Just got my D70 in today and my 789 in a few days ago 
I don’t claim to be an expert with audio analysis, but I can say that I now know what extremely transparent sounds like… My first impression as soon as I hit play was “…Ohh…”
Not sure if that conveys my feelings, but you can use your imagination.
Also got the 'ol darkvoice up there watching over things.
Beat my setup! I want to see what other sorts of amp + dac setups people have for their headphones.
I use a Holo Audio Spring2 KTE with a HeadAmp GS-X Mk2 DACT for my best setup
Edit: also that somehow stacks pretty well lol
lol, thank you, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the dimensions of everything were just right…
I can’t beat it in reality…but should be able to, virtually, as my wishlist has the following:
Schiit Asgard 2
Schiit Magni 3
Schiit Modi 3
Schiit Loki
you will revel and be in awe of my stack of perfectly matched boxes of matte silver! MUAH! 
The schiit TOWER. Bow down before the tower of schiit
I think I’ll take my chi-fi mountain over your schiit tower 
I’m on team ADI-2 DAC. I’ll eventually get a tube amp one of these days.
On my nightstand I’ve got a Topping D50, JDS Labs Atom, and a Schiit Loki. And an Audeze Deckard because why not. Unfortunately, that D50 is too small fit well if the other two.
Nice
Do you find yourself using the d50 or the atom ever?
I have a tone board and an atom and don’t know what to do with them now, lol.
Will probably sell them to a friend to start to pay off the D70 
The ADI-2 DAC is something I was once very much attracted to, as much for the 2-channel PEQ as its reputation for sheer quality. I’m sure it’s highly resolving and un-coloured, but can’t seem to get a clear idea on whether it’s just clinical or has anything like musicality? enjoyability? as well. I mean as an all-in-one solution – wouldn’t want to add a separate amp. Any thoughts appreciated.
At the moment, I often use it when I want to listen to music while in bed. These are too good for me to not use or sell.
Stupid question, but just wondering, why don’t you put the loki on top of the atom, and the d50 on the top
The built in Amp is great. I’d say it’s about as good as the JDS labs Atom. I don’t think I understand your question about “musicality and enjoyability”. The DAC and amp are very transparent which makes them enjoyable to me. The PEQ it has gives me the ability to make my headphones sound more musical.
Part of the reason is the Loki has it’s on/off switch on the back. Moving it down would make harder to reach. The other issue is the D50 has more depth than the Loki. So it still doesn’t fit well on top.
Gotcha, I didn’t think about the switch
Thanks!
I’m trying to get at whether the RME has any purely sound quality reasons – as opposed to DAC features/functionality reasons – that would make someone buy it over the Atom + some DAC with similar sound quality and price point to the Atom.
In my opinion no. If all you need is a basic great sounding amp and DAC, there’s no need to spend $1,100.
Well, there’s basic great sounding and there’s “holy shit I can hear the guitarist’s thumb as it brushes against the strings”.
That’s like ~$850 for my setup…
I honestly didn’t know what to expect but I can definitely hear the difference b/w the toneboard+atom and the D70+789. I’m also very excited about my new purchases though and very biased, so perhaps not to be trusted…
Is this equally the case with all three of your headphones? Would have thought the speed of the headphones would become the weak link in the chain at some point.
Well it will, but an amp can assist in increasing that speed if the amp is quick enough itself. The headphones speed will mainly be the weak point, but an amp can help with that
I’m waiting till October for Denafrips Ares II R-2R DAC from massdrop. Also a satin blue HeadAmp GS_X mini. This will move my current setup to the coach my wife makes me sleep on. I do need a smaller laptop to make it easier to move around.
