Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › For my headphones and listening preferences: Asgard, NFB 12, or M-stage?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

For my headphones and listening preferences: Asgard, NFB 12, or M-stage?

post #1 of 6
1/28/12 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 

Currently I drive my Denon D2000s from the Fiio E7/E9 combo.  However, I am looking for an upgrade and have come up with the following, any input from owners would be appreciated.  I am mostly interested in: clarity, instrument seperation, soundstage, and there can't be any roll-off with the bass.

 

Schiit Asgard:  The website says this amp is specifically made for low impedance headphones, so it seems like it would be a good match for the 25 ohm denons.

 

I've read great things about the Audio gd NFB 12.  This would be a plus because it has a great dac.  However, I've heard that the soundstage is reduced with this amp, and I really want something to show off the soundstage of the D2000s.

 

The Matrix M-stage is also highly regarded.  If anyone has powered the D2000s through these (or D5000s) comments please!

 

Also, there's been a lot of talk about the O2 amp from JDS labs, comments on this amp are also encouraged.

 

And, lastly, are any of the above amps really a clear upgrade from the E9?

Reply
post #2 of 6
1/28/12 at 1:00pm

the E9 is usually not considered ideal for very low impedance headphones (25 ohm)... it has a fairly high output impedance (10), comparatively, making it ideal for headphones over 80ohm (the rule of 8 times, is the usual standard). 

 

So I think any of them, would give you better bass control and definition, over the E9, just due to better impedance matching and electrical damping. 

 

What is your budget? Maybe there are some other worth while options to consider from that? 

 

Of the ones listed, I'd probably consider the M-stage (get the version with the USB) as the best value for a high quality amp, with the flexibility of at least a USB dac input on an under $300 budget. 

Reply
post #3 of 6
1/28/12 at 1:32pm

I had the NFB12 for a while to try it out and i didn't notice any drop in soundstage at all. The DAC in the NFB12 is worth it over the M-stage imo and it's also cheaper.

Reply
post #4 of 6
1/28/12 at 1:32pm
Thread Starter 

The whole ouput impedance thing has me on the fence.  On the one hand, I can understand the rule of 8 from an electrical standpoint; it makes sense on paper.  But my denons seem to have real synergy with the Fiio equipment, and I have heard similar things from others.  I think paper measurements are important, but not as important as what you hear.


However, the E9 also compromises soundstage, at least compared to the E7.  This could be because the E7 has an output impedance of 0.15 while the E9 has an output impedance of 10.

Reply
post #5 of 6
1/28/12 at 1:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by phandrew View Post

I had the NFB12 for a while to try it out and i didn't notice any drop in soundstage at all. The DAC in the NFB12 is worth it over the M-stage imo and it's also cheaper.


Which headphones are you using the NFB 12 with?  Yes, the dual 8741 chips are enticing

 

Reply
post #6 of 6
1/29/12 at 5:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by scannon18 View Post


Which headphones are you using the NFB 12 with?  Yes, the dual 8741 chips are enticing

 


DT150 and AD900 at the moment

 

Also the NFB10 is coming to me soon as well. Want to try out the balance ports :D

Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphone Amps (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphone Amps (full-size) › For my headphones and listening preferences: Asgard, NFB 12, or M-stage?