[doyouknowSBmean]

As of today, Wyrd+Modi is the best buy of the bunch.

Hi purrin I noticed that you bought a ragnarok. How is this amp drive your headphones? Compared to 445 or ECBA.

 

[magiccabbage]

Hi purrin I noticed that you bought a ragnarok. How is this amp drive your headphones? Compared to 445 or ECBA.

I think that's posted a few pages back. 
 
 

   
Two amps in the running if you are looking something which will work well with LCD-3, Abyss, and HD800. I own Abyss and HD800, but sold LCD-3 a while back (not necessarily because I didn't like it). Those two current production amps are the EC 4-45 and Schiit Ragnorak. That being said, there are many other amps which should also be considered if you want to focus on one particular headphone, or one type of headphone.
 
The 4-45 is actually a wee bit insignificantly brighter than the Ragnarok. The Ragnarok is mid focused if even anything could be said about it. The Rag has the smoothest more liquid sound, especially in the treble, lack of grain, that I have ever heard in an amp regardless of tube or solid state. Amps like the Leben are also smooth, but that amp is overly warm, syrupy, and distorted, therefore not considered. Both the Rag or 4-45 do lend themselves to the tonal balance of the LCD-3 and Abyss quite well. With the HD800, I prefer the use with some sort of Anax mod (just the liner without the foam). It's just the nature of the HD800 and that those amps aren't necessarily what I would call dark or warm. But that does not mean they are analytical, antiseptic, or lean, which I do not like. Both Rag and 4-45 have a subdued bass, which slams hard when it's called for. I would not say that the treble is rolled off on either amp, but I would say that the treble is not unnaturally harsh, edgy, etched, etc. which I find the GS-X2 to be (GS-X is lean in comparison, it also does not resolve as well).
 
The bass is cleaner on the Rag. The resolution and microdynamics is better on the 4-45. Overall articulation is better on the Rag - incredibly clean transients. I prefer the HD800 with the 4-45. The 4-45 is more capable of reproducing the low level information which only the HD800 is capable of reproducing. I prefer the Abyss on the Rag. The Abyss is slightly less resolving, so a super high resolving amp isn't necessary. (I still consider the Rag the most resolving SS amp I've heard.) However the extra power and control of the Rag grabs the Abyss by the balls. The LCD-3, I no longer have, but it would be an educated guess that it would be somewhere in between. I know the Audeze guys have borrowed EC's amps for some shows here and there; and Audezes are known to have synergies with the Schiit Stack (Mojo+Gung).
 
So basically consider Rag vs. 4-45. Those are two amps which I consider equivalent, but different. Those are the two amps I consider the best in terms of the flexibility that you require in terms of powering low impedance orthos and high impedance dynamics.
 
DACs are a personal thing. The setup I use (Schiit Wyrd --> Empirical Audio Off Ramp 5 (with only i2s regulator upgrade) --i2s--> Audio-GD Master 7) is rather convoluted, but it gets results; otherwise I would have gone for a $10K DAC. But I'm cheap if it does the job.
 
Since this a DAC thread, I cannot guarantee the above results if a DAC used does not have smooth treble characteristics or is not sufficiently resolving. DAC is crucial at this stage in the game.

 

[hans030390]

  Is it me or is the Gungnir USB2 still perhaps the "best buy" of the bunch in terms of value/dollar?

 
Can't speak for the Wyrd+Modi (will trust purrin on this one), but the AMB Gamma2 was also an excellent deal when I sampled it.

 

[doyouknowSBmean]

Thanks for that. Seems RAG is really great.

 

[arnaud]

At that point, I stopped reading. The review looked like it had too many words anyways. Don't get me wrong, I like the Berkeley Alpha 2.

You're missing out skipping over this DAC, it has a led indicating HDCD material is being played.

Mind you, I may be the exception out there to not have a single HDCD encoded cd in my collection I think. But all this led does to me is bring me 15 years back, pacific microsonics nostalgy at work. Talking about future obsolete formats, DSD isn't supported though.

But it doesn't stop there, then goes on about how less is more: you end up with aes/ebu input but no USB.

No comment on sound, but basically, I am already turned off but just the design choices. The front and top panel finish is fantastic, but then the back panel feels so DIY, eh?? It's like painting the front of the house and moving all the trash to the back porch.

End of rent, I must just be frustrated I can't justify spending 15k on a DAC

Arnaud

 

[commtrd]

I read all that and that is why I was wondering if there would be any appreciable gains to using a Wyrd module in conjunction with the USB Gen II update already installed. Common sense tells me "fugedaboutit" since it sounds really nice just the way it is. Money better spent to upgrade amp and dac when the time comes I think.

 

[purrin]

Wyrd changes to Gungnir Gen 2 USB are incremental, not significant; unlike Modi, where the Wyrd does make a significant difference. Does more than cable, but less than a piece of gear which is just simply better. At $99 you can go either way; but its value becomes more compelling once you become a full-fleged member of the headphone nutjob society with thousands of dollars sunk into this so called hobby.

 

[Sorrodje]

Anyone can advice a dac with a typical sabre sound at affordable price . not too bad or good. I would like to find a cheap "average" sabre dac to understand what you're talking about

 

[doyouknowSBmean]

I have another question. How is RAG compared to LG?

 

[doyouknowSBmean]

RAG is even more resolving than LG? I mean Cavalli liquid Gold.

 

[PleasantSounds]

  Anyone can advice a dac with a typical sabre sound at affordable price . not too bad or good. I would like to find a cheap "average" sabre dac to understand what you're talking about

 
ODAC?

 

[skeptic]

When the doodlebug finally becomes readily available, I'm curious whether wyrd will really stand the test of time.

As I understand it from posts by avro, articles by John Swenson, etc. you do not want a continuous ground (which wyrd has) in a usb purifier if minimizing noise and jitter is the goal. http://www.head-fi.org/t/703334/doodlebug-usb-isolator/180_30#post_10831790

 

[castleofargh]

  Anyone can advice a dac with a typical sabre sound at affordable price . not too bad or good. I would like to find a cheap "average" sabre dac to understand what you're talking about

any of the high end chips in the last years have been more than able to output amazingly transparent signal if only given the right circumstances(understand implementation and power source).
don't just believe people coming up with hasty conclusions about a DAC chip. even less when based on a few random observations where they had zero way to ascertain if the DAC chip played a bigger part than any other DAC component in defining a certain sound(given that they actually heard a different sound). skipping coffee 3 days and having rain for 3 days isn't a reason to conclude that drinking coffee brings the sun.
only DAC manufacturers can really answer about the role of one DAC chip, certainly not DAC listeners. at best listeners should talk about one DAC vs another, not one chip vs another as they have no mean to do any simple comparison with some magic "DAC chip rolling". so talking about the chipset alone is futile.
 
of course different DAC chips have different needs. and the TOTL sabre chip happens to require a lot in order to work optimally. so perhaps several good sabre DACs have a lot more in common than just the chipset? still it's at best circumstantial and implementation is all.
 
 
au cas où, hifimediy has a sabre DAC

 

[purrin]

When the doodlebug finally becomes readily available, I'm curious whether wyrd will really stand the test of time.

As I understand it from posts by avro, articles by John Swenson, etc. you do not want a continuous ground (which wyrd has) in a usb purifier if minimizing noise and jitter is the goal. http://www.head-fi.org/t/703334/doodlebug-usb-isolator/180_30#post_10831790

 
Interesting, so the ADuM3160 in the Doodlebug actually keeps the grounds of USB in and USB out separate?

 

[thegunner100]

  Anyone can advice a dac with a typical sabre sound at affordable price . not too bad or good. I would like to find a cheap "average" sabre dac to understand what you're talking about

ODAC and the hifimediy dac, as mentioned by others.