[ninjames]

I sold my Schiit Magni + Modi when I needed to make rent a month or two ago, which means I haven't used my Hifiman HE-400 since then. I'm now looking to get a new setup and I was thinking I'd go with something other than the little Schiits. I know the HE-400 has some treble issues on its own, but I found the Magni/Modi -- probably specifically the Modi -- exacerbated the situation, and also had lacking bass response. I've always heard great things about the Objective 2 and the ODAC, but I've never tried them.
 
Are they still a good buy? I'd be getting mine pre-built, I guess from JDS Labs? Are there other amps/DACs in the price range or cheaper (I'm poor) that perform well with the HE-400? Lastly, is there a practical reason to go with the RCA over the 3.5mm jacks on the O2+ODAC? 

 

[jaxz]

Hi there. I had the odac/o2 combo and the HE-400 in the past. Since the amp/dac in very neutral it can become edgy, specially with the 400 which are known for the hyper accentuated treble. Maybe you want to look for an amp in the warm side. Fiio have very good products for the price and the HE-400 are not hard to drive at all. The E17 (dac/amp) work very good with the 400.

Last, the odac/o2 is very, very similar sounding than the modi/magni. So, if you find the schiit combo push the treble further in the 400, the odac/o2 probably will behave the same.

Good luck!

 

[ninjames]

Hi there. I had the odac/o2 combo and the HE-400 in the past. Since the amp/dac in very neutral it can become edgy, specially with the 400 which are known for the hyper accentuated treble. Maybe you want to look for an amp in the warm side. Fiio have very good products for the price and the HE-400 are not hard to drive at all. The E17 (dac/amp) work very good with the 400.

Last, the odac/o2 is very, very similar sounding than the modi/magni. So, if you find the schiit combo push the treble further in the 400, the odac/o2 probably will behave the same.

Good luck!

I used to own the E17 and felt it lacked a lot of detail. I definitely noticed a difference in the power of the Magni. People say the HE-400 doesn't need, but likes the extra power, and I totally agree with them.

 

[Liu Junyuan]

I used to own the E17 and felt it lacked a lot of detail. I definitely noticed a difference in the power of the Magni. People say the HE-400 doesn't need, but likes the extra power, and I totally agree with them.

I used the HE-400 for the brief time I owned it with an O2 and thought it was excellent, but I have no idea how it would compare to the Magni. My backup setup is actually the O2 paired with a Modi, based on tmraven's comparison of both setups. Since my Lyr is in the shop for repair, I was listening to my HE-500s out of the O2 last night and thought it sounded pretty awesome, despite that the 500 really benefits from more power.

I am not sure how the Matrix M-stage would pair with those cans, but that may be another option. Finally, I have heard nothing but good about the Audio-GD NFB 12 and 15, which are very competitive dac/amp combos in your price range. Again, I must say I have not tried the Audio- GD systems yet.

 

[ninjames]

Is there any reason to avoid the O2+ODAC in one unit combo?

 

[Liu Junyuan]

For me, yes, and for two reasons. First, it allows me to pair it with a different DAC. Second, it is more portable friendly. I have moved it to my bedside, taken it to the library and coffee shops, used it in hotels, all running on the internal rechargeable battery. But there are good reasons to buy them as a unit as well.

 

[ninjames]

From a quality perspective, is there any difference? Is the unit all together in one considerably larger than just the amp

 

[jaxz]

From a quality perspective, is there any difference? Is the unit all together in one considerably larger than just the amp

No, everything it's fitted in the same case.