Schiit Modius.
Finally got my RNHP after some serious reservations about actually getting it, in terms of cost and technical specifications, but after hearing it for the first time I immediately knew it was a keeper.
If anyone is wondering is it worth it, yes it most definitely is.
Here’s a few of my impressions, from a listening & mixing/mastering point of view.
I can’t tell if it’s actually really really neutral or ever so slightly warm? overall nothing seems hyped or held back. Really brings out the mids on the 1990’s / 770’s , tames the highs very slightly, but makes both headphones so much more enjoyable just to listen to and less fatiguing.
The tone is spot on and everything sounds as it should to my ears.
Tons of headroom both in terms of volume and dynamic range, I have relatively sensitive hearing so my max listening volume on the RNHP / RCA in / 1990s is 10 o’clock, and not for that long either.
Imaging and soundstage are fantastic, a vast improvement over my L30 / Heresy. Many have said it sounds a little narrow, but I think it sounds nearly spot on from a mixing perspective. I’d nearly say having something wider than this is potentially getting into artificial territory, in terms of mixing anyway for me. For listening I like where this is at too, wider could be cool but im happy here (for now)
Like many have said here, it sounds natural and musical.
Have been mostly using Schiit Modi3/Heresy & Topping E30/L30 with 770’s, 1990s, K712pro until now.
Been using the E30 with it, I found the Modi3 (in general) to be a little sharp and the low end a little one-dimensional. Also need to try my RME FF400 with it too.
Waiting on Focal Elegia to pair with this plus 880 600ohms and Bifrost2 for “endgame”
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Nice, glad you are enjoying it, it really is just nice to work with from a studio perspective, it’s a great reference as long as the headphones match synergy wise 
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250 ohm 770s right? Yeah that pairing is magical. I returned my 1990s after comparing them to 770s on that amp.
Are all your headphones going to be for production, or do you have one you’ll use for general listening, one for movies etc.?
The reason I ask is because the 880s look like they’re going to be your first fully-open cans. 2 closed v 1 semiclosed v 1 open is not what people around here usually have. Usually it’s the other way around. I have 2 closed 1 open myself.
80ohm actually, have them for years, should have gotten 250ohm back then really… may switch to that at some stage.
Personally I find the 1990’s (open-back) are alot more refined, neutral (especially compared to bass), way more depth and space. If your talking about the 1770’s (closed back) then yea it may be much closer.
Yes, primarily. For me listening & production go hand in hand as I like to have a reference point when mixing/mastering. For tv/movies that’s all on speakers, I would totally get distracted from just listening on headphones.
I actually will have a half/half mix of open to closed headphones currently. Coming from the music production end of things, closed headphones are just an absolute must for recording & monitoring. I also really enjoy the isolation of closed backs.
Open; 1990’s / K712pro / Grado SR325
Closed; Elegia / 770s / HD25
would the geshelli jnog be a good dac pair for this amp? Im looking to pick one up.
If you do I would be curious to hear your thoughts. I just purchased the Modius to pair with mine but the JNOG was another option I was strongly considering. Ended up getting the Modius because I found a deal I couldn’t pass up.
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will do. i’ve been sampling a few amps and dacs over the past few months. cth, airist r2r, 789, etc. From what i’ve read, i should be giving the jnog a shot.
oh i’ve also got a grace sdac balance on the way as well to compare balance.
Very cool. Yeah it’s fun to explore source gear and see what works for your setup. What amp have you preferred the most so far? And what headphones are you using?
im still working on that. amps i’ve tested:
cth
thx 789
jds atom
either the 789 or tbh atom amp has been my favorite amp. 789 for power to drive 660s and the feel is more premium then plastic.
dacs:
atom dac
airist r2r
I also preferred the atom dac here as well.
Headphones: wow i think my wife might kill me atm. I need to get rid of some.
hd660s - favorite thus far for sound, have an issue with open back
grado sr80e detachable cable mod - don’t like on ear
he350 - feels too cheap
shp9500 with the modhouse ear pad adapters and brainwaves - don’t like the treble
takstar pro82 - daily driver as of right now
So my issue with open back headphones. I have hearing issue from blast impact in Iraq. I never knew my hearing was this bad until this past September when I went to the VA. I was having headaches when i started listening to more music daily and it turns out, i have a pretty big decrease in hearing level in my left ear. I’ve been reading and the first thing to try is isolation from outside sound while listening to music / media. The strain on both environments definitely what was causing my headaches with the hd660s. If no one is home, i can use them. at night, if my wife is in the den watching tv etc, the environmental noise and what im trying to listen to does not work.
So i’ve just recently purchased the audioquest nightowl and the drop pandas. Don’t get me wrong i like the takstars but I want to get into something higher.
This is probably more information than you were looking for but since being diagnosed with the blast impact issue, I’ve been keeping detailed notes.
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I did forget to mention, I did pick up a fiio btr5 and a set of my first iem the moondrop ssr. This has been pretty good so far but kinda scary plugging these things into headphone amps besides the 789 cause I had a physical gain switch.
I can’t speak for the jnog, but I did run the enog2pro with my rnhp for quite some time and it was a pretty good pairing imo
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I tend to gravitate towards closed back headphones as well because I’m usually listening at the office or at home during the day in a noisy house. I’ve been curious about the Nightowls because I have owned the Nighthawks for a while and they are one of my favorite headphones. They isolate you from outside well and don’t leak sound terribly but I still hesitate to turn them up when people are around because I don’t want to disturb them. They are also the most comfortable headphones I own. You mention being picky about build quality and I’m right with you there. That is one thing I love about the Audioquest headphones. They are beautiful, well engineered, and premium feeling. You might hate the cable. I don’t mind it but I did end up getting a Hart cable so I could run them balanced.
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Yeah i am going to find the headphone that is good for me and then worry about cables. I made the mistake of ordering a bunch of hart audio cables for the hd660s etc without thinking it through because i liked them but they don’t work for me.
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That’s sweet amp.
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I didn’t end up going with the rnhp amp. I went with a headamp gilmore lite mk2 instead.
Well one good thing is there are enough hd6 series out there you can probably sell them quick. What cables did you get?
Chaysis?! CHAYSISS?!
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