Hd6xx dac or amp?

Equipment / Electronics / Gear / Accessories Source Gear / Other
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Hey guys, I’m new to the HIFI audio space, I just recently bought a pair of hd6xx and i’m looking into getting either a dac or an amp or a combo. Im currently looking at the Schiit Fulla 3 but I’ve seen mixed options on if a DAC or AMP make a bigger difference (on a budget). I plan to eventually get a Schiit Modi 3 and pair it with a Schiit Magni, but for right now I want to focus on what would provide the greatest imporvment for ~$120. Should I go with the magni 3 and just use my computers built-in DAC for now? or should I focus on getting a better DAC? or would a combo work fine until I can split it up? Is there a better DAC/AMP/Combo for the price?

Any advise is greatly appreciated
Thanks

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So, personally I would actually say grab a solid amp and use your motherboard or phone as the dac for the time being and get a solid dac down the line. What type of sound are you going for? Typically in the budget realm the order of importance tends to be Headphones > Amp > Dac (but this does vary depending on the specific setup). Built in and integrated audio has greatly improved from the past, and now imo the amp will make a larger difference in the budget realm. When you get to the higher end of audio (I mean pretty dang high end), I would actually say Headphones > Dac > Amp, but that’s mainly for high end

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Yep amp x2 :+1:

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So Im not super sure what kind of sound i’m looking for, like i said im new to this space, still learning alot. I guess currently im just looking for an overall better audio experience, I need to play around more with various things to figure out a more in-depth definition as to what im looking for.

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Now that being said, do you think the Schiit Magni 3+ would be a good step? or do you have another recommendation?

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That would be a very solid pick (the 3 isn’t good, but the 3+ is really good lol)

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Ok, so then 3+ or the Heresy? or are they too similar to make a difference?

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Gotcha, Thanks you for help guys! Very much appreciate it!

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The 3+ is going to be a bit warmer, and the heresy is going to be a bit more clean, personally for the 6xx my preference leans towards the 3+.

Also you would want a rca to 3.5mm cable to connect it to a pc or phone

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Thanks for the heads up, I was just looking to see if one would happen to be included. At any rate It looks like we got our winnner, Schiit Magni 3+ it is! again Thanks a ton for the help!

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Nice, hope you enjoy it :+1:

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My 6XX came in today, so I burning them in for a while. I’m not in love with them the way I thought I would be but in all fairness I haven’t spent 5 minutes total time listening to them yet…lol

I’m going to try a few of the amps that I have on hand and see which sounds best, I think a bottle head amp is coming soon!

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Got a tube amp to try them on?

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Not yet, looking at the bottle head

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Cool. IMO a tube amp is needed to fully appreciate the 6XX.

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I’m new to this and looking to buy HD6xx. I currently have a audioquest cobalt > meze 12 classics iem running from iPhone using Tidal. I’m looking to go to headphones and have pretty much decided 6xx over Meze noir to get closer to audiophile ($200 budget). Keeping setup of phone and dac. I want a good clear rich smooth sound but not looking for a surgical amp (like THX amps). Looking at these three amps:

  1. Drop Cavalli CTH: really like the idea of hybrid cause I want a tubish sound but some clarity from solid state.

  2. Schiit Asgard 3: No tube but really impressed from the reviews of power and sound for the price.

  3. Schiit Valhalla 2: This was originally out of my price range but I’m really thinking about splurging. Most reviews rate it very well on tube sound, clarity and versatility pushing most cans/iems.

I really think the Valhalla is what I’m looking for but can’t personally test anything locally. Opinions please…

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Hi! And welcome to HiFiGuides!

The 6xx is a really solid headphone. IMO, it really comes alive on a tube. I’m a bit torn on my recommendation here, honestly. The 6xx sounds amazing on a tube but jumping right to a tube amp, especially an OTL tube amp, could limit you if you wish to explore other headphones beyond the 6xx. If you think you’re heading down the exploration path, the Asgard 3 would be my pick. It will push any $500 and under headphone extremely well and still sound really solid with the vast majority of $500-$1000 headphones, and because it’s more neutral than a tube, give you a better idea of what any given headphone sounds like. If you think you’re going to stay put with the 6xx (which is very unlikely as you say you’re just getting into this) then go tube, that’s where that particular headphone sounds the best.

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I think you make a very good point. I was all about to jump on the Asgaard till I started looking at the Valhalla. Especially with a lot of recommendations to tube the 6xx. I think I’d like to move from color to clinical in my audiophile journey. Something I want to experience about tubes. Lol. Racking my brain! Thanks for the advice.

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Here’s something to think about…

There are what’s called tube buffers. In my own audio exploration they provide a quality tube experience and a compelling value. I’ve written about how one compares to a well regarded OTL tube amp here:

If you go Asgard 3, you can pick up one of these buffers, a tube upgrade, rca splitters, and a rca switch. Then you have excellent tube and solid state sound on tap for less than the price of a Valhalla.