[cunning]

 
was told that the schiit stack of magni/modi would be too bright sounding
 
any inputs on vali/modi or anything within the budget of the stack?
 
or should i just get myself a ASUS xonar DG / xonar STX  / soundblaster

 
would appreciate any further feedback to explore any more options, thanks!
 
currently in my lists are
 
1.) Get a asus xonar stx/dg or X-Fi titanium HD
2.) Schitt stack M&M or Valid/Modi variant
3.) Audinst mx2
4.) FiiO E10K
5.) Matrix M-Stage HP2

 

[jk47]

HD700, K812 and dx90 gain settings
 
 
 
[i've posted this in 3 threads, fwiw, on the theory that it might have relevance for each set of readers/subscribers.]
 
 
music for testing:
 
1. melos quartet schubert's “death and the maiden” 2^nd movement- I like the melos' performance for its prominent cello and for its emotionality culminating in periodic very high, richly textured, notes from the first violin. The cello would display the bass but not the lowest bass, the violin the treble.
 
2. Charlie hayden & pat methany- “first song [for ruth]” – hayden's playing on the double bass goes down to what I think are the lowest notes the instrument can produce.
 
–----
 
I posted some time ago that my hd700 sounded dull and lifeless when driven by my dx90, but only later realized that i'd only tried it on low gain. So last night I tried it on high gain, and compared it to its performance when driven by my integrated amp [nad c 375 bee].
 
Indeed it performed much better on the high gain setting. Across the spectrum, it preserved the sounds produced by the hd700 when driven by my amp. The soundstage, however, was somewhat smaller. With my amp, the hd700 produces a 225o soundstage [approx of course], while from the dx90 on high gain it was more like 135o.
 
–-----
 
I've been listening to my k812 on low gain from the dx90, and took this opportunity to try it from the amp. In general, the k812 has more bass and treble extension than the hd700, and sounds a lot airier, with more separation of instruments. In comparison, the hd700 sounds slightly congested, and the lowest notes lack texture and sound dull compared with the k812. The k812 sounds better; it should, as it costs twice as much. [I decided last night that I should sell my hd700. Pm me if you're interested, u.s. only.]
 
From the dx90 on low gain, the k812 produces a very airy sound, with excellent separation of the instruments, with good extension and texture across the spectrum. It produces about a 135o soundstage. I tried the k812 from my amp, not clear about how the impedance mismatch would affect its performance. The k812 then produced the same sound, but with a 225o soundstage.
 
Some time ago i'd tried the k812 on the dx90's high gain, and thought the sound was actually degraded on that setting. I decided last night to try the medium gain setting, which i'd [falsely] assumed would also degrade the sound, but to a lesser extent. Instead the medium gain setting produced a 225o soundstage while maintaining the quality of the sound. This is how i'll listen to the dx90 in the future.

 

[daphen]

Hi, my HD700 arrived yesterday, so far I'm very happy with my purchase.  
I have a couple of questions. My amp is a Fiio E17, and it seems kind of weak in comparison to my speaker amp which give them a bit more liveliness, the problem is that my full size amp is really static so I prefer to use my dead silent E17. 
Will I get a big improvement if I buy a new amp? Is there a cheap alternative that will sound better than the E17? 
And is it better to just buy an amp for speakers and use the phono output than to buy a dedicated headphone amp?
 
Cheapest way possible please.
Thanks guys.

 

[Saoshyant]

The E9 can certainly put enough power into a hd700, and can be paired with the e17. I haven't heard the e17, but used an e9i for a little bit and liked it. Needless to say, expensive setups can also really bring out the most in the hd700, but isn't necessary either.

 

[daphen]

The E9 can certainly put enough power into a hd700, and can be paired with the e17. I haven't heard the e17, but used an e9i for a little bit and liked it. Needless to say, expensive setups can also really bring out the most in the hd700, but isn't necessary either.

So, it will suffice to buy the E09K and just pair it with my E17?

 

[pdrm360]

Yep, the E09K (or E12) would be one of the cheapest way possible but not one of the best setup for the HD700. 

 

[daphen]

  Yep, the E09K (or E12) would be one of the cheapest way possible but not one of the best setup for the HD700. 

How expensive would it be to get "one of the best setups", for the HD700?
Edit: Can I pair the E12 with the E17?

 

[kayza]

How expensive would it be to get "one of the best setups", for the HD700?
Edit: Can I pair the E12 with the E17?

you can pair the e12 with anything that has a line output. The e17 and (estimating) the majority of dacs have line output. So yes the e12 would go with the e17.

Edit: you would need an L7 adapter on the e17 though. More in this link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/626392/confused-can-the-amp-be-bypassed-on-fiio-e17

 

[tanglewire]

I have my 700's with Burson Soloist and its a really nice match. I really do like the 700's it has the best Sonic features of all the Sennheiser top line up 600, 650, 800. I've owned all of them and to enjoy music are the best option in Senn...comfort wise.. currently best in market
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJCxZfhePk0&list=UUFals-CumVomH5u1xoz2GFA

 

[Mark-sf]

  Hi, my HD700 arrived yesterday, so far I'm very happy with my purchase.  
I have a couple of questions. My amp is a Fiio E17, and it seems kind of weak in comparison to my speaker amp which give them a bit more liveliness, the problem is that my full size amp is really static so I prefer to use my dead silent E17. 
Will I get a big improvement if I buy a new amp? Is there a cheap alternative that will sound better than the E17? 
And is it better to just buy an amp for speakers and use the phono output than to buy a dedicated headphone amp?
 
Cheapest way possible please.
Thanks guys.

You, haven't said if you need the amp to stay portable. You are only getting a few milliwatts from your E17 due to the 150 ohm load of the HD700. While it obviously works due to its high sensitivity you have found it is wanting as one would expect. For portability with my HD700's I have used the Practical Devices XM6 as it is designed to drive 600 ohm headphones and works well. However, if you can live with a desktop amp, the Schiit Asgard 2 is a great value and its selectable gain results in a dead quiet background yet with great drive.

 

[pdrm360]

  How expensive would it be to get "one of the best setups", for the HD700?
Edit: Can I pair the E12 with the E17?

 
e.g. ALO Audio PanAm AMP/DAC (~$450)

 

[daphen]

Everything u're linking is way above my budget, I just bought headphones for 450 bucks, I'm not made of money.
But no, it doesn't have to be portable, I bought the E17 for portability like 2 years ago. I wont be using the HD700 outside of my house.
I would say my budget is 250.

 

[Nitori]

I only tried the Violectric V200 and Schiit Asgard 2 with a HD700 and found both of them to drive it very well. Maybe V200 a bit better but it's way above your budget. Asgard 2 should be exactly 250 and its a very good amp overall.

 

[Klots]

bottlehead crack is also under 300$ and you can add speedball later and change tubes.

 

[cocolinho]

geek out 1000 does a great job as well