Please stop calling me Sir!! I know nothing about tech!! A complete noob!!!
I'm not suggesting you to ditch the idea of Schiit. Yes they are indeed good. I'm merely suggesting you to start from Fiio. That way you can find your way forward ( what kind of signature you like)
I know of people ( a lot of them) who don't feel the difference with a much more expensive amp after they bought them.
Yes, the tubes degrade with time, but you can change them easily. And there is a significant difference between the sound of a solid state and tube amps ( more warm, which many people like a lot)
All I'm suggesting is, try not to spend your entire budget on single amp ( specially if it's your first one) buy a cheap one ( fiio may be cheap but not bad at all) and save up for a different amp thereafter.
I'm no expert in audio. Just happened to have bought a lot of headphones/ amp/ DAC over years.
Personally I would rather have an inexpensive tube and solid state amp instead of a single expensive one.
Yes, hybrids exist, but good ones are very expensive.
Sorry, I don't remember fiio models, but fiio E10K was probably my first desktop amp which I left in India.
Bought a cheap unknown brand ( SMSL) amp here, which is excellent.
I bought a Denon DA 300USB last year, which is very powerful and small ( you can keep it horizontal/ vertical to save space) It's expensive but sonically better than most popular "audiophile" options.
Have a soft spot for tubes and bought an insanely expensive WooAudio tube amp, it's easily the best amp I've listened to in my lifetime. But I would never suggest anyone to buy it ( it's possible to buy a small car with the insane price for a freaking amp!!) and it barely gets any use now as I have given away most of my crazy to drive planers, 600 ohm Beyer 880.
I've only one useful advice for you brother...
Instead of going all out for a single headphone/ IEM/ DAC/ AMP/ DAP try to get different flavours ( 2-3 max) of each. Give away what you don't use anymore.