Quick and dirty question.  Do piggyback cables/adapters impact sound quality?  Can't find any concrete information if they do or don't. 

There is not a single 'true' answer to this question in the miraculous world of audio depending on views.

In an 'objective' way they won't as electrically (in the analog/audio domain) they can't be of substantial enough influence, unless they do not make proper contact.

Subjectively all bets are off, if you feel/believe/experienced that cables and plugs impact the sound than piggybacks will also impact the sound.

The answer will thus depend on who you ask.

Anyone care to weigh in on the various Leckerton opamps? 

Bump for Leck opamps with UERM.

I'd still like to know if there were any direct comparisons made between the ada-4627-1A and 1B. I'm still using the 1A right now because I don't know if it was worth forking over $40 for the upgrade. My friend's uha-6s has the 1B in it and I honestly couldn't tell much of a difference between the two. Other than his unit was slightly louder than mine.

The Goal

Now that I've got my portable setup on lockdown (GO450 > Leckerton UHA-6S.MKII, I ended up picking up another one used) I'm looking for a moderately small, reasonably priced desktop unit to use with my Macbook at home.

The Problem

As far as sources go, I picked up a Wyrd + Gamma2/Sigma11 combo. I'm pretty happy with the DAC/transport, but pairing them with a budget desk amp hasn't been as simple as I had hoped.

What I've Tried So Far

- O2 was a bust, because of course it was.
- I picked up a Magni 2 Über, but I found it a bit too tonally bright. (Note: I only had the GO450 to test with the Magni 2 Über. It might be that it would pair just right with the warmer, darker Gamma2. I also had shifted away from a black driver HD580 to a white driver HD600 at the *exact same time* so all three together might just have been too much for me at the moment.)
- I kinda liked the Vali with it, but I couldn't get past the Vali's slightly monotone timbre. Also, I felt like it really lacked staging depth. It made my HD600 seem spatially flat, which was really odd. It didn't seem to do the same with Paradox. Truth be told, I'm not sure what the hell was going on there.
- The Leckerton pairs decently enough with the Gamma2...but it pairs even better with the GO450.

How Not To Become Don Quixote

I haven't exhausted all of my amp options in the sub-$350 desktop amp range yet. Next on my list are the Asgard 2, Project Polaris, and Project Ember. I'm sure there are more out there. But, before I start going on a continuous purchase, small budget amp sample tour, I thought I'd come here for some advice.

The Questions

1. Does anyone have any other general recommendations for quality desktop amps in the sub-$350 range that I don't have covered above? Size of the unit doesn't matter all that much, and I'm always happy to hunt for used/second hand models. The amps need to pair well with both an HD600 and a Paradox. If I were shopping for just an HD600, I'd go for the Crack/Speedball or a Valhalla 2. If I were shopping just for the Paradox, I'd have considered stopping at Vali and calling it good. Thoughts on the options I haven't tried above would also be helpful.

2. Does anyone have any thoughts on the (stock) Geek Pulse vs the Geek Out 450 with regards to how similar/different the DACs on these two sound? Along the same vein, does anyone have any comments on how the Geek Pulse's integrated amplifier performs against other budget desktop amps and/or the Leckerton? The price point for the all-in-one unit is about right. I also happen to think that it would look good on my desk, so it has that going for it too.

Preappreciation

Thanks for any advice/info you can toss in this direction. The fact of the matter is that there are far, far worse places to be "stuck" at than the GO450/Leckerton combo. I'm *hardly* suffering. But I would like something a bit more stationary, and it bugs me to feel more or less half way there.