[Chawanwit]

So I have been an audiophile for a while. First headphone was the se-210, follow by audio technica em9r and he-400. Amp waiting upon arrival is Asgard 2 with modi as DAC. There is no doubt I always want to buy high-end audio but dont know where to start. The music I enjoy the most are jazz, nice vocal. Next are classical, instrumental and lastly is pop music. What would be some good headphone for these genres. Thanks

 

[wink]

Go Stax now or take the scenic route.
 
Your choice.
 
btw, being an audiophile is not the same as being a high end audiophile.
 
Take the time to delve around here until you get a picture of where you think you want to go.
 
 
Oh, and, sorry about your wallet.....

 

[Avincent52]

I'd suggest paying more attention to the source gear. 
The Bifrost DAC is a big step up from the Modi, which is very much built to a price point (but is great at what it does.)
 
If I were buying Schiit, I would go with the Uber-mod BiFrost instead of a Modi.
I use the BiFrost in a $10K+ speaker based system and it's been a very impressive upgrade, still awaiting the Uber-mod board. 
Schiit also has an upgrade path for the BiFrost so when a better chip comes along in two years, you'll be able to upgrade it for $100 instead of just tossing it. 
If I needed to budget, I'd go for a Magni amp instead of the Asgard. 
And of course, you'll want to match your amp to the headphones you settle on. 

Me, I'm a Grado guy. People love them or hate them. I'd suggest something like a RS-1i or a PS500, which are modestly priced and easy to drive and IMHO have a lovely, detailed midrange and vivid sound staging. Others would disagree, many vehemently. Listen for yourself. 
 
The Audeze are contenders in this price range, and friends whose ears I trust love them, but I admit I haven't heard them yet.

 

[CountChoculaBot]

Keep in mind that it's not simple enough to just ask, "what's best?"  Audiophilia is like cars, some like coupes, others like luxury sedans, some like BMWs; others like 'vettes.
 
 
At any price level there's multiple pieces of equipment at the same level, but with different flavors or style of sound.  case in point:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auralic5/6.html
 
So basically, decide what style of sound you want, and then you'll have to do your research from there.  (It's easy once you zero in on exactly what style of sound you fall into).  For example, I like a musical, midrange focused sound and am willing to sacrifice accuracy, so I go for NOS DACs feeding tube amps.  (Ofc those are broad categories, and individual equipment can vary in sound tremendously despite being in a particular category, so read them reviews )
 
 
 
But yeah to reference what someone else already said, a common mistake is to skimp on the source.   DO NOT DO THIS.  IMO each major part of the chain (DAC, Amp, headphone) can make or break whether or not you think the rig as a whole is enjoyable and worth the money.

 

[Chawanwit]

Quote:

I'd suggest paying more attention to the source gear. 
The Bifrost DAC is a big step up from the Modi, which is very much built to a price point (but is great at what it does.)
 
If I were buying Schiit, I would go with the Uber-mod BiFrost instead of a Modi.
I use the BiFrost in a $10K+ speaker based system and it's been a very impressive upgrade, still awaiting the Uber-mod board. 
Schiit also has an upgrade path for the BiFrost so when a better chip comes along in two years, you'll be able to upgrade it for $100 instead of just tossing it. 
If I needed to budget, I'd go for a Magni amp instead of the Asgard. 
And of course, you'll want to match your amp to the headphones you settle on. 

Me, I'm a Grado guy. People love them or hate them. I'd suggest something like a RS-1i or a PS500, which are modestly priced and easy to drive and IMHO have a lovely, detailed midrange and vivid sound staging. Others would disagree, many vehemently. Listen for yourself. 
 
The Audeze are contenders in this price range, and friends whose ears I trust love them, but I admit I haven't heard them yet.

I had to go with the Asgard 2 instead of the Magni because I live in Thailand and Magni comes with only the 110V power supply. So now, I have a Magni (unsable unless I buy a step down converter which cost a fortune in Thailand) and an Asgard 2. This leave me low in budget and the upgradable BiFrost would be difficult to upgrade since I live in Thailand so beside being out of budget for now, it will also be difficult for me to upgrade. The only reason I am able to buy the schiit is because my brother study in USA and is visiting me next week.
I am glad to know that the DAC is more important than the AMP. I never knew about it until now. 

 

[Chawanwit]

Quote:

Go Stax now or take the scenic route.
 
Your choice.
 
btw, being an audiophile is not the same as being a high end audiophile.
 
Take the time to delve around here until you get a picture of where you think you want to go.
 
 
Oh, and, sorry about your wallet.....

Last sentence is so true. I just graduated from University in Thailand and am looking for a job. Buying all of the equipment and headphone so far have been very painful to my poor slim wallet. Hope I get a job soon so I can have a bigger wallet

 

[Chawanwit]

Quote:

Keep in mind that it's not simple enough to just ask, "what's best?"  Audiophilia is like cars, some like coupes, others like luxury sedans, some like BMWs; others like 'vettes.
 
 
At any price level there's multiple pieces of equipment at the same level, but with different flavors or style of sound.  case in point:
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/auralic5/6.html
 
So basically, decide what style of sound you want, and then you'll have to do your research from there.  (It's easy once you zero in on exactly what style of sound you fall into).  For example, I like a musical, midrange focused sound and am willing to sacrifice accuracy, so I go for NOS DACs feeding tube amps.  (Ofc those are broad categories, and individual equipment can vary in sound tremendously despite being in a particular category, so read them reviews )
 
 
 
But yeah to reference what someone else already said, a common mistake is to skimp on the source.   DO NOT DO THIS.  IMO each major part of the chain (DAC, Amp, headphone) can make or break whether or not you think the rig as a whole is enjoyable and worth the money.

Regarding the chain: would a he-400, Asgard 2 amp and Modi Dac work together well? As this is my current set up and it will probably be a year before I some new equipment or headphones.

 

[CountChoculaBot]

Should be fine; I haven't heard the Modi, and while I feel the price differential of the DAC between the other two components is a bit substantial for my preferences, I've heard good stuff about Schiit in general so I'd wager it's up to snuff.  When you do eventually move on up though, I would upgrade it.  If you upgrade straight to the next level, the Bifrost, though, you might not notice too much of a difference (I'm talking based on my own experiences with other DACs and not on this; it may make a difference, but I wouldn't know since I haven't heard either).  I would personally try out other brands or styles of DAC (such as ones with tube buffers, or a NOS DAC is what I'd try depending if you don't mind losing a bit of accuracy for musicality) if you'd prefer something that you'll notice.