e7/e9 OR udac-2/Schiit asgard with HD650

Both the uDAC-2 and asgard have serious problems, so not them.

judging by reviews and impressions, I think the schiit asgard has the edge in the amp section while the udac and e7 seem to be different flavors of sound.

It's a toss up, but I prefer the way power regulation is handled on the Asgard, though this may or may not bear any weight on sound.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nx-1 

Really? such as...?    but, as far as sound quality goes, would they beat the e7/e9?

Don't listen to him. I would go for the Asgard and the udac2.

I personally like the Hifiman EF2A with the HD600 and HD650 (I currently own the HD580, which is the poor man's HD600). Great onboard DAC, very transparent and open presentation. It's also relatively inexpensive at $180, and it improves even more with tube rolling (matched, NOS Raytheon tubes can be found on ebay for around $40 a pair).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nx-1 

 things like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCZ-AJQOiDg worry me about the asgard.

"Relays are being added to new units after this discovery was made."

If this is to be believed, it sounds like they addressed it in current production Asgard's

Quote:

Originally Posted by liamstrain

"Relays are being added to new units after this discovery was made."

 

If this is to be believed, it sounds like they addressed it in current production Asgard's

Yeah, I never listened to a Schiit Asgard but I came across when I was researching the forums/internet for a new amp.  Seems the amp had some issues when it first came out that were later addressed.  Another problem I ran accross was a slight hum when there was nothing playing. Which to my knowledge were fixed.

The one "issue" (if you want to call it that) that has stuck though is it gets a bit hot because the case itself is used as a heatsink, but it never heats up to dangerous levels, in other words you'd never burn your skin or start a fire.

I have heard some good things about HD650 with fiO so I would go with the cheaper one!