Damn I need to have this forum banned from my ISP. It's reallllllly hurting my wallet =))
Now - just ordered the HiFiMan HE-500
so my wallet is having a stroke already. Currently I own a Fiio E10 + AKG K550 - I decided to get the HEs after I listened to some LCD2s but found them just a bit dark ( which is normal after being used to the K550s ) - and decided to pull the trigger on the HEs without seeing them in person let alone listened to them but I heard they are a biiiiit brighter than the LCD2s - and considering the $500 price tag - it was a no brainer decision.
NOOOOW - I need a new solution for the HE-500s as I am absolutely sure the E10 is simply crap ( not schiit ) with them especially on the AMP part. So I ended up here ... Couple of questions for you as I already spent hours going through the first 60 pages of this thread but simply there's too much info to look for what I need exactly :
1. I kinda decided I will go for the Modi 2 ( non-uber ) as my only use will be USB and all the other improvements seem to only benefit the other inputs as far as I could read, since on USB - the power will be drained from the USB instead of the wall-wart. And even if there are any differences I probably wouldn't be able to hear them. On the other hand, the Fiio's DAC is not all that crappy ( as opposed to the AMP section ). I listened to the LCDs from the E10 + E12 amp and I was quite impressed with the sound for such a low price option. So in theory I could pair the E10 with the Magni 2. Would it make a big difference going from the E10 to the Modi 2 from a DACs pov of course ?
2. Now the Magni 2, of course the never ending debate - to Uber or not to Uber ? Could the HE-500s benefit from the extra power ? I understood they are not power hungry ... but would they still benefit the more powerful amp ? Being on a pretty tight budget - would the E10 + Magni 2 Uber be a better choice than the Modi 2 + Magni 2 ( both non-ubers ) in my case ? Also I have a pair of Microlab Solo 7C active speakers which I love especially for the low price they are astonishing. I can understand that I can easily connect them on the Magni Uber's pre-amp out - but my question is this : if having both the Modi 2 and Magni 2- how is that pre-amp out on the Magni 2 Uber any different then pluging the speakers directly into the Modi 2 ( apart from having to connect/disconnect cables back and forth every time I want to switch from HP to Speakers ) ?
Thank you !