[tvercetti]

I just purchased a Schiit Modi DAC for my laptop, and I currently have a fiio e12 that I am using with it. It sounds good so far, but ive only listened to it for a couple hours. I bought the e12 for work and school, and I was wondering if there are drawbacks beside having to constantly recharge it to using a portable amp as a desktop amp, in other words would a similarly priced desktop amp sound much better than a portable one? I was looking into getting a Magni to go with the Modi, but i don't think (correct me if I am wrong) that this would be enough of an upgrade from the e12 to justifiy the cost, and I can't spend more then $200 right now on a new amp. Would the Magni sound (much) better than the e12? Or should I hold off until I can afford a better desktop amp?

 

[tvercetti]

bump

 

[bobby12]

bump

The more you charge them the less charge it holds over time. It's a slow process that can take months or years depending on the battery.

If you're happy then keep it I guess? Whether if it's an upgrade or not probably depends on your headphones. Probably not worth it though if you need the e12 for portability.

 

[tvercetti]

The more you charge them the less charge it holds over time. It's a slow process that can take months or years depending on the battery.

If you're happy then keep it I guess? Whether if it's an upgrade or not probably depends on your headphones. Probably not worth it though if you need the e12 for portability.

Right now I'm only using it with hd 598's. I am in the process of deciding between buying the hd 600's and the 650's. This is decision is driving me mad, I don't really have a way to listen to them before I buy them where I live.

 

[bobby12]

Right now I'm only using it with hd 598's. I am in the process of deciding between buying the hd 600's and the 650's. This is decision is driving me mad, I don't really have a way to listen to them before I buy them where I live.

So do you really need the portability? They're open headphones so you probably aren't using them outside Sell e12 for $100 > buy magni for $100?

The magni would help the 600s. Not so sure about the 598s though

 

[tvercetti]

So do you really need the portability? They're open headphones so you probably aren't using them outside Sell e12 for $100 > buy magni for $100?

The magni would help the 600s. Not so sure about the 598s though

Yes I do need the e12 for my portable setup. I should have worded my original post better but basically the e12 is a placeholder in my desktop setup right now and I wanted to know if a Magni is going to sound significantly bettter, or if I should hold off and save for something better like a Asgard or Valahlla.

EDIT I use the e12 on the go with momentums and ATH m50's not the open HPs

 

[bobby12]

Yes I do need the e12 for my portable setup. I should have worded my original post better but basically the e12 is a placeholder in my desktop setup right now and I wanted to know if a Magni is going to sound significantly bettter, or if I should hold off and save for something better like a Asgard or Valahlla.

EDIT I use the e12 on the go with momentums and ATH m50's not the open HPs

My bad. I thought it was your only headphone since you said "only using it with hd 598".

I don't have experience with the Asgard or the Valhalla, but you kind of have to decide whether that upgrade is worth it for yourself.

I've been disappointed by some of my expensive equipment. Although it was an upgrade, it wasn't always worth the price I paid. But some other guy who has the same headphone can spend the same, or even more, and say it's worth it.

Some people say the Q701s sound find out of a $15 sound card. Others say they're hard to drive and need an expensive amp. I'm somewhere in the middle where when you start adding all those expensive amps then it really adds to the cost, and the upgrades become smaller. Buy what fits your budget and be happy

 

[nway]

Could you share how your experience has been using the Modi with the E12? I recently ordered the HD 600 and was planning to order the Modi+Vali to complement it, but I just recently saw the E12 on sale and couldn't resist, so now I have that coming in, and I'm wondering how it would pair with the Modi.

 

[tvercetti]

  Could you share how your experience has been using the Modi with the E12? I recently ordered the HD 600 and was planning to order the Modi+Vali to complement it, but I just recently saw the E12 on sale and couldn't resist, so now I have that coming in, and I'm wondering how it would pair with the Modi.

I use the e12 with the Modi right now because I do not own a desktop amp, it is more a placeholder. I use it mostly on the go with an X5. The only drawback is constantly having to charge it when its sitting on my desk, there is an audible hum when I use it while it charges so I try not to do that. I am really happy with the combo but it is a placeholder (i'm going to get a Asgard 2 sometime before the holidays). If you plan on using it as a portable unit too I would say go for it, but if you are mostly going to be using it at home maybe look at the Vali or another desktop amp.

 

[waynes world]

  I use the e12 with the Modi right now because I do not own a desktop amp, it is more a placeholder. I use it mostly on the go with an X5. The only drawback is constantly having to charge it when its sitting on my desk, there is an audible hum when I use it while it charges so I try not to do that. I am really happy with the combo but it is a placeholder (i'm going to get a Asgard 2 sometime before the holidays). If you plan on using it as a portable unit too I would say go for it, but if you are mostly going to be using it at home maybe look at the Vali or another desktop amp.

 
Old thread, oh well.
 
Firstly, I find that using my tablet's 2Amp charger reduces the hum significantly, and also reduces the charging time significantly.
 
I use my E12 at my desktop mainly. I had it off of my IhifimeDIY usb sabre dac, but that broke, so now I am using my old cheapo Ele Dac plus the E12. I'm looking for another DAC, and the Modi interests me, and am therefore interested in how the Modi+E12 pair up. It seems like the Modi is flat, balanced and transparent, so I suspect the E12 would work well with it (adds a bit of warmth). And you are happy with the combo, so that's good.
 
I would consider also getting a different amp, but the E12 works so well with my headphones, that I don't know if I should bother. So I'll probably stick with just getting another DAC.

 

[KewlMunky]

I just purchased a Schiit Modi DAC for my laptop, and I currently have a fiio e12 that I am using with it. It sounds good so far, but ive only listened to it for a couple hours. I bought the e12 for work and school, and I was wondering if there are drawbacks beside having to constantly recharge it to using a portable amp as a desktop amp, in other words would a similarly priced desktop amp sound much better than a portable one? I was looking into getting a Magni to go with the Modi, but i don't think (correct me if I am wrong) that this would be enough of an upgrade from the e12 to justifiy the cost, and I can't spend more then $200 right now on a new amp. Would the Magni sound (much) better than the e12? Or should I hold off until I can afford a better desktop amp?

 
I went from using the e12 to the Magni 2 Uber, and it was a world of difference on my HE 400 headphones. With my WS99 set, it wasn't as noticable (not a very demanding headphone) but it was still better.

 

[billybob_jcv]

Correct - it's primarily about output power. A lot of the space in a desktop amp is actually the power supply and circuits needed to convert the A/C mains into clean DC power to run the actual amp. That problem doesn't really exist in a battery-powered amp. OTOH, you will not have the kind of current available in a battery amp that you can have in desktop amp. Everything is a trade-off...

 

[nway]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Modi/E12 stack.