Audio newbie here. Just ordered the Shiit magni modi stack. I have had the beyerdynamic DT 990 pro (with no amp) for a while. Obviously I want to upgrade from this, since it doesn’t really get any praise when watching reviews.
I listen to punk rock mostly. Something like the band BRUTUS (seriously, check them out) and would like some advice for a good headphone that would complement with this genre.
I’ve been thinking about the Hifiman HE4XX or the Sennheiser HD6XX. But i’ve also been debating on spending some more money to get the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 pro.
FYI, i’m from europe. this means getting things from drop/massdrop will add €50 to the price due to import tax. (this is kinda important if we’re comparing value etc)
Any suggestions/ tips/ advice for this new audio enthusiast?
Just wondering, have you gotten your stack yet and tried it out? What are you looking to change, what do you like and dislike about your current setup?
I would honestly try to upgrade your source gear first. What impedance is the 990? Cause the 250 ohm and 600 really appreciate power and just because other people don’t like it doesn’t mean it’s bad or you don’t like it
I don’t have the stack yet, it should arrive sometime next week.
The problem is that I don’t really know what I would change or what I would like.
The 250 ohm headphone has never had an amplifier connected to it, so it’s not really a good reference to start with. You reckon I should just wait for the amp/dac before I make any decision?
I guess for now I’m just looking for advice from experience audiophiles who are into rock.
it should change (dynamically) dramatically with an amp. so if you have issues with it sounding dead and not particularly expressive I would wait for the amp. If your core issue is the actual song (piercing highs etc) the amp might not help. tbh tho there should be a massive difference with an amp that I would not judge it without an amp
So it’s moreso the actual amp it’s self than the price, the magni 3 and modi 3 suffer from issues such as dynamic range compression, a peaky signature, and unrefined sound that doesn’t pair well with the 990 or the 1990. The new magni heresy and magni 3+ fixed these issues on the magni, but they still remain an issue on the modi since it hasn’t been updated yet. This can cause the older magni 3 modi 3 stack to be very harsh and undesirable with the 990 and 1990 which is somewhat treble forward
I would wait until you get your stack and see if you notice some of these issues. If you do, I would suggest returning them and going for a different stack that is more refined, and if you don’t have an issue with them, you are just fine
Mainly what M0N said above.
Is there a possibility to get an Asgard 3 amplifier where you are? That would take care of almost all your needs for a good amplifier. Then you could just focus on a good DAC.
I mean if he has issues, he could just grab a schiit magni heresy (or the asgard 3 if he has the budget) and a topping d10 or smsl m100 and be set if he want’s to go for the 4xx. If he want’s to go for the 1990, 6xx, and his 990, grabbing an enog 2 pro and archel 2.5 pro stack would be something to consider imo. If he found the treble too harsh and wanted a warmer sound, he could go with a liquid spark and a topping d10 or smsl m100. Lots of options
Thanks for the info!
I’ll wait for the hardware to arrive before making any more choices
About the Asgard. It is indeed possible to order it to Belgium, however, it’s €265 and feels a bit too much considering it’s $200 in the US. How do you guys feel about that, still worth or are there better options at this price?
for the shiit magni 3+ and modi i payed €135 each but I’m considering canceling the modi 3 after what M0N said. getting the topping D10/ D30 or the smsl m100 sounds like a better deal. Also, they’re more accessible for purchase here. the Shiit stack is coming from the Netherlands and is still waiting to be shipped untill the modi is restocked. so canceling shouldn’t be that hard.
I guess I learned there’s a big difference in the DAC that you use, but I have no reference whatsoever. That makes choosing the “correct” dac pretty hard, especially when have to take subjective perception of sound into consideration
I think that’s an alright price, mostly anything is going to be inherently more expensive over there.
Nice so you have the 3+, good, I would stick with that then imo, the 3+ doesn’t really have the issues of the older 3, so you are good there
Personally that’s what I would do. The modi really needs an update to be competitive in modern market
So the difference isn’t going to be massive, but the modi is fairly colored and I think if you have the opportunity to correct that easily with a different dac for a similar price I would go for that. You could live with the modi just fine, but I think you might want to consider getting something without the issues that the modi has
