[dogeiestdoge]

*keep in mind i live in Canada and all prices are in Canadian*
 
          Hello,
     I'm relatively new to the audiophile community, i bought my brothers old ath m50s and the on board sound on my asus z97-a motherboard cant handle them and start playing a throbbing static noise at full volume. I decided to venture on a quest for a new dac/amp and also headphones because my ath's are around 7 years now. my top options for dac were audioengine d1 for 215$ and q701 for like 350$ when i got to mass drop through a sponsorship in  a linustechtips video, i noticed the akg k7xx for sale around same price in total 380$ quick google search showed Q701<k7xx. I will mainly use this setup for gaming and listening to music, i will buy a modmic later.
 
 
 
QUESTIONS
 
-would the d1 power the headphones the best out of all choices in that price range? I heard the k7xx are power hungry.
      -any other better options?
i heard the audioengine d1 doesn't focus on headphones
 
 
-would i have to get a headset adapter just to use a modmic with my headset? or do i just normally plug them in.
 
-are there any better options for headphones for this price point
 
-would the magnet in the modmic hurt the one inside the headphones? 
 
 
     Sorry if the questions sound stupid but I'm new and sort of confused.

 

[fjrabon]

I'm not sure what you mean by "I've heard the D1 doesn't focus on headphones."  It's a headphone DAC/amplifier with RCA outs.  I'm not sure how you can focus more on headphones than being a dedicated headphone amplifier.    The D1 will match pretty well with the K7XX.  It's 10 ohms output impedance, and the K7XX could take a slightly lower output impedance, but it's not bad at all.  The D1 is also a warm DAC/amp (ie mild bass emphasis) and will compliment the K7XX in that regard.  
 
As far as comparables in the D1's price range, there's not a whole lot that's clearly better, but I've also lost a little bit of touch with what's available in that price range.  I like the D1; its only real flaw is that it can get a bit congested with lower impedance headphones, due to a lack of damping factor because of its higher output impedance.  
 
edit: I don't know anything about modmics, so I can't speak to that.

 

[dogeiestdoge]

i heard the fio e10 was a worthy opponent so i googled fiio e10 vs d1 and it brought me to linustechtips' website: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/114056-fiio-e10-vs-audioengine-d1-vs/ 
 
from there i came across the 6th comment saying:
 
The Audioengine D1's amp wont drive headphones as well as the FiiO E10. The D1 is a DAC meant to work alongside audioengine's other components, and the headphone port is a convenient monitor, but not really meant to be used solely for headphones.
 
We recommend the E10 so much because it is the cheapest thing out there which doesn't suck. You can buy slightly better performing stuff, but you likely wont hear any improvement. You can buy stuff with better build quality, but the E10 is durable enough for normal use to not warrant such an expenditure. 
 
so i was sort of confused whether there were better options than the d1.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  i heard the fio e10 was a worthy opponent so i googled fiio e10 vs d1 and it brought me to linustechtips' website: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/114056-fiio-e10-vs-audioengine-d1-vs/ 
from there i came across the 6th comment saying:
The Audioengine D1's amp wont drive headphones as well as the FiiO E10. The D1 is a DAC meant to work alongside audioengine's other components, and the headphone port is a convenient monitor, but not really meant to be used solely for headphones.
We recommend the E10 so much because it is the cheapest thing out there which doesn't suck. You can buy slightly better performing stuff, but you likely wont hear any improvement. You can buy stuff with better build quality, but the E10 is durable enough for normal use to not warrant such an expenditure. 
so i was sort of confused whether there were better options than the d1.

 
You might consider ordering a AKG K7XX headphone and Bravo Ocean headphone amplifier, both are sold on Massdrop.
Not sure if Massdrop is allowed to ship directly to Canada, but Massdrop will work with a service (for a fee) that can ship outside the USA.
 
For a DAC, maybe a (used ) Xonar DX sound card or Hifimediy Sabre U2 USB DAC.
Not sure about what add-on mic to use.

 

[sound7506]

I'm somewhat new to the community, so I'm sorry if my questions sound ridiculous to the more experienced members. I have the akg k612, and I was wondering if it is worth it to upgrade to the k7xx. How is it better and does it justify the price? Does it have a wider soundstage or better balance than the k612, and is the difference worth the upgrade? Thanks in advance guys.

 

[dogeiestdoge]

im not experienced at all so you might as well ignore my comment but from what ive read, the k7xx's have a phenomenal sound stage

 

[dogeiestdoge]

would it be better? the d1 sells for 215 cad shipping included, or would the 70 + 10usd bravo ocean amp and like a 120$ o2 serve me better?