Hey all, i've been lurking around for a bit so i'm finally posting something.
I've recently got a pair of HE400se, and so i now need a desktop amp to drive them properly. I've been driving them with my fiio x3ii for now, and while it works reasonably well, it definitely isn't an ideal setup, and from what i've read the headphones seem to scale quite well with a better amplification.
That is why i started looking for either a entry leve dac/amp combo or a stack. At first i was considering the zen dac v2 (not gonna lie, that 4.4 balanced connection was the main reason), then i found out about ASR, started looking at the various reviews, and then decided to go for a DX3 pro+, then i saw the aune X1s GT, as it measured quite well and was recommended by Amir, and had the added balanced outputs, but it'd cost 80-100€ more, so it's still a toss between it and the topping. Then i recently found out about the entry level stack from SMSL (su-6 + sh-6) and things got even more confusing .
To add to that, i'm now thinking of planning ahead for the next purchase, monitors. So i now have to decide if i want to go the active or passive way, to in turn decide i'f i'll need a speaker amp or not.
Now, for the questions i have:
1) Balanced vs SE: I'm still not too sure wether or not going balanced would be a better idea right now. If i take the DX3 pro+ as a reference, getting a comparable balanced combo or stack to drive both the headphones and the monitors would be significantly more expensive. What would be the actual advantages other than avoiding eventual ground loop issues?
2) Passive vs Active monitors: which way would grant me the best bang for my buck? I guess ideallygoing the active way might be the smart choice on a tighter budget, as the integrate amps should be ideally (or at least almost ideally) matched to the monitor's characteristics. Thet's the idea i have, anyway, is that true or going passive would actually be the smarter choice here? Tho from what i'm seeing most of the recomended passive monitors in my budget (300-350€) seem difficult to find or more expensive than they should be around here, so going active might end up being the only possible choice. In that case i'd be looking mostly at the adam t5v or in alternative the krk rp5 g4. I'd be using them as near field monitors on my desk, at 20/30cm from the wall (i know, not ideal, but i don't have much room to work with), spaced around 1m from each other (again, space is at a premium here) with a PC monitor between them. Not sure if it'd be better to go with a front ported design (RP5 G4) or rear ported (t5v).
I hope this first post wasn't too rambly, and i want to thank you all in advance for any kind help i might receive .
I've recently got a pair of HE400se, and so i now need a desktop amp to drive them properly. I've been driving them with my fiio x3ii for now, and while it works reasonably well, it definitely isn't an ideal setup, and from what i've read the headphones seem to scale quite well with a better amplification.
That is why i started looking for either a entry leve dac/amp combo or a stack. At first i was considering the zen dac v2 (not gonna lie, that 4.4 balanced connection was the main reason), then i found out about ASR, started looking at the various reviews, and then decided to go for a DX3 pro+, then i saw the aune X1s GT, as it measured quite well and was recommended by Amir, and had the added balanced outputs, but it'd cost 80-100€ more, so it's still a toss between it and the topping. Then i recently found out about the entry level stack from SMSL (su-6 + sh-6) and things got even more confusing .
To add to that, i'm now thinking of planning ahead for the next purchase, monitors. So i now have to decide if i want to go the active or passive way, to in turn decide i'f i'll need a speaker amp or not.
Now, for the questions i have:
1) Balanced vs SE: I'm still not too sure wether or not going balanced would be a better idea right now. If i take the DX3 pro+ as a reference, getting a comparable balanced combo or stack to drive both the headphones and the monitors would be significantly more expensive. What would be the actual advantages other than avoiding eventual ground loop issues?
2) Passive vs Active monitors: which way would grant me the best bang for my buck? I guess ideallygoing the active way might be the smart choice on a tighter budget, as the integrate amps should be ideally (or at least almost ideally) matched to the monitor's characteristics. Thet's the idea i have, anyway, is that true or going passive would actually be the smarter choice here? Tho from what i'm seeing most of the recomended passive monitors in my budget (300-350€) seem difficult to find or more expensive than they should be around here, so going active might end up being the only possible choice. In that case i'd be looking mostly at the adam t5v or in alternative the krk rp5 g4. I'd be using them as near field monitors on my desk, at 20/30cm from the wall (i know, not ideal, but i don't have much room to work with), spaced around 1m from each other (again, space is at a premium here) with a PC monitor between them. Not sure if it'd be better to go with a front ported design (RP5 G4) or rear ported (t5v).
I hope this first post wasn't too rambly, and i want to thank you all in advance for any kind help i might receive .