O2 and ODAC or the Schiit Magni and Modi for use with M-100 and eventually the HE-400

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckle490 

Which stack would be the best overall for use with my M-100 and the HE-400 once I purchase it? I've been told that the Schiit M&M has a set gain of +5 where as the O2 and ODAC stack gain can be either +1, +5, or +6.5. Honestly I don't know how gain effects headphones so any help will be appreciated.

i actually just gave a similar reply on a different thread, but id like to get some feedback on this, if anyone can be bothered correcting/validating what i said, so ill reply here aswell.

im going to tread lightly and answer inconclusively because iv only just got into this myself. granted, i dont own either of the phones mentioned, but theyr both on my list for eventual purchasing, infact, either the m-100 or the akg267 are next on my list.

i thought id reply because i was just in this situation of choosing between the two, and i eventually decided on the O2.

*5 gain (not +5) is relatively high i think, which would be good for "hard to drive" headphones like the he-400, but not so good for "easy to drive" cans like the m-100. gain doesnt effect headphones per se, its the amount the volume goes up by. excuse me but i dont know the terminology or the technical details. basically, if im not mistaken, if you plug the easy m-100s into an amp with high gain, the volume knob will appear to be overly sensitive, increasing the volume dramatically with the slightest touch, whereas if you plug the harder he-400 in, the volume knob would operate regularly, increasing volume by a smaller amount with each adjustment. so, the magni would be able to drive both headphones easily, but adjusting the volume while using the m-100 could become annoying... if you had the O2, you could use the low gain option for the m-100s and high gain (if indeed necessary) for the he-400.

which is why i decided on the O2 in the end, because it will be able to adjust from *2.5 gain to *6.5 gain, to allow for a greater range of headphones that would work with the same amp. 

take what i say with a grain of salt, i dont think im wrong about this, but i may be. i hope i was slightly helpful non the less.

My Schiit stack just came in today and I have a pair of HE-400's. Although I don't have experience with many other hps or amps (only used an E11), I will say that the setup sounds astounding. Everything I throw at it sounds phenomenal. I use WASAPI output onto the modi and have my windows cranked 100%. In the off position, the amp is at about 7 oclock. Comfortable listening level is around 11-12 oclock and at around 3oclock it gets very loud. Beyond that is extremely uncomfortable and probably damaging to the ears. The gain on the amp doesn't seem like a big deal with these headphones; lots of volume control. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckle490 

Interesting, I just read that you can set your computer volume to 25% for listening to sensitive phones, and that will allow the volume knob to function normally. I think i would prefer the Schiit stack over the O2, by aesthetics and just a few other minor features.

i was told you loose fidelity this way...