I agree it’s fine, you can do better, but I’d avoid the whole middle ground with DAC’s as well.
I don’t think there is value in going from a D10 to an SU-8 unless you need the extra features, the latter is better, but you’be better off waiting and jumping to say a Bifrost 2 where there would be a relatively obvious sound difference.
I swapped back to my D10 recently to test an amp and while it sounds flat and lacking in comparison to the Gungnir multibit, I could take either it or the SU-8 without a lot of regret.
Yeah, I would stop at the 300 range and skip to the 800 up ish range to get a better benefit
For me that’s more like, if you want to upgrade and get a 500$+ headphone, there’s a good chance you won’t stop here and you will want other 500$+ headphones, or just be tempted by more affordable hi-fi gear that will “scale” well with a good DAC one day anyway.
Says the guy with 200$ headphones and a 50$ DAC but, I mean, a 200$ Topping D50S instead of a 100$ D10 is “nothing” if your want to be sure there’s no “bottleneck” and your 800$+ Aeon 2 sounds the best.
You got an aeon 2?
No @M0N I don’t have these, I wish 
Personally I’ll get a Topping D50S before I get Elegias or ESP95X or even Sundaras or whatever. I mean, even if it’s for plain fun and 0% for cricital listening, that’s like 320kpbs VS CD, especially with 800$ Aeon 2s, isn’t it all about the subtle details or the subtle bump of width, depth, you don’t need to concentrate to hear but just feel and enjoy anyway?
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Soooo, I ended up going with a e-mu teak headphones with lawton maple cups, Dekoni Elite Fenestrated Leather Earpads, and aftermarket balanced cable. I decided going much more expensive than $500 was not wise considering I am still relatively inexperienced in knowing what sound signature I truly “love”. We will see how I enjoy them compared to my HD600’s.
So, with that update, the headphones will be arriving tomorrow. Still needing some help solving my amp/dac problem so wanted to bump this thread for more input. Right now my short list for the amp/dac solution includes 1) ifi micro iDSD BL and 2) Questyle Audio CMA400i. Thoughts?
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Both the micro bl or questyle are awesome, for the teak though I would actually say micro bl for it’s greater slam factor and better performance unbalanced. Also portable so that’s a plus lol
Just wanted to close the loop on this thread, ended up getting the Questyle CMA400i.
The sound coming out of my system is significantly “fuller” on this setup. That goes for both my HD600’s and the E-MU’s. The E-MU’s are incredible impressive headphones! Hard to tell if it is the modifications that have been done or if the stock headphones sound this good. Bass is extremely strong but still very controlled and tight. Vocals and mids are very clear a forward. Treble is piecing in the right ways (i.e. flute sticks out in situations where it should).
Thanks to everyone for the helpful guidance, especially @M0N , great community. If anyone has any questions on the gear let me know. Cheers!
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Nice, glad you are enjoying it, looks like a sweet setup, the teak and the questyle is a great pairing 
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Looks great!
@M0N time to bump this thread. I have been loving the E-MU’s with the CMA400i but have been thinking about getting a third set of headphones to round out the collection with the HD-600’s. My goal would be to spend $800 or less on a pair of open/semi-open headphones which pair well with the CMA-400i. See my original post for musical preferences. Thoughts on Aeon 2 Open/Closed or the Klipsch HP-3’s? Cheers!
So the aeon 2 closed/open would be a great choice imo, it would give you a nice planar in your collection, neutral slightly v shaped, fun but refined, resolving and controlled, should be sweet imo. I think the hp3 might be too close to your hp-3 imo. I would also consider like an audeze lcd 2 pre fazor which you can find in your budget used from time to time. I guess what do you feel you already have down in your current setup, and what are you looking for?
Just get night hawks.
@M0N after several months with the E-MU’s I find myself really enjoying hip hop/rap on them. Really anything with strong bass presence. So whatever I get I would probably want to be more geared towards mids? Something which feels a bit wider/open than the E-MU’s? I’m not very good at using audio language to describe what I want but if the E-MU’s are equivalent to biscuits slathered in gravy I want something closer to a nice roll of sushi on this next pair? Also I would like my next set up be my go to for gaming, I have been getting into playing Valorant quite competitively (Diamond/Immortal rank) so anything that could help with pin pointing enemies while also filling the niche for music would be nice.
Thanks for the recommendation, any good reviews on YouTube talking about these I could look at? Honestly not very familiar with them 
I’ll search around here a bit.
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Hmmmm, you could consider a beyerdynamic t1.2, imo that’s really great for gaming, a wider more spacious stage, and very good midrange performance imo. The lcd 2.2 pre fazor would also be pretty good but not the best for gaming imo
The hawks are a unique can, pretty spacious but not open, impact similar to the emu teak but with a smoother warmer more bass and midrange oriented sound, would be pretty different yet good, but might not be on the same tier technicality wise as the emu teak. But personally I really enjoy them and if you can find them for around the 250-300 range I think it’s def something unique to try
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I’ll look into the t1’s but I’ve listened to a couple beyerdynamics in the past and wasn’t a fan of their overall sound signature. Maybe that is because it was there lower end stuff, also probably wasn’t driven properly, sounded kind of hollow or echo’y. Why would the Audeze line not be good for gaming out of curiosity? Also, is there a consensus on whether dynamic or planar headphones are better for gaming? Also would the CMA400i perform any better on dynamics versus planars? Never asked those questions before. Cheers!
The LCD X is fantastic to game in, just not in your price range. I guess you could do your homework on the GX which is good but you lose some of the detail of the LCD X. #1 reason, most gamers are weak and can’t handle the LCD X.
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Thanks I’ll look into this, I should mention I’m not afraid to buy used, do you think I could get a pair of lcd X’s for $800 used?
Given what I have heard is primarily they have some production variation. I love mine BUT BUT BUT many people have had a different experience. If you get the LCD X, make sure you get get the screen and not the mesh versions. I got mine Feb 2020 brand spanken new. Many people have not had the same experience so I recommend new or nothing factory direct and send them back if they don’t work for you.