Headphone Amp upgrade?
Jan 12, 2015 at 2:04 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
TurbinePro

TurbinePro

100+ Head-Fier
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I currently have the magni+modi. What would be a good next step within the 1000 budget?
 
Jan 17, 2015 at 11:50 PM Post #2 of 14
Wow that's a big step. I think you might get more responses if you mention what kind of sound you're after, what type of amp you'd like, what headphones you'll be using it with. Things like that.
 
Jan 18, 2015 at 1:17 AM Post #4 of 14
brownbear said:
Wow that's a big step. I think you might get more responses if you mention what kind of sound you're after, what type of amp you'd like, what headphones you'll be using it with. Things like that.
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i currently hve the hd600
 
Jan 18, 2015 at 1:43 AM Post #6 of 14
Why not spend the $1000 on another pair of headphones? I think that would be a much better way to upgrade. Maybe the Audeze LCD-2, Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime or HiFiMan HE560?
 
Jan 18, 2015 at 4:20 AM Post #7 of 14
billybob_jcv said:
Why not spend the $1000 on another pair of headphones? I think that would be a much better way to upgrade. Maybe the Audeze LCD-2, Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime or HiFiMan HE560?
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Agreed on that one.

Personally I don't think you'll get any better sound from upgrading your amp in the first place.
 
Jan 18, 2015 at 12:13 PM Post #8 of 14
I disagree.  More than most (used to be all) the Senn HD600's will take every amplifier upgrade in stride and give you better performance.  It's a quality headphone that used to be the best in the world (before the $1000 headphone craze) and it is difficult, if not impossible, to exceed the Senn's ability to accept amplifier upgrades.
 
Head-Fi is full of people who think the Senns have a "veil."  The veil is there when amplification is not up to the headphone's capability.
 
Look for something balanced (if you can afford it) with a wide voltage swing and high slew-rate.  I'm not that familiar with commercial offerings, but a B22 would fit the bill, an M3, PPAV2, or a tube amplifier without coupling capacitors.  The HD600 can perform well with an OTL amp, but after years of experiencing the differences myself, I'm convinced that good output transformers will beat output coupling capacitors every time in transparency and detail.
 
BTW, you also have quite a bit of room for DAC upgrades, as well.
 
Jan 18, 2015 at 12:25 PM Post #9 of 14
How has the Audio gd NFB 15 or NFB 11's not been mentioned yet? Both quality, and barely dent your budget. Big improvement over the Schiit stack if you're convinced you need it - but the biggest improvement you could make from that pair is the voltage output from the Magni. 
 
Otherwise, the Woo Audio WA7 is stellar, and uses your entire budget.
 
Jan 26, 2015 at 4:46 PM Post #13 of 14
headphones will come, but also with a flagship amp..... when I've earned money....
 
Jan 27, 2015 at 4:52 AM Post #14 of 14
The HD600 scale extremely well. I own them. You can see which amps I use in my profile. Favorite of all - a humble Little Dot mkIII with upgraded tubes. I'm willing to bet you won't believe how much better the HD600 can sound with a good amplifier, provided your front end and source material are up to par. Good luck.

FWIW, I own a Modi and find it solely suitable for non-critical applications.
 
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