Fiio K9 Pro ESS vs S.M.S.L SP400 amp + S.M.S.L M400 DAC (sennheiser hd800s)

[dazkyl]

I ended up going for the sennheiser hd 800s due to its very wide soundstage. I will be using these for fps competitive gaming and movie watching.

I can either power it with the K9 Pro ESS which I can get for €700 or the S.M.S.L combo which I can get from a friend of mine for around €800 negotiable.

I know the SMSL combo costs quite a lot more when buying new. So might as well take the opportunity and go for the SMSL.

Whats your take on this and will i get better quality sound with the combo instead of the fiio?

 

[Dunring]

I've had the SP400 M400 combo and it's really good, can stay in medium gain permanently with the HD800S even if you equalize. Not a big difference in high gain mode, just a modest increase in power.
Even the SMSL DL200 I use currently with a Sabaj A20h will power those for much less cost. Even the DL200 will do it, but to equalize you'll need high gain. The M400 filter and color settings can be fun to experiment with.

 

[Konfl1kt]

dazkyl, what did you buy? I have HD800s with Jotu2 MultiBit and thinkink about K9 Pro ESS too.
Thanks.