[Solrighal]

Here you go... Clicky

 
Sorry, I missed this. Thanks very much. I just might have to try those out. Good find.

 

[410107]

Buying myself the HD650 for christmas but I'm so torn between Modi & Magni or a Xonar Essence STX II. aggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

[Transformatron]

Buying myself the HD650 for christmas but I'm so torn between Modi & Magni or a Xonar Essence STX II. aggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Modi+Vali is the correct answer

 

[Solrighal]

Modi+Vali is the correct answer

 
I think you'll find ODAC + O2 is the correct answer

 

[Gandah]

  Buying myself the HD650 for christmas but I'm so torn between Modi & Magni or a Xonar Essence STX II. aggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

Modi+Vali is the correct answer

Agree go with Magni + Modi.  The Asus soundcard will more than likely sound ok but I think it's designed more for computer surround sound applications

 

[Liu Junyuan]

Agree go with Magni + Modi.  The Asus soundcard will more than likely sound ok but I think it's designed more for computer surround sound applications

I don't mean to confuse you further but I was using the O2 with the Modi, intentionally avoiding the Magni and ODAC based on lots of research, for a good while and highly enjoyed it. I still use and love the O2 with the Modi's big sibling.

But I suspect I am splitting hairs when comparing these devices.

 

[Gandah]

I don't mean to confuse you further but I was using the O2 with the Modi, intentionally avoiding the Magni and ODAC based on lots of research, for a good while and highly enjoyed it. I still use and love the O2 with the Modi's big sibling.

But I suspect I am splitting hairs when comparing these devices.

Yes I also agree O2 amp, which has many combination like battery power and built-in DAC "Odac" if you so choose, O2 also has a massive following here on head-fi

 

[Liu Junyuan]

 
Yes I also agree O2 amp, which has many combination like battery power and built-in DAC "Odac" if you so choose, O2 also has a massive following here on head-fi

My apologies: I quoted the wrong person, meant to quote the person asking for advice.

 

[410107]

   

Agree go with Magni + Modi.  The Asus soundcard will more than likely sound ok but I think it's designed more for computer surround sound applications

I wasn't looking at the surround sound version of the card, the thing is that I use a mic as well so I don't know if I could have USB-out to a dac/amp and a mic in on the onboard sound at the same time.

As for the ODAC and O2, I don't know if I should look at the O2, O2D or O2Di (by Epiphany acoustics (they're all that seems to be available to me in the UK))

 

[Kyno]

 

I wasn't looking at the surround sound version of the card, the thing is that I use a mic as well so I don't know if I could have USB-out to a dac/amp and a mic in on the onboard sound at the same time.

As for the ODAC and O2, I don't know if I should look at the O2, O2D or O2Di (by Epiphany acoustics (they're all that seems to be available to me in the UK))

Good chances it will work. I can run my Asus PCI soundcard at the same time as my amp/dac USB setup. I just choose the ODAC to listen by default in the Windows sound setting, and the Asus as a default microphone in the next tab. Works like a charm.
 
As for the ODAC/O2 Epiphany combo, it's fairly simple:
 
- O2: just the amp.
- O2D: O2 amp + ODAC in a single unit (I currently own one of those).
- O2Di: same as above, but the power input on the back, as well as two RCA inputs on the back instead of the 3,5 mm jack front input of the O2D. Probably doesn't make much differences, I just use a 3,5 mm jack to 2xRCA cable instead of 2xRCA to 2xRCA if I want to use my O2D ODAC with another amp.
 
As a suggestion, an ODAC + Polaris is quite nice with the HD-650, although it's a bit more budget-wise and it may be harder to find.

 

[Solrighal]

  ...(by Epiphany acoustics (they're all that seems to be available to me in the UK))

 
Not quite. Head'n'Hifi also ship to the UK from Switzerland. I bought my units from Stefan & Walter and they're superb. There's a few more options too. They're based in Switzerland but shipments are made from Germany to avoid import duty.
 
http://www.headnhifi.com/

 

[TsukiNick]

These cans pair up pretty nicely with the Little Dot MkIII I haven't really A/B'd this and my Magni, but the volume pot is so much more useful, way less channel imbalance.  Bit of noise with 10x gain but easily remedied with an inline 3.5mm transformer to my Dragonfly 1.2
 
I just love these glowing tubes too, took a little while to get here but worth it.
 
And wow, the little dot isn't little.  Larger than expected.

 

[joebobbilly]

I know it was a few pages back, but just wanna say again (I know I have before) that the Mjolnir+Gungnir with HD650 is definitely something I could live with for the rest of my life even without my LCD2s. The HD650s really do seem to benefit from being run on balanced amps.
 
As for the Bottlehead Crack... it just gives much more of that buttery sound that is what many of us HD 650 fans tend to love. It does however come as colouration to the sound and can make the Senns less detailed and blurred or too smoothed out (depending on tubes, Speedball, other upgrades). So for some genres of music this is certainly welcome, but for others not so much.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

If you want more details then SEX.

 

[i luvmusic 2]

Crap i meant Bottlehead S.E.X. amp.