Hi All
 
Newbie here on the forum. Apparently it's the go-to place for head gear.
 
I've had my first pair of good quality headphones  (sennheiser HD598) for a while now.
 
I'm using them with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB sound card. The quality is there, and I've heard level of details I have never heard before, but it doesn't sound so great when there are attacks... dynamics are lacking.
 
So I feel I need more power and I suppose a powered amp would be a good idea.
 
I've researched a while and everybody seems to be talking about the incredible value for the money of schiit products.
 
I was wondering if I should go with a Magni2 Uber or an Asgard 2.
 
I suppose the Asgard 2 has to be better in some way or the other than Magni 2 or there would be no point in manufacturing Asgard at all.
 
But I wonder if Asgard is worth it for my cans, or rather if my HD598 are good enough for the Asgard.
 
Anyone has tried both these amps and compared them with headphones of equivalent quality?
 
Thanks in advance

maclement said:

  Newbie here on the forum. Apparently it's the go-to place for head gear.
I've had my first pair of good quality headphones  (Sennheiser HD598) for a while now.
I'm using them with a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi HD USB sound card. The quality is there, and I've heard level of details I have never heard before, but it doesn't sound so great when there are attacks... dynamics are lacking.
So I feel I need more power and I suppose a powered amp would be a good idea.
I've researched a while and everybody seems to be talking about the incredible value for the money of Schiit products.
I was wondering if I should go with a Magni2 Uber or an Asgard 2.
I suppose the Asgard 2 has to be better in some way or the other than Magni 2 or there would be no point in manufacturing Asgard at all.
But I wonder if Asgard is worth it for my cans, or rather if my HD598 are good enough for the Asgard.
Anyone has tried both these amps and compared them with headphones of equivalent quality?

Click to expand...

 
Schiit has the basic Magni amplifier on sale for $79?
Is this a desktop or laptop computer?
Which Creative USB sound card do you have?

It's the X-FI HD USB
My computer is a desktop and I always stay there. No need for portability
 
It's not just a matter of price. I listen to a lot of opera and classic. I want clarity, detail and dynamics. If the Asgard is audibly better, i'll get that one.
 
But if my headphones are not capable or rendering the difference, there is no point and I'll get the magni

The Magni, Magni 2, and Magni 2 Uber have more output power than the Asgard 2, except with 300 and 600 ohm headphones. Many people cannot hear any difference between the amps. Many others cannot hear a difference between amped and unamped with the HD 600 and HD 650 (which are both 300 ohms), so it's possible you may not notice an improvement at all.

Thanks for your reply
 
My HD 598 are just 50 ohms so any of those amps should not have any trouble driving them. I was more referring to difference in sound quality, clarity, soundstage, etc.

maclement said:

  Thanks for your reply
 
My HD 598 are just 50 ohms so any of those amps should not have any trouble driving them. I was more referring to difference in sound quality, clarity, soundstage, etc.

Click to expand...

 
Most people who have compared the two amps could not hear a difference between them.
 
That being said, there are four possibilities:
 

1. The more expensive amp sounds better than unamped and the less expensive amp.
2. The less expensive amp sounds better than unamped and the more expensive amp.
3. The two amps sound the same, but at least better than unamped.
4. There is no audible difference between amped and unamped.

 
Unfortunately, there's no way to predict what you will hear. If you are going to get an amp, I would recommend the affordable one. You can always use it with other (potentially less sensitive) headphones you get in the future.

maclement said:

  Thanks for your reply
 
My HD 598 are just 50 ohms so any of those amps should not have any trouble driving them. I was more referring to difference in sound quality, clarity, sound stage, etc.

Click to expand...

 
If this setup is mostly for music, then maybe replace the X-Fi HD with an external DAC/amp.
A Schiit Fulla ($79) USB-DAC-amp, might be a good balance between price and audio quality.
 
I have the HD558, which uses the same 50-Ohm driver as the HD598.
Not a lot of life (dynamics?) to the sound, to me it's more like a practical sound, it does the job, but more towards the more reserved side of audio.
 
Maybe sell off the HD598 and X-Fi HD and buy the Schiit Fulla and a Philips Fidelio (X1 or X2).
I believe the Fidelio will have more life to the audio, over the Hd598 (best guess).

I have used the magni 2 uber, Asgard 2 and Valhalla amps. All with the bifrost dac. And honestly with the 598s I couldn't tell much of a difference when playing lossless music (all genre). Hard to predict what you'll hear. But if you're not sure you can always purchase both via Amazon and send back whichever you didn't like.

The source, dac and most importantly your ears will all play a role in which you like better. That being said I sold my bifrost dac and Valhalla amp. Now I just use the creative x7, which I have really enjoyed, and is much more compact/cost effective.

Hutch

The HD598's are pretty sensitive and usually can get along with amping. If your soundcard is not up to the task then a Modi2Magni2 stack would be nice. Perhaps you are interested in cans that have a better transient response, like Planar Magnetics, however, that's going to require taking out your wallet for a thorough beating.

Thanks all. I'm up in Canada so I can't get whatever through Amazon. That's why I want to make sure. My choice has to be pretty much definitive. If no one hears a difference, I guess I'll get the magni 2 uber and with the money saved compared to Asgard I'll get a good bottle of whisky

maclement said:

Thanks all. I'm up in Canada so I can't get whatever through Amazon. That's why I want to make sure. My choice has to be pretty much definitive. If no one hears a difference, I guess I'll get the magni 2 uber and with the money saved compared to Asgard I'll get a good bottle of whisky

Click to expand...

Good choices, enjoy both.

stand said:

Good choices, enjoy both.

Click to expand...

I don't know about that. I think I'd change out that bottle of whiskey for a bottle of good tequila

But the Magni 2 Uber is a great choice