Not sure where to post this, I guess the Newbie is probably fitting :D

[MrC]

First off, hello and thank you for the mountain of information I have found on this forum, from the great measurements and reviews by Amir to the very helpful (mostly) comments by the rest. I have sent the last few days (since I came across the forum) reading the threads, mostly relevant to what I am looking for, but as you know, it is easy to fall down the rabbit hole and end up reading about something that is completely irrelevant

I am actually posting to get some opinions on what I am looking for as it is always helpful to get input from others and not just base purchases on reviews and measurements.

Let me say that I am not really an "audiophile" that searches for perfection in everything, I just search for audio quality that I enjoy. I have a bit of a home studio and a decent (for me) home audio system but I have always been more dedicated to the live side of music rather than the serious "sit down and listen" side of things. That means that I am a little (or a lot) lost when it comes to headphone and hi-fi setups.

The reason that I am seeking advice is that I am in need of a headphone setup for my office where I spend the majority of my day. Until recently I had studio monitors that were my main listening devices but due to some rearranging of the office space I am now looking for a more "silent" set up.

Regarding headphones, I have tried a bunch of IEM, on-ear and over ear's but I keep coming back to my preferred ATX M40x. I have a couple of pairs of these as I have been using them for mixing for a couple of years now (by changing out the pads it is possible to get a decent sound stage and a flat response which is similar to my monitors, this is probably why I prefer them, because I am used to them). I have just ordered another set (along with more brainwavz angled pads) for the office.

So, with the headphones decided, it is with the rest I am undecided. The M40x (as you all know) are easily driven headphones (32 Ohms if I remember correctly) and the sources I use in the office are not exactly super hi-fi (90% Spotify Premium in my car, office and home, except for my "Audio Zone"), however, the aparatus from which I play these are not exactly the best in HiFi either. At home, for headphone listening, I use a UMC204HD as a DAC and run this through a battery powered headphone amp (which I don't even know the brand of) which works fine, but is not really something that would win any prizes

In the office I have at my disposal (on my desk) a Lenovo laptop, Lenovo Tablet and a Xiaomi phone. All are ok for the work I do but none are really intended as music playback devices. So, I am looking for a DAC and an amp. I would like to keep it under 250€ if possible.

My first choice was to go with a Schiit Fulla 2 which would have it all in one and not take up much space. This works out around 150€. However, I did read some "not so inspiring reviews" about the Fulla 2. It is also on back order.

My alternative choice was a Modi 3 and Magni 3, which would really look cool also on my desk (I work in an audio related technological company, so I try to keep things looking relatively decent ). However, again, I have read reviews on the Modi that don't really inspire me. This would be aroung 260€ for the pair.

My last but not least choice is to pick up another UMC204HD as I know the quality of the DAC (even though I don't need any other functions) and just look for an amp. Maybe a Magni 3 would be a good match? This would keep the price below the 200€ (approx).

Anyhoo, I apologize for such a long and rambling post, it wasn't my intention to make it this long!!

Thank you in advance for any advice you may give.

 

[MrC]

I just wanted to add that I was also looking into the JDS Atom (which seems to get plenty of love around here) and pairing it with the JDS OL DAC. However, as far as I am aware, there are no EU distributors, which means the total cost would work out around $300 once factoring in shipping and import.

Would you think that it is worth it over the Schiit (which I don't think is as highly regarded)?

 

[andreasmaaan]

IMHO there's next to zero chance there will be any audible difference between the Magni and the Atom, although the Atom is objectively better. Both are probably overkill for such easy-to-drive headphones, but there's no harm in that, given they are so cheap.

The negative reviews of the Modi 3 aren't justified. It's about as good as it gets in its class. If people don't like it, that would be because they like their music audibly distorted, or for psychological reasons.

In other words, if you want the electronics to transparently reproduce the signal and the Atom is too expensive to get where you are, go for Modi 3 + Magni IMHO.

They also look good when stacked

 

[flipflop]

It sounds to me like the $12 $9 Apple USB-C would solve your problem if good audio quality is all you desire.
If you want more power, a potentiometer, or just want to spend a lot of money, consider the DACPort HD.
If you truly want something that looks cool on your desk, you need to break the bank and get JDS Labs The Element.

 

[MrC]

IMHO there's next to zero chance there will be any audible difference between the Magni and the Atom, although the Atom is objectively better. Both are probably overkill for such easy-to-drive headphones, but there's no harm in that, given they are so cheap.

The negative reviews of the Modi 3 aren't justified. It's about as good as it gets in its class. If people don't like it, that would be because they like their music audibly distorted, or for psychological reasons.

In other words, if you want the electronics to transparently reproduce the signal and the Atom is too expensive to get where you are, go for Modi 3 + Magni IMHO.

They also look good when stacked

Thanks for the input. I guess the Schiit thing is more about whether you like the brand rather than the product. To be honest, I am not a brand lover or hater, I just go with what I like. I do have a bit of a thing for Meyer Sound and for Genelec, my preferred brands, but I have no problem saying that I don't like one (or more) of their products if I find that to be the case. The same goes for other brands that I usually dislike, such as Bose, but I did come accross one speaker of theirs that I actually liked recently and I do have Bose speakers for my TV set up in the bedroom (although I am not a fan and would probably change them if I used the bedroom system more).

Regarding the Magni or the Atom being a little overkill for the M40x, I don't discard ending up with other flavours of headphones in the near future (I have never really spent 8 hours a day using headphones so I may end up getting tired of them) so I would rather not have to worry about it if I decide to pick up some other headphones that I want to try.

Thanks again.

 

[MrC]

It sounds to me like the $12 Apple USB-C would solve your problem if good audio quality is all you desire.
If you want more power, a potentiometer, or just want to spend a lot of money, consider the DACPort HD.
If you truly want something that looks cool on your desk, you need to break the bank and get JDS Labs The Element.

I didn't know the Apple USB-C adapter even existed, probably because I don't use Apple products personally. It's a shame it doesn't work on Android because it would be great to keep with the tablet for use on planes etc.

The Centrance DACPort doesn't seem to be available here, so it would be a case of shipping and importing from the US, in total the cost would be around 240$, I think that would would prefer other alternatives for that price.

For The Element, you are totally correct about breaking the bank (Total cost to my door is approximately 480$!)

Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated as I have a lot to learn in this new headphone world

 

[MrC]

After much more reading last night, and virtual window shopping, I am sort of tempted by the following:

JDL OL DAC + ATOM Amp - Works out around 300$ (around the same price as Schiit, I was getting currencies mixed up in my previous post).

TOPPING DX3Pro - Works out around 230$

SMSL AD18 - Works out around 170$ (I haven't found a review for this on here but I have seen a couple around the web that seem to give it praise).


Using the M40x I don't think their is going to be much difference (from what I read) between any of them. For looks, I prefer the JDL set up, which would probably be fine for any other headphones I should decide to try. The Topping looks like a great unit and has everything I need, I could always add an amp to it later if needed. The SMSL looks like a great little unit that has a bunch of connections (and a good price) that would make it great for my desk at work. I am not sure I would use the speaker connections (I have powered Genelecs) but who knows, they may come in useful at some point. I just wish I could find a little more in depth reviews on the SMSL.

Again, thank you for tolerating my newbie rambling

 

[maxxevv]

For a all in one solution, and your modest drive requirements, the DX3 Pro is probably the best overall. It will give you room for future headphone upgrades too.

Or if you fancy something that's portable, at your budget, the NX4 DSD.

 

[andreasmaaan]

@MrC the SMSL AD18 is a speaker amplifier so it will be wasted on your Genelecs which are active and contain their own power amplifiers (as you've noted). Also, it hasn't been measured that I'm aware of, and given all the equipment in it I think it's safe to guess that the DAC and preamp sections are well inferior to the other options you're looking at. So I'd strike that one from the list.

 

[dragonspit4]

For a all in one solution, and your modest drive requirements, the DX3 Pro is probably the best overall. It will give you room for future headphone upgrades too.

Or if you fancy something that's portable, at your budget, the NX4 DSD.

I recommend DX3 Pro as well.. only $179.99 on massdrop

 

[MrC]

For a all in one solution, and your modest drive requirements, the DX3 Pro is probably the best overall. It will give you room for future headphone upgrades too.

Or if you fancy something that's portable, at your budget, the NX4 DSD.

Thanks for the input, it seems that I have followed your advice

The DX3 Pro is scheduled to ship on Amazon at the end of the month, so I will probably pick one up when they have them ready to ship (the other alternative is to buy now and have it shipped from China but the lead time is about the same), unless I fall in love with something else first of course

So, I ordered an NX4 DSD as I think it will probably be useful to have around seeing that it works with Android. It seems like a very handy little box.

 

[MrC]

@MrC the SMSL AD18 is a speaker amplifier so it will be wasted on your Genelecs which are active and contain their own power amplifiers (as you've noted). Also, it hasn't been measured that I'm aware of, and given all the equipment in it I think it's safe to guess that the DAC and preamp sections are well inferior to the other options you're looking at. So I'd strike that one from the list.

Thanks for the advice. I would still like to give one of these a try, maybe it could replace my current amplifier that I have in my bedroom set up, but that is for a later date.

 

[MrC]

I recommend DX3 Pro as well.. only $179.99 on massdrop

I did look at the DX3 Pro on Massdrop and it is scheduled to ship very soon, the only thing is that by the time I add import duties and taxes, it works out around 230$ which is the same price as ordering from Amazon. I have never dealt with Massdrop but I am guessing that any warranty issues are easier to deal with Amazon.

Thanks for your input!

 

[MrC]

Just wanted to update to say thanks to @maxxevv for the recommendation, I received the NX4 DSD yesterday and after 24 hours of trying it out, I am very happy with the results. I have only used it with the M40x so far but the result is very positive, the bass boost seems to do a nice job also when you want a little extra boost (and the M40x handle it well also).

At this moment (at home) I can only directly compare this to the UMC204HD, the Zoom B3 (a bass pedal with USB I/O and headphone out) and the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 through these headphones and maybe it is the honeymoon period but it seems to be a lot clearer. Again, this is only using this "as is", I haven't gotten around to try just the amp section or just the DAC section yet.