[ChthonicMiasma]

Hey all, glad to finally have an account! I've learned so much from this site already, hopefully you guys can give me some advice on what my next step should be:
 
First off where I'm at now:
 
Computer: (almost 10 years old now) Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
Phone: Galaxy S4 GT-i9500
Amp: Fiio E11
Headphones: HD 25-1 II
 
So I guess the most important thing in my next upgrade is really just where I can get the most bang for my buck, a couple of my options:
 
1. I've been looking at the Schiit Magni and Modi
2. also hear Fiio could be coming out with a E18 soon
3. would love to upgrade to some HD-650's at some point
4. Not sure....upgrade HD 25-1 II's cable?
 
Would love to hear thoughts on this, I hope i haven't left out anything pertinent.
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[davidsh]

I think you should get some new headphones, later the new schiit vali and perhaps the modi with it. Just a suggestion

 

[ChthonicMiasma]

Alright that's a vote for better headphones, do you have any personal suggestions in the same price range as the HD650?

 

[Bio-Rhythm]

What should i upgrade next?

Your heart . Get moving

 

[cel4145]

If my computer was 10 years old, I'd have to upgrade my computer before buying any more audio equipment. For $500, you can put together a budget computer that will make surfing the Internet and other software on your computer seem like a whole new experience.

 

[VXAce]

Cause I'm weird, I'm going to copy cel4145 and suggest upgrading your computer. Having a really pretty computer setup is really nice. Especially when you plan on getting song 600 gigabytes of music in the next few years (exactly what I did on accident). Also it allows you to have some wiggle room when you want to actually upgrade, like HDDs and other things.
 
Who knows, I'm just a random guy that happens to love play around with his computers all day.
 
And also as cel4145 said, you can build a decent rig for very cheap, like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/VXAce/saved/2zdG
That's just a rig that I might build next, so that I would finally have a silent desktop. And yes there is no sound card in it, I also want to get the Schiit Magni/Modi combo, or perhaps a pretty Asus Essence Xonar ST or STX.
 
And welcome to Head-Fi.

 

[FatmanSize48]

+3 on the computer upgrade path. Head over to reddit.com/r/buildapc or PM me for help with that.

 

[cel4145]

And also as cel4145 said, you can build a decent rig for very cheap, like this: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/VXAce/saved/2zdG
That's just a rig that I might build next, so that I would finally have a silent desktop. And yes there is no sound card in it, I also want to get the Schiit Magni/Modi combo, or perhaps a pretty Asus Essence Xonar ST or STX.

Lenovo Outlet also has great deals on refurbished Intel Core i3s for under $400 and even some Core i5s. Slap a $100 SSD in one of those for the operating system and main programs, use the original hard drive as a media drive, and it would be a blindingly fast machine in comparison to a 10 year old computer.

 

[VXAce]

Lenovo Outlet also has great deals on refurbished Intel Core i3s for under $400 and even some Core i5s. Slap a $100 SSD in one of those for the operating system and main programs, use the original hard drive as a media drive, and it would be a blindingly fast machine in comparison to a 10 year old computer.

Oh yeah, forgot about the laptops. Exactly what it say up there. Or some old Macs from 2007 on eBay that might work, if you are a Mac person, which I'm not.
 
You could also PM me, not a genius though, but I can help guide you.

 

[cel4145]

I was thinking of the Lenovo desktops, although I did get a laptop for my son from them this summer and upgrade the hard drive to an SSD. They do have good deals on laptops.

 

[FatmanSize48]

Maybe a Frankenstein build is in order...

 

[VXAce]

Oh, oh well. I never look at desktops because i would just build it myself. And Lenovo laptops are pretty nice, my dad won't let me mess with his, since it's his work computer, but it's pretty neat. And they look really clean, just the way I like it. Though I'm not much of a laptop person, my only "mobile" computer is some lame thing with an Intel Atom from 5 years ago, it turns on, plays music with plenty of noise and lags like crazy. Never cared for much more.
 
I'm actually half looking into getting an old Macbook, for the heck of it, and it's sure to be better then my cruddy netbook. Load it up with Linux or Windows and I'm set.

 

[cel4145]

Nice thing about the Lenovo desktops is that in the $400 budget range, they end up being cheaper than building one yourself if you have to buy Windows.

 

[VXAce]

Haha, true that. I don't have to pay for my Windows though, I can get them legally for free. And Linux is always an option, if one desires it, nothing wrong with it. Could always buy a Raspberry Pi, just kidding (or maybe not).

 

[PurpleAngel]

  Hey all, glad to finally have an account! I've learned so much from this site already, hopefully you guys can give me some advice on what my next step should be:
First off where I'm at now:
Computer: (almost 10 years old now) Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS Platinum
Phone: Galaxy S4 GT-i9500
Amp: Fiio E11
Headphones: HD 25-1 II
So I guess the most important thing in my next upgrade is really just where I can get the most bang for my buck, a couple of my options:
1. I've been looking at the Schiit Magni and Modi
2. also hear Fiio could be coming out with a E18 soon
3. would love to upgrade to some HD-650's at some point
4. Not sure....upgrade HD 25-1 II's cable?
Would love to hear thoughts on this, I hope i haven't left out anything pertinent.

Is the audio up grade for music? movies? gaming?
Which windows OS are you using?
 
Do you use the FiiO E11 plugged into the Audigy ZS?
Or just use the E11 with your GT-i9500?