[HELP] Choosing an AMP/DAC unit

[RexAevum]

Hello everyone,

**Looking into purchasing a new AMP/DAC combo unit that:**

1) Neutral, doesn't noticeably color the sound and is, most importantly, clear and detailed

2) Class A and able to run 600 Ohm headphones at good volumes

3) Comes with a 4-pin Balanced xlr and single ended connection

4) Can serve as a passthrough for powered monitors and other headphone amps (if i want to get a tube amp one day)

 

The main AMP/DAC units I have considered so far are:

* Questyle CMA600i
* Audio-GD NFB-28.38
* Oppo HA-1

 

Currently, I have a Schiit Modi 2 Uber and Magni 2 Uber.

 

I know the CMA600i and HA-1 are about $400 more than the NB-28, which brings me to the reason of my post:

1) Which device offers a better performance when it comes to Sound and ability to drive headphones? Clarity, neutrality etc.

2) Which would you recommend overall? And why?

 I will say visually the CMA600i wins in my book and the HA-1 wins when it comes to features but what I care more about is the performance. When reading online I have seen people praising all of them as an amazing device, for slightly different reasons, at the price.

 

**Headphones** I currently own: Philips Fidelio x2 and SHP9500, Audio Technica AD1000x, Audeze iSine 20.

 

I am also planning to get another set of Audeze headsets:

* EL-8 closed back
* LCD-x open

 

Which would be the better buy if I'm looking for a good overall headphone that is more neutral and, again very important, clear but with good bass (ignoring price difference between the two since I can get either one of them for half the retail cost)?
Will be used mainly for music and a little gaming.
 

[Billy_Mays]

@Dackzy

[arctek.ltd]

I would go for the Audio-GD IMO. Checking the reviews and specs, it seems to be a better buy. Though the CMA600i does look better and is much smaller in size compared to the other two.

 

For the headphones, I've heard a lot of headphones and for me I'd go for open back headphones if you're aiming for clear and neutral output.

 

Just my two cents

[Spuriae]

So you have three headphones that notoriously don't scale very well with better electronics with an IEM designed for mobile use, and you already own a Schiit Stack. The easy answer seems to be to get better transducers and thinking about amp pairing in terms of those. And given your current headphone upgrade path, I'd say think harder about what you're looking for in your transducers. Have you demo'd the EL-8C?

[RexAevum]

13 minutes ago, Nimrodor said:

So you have three headphones that notoriously don't scale very well with better electronics with an IEM designed for mobile use, and you already own a Schiit Stack. The easy answer seems to be to get better transducers and thinking about amp pairing in terms of those. And given your current headphone upgrade path, I'd say think harder about what you're looking for in your transducers. Have you demo'd the EL-8C?

I have not, unfortunately, so all I'm going off of is reviews online

[seduce_me]

Since you already have the uber stack, I'd recommend getting the audio-gd if you're happy with your headphones. The uber stack should be sufficient to power all headphones with the exception of HE-6. If you're looking for an audible improvement with a better DAC/Amp, I would save for something more expensive after getting the headphones you want.

 

For headphones, I'd recommend the HD800 with SDR mod. Impressions on SBAF seem to blow any Audeze away with resolution, soundstage and clarity. However if you want us to tell you what you would prefer, it's not possible. You will have to try them yourself personally.

[Dackzy]

This makes zero sense to me.  All of the headphones you have listed scale badly or meh.

I basically agree with everything seduce me said. 

 

If I were you then I would go out and try the HD 800 and HE 6, they both scale pretty well with gear and then once you have actually picked out your next headphones then I would recommend you to save a bit more up so you can get a DAC and amp that is a lot better than your modi 2 u and magni 2 u,  why? Because these smaller jumps are often not that impressive and will leave you with some form of upgrade itch, it might not be there the first or second year, but if you are anything like a big part of the audio community then you will get it. I would also recommend that you find out if you are okay with having two big boxes for your headphones or if you rather give up a bit of audio quality to get it to a smaller form factor 

[RexAevum]

2 hours ago, seduce_me said:

Since you already have the uber stack, I'd recommend getting the audio-gd if you're happy with your headphones. The uber stack should be sufficient to power all headphones with the exception of HE-6. If you're looking for an audible improvement with a better DAC/Amp, I would save for something more expensive after getting the headphones you want.

 

For headphones, I'd recommend the HD800 with SDR mod. Impressions on SBAF seem to blow any Audeze away with resolution, soundstage and clarity. However if you want us to tell you what you would prefer, it's not possible. You will have to try them yourself personally.

1 hour ago, Dackzy said:

This makes zero sense to me.  All of the headphones you have listed scale badly or meh.

I basically agree with everything seduce me said. 

 

If I were you then I would go out and try the HD 800 and HE 6, they both scale pretty well with gear and then once you have actually picked out your next headphones then I would recommend you to save a bit more up so you can get a DAC and amp that is a lot better than your modi 2 u and magni 2 u,  why? Because these smaller jumps are often not that impressive and will leave you with some form of upgrade itch, it might not be there the first or second year, but if you are anything like a big part of the audio community then you will get it. I would also recommend that you find out if you are okay with having two big boxes for your headphones or if you rather give up a bit of audio quality to get it to a smaller form factor 

 

Thank you for the responses,

I was considering the Audeze headphones mainly because of being able to get them for less than half the price and it was just too good of a deal to pass up for these headphones, I can get the LCD-x for around $500 and the EL-8 for around $300, the HD800/s was something i was considering for a later time. For this reason, i was considering of doing an upgrade to the AMP/DAC and since the aforementioned ones were in my price range I and i was hoping for a noticeable difference from my schiit stack and would also give me better connectivity with the pre-outs and XLR connections. If i understand correctly, neither of the ones are mentioned are a worthwhile upgrade over the stack i have.

 

If so, what is an AMP/DAC you could recommend me to consider, something that would be a good upgrade?

[Dackzy]

11 hours ago, RexAevum said:

 

Thank you for the responses,

I was considering the Audeze headphones mainly because of being able to get them for less than half the price and it was just too good of a deal to pass up for these headphones, I can get the LCD-x for around $500 and the EL-8 for around $300, the HD800/s was something i was considering for a later time. For this reason, i was considering of doing an upgrade to the AMP/DAC and since the aforementioned ones were in my price range I and i was hoping for a noticeable difference from my schiit stack and would also give me better connectivity with the pre-outs and XLR connections. If i understand correctly, neither of the ones are mentioned are a worthwhile upgrade over the stack i have.

 

If so, what is an AMP/DAC you could recommend me to consider, something that would be a good upgrade?

well they are upgrades, but they would kinda be wasted on Audeze headphones since they don't really show improvements in that regard very well.

 

For 1300$ you can get quite a few options, the Soekris 1421 and 1541 seem to get really good reviews from people I somewhat trust, those have an R2R DAC built in and a very well performing amp, but again I wouldn't really recommend getting one for LCD X or EL-8's.

[RexAevum]

6 hours ago, Dackzy said:

well they are upgrades, but they would kinda be wasted on Audeze headphones since they don't really show improvements in that regard very well.

 

For 1300$ you can get quite a few options, the Soekris 1421 and 1541 seem to get really good reviews from people I somewhat trust, those have an R2R DAC built in and a very well performing amp, but again I wouldn't really recommend getting one for LCD X or EL-8's.

Thanks for the answer, I'll think about it and see what I go with

[GamerDude]

On 9/2/2017 at 9:48 AM, RexAevum said:

Thanks for the answer, I'll think about it and see what I go with

SO, it's been a while now, what have you gone with? If you're undecided still, do give the HD800 + SDR mod a try. While a used HD800 isn't exactly cheap, it's reasonable compared to some high cans that have since been released. I BUMP'ed this thread because I'd gotten a pair of SDR from sorrodje (in an SBAF thread) and my oh my! My HD800 sounds really good to me, (though even before the mod the hot treble peaks didn't bother me,) my HD800 sounds more.......euphonic now, The treble seems to still retain its sparkle (though perhaps reduced a tad) while soundstage, imaging and detail still sound razor sharp. I like it! Maybe there's some unicorn fart and rainbow magic because the SDR were made by the man himself.

[seduce_me]

I have cork mod + SDR right now. Cork mod seems to remove the ringing and SDR changes the FR. Both work really well and I enjoy my HD800 a lot more now.

[GamerDude]

4 minutes ago, seduce_me said:

I have cork mod + SDR right now. Cork mod seems to remove the ringing and SDR changes the FR. Both work really well and I enjoy my HD800 a lot more now.

We basically have the 'HD800S' now. BTW, since you're here, do you think it's worthwhile for me to snag a legendary can (like the idea) in the HE6? I can snag a HE6 (with ohhgourami + grill mod), some scratches but seller is asking for about 900USD for it. I have the Oppo HA1 and a Gustard X12 + HA1 stack to drive it.

[seduce_me]

Just now, GamerDude said:

We basically have the 'HD800S' now. BTW, since you're here, do you think it's worthwhile for me to snag a legendary can (like the idea) in the HE6? I can snag a HE6 (with ohhgourami + grill mod), some scratches but seller is asking for about 900USD for it.

4 or 6 pin?

[GamerDude]

According to seller, it's the 6 screw version.....was that what you're asking? It also has the grill and blu tack mods done as well.

[seduce_me]

Yup, I heard the 6 screw one is more iffy than the 4 screw version so you might want to keep an eye out for that.

[GamerDude]

3 minutes ago, seduce_me said:

Yup, I heard the 6 screw one is more iffy than the 4 screw version so you might want to keep an eye out for that.

care to expand on that?

[seduce_me]

Just now, GamerDude said:

care to expand on that?

Apparently the 4 screw is brighter, is more resolving and slams harder but the 6 screw has a more pleasant timbre and more air.

[GamerDude]

1 minute ago, seduce_me said:

Apparently the 4 screw is brighter, is more resolving and slams harder but the 6 screw has a more pleasant timbre and more air.

So, I take it that that means neither is superior, just a matter of sound preference, right?

[seduce_me]

Those are just impressions I read on discord, SBAF and other forums so it should just be a matter of preference. However, most of them sold their 6 screw and went for the 4 screw instead.

1 minute ago, GamerDude said:

So, I take it that that means neither is superior, just a matter of sound preference, right?

 

[GamerDude]

31 minutes ago, seduce_me said:

Those are just impressions I read on discord, SBAF and other forums so it should just be a matter of preference. However, most of them sold their 6 screw and went for the 4 screw instead.

 

Ahh, noted, so it can be argued that the 4 screw version is better than the 6 screw version. I guess I'll wait for a stock HE6 to become available then, since I can then proceed to mod it however I like. The Cayin iDAC6 (glass top) + iHA6 stack looks to be what I'd be looking at next. thanks for the info!