FiiO E17   You will have the option to add on the E9 desktop amp as you need. 

Best sounding portable will be quite a big stack.

Good portable amp with USB DAC : predator & pico.

Transportable: TTD & dacport

Ultimate portable: iPod -> CLAS -> Alo Continental v2 or amp of your choice.

Two things. You moving around or transporting these around and then listening at another location? Coz I am in your shoes when it comes to these two options, and I've solved my dilemma this way:

Moving around: iPod Classic playing lossless - Fostex HP-P1 DAC - ALO Continental amp - Beyerdynamic DT1350.

Transporting then listening at another location: iPod Classic playing lossless - Fostex HP-P1 DAC - ALO Continental amp - Audez'e LCD-2.

[EDIT]Another "transportable setup" I'm using is this: MacBook Air running up to 24bit/192Hz lossless - Centrance DACPort LX - ALO Continental amp - LCD-2. This will only for me to use while already settled in the hotel rooms while I'm traveling.

The main difference between the two as you can see is the headphones. Wearing any open-backed headphones while walking around is a big no-no, sound leaks and you won't be enjoying your music with the garbage ambiance sounds of KL. Trust me, I move around a lot in KL in public transport, and the nail-biting screeches of the LRT train scratching its rails is more than I can endure. Hence a noise-isolating close-backed headphones like the DT1350.

Hongrui says it best, the ultimate portable can be a sizable stack. How mine looks like:



I'm still looking for the best way to bring this around in a proper bag of its own.

And the best compliment I had about this portable rig of mine is the uncle who handled Tong Lee Audio in LYP, who listens mostly on desktop/large home-only setups he had at the show floor, and after listening on my rig, told me it's better than some of the desktop/home DAC/amp he's selling. Sorta tells me I've went the right direction.

So, you're looking into a transportable setup. That depends on what you consider transportable. Some desktop DACs and amps are considered transportable, coz they're small and can fit into a sling bag. If that is the case then it's wide open, although to me, I'd rather have that kind of setup as a permanent setup at that location than bringing it to and from from that location and home.

My advice is to look into these two setups I've mentioned:



The first one if you're running off a DAP, the second if you also happen to carry a laptop with you with all your music in it.

As for the amps, it depends on what you want to run it with. I was initially thinking of an amp that can run and drive my Beyer T1 successfully until I came to the conclusion that only a dedicated home amp can properly run the T1. Relegated the T1 to home rig. I then moved on to my previous Denon D2000, which isn't hard to drive at all, even the built-in amp in the HP-P1 can drive it to satisfactory level. But I wasn't satisfied, I needed more. Got myself an ALO Continental, and this beast of an amp drives even the Beyer T1 with gusto and authority. Got myself an LCD-2, relegated the D2000 to [WTS]. Been running the LCD2/Continental/HP-P1 ever since.

Only 3 portable amps I know that can drive the T1/LCD2 satisfactorily: ALO Continental, Triad Audio L3, Ray Samuels Audio SR-71B running balanced. Out of the three, I discarded RSA SR-71B coz I'm not ready to go the balanced route. Triad Audio L3 is humongous for a portable amp, so that's out of the question. ALO Continental is the only one left. Was lucky to find one in Osaka when I was there. The ALO Continental is of limited run, already discontinued. They're moving to the solid state version, the ALO National, but even after reviews, the National isn't as powerful as the Continental.

Centrance DACPort LX vs Fostex HP-P1. Apples and oranges here. The HP-P1 only takes iDEvices as source. DACPort LX takes any USB sources. Which is why I had them in two different rigs. I'm not bi-amping my audio because the HP-P1 has a line-out port that is free from the amplification circuitry. Just don't plug your mini-to-mini interconnect to your phone out lah.

I already have a dedicated home setup. This happened by accident and out of necessity. Accident coz I wasn't satisfied of what I can drive at using my planned portable setup at the time, and necessity coz I needed something to run the Beyer T1 properly at the time.

My home setup: MacMini running lossless up to 24bit/192hz - Benchmark DAC1USB model - Burson Audio HA-160 amp - Beyer T1/Audez'e LCD2.

Previously the Centrance DACPort LX was in charge of the DAC duties before the Benchmark DAC took over. The DACPort LX does an admirable job for its size! The DACPort LX is now part of my transportable setup: Macbook Air running lossless up to 24bit/192hz - Centrance DACPort LX - ALO Continental - LCD-2.

CLAS sounds a little drier compared to hp-p1, the p1 slightly more 'analog' sounding. Hp-p1 can do line out to  Continental so there's no double amping.

Home stereo setup? You mean for headphones or speakers?

Stringfellow: there is a v2 of the continental amp out.