So I JUST got the Magni recently an a headphone amp. The Behringer digital interface seemed to have a weird buzzing noise no matter what the source I used, so I stopped using it some years back.  when I made the thread I had just the behringers, and I really wanted to try out a proper amp, and...

So currently I use my desktop for music and movies.   SBZ -> Magni 2 Uber -> MS40 / ATH-W1000Z

    Thanks, it certainly seems like there is not much of a market for it.  I guess I will just go w/ a pair of Audio Engine A5+ or something. At least they have the volume control on the front. do you suggest the JBL over those at all? (mostly for games and movies and music.)

I'd like to see if there is a good 2.0 speaker set w/ a built in Headphone Amp.  I currently use a pair of Behringer MS40s, but its been a few years, and the right speaker sounds... off. Plus, I am not a big fan of the headphone amp in it.  Any suggestions?

  Nice, well it seems like I may next try out the X2, seems to be gettng glowing recs everywhere.

      So i tried out both the Alpha Dogs and the Shure 1540.  My assessment of the sound is from such a layman's point of view I wont really bother other than to say, (unamped) it stands to reason that I preferred the 1540s.  It felt much more engaging then the ADs and when I tried out...

yea, I also got some other suggestions that sound pretty good, so maybe I will look into those as well.  Either way I should get the Shure's in tomorrow night.  Although my impressions come from fairly unsophisticated listening skills, I will do my best to post some to add to the collective.

  The top end of the budget was ~$600.  Now the headphones have to be closed back for my living situation. the X2 are open so that nixes those.  I could just go w/ the shures or an higher model pair of ATs (if they are acoustically similar, but yknow... "better").  But if I am going to amp the...

  nice   should i even worry about double amping if i have no frame of reference as to its potential issues?

I see the logic now.  I could have the heapdhone jack go straight into an amp, but the signal would be compromised in some fashion, though i would still get the SBX features this way.   OTOH, if I went w/ an external DAC through the optical of the SBZ i could still benefit from the SBX...

  stellar.  thanks so much for being courteous w/ what is obviously repeat information for so many on this forum.   edit: though I will say that I guess have I have to go from my headphone out to the amp right?  I dont see a "line out" at all.

  Well both other posts seem to imply that if I wanted to use SBX features that an external DAC w/ an AMP would be the way to go.  Can I still do that w/o the external DAC?

  I am guessing when you listened to them at the time you had proper equipment to drive them? I am hearing from multiple sources that the Sound Blaster Z is not quite enough to drive them properly.

  Thanks so much for the recommendations!  I am going to try out the Shure 1540s and Alpha Dogs (they have a restocking fee, but I am willing to swallow it if necessary (though I will definitely keep your suggestions about upgraded equipment in mind, in fact, I may have to refuse delivery as I...

  do you feel that the ones i mentioned in my post above might be too much of a jump up from what I am coming from?