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gotmoosefur
54
May 28, 2018
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Alright, I gave in and got a pair because everyone fucking loves these and I'm ready for some quality sound! I need to get a DAC / AMP, b/c of that 300 ohm there. Now I know everyone has their personal opinions. I have been reading for over 4 hours, different threads, articles on solid state vs tube amps. I don't know what to think, TOO MANY DIFF OPINIONS.
Getting as basic as possible. What would the average person get to power these? A Schiit stack (Magni 3/Modi 2 or Vali 2/Modi 2?) Or should I look at O2, Garage 1217, what has everyone else been doing.
I really don't want to spend $400 for a Speedball Bottlehead. I just put $200 down and I'd like to keep it cheap, but I don't want to upgrade for a long while.Thanks
May 28, 2018
ridhuankim
669
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurGet an O2+SDAC combo and consider it done.
May 28, 2018
MasudRana
39
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurYou can consider Aune X1s, I am really impressed by its clarity and quality of sound. 6th gen of X1s has more than enough power to drive HD6xx. All in one solution for 200$, with future upgrade options with X7s.
May 28, 2018
Vojta.pokorny
52
May 28, 2018
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ridhuankimAs someone who owns that (O2+SDAC), I can confirm it's more than enough to drive these comfortably. Want basic for good price, go with the O2
May 28, 2018
Svenons_StriXx
3
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurI just picked these up as well for precisely the same reasons as yourself. I picked up the stock Little Dot MKii amp along with a FiiO Taishan D03K fax. Simple and cost effective and has performed amazingly so far. I am still waiting for my 6xx to arrive so I haven't gotten to test them with this set up but it is driving my hyperX revolvers way beyond anything that I could have ever imagined.
May 28, 2018
Svenons_StriXx
3
May 28, 2018
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Svenons_StriXxAll for around 170$
May 28, 2018
Svenons_StriXx
3
May 28, 2018
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Svenons_StriXxI am about as average and beginner as you can get and absolutely on a budget, I also read a lot like you are doing but had to make my own decisions based on my budget and I assure you that I have no regrets so far other than not picking up some different tube's yet to try. What ever you choose I am sure that you can find great information here in these forums. I also checked out Zeos channel on YouTube, he has some great product reviews although his style is a bit all over the place but they are honest and fairly well respected amongst the audiophile community. Once again I am a complete noob, and just beginning myself. I think that I made some pretty good choices tho considering my budget restrictions and the fact that my intentions are primarily for gaming. Cheers
May 28, 2018
TiffanyPoodleslide
1402
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurAside from the fact that your query is only going to result in a thread that offers you, again, TOO MANY DIFF OPINIONS....... ;)
I think, for your specific needs and budget that you really can't go wrong with the O2 DAC/amp that's been offered here on Massdrop. Those cans don't really need a tube amp to make them sound warm and beautiful, and the O2 will complement them beautifully and at a nice price point. I like the O2 on my Sennheisers very much.
Congrats on making a good headphones purchase.

Cheers!
May 28, 2018
Tatonis
49
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurI am still waiting for my lcx/sdac combo to arrive. I have compared my 6xx to my HyperX cloud 2 ( with 7.1 sound card ) and Fostex T20RP MK3. The 7.1 sound card is my dac/amp for now, so I suppose not a ton of power and a cheap dac. But, in gaming, I activate the windows 7.1 surround and then launch AC Origin. The immersion was even better when I was activating the soundcard 7.1 button. Volume was plenty and it sounds good too. The T20RP was underpowered I will say, and I was not happy to game on. Between the HyperX CloudII and the 6XX, the 6XX give a sensation that the sound is not recessed, not pressurized. The Cloud 2 feels defenitively close and worse after the test. So I c'ant answer your question for now, but I will say that with more power they will shine even more and sound fuller. I will just say that you don't know what you don't ear! So spend the most you can afford on something powerfull, recommended and well built.
May 28, 2018
hug.h
78
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurGarage1217 good amps priced above $200. For starter i'd recommend Vali 2/Modi 2 stack (Schiit is currently offering B-Stock Vali 2 at $99) or Magni 3/Modi 2 if you don't want to deal with tube.
May 28, 2018
Tatonis
49
May 28, 2018
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hug.hBest bang for your buck! But for music a tube amp opens up sound stage even more on my Darkvoice 336se with the 6XX So a Vali 2 should be better. The 6XX can take around 500mw max power. The Vali 2 is 270mw at 300ohms and twice powerfull than the Aune X1s at 32 ohms, so it should be fine. Aune X1S ( 10th anniversary ) have a good dac, and the amp power is 200mw at 300ohms. So as he said, Vali 2 and Modi 2.
May 28, 2018
timothom
85
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurI enjoy the Massdrop CTH with my HD 6xx. I like it better than the Magni 3. But there's not that much of a difference...it's slight.
As far as DACs go...don't spend much on them. They all pretty much sound the same, the difference is splitting hairs.
Good luck and enjoy your new cans. I still really like mine and I'm glad I got them.
May 28, 2018
TheRealGYK
25
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurI’m going to be running them off of a portable Topping NX4 amp/dac until my pc gets fixed and I buy a great desktop amp/dac. I’m not too worried about getting to my “eargasm” experience, it’ll happen eventually. I bought hd558’s and dipped my toe into what better audio has to offer. Then I bought the NX4 and got a taste of how it can i mprove, so in good time. All good :) How does this sound to y’all though?
May 28, 2018
Brigar
28
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurI’m driving mine with a Massdrop O2 objective amp and a Topping D10 DAC. Good pairing. The SDAC would be great if it would drop. Take a look at JDS labs OL DAC and OL Switcher.
May 28, 2018
nurall
14
May 28, 2018
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gotmoosefurSounds great with a schiit fulla 2
May 28, 2018
MarcSpence
180
May 28, 2018
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ridhuankimI envy the people that can be done...haha...but yeah, a 6xx and 02, aune, schiit stack for less than 1k is one hell of a deal!
May 28, 2018
Helpbot
310
May 28, 2018
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timothomThis x1000. Don't waste too much on your money on a dac. Honestly if you like bass, just get a tube amp and call it a day. If you want something to keep its weight as a reference monitor, then don't get a tube amp.
May 28, 2018
Jackula
1743
May 29, 2018
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Guys, please keep on topic! The OP only wants 1 opinion.
May 29, 2018
Swifter
1
May 29, 2018
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gotmoosefura chug jug
May 29, 2018
NotABot
424
May 29, 2018
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gotmoosefurJust get a stack. Schiit resale value is high, and moves fast on the secondhand market if you want to change later.
At this level, I really don't think it's worth obsessing over specific models, especially if you are previously used to headphones driven out of a phone or a computer.
May 29, 2018
Toothless_Snake
251
May 29, 2018
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ridhuankimwhere do you get this?
May 29, 2018
ridhuankim
669
May 29, 2018
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Toothless_SnakeGet... what...? O2+SDAC would drop here again in the future. O2 Amp alone is already available. You can buy that to pair with other DAC too.
May 29, 2018
hug.h
78
May 29, 2018
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ridhuankimI doubt SDAC would drop again. Grace seems to focus on their own product now rather than Massdrop Drop (like the M9XX become M900 no longer Massdrop exclusive). Grace might release SDAC again, but without Massdrop they probably won't hit $80 price point.
May 29, 2018
Vojta.pokorny
52
May 29, 2018
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Jackula*complains there's too many opinions on the internet*
Gets too many opinions
May 29, 2018
cpicco
17
May 29, 2018
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gotmoosefurCongrats on joining the group of us that love these. I have an O2 and a Bottlehead, and love the sound on both of them. I do use the O2 quite frequently to drive them and have a very strong love for this little amp. I also dig the SMSL DAC line that you occasionally find here on Massdrop. I use one now exclusively on my video and love how it even makes streamed video sound. It has a good headphone amp on it and it does a good job at being like an audio Swiss Army Knife. One other very strong recommendation that I haven't seen much of here are the ifi DAC line. They have some killer headphone DAC amps. I have one of their Bluetooth set ups and love the way it sounds I only wish it had a headphone jack. I was considering their new xDSD. Another great low cost recommendation is just getting an AQ Dragonfly even the black model sounds great. Funny I actually started looking at the Schiit products when I started but I have yet to take the dive and buy some of their products, although I am a huge fan of their sound.
As you can see it's a slippery slope. I found myself buying lots of different set ups and I will say I like them all for different purposes.
May 29, 2018
dbcher
32
May 29, 2018
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gotmoosefurThis is what I plan on buying.... A Schiit Modi2 and a Schiit Vali2
But, since right now my motherboard is capable of powering 600ohm headphones, I will hold off a bit to let the wallet cool down (and the wife as well)
May 29, 2018
ridhuankim
669
May 30, 2018
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dbcherYes, cooling down wife is top priority!!!
May 30, 2018
Eli35
653
May 30, 2018
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dbcherYour motherboard (and any device) might be able to drive 600 ohm headphones, but the volume (and bass, and overall sound quality) won't be near as good as using a dedicated amp.
If you're looking for a budget stack with hybrid amp, maybe you should look at the Topping D30 DAC & Little Dot I+ amp. I've got these, and it works wonders with a lot of headphones: from low impedance planars like HE-4XX, to high impedance dynamics like HD6XX, it provides more than enought juice while adding that little extra warmth that solid state amps usually lack. And the ability to roll cheap tubes and opamps easily found on eBay, is a huge bonus for the LD I+ too, allowing you to improve / customize the sound according to the headphones you're using and/or your personal taste. The D30 measures substantially better than the Modi 2 for a similar price (even lower), and also offers more input & output options, dedicated power input instead of USB power (less electrical noise) and you can stack a LD I+ on top (the Modi 2 might be a bit too short for that).
Last advice, if you wanna "keep it cool enought" to prevent being exiled to the couch, you should get the amp first and use your mobo as a DAC (line out, rear, not front headphone's out).
May 30, 2018
gryphon1911
2
May 30, 2018
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gotmoosefurI'm going to be using a little Dot Mk II work mine. $160 from Amazon.
May 30, 2018
blondinblue
2
May 30, 2018
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gotmoosefurI have a friend who owns these, and just today I tested out my Fulla 2 with them and it pairs wonderfully. Definitely (obviously) a huge step up in both max volume and audio quality (especially for driving the lower frequencies and helping to widen the dynamics a bit) over plugging then straight into your computer/phone (which I can’t really recommend at all). And no ground noise comes from this thing, either, which is great.
That said, I don’t have a Magni/Modi to compare it to, but if you have an extra $100 lying around and want some extra overhead, or you want to be able to make your ears bleed with these things (in a literal sense), those may be a good option as well.
May 30, 2018
gotmoosefur
54
Jun 1, 2018
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ridhuankimLooking at specs though they are nearly the same and I went and compared sound, they're so similar I couldn't tell the difference... I'm not a true audiophile, but still
Jun 1, 2018
Svenons_StriXx
3
Jun 1, 2018
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gryphon1911The little dot MKii is excellent starting point, I love mine. The FiiO DAC Do3k is extremely accurate and does the job and is only 25$ with the RCA and fiber optic cable's included and is better than any motherboard out there. Just can't wait for my Hd6xx to get here.
Jun 1, 2018
gryphon1911
2
Jun 1, 2018
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Svenons_StriXxI'm currently using FiiO e10k as a DAC into the LD MK II. Much better than the generic Realtek sound card in my current computers.
Jun 1, 2018
MRphotographycom
71
Nov 7, 2019
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cpiccoAwesome, I ordered the XdSd so I should have a good idea next week how it sounds and performs with the 6XX's. I did lots of research and wanted something with Bluetooth capability and everything I read sounded like these had very little distinguishable loss if wanting to run bluetooth on the go. Looking forward to giving it a listen next week!
Nov 7, 2019
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