[Hyjacked]

Hi,
 
Currently I am running a pair of HE-500s off a Schiit Magni/Modi combo. Yes, I know a higher end DAC and amp would certainly increase sound quality, but for now, they will have to do. I already plan to upgrade to something along the lines of the Lyr 2 and Bitfrost. The other thing I am aware I need to upgrade is the cable because currently I am using the stock cable which I know is inferior in comparison to others. I am not sure what cable to upgrade to, however. I do not believe my audio source is bad, but I could be wrong. Right now I use Spotify and have the 320kbps high definition streaming option enabled. I know there are properties for the Schiit Modi in Windows, but I don't know if there is anything that I should be changing. I did notice that the default "sample rate and bit depth" are on the lowest, however, I am not sure if I am able to support changing it. I know a couple of mods for the HE-500 exist that I was planning on looking into, but if you would like to list some, by all means go ahead. I have also swapped the leather pads for the velour, as I noticed that make the headphones sound more airy. Thanks for taking the time to read my post.

 

[NA Blur]

Your gear should sound pretty sweet so let's check a few things.
 
1.)  Do you run PC --> USB --> Modi --> Magni --> HE-500?
 
2.)  What volume do you have your player(s) and output audio set to on your PC?
 
3.)  The velour pads are the way to go so keeps those on
 
4.)  The stock cable is more than adequate and I would not spend more than $90 on a new cable.  There are other areas to spend that money on like new music that may make a huge difference compared to the subtle differences a cable may make,
 
5.)  Bit depth should be set to 16 bit nothing less
 
6.)  Is there anything particular you do not like about your setup / sound?

 

[NA Blur]

Here are a few tracks to try with your gear:
 
1.)  Chick Corea's Three Ghouls, Part 1 from The Ultimate Adventure album
 
2.)  Emergency's No Motion from Fantasy ( Free Digital Single )
 
3.)  Nuclear Ramjet's Folding time track from Fahrenheit Project Part Two
 
Those are just a few tracks from my HD Tracks playlist that should make your gear shine.
 
It is important to keep your PC and DAC volume at 80% including  your player and just use your amp's volume to turn it down / up.

 

[Hyjacked]

Yes, my set-up is PC --> USB Cable --> Modi --> Magni --> HE-500s. However, I read that you should keep the player music and PC volume at 100% and then use the amp to adjust volume, which is what I have been doing. When I originally began using the Magni amp, I found that around half turned, the volume was sufficient. As for the audio quality, no I find it quite find for most tracks, some better than others, and again, I am using Spotify so even though 320kbps streaming is enabled since I am premium, it may be significantly less than that in reality. I was just wondering what all changes would effect outcome significantly. 

 

[vid]

If you're getting comfortable volume from your amp, the #1 optimization is quality EQ along with a notable investment of time into learning how to use it properly, including figuring out your current response curve and the target curve you should be after.

 

[Hyjacked]

Could you link me to guides regarding EQ and any other information that you believe I would find helpful?

 

[zazex]

  Could you link me to guides regarding EQ and any other information that you believe I would find helpful?

http://www.xowave.com/doc/recording/eq.shtml
 
(very good information, well written)
 
 
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1995_articles/mar95/eq.html
 
(more in depth)
 
 
both articles are a bit dated in certain places,
but the information they provide about equalization is accurate, thorough, and useful.
 
Moreover, they are written from the POV of a recording engineer making a recording,
and delve into some very fine details often missing from basic articles on EQ.

 

[Hyjacked]

Thank you very much. 

 

[zazex]

  Thank you very much. 

 
You're welcome. 

 

[slain72]

You're at a pretty good place, to be honest. All of your individual parts are good. I don't know the HE-500s very well, but the Magni supplies a lot of power, so it's probably a good pairing with the HE-500s. Audiophilia is a hobby of spending money with diminishing returns. It's going to cost you a bundle of money to get a significant upgrade. At your current investment, IMO, you haven't done anything wrong.
 
Unless you have specific complaints about your current setup (which it doesn't sound like you do), if you want to get deeper, I'd highly recommend trying to go to a Head-Fi meet somewhere so you can figure out what you actually will find to be a worthy upgrade without spending tons of money. If you can't get to a meet, you can try out dealers with a tryout period, like Schiit and a few other places.
 
Also, I've never personally had luck with EQ'ing. IMO, unfortunately the best way to get better sound is throw more money at it. That said, EQ is free! DEFINITELY give it a try!

 

[vid]

  Also, I've never personally had luck with EQ'ing. IMO, unfortunately the best way to get better sound is throw more money at it. That said, EQ is free! DEFINITELY give it a try!

 
Science would say you get essentially the same sound with upgrading gear as you do with EQ, and as you put it, EQ is free.
 
But you can make a distinction between EQ and audiophile EQ if you want. The latter is about knowing what you're doing, the former is about luck.