-lrb- repost my review from the  silver version  I purchase this for use at my computer because I could connect power speaker to it as well as my headphone . the headphone be  sennheiser hd650 's  my music library be in FLAC format , a combination of CD rip , high-re release from audiophile label , and dvd-a rip . I be use the usb dac of the HDP . the DAC be quite good . I do not claim to be a golden-ear who can hear minute difference between mega-priced audio component and cable , but I do care about sound quality . I be of the belief a dac should be transparent , not add its own coloration to the sound -lrb- you choose you amp and speakers\/headphones for that if desire -rrb- . the hdp deliver in this regard , with excellent dynamics , deep clean bass , and reveal high . the headphone amp be sufficient to drive my 650 's louder than I would want to . I usually have volume between 1\/2 to 3\/4 -lrb- depend on source material -rrb- when use headphone . that be a bit higher than I would have expect , but mean I still have some headroom so I think it be sufficient . the sound be never fatigue with this combo , even at high volume level . in addition to its reputed audio quality , I choose the hdp because of several key feature : - both headphone and pre-amp out , with auto switching -lrb- speaker disabled when headphone be plug in -rrb- . - high quality analog volume control for both headphone - and preamp-out . this give I easy access to a volume control on my desktop -lrb- leave the computer 's software volume at 100 % where it should be for maximum audio quality -rrb- , and allow I to leave the volume control on my power speaker at a high enough level to avoid channel imbalance issue at lower listening level . - usb dac that can handle 24-bit\/96khz sound . all the other device I research only support up to 24-bit\/48khz over usb . - the usb dac can auto-switch between output format when use WASAPI exclusive mode , without the need to go into the Windows Sound setting to change the default output format . so I can seamlessly switch between a CD rip and a high-res flac with no extra configuration step . my one minor complaint , and the reason I give 4.5 star instead of 5 , be that the usb dac do not support 24-bit , 88.2 khz sampling level . for the few recording I have in this format , I have to use a re-sampling plugin . I do not see any reason for this format not to be directly support except simple oversight , give that 24\/48 , 24\/96 , and 16\/88 .2 be all support . if all you need be a DAC , the  musical Fidelity v-dac  but if you also need a headphone amp , multiple output , or 24\/96 over usb the icon hdp be worth the price premium imho .