So the schiit 3+ might actually be beneficial for the 4xx because of the extra power on tap, but could become harsher at times. I would say if you prefer a bit smoother more warm sound the liquid spark would be up your alley, and if not the 3+ seems like a pretty great option
1 Like
Also regarding dacs, it’s the design and implementation that matters more to the overall sound of a dac rather than the chip itself.
Hmmm… I am a fan of big, warm sound with my headphones.
Ok, that makes sense. How the hardware is implemented… got ya. Tough decisions all around lol.
- Wait for a K5 Pro to pop up and try to snag it.
- Wait for the LS DAC to be released for a LS stack.
- Pick up a 3+ Schiit stack right now.
No idea haha
I mean any of those options would be pretty sweet imo and power the 4xx just fine. I think you could get the liquid spark and just run it from a motherboard line out (if its’ a desktop) for the time being, or just go with the 3+ stack
I didn’t even think about just running a line out from the MB. Yup a desktop with a Z270E mobo.
From Asus’s site:
ROG Strix’s SupremeFX audio technology has levelled up, delivering an exceptional 113dB signal-to-noise ratio on the line-in connection for best-ever recording quality — and 120dB on line-out for crystal-clear sound! We’ve also added a low-dropout regulator for cleaner power delivery to the SupremeFX S1220A codec, plus Texas Instruments® RC4580 and OPA1688 op-amps for high gain with low distortion.
It does sound good to me with all my other headphones.
What are the big pros of the Liquid Spark stack over the Schiit stack? Is it only the “warmer” sound? I know i’ve heard the LS stuff is very well built which is awesome. Is the Schiit stuff quality hardware/build too?
Schiit has pretty solid build as well, so no complaints with either the spark or schiit build quality wise. So the liquid spark adds a bit more oomph and richness to the lower end, smooths out everything a bit and at times allows for a more wide stage, and also rolls off very high treble a tad which can be nice and reduce fatigue. Going off of the sound of the asgard 3 as imo I think it would be pretty close to the 3+, the schiit would be a bit more aggressive and upfront, with more of an in your face presentation (but nothing extreme). It has more driving power so the 4xx may take better and hit a bit harder or be more upfront. I think both amps resolve very well, and the main differences are the overall sound signature.
For your motherboard, you should have a line out on the rear panel audio and run that as your dac to the liquid spark and wait for the spark dac and it should be just fine. Or you could go with the immediate schiit stack and be great as well.
3 Likes
I have the HE4xx headphones and three headphone amps I’ve driven them with: THX AAA 789, JDS Atom, and Liquid Spark. They can all drive them to adequate levels but for my money the Liquid Spark is the best match. It’s slightly warm character is the best match for the HE4xx., taming the somewhat hot top end just enough. I’ve used SMSL DAC’s, the M6 (CM6631A chip) and the M300 (AK4497 chip) to good effect with the Liquid Spark.
2 Likes
Thanks again all great feedback and suggestions. I’m learning lol!
Here’s a question for everyone…
What sort of wires am i looking at needing to purchase (or build) for either the Schiit stack or Liquid Spark stack (outside of aftermarket headphone cables of course - i’ll prob make my own). Just a pair of super short RCA’s? Both amps have external (and annoying) power bricks right? No way around that for my OCD desk-cable-management is there? Any small after market solutions?
1 Like
Just RCA’s and you should be able to tuck the power suplly in something like this along with other cables on the floor
Yeah some short rca are what you want. Any decent quality rca will work. I think they sell 1ft ones so that would be what you may want. Can’t really help on the cable management front as I don’t do a good job with that lol
Wouldn’t that get too hot with multiple power supplies inside?
As for short RCA cables, the Seismic Audio cables are really nice and flexible. Avoid the 1.5ft Monoprice cable, it’s really stiff and puts a lot of strain on the ports
1 Like
It could, but I don’t think it would be too much of an issue
Some short RCAs, check. I have all my cables mounted on the underside of my desk with some management channels. I’ll have to figure out a solution for the brick up there. I only like one wire (surge protector) coming off the bottom of the desk. I might look into making some custom RCAs… never done RCAs but just about everything else.
Sorry, another noob question.
If i wanted to run a set of speakers from the Modi/Magni combo i can via the RCA outs… to either powered speakers or a dedicated speaker amp, but it cannot power a set of speakers itself, correct?
Correct, it cannot power the speakers on its own. The schiit stuff has a pre out that turns on when the headphones are unplugged, and the volume control controls the rca out levels. So a pair of powered speakers would work great, and if you wanted passive speakers you could get a pure power amp to use those with
After last night, the Geshelli stack is amazing with the he4xx.
If you want a warmer tone the liquid spark with the Enog2.
Want more power sp200 or Archel2.5 ( on backorder)
So far what are your thoughts on the 2.5 vs sp200?
I haven’t recieved the 2.5 yet. Volume matched the Sp200 and Archel 2 sound very, very similar.
I think the sp200 has the slightest bit more resolution… were talking slight, like could be in my head slight.
The Archel 2 pro seems to have the slightest bit more imaging… Again the slightest bit
It’s hard to argue if you had one that you should order the other
Enog2 vs modi3 is no contest though.