Newbie Needs Some Guidance

Headphones Headphone Discussion / Help
1

Newbie here, looking to invest in a dac, amp, and headphones. I have been researching, watching reviews, and reading forums for a couple months now, and I feel like I need a little assistance finding the right direction to begin. My goal is to get a good beginner setup that will allow for upgrading components later down the road, if I want to take this further (which I expect will happen). I don’t have a set budget, but I don’t want to break the bank either, especially as a beginner entering the hobby. My main intentions are to listen to music. I will most likely play games with them as well but am entirely focused on music.

I like most any kind of music. I tend to focus on rock/punk/metal centric bands but will absolutely go for other genres on any given day. I’ve always considered myself someone who likes a lot of bass, but I’m not entirely sure if that’s truly the case since I haven’t actually used a set of quality headphones that does bass well. I think having a balance of everything is a good place for me to start. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Starting with a dac, definitely don’t need anything crazy. I plan to be mostly on my computer so usb connection is necessary and I would really like an optical in for experimenting and flexibility in the future. I’ve noticed a couple new dacs out on the market recently, specifically the Topping E30 and the SMSL Sanskrit 10th MkII. I’m curious of peoples’ thoughts on those dacs as they seem like fairly solid dacs for what I’m looking for and are fairly cheap. Certainly, I am open to other suggests as well, but dacs seem like one area that it doesn’t make a huge difference as long as you have one, unless you go really high end.

Amps are where I start to not really know the direction I should go. I feel like I should be looking at amps around the same price range as the dac to start and there are plenty of options, but I have no idea what would be a good fit for me. I’ve seen a lot of mixed thoughts on Schiit’s lineup but the new Magni3+ and Heresy don’t seem terrible. I’m curious how they compare to the Liquid Spark and JDS Atom that have been widely recommended. I just don’t know if I want to look for a warm/fun amp or something a bit cleaner (might not be using the correct terms), and I’ve also read the headphones paired with the amp make a difference as well.

So, in terms of headphones, my only thought is that I really want to try a pair of open back planar headphones. I was initially looking at the Hifiman HE4xx since they seem to be universally liked based on the value they provide, but I have been really liking what people have said about the Hifiman Sundaras, especially since their revision to the earpads. Are the Sundaras a solid choice for a beginner, and what would be a good amp pairing for them? Again, I’m totally open to all suggestions anyone might have. I probably know the least about headphones, there are sooo many of them out in the market.

Initially, I was thinking I wanted the cleanest sounding setup possible, but the more I thought about it, the more I’ve questioned that position. Now I’ve been thinking I should go for something fun to gain experience with and then worry about other stuff later. At this point I’m kinda leaning toward the Liquid Spark, but again, what do I know? Haha. Do the Sundaras and the Spark pair well together? Probably overthinking things way too much which is why I’m looking for some direction to help put my mind at ease.

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to get all my thoughts out there and give a good idea of what I’m looking for and what I’ve been thinking. It might be a bit scattered and might not make the most sense, I am still learning. That being said, if there are any guides/resources that are good to use, please send them my way. Thank you in advance for any input and feedback you might have. :smiley:

As a side note, I am a little worried about the QC issues Hifiman seems to have. Would any issue in a pair of headphones be easily detectable? My worry being that I wouldn’t know if something was wrong and just assume the headphones are suppose to be that way.

2 Likes
2

It’s a solid idea, going for something neutral might make sense for the wider variety of music you listen to, and neutral headphones can have great bass as well

I really like the e30 for the price, real solid. I assume the smsl sounds similar but can’t confirm on that one

IMO this would depend on the headphones you get for what amp you go with

So the sundara is pretty awesome, and imo would be more up your alley from what you describe, but you would be paying for that for sure. Of course there are a ton of great headphones out there so lots of other things to consider as well

So for pairings, imo, I would actually go magni 3+ here, as imo the extra power for the sundara helps it out over the liquid spark, and I also think the 3+ in terms of sound is inbetween a jds atom/magni heresy and a liquid spark, so a good balance of neutral and accurate, and fun imo.

So personally I wouldn’t be too worried about hifiman qc, it’s generally good these days with the sundara, and if something was wrong it would most likely be something you can notice is off and see if it’s really an issue.

3

Welcome! There are a crazy amount of helpful people here and they will steer you in the direction you want to go without a doubt.!!

4

If you haven’t seen these guys yet, I run my Sundara with a Geshelli Labs stack. Sounds great imo. Also custom colors for free if you care about that at all :stuck_out_tongue:

5

I have a pair of HE4XX and they have their strengths. They are a bit bass shy, though. There’s a rather significant rolloff below about 100Hz. If you like bass, keep that in mind. They have other strengths, though.

1 Like
6

Ok, so Sundaras like a little more power. I will keep that in mind. I totally forgot about Geshelli when writing that post. Where does the Archel2.5 land in terms of sound compared to the Spark, 3+, and Atom? Also, it’s a tad more expensive, is the extra cost worth it over the cheaper 3+/Spark/Atom options?

7

It’s going to be on the more neutral side of things, pretty sweet, but with the sundara I actually prefer the 3+ or the spark imo because of the power aspect, it really helps them out

8

And for the price of the Archel 2.5 Pro, the Asgard 3 comes to mind for not much more? That might hold over longer without a need to upgrade for future headphone purchases, but for a beginner setup to enable exploration of preferences, the $100 per component stacks with the likes of E30/Magni 3+ seems a good call.

1 Like
9

Having murdered the left channel on my Heresy with static (and hearing other people have done the same thing with them and with the Atom) I’d say yes. Also scratchy pots on both my Schiit products :/.

Build and looks on the Archel is better imo, and I think the sound of the Archel (when run balanced) sounds more detailed and much more natural than the heresy. To me the heresy sounded a little sterile, and the whole static susceptibility killed it for me. However, it’s significantly more powerful. Also being able to run (mostly) balanced is definitely a plus. I also have no issues powering my cans with them. On medium gain (on dac and low on amp) the volume knob is at 9-11 o’clock most of the time.

The Liquid Spark platinum’s extra power showed me that the sundara definitely gains a good bit from more power though. So it depends on the sound you’re looking for, what cans you plan to drive, and whether you’re willing to shell out $75 more.

10

Yes, that’s another thing imo, for not much more than the 2.5 pro you can get an asgard 3 which is real sweet for the sundara imo

2 Likes
11

It’s apparent, BTW, that you’ve done your homework. Your OP was pretty spot on for most commonly rec’d beginner gear

1 Like
12

I, and a quite a few members here, own the Asgard 3 and love it. Please let me know if you have any questions regarding it

13

So, after some research on the Asgard 3 and some thinking. This is where I currently stand:

The e30 dac is a no brainer at this point. Sundaras seem amazing and the perfect first set of cans for me. Which leaves the amp. I’m up in the air between the Magni 3+ and the Asgard 3.

I’ll probably end up trying multiple different sets of headphones before wanting to try new amplifiers. This makes me want to lean toward the Asgard 3 which will give, not only better sound, but more freedom in the headphones that it can drive. Invest in the better amp now?

I almost feel like its cheating not starting with a cheaper amp. haha

1 Like
14

So, personally I think it would make sense if you are looking to drive many different types of headphones, and want to maximize the sundara for the price. That being said one amp isn’t going to match ideally with all headphones so it would depend on what your future things you want to try are

15

And that I feel like I won’t know until I start this journey. :sweat_smile:

1 Like
16

Imma be the devil on your shoulder and say do it. I want an Asgard too :stuck_out_tongue:

You might not appreciate the upgrade quite as much (mayyyybeeee (but probably not)), but, if you go into it knowing that, you should be fine.

17

Fair enough lol, well the a3 + the e30 would be a pretty versatile choice, as would the g stack too imo

1 Like
18

Very true, one of the reasons I would personally start out with a lower tier of headphone as well before moving onto the sundaras

1 Like
19

Yea, I really appreciate the Sundaras I have because of the headphones I’ve used before (like side by siding them with the 7506s and 990s is eye-opening). Would recommend trying out two less expensive cans if you’re dead set on spending the $350 (like 880s + 4xx or 599 + 4xx). Then again the Sundaras are phenomenal so that works too lol. Either way, with the good hardware you’re getting I have a strong hunch that any of the cans you get will sound much better than you’ve heard so far.

20

I’m a recent addition to the Asgard world. It’s a fantastic amp. Really, really fantastic. I’m loving it so far. But… would I love it as much as I do now if I didn’t know the Atom, Liquid Spark, SP200, and Darkvoice well before it? :woman_shrugging: Knowing how those amps sound in some way prepared me for what makes the Asgard a step up, probably. OTOH, if you can afford it out of the gate, I say absolutely the Asgard can be a workhorse amp to make a wide variety of headphones sing as you explore the audio world.

Clear as mud? :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

3 Likes