[Tedz]

Lurker here for one month.

So I just bought the Beyerdynamic's DT 990 Premium 600 Ω

They should give 192hz 24-bit Audio. (No converting hz)

Be fairly portable (Going to use it at my desk in my office and at home) As long as it fits in my bag.

Audio Quality is highly prioritized.

Would be great if it would have a 1/4 Connector.

NO HYPE PLEASE, I've seen people over hyping products that seems to have only gotten average reviews and poor performance.

Thank you beforehand!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Lurker here for one month.
So I just bought the Beyerdynamic's DT 990 Premium 600 Ω
They should give 192hz 24-bit Audio. (No converting hz)
Be fairly portable (Going to use it at my desk in my office and at home) As long as it fits in my bag.
Audio Quality is highly prioritized.
Would be great if it would have a 1/4 Connector.
NO HYPE PLEASE, I've seen people over hyping products that seems to have only gotten average reviews and poor performance.
Thank you beforehand!

 
So, you want a quality DAC/amp (preferably with a 1/4 jack) , with in $100 budget, to drive 600-Ohm Beyer headphones.
I think everyone on Head-Fi would like that, any ideas where we could find that, because no one else on Head-Fi seems to be able to find something like that.
 
Ok....maybe an ELE EL-D01 DAC ($13) and a FiiO E11K head amp ($60).

 

[Tedz]

   
So, you want a quality DAC/amp (preferably with a 1/4 jack) , with in $100 budget, to drive 600-Ohm Beyer headphones.
I think everyone on Head-Fi would like that, any ideas where we could find that, because no one else on Head-Fi seems to be able to find something like that.
 
Ok....maybe an ELE EL-D01 DAC ($13) and a FiiO E11K head amp ($60).
 

I know, it seems rather off. But I can go for like $150. I've seen you post around before with amps and you seem to know much more than me (asking all of that for $100) But I'd love to get the most bang for my buck. Checked out the E11K amp but I'm a little bit unsure, do these power up at a nice volume without ruining something? Will there be some loss when these to are connected? Would love to enjoy some 24bit Pink Floyd at the best!
 
Thanks

 

[billybob_jcv]

Where are you going to get all the 24 bit/192 KHz encoded music? Having a DAC *capable* of processing 24/192K is not the same thing as actually having 24/192KHz music.

 

[KG Jag]

Better hit the used market and hope for a highly motivated seller needing to pay immanent Christmas bills.

 

[Tedz]

Where are you going to get all the 24 bit/192 KHz encoded music? Having a DAC *capable* of processing 24/192K is not the same thing as actually having 24/192KHz music.

More of a hobby listener than an audiophile. I ment 192 as in default format. I'm just looking for a nice amp/dac combo for powering 600 ohm with a 1/4 connector with the best audio quality aavailablefor that 150 usd price. I've looked around and using the audiobot9000 site and it says that the E11K "should have" instead of "has" on powering 600ohm. Should I return it and get a 250ohm version? What would you guys recommend?

 

[billybob_jcv]

1/4" to 1/8" adapters eliminate the need for a 1/4" jack:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/134162-REG/Comprehensive_SP_2CS_SP_2CS_Male_Stereo_Mini.html

Any portable amp is going to struggle driving 600 ohm headphones. I would get a Schiit Magni for $100 and worry about getting a DAC later, or I would return the 600 Ohm headphones and get something more reasonable for your intended use.

 

[Tedz]

1/4" to 1/8" adapters eliminate the need for a 1/4" jack:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/134162-REG/Comprehensive_SP_2CS_SP_2CS_Male_Stereo_Mini.html

Any portable amp is going to struggle driving 600 ohm headphones. I would get a Schiit Magni for $100 and worry about getting a DAC later, or I would return the 600 Ohm headphones and get something more reasonable for your intended use.

The 1/4 plug is just removable on the 1/8 plug that's on the DT990. I also heard that the Magni was pulled off Amazon because Schiit is releasing the Magni 2. But won't I miss the chance of a much more clearer audio experience when I ditch the DAC? I've been thinking about the Audioengine D1. Even though a Schiit stack would be pretty sweet, maybe not as portable though.

What's the difference from the Magni 2 & Modi 2 against the D1's?

 

[billybob_jcv]

The D1 has a rather high output impedance (10 ohms). This means it does not work well with low impedance headphones like IEMs. The guideline is that you want the headphone impedance to be at least 8X the amp output impedance.

I would watch the buy/sell forum, the price of used Magni+Modi gear might drop now that Schiit has refreshed with new models.

 

[Tedz]

The D1 has a rather high output impedance (10 ohms). This means it does not work well with low impedance headphones like IEMs. The guideline is that you want the headphone impedance to be at least 8X the amp output impedance.

I would watch the buy/sell forum, the price of used Magni+Modi gear might drop now that Schiit has refreshed with new models.

Thanks a lot!

If I buy the Magni first, should I get a R/W to 3,5mm and plug it at the headphone jack on my motherboard? or is there something that I missed?
 
Edit: Just saw the "Schiit Fulla" Should I rather get that one than the Schiit stack? What will I miss out if I do?

Edit 2: SMSL has apparently some pretty good products under 100 usd on amazon. Anything to recommend?  

 

[KG Jag]

Schiit has just upgraded its stack.  If you buy, make sure you get the new version.

 

[Nextinline77]

If you're interested in schiit I'd recommend emailing them directly. Just tell them all of what you said here and they'll be able to help you. Last time I emailed them they responded within a few hours.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Thanks a lot!


If I buy the Magni first, should I get a R/W to 3,5mm and plug it at the headphone jack on my motherboard? or is there something that I missed?

Edit: Just saw the "Schiit Fulla" Should I rather get that one than the Schiit stack? What will I miss out if I do?


Edit 2: SMSL has apparently some pretty good products under 100 usd on amazon. Anything to recommend?  

The Fulla is USB only - it can only be used with a USB port, so it won't work with a portable player like your phone.

On the Magni (now the Magni2) - yes, you can just hook it to the headphone out of your PC or your phone. In the old days, before everyone became "DAC-obsessed" that's what we all did. It's just a way to get you in the game and still stay within your budget. You can always add the Modi2 DAC later.

You might also check out the fairly new Soundblaster devices (eg E3) - all I know is what I have read, but they seem to have a lot of features and use good parts for excellent prices.

 

[Tedz]

The Fulla is USB only - it can only be used with a USB port, so it won't work with a portable player like your phone.

On the Magni (now the Magni2) - yes, you can just hook it to the headphone out of your PC or your phone. In the old days, before everyone became "DAC-obsessed" that's what we all did. It's just a way to get you in the game and still stay within your budget. You can always add the Modi2 DAC later.

You might also check out the fairly new Soundblaster devices (eg E3) - all I know is what I have read, but they seem to have a lot of features and use good parts for excellent prices.

Yeah, but I've heard that motherboard companies ( I use the Asus p8z77-I Deluxe) use cheap analog parts which has high distortion and can ruin the experience if I amp those sounds up? I don't know. The SMSL sApII Pro is pretty cheap and much more portable (And I can live with using Optical just fine) I'm just happy if I have something that's portable enough, has a 1/4 connector, powers 600 ohm and sounds great! What do I miss out if I don't use a DAC?

Btw: Audiobot9000.com said that the SMSL sAPII Pro has enough power for the 600 ohm DT990.

 

[RRod]

  Yeah, but I've heard that motherboard companies ( I use the Asus p8z77-I Deluxe) use cheap analog parts which has high distortion and can ruin the experience if I amp those sounds up? I don't know. The SMSL sApII Pro is pretty cheap and much more portable (And I can live with using Optical just fine) I'm just happy if I have something that's portable enough, has a 1/4 connector, powers 600 ohm and sounds great! What do I miss out if I don't use a DAC?

Btw: Audiobot9000.com said that the SMSL sAPII Pro has enough power for the 600 ohm DT990.

 
If you don't use a DAC you have to take what you get out of your PC. Some soundcards lets you "re-purpose" your jacks for multiple tasks (for instance, change a line-in to a line-out), but I've only read about this functionality in Linux using JACK. But if your soundcard has its own line-out anyway, then that should work fine with an amp; just get an RCA adaptor. There will probably be a bit more noise out of a soundcard than a dedicated USB DAC, but if you're not turning the volume knob up high, that shouldn't be much of an issue.