[Arboginge911]

Quote:

I'm running mine with both Fostex T50RP (modified) headphones and HifiMAN headphones.  While it's often noted that headphones such as the HifiMAN HE-5LE do take some juice, I think my modified Fostex headphones are less efficient.  I'm using an iPod / LOD to feed into the EF-2A.  I usually keep the volume at 40 - 45%, sometimes 50% if I'm in the mood.  However, I don't have the issue with it being quite loud.  I suspect many of those reports may have been with very, very efficient headphones or IEMs.  Then again Grado, is pretty efficient and hearing that you're running such a headphone without volume issues seems reassuring.
 

So basically the EF2A would run the Alessandro's just fine and I shouldn't have to worry about it getting 'too loud'?
Thanks a los for your help!
Oh, another quick question, what does the EF2A do to the sound signature of the cans, I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how does the amp sound?
 

 

[wje]

Quote:

So basically the EF2A would run the Alessandro's just fine and I shouldn't have to worry about it getting 'too loud'?
Thanks a los for your help!
Oh, another quick question, what does the EF2A do to the sound signature of the cans, I guess what I'm trying to ask is, how does the amp sound?
 

I don't have a pair of Grados at the time and I haven't used my daughter's Alessandro MS-1i headphones with it yet.  However, the EF-2A does color the sound a bit - when compared to the Objective2 amplifier.  I wish I had another pair of Grados in wooden cups or Magnums woodies to try out with the amp for the best performance combination.
 

 

[ImShureAboutIt]

     Hey guys I know this thread hasn't been active in the past year but I want to know how this amp+dac compares to the Schiit Magni/Modi combo. This will be my first desktop amplifier and does it comes with USB cables for use with my computer? I'll use a Sennheiser HD 380 Pro and Ultrasone HFI-2400.

 

[Modulus]

I'm gonna bump this because I'm curious how thing amp is holding up to the slew of $200-300 high quality transparent amp/dac combos coming to market lately, a la Magni/Modi and o2/odac.
 
This thing still falls in a similar pricing bracket. If all three were equally priced, what would be some advantages to the Hifiman?

 

[b3wannabe]

Hi. I have both the EF2A and the Schiit Magni/Modi combo. I put "matched" Mullard tubes in the EF2A and IMO it significantly improved the sound, at not much expense and no trouble. I was very impressed with how much better the ATH-M50 phones sounded on the EF2A after a little burn in with the Mullards. Both the amp and those particular cans improved markedly. Like a whole new set of cans and I can now see why the M50's been a mainstay for so long. I thought before they were basically boring, now there is a LOT of life in them.
 
As to comparing the Schiit with the HiFiMan, they are different and I am smitten by both of them. I do not have golden ears by any stretch, but in my opinion the Magni/Modi stand up quite nicely compared to the Asguard 2 (which I also have).
 
The little Schiits are solid state and EF2A is tube; the latter is an all-in-one (with DAC) while the Schiits are two devices with an interconnect.
 
I'd hate to give up either one, honestly. You'd have to audition the specific headphones you want to use, I think, to see which sounds better to our ears. Sorry to have waffled so much.And apologies, I have not heard the O2/ODAC and so cannot comment.
 
Modulus, to my ears, the principal advantages of the EF2A are:
 
1. Ability to swap out tubes to alter the sound some
2. DAC built in as an all in one unit (less clutter and connecting)
3. Wonderful effect they have on the M50's and some other headphones (MDR-7506 and HD280, in my experience)
 
The advantage of the Schiit Magni/Modi are:
 
1. Smaller footprint (when stacked) compared to the EF21
3. Noticeably improved the sound of a wider range of headphones (IMO).

 

[hiiisociety]

I find that sound is greatly improved after getting rid of the stock China tubes and throwing in a pair of Raytheon 6AK5.

 

[Skolar311]

Does anyone know how many mW the EF2A puts out @ 300 Ohms? I see that it does 320mW @ 32 Ohms and some other sites show 256mW @ 150 Ohms. Just wondering if anyone had this info.

 

[Destroysall]

b3wannabe,
Quote:

Hi. I have both the EF2A and the Schiit Magni/Modi combo. I put "matched" Mullard tubes in the EF2A and IMO it significantly improved the sound, at not much expense and no trouble. I was very impressed with how much better the ATH-M50 phones sounded on the EF2A after a little burn in with the Mullards. Both the amp and those particular cans improved markedly. Like a whole new set of cans and I can now see why the M50's been a mainstay for so long. I thought before they were basically boring, now there is a LOT of life in them.
 
As to comparing the Schiit with the HiFiMan, they are different and I am smitten by both of them. I do not have golden ears by any stretch, but in my opinion the Magni/Modi stand up quite nicely compared to the Asguard 2 (which I also have).
 
The little Schiits are solid state and EF2A is tube; the latter is an all-in-one (with DAC) while the Schiits are two devices with an interconnect.
 
I'd hate to give up either one, honestly. You'd have to audition the specific headphones you want to use, I think, to see which sounds better to our ears. Sorry to have waffled so much.And apologies, I have not heard the O2/ODAC and so cannot comment.
 
Modulus, to my ears, the principal advantages of the EF2A are:
 
1. Ability to swap out tubes to alter the sound some
2. DAC built in as an all in one unit (less clutter and connecting)
3. Wonderful effect they have on the M50's and some other headphones (MDR-7506 and HD280, in my experience)
 
The advantage of the Schiit Magni/Modi are:
 
1. Smaller footprint (when stacked) compared to the EF21
3. Noticeably improved the sound of a wider range of headphones (IMO).

Very interesting comparison. I use Beyerdynamic DT990/600Ω and have considered switching to the small Schiit Magni and Modi stack.  I currently use the EF2A with NOS Mullard CV4010 tubes and a Fiio E10 being used as a discrete source unit.  While I do know that the Beyerdynamic does love tubes, I feel that the EF2a doesn't properly drive it in impedance. Would the Magni be a better amplifier for the Beyerdynamic headphone?

 

[b3wannabe]

Destroysall, sorry for the tardy reply - I've been on travel.
 
I have the Beyer DT990/250Ω and just listened to some identical tracks using these with the Schiit stack, the EF2A and the EF5. To my ears, this is the order in which I preferred them:
 
1. EF5 - a lush, spacious sound with good balance and articulation. I'm a fan of mids and soundstage, and this scratches those itches for me. Upper and lower frequencies sounded fine, and the balance among the three ranges was pleasing to my ears.
 
2. Schiit Magni/Modi - an athletic, rich sound, with good bass definition. Not as much as the EF5 in terms of imaging width, depth and height, but a very nice sound with just a hint of sibilance,
 
3. EF2A - nice sound, if a little flat and ordinary in comparison to the above two (even with the Mullards). Still nice and listenable.
 
This is not a night and day difference in my opinion, but enough to make note of. I don't know if the Schiits would be enough different in a direction you like to make it worthwhile. That's up to you, your listening ideals and your wallet, of course, and at $200 for the set, I'm very glad I picked them up. They sound good with a pretty good range of headphones and compare very well to alternatives in that price range IMO. I'm a fan.
 
As always, your mileage may vary and it depends on your listening preferences. I do not know how much the 600Ω model would be different. I've driven the HD650 Senns at 300Ω off the Schiits and it was good enough for me (even though truthfully I prefer other amps with those cans). I do not have any 600Ω phones.
 
Hope this helps - cheers

 

[PenDragon]

Bumping this old thread.
 
I'm considering a DAC upgrade, to use with my EF2A, and I'm basically wondering if the Schiit Modi would be a worthwhile upgrade from the built-in Burr-Brown DAC in the EF2A? Or will I need to aim higher for there to be a noticeable difference?

 

[PenDragon]

Aww, come on guys and gals. Someone must have tried both the Modi and the EF2A?

 

[HPiper]

  Bumping this old thread.
 
I'm considering a DAC upgrade, to use with my EF2A, and I'm basically wondering if the Schiit Modi would be a worthwhile upgrade from the built-in Burr-Brown DAC in the EF2A? Or will I need to aim higher for there to be a noticeable difference?

That is exactly what I did, and I am glad I did. Filled out the sound on both top and bottom, really improved the sound across the board. Plus I can listen to 24/96 HD tracks now that I couldn't before.

 

[PenDragon]

 
That is exactly what I did, and I am glad I did. Filled out the sound on both top and bottom, really improved the sound across the board. Plus I can listen to 24/96 HD tracks now that I couldn't before.

Ah, thanks a lot for your response mate. That sounds like pretty much exactly what I wanted to hear. Think I might just bite the bullet then!

 

[clusterm]

Folks,  can you please straighten out my confusion?  I keep hearing mixed information regarding sending audio via RCA vs DAC ports on this amp.
I was going to use the Schiit Modi-2 and connect it with good rca cables to EF-2A.   Is this ideal setup, as the 16bit dac on ef2a is a bit meh.
 
So,  use the external DAC and connect with RCA cables?
or forget about it, and use the dac provided?
 
Thanks!

 

[boombastic]

I Used to use the built in dac in the ef2a then upgraded to the modi. The big difference is that the modi is an asynchronous dac and bypasses the usb clock in the computer meaning less glitchy sound when the computer is doing other tasks. Plus it can deal with higher bitrate files.