[sheldaze]

  Can anyone advise whether the Explorer2 and the Beyer T90 would be a good pairing. I find the Meridian sound on the warm side, but not too warm. I am concerned whether the Explorer's 130mW is enough for the T90's 250 ohm resistance.
 
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
TIA !  

Looking at the specs on Inner Fidelity, seems to me the Beyer T90 is similar to the Senn HD650, in terms of difficulty to drive:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/SennheiserHD650.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicT90.pdf
 
There are some people who are happy pairing the Explorer2 and the HD650, and others (myself included) who found the sound lacking straight from the headphone output in the HD650. My guess is it may not drive the Beyer T90 to "satisfying" levels. It'll just be okay sounding without an external amplifier

 
Used as just a DAC, the Explorer2 is phenomenal

 

[Click]

 
Used as just a DAC, the Explorer2 is phenomenal

 
Agreed. Explorer² amp doesn't quite have enough juice to power high impedance headphones. It's sufficient to power my 150 Ohms HD700, but I prefer the Vali to amp HD700. But for all of my other IEMs and headphones, Explorer² DAC and amp are a perfect pairing. I don't like using it with TF10 though. It just sounds weird for some reason.
 
The E² DAC is amazing though. 

 

[Pedro83]

Thanks for your quick replies. I was thinking this would be the case. I fully agree on what the E2 bring to the table in terms of a DAC - I love this. I use it with a Schiit Wyrd and the game is upped yet again using this. I'll take a look at suitable headphone amps with some more juice as the last thing I was is to be under powering them. 

 

[yangian]

I have a question: For USB DAC like Explorer, can I leave it connected with laptop all the time or I need to plug out every time when I finish listening? Thanks!

 

[obsidyen]

  I have a question: For USB DAC like Explorer, can I leave it connected with laptop all the time or I need to plug out every time when I finish listening? Thanks!

You can leave it connected.

 

[yangian]

  You can leave it connected.

Thanks! BTW, I saw you have iDSD mocro too. WHat do you think of these two DAC? Is iDSD obvious better than explorer?

 

[Pedro83]

  Thanks! BTW, I saw you have iDSD mocro too. WHat do you think of these two DAC? Is iDSD obvious better than explorer?

Not in my experience. Note I don't believe in anything  greater resolution wise than 16/44. the Nano is good but the Explorer is more to my taste. A friend of mine had one but sold it in favour of an old Astell & Kern AK100 which was seriously smooth yet detailed, perhaps the most analogue sounding digital source i've heard. 

 

[yangian]

  Not in my experience. Note I don't believe in anything  greater resolution wise than 16/44. the Nano is good but the Explorer is more to my taste. A friend of mine had one but sold it in favour of an old Astell & Kern AK100 which was seriously smooth yet detailed, perhaps the most analogue sounding digital source i've heard. 

Really, haha. Thank you for comment. Yeah, Explorer is really great! Beautiful sound.

 

[cloud13cherish]

Ok. So, I made up my mind by selecting Schiit Audio products Asgard 2 and Magni 2 Uber as an amp with E2 as a DAC. If there's any suggestions with these two options please do not hesitate to share your experience. Reviews show that both are great amps in the range of each price and I'd like to know which one's more better in sound quality. Yes, I am also willing to pay for Asgard 2 but this needs some confidence. I also need to know whether amp provides better experience in music experience. I use WAV and FLAC both 16 bit and 24 bit, high resolution music files.
 
Also I'm using this with B&W P7 and HD700

 

[Click]

  Ok. So, I made up my mind by selecting Schiit Audio products Asgard 2 and Magni 2 Uber as an amp with E2 as a DAC. If there's any suggestions with these two options please do not hesitate to share your experience. Reviews show that both are great amps in the range of each price and I'd like to know which one's more better in sound quality. Yes, I am also willing to pay for Asgard 2 but this needs some confidence. I also need to know whether amp provides better experience in music experience. I use WAV and FLAC both 16 bit and 24 bit, high resolution music files.
 
Also I'm using this with B&W P7 and HD700

 
DavidA from the HD700 thread has recommended Project Ember countless times as the best amp for HD700 (under $500). He's tried a bunch of other amps before and he also owns a lot of headphones. He keeps saying Ember pairs the best with HD700.
 
Magni isn't good with HD700. Vali would pair much better with HD700. Not sure what made you decide on Magni...
 
If you want more feedback on amp pairings, please ask in the P7 and/or HD700 threads. 

 

[cloud13cherish]

   
DavidA from the HD700 thread has recommended Project Ember countless times as the best amp for HD700 (under $500). He's tried a bunch of other amps before and he also owns a lot of headphones. He keeps saying Ember pairs the best with HD700.
 
Magni isn't good with HD700. Vali would pair much better with HD700. Not sure what made you decide on Magni...
 
If you want more feedback on amp pairings, please ask in the P7 and/or HD700 threads. 

Thanks for the advice. Yeah looking from other forums HD700 might not be a good pairing with the Magni 2 Uber.

 

[Pedro83]

A nice paid of Beyer T70p arrived at my door this morning. Using a MBA, Schiit Wyrd, Explorer2 - T70p. After a slightly edgy start over the course of the day they are beginning to smoothen up nicely. I was torn between the 70p and the 70, after trying the 70p with my iPhone today i'm pleased I went for the lower ohm option.
 
Will post more thoughts in a few days once i've racked up more hours. They're certainly getting better and already suspect they'll be keepers for in the house.

 

[thaimusic]

Fixed output impedance?
 
Been enjoying the E2 and thinking of line staging it (Schiit SYS) to a Parasound Halo A23 (Input is 33kΩ with 1V sensitivity). Does anyone know what the fixed output impedance is on the E2? Sent a note off to Meridian, but have not heard back. The A23 has up to 12db of gain, so can get the input voltage better equalized, but wondering if there would be any impedance mismatch to worry about?

 

[yangian]

ANyone knows what's difference og E and E2?

 

[sheldaze]

  Fixed output impedance?
 
Been enjoying the E2 and thinking of line staging it (Schiit SYS) to a Parasound Halo A23 (Input is 33kΩ with 1V sensitivity). Does anyone know what the fixed output impedance is on the E2? Sent a note off to Meridian, but have not heard back. The A23 has up to 12db of gain, so can get the input voltage better equalized, but wondering if there would be any impedance mismatch to worry about?

The Explorer2 is an excellent DAC. I'm keeping mine solely for that purpose. When I need a DAC and don't want to bring something large, this is my go-to. I recently compared this with my dedicated DAC, and I would be hard-pressed to say my dedicated was that much better. And as you quoted, the input impedance tends to be on the high side. In a Wikipedia link, they quote output impedance in a general range of 100-600 ohms, with modern equipment using even lower values. I do not think you'll have any concerns. You will however likely be waiting a long time for reference information from Meridian. They tend to keep their vaults closed.
 
However if you have not bought the Explorer2, have you considered the Director? It's currently selling for $350. To my ears, the quality of the parts in the Director make for a noticeable sound upgrade.