Source: PC & Project Debut Carbon Esprit SB
DAC: Schiit Bifrost (1) 4490
AMP: Schiit Lyr 2
Phono Preamp - Schiit Mani
Switch: Schiit Sys
Headphones: HD6XX, HE500, and LCD-2
Speakers: Monoprice Studio Monitors (never use anymore)
I built a new PC and decided to keep it on my desktop. This means I’ll need to move my speakers and turntable to another location to make space. I’ll need a new headphone amp to pair with the Mani at the new location. I was going to get a Modi 3, but stumbled on the JDS Lab Atom. I’ll give the Atom a try. While looking into the Atom, I also stumbled on the Monoprice THX DAC/AMP and the Massdrop 789 THX. I’ll probably wait until Black Friday to see if Monoprice does some kind of sale. I’ll probably make my money back selling the Bifrost and Lyr 2, so cost isn’t much of a factor.
Anyone who owned/tried both and have thoughts?
I was comfortable with my audio gear and this just ruined everything. I might even try out some newer headphones now.
I think with what headphones you have, you might want to look into the monolith thx desktop or the 789 or upcoming monoprice 887 because of the extra power over the atom. The he500 really gets better with more power, so you might find an improvement there (and you would want to get balanced cables to take full advantage). If you went with the 789 or 887, you could just keep your bitfrost and use that as a dac
I finished testing the Monoprice unit with the LCD-2, HD 6XX, and HE-500 headphones. LCD-2 sounds better on Schiit stack. HD 6XX and HE-500 sound better on the Monoprice unit.
The Schiit stack added more color but was a little bit muddy. The LCD-2 sounded much more engaging on this stack. Both Schiit units run pretty hot. The Monoprice unit is barely warm to the touch after a few hours, while you can’t touch the Schiit stack longer than a few seconds after 15 minutes.
The Monoprice unit has a neutral and clean sound thanks to THX AAA. I could notice small details on quiet tracks that I couldn’t with the Schiit stack. THX is oddly owned by Razer now. Maybe they’ll start adding this tech to their gaming hardware.
I decided to keep the Monoprice unit since its a great value at $360 (Retail $500). It’s more versatile than the Schiit stack with I/O and EQ options. The DRC and DIRAC features might be better for movies and games, but aren’t very interesting for music. The Schiit stack will sadly go for sale after years of service. Now I’m looking into headphone upgrades. Lesson learned, don’t click on audio review links. Save yourself from the upgrade bug.
