Mainly looking for something higher performing. I have never had anything else, so I don’t really know what kind of voicing/signature my Element has since I don’t know anything else. I just feel like there might be more detail/separation that I can get out of something higher performing.
Gotcha. I would say the element 1 is more clean and neutral leaning, still pretty nice. You could go to the el ii stack, that would give you more detail, separation, and clarity, with a slight bit of added warmth and body (very slight), it would be a logical upgrade imo.
I like the rnhp with the elex and the 6xx, pretty natural sounding that’s pretty revealing. Although for the lcd 2 I think it’s solid but I think the low end could use a bit more drive with the rnhp. You could use the element as the dac (if you don’t sell it), and down the line grab a bifrost 2 and it would be very nice imo
If you want to go with something neutral and accurate but wider and impactful, I like the lake people g111, it’s pretty revealing but not harsh, also pretty impactful. It pairs very well with the soekris dacs, and they are releasing new dacs later on so that would be something to look into imo
Personally I think you could do better on the amp side of things, also being an all in one limits you in the future
This is a decent combo, although personally it didn’t really impress me that much
What about the a90 didn’t impress you? Just curious because I have heard nothing but great things about the a90
Most of the time, when you get to that price range, you want the amp to provide a lot of power and be refined and musical at the same time.
While I have not heard the A90 directly, I assume there are many other alternatives in the same price range that do it better, such as the RNHP
It’s ok, I thought it was clean and clear, detail was fine but I thought it was lacking lower level detail, spatial recreation was ok but it sounded a bit one dimensional at times. It did have pretty good impact and control thought. Tonally it was ok, timbre was decent but not great. Overall it was good but not great, imo it might be more appealing at 250-300 for me and even then the erish might be something to consider over the topping if you wanted something neural and clean (although I haven’t tried the erish yet). It’s definitely not offensively bad like the thx amps I have tired, it’s just something that you can tell more went into hitting measurements than the actual sound of the amp. I can see the appeal if you are after something that will hit those high numbers but for me I mainly care about the sound quality to the ear
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Honestly, $600 and a jds element in possession I think you’re chasing your tail on this one. You won’t hear an improvement in sound in the amp section, as el amp ii, a90 won’t change your sound from an element (nor is it designed to since they are all solid state amps with similar prices) unless you’re going tube amp. Plus you won’t really benefit from marginal increase in power since all your headphones (including your future lcd2 which are 70 ohms 101db) are easy to drive. Similar situation with the dacs (though I personally do not believe in expensive dacs changing your sound).
This isn’t true from my experience. While it isn’t a life changing difference, it is a noticeable upgrade imo
I would tend to agree more with this one if you are talking about the budget dacs, I think there is a performance gap between 200-700 where the differences are marginal, but once you go higher the difference are very apparent imo
I would say the point of upgrading amps is higher quality amplification than the need for more power
But all the options you listed (el dac/amp, a90/e30, dx7) really don’t sound any different from the jds element.
They do to me, otherwise I wouldn’t really have recommenced them lol. The main things I recommended were the rnhp or the g111, and the el ii stack if he wanted a similar sound but better technicalities. I would say the el ii stack would most likely be the smaller upgrade compared to the rnhp or the g111, but still an upgrade nonetheless. Personally not a fan of the dx7 or the a90
Just curious. What makes you say this?
I actually meant to reply to the OP and not you, commenting on his choices. Of course I would agree that the rnhp or g111 are solid upgrades from element, just not on the 3 op mentioned.
My bad, disregard the comment then
I’d rather not open that can of worms.
All g man, it stemmed from a misreply on my end lol.
Since it looks like your starting to get some more free time again and this is on topic for the most part to this thread, have you had an adequate amount of time listening to the rebel map yet? If so, what’s your take on it? You can ping me in the rebel amp thread if you like with your reply.
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Do you think that the G111 would pair better with the LCD-2/2c’s? because I am definitely wanting to grab those for a more fun and impactful bass than the 6xx and elex. This is mainly an amp that I want to be using for a long time with these headphone, and maybe another higher end headphone down the line like zmf or something.
And what would be a good dac to pair with it right now? or are the new seokris dacs right around the corner?
And would there be a good dac to get right now in the $300 range, because I could sell the Element and get a dac while still keeping under the $600 after selling the Element. Like the Modi Multibit, EL DAC II, or Modius. Or would it be worth it to save a little a get a soekris dac while using the element dac in the meantime.
I would say so, it has more drive and control in the bass that is pretty dang great for the LCD 2 or 2 classic, it also works nicely width wise as the amp gives good space to those headphones, I would say generally a good pairing
I think it would fulfill that role to an extent, depending on how high you actually go lol
Keep your eye on the used market for a deal on a 1421 or a 1321. If you had to get something now I think the ares ii is a different but still well pairing dac, but it colors the amp more towards a bit warmer sounding
5 weeks from what I have heard
Personally I would grab a topping e30 and wait (if you sell the element, or just use the element if you hold onto it for a bit) and save for that higher tier of dac, I do think it’s worthwhile as you will be rewarded with a much more significant difference than a 300 dollar dac
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Sweet, thanks for the thorough replies, very informative. Definitely hadn’t even heard of the g111, RNHP or Soekris DACs before asking on this forum. But you’ve definitely sold me on the g111. And for the dac I might wait and see what the new Soekris stuff has to offer and just use the dac in the element for now. Thanks!
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Sounds like a solid plan imo. Also I would have suggested waiting anyways before going with the soekris until you tried and made sure you liked the g111 since the soekris dacs are very picky with what they sound good with