A premier listening experience means a system that checks off most or all of the boxes for sound quality. IOW, a very spacious, open sound, with low distortion/noise, and good symmetry, clarity, and imaging. The headphones in this system should be comfortable to wear too, and not too heavy or clampy, so you can listen as long as you like.
Minimum means the lowest cost. But it still has to be well made, and something that will last. Below $1000 for everything would be great. Below $500 would be even better, if thatās possible. (But that might be a stretch.)
I am mainly looking for a new DAC, amp, and headphones btw. And will consider both open and closed, since I have use cases for both. And prefer all the components to be separate and modular (rather than a combined DAC/amp, for example), because I like to have the option of upgrading everything. Current source is a 24/48 TOSLINK optical connection. So the DAC needs to be compatible with that.
I already have a few open headphones in mind btw. The FiiO FT1 Pro, Sennheiser HD 550, and HD 490 Pro are all up there, and probably within my means at the moment. But Iāll consider any other headphones. And I generally prefer headphones that are reversible to make it easier to check the left/right symmetry. My last two headphone purchases were the AKG K553 Pro and Beyer DT 770 Pro, which are both (closed) reversible headphones, for example. Not sure if any of the open-back headphones above would meet that criteria though.
Iām less sure about new closed back headphones to replace my DT 770. But there are a few Iāve been considering as well.
If you are like me and @generic you canāt abide flakey treble or DAC artifacts. That means DAC entry level is Schiit Modi Multibit (recently discontinued) or perhaps Mimir (have not heard).
$300 list.
Iād not apply the word premier to any headphones below the HD 800 or 800 S tier, and that blows your budget from the outset. Everything Iāve ever heard below $500 has notable limitations (e.g., HD 600 with limited range and dynamics) and or really, really irritating artifacts. Stuff below $1K gets really close to delivering a premier experience, but not after comparing to the next tier up or flagship products.
I struggle with most low-end DACs (@pennstac), but can tolerate the inexpensive iFi ZenDAC pretty well. Itās rough and lacks the clarity and range of more expensive DACs, but the treble is okay.
Thank you for the replies, pennstac, GB50, and generic.
Iām in the US, and can probably get my hands on most things. I prefer to use well established vendors Iām familiar with though. Most of my recent audio purchases have been through Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Best Buy, and B&H Photo. Iāve also ordered parts direct from mfrs., like Beyerdynamic. And Iād definitely consider ordering through Headphones.com as well to support this site. Especially if the pricing is competitive. (Availability on some items Iām interested in has been a bit of an issue though on this site.) There are some good July 4th deals at Guitar Center and some other vendors right now. And Iām hoping to maybe take advantage of that, if possible.
The DAC and amp combo that Iāve looked at most seriously is the JDS Labs Atom Amp 2 and DAC Amp 2. These both look pretty good. And the DAC has both USB-C and TOSLINK. My only reservation on the Atom Amp 2 is the small amount of L/R drift in its volume control (and it is very slight, based on Amirās measurements!). I think Iād have to spend some much bigger bucks though to get something much better.
I donāt think Iād be as sensitive to flaky treble artifacts because my hearing taps out somewhere in the mid-teens kHz-wise. The main things I want in a DAC are transparency and good dynamic range, meaning low noise and distortion, and flat-flat-flat response across the frequency range. The Atom looks like it might be able to deliver on that at a very reasonable price.
The other factor to consider is that my source is 48 kHz. So any negative DAC filtering effects near the Nyquist frequency (48 kHz / 2 = 24 kHz), are likely to be well above my normal hearing range.
I wouldnāt go near the original HD 800, because itās tilted too bright for my taste. But I appreciate your takes on all the above. If $1000 is around your limit for good listening, so be it! I appreciate all the suggestions and input on this.
Maybe Iām confusing you with someone else, but I thought you also liked the 600-ohm Beyer DT 880, which is quite a bit less though.
Use both EQ and tubes. The HD 600 and 800 come alive, but they are indeed thin and too bright otherwise.
I bought the sub-$200 DT880 600 ohm edition because itās 600 ohms (very rare) and I had OTL tube amps. I was curious. It lives in a tiny listening niche and receives <2% of my usage time. With EQ and treble filtering (e.g., tissue paper in the cups), and on an OTL tube amp, the DT880 600 ohm generates vocals that are as creamy and smooth as anything Iāve ever heard. Its bass has limited depth and power, while the treble is pure razor blades and icepicks.
I use my HD 800 S on a $3K Decware amp with an EQ bass boost too, and my OG Focal Clear on a lot of stuff because itās easy to drive and the treble doesnāt bug me (but itās NOT a premier product). My HD 800 S āexperienceā competes well with the $10K to $20K flagship setups that Iāve demoed, but some are obviously better in one way or another. Some flagship setups are not obviously better, or I donāt like them at all.
Well do I know. I have both the Bifrost2 2/64 which I know you think is fine, and the Modi Multibit. The Modi is a worthy little bro of the Bifrost, and since Iāve been using it has exhibited none of those irritating artifacts, and is less rough than the ZenDac (at least my iteration of it).
@generic The DT 880 isnāt the most spacious. However, I was recently really suprised by it (250 Ohm black version) on the Qudelix T71. It needs near max volume level, but the T71 can handle that. The whole sound was very well rounded and while it wasnāt the most spacious, everything was well arranged around me, in that sense more intimate in comparison to the wide Arya Organic. It didnāt have the same detail, but still lots of well woven in. Itād not cry if that would be the only setup Iād ever have.
I put together a desktop set up this year after having a speaker/HP dedicated listening room. Iāve spent far too much money, but Iāve looked for good value proposition products and hitting the used market.
I started with a Jot2 and Modi Multibit directly from Schiit (not used) and decided to return the MM for a Bifrost. I remember the MM sounding good but opted for Bifrost 2/64 sort of for piece of mind in a way, upgradable, etc. I then grabbed a used Schiit Lyr+ with some pretty decent tubes in the package.
Iāve recently purchased a used Violectric 280 which is a def upgrade from the Jot2, throwing no shade on the Jot 2-itās no slouch, but the Vio is just better all around, but quite warm and tube like. So, to balance the sound with a more detailed/neutral ref sound, and Iāve just bought a used Headamp GSX-Mini that should arrive this week.
This year I also splurged on a Hifiman Arya unveiled (unboxed deal from HeadAmp), Focal OG and LCD-X (used market on Head-Fi). I also own a LCD-3. I donāt have any of the go to over $1500 cans that are popular, other than the LCD-3 that I purchased in 2018ish and that was used as well and has served me just fine
Iām quite pleased with the sound Iām getting now from Bifrost-Vio 280, Lyr+ and alternating my mid tier flagships as Iāll call them. Looking forward to the GSX-Mini. Iāve got to cool my jets before getting any more cans for a little while. I do covet a Gungnir2 and maybe Kara f preamp to upgrade a Nuprime DAC 10-H in my main system, but that will have to wait. Going for āknow when to hold themā mode for a little while until I can get more budget-LOL
I use the modi multibit at work to feed the Eufonika H7M OTL amp and ZMF Auteur Classics. The BF 2/64 is in my main stack at home.
Simply canāt complain about the MM performance. It doesnāt have remote or balanced output so it saves cost there. The rest of the chain is resolving enough that if the MM werenāt doing the job Iād replace it.
Wiim Pro Plus: $220 from Amazon
Schiit Valhalla 2: $280 from Schiit
Senn 6XX: $200 from Drop
Rationale: Below $500 the DAC game is difficult. Havenāt heard the Modi Multibit but fully trust @pennstac. Unfortunately, itās discontinued and not available on the closeout page. I much prefer the AKM 4493 DACs over the usual ESS in low-cost setups. Hence, the Wiim which gets you not only the AKM but a decent streamer in addition, thus freeing you from toslink for the future.
Valhalla 2 + 6XX does little wrong for amp + headphones under $500. Doesnāt have great dynamics and doesnāt have great extension at the frequency extremes, but where the music really lives it does fine. Thats for me ā timbre/tone trumps dynamics/extension.
If you didnāt have to have everything separate, you could do very well building around the JDS Labs Element IV. Built-in PEQ and lots of power, so compatible with lots of different headphones, thus more suitable for trying out different headphones in the future. But that would also lead pretty quickly to looking above the $1k mark for total system cost.
Not sure I can justify spending $300 on a DAC at this point. My last DAC was about $20, and it has served me pretty well up to now, esp. considering the price. I assume there are better things out their though.
Have you tried the Atom DAC 2 though? And what advantages do you think the Schiit MM2 would have over this, other than the additional coaxial input? This is for pennstac, and anyone else who cares to give their 2c btw.
Iām gonna need some coaxing on the Schiit hardware. But this sounds like a great setup, thatās not too far from my goal, and probably within my budget. And I am a fan of American made/built products. Though I will consider others. (I think my K553 was designed in Austria and made in China. And my DT 770 was designed in Germany. Not sure where it was made though.)
Re TOSLINK, some issues with dropout have been reported when using the Atom DAC 2ās TOSLINK input. So I might be thinking about upgrading that connection, at some point. There have been no issues though with my current ($20) DAC. And JDS Labs has a firmware fix for users who experience dropout on their Atom DAC 2, so hopefully it would work ok with my current setup.
I will look into the Wiim Pro Plus though as well.
and it has served me pretty well up to now, esp. considering the price. I assume there are better things out their though.