SaddleSC
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2014
- Posts
- 214
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- 302
Well, I tried the Schiit Modius and both the RME ADI-2 FS with the Abyss and the Schiit Modius (which uses the same exact AKM chip as the RME) was less harsh and smoother. More transparent, if you will. I've definitely heard sharp dacs before even when isolating USB noise via toslink and the use of interfaces. Some headphones are extremely resolving and maybe come off too harsh on certain pairings. I've spoken to one person who was using very clean USBs and isolating them and he tried pairing the Abyss with the GS-X Mini and RME ADI-2 FS and got some HF glare as well. But anyway, I'll just use trial and error on this one.
Edit: there's also a chance that I find the Abyss's sound signature to be a tad bright, but not by much. So maybe I am looking for a dac that is slightly tilted towards being warm. I have my Bifrost 2 which is definitely fuller and warmer but sometimes comes off a bit too smooth for my liking if that makes sense. A LOT of people yesterday and today (after I made my last post) have been singing the praises of the Chord Qutest dac because everyone seems to think that it's exactly what I'm describing and what I want. So I may go that route.
As I was reading the first paragraph of your post, I was thinking to myself "buy the Chord Qutest" and then I read the last paragraph! So, allow me to join the others with that recommendation. I received my Chord Qutest a couple of weeks ago and I really love it. I am returning my RME because I do find it to be a bit too sharp as well, especially with my HD800 and I also am not a fan of the internal headphone amp. The Qutest is brilliant and with the four filter options, it may be exactly what you are looking for.