[xXxDanXx]

I presently possess Sennheiser HD-600 headphones which demand something to drive it. I was going to start with baseline modules like the Schiit Modi 2 Uber and Magni 2 Uber stack but a friend corrupted my ears. Now my 7.1 Bose speakers sound like complete garbage. But I’m here looking purely to drive the HD-600 connected to my PC playing lossless. I’m trying to stay under a budget of $500 because I know where I’d like to go in a few years. Instead of spending $2-3k on middle ground components now, I’d prefer to stay in the 70-80% performance range and in 2 years down the road interchange with the impossibly perfect arrangement paralleling friend’s soundstage, avoiding ever listening to his future upgrades.

What’s the finest I’ve listened too? Schiit Gungnir Multibit dac, Linear Tube Audio microZOTL2.0 Amp paired with Sennheiser HD-800s headphones. Currently that’s my gold standard and at nearly $5-6k with a couple other components tying it together I don’t need to hear what better sounds like (for my wallet’s sake) until I retire and need a fulltime hobby. To see where my current components stand in his setup we interchanged the HD-600 and Modi 2 Uber into his stack as well as isolating some of the components. The HD-600’s were relatively 85-90% of the performance to the hd-800s, something I can live with for now at a fraction of the price. That 10-15% certainly completed the setup though. So, I recognize why people justify purchasing $1k plus on cans. The Schiit Modi 2 Uber didn’t fare well contrasted to the Gungnir Multibit. Respectively, the Modi 2 Uber performed 80% of the Gungnir Multibit in most genre’s, however the few it didn’t do well, it did appallingly as low as 50% of the performance, so much it stressed me to prolong listening, but again that was a $150 component paired in a $5-6k setup attempting to take on a $1250 dac.

Unfortunately, I have no assessment of where Schiit Bifrost, Bifrost Multibit and Gungnir Non-Multibit compare. You could say 90% but since I know the Gungnir Multibit was the best I’ve heard I’m sort of willing to hold off since it’s not an unreasonable price. Nevertheless, if the Schiit Juthenheim performs better than the Modi 2 Uber paired with the Schiit Asgard or the Aune X7s I’d go that route and sell the Modi 2 Uber.

I’m reaching out to this community to help inform my decision from your experiences with audio components in the sub $500 range. If you think the difference isn’t worth the cost or to similar or this or that pairs better and so forth. Below are most of the combinations I’ve been considering. There are a lot of other brands I’ve read about that seem to be popular. I drifted away from tubes because they don’t seem to execute nearly as well in clarity on the lower end compared to solid states.

| Schiit Modi 2 Uber Dac + Magni 2 Uber Amp | Schiit Modi 2 Uber Dac + Schiit Asgard Amp |
| Schiit Modi 2 Uber Dac + Aune X7s Amp | Schiit Juthenheim Dac/Amp | Aune X1s Dac/Amp |
| Schiit Modi 2 Uber Dac + Gustard H10 ($290 Massdrop) Amp |

 

[cossix]

The Jotunheim's balanced DAC is essentially two Modi 2's with one for each channel. I run the Jot balanced with the 650 and I love it. It adds a bit of sparkle to the top end and gets rid of the "veil" people always complain about.

The Magni 2 is a great little amp but the difference between it and the Jot was immediately noticeable. The Magni 2 does a very good job powering the 650 for the price, but felt a little boring after upgrading to the Jot.

Running the Modi 2 Uber with the Jot is a waste IMO. The Jot DAC is the exact same chip and it runs balanced and is only 100 bucks extra! I would sell the Modi 2 Uber, buy the Jot with DAC, buy a balanced cable, and enjoy. I can't speak for the Aune or the Asgard but having a balanced dac/amp with literally tons of I/O is so amazing. The value of the Jotunheim is so high and I doubt you could find a better setup for 500 dollars

 

[bixby]

Your title leaves out the notion that you also want a dac rec.

The Jot is a good choice and will push the mids and upper mids more forward than some combos. I agree it is superior to the Magni as an amp I still do not think it is a perfect match with the Senn 6xx. To my ears it sounds less balanced than some other combos including the Chord Mojo. The other Schiit products mentioned below sound better to me.

I owned the Asgard and it is a rather boring match for the Senn 6xx cans. My Garage 1217 Polaris was a much better sounding amp to me. Yet the Chord is significantly better and in comparison the Polaris was veiled and a bit grainy. I have auditioned lots of stuff with the Senn 650s at meets and other venues. I was particularly impressed with the Vali2. But what I like may not be what you like. You really need to hear for yourself and decide. FYI, I also liked the Bifrost DS feeding a Valhalla or Lyr, moreso than the Jot.

Good luck with the quest and enjoy.

 

[xXxDanXx]

The Jotunheim's balanced DAC is essentially two Modi 2's with one for each channel. I run the Jot balanced with the 650 and I love it. It adds a bit of sparkle to the top end and gets rid of the "veil" people always complain about.

The Magni 2 is a great little amp but the difference between it and the Jot was immediately noticeable. The Magni 2 does a very good job powering the 650 for the price, but felt a little boring after upgrading to the Jot.

Running the Modi 2 Uber with the Jot is a waste IMO. The Jot DAC is the exact same chip and it runs balanced and is only 100 bucks extra! I would sell the Modi 2 Uber, buy the Jot with DAC, buy a balanced cable, and enjoy. I can't speak for the Aune or the Asgard but having a balanced dac/amp with literally tons of I/O is so amazing. The value of the Jotunheim is so high and I doubt you could find a better setup for 500 dollars

Persistently reading and watching reviews of these products, I'm tilting towards the Jotunheim Balanced and discarding the Modi 2 Uber or going for Modi 2 Uber + Aune X7s. If the Modi dac is equal to or less then the dac in the Jotunheim then I will certainly sell the Modi and go for the Jotunheim combo. It appears the Asgard doesn't have balanced channels, therefore it must be inferior paired with the Modi compared to the Jotunheim. I’m willing to go that route. Thanks for the advice.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

AudioGD NGB-11

 

[xXxDanXx]

Your title leaves out the notion that you also want a dac rec.

The Jot is a good choice and will push the mids and upper mids more forward than some combos. I agree it is superior to the Magni as an amp I still do not think it is a perfect match with the Senn 6xx. To my ears it sounds less balanced than some other combos including the Chord Mojo. The other Schiit products mentioned below sound better to me.

I owned the Asgard and it is a rather boring match for the Senn 6xx cans. My Garage 1217 Polaris was a much better sounding amp to me. Yet the Chord is significantly better and in comparison the Polaris was veiled and a bit grainy. I have auditioned lots of stuff with the Senn 650s at meets and other venues. I was particularly impressed with the Vali2. But what I like may not be what you like. You really need to hear for yourself and decide. FYI, I also liked the Bifrost DS feeding a Valhalla or Lyr, moreso than the Jot.

Good luck with the quest and enjoy.

I do want a better dac but from my friend’s advice he believes it’s better to go with the best component in my budget and run it with a low tier product instead of balancing the budget between two components. I’m sure that’s not the case in everything but since I’ve tested the Modi 2 Uber compared Gungnir Multibit the contrast in clarity is noticeable enough that I’d rather prolong a new dac (unless in a combo component like the Schiit Jotenheim or Aune X1s) then buy something in the middle ground. I have tested the Chord Mojo, I don’t think we had it connected to his entire stack. We tested the Mojo between the HD-598, HD-600 and HD-800s as well as between the Modi 2 Uber dac and Gungnir Multibit dac, it was better than the Modi but l still preferred the Gungnir. However, clearly the size difference has vastly larger target audience than the Gungnir.

I genuinely adored the sound of his Linear Tube Audio microZOTL2.0 Tube Amp. I think the addition of that element in his setup made me fall in love. I do eventually want to go down the tube route but have quality concerns on the lower end tier products. I certainly wish I had a place to test these components because surely I could have my decision made on the spot. I didn’t list it above but I’m still considering the Valhalla 2 tube amp. I will look into the Garage 1217 products.

 

[xXxDanXx]

AudioGD NGB-11

I looked at that one too. It looks like a high quality product but the process of buying it seems troublesome.

 

[cossix]

I looked at that one too. It looks like a high quality product but the process of buying it seems troublesome.

Yea audioGD is a very odd company in terms of ordering