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Post by cburbs on Apr 9, 2020 13:22:12 GMT -5
So I have finally upgraded from my old HD 280 Pro Sennheiser to HIFIMAN HE4XX Planar Magnetic Headphones.
Just trying to decide on which setup I want these on and if I should add a headphone amp say like the Schitt Heresy or simliar?
Laptop running tweaked Foobar --> HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023)--> HIFIMAN HE4XX
Pi running picoreplayer --> Hifime S2 USB and SPDIF DAC (Sabre ES9038q2m) --> HIFIMAN HE4XX
In either of the above setups what is the advantage of adding a headphone amp?
What Headphone setup do people like and why? Just seems like there are so many options.
OR do I just go with an all in one headphone/amp dac with a Pi setup?
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Post by badsarge on Apr 9, 2020 19:44:05 GMT -5
cburbs, I've had the Schitt Jotenheim / HifiMan 400S combo for quite awhile.
I MIGHT consider upgrading the phones but the Schitt is real. 400S are dare I say it polite? Definitely not an audiophile term.
But I am not wowed. I could perhaps benefit from auditioning some Sennheisers or Audeze.
Hard to beat the Audioengine / Bluesound Vault 2i for nearfield listening.
Enjoy the hunt!
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Post by Cogito on Apr 9, 2020 20:35:04 GMT -5
cburbs, I've had the Schitt Jotenheim / HifiMan 400S combo for quite awhile. I MIGHT consider upgrading the phones but the Schitt is real. 400S are dare I say it polite? Definitely not an audiophile term. But I am not wowed. I could perhaps benefit from auditioning some Sennheisers or Audeze. Hard to beat the Audioengine / Bluesound Vault 2i for nearfield listening. Enjoy the hunt! I also had the Hifiman 400S cans. They had a sweet mid-range and a slightly warm detailed treble. However, I found their low bass performance to be rather lacking, with no impact. After a couple weeks of running them hoping they would sound better (they didn't), I decided to trade them in for Hifiman's Sundaras (Based upon all the great reviews and picked up a Topping DX-3 PRO LDAC headphone amp. WHOA!!! What a difference! Real bass (Not quite as deep as a good dynamic set), crazy good vocals and an incredibly detailed treble. I mean, the treble is astounding! One of the best features of the Sundaras, is it's ability to project an image in front of you, rather than the typical "band in your head" imaging that I've always experienced with headphones.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 9, 2020 22:47:17 GMT -5
Yeah I didn't want to spend the extra on the Sundaras at least now for now. I am looking at the Topping DX-3 Pro as one option.
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Apr 10, 2020 6:39:30 GMT -5
I have two full size headphones I use at home. Audioquest Nightowl and Audeze EL-8. The sonic signatures are different between these two, but I like them both. The Audeze is beautifully built and I managed to catch it as "B" stock for $249. I also have a Schiit Magni neadphone amp I was using with my XMC-1 before I traded it in. Much better than the internal XMC-1 amp. However, I've found the XMC-2 headphone amp to be really good.
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Post by Cogito on Apr 10, 2020 8:58:06 GMT -5
Yeah I didn't want to spend the extra on the Sundaras at least now for now. I am looking at the Topping DX-3 Pro as one option. If I had a quibble with the DX-3 Pro, it would be the volume knob. It seems a little "light" to me. Most like because it's not a potentiometer, but a digital activator, so it doesn't have that smooth resistive feel to it, just a somewhat noisy detent feel. Note: If you decide to get one, make sure you pick up the LDAC version. Also known as the Version 2.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 10, 2020 10:34:39 GMT -5
Yeah I didn't want to spend the extra on the Sundaras at least now for now. I am looking at the Topping DX-3 Pro as one option. If I had a quibble with the DX-3 Pro, it would be the volume knob. It seems a little "light" to me. Most like because it's not a potentiometer, but a digital activator, so it doesn't have that smooth resistive feel to it, just a somewhat noisy detent feel. Note: If you decide to get one, make sure you pick up the LDAC version. Also known as the Version 2. Yep on the LDAC version. Just so many options.What is your music source?
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klinemj
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Post by klinemj on Apr 10, 2020 10:35:32 GMT -5
cburbsI don't know enough about the DACs you are considering, and I am pretty new to serious headphone listening. I used to read comments here by people about how much difference there was between different setups, and I took them with a grain of salt. I didn't really think differences would be that big. But, I decided to get some Sennheisers and start listening. At first, I just used my DC-1, but I got a great deal on a BasX A100 - and to my surprise - it added a lot of punch and depth to the sound. I added a 2nd partly because I came across on a good deal on a used Schiit Asgard 2 and wanted a 2nd station. The Asgard 2 is very good, but the BasX A100 has a bit more punch. And, I don't even do the jumper thing with the A100. I'm not sharing that to steer you to either option I have. Instead, I'm saying...the amp makes a difference, whether it's built into the DAC or a standalone amp. And, what works for 1 set of cans might not be enough for others. Net, listen to folks here and see what good options you find. Mark
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Post by Cogito on Apr 10, 2020 13:58:46 GMT -5
If I had a quibble with the DX-3 Pro, it would be the volume knob. It seems a little "light" to me. Most like because it's not a potentiometer, but a digital activator, so it doesn't have that smooth resistive feel to it, just a somewhat noisy detent feel. Note: If you decide to get one, make sure you pick up the LDAC version. Also known as the Version 2. Yep on the LDAC version. Just so many options.What is your music source? An iPhone 8 streaming TIDAL via Bluetooth (mostly because it's so simple to do). I can also drive the Sundaras with the iPhone directly with satisfying results, albeit at more moderate levels.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 13, 2020 14:22:02 GMT -5
So I may get a headphone amp no dac (which could just be a pic/dac) as this would allow be to try different dacs easier down the road.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 15, 2020 18:10:48 GMT -5
Purchased the Schiit Magni 3 Heresy 100% Op-Amp-Based Headphone Amp and Preamp. Figured it was a good entry level Headphone amp to start off with and I can try out all different dac setups with it.
Foobar or MusicBee on the laptop --> HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023) --> Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx Foobar or MusicBee on the laptop --> Hifime S2 USB and SPDIF DAC (Sabre ES9038q2m) --> Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx
Pi/HiFiBerry DAC+ - Pro (PiCorePlayer) --> Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx Pi/HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023) (PiCorePlayer) --> Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx Pi/Hifime S2 USB and SPDIF DAC (Sabre ES9038q2m) (PiCorePlayer) --> Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx
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Post by cburbs on Apr 22, 2020 10:31:31 GMT -5
Right now using MusicBee on the laptop --> HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023) --> Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx and it sounds very good to my ears.
I also ordered another pi setup as I need one for the garage. Probably move the oldest Pi setup with the HiFime UAE23HD USB DAC (ES9018K2M+SA9023) to the garage. The new setup is PI4 and Khadas tone board...should be here next week. This will probably be tested on my headset and if it is good will become my Main one for the HT room and maybe use the Hifime S2 USB and SPDIF DAC (Sabre ES9038q2m)with my headphone setup.
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bootman
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Post by bootman on Apr 22, 2020 10:47:57 GMT -5
I'm running Hifiman Edition xx with a Schiit Lyr and Modi multibit dac with good results. I plan to try the Monolith 124459 Desktop Headphone Amplifier and DAC with THX AAA Technology (yes that is the name of it. lol) to hear what a fully balanced differential setup from dac to cans will sound like.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 22, 2020 11:30:36 GMT -5
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Post by cburbs on Apr 29, 2020 11:26:40 GMT -5
Just got in the following for the setup - NEW NEOMUSICIA Replacement Cable Compatible with Hifiman HE4XX, HE-400i (The Latest Version with Both 3.5mm Plug) Headphones 3.5mm / 6.35mm to Dual 3.5mm Jack Male Cord 1.2m/4ft Khadas Tone Board Clear Acrylic Case for Tone Board Pi4 setup:CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 Power Supply (USB-C) Samsung 32GB EVO Plus Class 10 Micro SDHC with Adapter 80mb/s (MB-MC32DA/AM) Flirc Raspberry Pi 4 Case (Kodi Edition) Still waiting for the Pi4 itself.
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Post by vcautokid on Apr 29, 2020 12:02:52 GMT -5
Always the same Schiit, different day with the Asgard 3 with AKM 4490 DAC and the Monoprice 560 Planars. With Sony modded pads for comfort. Stock ones suck! Easy Peasy.
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Post by cburbs on Apr 29, 2020 12:06:41 GMT -5
Yeah I had looked into the asgard 3 and maybe down the road.
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Post by cburbs on May 7, 2020 12:23:39 GMT -5
Pic of my current temp setup while I work from home. The khadas will go to my main system once things go back to normal. PI4(piCorePlayer) --> Khadas Tone Board --> Magni Heresy --> Hifiman HE4xx
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Post by yeeeha17 on May 7, 2020 14:16:17 GMT -5
Just purchase a V-Moda M200 balance headphone to go with a FiiO M9 Portable High-Resolution Audio Player which I will be using a stand alone balance DAC also. I have the Emotiva A-100 but I don’t think it’s a balance headphone amp so I might try one of the Monoprice balance amp. This hobby is getting a little expensive lol, it’s the wife fault. She keeps telling me to turn down the music so I bought some headphone gears lol. Need the “stay at home” order to be lifted so she can go back to work lol
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Post by leonski on May 12, 2020 19:59:28 GMT -5
I would wander over to HeadFi.ORG and ask THEM. A huge wealth of headphone knowledge, lore and Opinion. You might be better off with a certain amp for these headphones. If they follow the pattern of home planer speakers, they are very low sensitivity but not a 'bad' electrical load. Subject to verification. www.head-fi.org/
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