mmmm. option 4 went up to $1000. Used one I found was apparently sold :’(
Gonna be looking at option 2 unless I can find another used Elex.
Optical / Toslink most likely. That’s what I’d be using for my desktop.
There’s also a coax output, but I don’t think my mobo has a coax port 
. Checking now
So Elex is out for now 
. No cheap options that I can find. Sundara it is if I’m just grabbing the headphones.
Second questions, headphone upgrade or DAC/Amp upgrade? If I were to go to Enog + Archel, Enog + Asgard, Enog + THX 789, do any of you think it would be a big difference to the current Hel + Magni Heresy setup? If I were to just grab those and save for an Elex further down the line, does that sound like a good idea? Would having an Asgard/THX 789/Archel + Enog with the HE-4xx / 990 250 ohms be worth it over the hel + heresy combo with a sundara?
With the sundara yes imo. Also I wouldn’t suggest buying a 789 as imo you already have a higher preforming amp lol (the heresy).
Here is what I would actually do. I would buy an elex and stick with your current dac amp setup, and then down the line buy an enog 2 pro and then upgrade your amp later on once again.
IMO somewhat yes but I don’t think it would be as large of an improvement as new headphones
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Ok, so if sundara, get the amp/dac will be an additional noticeable improvement.
789 performs worse than Heresy? This is the first time I’ve heard this. Are you willing to elaborate?
Mmm, ok. Debating, but this seems likely. I’m thinking of doing it DAC, Headphone, Amp if possible. The DAC improvement might not be super noticeable, but I’d like to wait and see if I can get an Elex on sale or used for less than $600. If not I can always just default to the Sundaras.
Ok, makes sense. Still a noticeable improvement though?
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I am not a fan of thx lol, I genuinely prefer an atom or heresy over the thx amps, they sound better to my ears. Thx has an overly sharpened sound, is poor with spatial recreation and separation, and an off timbre than it should have, not a fan lol
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I feel the a3 does this really well
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Ok, thank you all so much for your help 
I have put the money down for the Enog. Will be looking for a used Elex till the 1st. If one shows up (or I get reallllly convinced the Elex is that much better) I’ll grab an Elex, otherwise I’ll grab a Sundara.
The Asgard 3 will be the last upgrade when I get around to it. Any opinions on tubes for the Sundara and/or the Elex?
Imo neither preform well on tubes. The sundara being lower impedance and planar makes it not preform that well on tubes from my experience (hybrids are fine but that’s just a solid state amp with tubes on the input stage, you could just buy a tube preamp for the asgard if you wanted a bit of tube sound)
The elex imo doesn’t perform well on an otl tube amp, but is decent on a SET or transformer coupled tube amp with a low z or low impedance out. In the end I personally still prefer solid state for the elex, but some do like it on tubes
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I don’t like the Elex on any of my pure tube amps, I do like it on my Liquid Plat (Hybrid).
I’d take almost any SS on the Elex over the pure tube amps.
I find the loss of bass control with the pure tubes, to me really hurts the headphone as a whole.
Having said that, I’ve heard people who like the combination so YMMV.
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Yeah feel pretty similar, not a fan of tubes and focals lol
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Just thought I’d weigh in here.
I recently was able to pick up a set of Sundaras, and I have been really pleased with them. Definitely more refined than both the 4XX and the M1060. Smoother than the 4XX, more detailed / balanced than the M1060.
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Sidenote, iSine 10’s on B-Stock sale? $150? Planar IEMs? Everything I read on them seems overwhelmingly positive. You had a chance to demo them? Comparisons with Elex / Sundara?
Awesome, thank you for the input
If not elex then sundaras. Maybe these fancy iems on sale tho…
They are pretty cool imo, but different. I don’t think they are on a similar tier as the elex or sundara but they do preform pretty dang well for 150
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Well, thank you all so much for your help! Here’s the slightly finished product.
Opened box, put them on, and even without breaking in the Sundaras are amazing. You guys were right, these are a pretty sizeable upgrade from the 4xx’s.
Wasn’t able to find a used Elex sadly. Haven’t yet gotten the amp upgrade (Asgard 3), but I’m saving that for last.
The Hel will be my work desk amp/dac when we all finally get back to the office 
Lastly, shoutout to Geshelli Labs for painting the box orange
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Nicee, glad you are enjoying it 
Also that enog looks pretty sweet in orange
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Hey, so I’ve run into an issue with the amplifier. Apparently there is now no left channel on the 990s/770s and popping/ buzzing on the Sundara/4xx. I’m pretty sure the Magni isn’t properly grounded and static murdered it. Forgive my ignorance if that wouldn’t have done it. Any ideas on ways to fix / how to prevent?
Hmmm, and everything is fine on your other amp? And your dac is ok? That’s really strange
Schiit shouldn’t really have grounding issues with their new products as they are pretty much redesigned from the ground up, and I don’t even know if you could create such strong a static charge to actually hurt anything
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