[cssarrow]

It's good with the HE-400. I hear a little more with the Magni than my NuForce Icon HDP's built in amp.

288mW vs Magni's 1200mW. Drive's the HE-400 and HE-500 a lot better. I'm getting improve detailing and separation on the magni than i do on the HDP.
Volume wise, on the HDP , 3-5 o'clock is needed for my liking, on the Magni i only need about 10-11 o'clock.

Matrix M-Stage is probably 500-550mW at 32ohm so it will be enough for the HE-400 already. Moving up to 1.2W isn't really needed unless you plan to go for something a little more high end.

But for High End like HE-500, i'd go for a better Amp than the Magni. However i have absolutely nothing bad to say about the magni besides it not being as transparent as i wanted it to. (probably due to the wall wart)

I've said this recently, HE-400 is good, HE-500 is better. If someone asked me to choose the HE-400 or HE-500, i wouldn't be able to come to a decision because to me, If i don't have both, then i'd rather not have one at all. I would of gone down the LCD-2 direction instead.

I sold all my headphones just to have enough money to keep the 400 and 500. My primary plan was just to try it and return it, but it ended up making me sell my entire headphone collection (shown in my signature)

The silver cable included for the newer HE-500's, when used on the HE-400, improves treble and bass. You may or may not have trained ears to hear the difference, or your setup/ears may not be sensitive enough to let you hear it.

 

[ninjames]

It's good with the HE-400. I hear a little more with the Magni than my NuForce Icon HDP's built in amp.

288mW vs Magni's 1200mW. Drive's the HE-400 and HE-500 a lot better. I'm getting improve detailing and separation on the magni than i do on the HDP.
Volume wise, on the HDP , 3-5 o'clock is needed for my liking, on the Magni i only need about 10-11 o'clock.

Matrix M-Stage is probably 500-550mW at 32ohm so it will be enough for the HE-400 already. Moving up to 1.2W isn't really needed unless you plan to go for something a little more high end.
But for High End like HE-500, i'd go for a better Amp than the Magni. However i have absolutely nothing bad to say about the magni besides it not being as transparent as i wanted it to. (probably due to the wall wart)

What exactly do you mean by transparency?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cssarrow]

What exactly do you mean by transparency?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

i mean it as sounding more lively.

As in you can see the vocal and have a vivid picture of the song, rather than push come to shove.

 

[Parallax982]

Quote:

I have the Audioengine A5 and A5+. Nearly every product from Audioengine seems colored to bring out their fun upbeat signature.
D1 will pair well with the A5+. Modi im sure is more on the neutral uncolored side so it might not pair so well. I only have the Magni so i'm not completely sure.

Hey, thanks.

 

[cssarrow]

Hey, thanks.

yeah np. sorry i couldn't help so much.
I'm pretty sure Audioengine made their D1 to complement their speaker line, so it will do good.
I've tried the Maverick D1 and D2 on the A5 & A5+ also. Both do well. (especially with the opa627 upgrade)

 

[jerg]

Quote:

What exactly do you mean by transparency?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 
Here's a good explanation of 'transparency':
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-50-headphones-compared/1170#post_8891590
 
The TL;DR version of the explanation is "...when we're talking about transparency, it is much more about whether the sound resembles reality."

 

[cssarrow]

Here's a good explanation of 'transparency':

http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-50-headphones-compared/1170#post_8891590

jerg comes in to save the day, i was also looking for where david mahler said that but you found it before i.

Basically, electronic reproduction of acoustic sound, making it a step further to realism. (i said lively, close enough)

Example: HE-500 is more transparent than HE-400. There's more realism in the vocals. The bass & little lack of treble from HE-400 makes it less transparent.
 

 

[DanPluck]

It's good with the HE-400. I hear a little more with the Magni than my NuForce Icon HDP's built in amp.
288mW vs Magni's 1200mW. Drive's the HE-400 and HE-500 a lot better. I'm getting improve detailing and separation on the magni than i do on the HDP.
Volume wise, on the HDP , 3-5 o'clock is needed for my liking, on the Magni i only need about 10-11 o'clock.
Matrix M-Stage is probably 500-550mW at 32ohm so it will be enough for the HE-400 already. Moving up to 1.2W isn't really needed unless you plan to go for something a little more high end.
But for High End like HE-500, i'd go for a better Amp than the Magni. However i have absolutely nothing bad to say about the magni besides it not being as transparent as i wanted it to. (probably due to the wall wart)
I've said this recently, HE-400 is good, HE-500 is better. If someone asked me to choose the HE-400 or HE-500, i wouldn't be able to come to a decision because to me, If i don't have both, then i'd rather not have one at all. I would of gone down the LCD-2 direction instead.
I sold all my headphones just to have enough money to keep the 400 and 500. My primary plan was just to try it and return it, but it ended up making me sell my entire headphone collection (shown in my signature)
The silver cable included for the newer HE-500's, when used on the HE-400, improves treble and bass. You may or may not have trained ears to hear the difference, or your setup/ears may not be sensitive enough to let you hear it.

Thanks for the M-Stage info. In a first for Head-fi a wallet has been saved!

 

[cssarrow]

Thanks for the M-Stage info. In a first for Head-fi a wallet has been saved!

You decided to keep it?

 

[ninjames]

Thanks for the info on the pairing and the explanation of transparency. Makes total sense. Do you think it is ultimately detrimental to the enjoyment of the pairing with the HE400 or would you recommend it as a setup?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cssarrow]

Thanks for the info on the pairing and the explanation of transparency. Makes total sense. Do you think it is ultimately detrimental to the enjoyment of the pairing with the HE400 or would you recommend it as a setup?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

I would recommend it to people who doesn't want to spend over $200 for an amp. It sounds good, sounds like a $250 amp to me.
Isn't harmful for enjoyment at all.
Does good with HE-400.
I would go with an amp in the $400-$500 range if i was using HE-400's though, something like the LYR.
Best Value Combo for desktop/work setups.

Xonar Essence STX is a little clearer if you use desktop computer.
 

 

[DanPluck]

You decided to keep it?

Yup, I'll be sticking with the M-Stage for a while!

 

[ninjames]

Thanks for the info on the pairing and the explanation of transparency. Makes total sense. Do you think it is ultimately detrimental to the enjoyment of the pairing with the HE400 or would you recommend it as a setup?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

I would recommend it to people who doesn't want to spend over $200 for an amp. It sounds good, sounds like a $250 amp to me.
Isn't harmful for enjoyment at all.
Does good with HE-400.
I would go with an amp in the $400-$500 range if i was using HE-400's though, something like the LYR.
Best Value Combo for desktop/work setups.

Xonar Essence STX is a little clearer if you use desktop computer.
 

did you mean you'd go for a $400-500 amp with the HE500?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[cssarrow]

Yup, I'll be sticking with the M-Stage for a while!

Great choice! No need to upgrade if you're going to get sound that aren't too distinct from one another anyways. Not to mention yours already have enough power

did you mean you'd go for a $400-500 amp with the HE500?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Yes, that's just me though. There are also plenty of lower price amps that will do just as well. It's just a little harder to find that's all, trial and error.
NuForce Icon HDP i used was $449, $500 after tax. 3-1 combo (DAC/Amp/PreAmp)
Xonar Essence One Muses Edition i use now is $899, $1000 after tax. 3-1 combo (DAC/Amp/Preamp, with Fully Balanced XLR Output as a bonus)
I like three in one combos, saves space, more portability.

I just bought a Modi a few minutes ago to go with the Magni i have. (giving dad both for Christmas)

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

Love how as soon as a new piece of Schiit is out, people start attacking the old popular stuff.

First of all, the E17 is a PORTABLE dac/amp. It has an optical/coaxial input, variable bass and treble control, gain, left/right controls.

It is a very good, feature packed DAC/Amp.

The Magni and Modi combo is NOT portable, and has just an RCA input/usb. There are no options. You just set and forget.

The two are not comparable. Christ.

The Magni is more of a comparison to the E9K. THE E9K has an RCA in, line out, and pre-out. The Magni only has an RCA input.

Do I think the Magni is going to sound better? Yes... slightly. It has a little more power, and better output impedance. However, haters gonna hate.

It's funny really.

I compared the ODAC to the E17 DAC, and the two were seriously so close in sound, it wasnt worth even mentioning. The E17 was just a hair brighter. As far as amping, I felt the E9K was quite good even next to my $500 Audio GD SA-31.

I really hate the utter hyperbole spewed on head-fi. Just because something is new, doesnt meant older stuff is going to be obsolete. I got the mini Schiit stack because I don't need the portability of the E17 and I fell for the Schiit aesthetics. That's all. The E17 is a stellar device. If you're gonna compare, make sure its with something that's actually like it in power and features.

You don't compare a 32" TV to a 65". I remember why Head-fi disgusts me at times.