To Headphone or To DAC?
Oct 4, 2017 at 8:02 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14
ColdWolfSong

ColdWolfSong

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Alrighty, okay. So I heard my first planar just the other day. And wow, I'm speechless. I bought the HifiMan HE-400i and man, they're good. In all aspects but soundstage (which isn't quite the shape I enjoy) they're spectacular. But, I've been thinking: I already have the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Studio, and I really like them. They do everything right for me. They're comfy, sound great, isolate the horrid sound of my PC fans, and more. They aren't as good as the HifiMan, but I still like them. Now, hold onto that bit of info, switching gears:

The DAC I use for my PC is a Fiio K1 USB DAC (It's basically a cheaper and slightly less capable Dragonfly Black). And it's also good. It does its job. And I was thinking "Jeez, if I send the HiFiMan back, I could upgrade my DAC instead."

So now I'm tied. Should I keep the HiFiman and revel in planar glory? Or should I send them back, stick with my reliable DT 770's and just buy a Schiit Fulla 2 or something similar? What would you all do?
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 8:49 PM Post #3 of 14
Up your budget big, it’s head fi
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 8:50 PM Post #4 of 14
ColdWolfSong said:
Alrighty, okay. So I heard my first planar just the other day. And wow, I'm speechless. I bought the HifiMan HE-400i and man, they're good. In all aspects but soundstage (which isn't quite the shape I enjoy) they're spectacular. But, I've been thinking: I already have the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Studio, and I really like them. They do everything right for me. They're comfy, sound great, isolate the horrid sound of my PC fans, and more. They aren't as good as the HifiMan, but I still like them. Now, hold onto that bit of info, switching gears:

The DAC I use for my PC is a Fiio K1 USB DAC (It's basically a cheaper and slightly less capable Dragonfly Black). And it's also good. It does its job. And I was thinking "Jeez, if I send the HiFiMan back, I could upgrade my DAC instead."

So now I'm tied. Should I keep the HiFiman and revel in planar glory? Or should I send them back, stick with my reliable DT 770's and just buy a Schiit Fulla 2 or something similar? What would you all do?
Click to expand...
Get a Darkvoice 336SE OTL tube headphone amplifier ($214-$250) and keep using the FiiO K1 for the DAC function.
Or buy an Audio-GD NFB-11.28 DAC/headphone amplifier.
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 8:55 PM Post #6 of 14
But it does. Here is a smiley for your troubles :relaxed:
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 9:14 PM Post #9 of 14
ColdWolfSong said:
Well that definitely doesn't answer my question. Please don't post answers that have nothing to do with my question.
Click to expand...
He was not directly answering your question.
He was just asking you the same question everyone on Head-Fi gets asked, what is your budget?
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 9:16 PM Post #10 of 14
PurpleAngel said:
He was not directly answering your question.
He was just asking you the same question everyone on Head-Fi gets asked, what is your budget?
Click to expand...
As far as I can tell, he was being snide about how my budget isn't very large. Not as much as his oh so large one, I'm sure. If I return the HiFiman, I'll have 250 dollars back. That is my budget. Either keeping the planars or a 250 dollar DAC/Amp combo with the Beyer Dt 770
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 10:28 PM Post #11 of 14
ColdWolfSong said:
As far as I can tell, he was being snide about how my budget isn't very large. Not as much as his oh so large one, I'm sure. If I return the HiFiman, I'll have 250 dollars back. That is my budget. Either keeping the planars or a 250 dollar DAC/Amp combo with the Beyer Dt 770
Click to expand...
Think of what Whazzup said as more of an inside joke, with fellow long term Head-Fiers, so what he said is not really not all directed at you alone.
Sometime I myself do not want to budget a lot for something, we (Head-Fiers) just need any budget big or small, to know what we can focus on advising you.
 
Oct 4, 2017 at 11:55 PM Post #12 of 14
I'd keep the Hifiman and get a DAC later
 
Oct 5, 2017 at 4:50 AM Post #13 of 14
To be honest getting an amp for the HE400i and DT770 will bring more improvement than selling the HE400i and buying a DAC.

Keep the K1 and get a little Topping A30, then in the future when you have more funds you can upgrade your DAC to the D30 from Topping and have a nice little desktop rig (it's what I use as my work rig).

Or get a JDS Labs O2, then get a OL DAC in the future when you have more money (what I use at home):

https://www.jdslabs.com/products/35/objective2-headphone-amplifier/

I think you'll notice more of an improvement from these than just getting a Fulla 2, and it gives you more flexibility too.
 
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Oct 5, 2017 at 8:53 AM Post #14 of 14
I second oscars recommendation. However, above all, enjoy what you have and don’t spend any money unnecessarily.

Enjoyment of gear is mostly psychological. And honestly, you picked two very good headphones to cover a range of application and sound reproduction. Keep em!
 
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