[mysticstryk]

I have a Magni 1 that works great for all my headphones. The craziness over expensive amps around these parts just baffles me.

Yep, just concentrate on a setup with good synergy is my method. Currently eyeing a Bifrost/Vali 2 stack at the moment.

 

[bavinck]

Be happy!!!

I had a Magni, Asgard, Magni2Uber and have now settled. I have a set of very different headphones. And once you find a perfect synergy it's hard to go back.

Since I heard my HE-560 on my vintage amp from the speaker taps - there was no going back to the Conductor. The Magni is a great amp and as Schiit says: Maybe all the amp you will ever need. But once you have something better and get used to it, it's hard to go back.

If you are happy with the Magni. Great. If the upgrade bug doesn't get you and you don't go to many meet ups this is a great way to contain the upgrade virus.

Cheers,
K

Yes, I agree. To me the obviously exceptions are super hard to drive orthos that need speaker taps and something like the hd800 that seems to be pretty tough to get good synergy with.

 

[Fearless1]

I just picked up an iFi ICan SE and it is amazing for the price.

4 watts, three gain settings, three bass settings (work well) and three crossfeed type settings. Very impressive little amp.

 

[Hansotek]

Yes, very price-dependent as Shuto said. Coming from the Piston, I concur with his recommendation of the Yamaha EPH-100 for the "under $100" category. Around $300-$400, the Alclair reference triple is pretty awesome, but there is a ton of stuff in this range, and I've only tried a little bit of it. Under $1,000, the Westone W-60 takes the cake with mastery of every frequency range, great separation, great impact, smooth (but ultra-detailed) highs, and some nice mids. In the TOTL category, the Noble Kaiser 10 makes an argument for best metal headphone overall. It beats out the aforementioned W-60 in every category and adds one of the most emotional and seductive mid ranges I have ever heard on any headphone. For the K10, a CIEM would be key, as the universal design will likely be too large to fit under the helmet. The CIEM is lower profile. If you want universal, go with the W-60, and you will want for nothing ever again. For how close it gets to the K10 at 2/3 the price, it is a steal. Also, Westone tips do a great job of staying comfortably in your ears when you are active.

Yeah LOL, I'm not paying $1000 for an IEM for my commute. It seems silly to me, sorry. Rugged and durable for $100, ones that the tips won't slip off inside my ear canal. Haven't road tested the Piston 3's yet due to the rain. I did love my MEE Audio M-Duo, but the rubber grommet that protects the cable going into the housing is crap.

You didn't give a price range. I don't know what your situation is, so I just gave you a bunch of price points. Plenty of people on head-fi buy these uber expensive IEMs. No judgement either way.

 

[Hansotek]

For me it's a $250 Schiit Asgard 2... I'd wager to say that even Magni 2 is enough for most headphones.

I have a Magni 1 that works great for all my headphones. The craziness over expensive amps around these parts just baffles me.

That's cool. Having spent considerable time with some expensive amps, I think I'd rather have a sweet amp and mid-priced headphone than a sweet headphone and a mid-priced amp.

 

[bavinck]

That's cool. Having spent considerable time with some expensive amps, I think I'd rather have a sweet amp and mid-priced headphone than a sweet headphone and a mid-priced amp.

So your experience is that the amp does more than the headphone for sound?

 

[Hansotek]

I know we're getting slightly off-topic, but what's the point of diminishing returns on solid state amplifiers? I'm looking for something versatile, that can power both low- and high-impedance phones. I understand context is key, but many people say the Hifiman He400i and the Fostex TH-X00 are great for what they do.

To me, the line of diminishing returns for headphones is (in theory) $400, because that's the price I can pay for very good headphones.

Assuming that's true, what's the number for amps? I know the $600 Liquid Carbon will be a popular choice, or my portable Oppo HA-2,or the $600 Chord MOJO. Unfortunately, the Liquid Carbon is in such short supply.

I'm trying to hold off until the Cavalli Spark comes out, or wait for another Liquid Carbon run.

So many choices...

I just got the Mojo, it is pretty awesome. Only tried it as a DAC so far. There is a ton of good news coming on the Cavalli front. Stay tuned for some announcements coming in the pretty near future.

 

[bavinck]

I just got the Mojo, it is pretty awesome. Only tried it as a DAC so far. There is a ton of good news coming on the Cavalli front. Stay tuned for some announcements coming in the pretty near future.

I am in love with the dac/amp format. The mojo gets good reviews but I have read it is not the best with harder to drive cans (like Alpha Prime). 

 

[Hansotek]

That's cool. Having spent considerable time with some expensive amps, I think I'd rather have a sweet amp and mid-priced headphone than a sweet headphone and a mid-priced amp.

So your experience is that the amp does more than the headphone for sound?

That's not how I would really put it, per se. My experience is that once you're listening through a TOTL amp, the headphone at the end of the chain is just shading the music into whatever presentation you like. I can enjoy my HE-400 as much or more than my HD800 with some setups. You can hear the HD800 is better and more capable, but the preference becomes far more subjective.

However, that effect doesn't really start (most of the time) until you're at or above the $1,500 price point, in most cases, to which many people (understandably) say, "No thanks."

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

 

[socks mk2]

[redacted]

 

[bavinck]

That's not how I would really put it, per se. My experience is that once you're listening through a TOTL amp, the headphone at the end of the chain is just shading the music into whatever presentation you like. I can enjoy my HE-400 as much or more than my HD800 with some setups. You can hear the HD800 is better and more capable, but the preference becomes far more subjective.

However, that effect doesn't really start (most of the time) until you're at or above the $1,500 price point, in most cases, to which many people (understandably) say, "No thanks."

IMHO, YMMV, etc.

 
That's a great way of putting it. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hansotek]

 

I just got the Mojo, it is pretty awesome. Only tried it as a DAC so far. There is a ton of good news coming on the Cavalli front. Stay tuned for some announcements coming in the pretty near future.

I am in love with the dac/amp format. The mojo gets good reviews but I have read it is not the best with harder to drive cans (like Alpha Prime). 

 
Yeah, I have it plugged in to my Liquid Carbon at the moment, and that pairing is kicking a** and taking names with my HD800 so far (I've only had about an hour with it). Really excited to see how the Mojo compares to the Bimby when I get home!

 

[swspiers]

For me it's a $250 Schiit Asgard 2... I'd wager to say that even Magni 2 is enough for most headphones.

I have a Magni 1 that works great for all my headphones. The craziness over expensive amps around these parts just baffles me.

Until I got the Liquid Carbon, I totally agreed with you. Now, I am far more open to the probability that amps, regarding topology and quality of build, do indeed make a difference with the headphones that I own. Crazy- perhaps. But right now it seems totally worth it venturing into Summit-Fi territory.

IMHO, of course

 

[shuto77]

Lots of good information from all you guys here. Thanks.

 

[vipervick]

You didn't give a price range. I don't know what your situation is, so I just gave you a bunch of price points. Plenty of people on head-fi buy these uber expensive IEMs. No judgement either way.

If I were single I would definitely venture into summit-fi territory, just to see if I can tell a difference. However, I have a family and chose to spend my money on a nice house. Well, awesome house actually. I pay more in PITA than a lot of people I know make in a year.