[Ninadada]

Suppose you had a modest system of say a Schiit Modi/Magni combo and some HD 650 cans. With a $2500 budget, you can replace only 1 component with anything of your choice. Which component would you replace, with what, and why.

 

[mulveling]

Not sure this is summit fi. And that's a silly hypothetical - either one will leave you unsatisfied. Even the old hd650 deserve much better than a Magni or Modi. But some epic classic amps do show up used under 1500 (e.g. Balanced dynahi etc), and throwing the remainder at a DAC (Gumby, M51, etc) should elevate things nicely above mid-fi level.

 

[ToroFiestaSol]

If you want to stick with the HD650, get the ECP Torpedo 3 and a better source, like a Metrum Musette with DAC TWO chips. That would be end-game for the HD650.

 

[mulveling]

Agree, ECP amps would be a superb choice.

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I would ditch and amp as well and upgrade that, first. There is lots of room to grow with the 650's: they are not your bottle neck and until you get a more resolving amp, the DAC is less crucial.

I would also mod the HD650's if they are still stock. That's a (basically) $0 upgrade.

 

[Ninadada]

I would ditch and amp as well and upgrade that, first. There is lots of room to grow with the 650's: they are not your bottle neck and until you get a more resolving amp, the DAC is less crucial.

I would also mod the HD650's if they are still stock. That's a (basically) $0 upgrade.

Thanks for the reply. I wasn't sure if you'd get more bang for your buck by upgrading the amp or the DAC, assuming you could only do 1 at a time.

Regarding HD650 mod, it seems to be a common practice here on Head-Fi but I have yet to read what it is intended to accomplish and further, how to go about performing it. Any links you could share?

 

[bigfatpaulie]

I'll send you a PM...