[TotalDominAsian]

Looking to get back into higher end audio again! Ordered myself an Audeze LCD-X 2021 and was going to go with the new JDL Atom DAC 2 and AMP 2 after hearing so much praise for them. Well... lo and behold I go visit my parents for Thanksgiving and found a bunch of my old stuff... including my old Denon D2000 headphones and my Schiit Magni/Modi stack. (Can't seem to find my old Hifiman HE5000 right now).

Excited to get back into this world, but I wonder how much technological advancements have occurred over the past 10+ years. Should I go with the JDL stack? Thanks!

 

[dunring]

I've had that stack and the Atom+ stack but not the 2 yet. They both have similar power and very clean. It's a side grade from the Heresy. For planars the best thing would be a balanced setup for added current to stay in low or medium gain for best quality that way.
The Topping l50 E50 would be great and has a lower noise floor if you get into IEMs. Also they have the same power on all connectors so you don't have to buy new cables for anything.

 

[Ginryuu]

I think I read it on reddit where it was stated that the guys from JDL said theirselves that it's not really an improvement because the normal JDS Labs is already more than enough to power up majority of headphones and they are just adding a bit more power because of the snake oil that people are creating and wanting higher numbers.