First headphone build - need recommendation to pair w/ Edition XS

[Fawke]

While this is my first pair of headphones, i've been through dozens of amps/speakers for the past 15 years. Current speakers change between either the MartinLogan 35XTi or Harbeth P3ESR + Denafrips Ares II dac + Galion TS120 tube amp.

I love a large soundstage with some warmth to the mid range. I was going to opt for the HD600, but after several reviews I decided to try the Edition XS due to the lowered price and description of the sound profile.

Biggest question i have with headphones and amp/dac combos at this price range is, will i notice a difference between them? Every amp i search reviews for leads me to these forums. I come across reviews from Amirm, and I've narrowed it down to the following:

Fiio F7
SMSL DL100
SMSL RAW-MDA 1
TOPPING DX3 Pro+
Fiio K11 (or R2R)

I don't want what people describe as a "clinical", or "thin" midrange sound. Looking for a good well rounded setup. Sorry if this is another similar post of what people have asked, but I feel like a lot of these brands release new equipment every couple of months. Thanks!

 

[eddantes]

Here ya go boss:

Pick anyone. And get on with your life.

 

[DVDdoug]

Biggest question i have with headphones and amp/dac combos at this price range is, will i notice a difference between them?

Like speakers, every headphone will sound different. But with headphones there is very little correlation between price and sound quality. You can get excellent sounding headphones for a couple hundred dollars, or you can spend a lot and get not-so-good sound. And it's mostly frequency response which can be tweaked with EQ, except in some cases you can't effectively boost the bass without distorting the headphone or over-driving the headphone amplifier.

With the electronics, it's mostly about getting enough voltage/power to drive your particular headphones as loud as you want to go. And of course, whatever features you want.

I love a large soundstage with some warmth to the mid range...

...I don't want what people describe as a "clinical", or "thin" midrange sound.

That will depend on the headphone, not the electronics. Unfortunately, those "audiophile words" are not really defined. And when it comes to soundstage the most important thing is your brain. Everybody talks about it but most people don't get a realistic soundstage illusion. Headphone Soundstage Survey

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Biggest question i have with headphones and amp/dac combos at this price range is, will i notice a difference between them?

No. BUT having built-in Parametric Equalisation can make a big difference if you don't have it available elsewhere in your chain. I'm not much of a headphone user, but it's clear from reviews and comments that many headphones benefit from a small amount (and sometimes a large amount) of PEQ.

There are headphone frequency response curves based on people's preferences, but derived from comparison with a high quality loudspeaker. Harman is the best known, and Amir uses it here. In general, close alignment (or using PEQ to get to close alignment) with this curve is considered the closest to neutral reproduction.

I love a large soundstage

You almost certainly will NOT get a large soundstage with headphones. Some people do, but it depends on the shape of your ears.

 

[Von Nassau]

While this is my first pair of headphones, i've been through dozens of amps/speakers for the past 15 years. Current speakers change between either the MartinLogan 35XTi or Harbeth P3ESR + Denafrips Ares II dac + Galion TS120 tube amp.

I love a large soundstage with some warmth to the mid range. I was going to opt for the HD600, but after several reviews I decided to try the Edition XS due to the lowered price and description of the sound profile.

Biggest question i have with headphones and amp/dac combos at this price range is, will i notice a difference between them? Every amp i search reviews for leads me to these forums. I come across reviews from Amirm, and I've narrowed it down to the following:

Fiio F7
SMSL DL100
SMSL RAW-MDA 1
TOPPING DX3 Pro+
Fiio K11 (or R2R)

I don't want what people describe as a "clinical", or "thin" midrange sound. Looking for a good well rounded setup. Sorry if this is another similar post of what people have asked, but I feel like a lot of these brands release new equipment every couple of months. Thanks!

For what its worth i really can't hear much of a difference between my Fiio BTR7 (wired pcm), my SONY CDP-X505ES CD player or my SMSL RAW-MDA1 with my SONY MDR-Z7 headphones.
That said I have only really compared the SONY CD Player and the RAW-MDA1 at the same time switching between them constantly listening to the same great recording.
Could not hear a difference.

 

[jkim]

Your DAC/amp should not add coloration to the source's signal. Given these days' low-cost yet high-performance Chinese electronics, the biggest factors in sound quality are headphones and EQ'ing.

That said, the best value for money among desktop DAC/HP amp combo devices as of now is either the SMSL DL200 (my review here) or RAW-MDA 1 (Amir's review here). The RAW-MDA 1 is a little more expensive and has more digital inputs. If you do not need those additional inputs, then the DL200 is identical to the RAW-MDA 1 with respect to performance. You may read the RAW-MDA 1 adopts dual DAC chips whereas the DL200 has one. But the dual DACs may result in a 0.5 dB measurable difference in SINAD; so it should not be a consideration.