Yeah,I mean what ive learned over the years about this hobby is GO BIG,or dont bother. Buying a Schiit stack over an Audio GD combo,or perhaps even your cable might have incremental differences,differences that mostly will be subjective based upon your own personal tastes.
The Law of Diminishing Returns is very real in this hobby. Getting a decent headphone,amp and DAC might end up setting you back a thousand quid or more. Dropping another 500 on a "better" DAC may not be of much use in reality. You really need to drop large sums before the differences are earth shaking.
All the best on your way up.
Most of us were at the same starting position. ^^
It'll be a reasonable combo to begin with.
Happy listening.
Edit:
Keep in mind, 80 till 90% belongs to the speaker/headphone when it comes to perceived satisfaction in listening to music/ sound, imo.
The other % makes the dac/amp.
One thing about getting a dac/amp is that it can be used with other headphones down the road as the Cipher cable for the EL-8 is a one trick pony and can only be used with them. I have a Cipher cable for my LCD i4’s and think it does a great job coming straight out of my iPhone but do I think it’s better than the stock cable from my HiBy R6Pro no it isn’t but not a big difference either but I know it isn’t as good. That is also a problem with diminishing returns is once you hear the difference it is hard to unhear it. If you have no plans of getting other headphones in the near future and you are fine with the Cipher cable then you got one on the way and you should be set but yes I think they can sound better with better gear but like @Monsterzero said go big or stay with what you got as it does take a bit more to get the more noticeable changes.
One thing about getting a dac/amp is that it can be used with other headphones down the road as the Cipher cable for the EL-8 is a one trick pony and can only be used with them. I have a Cipher cable for my LCD i4’s and think it does a great job coming straight out of my iPhone but do I think it’s better than the stock cable from my HiBy R6Pro no it isn’t but not a big difference either but I know it isn’t as good. That is also a problem with diminishing returns is once you hear the difference it is hard to unhear it. If you have no plans of getting other headphones in the near future and you are fine with the Cipher cable then you got one on the way and you should be set but yes I think they can sound better with better gear but like @Monsterzero said go big or stay with what you got as it does take a bit more to get the more noticeable changes.
Google the gear in my signature...or I can save you the trouble...between music server,amp,DAC,2 headphones,tubes,cables and interconnects,youre roughly looking at $20,000. I have come across others whose systems make mine look cheap in comparison.
Google the gear in my signature...or I can save you the trouble...between music server,amp,DAC,2 headphones,tubes,cables and interconnects,youre roughly looking at $20,000. I have come across others whose systems make mine look cheap in comparison.
What minimum price for 'going' big are we looking at then?
Would me buying some lcd-4's and a The King mkii amp be considered good enough to be going big? What would you say the minimum is where it becomes economically viable for performance, or would you say your setup is a minimum?
What minimum price for 'going' big are we looking at then?
Would me buying some lcd-4's and a The King mkii amp be considered good enough to be going big? What would you say the minimum is where it becomes economically viable for performance, or would you say your setup is a minimum?
Oh,no...my set-up is far from minimum. In fact I kinda like to think its amongst the better on the forums.
The problem is the slippery slope thing....
So you get a kickass DAC,like my Lampizator Atlantic TRP,a great tube amp like my Glenn,and killer headphones like the Verites..already youre looking at 14k. Then you notice a lot of noise coming from your source(computer for example),so then you have to buy a server. So now youre up to 16-17k. Then you wonder what upgrading the USB and RCA cables will bring to the table. Theres another 2 grand. Then someone lends you a $1000.00 power cable and the difference takes your system to a whole other level...but you need three of those cables...So another 3k right there. Then you hear what good NOS tubes from WW2 era sound like in your amp and DAC vs. modern Russian tubes...there goes another couple grand.
Slippery Slope!!!!
I think its vital to know the entire chain of gear when reading or watching reviews on any given piece of gear,which is what I try to do in my video reviews.
I think you can get a very good sounding system for under 5 grand,and buying used always helps the wallet. The LCD4 is a very good sounding headphone,but dont think you'll be getting the most out of it by using a Magni/Modi combo,cuz you will be doing the headphones and yourself a disservice.
My rule of thumb is to have headphones/amp/DAC on the same price point level. Others may disagree with that,but this is my experience.
EDIT: To be clear,simply throwing large sums of cash at this hobby doesnt always work. System synergy is crucial. Pairing a warm amp with a warm DAC with a warm headphone,for example,most likely will sound pretty bad.
Oh,no...my set-up is far from minimum. In fact I kinda like to think its amongst the better on the forums.
The problem is the slippery slope thing....
So you get a kickass DAC,like my Lampizator Atlantic TRP,a great tube amp like my Glenn,and killer headphones like the Verites..already youre looking at 14k. Then you notice a lot of noise coming from your source(computer for example),so then you have to buy a server. So now youre up to 16-17k. Then you wonder what upgrading the USB and RCA cables will bring to the table. Theres another 2 grand. Then someone lends you a $1000.00 power cable and the difference takes your system to a whole other level...but you need three of those cables...So another 3k right there. Then you hear what good NOS tubes from WW2 era sound like in your amp and DAC vs. modern Russian tubes...there goes another couple grand.
Slippery Slope!!!!
I think its vital to know the entire chain of gear when reading or watching reviews on any given piece of gear,which is what I try to do in my video reviews.
I think you can get a very good sounding system for under 5 grand,and buying used always helps the wallet. The LCD4 is a very good sounding headphone,but dont think you'll be getting the most out of it by using a Magni/Modi combo,cuz you will be doing the headphones and yourself a disservice.
My rule of thumb is to have headphones/amp/DAC on the same price point level. Others may disagree with that,but this is my experience.
I have no experience with it,so I cant say,but clearly both pieces of gear are highly regarded.
It is a large investment for sure,but if you've heard the combo and were floored,again find out the rest of the chain being used. It all matters!
Another thing to consider is dynamic headphones do better with certain types of amps,and planars do better with entirely different amps. Make sure you know what sound you prefer before investing large wads of cash. I have tried planars and ultimately found I prefer dynamics,and so my system is built with dynamic headphones in mind.
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