[chuckle490]

I am very close to purchasing my first DAC and amp but I do not know which of the two setups would be best. If I were to get the D1 I would use the USB into my computer, I'd have my Xbox's audio going into it, and a Blu-Ray player (For CD purposes) all connected to it. Schiit's new Magni and Modi has me intrigued as to whether I should just sacrifice the extra inputs for what could possibly be a higher quality DAC and Amp. For entry level Head-Fier, which set up would pair up best with a pair of Ultrasone pro 550's. I listen to edm so sub and mid bass needs to be tight and accurate, and I would like to have a relatively large sound stage. What setup would be better for my taste in music and my budget(Which is around $300)?

 

[cssarrow]

I am very close to purchasing my first DAC and amp but I do not know which of the two setups would be best. If I were to get the D1 I would use the USB into my computer, I'd have my Xbox's audio going into it, and a Blu-Ray player (For CD purposes) all connected to it. Schiit's new Magni and Modi has me intrigued as to whether I should just sacrifice the extra inputs for what could possibly be a higher quality DAC and Amp. For entry level Head-Fier, which set up would pair up best with a pair of Ultrasone pro 550's. I listen to edm so sub and mid bass needs to be tight and accurate, and I would like to have a relatively large sound stage. What setup would be better for my taste in music and my budget(Which is around $300)?

The Schiit should be the best entry level as of now.
It just came out so theres really no reviews, but schiit products has always been solid, pretty sure they wont throw us a pile of "schiit" right before Christmas.

I had the D1 and D2 both with the upgraded OPA627 opamps and 5670 tubes. Sold Both.

The D2 was way better than the D1. It has a higher bit rate 24/96 than the D1.
but you would need a good headphone amp to pair with it.

I still however, would recommend the Schiit Modi/Magni combo over it.
Discrete boards are a lot better than opamps.

The choice is up to you Niel. The red pill or the blue pill?

Oh, and if you ever upgrade, the Bifrost + Asgard|Lyr would do good. Or you could go another direction like an all in one NuForce Icon HDP (Which i noticed that you have lots of things you wanted plugged to one source)

Best,

Tim

 

[h4mm3r 0f th0r]

o2/odac should fit well into your budget and they match higher than their price range... the magni and modi have no reviews right now but i am sure they will match up better than fiio products...

 

[chuckle490]

Thank you for the replies! I'm leaning towards the magni and modi, but the versatitlity of the D1 is definitely a plus. If the magni and modi will more than likely five me better sound ill get them! Especially considering later on I can upgrade to the bit frost and Asgard!

 

[Archerious]

o2/odac should fit well into your budget and they match higher than their price range... the magni and modi have no reviews right now but i am sure they will match up better than fiio products...

Schiit's Magni and Modi have better specs than the O2 and ODAC and IMO are a better value.

 

[cssarrow]

IMO D1 and D2 are good entry dac's, D2 being way better.

I wouldn't recommend so much on op amps but more on discrete design. Since you have to ultimately experiment with different op amps before you find a desired sound.

Modi and magni are the way to go.

 

[chuckle490]

Have you received yours cssarrow?

 

[Aging Hippy]

I also need the optical and coax digital in that the D1 provides. I have a TubeMagic D1 Plus on order and should receive it next week. I know the ss headphone amp is only OK but figure it will hold me until I can afford an Asgard. Anyone have any experience using the tube pre out of the D1 Plus into either an Asgard or Valhalla?
 

 

[Tequilasunriser]

Quote:

I also need the optical and coax digital in that the D1 provides. I have a TubeMagic D1 Plus on order and should receive it next week. I know the ss headphone amp is only OK but figure it will hold me until I can afford an Asgard. Anyone have any experience using the tube pre out of the D1 Plus into either an Asgard or Valhalla?
 

 
The amp in the D1 is actually quite adequate. It powers my 600 ohm DT880s just fine, and they're supposedly a bitch to amp. 10 o'clock is about as high as my ears can take on the volume knob before they begin to hurt. It powers my T50RPs fine as well. For its versatility it's worth it so don't feel that you've bought an under performer or cheap junk.
 
I think the only complaint that I have is that if the unit needs to be serviced you need to send it to China and shipping to China ain't cheap.

 

[ImShureAboutIt]

Hi guys, I stuck between the same rock and hard place Chuckle490 is. I am looking at Fiio E07K/E09K, Schiit Magni/Modi, Hifiman EF2A, and Maverick TubeMagic D1+. It must run without drivers and I'll use USB, I don't have optical on my computer and I don't know if it has coaxial.I use a Sennheiser HD380 Pro and for future headphones the HD598/DT990/HFI-2400. DON'T tell me what headphones to get, just the Amp/DAC. If you have other suggestions reply.
P.S. The suggestions MUST be under $250 so no O2/ODAC

 

[Aging Hippy]

Quote:

Hi guys, I stuck between the same rock and hard place Chuckle490 is. I am looking at Fiio E07K/E09K, Schiit Magni/Modi, Hifiman EF2A, and Maverick TubeMagic D1+. It must run without drivers and I'll use USB, I don't have optical on my computer and I don't know if it has coaxial.I use a Sennheiser HD380 Pro and for future headphones the HD598/DT990/HFI-2400. DON'T tell me what headphones to get, just the Amp/DAC. If you have other suggestions reply.
P.S. The suggestions MUST be under $250 so no O2/ODAC

If you don't need a digital optical or coax input your best bet is the Magni/Modi. If you are like me and need the optical digital input it's the Tubemagic D1+.
 
Be prepared to wait over two weeks for delivery if you order the Tubemagic D1+. They may say "in stock and ready to ship" on the website but I placed an order a week ago and still have not received a tracking number. I'll give them another 24 hours before I cancel the order and buy from someone in the US instead.

 

[MkElement]

Quote:

Be prepared to wait over two weeks for delivery if you order the Tubemagic D1+. They may say "in stock and ready to ship" on the website but I placed an order a week ago and still have not received a tracking number. I'll give them another 24 hours before I cancel the order and buy from someone in the US instead.

 
Hi Aging hippy, maybe u can try to email them and ask when will they ship. That's what i did.
i ordered my d1+ on Dec 24, and there still no tracking number after 3 days, i was thinking must be Xmas holiday or so, but i decided email them anyways, and i got a reply within a day said it is ready to ship and wait for DHL to pick up. It arrived on Jan 3 and It only took 2 days to Canada.

 

[NinjaVampire]

Hi MKElement, can I ask how you find the Tubemagic Plus? Have you any other amps that you can compare it too? I'm highly interested in this combo! Sorry for hijacking the thread! I think a more relevant topic now would be the difference between the tubemagic plus and the magnitude/modified combo!

 

[MkElement]

Quote:

Hi MKElement, can I ask how you find the Tubemagic Plus? Have you any other amps that you can compare it too? I'm highly interested in this combo! Sorry for hijacking the thread! I think a more relevant topic now would be the difference between the tubemagic plus and the magnitude/modified combo!

 
It is my first dac/amp so i have nothing that i can compare to. 

 

[NinjaVampire]

Quote:

 
It is my first dac/amp so i have nothing that i can compare to. 

That's great, I hope you like it! Do you notice a big difference from using your headphones without an amp? Thanks for the reply