Long time no see. I hope everyone’s been well in the past year!
Last time I was actively around I was talking a lot with @M0N and others about various amp topologies, shortcomings of the back then absolute THX hype and built a setup for a relatively small budget consisting of the RNHP and the SU-8.
After more than a year I’m ready to upgrade!
I was looking at a maximum budget of around 1500€ for an amp and DAC each, totaling 3000€. The choices suddenly become so vast that they simply grow over my head, hence asking for advice!
I’m currently trying to picking up a pair of Focal Clear MGs and look for a nice new audio chain. I’d love to keep my RNHP for my IEMs, so perhaps a DAC that also plays nicely with that amp would be highly appreciated!
I plan on buying insensitive planars down the line too, so perhaps an amp with plenty of power would be preferable. I love my RNHP, however it really isn’t the most powerful thing in the world. However what I can say is that the balance the RNHP manages to keep between being clinically analytical but still smooth and delivering an enjoyable musical experience is spot on. I’d love to carry over that characteristic to my new gear as well, just in an upgraded fashion.
That means my preferred choice is somewhere in between analytical and musical sounding. I’m an extreme sucker for details and would love to preserve them as much as possible without tiring out my ears after short listening sessions.
I already eyed at the Bifrost 2 and the RME ADI-2 for DACs but am afraid that either of them are too much one way. Perhaps something in between those two would be spot on for my taste, not sure though as I haven’t had the chance to listen to either of them.
What would you guys recommend for a total of 3000€ for an amp and DAC delivering a lot of detail without smoothing the sound too much.
I can’t give much personal advice, but if it helps, M0N recently mentioned a couple of different $3k combos for the OG Clear in the second half of this post:
If you wanna keep the RNHP, I’m not personally aware of any other amp that is an upgrade to it with the similar tonal balance and presentation of sound. The best you can do might a good DAC that has good synergy with it (for example the BF2, which personally I didn’t feel it being overly smooth with the RNHP as it’s a reasonably analytical amp unlike sth like Violectric) if you plan to keep the RNHP.
In my experience however I didn’t like the Clear MG with the RNHP as I think it might benefit from a dryer amp, I am generally not familiar with the level above this 500USD amps though.
Gotcha gotcha, it does have really good synergy for the OG Clear (for a 1k setup) though so you could consider that. I like the RNHP a lot (especially with BF2) so for me in the very long term future an upgrade would be an Yggy A2 (being a direct upgrade to BF2) and a good LPS for the RNHP (most mess up the tonal balance so it’s really hard to find a suitable one), since I don’t think there’s a direct upgrade amp to the RNHP.
From what you’ve described I think a standard recommendation in this forum could be a good starting point: Violectric V281 + Soekris 1542, a really versatile stack for IEMs, dynamics and most planars. Whilst I don’t have hands on experience with both (only their smaller brothers) it would probably lean slightly warmer and smoother than the RNHP (especially when you’re now hooking it up with a slightly brother more analytical DAC). Your budget probably allows something a bit more expensive though, I’m sure many others are better able than I am to point you towards that direction.
Edit: the new Soekris and Violectric are apparently slightly different now, so sth like V550 + 2541 could be more for your taste if you don’t want it to be too smooth / musical.
What planars are you thinking of? The lcd-X and XC are great with the bf2 rnhp combo. I would think the new revisions of those cans follow suit too.
This may be a situation of change one thing and see if you like it since you have a nice base. From there you can try a few amps with the bf2 too. The GS-X mini is great power and detail orientated and a few have good reports of it doing well with the bf2. It will be bright leaning so it may not fit the bill there but you can see where this leads and posdibly save some money along the way.
Keep an eye on used prices as things like the bf2 retain value and sell used close to retail.
On that dac I’ve had the chance to hear the denafrips ares II and the bifrost if you’re not down for the bifrost check out the Denafrips ares II its definitely not as warm or laid back as the bifrost. A bit cooler and top end focused perhaps could fit the bill.
I’d recommend a tube amp but I don’t know if its going to synergise with Clear MG someone. I’ve seen people had sucess with the Singxer SA-1 and I think that pretty much uses all the budget.
Edit: Fuck it hybrid recommendation Xduoo TA-30 very warm tube rollers delight and should synergise with anything as its more smooth timbre focused over detail. So its not going to be the more technical pick but its really fun.
