[Zephead]

Hi all, I currently have AKG K550 and AKG K612 Pro both of which I like but especially the K550. I'm feeeding them from a Fiio E10k as DAC into a Little Dot I+ amp running Voshtok Tubes and a TI OPA2227 opamp. I'm looking to improve things but don't have massive budget available immediately so I'm looking at stages of upgrade.

First of all I'm considering a better DAC/Amp combo. Perhaps an 02/ODAC or (and this is favourite at the moment) the Schitt Modi 2 and Schitt Vali 2. I'm thinking the Vali 2 rather than the more common pairing of the Magni 2 because I'm then considering a pair of DT880 600 ohm. Given that I like both the K612 and K550 but especially K550 does this sound like a good upgrade path ?

 

[Monsterzero]

Im going to suggest something based upon the assumption your into Zeppelin....grab a stronger amp and find yourself a pair of AKG K240 sextetts....theyre hard to find,vintage,hard to drive,but theyre absolutely incredible for guitar driven rock/metal/blues.

They can be found for around 150.00 used and blow the DT880(and most headphones)out of the water

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Hi all, I currently have AKG K550 and AKG K612 Pro both of which I like but especially the K550. I'm feeeding them from a Fiio E10k as DAC into a Little Dot I+ amp running Voshtok Tubes and a TI OPA2227 opamp. I'm looking to improve things but don't have massive budget available immediately so I'm looking at stages of upgrade.

First of all I'm considering a better DAC/Amp combo. Perhaps an 02/ODAC or (and this is favourite at the moment) the Schitt Modi 2 and Schitt Vali 2. I'm thinking the Vali 2 rather than the more common pairing of the Magni 2 because I'm then considering a pair of DT880 600 ohm. Given that I like both the K612 and K550 but especially K550 does this sound like a good upgrade path ?

Save up, get better headphones in the future. Then maybe get a new amp to drive it, depends on what it needs. Not sure if your LD MkI is cleaner and more neutral with your upgrades but if not, well, stick with that unless you need more power, since spending more on something that actually performs better technically isn't likely what you want.

 

[Zephead]

Im going to suggest something based upon the assumption your into Zeppelin....grab a stronger amp and find yourself a pair of AKG K240 sextetts....theyre hard to find,vintage,hard to drive,but theyre absolutely incredible for guitar driven rock/metal/blues.

They can be found for around 150.00 used and blow the DT880(and most headphones)out of the water

You're right about me being into Zeppelin but the trouble is I don't just want a Rock headphone (an example is that I really don't like Grado's) and I'm into a lot of other stuff as well. In fact if it's good music the genre is irrelevant. I listen to a very eclectic mix of music so I'm looking to get a really good all rounder.

 

[buke9]

Headphones are going to give you the biggest increase in sound quality over a amp and dac at this price point. I have not heard your headphones but have heard the DT-880's in 250 ohms out of my Bottlehead Crack and they are quite good. If your dead set on a new Amp/Dac the O2 is a pretty good unit and I was at JDS Labs this past weekend for a meet they hosted. If I were going to upgrade my signal path I would save up for a Modi Multibit as I love the multibit sound. I have heard them all and not A/B'd them but on different setups and I think they just add a bit of realism to the music to me. The Mojo is also quite good but out of budget at the moment. It's your money so you have to make the decision yourself . For the most part I usually advise the standard Headphones, Amp and then DAC as this is what makes the most sense from what I've experienced but that is not a rule you have to follow. The single most expensive thing in my signal chain is my Dac. So you can always do what feels right to you as it is your money after all . This is just my opinion and YMMV.