As in the longevity aspect? I think they will last if you treat them well imo. I have had many pairs of hifiman for years and they have lasted. The weakest point is that headband but it is simple to replace if needed
I do think the sundara + e30 + spark is a real solid combo if you can’t nab the edition xx if you are going to restrict yourself to planar in this price range
Will the E30 and spark also be a good combo for the Edition XX? Also why didn’t anyone recommend any of the Sendy aiva clones?
also I put in an offer for these https://forum.headphones.com/t/hifiman-edition-xx/6287?u=valentineluke
honestly buying used with hifiman might be the best idea. that way u know u have a tried and tested pair
Idk lol. I dont think Mon approves of them lol. The Aiva clones are great. V shaped and high detail. But their a more bright headphone. Though not too bad. and very forward soundstage. as a matter of fact i dont think ive ever heard anything with as close a soundstage. Their considered a more fun/exciting headphone and maybe a little niche? But i love them. But their kinda expensive.
There was a Monoprice version, the m570, that was 300$ but there are problems with it. The pair i got sounded veiled. other people said it sounded too bright. and others said there was ringing at certain frequencies. So not sure about that version.
Theres the new Sivga P2 400$ that has a lot of positive reviews. So you can go with that one if you want to keep it cheap. But the best sounding of the bunch is the Aiva that frequently goes on sale for 480$ as a matter of fact its on sale now:
Theres also the Blon B20 which i have and its very close to the Aiva. not as good. but so close it might not matter. with a little more soundstage. Sometimes it goes on sale for 350$ but right now its 420$
How does it compare to the Sundara? Well the Sundara has reached legendary status by now lol. So idk. So have the Aiva clones. I had it but when i got the Aiva it was much more detailed. And god i loved the close soundstage. that and the fact it was a planar with speed made it so deliciously detailed. But the brightness bugged me. The Sundara seems to be more balanced in tone. not as bright. but i dont think its as detailed either. But definitely a very awesome headphone.
Bass roll-off on a planar, riddled with qc issues, not the best spatial recreation, imo the treble detail is the only thing it has going for it over something like the sundara. They are good if you are looking for a very specific situation, but for this application imo I don’t think they would be up your alley
Yes, that is also a pretty good combo, and as @RamenFlamen mentions the Sanskrit 10th mkii most likely sounds extremely close, I just can’t endorse it because I haven’t heard it but it’s most likely extremely similar
Can I ask why you don’t consider Schiit? I just got an Asgard 3. I also have the Liquid Spark, and the A3 is a noticable upgrade with the Sundara.
I would tend to agree, the asgard 3 is so much better than what schiit has put out in the past where it’s really hard to beat for the price imo
So let’s say I get over my hatred of schiit. What combo would be better for the sundaras or XX. Also if I go with a Avia would a different combo be better? Also MON, why do you say that the aiva wouldn’t suit what I am looking for, the SHP9500 are bright and I love those, and with bass EQ the SHP9500 also produce really good bass. There is like 5 questions in this single post, please try your best to respond to each one.
It’s a long story, but the short of it is that Schiit put the company I worked for out of business. It was not an audio company but a tiny circuit board making company.
IMO the asgard 3 would be an improvement for both, it would really help you out with bass
I would actually say stick with the spark in that case to try and make up for the bass roll off
The bass on the aiva (and other sendy clones) starts to noticeably roll off around 50 hz, which doesn’t really fit with your initial want
IMO I don’t think bass wise besides a bit more detail the sendy would be an upgrade, the 4xx has more impact and slam, with better extension. You could try and use eq to overcome this, but you can’t push it too hard otherwise it will loose control. The edition xx and sundara would have a fair bit better bass extension and impact (specifically the edition xx) and could take to more eq if needed. Some more personal dislikes are the lack of soundstage and ok imaging of the sendy, stuff kinda just sounds left and right, not really defined. I do think it has the most treble detail, but I would say the sundara has a much more refined treble with also a more natural presentation that I think outweighs the detail of the sendy
Because the asgard 3 is $200 just for an amp I feel like I would be better with the E30 and spark. Unless schiit or other companies make a DAC or AMP for $100 each that would be better than the E30 and spark together.
the magni 3+ on paper is a better amp than the liquid spark but if it doesnt make you happy having it on your setup than dont just get a non schiit product.
The magni 3+ is $100 and is better than the spark for the sundaras. Is the E30 still the best DAC I can get for around $100 or is there a better DAC as well to pair with the sundaras.
Right now my two options are
either one works great really personally would be happy with either route its all up to you. on paper one is better than the other but there is such things as subjectivity
What about the topping E-30? There is not a better DAC around this price range than the E-30?
no not really everything really just scales with price under a $100 the d10 then the e30, then enog 2 pro, then like the d50s . like it really depends on how much you want to spend ultimately.
So the spark vs the magni. Wouldn’t the spark be better for my use case since I want detail and a bit of boosted bass? Or does the magni also do that.
The magni does that to a better extent . Should have the same amount of warmth in the low end . The liquid spark actually pills back the treble a bit while the magni maintains it