Very new to higher end audio and need some help choosing a headphone amp and dac setup. Im a pretty casual listener with gaming/music/videos at 50/25/25 and am looking to upgrade my desk audio setup. My headphone collection currently or may include in the future: HD598, Tygr 300r, MMx-300, 99 Noir, HD6xx. Nothing terribly difficult to drive but I want to get the best out of them. My question is, what should my amp/dac setup be? I prefer warmer and fun signatures over cold and analytical. Options I’m considering are:
stick with onboard or speaker headphone jacks (considering buying Monolith MM-3 or MM-5, Kanto Tuks)
entry level stack such as JDS Atom or Schiit Magni/Modi
JDS Labs Element II or El stack for a bit more
Im not opposed to Topping but have seen mixed reviews on their reliability. And I’ve read that the Spark is great with a warm signature but not sure what to pair it with to make it better looking on a desk.
Anyway, any help and advice works be greatly appreciated.
Sorry, meant to include that.
Thinking around $600-$800 for amp, dac, and speakers. Headphone would probably get slightly more usage than the speakers.
powered speakers? if so id suggest the Asgard 3 with Multibit dac… id also suggest a liquid spark and zen dac stack for a more budget option… both lean to the warm/musical signature youre after and keeps you away from topping (although they’re fairly highly regarded)
Yes, looking mostly at powered speakers. I had looked at the Asgard a bit as its the same price as the Element II. But regarding those, is it dumb of me to consider an amp/dac that is nearly twice the cost of my best headphones? Will that extra cost be wasted on me?
So far a few recommendations for the Spark, I’ll look into it a bit more than i have. And if all of you regard Topping highly, I would definitely consider it. My searches were probably just a few unhappy, topping hating customers.
Also, my personal favorite design is the Element II. Am i correct in my understanding that it’s more of a neutral sound? Not opposed to neutral as long as it’s easy listening and not fatiguing like I’ve heard analytical can be at times. Would it be worth the highest cost and sound good with my selected headphones?
TLDR : Geshelli stack (Archel 2.5 Pro + Enog2 Pro) would be my recommendation for the cans and sound sig preference. Should be in budget at around $400. Wait to spend the rest until you know you like or don’t like the sound you’re getting.
Welcome!
Cool. So you’ll be looking for cans with great imaging first, sound staging second, and everything else third. The Beyers are good for that. If you’re looking for the first jump into midfi I would recommend the Hifiman Sundaras and the DT 990/880 600 ohms.
Ok awesome. So you probably have a similar taste to me.
My suggestion here would 110% be the Geshelli stack. If you’re looking for a natural ever-so-slightly warm presenatation at the intro level, the Geshelli Stack (Archel / Enog) is fantastic.
I would suggest the entry geshelli stack over the entry schiit stack here for sound signature preference. I don’t know the particulars of the JDS sound sig, so no comment there.
The Topping sound signature might not be up your alley. They also do have reliability issues afaik.
The Spark is supposed to be great. If it performs in any way similar to my Liquid Plat it’ll be a great little amp. It’s quite small so stacking it on any of the beginner dacs should be fine. If you want a matching stack you’d have to wait for Monoprice to release the spark dac (which is just getting delayed).
I can only really speak the 6xx and imo it will benefit from a higher quality (but is also very good on the liquid spark as well) and keep in mind it’ll be paired with your headphones and your speakers so I think it’s worthwhile if that’s what you decide.
If you want the element ii I’ve heard it’s a pretty sweet amp/dac and it won’t be as warm/musical as what I mentioned above but I don’t think it’s supposed to be clinical or harsh either (maybe check out some reviews)
The e30 might be okay with the ak chip as opposed to the ess chip in the d10 and d50 (purely speculation)
Thanks for welcome and write up! I haven’t looked into the Geshelli stack but seems to be there sound I’m looking for. First impression though, does not fit my aesthetics exactly. I’ll research it a bit and see if it grows on me. And the inputs on the front seem odd to me, but again I don’t know much lol
I have actually looked into the Sundaras and DT880s. Getting something that would power them would be good, but not a deal breaker.
I didn’t realize Monoprice was releasing a Spark DAC. Definitely has me considering that path more. And you don’t necessarily recommend the low end Schiit stack, but what about the Asgard 3 that Don mentioned? Any experience with it?
Thanks for the advice Don, I definitely feel better about spending a bit more on the amp/dac. I am now looking heavily into the Asgard, it seems to fit my taste and style. Would the combo be any different than doing the Asgard amp with the new Modius dac?
I’ll try to find a little more on the sound profile of the Element. I can enjoy neutral, might even be better for gaming. But i want to ensure i can listen for long stretches.
I haven’t personally heard the modius but from what im hearing its getting positive reviews and would give you more connectivity options and the balance option you were looking for in the original post… I just can’t speak on it personally… there in an official modius thread on the forum I believe and there are a few members who own one
I think it really depends on the headphone and also where you consider your end game to be.
There are some headphones that actually scale very well, so better electronics will allow you to squeeze that extra performance out and give you room to upgrade your headphones without need to upgrade your chain again.
At a budget standpoint, it would be a waste, but if you feel like you may upgrade a bit and move up a tier, no, it’s not a waste.
You will commonly see end game setups where the owner’s electronics combined cost more than their headphone/speaker.
Up to you. I think you’d like them a lot. The aesthetics are fine imo (I have a whole stack). Also colors are fully customizable for no cost (just email Geshelli).
Odd, but they work just fine.
Yea, but they keep delaying it lol. I wouldn’t hold out hope.
Decidedly not. Modi / Magni is not super warm or fun. Good, but not what you described as your preference.
No experience in person with the asgard 3. The modius has some issues right now with the USB. The asgard and modius are less natural / warm than the geshelli stack. Imo geshelli nails the presentation you describe. If you can get balanced cables for your cans, the erish + enog is an insane combo.
Appreciate the insights. I do think I may upgrade headphones a little in the future, so the Element II, Asgard 3, or Geshelli stack could certainly be my endgame. With what you and others have said, I think I will be going with the upgrade in amp/dac.
Really appreciate the write up! Think I’m ruling out the Spark based on the uncertainty, unless it releases unexpectedly in ther next two weeks. Also ruling out the magni/modi based on the signature.
I did check out the Modius board after Don mentioned it and did see the issues that are popping up. Keeping away from it for a bit until that is sorted out. So a big thanks to you, don, and everyone on that board for the warning.
Good news is I pretty much have it narrowed down to the Asgard 3 with multibit or Geshelli stack. My wife didn’t really like the Element II look so theres that ha. Bad news is I’m a terrible over thinker and will agonize over this for a few weeks and probably couldn’t tell the difference between the three anyway lol
Thank you everyone for the help so far! Keep hitting me with advice on these or any others i should consider.
Get the schiit stack if you want lots of power and analytical capability. The stack is supposed to be wider and less intimate sounding than the geshelli.
Get the geshelli stack if you’re looking for intimacy and musicality. Less analytical, more ‘nice’.
That being said, the schiit stuff tends to be warmer and more open iirc. The stuff I’ve been reading about the asgard / modius seem to corroborate.
Honestly, which ever one you choose is entirely a crapshoot until you pull the trigger. If you’re really torn the Enog + Asgard would probably be quite a good stack. I would pull the trigger first and analyze later. Your first amp/dac are not your end all be all, especially when all the options are damn good.
If you can run your headphones balanced I’d hazard a guess that the enog + erish are the best combo for the money (erish is competing with $500+ amps on my desk).
That being said, take my words with a grain of salt as the only things I’ve owned from schiit are the modi/heresy stack and the hel. I currently own the erish/enog/archel.
So now that I have the amp/dac mostly settled, time to think about speakers. Aiming for similar signatures as my headphones. $200-$300. Would like to get by without a sub if possible but not a big deal if i can’t. Right now I’m thinking along the lines of
Monolith MM-3 or MM-5
Kanto YUx
Fluance Ai40, Ai60
Vanatoo T0 (out of budget but could wait for b-stock)
Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
More concerned with sound than features, but bluetooth would be a plus. Anyone have insights on these or maybe suggestions on one’s I’ve missed?
