I've had the HP150s for a couple of months now. I like them overall. They are a little spikey in the uppers for me, but some EQ has tamed that behavior a LOT. Plus you wouldn't believe the difference about 6dB of boost at 200Hz makes. Seriously changes the whole character of voices.
Anyway, I'm looking for some improvements and am considering a DAC and/or Amp. I've asked in several places and was advised to ask in this thread, so....
My setup is a Macbook pro using the built-in sound card, feeding an inexpensive Yamaha mixer. I'm mainly using the mixer as a headphone amplifier, but also for more "sound control". Since the mixer isn't very expensive, the headphone amp can't be very sophisticated or anything, but it does drive the HP150s very loud if I want.
I'm considering the Schiit Modi and Magni (version 2 of both) as an upgrade, but I'm not sure if I'll notice a difference or not. I've tried to compared the MBP's direct output to the mixer and I can't really tell much of a difference.
I've also connected an older SoundBlaster 24 Live USB to the Mac and used it as a DAC feeding the Yamaha mixer. I can't really hear any difference between the MBP's built-in output and the output of the SoundBlaster either.
I realize both the SoundBlaster and the mixer are pretty cheap devices, so maybe that's part of the reason.
I'm just looking for opinions on whether or not I'll hear any difference from the $200 combo of the Modi/Magni compared to my current setup.
Thanks guys.
Brian.