I have the 500s connected to a bit frost and asgard 2 and am very pleased. There's a lot of info lying around in the forum about different setups. I believe you'll enjoy it. Schiits own director/shaman commented he preferred the asgard to the lyr for these particular cans, for what it's worth...

I've read through the thread so sorry if I missed the answer somewhere. Re the issue with power draw, wouldn't using a powered dac/amp circumvent the power draw powered USB hub issue? Specifically I'm thinking about using my fiio x5 as a dac and amp, essentially as a means to use spotify. With...

I have never tried the w60, but they are rated at 25 Ohms. The fiio x5 can drive headphones in the 16-300 ohm range. It will drive your w60 with no issue. You may even obtain better results driving the w60 directly through the x5 than through the e12. This is because the e12 is very powerful...

I find the e12 gives it a fuller, more impactfull sound. Also had very good results amping it with the asgard 2, which gives it more separation, overall detail and air.

You don't need to amp the X5, its own amp is powerful enough to drive most headphones.   Also, combining the x5 with e 12 is better than the x5 with the e17. The e17 has the added feature of also being a DAC, but you can already use the X5 as a DAC, and the e12 is a superior amp.

No problem, anytime. Surprised that there isn't more input from other members, though

I usually just put on an album and go sit, away from the fiio. But yes, it's convenient if you change around songs a lot. Six feet sounds like a good all around measure. Not too bulky or long.

The issue of cables has long discussions and no general consensus.   While i'm not a big believer of expensive digital cables, i do think analog cables (like this) benefit from higher quality components and build. I'd say go for a short cable of decent quality. Being shorter will make it...

I think you will be pleased. Let us know your impressions when you get it. Remember you'll need a 3.5mm to 2xRCA cable to connect to the X5. This is because the Asgard takes RCA in instead of the single 3.5mm jack of the fiio e12. I got the he400's used, so I won't be changing for a while. I...

Ah! The concidences keep pilling on. I also have he-400s , and they sound a lot better with the Asgard than with the fiio e12. It's a really good pairing. Regarding my setup. The fiio x5 has a very good DAC and amp on its own, but just like you use an external amp for better sound or more...

Depends on the amps, but i would say so.  Going back to my example, i notice a significant improvement from using the x5 into the bitfrost dac into the fiio e12 (X5 as source -> bitfrost DAC - > e12 amp) to using the X5->Bitfrost -> Asgard 2. I got to try it out since my asgard arrived...

I think we're the ones not getting what you mean. You're using the Fiio X5 as a source and DAC, with the fiio e12 working as the amp. You're wondering wether a desktop amp, used instead of the Fiio e12, would make the X5 sound better ? As said, that depends on the amp. Or do you mean...

I had seen the olive one as well. Looks cool, but it's also pricey.  It'd probably be cheaper running an older laptop with PLEX or something connecting to some sort of tiny monitor. Or, even better, having a closed laptop running the library, browsable through an ipad/iphone.

On the subject, I've also been looking for a good digital transport. I've been using my fiio x5 plugged through coax into a schiit bitfrost.  All i'm looking for, then, is a simple media storage device (with HDD, or just with an sd card reader) and a display to browse media. Simple enough...

A dedicated DAC, to replace your soundcard, would improve overall sound quality, improving the HD598's sound in the process. I own a pair of HD598 that I use at work (have them on right now), and I find them pretty easy to drive. Based on their popularity in this forum, and online in general...

Hello all, I'm a longtime lurker and am now starting my first thread. I have a series of 24/96 and 24/192 flac and alac files that I want to play in the living room. At the moment I'm using hifiman he400 amped by a fiio e12, connected through RCA to a pioneer Lx-52 blu ray player. I also...

Quick context: My main headphones are now a pair of Sennheiser's HD 598's, plugged into a Fiio e17, which in turn is connected to a laptop via USB. I started with a pair of shure IEM se210's , moved up to ath-m50s, then added a fiio e7, then an e10 and now the e17.  Still own the ath-m50s...

Hi. Long time lurker, just created an account to add this to the pile: It's a game soundtrack, but it's brilliant: Deus Ex: Human Revolution, by Michael Mccann. http://youtu.be/402asYLG_b0