[shogen]

Hi !!!
 
First off... What an amazing site! Don't know why it's taken me this long to actually join the community when I've been reading threads here for over 5yrs. Pretty ridiculous!!!
 
There seem to be many good people here and I want to add to the community as best I can...
 
 
I'll just go through the setup I'm currently working with for PC/home and On-the-go/Gym ....
 
 
PC/Home setup: (I've owned at some point)
 
Cans:
       
                 Beyerdynamics DT770 PRO 80 ohm (current)
                 Sony V6, V600, 7506, Z1000, SA3000, V900HD, XB700, 710LP, D777, V700DJ, NC60,  
 
Speakers: 
       
                 KEF C3
                 Sony B1000 (current), B3000
 
Power:
 
                 Marantz SR5002 (dying/dead) and looking for a headphone amp under $150 or even less at the moment
 
 
 
On-the-go setup: (I've owned at some point)
 
IEMs:
 
                MEElectronics A151 (current but water damaged at gym)
                Sony AS50, XBA-S65, EX700LP, EX500LP, EX85LP
 
Power/Source:
 
               Samsung Galaxy Player 3.6
 
 
If you notice there is an abundance of Sony gear... I have actually owned way more than I can remember and I had to look some up to make sure I had the right models. I used to work for Sony Electronics over 2yrs ago for a 7yr hitch ... Was fun but got worse as time went on.... Anyway looking to research some more on here about headphone amps for my cans. Really only looking for a desktop variant as I won't ever use a portable amp since I like to carry less and less as time goes on....lol
 
 
So far I've looked at Fiio, Maverick Audio, Qinpu, JDS Labs, Firestone Audio, Musical Fidelity, NuForce, AudioEngine, Cambridge,  HiFiMAN, you name it I'm looking at it... lol...
 
 
Think I'm leaning towards the Fiio E10 though... not sure....hmmmm 

 

[xkonfuzed]

Welcome to head-fi.

And that's a lot of Sony headphones!!

As for the amp, what headphones will you be running through them? And, do you have a decent DAC to begin with anyway?

 

[shogen]

Thanks! I know, it was just too easy to buy and there was always a family member who needed/wanted one of my sets... lol
 
I am looking to power my Beyer DT770 80 ohm .... I do not have a DAC at all. So I'm not sure if I should do the DAC and seperate AMP .... 
Quote:

Welcome to head-fi.

And that's a lot of Sony headphones!!

As for the amp, what headphones will you be running through them? And, do you have a decent DAC to begin with anyway?

 

[xkonfuzed]

Thanks! I know, it was just too easy to buy and there was always a family member who needed/wanted one of my sets... lol

I am looking to power my Beyer DT770 80 ohm .... I do not have a DAC at all. So I'm not sure if I should do the DAC and seperate AMP .... 

I suggest getting started with a decent DAC, the Schiit Modi is very hard to beat for the price ($99). Then get an amp to power the dt770's. and since you have the 80ohm version, you won't need a lot of power. I recommend the Schiit Magni, great combo for the price. If you don't want a separate DAC/amp, get the AudioEngineD1. It's a DAC (uses the same chip in the Modi) with a built in amplifier. Both are great choices but the d1 costs a bit less and will save you the trouble of ordering separate DAC and Amp.

 

[shogen]

I was looking at the AudioEngine for a bit too.... The Schiit just started coming across my web browser today and I got alot of info... lol... The Schiit stack looks so damn sexy too ..... hmmmm 
Quote:

I suggest getting started with a decent DAC, the Schiit Modi is very hard to beat for the price ($99). Then get an amp to power the dt770's. and since you have the 80ohm version, you won't need a lot of power. I recommend the Schiit Magni, great combo for the price. If you don't want a separate DAC/amp, get the AudioEngineD1. It's a DAC (uses the same chip in the Modi) with a built in amplifier. Both are great choices but the d1 costs a bit less and will save you the trouble of ordering separate DAC and Amp.

 

[xkonfuzed]

Have you considered that the Magni has headphone output jack of 6.3mm? Just letting you know. Not all headphones come with a 6.3 connector.

 

[shogen]

whoa! thanks for pointing that out.... that is a 1/4" jack for us lazy Americans, yes? if so then that is perfectly fine

Quote:

Have you considered that the Magni has headphone output jack of 6.3mm? Just letting you know. Not all headphones come with a 6.3 connector.

 

[xkonfuzed]

Yup, 1/4 jack.

 

[shogen]

thinking about modding my cans to have a 1/8 jack output ..... hmmm .... but yea, I think either the Schiit stack or AudioEngine is where I'm leaning... The E10 looks cool too though... nice and small oh and CHEAP!

Quote:

Yup, 1/4 jack.

 

[shogen]

Hear much about the Bravo amps? Or any recommendations for JUST a nice DAC besides the Schiit?
Quote:

Yup, 1/4 jack.

 

[jackwess]

Quote:

Hear much about the Bravo amps? Or any recommendations for JUST a nice DAC besides the Schiit?

 
Bravo are one of the best bang of the buck amps, they have a dedicated thread on the amps section. 
Objective Dac, as a nice alternative to Schiit's. 

 

[cel4145]

thinking about modding my cans to have a 1/8 jack output ..... hmmm .... but yea, I think either the Schiit stack or AudioEngine is where I'm leaning... The E10 looks cool too though... nice and small oh and CHEAP!

If you want a portable amp, look into the C&C BH. Great sound for the price and excellent battery life. Tiny size, too.

I also have the Objective 2 (O2) amp that jackwess mentioned. It is a great semi-portable amp. Not meant for carrying in ones pocket with portable music player, but suitable for taking with a laptop.

 

[shogen]

would those specifically be geared towards desktop ONLY? would that change your suggestions? It will not be used for portable instances at all. I'll look into the ones you've mentioned fellas. Thanks!
Quote:

 
Bravo are one of the best bang of the buck amps, they have a dedicated thread on the amps section. 
Objective Dac, as a nice alternative to Schiit's. 

 
Quote:

If you want a portable amp, look into the C&C BH. Great sound for the price and excellent battery life. Tiny size, too.

I also have the Objective 2 (O2) amp that jackwess mentioned. It is a great semi-portable amp. Not meant for carrying in ones pocket with portable music player, but suitable for taking with a laptop.

 

[shogen]

You know the one thing I already don't like about Objective's equipment is that they have ALL the connections in back AND front.... For a DAC you'd think the rear is the only place you'd want connections with maybe a power switch up front or even have that in the rear. Makes it look ugly, although I could ignore I think if I spent MORE monies on a DAC compared to the Schiit I'd want it to look better too... lol.... being picky I guess, unless the performance is MUCH better than the Schiit I'd probably pass on it.