Adamsolympia
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 5, 2014
- Posts
- 52
- Likes
- 12
I just stepped into the beginner stages of the world of Hi-Fi audio last year when I purchased the DT 990 and an Asus Essence ST to drive it .. I thought it was the best thing I've ever heard (My previous best was $100 Bose and monster headphones) -- I couldn't even stand to go back to lesser headphones after being spoiled by it. I'm wondering if I'll think the same of my current Senns & Beyer if I ever step up to HD800 territory?
Well, a year in, I still love my beyers - though I'm finding the overly bright sound to be a little grating after a while, causing a bit too much fatigue. I was just at Frye's Electronics yesterday and made an impulse buy of the Senn HD558 for $130 -- Figuring I might regret it , only to be blown away yet again. The audio has so much more fullness and silky smooth texture to it than my Beyer -- I didn't know if I'd like warmer cans but now I'm figuring out what my tastes are.
I still haven't had the perfect amp to bring out the best potential in the Beyer though, so my next step is to pick up a Tube or better solid state amp. I'd like something that will be a good pair for both of my cans and also have the potential to drive much more demanding headphones I may end up getting in the future. (Possibly Senn HD800 for endgame) .. Here is what I'm looking into, if anyone has any experience with these pairings, would love to hear your take:
* Schiit Modi/Magni 2 -- I ran out of room in my computer case for the Essence ST , so I picked up a Schiit fulla DAC/AMP usb dongle. Only potential drawback is that I've heard some people say it makes their HD558 sound a bit too muddy.
* Geek Out or Geek Out V2 - I hear it has a tube-like sound, which I think I'll like a lot.. Plus I have a LOT of 192khz audio my fulla won't play, so would be nice to have ability to natively play all my high res audio , with headroom to boot in case I ever get into DSD .
* Burson Soloist SL -- $650 is a lot of money for me but I may take the plunge if it's the last headphone amp I'll ever need and capable of pushing any headphone I throw at it.
I've also considered building a bottlehead crack , but I'm not so sure the 558 will get any benefit from it and I'd like something that will work well with both of cans. I'm thinking the Geek out or Soloist might be a better match since it has variable output, so less likely to overdrive the 558 like I've heard the Schiit gear does.
Well, a year in, I still love my beyers - though I'm finding the overly bright sound to be a little grating after a while, causing a bit too much fatigue. I was just at Frye's Electronics yesterday and made an impulse buy of the Senn HD558 for $130 -- Figuring I might regret it , only to be blown away yet again. The audio has so much more fullness and silky smooth texture to it than my Beyer -- I didn't know if I'd like warmer cans but now I'm figuring out what my tastes are.
I still haven't had the perfect amp to bring out the best potential in the Beyer though, so my next step is to pick up a Tube or better solid state amp. I'd like something that will be a good pair for both of my cans and also have the potential to drive much more demanding headphones I may end up getting in the future. (Possibly Senn HD800 for endgame) .. Here is what I'm looking into, if anyone has any experience with these pairings, would love to hear your take:
* Schiit Modi/Magni 2 -- I ran out of room in my computer case for the Essence ST , so I picked up a Schiit fulla DAC/AMP usb dongle. Only potential drawback is that I've heard some people say it makes their HD558 sound a bit too muddy.
* Geek Out or Geek Out V2 - I hear it has a tube-like sound, which I think I'll like a lot.. Plus I have a LOT of 192khz audio my fulla won't play, so would be nice to have ability to natively play all my high res audio , with headroom to boot in case I ever get into DSD .
* Burson Soloist SL -- $650 is a lot of money for me but I may take the plunge if it's the last headphone amp I'll ever need and capable of pushing any headphone I throw at it.
I've also considered building a bottlehead crack , but I'm not so sure the 558 will get any benefit from it and I'd like something that will work well with both of cans. I'm thinking the Geek out or Soloist might be a better match since it has variable output, so less likely to overdrive the 558 like I've heard the Schiit gear does.