More announcements to delay me from pulling the trigger on my next iem…
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They always bring up the NEW house idea. Mine does that about once a year.LOL
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I have Hifiman Ananda cans plugged into the headphone jack of my Rotel A12. The Rotel has a Wolfson 24-bit/192kHz DAC. I am considering purchase of a SMSL M500 MarkIII. Would this be an upgrade worth the expense?
Hello, I’m new here and I’m not sure where to post a question, sorry. I just needed some advice on what DAC to buy? I am running Focal Clear Pro with a Luxman L-235 Amo, and I’m not sure if my current DAC is up to scratch with the rest of the set up? It’s a Schiit Modi 3+, I’m looking to spend anything up 1K to improve on it.
Thanks 
I use custom in-ears at the gym so they stay in - no regrets. FiR and 64 IEMs with APEX especially have great isolation.
The IEM industry moves so fast you have to keep up!
Welcome to the forum. While there are lots of DAC choices, if you like Schiit, both the original Bifrost 2 and the current Bifrost 2/64 are a clear step up and in your price range. Those of us here who did the upgrade find the 2/64 to be more resolving, but the original Bifrost 2 is no slouch and is showing up regularly on Schiit’s Closeouts page at a discount.
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As already mentioned, the Bifrost 2/64 is a solid choice. Also check out the Denafrips Ares II and Gustard x18. If you want to spend less, check out the Soncoz SGD1.
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Thanks for your help guys. Much appreciated.
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Seconding the BiFrost 2/64 here 
one of my dedicated long term DAC/AMPs for the past year.
Will be getting the 2/64 upgrade soon myself.
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Thanks for the advice. I resisted the temptation on the higher priced iems (much to my wife’s surprise) and decided to embrace the journey and sample a few things on the way. Ordered the Kato from here today, and am going to enjoy it while I watch what seems to be an explosion of new high quality iems coming out with better and better performance for the price over the next few months. Now if I can just hold off until Christmas for my next purchase. Ok, maybe November?? End of October???
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Great choice - Kato is fantastic for the money! Who knows, maybe you’ll be happy enough with it and will use that money elsewhere. Enjoy!
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Cant remember who was asking about those 1/4" to 3.5mm Stereo Headphones Adapters. was using a cheapo DISINO one from amazon. the damn thing was horrible, if my headphone jack was to far right or left, it completely cut out one side of sound. picked up a schiit audio TRRS kit for $5, yea the shipping was $9 but damn couldn’t stand that cut off bullshit any longer.
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I’m wondering if anyone could give me advice on replacing my 2021 LCD-X. The thing is, I love the sound of these headphones, but after injuring my neck slightly in a bike accident, I’d like something that’s a little more light weight and comfortable. I briefly considered the MM-500, but it sounds like they have their own comfort issues.
I listen to a wide range of music, from Steely Dan to Wu Tang Clan, but on headphones I tend to listen to a mix of modern-ish jazz (Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Jon Hassell, various ECM artists, etc.) and modern electronic (Jon Hopkins, Floating Points, Rival Consoles, Jan Jelinek, etc). I’m fairly sensitive to brighter sound signatures, so I’m wary of both Focal and HifiMan (I tried and didn’t like the Sundara long ago). My current chain is a Bifrost 2+Asgard 3+Lokius, which I quite like, and I’d prefer not to have to change that for the sake of a new headphone. I’d also prefer not to spend much more than $2000.
So it seems like my best options are ZMF, and the question is whether an Aeolus with EQ could produce something similar to what I get from the LCD-X, despite lacking the planar bass. I am a bit of a bass head, but I also like good slam, and I believe ZMF will best the X in that regard? Or should I save up for a Verite Closed? Or something else? Is there something I’m completely overlooking? Anyway, sorry to be a bit long-winded, but I’d love people’s thoughts. Thanks!
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Are you considering iems also, or just headphones?
I have a set of Dunu SA6, which are good in a pinch, but I do prefer over-ear headphones.
Two light-weight headphones I own and love are the Sennheiser HD800S and the DCA Ether 2. Before I heard the Senns, I was sure the treble wouldn’t be to my tastes. My reference point was the Focal Clears, which I found a touch sharp at times, but it turns out this was related to timbre rather than frequency response. The Senns just sound natural and ethereal to me, rather than sharp - very much ‘bright done right’. They do lack a bit of bass heft though, but I still ultimately preferred them to the Clears for all genres, including electronica.
The Ether 2s share the LCD X’s ‘restrained’ ear gain, and this isn’t to everyone’s tastes, and they’re not as dynamic and percussive as Focals or ZMFs. However, they have extremely controlled, linear bass, and I find this really enjoyable for electronica and what little rock I listen to. The slightly dark treble is also very well suited to late evening listening, when my hearing is most sensitive. I’ve used the analogy before, but it’s like studying reflections in a perfectly still, dark lake. They also weigh only 290 grammes, so nail your brief from that perspective.
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With a $2K budget, you could do Nectarsound Hive eStat and have enough for a decent estat amp - especially if you are willing to buy used on the amp. It’s a path less travelled, yes. But even after getting my Rosson RAD-O, I think the Hive is as good, but in a slightly different way. A touch less slam, but faster. I listen to the same mix of modern-ish Jazz, and the Hive’s really shine on that content. They have a very neutral sound signature to my ears, producing shimmer with cymbals not by sibilance but because of their speed. Not irritating at all. Thinking of Hancock’s Head Hunter, Weather Report’s Sweetnighter, and even Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain from Davis. All standouts. Hey, maybe I just like the music…when I’m listening on the Hive, I forget about the headphones. Which is the idea.
And they are very lightweight, like most e-stats.
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Like you, I own Schiit Bifrost 2 DAC, Schiit Asgard 3 amp and the ZMF Aeolus headphones. That amp and headphone paired together will not synergize well. The Asgard 3 is warm sounding as is the Aeolus. The combination of the two results in overly muffled mellow performance. I wouldn’t do it unless you upgrade at least to an Schiit Jotunheim 2 amp switched to low gain or perhaps pick up a tube amp.
I previously owned the LCD-2 Classic and couldn’t get past the excessive jaw clamp and weight. They sounded okay to me at the time, but I never used them much because of instant jaw pain. I’d therefore try the LCD-5 generation with smaller cups, but pass on the rest of the Audeze line.
I too have the HD 800 S – this is a good summary of the sound: natural and ethereal. IMO they require either a bass boost and/or tube amp to thicken the timbre and bring the sound closer to center and the foreground. It’s not a big deal to me, as many or most headphones struggle with bass. I find myself using them a lot more than the OG Clear, but it’s a different beast and works well for some genres. For me the HD 800 S is more comfortable than the also pretty comfortable Clear.
My most common chain is Bifrost 2/64 → Loki with a bass boost → Bottlehead Crack → HD 800 S. I also like the 800 S on the Lyr 3 and RebelAmp too (same chain otherwise).
The HD 800 S has enormous ear cups. On one hand they overtake your head and limit movement, but they aren’t heavy, aren’t clampy, and don’t draw my attention when wearing them. I struggle to justify an upgrade, as they reach the point of diminishing returns for headphone stage and presentation.
So many hobbies, so little time.