Should I get this or Magni 2 for HD 6XX? This amp seems to be a pretty good choice, but Magni is a very popular amp too, and it's noticeably more powerful. Is there a significant quality difference between them, or they're at about the same 'level'?
iatsbohdanI bet that on paper O2 would be better than Magni 2 but there is almost no chance you will hear any difference in real life. Get O2 if you want black box or get Modi 2 if you want silver box on your table.
iatsbohdanThey are pretty much the same level. Neither has optimal power output for the HD6XX. While O2 has better quality output, Magni has higher output. It's a tough call, the HD6XX will certainly sound better with the additional power, but if you wanted to expand your headphone collection you'd be more glad to have an O2 instead.
compuguyHeh, the only option still available is the 220v Desktop model with medium gain, which is the one I'd want despite my doubts about the included 220v power supply.
Maybe it's a sign...
JackulaI'm planning to use Fiio X5 2nd gen as a source and DAC, and in case of getting some other, less power hungry headphones, I will plug them directly into the player, so I need a desktop amp only for hard to drive headphones like 6XX. If neither one of the mentioned amps is good enough, what would you recommend to buy?
iatsbohdanYou'd be spending quite a bit more for an amp with optimal power output for the HD6XX. Personally I would recommend the Lake People G103-S ($315 + 10% off atm). The balanced version is about $60 more but I wouldn't recommend it since you'll need a balanced DAC (more money), balanced cable (more money) and yields almost no sonic improvement.
Someone might chirp in here and say "But but but I've got a Schiit Jot and balanced output sounds so much better than single-ended". It's not true. It would sound the same watt for watt. But they get a sonic upgrade going to balanced output because it can supply optimal power to the HD6XX, the unbalanced output on the same amp cannot.
JackulaThank you for the advice, but I'm afraid the amp that you're suggesting is way out of my audio budget right now. I think I'll buy Magni, and maybe upgrade at some point later. I'm not trying to get 100% out of 6XX's, 95-98% would be absolutely fine with me.
iatsbohdanI enjoy the O2 and the Magni 2 (uber) but the Magni generates a lot of heat. The O2 stays cool. They both drive My HD600's and 650's without a sweat. This is a great deal for this amp. I see they don't have the USA power version anymore. Sad.