[Chadley]

It's at least 5 years since I have updated my headphone setup. My current setup is: Headphones - Sony H.ear on, Amp. - Schiit Asgard 1, DAC - Creative Sound Blaster x-fi HD. I am looking to spend around $600-$700. My listening preference is more on the fun side (U shaped) and not analytical side. I'll be using this at work so I need closed back headphones. 90% of my listening is from spotify premium with the streaming quality set to "very high". The other 10% would be from fubar (flac and cd quality)
Here are a few scenarios I was thinking:
Scenario 1 - I was looking at the 177x ($400), this looks like a fun headphone, and then using the $300 leftover on an amp, or DAC or combo unit.
Scenario 2 - I was looking at the thx 887 ($400) for the amp and the topping D50s or SMSL su-8 (both $250) and no headphone
Scenario 3 - Spend all my funds on one item and slowly build up my gear. Going this route worries me that I purchase a $700 set of headphones and then it being held back from either my amp or DAC.

Any ideas or suggestions would be helpful.

 

[PurpleAngel]

So you have the Creative Labs Sound Blaster Ti-HD (Titanium-HD) sound card?
And the Schiit Asgard is connected to the Ti-HD's line-output (RCA) jacks?
If that is your current setup, not see a good enough reason for changing or replacing them.
So really should be spend your audio budget for headphones.

 

[Chadley]

I use the Sound Blaster X-Fi HD as my DAC, not the Sound Blaster Ti-HD. I'm assuming though there isn't much of a difference between the two. So upgrading from the Asgard 1 to the Asgard 3 or even a different amp (jds labs atom, thx 887, or even a tub amp) wouldn't make much of a difference?

 

[PurpleAngel]

I use the Sound Blaster X-Fi HD as my DAC, not the Sound Blaster Ti-HD. I'm assuming though there isn't much of a difference between the two. So upgrading from the Asgard 1 to the Asgard 3 or even a different amp (jds labs atom, thx 887, or even a tub amp) wouldn't make much of a difference?

The older Titanium-HD came with nice DAC chips and nice op-amps, the X-fi HD comes with a decent(?) DAC chip.
I would say to just keep using the Asgard and maybe replace the X-Fi HD with something like the Topping D50.
https://drop.com/buy/topping-d50-dac
Then spend the rest of your audio budget for headphones.

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

In the for sale section there are:
DAC - SMSL SU-8 V2 for $150 (link)
AMP - Cavalli Tube Hybrid for $130 OR Liquid Carbon X for $150 (link)
HEADPHONE - ZMF X VIBRO MKII Rusted Zebra with Seahorse Case for $350 (link)
Did not check trader histories though.

But if you want new. Just what the previous poster had said:

For now keep Amp.
Change DAC to Topping D50s or similar, which you have said.
Rest of money for new headphone.

Upgrade amp later.

 

[Chadley]

Thanks for all the info so far. Curious if the jdslabs atom or the liquid spark would make a minor or major audible difference over the Asgard 1 I currently run?