Fellow Zen Dac and HD650 user as well. Best purchases I’ve made. Also good for experimenting with cheaper stuff like the KPH30i and IEMs, especially balanced.
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Going to second the recommendations here for the Asgard 3 as it’s a fantastic unit. However, if you are looking to budget your money to potentially use it towards another item you could always just pick up a Magni 3+ or Liquid Spark + either a Topping D10 or E30. Otherwise yeah Asgard 3 + Modius would be nice for that budget and I don’t think you will have issues with them due to how well rounded they are for headphones.
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Another option if you wanted could be getting a tube amp around 200$ to drive the 650 and a solid state around 100$ for the Fidelio and then a dac around 100$. Someone else would have to answer if the Fidelio can play off a tube amp as I have no idea. If it can, then you could simply ignore above and just look for a tube amp around 200$ - 300$ and then a dac for 100$ - 200$. I won’t bother listing anything unless you want to think about a tube amp over a solid state.
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How about a tube buffer into a ss amp? Been thinking about this lately…
+1 for modius asgard combo
I will refer you to these threads. I don’t really have anything I can say about it myself.
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I’m looking at Schitt Audio and I might use this combo for a stack of Schitt. I have heard these are excellent units.
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I have the asgard 3 personally… definitely my favorite solid state so far though I don’t make use of the modius as I have the Bifrost 2 multibit. I do most definitely recommend asgard 3 it’s fantastic
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I’m taking everyone’s recommendation of the Asgard to heart, and I’m also super interested in whatever you recommend for tube amps. That sounds like a neat idea since I’m looking to enjoy these 650s for a long time, and I know people like tubes for them. Seems worth some thought
I’ve heard the Bottlehead Crack DIY kit goes on sale for 100$ off infrequently (reg 315$) which is what I’m waiting on. Otherwise the DarkVoice gets a solid recommendation from what I’ve seen for the 200$ budget.
There is also selections from little dot, other than that, those are all the ones I know of personally at this moment.
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If you’re interested in a Jotunheim with the AK4490 Dac Module, we could talk in a PM
Some bodies here give a good option with the Asgard and the Topping E30.
With this option you are flexible in this point.
Keep the Headphoneamp change the Dac for example.
When you wait a little bit Topping bring a Headphoneamp in July/August.
The L30 who can go in little price range.
Or buy a Dac/amp Topping dx3 pro,Somonwhat from Aune or Smsl not sure for the Burson play but it don‘t know the price for it.
Thanks for all your replies, this was super helpful. I’ve decided to buy the Asgard with a topping E30. Out of all the things y’all pointed me toward, this looks like the best setup for my current needs and circumstances!
Happy listening!
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I think you will really love that asgard. It’s great, I have tried to find alternatives but for it’s price tag especialyl if you get it cheaper like a B-stock it’s absolutely amazing. E30 is really nice too for it’s price tag if you want a bit of an upgrade imo and to complete your Schiit Stack I would switch that out to the Modius at a later point. Glad to see you were able to get the help you need to make your decision. Enjoy yourself with that equipment and definitely feel free to come back and let us know what you think on it!
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Excellent choices! Please do report back on your thoughts after a good listen.
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I hate to re-summon the experienced audiophiles once more after resolving my quest, but would your answers change if I upped my limit to $700?
I just sold my childhood lego collection for a sum $300 and I’m financially secure enough right now that I want to throw that money right into this venture. So, if I’ve got that budget increase, and a parameter that I wanna stick with solid state instead of tube, do y’all have any ideas that would milk $700?
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I think your choice of Asgard and e30 is great and you should use the rest to explore other headphones
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I second @Bmn1251’s advice. Use your extra cash on headphones. If you want to up your gaming, I’d recommend the Beyerdynamic DT880 600 ohm. Best gaming headphone - and my favorite headphone for classical and jazz music - under $200, IMO. If music is your primary concern, a HiFiMan Sundara is a good option. If you want a more “fun” sound, a Fostex T50rpmk3 with Shure 1540 pads gives a fun music experience with boosted bass and treble. So many options, really. But the E30 and Asgard combo will handle any headphone in your price range you throw at them. They’re an excellent base to begin exploring headphones.
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Didnt someone on this forum put down the modius for some reason? maybe the E30 would be better