Upgrade path advice

[jinrawke]

Hello all,

Been lurking on these forums for a long long time but recently took a break from audio hobby (moved from Cali to Texas which was an ordeal in itself). I now have some time to work on upgrading my setup.

Current:
Headphones
AKG K7xx - my go-to for gaming (perfect for pinpointing enemy locations via sound)
Sennheiser HD650 - music / movies
Fostex TH-X00 Ebony - music / movies (specifically for bass)

Amps:
Schiit Stack M2U
Bottlehead Crack

Sources:
Windows 10 PC

I've been quite content with this setup for over the past couple of years (TH-X00 was my latest addition that I have kept). I've owned quite a few other headphones from the 200-400 range and ended up returning them all minus the 3 that I own now so I'm not really looking for any in that range.
As far as my tastes/ears are concerned - I'm a little sensitive to 'brights'. I originally had the TH-X00 mahoganies and they fatigued me pretty quickly. Fortunately the Ebony was good for me. I ran these Fostex through the M2U stack.

What I'm looking for:

1. I do want an interface that allows me to swap my output to different amps, it's a pain unplugging and plugging in RCAs to swap from Magni to BHC.
   Should I be looking at a preamp to do this? What are my options? Saga?
   
   
2. I'm not sure what's a bigger upgrade, DAC or AMP. If I had the budget, I would outright just buy a Gungnir Multibit with Mjolnir 2 but I can't do that .... yet.
   If I were to only get 1 for now, Mjolnir 2 would be a bigger upgrade right?
   Would I notice a difference in terms of 'bright' between the M2U and the Mjolnir 2? I have read that the Schiit stack tends to be on the bright side.
   Are there any alternative amps I should be considering that may be a better fit for my current headphones?
   
   
3. Any recommendations on a tablet/player for music? I did see quite a few people were using Pono player and also some various Android tablets.
   What should I be looking for when choosing one of these devices?

Thanks in advance for any help/advice!

 

[cossix]

1) I think the Schiit Sys might be what you're looking for. You should be able to do 1 input (DAC>RCA>Sys) and 2 outputs (Sys>RCA>Each amp).

2) I generally think that amps make a bigger difference especially in terms of power. I went from the Uber stack to the Jotunheim and the extra power from the balanced output was glorious!

In your case however, you already have the crack which is considered the best HD650 pairing, and the Magni 2 which is a powerful little guy. There are 2 choices I think are best for you. Keep the Crack and upgrade the Magni to Jotunheim and run balanced (with your current headphones I think the Jot, although a tad bright, is the highest price Schiit amp you could get before you enter the territory of "your amp is overkill for your headphones"). The second choice being to upgrade your DAC to at least the Modi Multibit. I've heard people say the Mimby sounds identical to the Bifrost so maybe get the cheaper one or skip both and go big.

3) Any tablet source should be ok as long as it's easy to add music to and has expandable storage. I would prefer Android based tablets because you can choose whatever player app you want!

I hope this helps, good luck!

 

[jinrawke]

1) awesome, will definitely be looking into one of these

2) I actually initially started my search with the Jot. I have been mulling over that and also briefly gave the M9xx some consideration to pair with the Fostex. I tentatively put this off to the side for that exact phrase 'although a tad bright' . I'm right at the border of my sensitivity level where the TH-X00 mahogany was just over the line, whereas the ebony is okay. Anything brighter than the combination of TH-X00 + M2U may not be a good idea for me. Is the Jot considerably brigher than the M2U?

3) Awesome, I'll probably just look into getting an Android tablet that looks good.... thanks!

 

[cossix]

1) awesome, will definitely be looking into one of these

2) I actually initially started my search with the Jot. I have been mulling over that and also briefly gave the M9xx some consideration to pair with the Fostex. I tentatively put this off to the side for that exact phrase 'although a tad bright' . I'm right at the border of my sensitivity level where the TH-X00 mahogany was just over the line, whereas the ebony is okay. Anything brighter than the combination of TH-X00 + M2U may not be a good idea for me. Is the Jot considerably brigher than the M2U?

3) Awesome, I'll probably just look into getting an Android tablet that looks good.... thanks!

I'd say the brightness of the Jot is immediately noticeable, at least to me, but I've used the HD700 and 800 on it and never felt it was too bright. Also, I didn't use the Uber, just the normal model. I'm quite certain they use the same internals though

 

[Music Alchemist]

Yes, you can do one input and two outputs with the SYS. However, depending on how you set everything up, it can cause volume issues. For example, when I set it up that way, my power amp and speakers got too loud too quickly, whereas when I have the RCA cables from my DAC connected to "IN 1" and the RCA to XLR cables to the power amp connected to "OUT" it acts normally. Another issue with the SYS is that its potentiometer can make soft scratching noises when adjusting the volume, though this isn't a problem if you're only using it as a switcher.

I noticed more significant differences between DACs than solid state amps. If you're eyeing the Gungnir Multibit, also consider the Chord 2Qute. (It's the best DAC I've owned so far and is often compared to the Gungnir Multibit. I do think it's considerably better than the Modi Multibit.)

I always found tablets and DAPs a pain to use. Why not just use your main computer? (With a player like foobar2000 that can output bit-perfect data to your DAC.)

 

[jinrawke]

I'd say the brightness of the Jot is immediately noticeable, at least to me, but I've used the HD700 and 800 on it and never felt it was too bright. Also, I didn't use the Uber, just the normal model. I'm quite certain they use the same internals though

Thanks for the reply... unfortunately that is going to sway me away from the Jot and I really wanted to consider it for the value. There are times where I coudn't even stand 5 mins of listening on the TH-X00 Mahoganies and M2U.

Yes, you can do one input and two outputs with the SYS. However, depending on how you set everything up, it can cause volume issues. For example, when I set it up that way, my power amp and speakers got too loud too quickly, whereas when I have the RCA cables from my DAC connected to "IN 1" and the RCA to XLR cables to the power amp connected to "OUT" it acts normally. Another issue with the SYS is that its potentiometer can make soft scratching noises when adjusting the volume, though this isn't a problem if you're only using it as a switcher.

I noticed more significant differences between DACs than solid state amps. If you're eyeing the Gungnir Multibit, also consider the Chord 2Qute. (It's the best DAC I've owned so far and is often compared to the Gungnir Multibit. I do think it's considerably better than the Modi Multibit.)

I always found tablets and DAPs a pain to use. Why not just use your main computer? (With a player like foobar2000 that can output bit-perfect data to your DAC.)

I am currently using my main computer with f2k and it works great! I did kind of want an option to be a little more flexible from moving room to room.
In regards to the SYS - thanks for the warning, I'll keep that in mind. I do have that same issue with the potentiometer with my Magni.
I will definitely look more into which component I should upgrade first... DAC or AMP ... (or maybe a pair of LCD-3F to completely steer away my sensitivity ? /shrug ). Thanks for the Chord 2Qute recommendation, that was not on my radar at all.

 

[Malfunkt]

You have a great setup. Want to get the biggest change? it's going to come from the transducer.

I'd look into a newer model LCD2 or 3 (4!). The planar driver is going to give you technicalities especially in your low end that your are not going to get by switching an amp or dac with your current rig.

you'll still enjoy your other sets, but the planar will give you a different experience. And no treble issues either.

 

[PurpleAngel]

1) awesome, will definitely be looking into one of these
2) I actually initially started my search with the Jot. I have been mulling over that and also briefly gave the M9xx some consideration to pair with the Fostex. I tentatively put this off to the side for that exact phrase 'although a tad bright' . I'm right at the border of my sensitivity level where the TH-X00 mahogany was just over the line, whereas the ebony is okay. Anything brighter than the combination of TH-X00 + M2U may not be a good idea for me. Is the Jot considerably brigher than the M2U?
3) Awesome, I'll probably just look into getting an Android tablet that looks good.... thanks!

If you have the Schiit Magni 2 Uber.
Can't you just connect the Magni's RCA line-output to the input (RCA?) on the Bottlehead Crack?

 

[jinrawke]

If you have the Schiit Magni 2 Uber.
Can't you just connect the Magni's RCA line-output to the input (RCA?) on the Bottlehead Crack?

I could try this later, wasn't sure if this was going to 'double' amp it and cause any issues

You have a great setup. Want to get the biggest change? it's going to come from the transducer.

I'd look into a newer model LCD2 or 3 (4!). The planar driver is going to give you technicalities especially in your low end that your are not going to get by switching an amp or dac with your current rig.

you'll still enjoy your other sets, but the planar will give you a different experience. And no treble issues either.

Out of curiousity - have you also tried and compared any of the Ether / Ether Flow to the LCD 2 / 3?

 

[cossix]

I could try this later, wasn't sure if this was going to 'double' amp it and cause any issues

The outputs on the back of the Magni are there for that reason! It will just use the Magni as a preamp

 

[Malfunkt]

Out of curiousity - have you also tried and compared any of the Ether / Ether Flow to the LCD 2 / 3?

Afraid not. Used my LCD2 mainly from an O2/ODAC, Rotel RA-01. Have spent a bit a time listening to the LCD2 from a Chord Hugo 2 and also a brief listen to classic LCD3 on WA7.

My sentiment, is the LCD2 is perfectly agreeable with a neutral dac and solid state amp.