Pro-Ject 2s vs SMSL M500 (or other recommendation)

[taipan1013]

I am interested in purchasing a DAC/Headphone Amp under $1000.  I am considering Pro-Ject 2s or the SMSL M500.  They are MQA compatible.  Not sure I will use MQA but thought it might good to have this option.

When reading reviews from Amazon and Crutchfield it appears that the Pro-Ject 2s has quality issues.  Have not been able to find any user comments/reviews on the SMSL M500.  Has anyone compare these to units and determined the best in sound and quality?  

Any other recommendations for DAC/Headphone Amp under $1,000?

Thank your for considering to help me.

Greg

 

[motberg]

I guess you are thinking about the Pro-Ject Pre Box S2 Digital vs. the M500 which are both in the same price range, much less than 1000 USD. There is a long thread here, directly from users, for great info about the Pro-Ject.  This may also be a good thread to see if MQA has sufficient value to you, as it severely limits your selection range.

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/34777-pro-ject-pre-box-s2-digital-mqa-hw-decoding-at-reasonable-cost/

 

The M500 I think is very new so not much news yet, but here is a review:

https://soundnews.net/sources/dacs/smsl-m500-review-mqa-for-the-masses/

 

For a different type of sound (but no MQA) in the same price range you can check this:

http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R2R11/R2R11EN.htm

Some users over at HF have a thread

 

If you are in the USA, I would certainly consider something from Schiit (again... no MQA) for example

https://www.schiit.com/products/jotunheim

 

I am not into headphones much, but it seems matching the cans to the DAC/pre is a very important consideration, so you need study system matching, as well as the type of overall tonality you prefer.

 

[Gonzbull]

If you could stretch your budget a bit or wait for a sale i'd recommend checking out the Rme.

Lots of threads here if you do a search. 

DAC Link.  https://www.rme-audio.de/adi-2-dac.html