I would say the archel 2.5 pro and the el amp are more natural sounding in presentation and more neutral than thx to the ear. I would say that both amps are also better at recreating space in music with better separation and soundstage, where the thx sounds kind of on one plane and fairly flat, also instruments don’t have the correct space. I also think the archel 2.5 pro and the el amp have more accurate timbre, which also adds into the more natural aspect. Overall I would say the thx is on the same sonic performance as the jds atom and the magni heresy, and I might even say that the atom and heresy have benefits over the thx. A note on the el amp, the el amp does something that really sweetens the treble a bit, so I wouldn’t call it as neutral as the archel 2.5 pro, but I do think it’s a bit more fun and more impactful than the archel
You have better sounding ampa IMO compared to my THX 887. This next amp is pure marketing. Not even good marketing, its phoning it in on a name.
Would you say you like the Asgard 3 over all of these amps listed here?
And yeah I’m not buying the THX hype or whatever. I’m just curious. I got a JDS Atom, ordered a cheap “Class A” amp, THX is just a new, apparently different, way of doing things – I’d buy just to know if I can hear a difference honestly.
I’m just trying new things lol. Balanced drivers, planars, beryllium drivers, tubes, Class A… It’s THX’s turn now!
Hmmm. So I do think the asgard 3, el amp, and archel 2.5 pro trade blows, I think it more comes down to the headphones and what you pair it with
Yeah, I was curious why you recommended me the Asgard 3 when it seems like these all seem quite good after looking into them.
It seems like I can’t really go wrong with any of them, but Asgard would be best with the headphones I currently have I guess haha
Asgard 3 will liven up some headphones in wonderful and fun ways. The versatility at the price point would go a long way with a setup. The Asgard 3 will scale with you for a while.
paring a specific amp to a specific headphone gets very expensive
Very true, as does owning multiple headphones. It doesn’t have to be super specific on pairing here, moreso that you are optimizing for what you have and what you will have. Any one of them will be great, but I mean why not buy what will match your system better?
Yeah that’s fair. I almost exclusively use my headphones for fun as I don’t need to mix/master/edit anything. (Other than occasional video editing)
Will probably get the Asgard 3 for my next purchase. Will probably sell my Magni 3 to a friend for cheap since he is just now getting into audio stuff.
Also I will probably just sell him my schiit stack, so I might be looking into an enog2 pro as my new DAC unless someone has other suggestions for me.
When a DAC and amp make you regret a $1700 well respected headphone where the amp made the biggest negative impact… You learn. Audeze LCD X + THX amps = bad. So before you repeat linear or what neutral is, neutral should never out right fail on expensive gear that otherwise sounds amazing.
That would be perfect. The JDS Labs Atom or Schiit Heresy gives you the THX sound signature without the drawbacks. I do recommend the the JDS labs if the intended use is IEMs where the single ended power of the Heresy will dominate over the Atom and THX amps in single ended performance (THX power comparison to the Heresy was done side by side).
I don’t currently have any IEMs but I’ll take note for sure… Eventually I’ll more than likely grab a pair haha. Thanks!
did you find an amp that worked well with your audeze’s?
Fiio BTR5… That and a set of KZ ZS10 pro is to me, nuetral and clinically accurate sounding. Give that a shot if you are looking at IEMs as well that will give you bluetooth and microphone on unit. I can listen to muaic, travel, and take conference calls on that setup. That is my argument to go with the Schiit Heresy since there are more pragmatic IEM options… But it you will only use them at a desk… The Atom is great.
RNHP + bifrost 2 make the LCD X just sing like no other. The RNHP I assume is doing some more sparkly a wonderful things than the Asgard 3 does as well, but more neutral than the RNHP.
If I could go back in time and get the Asgard 3 instead of the THX 887. I would. I found the THX 887 to be worse than the Schiit Heresy. They sound the same but something about the flatness of the treble of the THX made me despise it. Also the THX is a little dark in the mid-range.
Thank you and @M0N for the Info. I’m currently rocking the Dac-X6, and I was kind of content but curious to other stuff. Now, after some experience with other gear (think I will do a mini review later) I want to upgrade for both dac and amp.
My idea was to get either Grace Sdac or the and pair it with the El amp, or balanced to the archel 2.5. Now after this comments I may go to the Sanskrit/El amp. I am also planning on getting the Sundara by the end of the year, but I currently own a K712 and a HD58x.
If this goes for $100 (highly unlikely, but if it did, theoretically) I’d be tempted to just go with it. Otherwise… I wouldn’t be sure which I’d wanna try more, as I use both IEMs and over ears, though IEMs are used more on the go. Then again, while I couldn’t tell you what it is that makes me feel this way, or why, but I kinda like JDS more then Schiit.
I recognize personally that the name alone, looks, and marketing make me feel the same about the JDS labs too. But owning the Heresy and respecting the engineers being open and the story of the company lead me going with the Heresy.
If you want an almost indistinguishable difference that is only a a hint of what the Asgard sounds like, Magni 3+ (it is different than the 3).
The delema I would run into with Schiit would be 3+ or Heresy