[TheAdmiralty]

Hello again!
 
I've got an interesting choice to make. 
 
I recently upgraded from a pair of ATH-M50's to a pair of Shure SRH-940's, and it was probably one of the biggest improvements I've ever heard.  I disagree with a lot of what I'm hearing about their bass being too thin; now, I go back to the M50's and everything from the midrange down sounds muddy and undefined; the 940's have enough bass to make an impact, but yet have extraordinary detail like I never thought they'd have.  If anyone wants an upgrade from the M50s, this is it - more comfortable, better sound, even better isolation than the M50s already have... also twice the price, but it's worth it just to hear how much wider the sound stage should actually be in a pair of closed cans.
 
Ehem.  Anyway, I have the SR940's, and am running them off of an Asus G75VW laptop - these cans are the definition of unforgiving, though.  Even though the M50s weren't sensitive enough to pick it up, every time I turn on this laptop,  there's a very faint "POPSssssssssssssss" when the stereo jack gets power... it's not bad, but I'd like it to go away if possible.  Solution: throw money at the problem until it fixes itself.
 
I thought the best thing to do would be to buy an outboard DAC/AMP combo.  I almost bought a Schiite Valhalla just for the hell of it, but sadly stopped myself when I accepted the fact that it wouldn't actually fix my noise problem, nor do I actually need the power it has.  I just love tube amps.  So, a perfect scenario would be a Tube amp + DAC (Optical input, if they exist) combo.  I have a budget of about $350, and don't have a clue what I'm doing with it.  Any ideas?  I looked into the HiFiMan EF2, but I've heard it uses a relatively low quality DAC which scares me... is this true?
 
I considered buying an HT Omega Claro Halo for the desktop PC; I'd rather have an outboard unit for the G75, but it's also an option if all else fails.
 
Any advice is better than what I've come up with... say what you think.
 
TL;DR: What is the best thing to put between a noisy laptop and a pair of SRH940s for $350-400 or under?
 
Much appreciated,
-Matt

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
You need to basically get your headphones off the laptop. Anything with moving parts (that PC) is going to transmit vibration to the line, it makes noise. Simply fix is a USB DAC/AMP. The SRH940 is very efficient, so you don't need to drop a mint on it. You can get something inexpensive and clean and you're good to go.
 
It's a good thing you did not get the Valhalla. That would have been a mistake for sure. It's an OTL tube amp and has high output impedance, for matching with headphones with very high impedance. The polar opposite of what the SRH940 is. If you want a tube amp, for the SRH940, you'll need to either get a hybrid tube which is a combination of solid state and tube, or find a way to introduce a resistance adapter to your circuit to bring the total impedance up so that the tube amp behaves at it's peak rating, and not at it's worst rating (OTL tubes are meant to have high voltage for matching with high impedance devices, not low impedance, like the SRH940).
 
I would actually just get a Fiio E10. Start with that. It will clean it up a lot. It's also very inexpensive for it's quality. You can add a tube amp later, after you do a lot more research so that you understand what you're buying and how it works and why it's very important to know how to match an amplifier's specifications to an ideal device, and not just hoping for the best with an impulse buy.
 
An alternative, is that you can get a tube dac. This is basically a dac with a tube pre-amp output stage, which you then output to an amplifier. Then simply output to an amplifier of your choice, and in the SRH940's case, most likely a simple solid state amp. The Maverick TubeMagic D2 would do this for you and you could match it with a Matrix M-Stage (though this is quite a costly setup, but a very nice setup that would handle a lot more in your future).
 
Things to consider when looking for an amp, would be that you probably don't want an amp with too much power, because honestly, with a headphone as sensitive as the SRH940, you will hear the noise floor due to gain, a feint hiss.
 
Very best,

 

[TheAdmiralty]

Maverick - that's who I've been looking for.  I knew they were out there, but I couldn't remember their name.  Thanks.
 
I looked into everything you recommended, and it seems solid.  I'd be willing to part with a little more money for a setup that will last a decent amount of time - no doubt in a couple years I'll be moving up again to something just a bit better.  Probably one of the wood-canned Audio Technicas or maybe one of the Beyer Teslas or something of that sort.  That's a long way off, though.
 
Maverick seems to be very much the equivalent of Schiit, only significantly less expensive... everywhere I go, though, I read good things about Schiit, especially with as much as they flaunt their "made in the USA".  I really like them as a company, even if the name comes with a price premium, which is a little bit ironic to say the least.
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/schiit/5.html
Going from a review on 6Moons, it looks like the Asgard does well driving lower impedance headphones if I'm understanding things correctly.  How do you think it would sound?  What I absolutely don't want is something that will distort from putting out too much power, but I also want something that will work with things other than the 940s, and the Asgard seems to be held in high regard.  How expensive of an amp do I even need for these in the first place?  Would the Asgard be complete overkill, or would it sound better than a cheaper $100 unit?
 
I looked into the matching Bifrost, but $350 for a DAC seems a bit steep for my purposes, and that would drive my total DAC/Amp setup price to around $640 shipped... that's through the roof of my budget, but I might be able to manage due to the fact that it would also last forever and probably be the last setup that I'll be buying.  I'm sure there are better options out there, but I just don't have the experience to pick out the differences in the wall DACs and Amps that are out there.  Is there a quality difference between Schiit, Maverick, and Fiio?
 
To add even more length to this, what about the Schiit Magni and Modi?  They both seem like solid little units for $100/ea, but again, I have no experience in this area, and don't really know what I need / don't need.  Everyone starts somewhere I guess.
 
 
...I wish I could edit my profile and make it look a little more professional... oh well...
Much appreciated,
-Matt

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Schiit makes excellent stuff. Actually well-priced for what it is. Fiio makes stuff that is under priced for what it is. Maverick is not new to audio, but they make excellent options too and they are inexpensive because of their Chinese origin.
 
The Asgard2 is a good solid state amplifier. It will work fine with the SRH940. It's over-kill in some senses, but not in others. It's a good way to future proof should you get other headphones later. Pair with a Schiit modi if you want a simple DAC. No need for the bifrost honestly unless you're looking for less than 1% difference, if that, in audible difference to your ears.
 
Very best,