Received the Aune T1 earlier and after an hour listening here are my thoughts! First off, Bear in mind that this is my first amp/dac so i cannot compare it to anything else and at the mo iam using hd 598s which arguably don't need a amp at all (hopefully ill own a pair of he500s soon)
Anyway, My experience so far is that it DOES make a nice improvement but your not going to listen and be all woah thats amazing!! Bass seems a little tighter and seems to have a little more 'oomph' to it, Clarity seems to have improved a little also, and i cant really put my finger on it (and maybe its just psycholigical) but i feel as if i am enjoying the music a little more, I think its a tad bit more engaging or something, I cant really explain nor can i really say anything further other then iam certainly happy enough with it, I would of liked a switch for bass for bass on/off but no big deal!! I will hopefully own a pair of he 500s soon or at least he400s if i cant get the 500s for a good price so hopefully it will pair well with them!! Only other thing i can add is it looks damn sexy in low light haha
That is quite typical IME. Also if you AB equipment, it can be a good idea to feel the music instead of picking out flaws and such.
You should notice a better soundstage too. Not necessarily bigger, but at least more focused and maybe more spacey. But we'll see in time, new toy syndrome
I find the hd598 to scale a real lot when proper amped, and there is a huge difference from when i feed them through the e17 or my Marantz A/V receiver.
Where the e17 make almost no difference from not amp them at all, the Marantz, on the other hand, transform the hd598 in a grown up hp improving considerally the sounstage, bass, and balancing out the tonality and musicality of the hd598.
if u like the hd598 un-amped or similar (IMO e17 and sort) give it a try from a proper (more juicy) Amp...and u will love it!
give it a try, it's the easiest thing to do! finding the right amp after, that's the difficult part...
I find the hd598 to scale a real lot when proper amped, and there is a huge difference from when i feed them through the e17 or my Marantz A/V receiver.
Where the e17 make almost no difference from not amp them at all, the Marantz, on the other hand, transform the hd598 in a grown up hp improving considerally the sounstage, bass, and balancing out the tonality and musicality of the hd598.
if u like the hd598 un-amped or similar (IMO e17 and sort) give it a try from a proper (more juicy) Amp...and u will love it!
give it a try, it's the easiest thing to do! finding the right amp after, that's the difficult part...
I agree. While I do think even an E07K actually offers some improvement.
I cannot recommend the Schiit Asgard enough. This amp was made with Sennheisers in mind. They sing with this amp, with the new Asgard2 most likely even more.
i'm actually "reading about" the asgard at the moment, mainly because looks like is one of the few "good and reasonable priced Amp" for low impedance hp like the hd598, even tho, in a way, i'd rather try/find a tube amp.
does anybody knows/have a good Tube alternative of the Asgard?
i've being reading about the Darkvoice 336i (mainly because there is one on sale right now) but even tho is being proven to be really good with the big senn (hd600/650/800) i still dont know how is going to be with the "little brother" hd598 (little only in impedance).
does anybody have experience with this "combo"?
i'm actually "reading about" the asgard at the moment, mainly because looks like is one of the few "good and reasonable priced Amp" for low impedance hp like the hd598, even tho, in a way, i'd rather try/find a tube amp.
does anybody knows/have a good Tube alternative of the Asgard?
i've being reading about the Darkvoice 336i (mainly because there is one on sale right now) but even tho is being proven to be really good with the big senn (hd600/650/800) i still dont know how is going to be with the "little brother" hd598 (little only in impedance).
does anybody have experience with this "combo"?
Yes indeed, it's an awesome amp. That its priced decently is just the icing. If you don't mind me asking, what are you trying to achieve with a tube amp? I do have one as well, the Schiit Valhalla.
Tube amps are usually made for high impedance headphones. They struggle sometimes with low impedance, high voltage headphones like the DT880 Premium 32 Ohms. The Asgard is a very powerful amp delivering for any headphones you can throw at it.
Anyway, maybe someone can help if you tell us what you are trying to achieve with going tube?
honestly, since im on a budget, and most of all, in Australia, i have to adapt to what is on the market...so the 332i became an option for the simple fact of being an option, and after reading a bit about...it grown on me...for his well known musicality, lush, warmth...plus the tube rolling option is an attractive option, even knowing how wicked and addictive it is!
on the other side I know that they are not meant for low impedance, and that's why i can't pull the trigger!
to be honest, at the moment i'm seriously considering the M&M stack...especially after reading how good it came out from the comparison with the B&A stack!
my goal, of course, is to make sure that my hd598 have the opportunity to shine at their best, and amping them properly, as i've discovered, its a big important part of it! ( Power is nothing without Control )
I find the hd598 to scale a real lot when proper amped, and there is a huge difference from when i feed them through the e17 or my Marantz A/V receiver.
Where the e17 make almost no difference from not amp them at all, the Marantz, on the other hand, transform the hd598 in a grown up hp improving considerally the sounstage, bass, and balancing out the tonality and musicality of the hd598.
if u like the hd598 un-amped or similar (IMO e17 and sort) give it a try from a proper (more juicy) Amp...and u will love it!
give it a try, it's the easiest thing to do! finding the right amp after, that's the difficult part...
Hey guys, I have recently bought a pair of sennhieser hd 598's and i love them, However, Iam wondering could a portable amp improve them further? Or if theres any other equipment that can improve them further please inform me
Iam unsure if i personally would benefit from an amp because most of the music i listen to actually comes from youtube!! I also use them for movies on my imac!
Also, IF i decide to upgrade in the near future what would be a good choice? Or would it be a waist of time/money given what i will be using them for?
i have the hd598's but don't have any experiance with the modi magini amp/dac combo but was looking into it. my current set up is iopd>fiio e11>hd598. imo a portable amp is a waste of money for these can's. it still doesn't give enough current for them the treble got a little harsher, bass slightly more apparent w/o the eq. soundstage i personaly noticed no differance my friend said he noticed a slight increase with the right track i noticed the amp made them a little silibant as well. this being my only ex. with amps i thought they were a waste of money thinking a more expencive amp would make a diff. but not a price proportional one with these. then i went to huppins and listened to a nuforce, a few different creek audio, and a benalli ha540. the later of the three was imo by far the best it retails at 299 and you can apparently get it for 219. the creek audio is a solid state, i could tell is an exellent amp for the price but paired with these the treble was too harsh at times. i didn't notice that big of a change with the nuforce at all. and the benalli is a tube amp. it paired very nicely with the hd598. it has a high and low imput. the amp made the cans more dynamic and they had better extention. they also had a very smooth sound, added a little more soundstage and airyness and the treble had nice detail and improved seperation. the amp is very sencative though, i had it at about 1/8 of the max for a normal to loud listening level. it also had a black backround. it is a very soild amp and because of its crazy amout of gain will power any can but because its a tube amp you would want to have cans that pair well with the tube sound. based on what i have now listedned to i will be getting the benalli when i get the money but am def. up to any other ideas in the 300 or less area, but i do like tubes with these.
Wait...ok sorry to butt in here. But ive been reading this thread and rereading it for a while. I am so confused now...
If I had a pair of earphones (IE80s) and im in the same situation as the OP..(music all 320kb and mp3 format, NOT lossless)...then most of you are saying it is pointless to buy an amp and dac???
I thought an amp would help regardless of anything, I always assumed an amp would give the music a fuller sound...(sort of like 256kb music + an amp = 320kb music....in a sense)
Am i wrong?
Wait...ok sorry to butt in here. But ive been reading this thread and rereading it for a while. I am so confused now...
If I had a pair of earphones (IE80s) and im in the same situation as the OP..(music all 320kb and mp3 format, NOT lossless)...then most of you are saying it is pointless to buy an amp and dac???
I thought an amp would help regardless of anything, I always assumed an amp would give the music a fuller sound...(sort of like 256kb music + an amp = 320kb music....in a sense)
Am i wrong?
i see no reason why it is a waste for you to get an amp. if you had 128kb files and bought an amp you would notice a difference in some ways better because the cans are getting the correct power and some bad change because you are sending a bad signal, amping it up, then listening to it. with 320, that really does sound good. and you cant really appreciate lossless without a good dac/ amp but with a good amp you most definatly will see a nice improvement depending on the amp you get
sorry my computer is a piece. i dont personally have any experiance with dacs but if you get a decent one idk what your budget is for i believe 130 the odac is supposedly really good. but yes a dac will improve the sound i would personally recomend getting an amp first because i would rather have proper power and an okay source than a good source without proper power but thats just me you have the 598's i take it? if so if you have a budget in mind i do know of some amps that would be worth looking into.
sorry my computer is a piece. i dont personally have any experiance with dacs but if you get a decent one idk what your budget is for i believe 130 the odac is supposedly really good. but yes a dac will improve the sound i would personally recomend getting an amp first because i would rather have proper power and an okay source than a good source without proper power but thats just me you have the 598's i take it? if so if you have a budget in mind i do know of some amps that would be worth looking into.
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