[jraul7]

Hi everyone!

It's been 4 years since my last post, appears that I've been very happy with my HIFIMAN HE-400S + Oppo HA2 combo, which is true... plus I have two kids now, so not a lot of money for daddy's hobbies.

So, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, I've been working from home this last 3 weeks and it appears this will be extended towards the ends of the month. This means that I've been using my HIFIMAN HE-400S + Oppo HA2 combo daily, which has been great. Besides ordering some new pads for the headphones, I have been thinking about getting a desktop amp for the HE-400S. I'm very happy with the HA2 amp+dac, just wondering if for $200 or $300 there is something better.

I mainly use the HA2 with my iPhone X as the music source and would like to continue using that. I've always wanted to try some Schiit components and for around $100 I can get the Schiit Magni 3. My question is, is this an upgrade from my HA2? My only headphones are the HE-400S, not planning on getting anything else at the moment. If/when they need to be replaced, I will get another set of planar cans. I read I cannot connect the iPhone to a Modi 3, so also looking for a DAC to use with the iphone and Magni. Will using the HA-2 as a DAC only work? What about adding a DragonFly or another iPhone friendly DAC?

Now that I mentioned the DragonFly, will the red or the cobalt be able to drive the HE400-S better than the Magni?

Any other recommendations for $200 - $300 are appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[jraul7]

bump

 

[bzippy]

I haven't heard the HA-2 but I do have the entry level Schiit stack, which is Modi 3, Loki (eq), and the original Magni 3. When i first got it I was truly blown away by how much better it sounded to me than all the portable amps I've owned/tried (none of them cheap). I don't know enough about amplifier technology to say whether there is something inherently better or advantageous about an AC powered amp (i.e. plug in powered) compared to battery powered, but it sorta seems that way to me. Higher voltage & current maybe? Dunno.

All I can say is that when I got this Schiit rig more than a year ago, which was my first adventure into desktop HP amps, I did not really expect to notice much difference compared to my portable gear (which is pretty decent stuff). But I did, and especially with my HD600 (300 ohm and harder to drive). All my other HPs seem to sound better too, but maybe I'm experiencing expectation bias now. Hard to say.

Just about a month ago I even got one of the best regarded portables, the ifi Audio Micro iDSD BL ($600), in the hopes of being able achieve desktop rig performance anywhere. And it's definitely quite good, but I'll be damned if my lowly Schiit rig still doesn't give me something more.

I guess that's all a long winded way of saying, Yes, absolutely, go for it!


I suppose I should mention that I since swapped the Magni 3 out for the JDS Labs Atom because I liked it just a tiny bit more. But it's really the same thing, as it relates to your question. (Not to mention Schiit has since upgraded the Magni line again and I imagine it's even more awesome than when I had one.)

 

[jraul7]

Appreciate your reply! It does make sense that an AC power amp could drive the headphones better. Need to check if I can use my HA-2 dac with the Magni or with something like a Dragonfly... because I only listen to music from my iPhone. I'm not allowed to have music on my work computer.

Thanks again!

 

[Hifiearspeakers]

Appreciate your reply! It does make sense that an AC power amp could drive the headphones better. Need to check if I can use my HA-2 dac with the Magni or with something like a Dragonfly... because I only listen to music from my iPhone. I'm not allowed to have music on my work computer.

Thanks again!

I’m pretty sure you can use your iPhone as a music source with the Modi. The Modi is powered, so it won’t draw too much power from your iPhone. You just need a USB A to USB B cable and the Apple CCK camera kit. Plug in the USB B end to the Modi, and the USB A end into the USB A part of the CCK adapter, and then the lightning adapter part of the CCK into your iPhone.