[Tavilyn]

Hi again, guys. So I've made my choice of headphones, the HD598s, and they're on the way. I currently have an E10k amp/dac combo, and while I know I don't need it in order to power these cans, I'm wondering if it's at all worth me getting a magni/modi combo instead. The sort of thing I can use while home, even though while I'm out I can still power the 598s with ease. Will the magni/modi combo blow the E10k out of the water? I'm not really up on how amps and dacs work, and part of the reason I got the e10k is both because it was portable and because it was simple. If spending an extra eighty bucks or so on a home setup that includes a magni/modi combo would be a huge boost, I might send the E10k back and go that route, so I'm looking for some explanation, please. Sorry to be asking all these questions, but we've all got to start somewhere. I personally don't love the idea of buying a set of headphones that are hard to drive because much of the time I'm going to be on a laptop or an iPhone which won't drive all that well; with open cans that don't get too loud, this can be a problem in noisy places because you might struggle to hear finer detail.

 

[billybob_jcv]

I would keep the E10K. If you ever get less efficient headphones that need more power, you could always just get a Magni2 and use the E10K solely as a DAC. I think the differences between the good, low-cost, solidstate dacs & amps are much less significant than the differences in headphones. I would rather see you save that $80 and put it toward your next pair of headphones.

 

[cel4145]

Will the magni/modi combo blow the E10k out of the water? I'm not really up on how amps and dacs work, and part of the reason I got the e10k is both because it was portable and because it was simple. If spending an extra eighty bucks or so on a home setup that includes a magni/modi combo would be a huge boost, I might send the E10k back and go that route

No. Not likely to blow you away. The improvements would be more minor because the E10K is perfectly cable of driving the HD598s.

If you see yourself getting into the audio hobby more and buying/upgrading headphones later on, then it could be beneficial to go ahead and get the Modi/Magni now so you have it for more difficult to drive headphones.

 

[Tavilyn]

Righto...then i'll hold off, particularly as the E10K is nice and portable. Fits right in my pocket. I know it's a diminishing returns thing...maybe I'll get a Schiit magni/modi stack down the road if I ever end up with a bit more of a stable setup, such as a desktop or a home theater of sorts, the kind of thing where I'm able to sit and crank up the tunes. A fair bit of the reason I got the HD598s instead of the 650s is so they'll sound decent anywhere, so I guess that really solves it too. Thanks.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Righto...then i'll hold off, particularly as the E10K is nice and portable. Fits right in my pocket. I know it's a diminishing returns thing...maybe I'll get a Schiit Magni/Modi stack down the road if I ever end up with a bit more of a stable setup, such as a desktop or a home theater of sorts, the kind of thing where I'm able to sit and crank up the tunes. A fair bit of the reason I got the HD598s instead of the 650s is so they'll sound decent anywhere, so I guess that really solves it too. Thanks.

 
If you want to improve audio quality, I suggest you use the E10K, sell off the HD598 and put all your money into better headphones (Philips Fidelio?).

 

[Tavilyn]

Ugh! I hate it when that happens. I'm going to at least try the HD598 and see how they sound. Maybe it was more the x1 than the x2, but I thought Philips had build issues and really bad customer service. Also, I thought they were more bassy but much muddier than the HD598s. I'll have to do some comparisons and looking around, but thanks. General consensus seems to be not to upgrade the FIIO E10k anyway, which is cool.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Give the Sennheisers a try before you dismiss them. I like the HD598, and at the current prices I think they are a great deal - although I will also admit I have not heard the Philips X1 or X2, and I also think that Philips is one of the more intriguing mfrs in current head-fi. They seem to have seriously gotten their act together and are making some very good head-fi products.