You don't *necessarily* need a DAC but an amp will be mandatory. If You're setting this up at home and your budget allows I'd recommend getting a dac and an amp which will allow easy future upgrades as opposed to the portable dac+amp. Also at your setup grade you'll want sources better than mp3...

Thanks. I think I'll go Modi 2 uber + Magni 2 + k701.

What about modi2 vs multibit?

Well yeah I think at this point I'm giving up the smsl box. I think I am looking for mostly transparency and "airiness" in my sound, which is what drew me to the k701s. I've heard people saying that they are very sensitive to the amp used, and I wonder if I could upgrade my amp a bit? Also what...

Yeah I know the tuning of Sony headphones below $400 is debatable. It takes time to get use to AND to get out of. It's just a tad too much treble and a tad too much bass and for the amount of v shape they possess the two ends could use a lot of improvement: the highs could be way smoother while...

Well in fact the model you mentioned costs just 10 bucks more than the sancrit at 119 on amazon. The version with a toslink/rca/optical/USB input selector is at 179. Should I go for that or the basic model? Also, if I were to say the amp and the dac are a bit below my price range, any...

Tks I just wanted to make sure that every penny i pay is worth it.

Idk like around 500~600 for every thing?

Well I honestly think they are perfect for op. They are bass heavy, but not sloppy by any means. They don't have the tightest bass but it's definitely nowhere near, you know, beats bass. Also they are slightly v shaped but with very defined mids. They are super duper portable and very comfy. TBH...

So I've been looking into setting up a desktop system for a while now, and I think I'll start simple with a digital-dac-amp-headphone solution (or an intergrated amp if that's viable). I am very sensitive to the texture of the sound, as I've actually listened to many audio setups (many of which...