[Alypius]

The Modi 2 Uber is fantastic. Get it, don't look back.
 
If you can afford it, I highly recommend the Asgard 2. I preferred the Asgard 2 over the Magni 2 for all of my headphones (HD650, T1.1, DT990/600). You won't regret the price delta and, if you do, there's always a market for used Asgards, as they'll drive pretty much everything except 'stats (and even then I'm not entirely convinced they won't).
 
When you say you're looking for "aggressive," I assume you mean that you like the horn-loaded sound of your Klipsch speakers and the brightness of the Yamaha (at one point, I owned Klipsch KLF-30 mains and a Pioneer Elite SC-35). If so, you should give a set of DT990's a chance instead of the HD600; the 990's forward-sound is why I've kept my pair for going on four years. I've said elsewhere that the T1's are basically a grownup version of the 990; similar sound but much more refined. Beyerdynamics have a much more "Klipsch-like" sound than Sennheisers that I think you'll enjoy. Cheers!

 

[alitomr]

Thank you!!
 
I will consider the DT990 since they are now so cheap!  But I love Senns, and I will definitely get the HD600 and/or the HD650 in case I end up preferring the latter. 
 
Your comment is very appreciated!

 

[TheFragileOne]

Hey there everyone. I have a few quick questions as I'm considering a Schiit Stack (Uber or non). My main desktop headphones I power are my DT-770 Pro 80Ohms, and Sony XBA-A3 IEM's, so I'm not sure I'd get a benefit of having this setup? I'm running a Xonar DG which isn't that great but it does the job decently, but sometimes I wish I could make my DT-770's louder past 100%. So my questions are:
 
1) Would I see a benefit with the stuff I'm using?
2) What is the benefit to the Uber compared to non-uber? Any sound differences or just ports?
3) I also have desktop speakers I plug into my Xonar DG, then unplug it whenever I use my headphones. Can the Schiit Stack make this easier so I don't have to unplug? Like keep the speakers 3.5mm in my Xonar soundcard, then headphones in the Schiit Stack?
 
Thanks. This will probably be my last big purchase for a long time since I've spent too much (XBA-A3's on a trip to Japan) recently so I'd like to not spend too much. The other thing I was considering is buying an XDuoo XD05 and using it as a desktop AMP/DAC and portable if I ever want it for the same price, more portable, and takes less desk space which is nice as a college student. Any opinions or comparisons?

 

[GearMe]

If you're maxing out your Xonar DG and it's not loud enough on your Beyers, then I'm confident the Modi/Magni combo will make a difference.

When I got back into headphones, I purchased the 80 Ohm, DT770's and a Fiio E10. Moving up to the original M/M combo made a difference to my ears...gotta believe the Ubers are even better based on all of the reviews/feedback.

According to Schiit's site, the Magni Uber has a better gain stage and more power than the Magni 2. In addition, it has preamp out capabilities for your speakers (assuming they're powered).

Seems like it'd be a good fit for your application...except for the portable aspect. You can always get the M/M uber stack and then get a portable dac/amp down the road if you still want one.

 

[TheFragileOne]

If you're maxing out your Xonar DG and it's not loud enough on your Beyers, then I'm confident the Modi/Magni combo will make a difference.

When I got back into headphones, I purchased the 80 Ohm, DT770's and a Fiio E10. Moving up to the original M/M combo made a difference to my ears...gotta believe the Ubers are even better based on all of the reviews/feedback.

According to Schiit's site, the Magni Uber has a better gain stage and more power than the Magni 2. In addition, it has preamp out capabilities for your speakers (assuming they're powered).

Seems like it'd be a good fit for your application...except for the portable aspect. You can always get the M/M uber stack and then get a portable dac/amp down the road if you still want one.

Yeah I feel it is worth it for power at least, and any sound benefits is just a bonus.
 
Well that's good you're my reference haha!
 
Right, but I don't need any of that unless I was planning to get the Modi 2 Uber just to match designs. Does "powered" speakers mean the amp powers it, or the wall is powering my speakers? I use a set of Logitech Z623's which are powered from the wall and just take a 3.5mm to output sound.
 
Yup that's true, I never take my XBA-A3's outside anyway because I'm always too scared to ruin them haha.

 

[GearMe]

By powered, I mean the speakers have their own amp -- which the Logitech's do. In looking at them, they have rca inputs. So...you should be able use the preamp out from the Magni Uber to connect to them.

 

[TheFragileOne]

Yeah they do. Gotcha I'm trying to decide between Stack or xDuoo XD-05 for size factor in college and price difference ($160 compared to $300). But I really want to get the Stack. 
 
Why do you use a Valhalla and Bimbi for your 770's compared to Stack? I noticed we have similar taste, B3Pro1, XB90EX (I have XBA-A3's), etc. What kind of sound difference do you hear with the Stack?

 

[GearMe]

I just moved up to these components over time for my main listening station.

In particular, the Valhalla 2 and other OTL amps pair well with the higher resistance Senns and Beyers. I bought the Bimby as a matching component for the Valhalla 2 and just decided to go multi-bit from the start instead of getting the Bifrost and then upgrading down the road.

 

[Alypius]

The Modi 2 Uber (and Multibit if you're so inclined) also have a small wall-wart power supply in addition to coax and toslink inputs. The power supply provides an inherent "decrapifier" for the M2U/Modibit as well. If your USB source is noisy it can create problems in the Modi, which is why they sell the Wyrd. The Wyrd is redundant for M2U/Modibit. The M2U was definitely worth it for me because of the linear power supply and the ability to play with other inputs. I am still undecided as to whether Modibit was worth it.

 

[GloriousLettuce]

Today I tried the Schiit2 stack and I must say I am underwhelmed.

My FiiO X5/E12 had more juice and clarity to my ears, so did the owner of the Schiit Modi 2 + Magni 2 agree. Seems a desktop solution is not necessarily an upgrade to a portable one.

 

[kidfortoday]

I bought a Magni 2 to use with a pair of DT 990 Premiums 250 Ohm. The performance I'm getting is not what I expected, and the reseller basically told me that the DT990 are too hungry for the Magni 2. That did not seem to be the case the first few days I had the amp, the volume got lower after a while. I can't verify that of course, and I want to be open to the possibility that this difference in volume from the first few days and now was just in my head, but as things stand right now, in terms of volume output, the Magni is, to my ears, only marginally more powerful than my Fiio A3, which doesn't seem right.
 
In your experience, is the Magni 2 powerful enough to drive the DT990s 250? If so, what might be causing these issues?

 

[tafens]

kidfortoday:
I don't have the DT990, but a 300 ohm HD600 and Magni2U and that combo is ear-blasting for me past 12 o'clock on the volume pot.

Have you checked the source volume? If you use a computer, both the volume in the player and the main volume in Windows. Are the cables connected firmly? Possibly try other cables. If nothing works - ask Schiit.

Just out of curiosity - who is the reseller?

 

[kidfortoday]

@kidfortoday:
I don't have the DT990, but a 300 ohm HD600 and Magni2U and that combo is ear-blasting for me past 12 o'clock on the volume pot.

Have you checked the source volume? If you use a computer, both the volume in the player and the main volume in Windows. Are the cables connected firmly? Possibly try other cables. If nothing works - ask Schiit.

Just out of curiosity - who is the reseller?

The source is an iPod classic and I've used both a regular RCA cable and one that terminates in an old 30-pin Apple connector. I always leave the source volume maxed out as a default and use the amp's volume knob.
The reseller (which is the official italian reseller for Schiit, I found their site on Schiit's) is telling me that the combination of relatively high impedance and relatively low sensitivity makes the DT990 unsuitable for the Magni 2.
I already contacted Schiit through the help form on their site, do you know how long does it usually take for them to respond? I didn't get any "Your message has been received" kind of mail, so I was thinking I may have messed up my address in the form.

 

[tafens]

[@=/u/457109/kidfortoday]@kidfortoday[/@]:

I don't have the DT990, but a 300 ohm HD600 and Magni2U and that combo is ear-blasting for me past 12 o'clock on the volume pot.


Have you checked the source volume? If you use a computer, both the volume in the player and the main volume in Windows. Are the cables connected firmly? Possibly try other cables. If nothing works - ask Schiit.


Just out of curiosity - who is the reseller?

The source is an iPod classic and I've used both a regular RCA cable and one that terminates in an old 30-pin Apple connector. I always leave the source volume maxed out as a default and use the amp's volume knob.
The reseller (which is the official italian reseller for Schiit, I found their site on Schiit's) is telling me that the combination of relatively high impedance and relatively low sensitivity makes the DT990 unsuitable for the Magni 2.
I already contacted Schiit through the help form on their site, do you know how long does it usually take for them to respond? I didn't get any "Your message has been received" kind of mail, so I was thinking I may have messed up my address in the form.

I haven't used their web form, but when I mailed to info@schiit.com I received reply within a day.

 

[kidfortoday]

I haven't used their web form, but when I mailed to info@schiit.com I received reply within a day.

 
Ok, I guess I'll wait a couple days and then write directly to their mail address.