[hanumanbob]

Change headphones first. This gives you the greatest mileage. Most $500
Amps will be fine to drive them $5000 HPs But using a $5000 amp to power an $800 HP is probably not worth it.

 

[chargedcapacitor]

Change headphones first. This gives you the greatest mileage. Most $500
Amps will be fine to drive them $5000 HPs But using a $5000 amp to power an $800 HP is probably not worth it.

Unless that headphone is the HD6/8 series

 

[joseluishs]

But if he already seems to be happy with the Arya Stealth…why chasing other headphones? at best a side grade to Organic because of the pairing… but I wouldn’t go further in the new “quest” of changing the transducers that make you happy already

 

[lucanato]

Any advice for listening classical music very lively and energeticly? I'm targeting Arya organic and he1000se and I don't love pumped basses, and I haven't read anything about zmf until now. I own the ifi GRYPHON but want them also to play through mi phone. Thanks for any advice. I'm seeking for a one stand alone headphone that can play all, but most of all acoustic instruments, I can't have more than ine expensive headphone

 

[joseluishs]

Any advice for listening classical music very lively and energeticly? I'm targeting Arya organic and he1000se and I don't love pumped basses, and I haven't read anything about zmf until now. I own the ifi GRYPHON but want them also to play through mi phone. Thanks for any advice. I'm seeking for a one stand alone headphone that can play all, but most of all acoustic instruments, I can't have more than ine expensive headphone

I vote for Chord Hugo 2 for this application

 

[hanumanbob]

Atrium open is excellent. You may get a deal here. The organic is a great all rounder

 

[Chimf]

In my case its a 100$ amp and dac with a 1300$ (at the time) headphone, I'm not sure I would feel the same if I had say something like a 500$ setup already that is balanced. Just makes me wonder why someone would buy anything more with a headphone around that price bracket if its all just hard diminshing returns even from a 100$ setup (unless its only for aesthetics, feel etc).

I checked out the RME adi 2 and found one on the local used market so I'm definitely looking more into that guess I wouln't mind using a better dac with the same amp for a while in that case

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips, given me a lot of valuable food for thought

 

[Chimf]

It depends on your budget and what coloration you want from your dac/amp.

The idea of moving towards Arya Organic is fare as well because you are side grading to a similar sound that will be more friendly to amps, since upgrading to a more powerful amp means more money. There is the risk that maybe then you prefer the Stealth who knows?!

I would suggest a Mojo 2, for me power is not everything and the DAC on those Chinese products can’t compare in terms of timbre, depth and instrument separation. Later on you could upgrade the amp and have a killer setup. It also offers EQ and cross feed. So for me Arya and Mojo 2 could be a solid duo

The RME ADI-2 is also a nice choice as I saw it recommended here. It might be the best price to performance after the Mojo 2 (if you like what RME offers of course).

If you don’t care about EQ, there are used HDV 820 and Hugo 2 that can offer a nice price to performance. The sound is smooth and plenty powerful.

Then going back full circle maybe wait a little bit to hear more about the Serenade. I have seen that Hifiman pairs well with Hifiman and they might have a more enjoyable synergy than all the options above

I've seen some youtubers rave about the EF 400 and EF 600 and how they synergize with hifiman/planars, so im really interested in hearing how the Serenade compares. One part of me is saying it makes sense how hifiman products paired would give a better result, the other is saying it doesnt matter and there might be no noticable difference as long as the amp is "good enough" the only practical example I have is trying them on a friend's unbalanced Audeze Deckard. Not sure how that performs compared to what we have today but I didn't seem to hear any difference admittedly, but maybe I just didnt want to hear any difference cause that would mean my setup is inferior, who knows

 

[hanumanbob]

In my case its a 100$ amp and dac with a 1300$ (at the time) headphone, I'm not sure I would feel the same if I had say something like a 500$ setup already that is balanced. Just makes me wonder why someone would buy anything more with a headphone around that price bracket if its all just hard diminshing returns even from a 100$ setup (unless its only for aesthetics, feel etc).

I checked out the RME adi 2 and found one on the local used market so I'm definitely looking more into that guess I wouln't mind using a better dac with the same amp for a while in that case

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips, given me a lot of valuable food for thought

I like the Xduoo hybrid for about $400

In my case its a 100$ amp and dac with a 1300$ (at the time) headphone, I'm not sure I would feel the same if I had say something like a 500$ setup already that is balanced. Just makes me wonder why someone would buy anything more with a headphone around that price bracket if its all just hard diminshing returns even from a 100$ setup (unless its only for aesthetics, feel etc).

I checked out the RME adi 2 and found one on the local used market so I'm definitely looking more into that guess I wouln't mind using a better dac with the same amp for a while in that case

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips, given me a lot of valuable food for thought

In my case its a 100$ amp and dac with a 1300$ (at the time) headphone, I'm not sure I would feel the same if I had say something like a 500$ setup already that is balanced. Just makes me wonder why someone would buy anything more with a headphone around that price bracket if its all just hard diminshing returns even from a 100$ setup (unless its only for aesthetics, feel etc).

I checked out the RME adi 2 and found one on the local used market so I'm definitely looking more into that guess I wouln't mind using a better dac with the same amp for a while in that case

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips, given me a lot of valuable food for thought

 

[joseluishs]

I've seen some youtubers rave about the EF 400 and EF 600 and how they synergize with hifiman/planars, so im really interested in hearing how the Serenade compares. One part of me is saying it makes sense how hifiman products paired would give a better result, the other is saying it doesnt matter and there might be no noticable difference as long as the amp is "good enough" the only practical example I have is trying them on a friend's unbalanced Audeze Deckard. Not sure how that performs compared to what we have today but I didn't seem to hear any difference admittedly, but maybe I just didnt want to hear any difference cause that would mean my setup is inferior, who knows

Yes, I see your point of view. I agree, usually a “good enough” amp is good enough hehe!

I have not listened to the Hifiman with Hifiman pairing but it should work nicely. I think manufacturers make their electronics to play well with their products.

I used to own the TA-ZH1ES and it paired well with the MDR-Z1R. Also the HDV820 pairs superb with the HD800S (I still own that pairing). It is as if they play to the strengths of their headphones which makes sense, so no surprises if it turns out magical a pairing of Serenade with an Arya

Sometime I like to think how Warwick made the amplifier Sonoma to work only with Bravura and vice-versa, and as a whole system it seems to sound heavenly. Sometimes it is good to give it a chance to the actual pros at the companies that make the headphones to see their take on synergy and sound reproduction as a whole system.

 

[Lightspeed12]

I've seen some youtubers rave about the EF 400 and EF 600 and how they synergize with hifiman/planars, so im really interested in hearing how the Serenade compares. One part of me is saying it makes sense how hifiman products paired would give a better result, the other is saying it doesnt matter and there might be no noticable difference as long as the amp is "good enough" the only practical example I have is trying them on a friend's unbalanced Audeze Deckard. Not sure how that performs compared to what we have today but I didn't seem to hear any difference admittedly, but maybe I just didnt want to hear any difference cause that would mean my setup is inferior, who knows

I have the ef400 which I use with my he1000v2/ananda stealth/arya stealth & love it it gives a nice warm tone & takes the edge off the treble compared to my topping a90 discrete.
I have a topping d90le coming to me in a few days so will be interested to see how that stacks with the a90 discrete.
The ef400 pairs with focal & sennheiser HPs really well also. I will get the ef600 also at some stage for the extra connectivity.

 

[chargedcapacitor]

In my case its a 100$ amp and dac with a 1300$ (at the time) headphone, I'm not sure I would feel the same if I had say something like a 500$ setup already that is balanced. Just makes me wonder why someone would buy anything more with a headphone around that price bracket if its all just hard diminshing returns even from a 100$ setup (unless its only for aesthetics, feel etc).

I checked out the RME adi 2 and found one on the local used market so I'm definitely looking more into that guess I wouln't mind using a better dac with the same amp for a while in that case

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips, given me a lot of valuable food for thought

The RME is a great DAC and a decent amp, but only for dynamic headphones. It's a pretty sub par amp for planar headphones; I've heard better out of the $100 atom. I would definitely recommend running it balanced to a balanced amp for best results.

 

[DarginMahkum]

The RME is a great DAC and a decent amp, but only for dynamic headphones.

What is the technical explanation for that? If anything, dynamics often have a messier impedance curve. I have driven a Susvara, T+A Solitaire P, DCA Expanse and Stealth both of which are low impedance and low sensitivity HPs, and ADI-2 is even recommend by DCA. I had a T+A HA200 and a Benchmark HPA4 before that and I don't miss them one bit.

 

[joseluishs]

What is the technical explanation for that? If anything, dynamics often have a messier impedance curve. I have driven a Susvara, T+A Solitaire P, DCA Expanse and Stealth both of which are low impedance and low sensitivity HPs, and ADI-2 is even recommend by DCA. I had a T+A HA200 and a Benchmark HPA4 before that and I don't miss them one bit.

I think he is referring to the ADI-2 FS (the lower tier model). The ADI-2/4 Pro SE is much more powerful and can drive those that you mentioned. Although, I do have the HPA4 and it is superior to the amp in the RME (even the Pro SE) for its dynamically resolving capability

 

[chargedcapacitor]

I think he is referring to the ADI-2 FS (the lower tier model). The ADI-2/4 Pro SE is much more powerful and can drive those that you mentioned. Although, I do have the HPA4 and it is superior to the amp in the RME (even the Pro SE) for its dynamically resolving capability

Believe it or not, the FS has a better DAC. So it's a trade off either way. While the pro has a more powerful amp, I would never buy it over a FS + external amp, price being equal.