Hello,
I am searching for a Class-A heaphone amp for under 500$ / 500€. The thing is that the reviews for both the Aune X7s (259€) and the RebelAmp (499$) are very positive, but I still can’t tell which one would serve my purposes better.
My least demanding headphone is a Shure Se215 and my most demanding currently is a Beyerdynamic DT990 (250 Ohms) and all heaphones I own are unbalanced rn. I was wondering if it would be worth to wait untill I can afford the RebelAmp or if the X7s would be perfectly fine. Maybe you know a third or a fourth canidate that would also fit my usage. And btw I am planning to buy a Hifiman Sundara in the next like 3 months or so.
I’d really appreciate a little help with coosing one or another
In Germany we either don’t have sellers for the Asgard 3 or I don’t know them yet. So the Asgard 3 would be a standard 199$ (without AK or Multibit DAC) plus around 54$ for shipping.
Thanks for the advice about the pairing. I wasn’t aware that it’s not the best for my headphones.
I found an used arcam rhead with almost no wear and it’s 209€ (like 230$ i guess).
That’s pretty appealing imo, it’s got plenty of power, full class a, a more sweet and slightly warmer sound, might be something you enjoy. That will most likely end up being a better deal than the asgard 3 due to the extra costs, I would personally rate it higher than the aune and perhaps even the asgard 3 but that one depends on the can
As a DAC I’m currently using my Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 2nd Gen, because I didn’t get the opportunity to upgrade before. I have heard that the built-in DACs aren’t that bad, but I think a Modi 3 Multibit or maybe the Asgard 3 + Multibit aren’t a bad choice either.
Yeah, it’s not bad and would do the job just fine. I personally would just stick with that as imo the differences from upgrading might be somewhat smaller in the 200 price range
That would also be solid depending on the price you can actually get it for
The g111 is a sweet amp, but I am not sure if it’s class a either, but personally I wouldn’t worry too much about the topology and take amps on a case by case basis
Hmmm that’s not bad for an all in one solution. That would be the most warm and thick sounding, pretty organic, and also lots of impact, the most spacious. The rhead + interface would be clean and also sweet sounding, but not as much body as the asgard + multibit, but also a bit more forward in it’s detail, but a bit more closed off
The g111 is very neutral, with great impact and speed, and timbre and spatial recreation is very good as well. It’s not going to be as colored as the asgard or rhead imo, but still enjoyable
My intention was that I just didn’t want a completely clinical amp. I mean for under 500$ I could easily get a THX 789 or the SMSL or Monoprice version, but I don’t really care about the amp being super accurate. I just want an amp that sounds fun and I thougt class a could serve me in this regard.
Gotcha, out of that then, I think the asgard with the multibit would be the most fun combo with the headphones you have. The arcam would also be fun but you would want to grab the modi multibit with that as well if you wanted it to be more fun as the focusrite might be a bit more harsh
Okay then thank you very much @M0N and also @MazeFrame for helping me out with finding a fitting product. I will order it soon and if it really has a thicc and organic sound it will be perfect one for me.
Hello,
I come from Germany too.
Take a look to schiit europe.com with google for the Asgard 3.
Is a European seller.
The price is inclusive witth the tax and pay only the shipping cost.
Other option is a Dac/amp from Beresford caiman or only Headphone amp,Beresford capella from England.
They have a warm and natural sound with a good stage.
Otherwise a Jan Meier Jazz or Rock FF from Germany.
Project debut headbox as only amp for 130€ is not bad.
I am not sure but Topping brings soon a L30 Headphoneamp.
They can be a option.
Hey Deleeh,
I’ve looked up the european Schiit page (schiit-europe.com) and most of their products, including the Asgard 3, are sold out at the moment. I mean that’s not the problem, but I am confused that you can only buy they Asgard 3 and the Multibit DAC separatly. The Asgard is currently at 259€ and the Multibit at 249€. That is slightly out of my budget, but not to world-shattering. So I basically have to install the module myself. I watched a little tutorial and you take the cover off, take off the sticker on the back and slide the pins of the DAC into the slot of the Asgard and screw it down, right?
I read a review about the Jan Meier Jazz and the reviewer said that it sounds “bright and clear, but it is not exhausting to listen to”. I think that just by reading what the reviewer said it wouldn’t be exactly what I search for.
The Pro Ject Head Box seems to not have the power to push my 250Ohm DT990 to the volume I like them to be. It only puts out 60mw into 300Ohm so I think it won’t push 250Ohms much farther. But please correct me if I’m wrong. I just want to have a bit of headroom when using my headphones and I don’t want to push it to 90 or 100% all the time.
You also pointed out that the Beresford Caiman could be an option and it seems to have enough power for my demands. However I’ve read that the internal DAC isn’t that good and it is obviously not a Schiit Multibit with all the filtering and stuff.
Hello,
You can write a mail on Schiit Europe and ask how long is the Shipping time when you give a order before.
Otherwise buy directly on Schiit.
My Schiit loki and Vali2 comes in 6 days.The tax was not expensiv in this time.
An other option for you is Buy the Dac seperatly,and the Amp seperatly.
So you can keep the Dac, and search a better Headphoneamp who have more power for your privilege.
Is maybe the better option for you in the and.
For example the Topping E30 with the jds labs atom.
Hey Deleeh,
yes you are right that buying a separat amp and dac makes me way more flexible in the future. I thought about doing this, but I am planning to use the Asgard 3 multibit as my daily driver and don’t wanna swap it out in the next few months or maybe even years. If I don’t like the Asgard, I will just return it to shit as they have 14 to 15 days return policy and buy another amp.
Thanks for letting me know about the tax. So do I understand it correct that you ordered from Schiit’s main page? I was wondering, because the tax should already be included when you order from schiit-europe.
Now back to the separat dac-amp topic. Which dac would you suggest to use paired with the Asgard 3 as just an amp (because let’s face it, it puts out 3.5W RMS into 32 ohms I don’t need more power than that and I will stick with it) and what dac will still sound as fun as the included multibit dac? I understood that the multibit circuitry doesn’t work as flawless as a “normal” Delta-Sigma dac, but this behavior makes it sound as musical as it is.
