[Professor Chaos]

i'm putting together a new well rounded setup soon and wanted to get some outside opinions, here is what i'm currently thinking..
 
over ear - sennheiser HD700, hifiman he-500....and maybe a pair of d2000's if i can find.
in ear - shure se215 or 315
 
amp magni 2 über or valhalla 2 
dac - modi 2 uber
portable amp - fiio e11
 
thanks!!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I'd skip the portable amp - most IEMs with high enough efficiency work well enough with smartphones given that most universal IEMs have a 100dB/1mW sensitivity; just pick one with the kind of sound you want, but without too much bass boost that the low damping factor on smartphone audiochips will only make worse (but even then, I can tolerate it on the go).
 
Also, are you still looking for the HD700 and HE500, or do you already have them? If you buy both you're still going to need a DAC and headphone amplifier.

 

[Beyakusenn]

If you have no problem with used products, you could get epic trios like this one:
- HiFiMan HE-560
- Sennheiser HD800
- STAX SRS-4040 Signature system
Or
- Audeze LCD-2 Fazor
- Beyerdynamic T1
- STAX SRS-3170 system
 
I agree with ProtegeManiac that you can skip the portable amp. Depending on the way you listen to music (Spotify or storage device) you might profit from getting a new DAP like the Fiio X1.

 

[inthere]

Dac-Modi
Amp- Project Ember
Over ears-AKG K812, HE 500
IEM-Westone W40 or 60 if you have enough

 

[superjawes]

I love my Valhalla, and the HD700 will probably pair well with a Valhalla 2. However, I doubt you'll get the same synergy pairing a Valhalla 2 with the HE-500. If you want something that can power both well, Magni 2 Uber or Lyr 2 are probably better choices.

 

[Professor Chaos]

Thanks everyone. Yah I agree i can ditch the portable amp, haven't used mine in months. Currently would with se-215's but they sound great without, which is why I was thinking to just make a step or two up in their product line.
 
i currently have HD700's about to be replaced . I was enjoying them with a magni/modi, but imagining what it would sound like with the valhalla. I enjoy an analytical sound also wanted a different, more fun sounding can, which is why I thought HE500.
 
Am I going to be far better off with a Lyr instead of Valhalla if i purchase HD700 & HE500 ??? Another question is, do I really really need to go much higher than a modi 2 uber? I don't want to spend 500 on both amp and dac.
 
The used gear is also a great suggestion. I'd rather most of the stuff be new, but wouldn't be opposed to adding one excellent quality used phone that would normally be out the price range, which is basically around 1.75-2k for buying 3-4 pairs. Thanks again for any help/suggestions!

 

[Professor Chaos]

or if anyone had a great suggestion on a different phone to replace the HD700 in my collection that I would also love!!!
 
thanks!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

  Thanks everyone. Yah I agree i can ditch the portable amp, haven't used mine in months. Currently would with se-215's but they sound great without, which is why I was thinking to just make a step or two up in their product line.

 
Even the SE535 can be easily driven by most mainstream devices so don't sweat it. Convenient too.
 
Quote:

 
i currently have HD700's about to be replaced . I was enjoying them with a magni/modi, but imagining what it would sound like with the valhalla. I enjoy an analytical sound also wanted a different, more fun sounding can, which is why I thought HE500.
 
Am I going to be far better off with a Lyr instead of Valhalla if i purchase HD700 & HE500 ??? 

 
The Valhalla would likely fare worse on the HE500 than the Lyr would on the HD700, so the Lyr will be a safe choice. In any case, if you have the Magni now, why not try using that first?
 
Quote:

 
Another question is, do I really really need to go much higher than a modi 2 uber? I don't want to spend 500 on both amp and dac.

 
Not really unless you're OC and don't want to look at how the two chassis don't match like your old set-up did. If I was in your place I'd get the Bifrost just because of that. Right now I use a D-Zero, which is a transportable primarily but I use it as a DAC with my main amp and with my back up amp, and the reason for that is I can hide it behind the desktop amps since it's that small. I won't see it either way.
 
 

  or if anyone had a great suggestion on a different phone to replace the HD700 in my collection that I would also love!!!

 
I'd much rather use an EQ to tame the treble peak rather than spend to replace that.

 

[Professor Chaos]

Thanks so much for all your excellent advice, it's much appreciated. 
 
I had a magni and the HD700's sounded great, but that I couldn't reach their highest level. I was already in the process of considering the Valhalla 2 upgrade for the HD700. Then, most of my gear got ruined and is being replaced by insurance, so plotting how to smartly rebuild and upgrade. 
 
The only wildcard headphone here is the HE500, i've never even tried their products, just read about them and think I would love them and they'd provide a fun option.
I'm pretty happy with the shure IEM and the HD700.

 

[superjawes]

The Valhalla would likely fare worse on the HE500 than the Lyr would on the HD700, so the Lyr will be a safe choice. In any case, if you have the Magni now, why not try using that first?

Bingo. Valhalla is great for high impedance cans, but it's also designed primarily for high impedance cans. Lyr just has tons of power for any headphone impedance.

I haven't personally tried the HE-500, but it should offer something "different" for sure.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
I had a magni and the HD700's sounded great, but that I couldn't reach their highest level. I was already in the process of considering the Valhalla 2 upgrade for the HD700. Then, most of my gear got ruined and is being replaced by insurance, so plotting how to smartly rebuild and upgrade. 

 
What do you mean exactly? If we're talking in terms of pure output loudness the Magni can actually go louder than the Valhalla2 (either way you'd still get hearing damage if you listened at that level), and the damping factor (ie how well the amp can control driver movement) is also much higher on the Magni than with the Valhalla2; all based on the calculations and estimates on audiobot9000.com.
 
The Lyr beats both of them though, and it's also safer for low impedance loads as it maintains a high damping factor. Note that some people deliberately prefer a lower damping factor since it somewhat boosts the bass, like using OTL tube amplifiers on Grados.

 

[davidsh]

If you want an extremely neutral and revealing system I can recommend the stax srs-2170 system from pricejapan. Great bang for the buck intro to electrostatic headphones.

 

[Rearwing]

Chord Hugo and the Audeze LCD 2 will blow your mind! And then save up for the iem's, maybe look at the new RHA T20.

 

[Beyakusenn]

  If you want an extremely neutral and revealing system I can recommend the stax srs-2170 system from pricejapan. Great bang for the buck intro to electrostatic headphones.

+1