advice on dac/amp/phono options from Schiit

[YCdubber]

Hi, I am looking at a solution for my PC, currently using an old JVC mini stereo. Recently bought some Drop HD6XX and I am also considering adding one of my vintage turntables (Akai AP206 or Realistic Lab-400). First purchase I want to do is a DAC\AMP and maybe something with Phono, last purchase will most likely be a pair of monitors using the preamp output on the headphone amps.

I've been looking at a few different options, lean towards Schiit at the moment.

Curious if one of the following options is a lot better than the others, or does it just come down to price and how many separate devices I want. They all seem to be around the same price.
1- Schiit Magni 3 Heresy\Modi 3 stack, then later add a Mani and Sys to switch between sources. pro's, don't have to buy all at once, cons I end up with 4 different boxes and the Sys doesn't come in black so they won't all match. 380$ US.
2 - Schiit Asgard 3 with Phono Card and a Modi 3. I can all get them in the same color and only end up with 2 boxes, just a larger initial investment. 450$ US
3 - Schiit Asgard 3 with DAC addon and separate Mani, haven't really thought about this one but figured I would throw it in there. 430$ US
4 - Emotiva PT-100, its a DAC, Headphone Amp, Preamp and Phono all in one, offers free shipping to Canada which is nice. It was the first product I looked into, but doesn't seem to be a lot of info out there on it. 329$ US

Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[AustinsGuitar]

I recommend Geshelli Labs Archel2 amp over anything schiit has ever made. It's cheap and great 130 dollars right now from their site. literally legendary!

There is a review on here about it https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...hel2-headphone-amp-review-another-champ.9438/

As for the dac, I believe the modi3 is competent enough. I also own a pair of hd650's like you. I think this will be an interesting adventure for you. I am fine with my creative sound blasterx ae-5 sound card powering mine. because it can push 1 watt per channel at 300 ohms.

 

[YCdubber]

Thanks for the recommendation, not sure if I can get past the look, but they do seem to offer some customization so that it nice and free shipping to Canada which is also a plus.

I am currently using the front panel headphone jack, my board is a Gigabyte GA-AX370-Gaming K5 with a ALC 1220 120dB SNR HD Audio with Smart Headphone Amp, no idea if that's any good.

 

[AustinsGuitar]

Hmm if you wanted to you could use your sound card as a dac into a competent amplifier. But there may be a ton of noise coming out of that... your motherboard might say 120snr but the noise floor will be very very high, meaning you could hear it out of the phones. happened with my supposed 122snr motherboard audio from msi. motherboard audio is always bad, and i have been through like 20 in my days. oh and the front panal outputs are the worst! try it though the back and see if that makes a difference.

 

[YCdubber]

I did use the back panel at first, doesn't leave a lot of room to move around on my desk chair.

correct me if I am wrong here, but the Geshelli Labs Archel2 doesnt' have a preamp right? just inputs on the back. Unfortunately that doesn't really work for me as I also want to be able to upgrade my speakers later.

 

[JJB70]

In fairness, although I find some of the comments you can find from the Schiit principals reprehensible and found their slapdash approach to manufacturing (such as lack of earning on electrical devices) rather disappointing I have to admit their newer products look very good and excellent value for money. Not sure I would buy as i would rather support companies without their "shoot the messenger" baggage but from a technical and value perspective I can understand the attractiveness of their newer gear.

 

[bravomail]

Curious if one of the following options is a lot better than the others, or does it just come down to price and how many separate devices I want. They all seem to be around the same price.
1- Schiit Magni 3 Heresy\Modi 3 stack, then later add a Mani and Sys to switch between sources. pro's, don't have to buy all at once, cons I end up with 4 different boxes and the Sys doesn't come in black so they won't all match. 380$ US.
.

I will comment on what I own. Modi3/Magni3 (nonHeresy) will win.

 

[bravomail]

I am currently using the front panel headphone jack, my board is a Gigabyte GA-AX370-Gaming K5 with a ALC 1220 120dB SNR HD Audio with Smart Headphone Amp, no idea if that's any good.

It will work. But if u get modi3/magni3 u will never look back. U will need some good headphones. Open - I can suggest AKG K7xx, closed - Audiotechnica M40x.

 

[YCdubber]

I know that I won't be disappointed with the Magni\Modi stack compared to my PC's onboard audio, currently running HD6XX headphones and will eventually get a set of closed backs as well, not sure what yet.

I guess I am just looking for clarification if there are any real differences in the following 2 solutions. If not I will pick one and that will be it.

1- Schiit Magni 3 Heresy\Modi 3 stack, then later add a Mani and Sys to switch between sources. pro's, don't have to buy all at once, cons I end up with 4 different boxes and the Sys doesn't come in black so they won't all match. 380$ US.
2 - Schiit Asgard 3 with Phono Card and a Modi 3. Asgard provides more power which I may not actually need. I can all get them in the same color and only end up with 2 boxes, just a larger initial investment. 450$ US

 

[YCdubber]

In fairness, although I find some of the comments you can find from the Schiit principals reprehensible and found their slapdash approach to manufacturing (such as lack of earning on electrical devices) rather disappointing I have to admit their newer products look very good and excellent value for money. Not sure I would buy as i would rather support companies without their "shoot the messenger" baggage but from a technical and value perspective I can understand the attractiveness of their newer gear.

I've only started looking for a AMP\DAC combo about a month ago, so I've only seen their latest reviews which seem to be very good as you've said. I like that they have a full line of products that cover anything that I would possibly need if I really want to have the same look and feel thru all the audio gear and I really like their design. I also like JDS LAB's design, they simply don't offer as many products for turntables, speaker amps ect. While one might be better than the other on paper, I am sure I won't notice any difference , therefore I prefer to go with the ones that I find looks better and offer more potential products\solutions if anything changes.

 

[Kadent]

I might be a little late, but I’d figure I can give my opinion of it makes your decision a bit easier.

I owned the Asgard 3 with it’s DAC module for a bit over a month, and I’m certainly very happy with it. I have Denon D5200 headphones which don’t need anywhere near the power that it outputs to make sound, but it greatly improves the sound. Bass is much more controlled and everything feels more natural with the added power.

As for the integrated DAC, it doesn’t receive good marks here on ASR, but honestly it performs well above our hearing and I take the added convenience of it. If you’re coming from say a MacBook, skip the dac I didn’t notice a huge difference, however if you have a mediocre motherboard then the difference is clear. I also run the pre-outs to my amplifier and it works lovely. I don’t see myself ever using high gain, however your mileage may vary. The noise floor is non-existent on low gain even with sensitive stuff, but it does get noticeable on high gain.

My future plans are to get a Bifrost, which many consider is an endgame dac, and sell the Asgard dac card and replace it with the phono module as I am currently building up a records collection.

Sorry for the long post, if you have any questions feel free to ask

Kaden