Budget: No more than $250 USD all up.
Hi, I've owned a Schiit Magni 2 and Modi 2 since Dec 2014 and while they have served me well, the DAC is unfortunately failing to work most of the time now. I've also always been concerned that the channel balance of the amplifier isn't quite right, so I wouldn't mind getting a new amp either.
A couple of years ago I saw the measurements on this forum for the Modi 2 and how terrible it performed, so I guess it'd be nice to have a component that is better engineered.
I will primarily be listening with my headphones at my desktop. My main requirement is that the amp can cleanly handle up to +20dB of a sub-bass boost. Before you ask, I listen at low volumes and depending on the bass extension and seal of the headphone, I want to allow up to +20dB even if that may seem excessive. For reference, my Magni 2 does this just fine with my ATH-MSR7. On the other hand, the Qudelix 5K I had could not tolerate even up to +12dB (I'm guessing more power is needed for such a substantial boost?). As well as that, I might buy a headphone in the future that is much more power hungry than my MSR7, so I do need to make sure I have an adequate amount of power.
Because I listen at relatively low volumes, I'm quite concerned about channel imbalance. This is why I was considering going for a DAC/AMP combo (like the Fiio K5 Pro), due to digital attenuation in the DAC for perfect channel balance. I've read that going for anything with a potentiometer (hope that's the right word) is a gamble; but supposedly JDS paid close attention to this with the new Atom Amp+ so that might be an okay option for me?
Finally, I should mention that I can't even use the headphone jack on my computer because of how noisy it is (sounds like I can hear creepy CPU noises lol); and I've read that some users on this forum have had grounding issues with some of Topping's DACs (I specifically was looking at the D10s). Because I know my motherboard already has existing noise issues, is that potentially going to have an impact if I get a Topping D10s (or any DAC for that matter)?
Hi, I've owned a Schiit Magni 2 and Modi 2 since Dec 2014 and while they have served me well, the DAC is unfortunately failing to work most of the time now. I've also always been concerned that the channel balance of the amplifier isn't quite right, so I wouldn't mind getting a new amp either.
A couple of years ago I saw the measurements on this forum for the Modi 2 and how terrible it performed, so I guess it'd be nice to have a component that is better engineered.
I will primarily be listening with my headphones at my desktop. My main requirement is that the amp can cleanly handle up to +20dB of a sub-bass boost. Before you ask, I listen at low volumes and depending on the bass extension and seal of the headphone, I want to allow up to +20dB even if that may seem excessive. For reference, my Magni 2 does this just fine with my ATH-MSR7. On the other hand, the Qudelix 5K I had could not tolerate even up to +12dB (I'm guessing more power is needed for such a substantial boost?). As well as that, I might buy a headphone in the future that is much more power hungry than my MSR7, so I do need to make sure I have an adequate amount of power.
Because I listen at relatively low volumes, I'm quite concerned about channel imbalance. This is why I was considering going for a DAC/AMP combo (like the Fiio K5 Pro), due to digital attenuation in the DAC for perfect channel balance. I've read that going for anything with a potentiometer (hope that's the right word) is a gamble; but supposedly JDS paid close attention to this with the new Atom Amp+ so that might be an okay option for me?
Finally, I should mention that I can't even use the headphone jack on my computer because of how noisy it is (sounds like I can hear creepy CPU noises lol); and I've read that some users on this forum have had grounding issues with some of Topping's DACs (I specifically was looking at the D10s). Because I know my motherboard already has existing noise issues, is that potentially going to have an impact if I get a Topping D10s (or any DAC for that matter)?