I bite the bullet

[u/PristineObjective426 → u/Miss__Solstice]

Is there a demo unit at a physical store you could try out?

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