Re: Amp for Hifiman Sundaras

[julianlopez85]

Hi All,
I have the original asus xonar u7 from a few years back, now recently i bought the Hifiman Sundara and i find the amp on the u7 does a decent job but it seems it tops out short of where the sundaras want to shine. I also have the cayin n3 which i plugged in via usb and used it as a dac, whacked it to high gain at volume around 80-85% and the clarity of the headphones really came out. the u7 uses cirrus logic cs4398 while the n3 uses a akm 4490en chip. I recently got into tidal hifi and i feel like the headphones can push on with giving me some more dynamics and clarity.

So my questions are:
1. is the cirrus logic cs4398 still a good dac to use in 2020? If so should i get an amp to give the headphones more power?
or
2. get a completely new setup(i.e dac and amp stack/combo)? Also can you provide some recommendations please.

I use the headphones to do everything from youtube, movies, games etc.

Thanks.

 

[529128]

2. Having used the Hifiman Sundara with both the Chord Mojo and my current Schiit Stack (Heresy+Modi 3+) I can assure you that the Sundara will benefit from each and every drop of good old well-powered juice fed to it. JDS Labs Atom, Schiit Magni and the like will be a magnificient pairing and all the power you will ever need. Don’t break the bank on the DAC. Any option within the same price bracket as the aforementioned amps will be a fabulous pairing and provide a setup that many would consider a great allround listening station.

 

[Midcentric]

Hi All,
I have the original asus xonar u7 from a few years back, now recently i bought the Hifiman Sundara and i find the amp on the u7 does a decent job but it seems it tops out short of where the sundaras want to shine. I also have the cayin n3 which i plugged in via usb and used it as a dac, whacked it to high gain at volume around 80-85% and the clarity of the headphones really came out. the u7 uses cirrus logic cs4398 while the n3 uses a akm 4490en chip. I recently got into tidal hifi and i feel like the headphones can push on with giving me some more dynamics and clarity.

So my questions are:
1. is the cirrus logic cs4398 still a good dac to use in 2020? If so should i get an amp to give the headphones more power?
or
2. get a completely new setup(i.e dac and amp stack/combo)? Also can you provide some recommendations please.

I use the headphones to do everything from youtube, movies, games etc.

Thanks.

2. Technically any amp would do. But in practice, Sundara's match is at Fiio q5s level. You won't benefit, compared to its cost, from likes of BTR5 and q1mk2.

Schiit's mid tiers would do great with it too. Its a planar afterall. They need juice.

 

[tmb821]

I have the 4xx. I use the topping L30/E30 stack to run it off my pc. For portable I use my xDuoo xd05 plus. Both setups drive the 4xx with no problems at all!