[ragingmini]

Hi everyone! I've been keeping a lossless music collection for a couple of years now, and I've finally decided it was time to get serious about the gear I'm using.
 
My first set of heaphones were primarily for work use/comfort so I went with Bose AE2. I was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality, and the comfort level is unreal. After deciding to just leave the AE2s at work, I picked up a set of Audio Technica M50s. These are the headphones that I listen to on a regular basis, and I ended up liking them so much that I decided to buy another pair of Audio Technicas. My third set are the AD900Xs. I have only had them a short time, but I already love the airiness from the open backs. 
 
All of my headphone purchases thus far have been focused on not needing an amp simply because every time I did research on amps/DACs, I would end up more confused than when I started. What I'm looking for is a good starting place... should I invest in a solid DAC first and stick with these headphones that are easier to drive? Would a quality amp bring out any more details with these headphones or are they typically pretty easy to drive? I'm currently just using the built in DAC on a Macbook Pro with no external amp.
 
Thanks

 

[windowlicker]

Depending on your preference, there are a few "good enough" entry-level products that will put you into a much better place than you are with just a laptop. FiiO E10K is an affordable one-box solution; famous Magni/Modi stack is two small boxes but work really well. There's also O2+ODAC.
 
Finally, AudioGD stuff (NFB 15.32) is supposed to be insanely good, but that's $300+ territory already.
 
Personally, I think that if you want to "start really small" and don't have space constraints, you should get Magni 2 and use it with Mac's DAC. You can always add Modi 2 later if you decide that Mac doesn't cut it or just want to experiment.

 

[windowlicker]

(Also, good call on upgrading your gear! Listening to lossless music with cheapo gear is, as someone on here put it, like eating soup with chopsticks. )

 

[cel4145]

Depending on your preference, there are a few "good enough" entry-level products that will put you into a much better place than you are with just a laptop. FiiO E10K is an affordable one-box solution; famous Magni/Modi stack is two small boxes but work really well. There's also O2+ODAC.

Finally, AudioGD stuff (NFB 15.32) is supposed to be insanely good, but that's $300+ territory already.

Personally, I think that if you want to "start really small" and don't have space constraints, you should get Magni 2 and use it with Mac's DAC. You can always add Modi 2 later if you decide that Mac doesn't cut it or just want to experiment.

What he said

I like the Audio-GD stuff. One thing I would suggest is that if you think you might ever want to get into speakers, go with a headphone amp that also functions as a pre-amp so you can control your speaker volume from your headphone amp. Makes it all easier to integrate

 

[ragingmini]

Awesome! Thanks for all the advice. How much different would a Magni 2 + Mac combo be from an E10K? Are prices pretty true to quality when it comes to amps and DACs?

 

[cel4145]

E10K is a dac/amp. Magni 2 is just an amp. The Magni 2 is a much better amp than in the E10K.

But no. Prices are not always true when it comes to quality, but people can recommend you brands/models that are. FiiO, Schiit Audio, and Audio-GD are brands that are.

However, know that there are diminishing returns as you go up in price. And since you have the M50s and AD900X, you don't need a very powerful headphone amp (unlike some others).

 

[billybob_jcv]

One nice thing about the E10K is that it also has a line-out, so you can use it just as a DAC with a separate amp. So, you could go either way - get just the Magni 2 and use the DAC inside your Mac, then perhaps get an external DAC later - OR - get the E10K and then perhaps get another external amp later.

 

[ragingmini]

E10K is a dac/amp. Magni 2 is just an amp. The Magni 2 is a much better amp than in the E10K.

So then how would the DAC of the E10K compare to the DAC in my MacBook? Is the Magni 2 amping my Mac's signal going to sound worse than the all in one E10K?
 

One nice thing about the E10K is that it also has a line-out, so you can use it just as a DAC with a separate amp. So, you could go either way - get just the Magni 2 and use the DAC inside your Mac, then perhaps get an external DAC later - OR - get the E10K and then perhaps get another external amp later.

 
Good to know! Are there any benefits to having a USB DAC like the E10K? Or is it preferred to have line-in instead?

 

[cel4145]

So then how would the DAC of the E10K compare to the DAC in my MacBook? Is the Magni 2 amping my Mac's signal going to sound worse than the all in one E10K?

I'm not an Apple person. I do not know.

 

[billybob_jcv]

It depends on who you ask. There are people who believe the DAC implementation is quite significant, and there are others that believe it is more subtle. I think it's more about the headphones being used. The Magni has the power to drive nearly any headphone quite well. The E10K is more modestly powered - it does well with most headphones but will run out of power considerably sooner than the Magni.

 

[ragingmini]

I think I'm leaning towards either Magni/Modi combo or O2+ODAC. I might end up getting a Magni now and then picking up a Modi later. I like the idea of them being separate and independent.
 
Out of curiosity, are there any basic rules about buying equipment used? Does the quality degrade over time or anything?

 

[Mr Rick]

  I think I'm leaning towards either Magni/Modi combo or O2+ODAC. I might end up getting a Magni now and then picking up a Modi later. I like the idea of them being separate and independent.
 
Out of curiosity, are there any basic rules about buying equipment used? Does the quality degrade over time or anything?

With the surface mount technology used this Schiit should last unchanged for decades.

 

[ragingmini]

Awesome, thanks for the help guys. 

 

[moonuserT1]

You could also try an !qube. This is a DAC/amp but portable and it is based on a class=D amp. The DAC can play from mp3 up to DSD 128. It's rather affordable. Around €600,00.
It can even drive my 600 ohm Byerdynamic T1. Very nice sound. Open, fast, tight base.  Look at " Qables.nl"  for more info or try the internet.
It is designed by Bruno Putzeys and Bart van der Laan. They are world leading designers for class-D amp's and  DAC's.
 
If you really want headphone heaven you could consider a Simaudio Moon Neo 430 HA. This is a (pre) amp/DAC. This baby can drive anything in the world. Not cheap but worth every penny and more. 

 

[ragingmini]

Well I ended up getting the Magni 2 Uber and Modi 2 Uber. I don't noticed a huge difference in quality between the stack and my MacBook Pro using my AD900Xs. Tonight I'm going to do some A/B testing with my M50s and see if the stack drives those any differently. I think I'll probably still keep them simply because it opens up my headphone buying options. I'm really interested in a set of bass heavy headphones. 
 
My next question is whether or not less efficient headphones offer any benefit over efficient headphones like my AD900Xs. As far as I can tell, there are a plenty of options for headphones that don't need amped, so why should I consider ones that do?