wouldn't really be necessary, although I would say that an amp, even if the gain was minimal, would be better and couldn't possibly hurt (unless the amp is so strong that you get hissing on low impedance headphones).

My search for a DAC/AMP was insane and I can't believe how much research I had to do. It's really nice how much quality you can get nowadays in regards to DACs and AMPs for relatively budget prices. Chinese makers like Matrix are coming out with some nice DACs, amps, and combo units that are very good-looking that even rival the big names that cost several times more in terms of sound quality. And Schiit Audio has some gorgeous solid state and tube amps, and they have a beast combo unit coming out soon. My wallet is going to hate me when I get upgrade-itis.