[starcraftjunkie]

Hey all,

I purchased a mangi/modi 2 and a pair of jvc sz2000 cans for pure bass. I am very pleased with the sz2ks but I am not pleased with my Schiit stack at all. I don't notice much of any difference when I hook them up to my non-amplified source (computer motherboard audio jack). About all I notice period in the whole Schiit stack setup is that I can hear the headphones at a lower volume, however when I take the Schiit stack away all I have to do is add another 10-20% volume to it and it sounds identical to me. Is there something I'm missing, or was I assuming that it was going to do something else and that my sz2ks really don't need a DAC/amp?

 

[b0000]

amplifier and dac sound improvements are greatly exaggerated in reviews, for they have to be, since their actual improvements are very small. So small that people new to the hobby will not notice or appreciate it. Especially so if you have a pair of low end headphones that isn't technically proficient (detail, soundstage, transparency), just like your bass heavy jvc's.
 
It's for this reason i always recommend people to upgrade headphones first and forget about dacs and amps until they hit the upper midrange tier ($600+). With the exception of insenstive headphones like the q701's which need a lot of gain.
 
blunt tldr, you wasted your money, sorry. If you can still return the stack, i suggest upgrading the phones, can't recommend any though since i'm not a headphone basshead.

 

[starcraftjunkie]

amplifier and dac sound improvements are greatly exaggerated in reviews, for they have to be, since their actual improvements are very small. So small that people new to the hobby will not notice or appreciate it. Especially so if you have a pair of low end headphones that isn't technically proficient (detail, soundstage, transparency), just like your bass heavy jvc's.

It's for this reason i always recommend people to upgrade headphones first and forget about dacs and amps until they hit the upper midrange tier ($600+). With the exception of insenstive headphones like the q701's which need a lot of gain.

blunt tldr, you wasted your money, sorry. If you can still return the stack, i suggest upgrading the phones, can't recommend any though since i'm not a headphone basshead.

I figured something like this was what was happening. It's been around a year since I bought the Schiit stack. I was actually thinking about selling it on the forums here when I get enough posts. I don't think it's easy to sell audio equipment anywhere else.

Ive listened to a few other cans and I'm a bass head at heart and I don't really like audiophile style neutral headphones as much.

 

[Monsterzero]

I figured something like this was what was happening. It's been around a year since I bought the Schiit stack. I was actually thinking about selling it on the forums here when I get enough posts. I don't think it's easy to sell audio equipment anywhere else.

Ive listened to a few other cans and I'm a bass head at heart and I don't really like audiophile style neutral headphones as much.

If you read the basshead thread there are literally dozens of comments regarding really giving the SZ2000s plenty of juice+EQing it.

I owned the SZ2000 for about a month,just to see what all the hype was about,and I learned:

1>im not a basshead,I absolutely hated them and sold them as fast as I could,BUT....
2>i plugged them into my old vintage sansui,hit the loudness button and my teeth nearly fell out it hit so hard.
3> plugged them into my Magni Uber 2 as its a brighter sound than my Sansui,and lets face it the SZ2000s are quite veiled,and it did not do anything close to what the Sansui did,even with my computer EQ in effect.

Now im not saying you need a vintage receiver for them but I would recommend listening to what the basshead kings on this forum have to say about the set-ups they use and go from there.

The difference between Sansui+loudness button(which is essentially a bass/treble boost)and Magni+player EQ was night and day.If there is another setup that brings out even more bass than what I experienced I'd be shocked,but the rest of the sound of that headphone was not good IMO,but then again I dont like rap or hip/hop either so YMMV

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hey all,

I purchased a mangi/modi 2 and a pair of jvc sz2000 cans for pure bass. I am very pleased with the sz2ks but I am not pleased with my Schiit stack at all. I don't notice much of any difference when I hook them up to my non-amplified source (computer motherboard audio jack). About all I notice period in the whole Schiit stack setup is that I can hear the headphones at a lower volume, however when I take the Schiit stack away all I have to do is add another 10-20% volume to it and it sounds identical to me. Is there something I'm missing, or was I assuming that it was going to do something else and that my sz2ks really don't need a DAC/amp?

 
Have you tried using Foobar2000 (with WASAPI) for playing music files?
 
What exactly do you mean by computer motherboard audio jack?
motherboards can have optical or coaxial or USB or 3.5mm analog jack or other jacks that can output audio.
 
Do you max out the computer's volume controls, like to 75%-100%

 

[starcraftjunkie]

If you read the basshead thread there are literally dozens of comments regarding really giving the SZ2000s plenty of juice+EQing it.


I owned the SZ2000 for about a month,just to see what all the hype was about,and I learned:


1>im not a basshead,I absolutely hated them and sold them as fast as I could,BUT....

2>i plugged them into my old vintage sansui,hit the loudness button and my teeth nearly fell out it hit so hard.

3> plugged them into my Magni Uber 2 as its a brighter sound than my Sansui,and lets face it the SZ2000s are quite veiled,and it did not do anything close to what the Sansui did,even with my computer EQ in effect.


Now im not saying you need a vintage receiver for them but I would recommend listening to what the basshead kings on this forum have to say about the set-ups they use and go from there.


The difference between Sansui+loudness button(which is essentially a bass/treble boost)and Magni+player EQ was night and day.If there is another setup that brings out even more bass than what I experienced I'd be shocked,but the rest of the sound of that headphone was not good IMO,but then again I dont like rap or hip/hop either so YMMV

So you think it might be an issue of needing an amp/DAC with a bass heavy eq rather than the Schiit stack thats more geared for just amplification than an eq?

Have you tried using Foobar2000 (with WASAPI) for playing music files?

What exactly do you mean by computer motherboard audio jack?
motherboards can have optical or coaxial or USB or 3.5mm analog jack or other jacks that can output audio.

Do you max out the computer's volume controls, like to 75%-100%

My volume through my 3.5mm jack is around 30-40% volume or so. It's been a while since I've used them. The Schiit stack just allows me to crank the volume up higher which didn't really do much because it was just too loud to listen to. I've used foobar and had my buddy who does sound technician work to make me a profile. It helped with bass, but I had the same results with out the Schiit stack, I just had to bump my computer's volume up.

 

[Monsterzero]

message this guy,he is respected on this forum as being quite the basshead and knows his stuff.

http://www.head-fi.org/u/389304/hawaiibadboy

The SZ2000s are his favorite headphone

 

[PurpleAngel]

So you think it might be an issue of needing an amp/DAC with a bass heavy eq rather than the Schiit stack thats more geared for just amplification than an eq?
My volume through my 3.5mm jack is around 30-40% volume or so. It's been a while since I've used them. The Schiit stack just allows me to crank the volume up higher which didn't really do much because it was just too loud to listen to. I've used foobar and had my buddy who does sound technician work to make me a profile. It helped with bass, but I had the same results with out the Schiit stack, I just had to bump my computer's volume up.

 
The Modi DAC can have up to three different digital inputs (USB, optical, coaxial).
But the computer 3.5mm jacks are usually analog audio outputs.
So how did you connect the computer's analog output to a digital input on the Modi?

 

[Monsterzero]

So you think it might be an issue of needing an amp/DAC with a bass heavy eq rather than the Schiit stack thats more geared for just amplification than an eq?
 

A DAC is the last thing you need to worry about,especially in this case.You can drop a 5000.00 DAC into your current listening chain and not hear a significant difference in terms of bass response.

Again read the Ultimate Basshead thread

http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-hardest-hitting-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club

Or message HBB.

 

[starcraftjunkie]

The Modi DAC can have up to three different digital inputs (USB, optical, coaxial).
But the computer 3.5mm jacks are usually analog audio outputs.
So how did you connect the computer's analog output to a digital input on the Modi?

You are correct, I use the modi through the USB cord to power the phones and the mangi spitting it out to my headphones.

However, what the point I was asking about and sorry if it was confusing, was that when compared to when I put my cans into the 3.5mm jack on my motherboard versus the Schiit stack is minimal. The question I ask is did I really need a schiit stack when the difference between my computer and the Schiit stack is 200 bucks to gain 20% less volume level on Windows. I am finding out and suspected that answer is nothing marginal.

 

[starcraftjunkie]

message this guy,he is respected on this forum as being quite the basshead and knows his stuff.

http://www.head-fi.org/u/389304/hawaiibadboy


The SZ2000s are his favorite headphone

A DAC is the last thing you need to worry about,especially in this case.You can drop a 5000.00 DAC into your current listening chain and not hear a significant difference in terms of bass response.


Again read the Ultimate Basshead thread

http://www.head-fi.org/t/716711/the-hardest-hitting-headphones-are-the-extreme-bass-club


Or message HBB.

I've posted there before plus it's where I found out about these cans. I'll have to try posting again I guess. My posts got ignored.

 

[PurpleAngel]

You are correct, I use the modi through the USB cord to power the phones and the mangi spitting it out to my headphones.

However, what the point I was asking about and sorry if it was confusing, was that when compared to when I put my cans into the 3.5mm jack on my motherboard versus the Schiit stack is minimal. The question I ask is did I really need a schiit stack when the difference between my computer and the Schiit stack is 200 bucks to gain 20% less volume level on Windows. I am finding out and suspected that answer is nothing marginal.

I would assume your running Windows PC, connecting the computer to the Modi using USB cable, then running a cable from the Modi to the Magni and plugging the headphones into the Magni.
 
But when you say "I use the modi through the USB cord to power the phones", it's not making 100% sense to my brain.

 

[Music Alchemist]

The SZ2K is extremely sensitive. If you use it without EQ, it doesn't need an amp. Boosting the bass (such as with a parametric equalizer) to extreme basshead levels (which is what seemingly most owners do) requires far more power to prevent clipping. Try boosting the bass a lot, then compare how it sounds with and without the amp.

 

[Monsterzero]

I've posted there before plus it's where I found out about these cans. I'll have to try posting again I guess. My posts got ignored.

Probably because the info is already there,just have to find it.

Im not trying to sound arrogant or mean,but the search button works well,and often times members get tired of answering the same questions over and over.