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SunBearDontCare
44
Sep 28, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslide
1402
Sep 28, 2017
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SunBearDontCareI am going to tell you this;
I have both of the set-ups that you suggest,(Schiit stack vs the O2).
I Run Beyerdynamics cans, 770 all the way through the T1 Teslas, all high impedance gear,(250--600 ohm), and my personal preference is the O2, hands down.
The Schiit is QUITE nice, don't get me wrong.
But I find myself preferring the way the JDS labs gear powers them all, and I prefer the SS and the clarity of the JDS Labs gear over my Schiit.
I am purchasing the DAC/AMP combo of this drop, because I truly believe what I just said to you.
I will be shifting my Schiit gear location to an area where I am going to use it in a different set-up, with cans that are less demanding; my Grado gear, which very much loves the Schiit.
For SS gear that has a small footprint, but is big on power and has excellent build and sound, you will be very pleased with the JDS choice.
For SS gear that has a small footprint, but is big on power and has excellent build and sound, you will be very pleased with the JDS choice.
awi5951
87
Sep 28, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslideYeah i just bought a JDSlabs amp and used it with my old dac until i got a Odac revB later on it costs twice as much as this but i like it pretty good i notice a big difference in games when i use my Monolith M560 planars. I had to struggle to hear footsteps in some games but now even in BF1 with explosions going off everywhere i still hear that guy tracking behind that hill its great.
thesavage-me
10
Sep 28, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslideHow is the Magni 3 compared to the O2? (Discounting the DACs)
RareAirs
156
Sep 28, 2017
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awi5951Wait.. interesting!
So you two are actually saying this o2 amp/dac that the amp is actually better at powering headphones in your opinions than the schiit magni2? i am undecided about $150 for this or the stack so I am looking for clarity since based off 'stats' the magni should be a decent bit more powerful
TiffanyPoodleslide
1402
Sep 28, 2017
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RareAirsreally.
I believe that I prefer the sound from the JDS Labs gear to the Schiit.
Again, as I said, I have the Schiit stack,(and a bajillion of their other gear), and I gravitate to the sound provided by the JDS Labs. It feels and sounds, to my ears, a tad more crisp and lucid. I am using my Schiits with my Grados and with my Audeeze LCD2's.
Stats are one thing,my ear is another. You can have all the POWER in the world, but it doesn't always result in the sound with greater clarity. Most folks will tell you that blowing higher gain at your cans, when there's an impedance switch on the back of the amp, isn't preferred, they will tell you to use the least gain possible and still render the sound correctly. You can experiment with this yourself- plug in your cans, listen on low gain, then switch up to the higher gain and hear how the sound distorts a bit. I can power my 600 ohm DT880's and the 600 ohm T1's handily on the low setting off the O2.,(yes, you do have to turn up the volume knob then.) If I want a bit more boom, I will switch up on the gain setting.
If it's clarity you want, I do recommend the JDS.
The Element remains one of my all-time favourite JDS Labs items.
Again, as I said, I have the Schiit stack,(and a bajillion of their other gear), and I gravitate to the sound provided by the JDS Labs. It feels and sounds, to my ears, a tad more crisp and lucid. I am using my Schiits with my Grados and with my Audeeze LCD2's.
Stats are one thing,my ear is another. You can have all the POWER in the world, but it doesn't always result in the sound with greater clarity. Most folks will tell you that blowing higher gain at your cans, when there's an impedance switch on the back of the amp, isn't preferred, they will tell you to use the least gain possible and still render the sound correctly. You can experiment with this yourself- plug in your cans, listen on low gain, then switch up to the higher gain and hear how the sound distorts a bit. I can power my 600 ohm DT880's and the 600 ohm T1's handily on the low setting off the O2.,(yes, you do have to turn up the volume knob then.) If I want a bit more boom, I will switch up on the gain setting.
If it's clarity you want, I do recommend the JDS.
The Element remains one of my all-time favourite JDS Labs items.
RareAirs
156
Sep 28, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslideThanks for your response. I am mostly gaming and movies listener with headphones no higher than 250ohms unless I can EVER get the mass drop hd6xx's for $200. So with the schiit stack plus pyst cables and shipping/tax will come out to around $250 vs $150 but a long wait here
TiffanyPoodleslide
1402
Sep 28, 2017
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RareAirscheck out ebay, especially on headphones.
Headfi also has a FS section.
Many many sets of headphones can be found there, as people upgrade to ever more expensive gear... or trial different items, then move on to try something else.
I've even struck a few TRADES of gear over there.
TiffanyPoodleslide
1402
Sep 28, 2017
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TiffanyPoodleslidep.s. I don't think you need to gear UP on impedance for gaming and movies. You will not appreciate a substantial improvement in sound quality between the 250 and 600 ohms cans, not worth spending boodles more cash on it.
JamieNZ
41
Sep 29, 2017
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SunBearDontCareIt really depends on whether you are prepared to pay for it now and then wait 3 months to have your DAC/AMP delivered. If you are then this is a great deal. If not then you can spend $50 more and have a Schiit stack delivered in a few days (or $90-120 more for a JDS Labs O2+ODAC).
SunBearDontCare
44
Sep 29, 2017
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JamieNZI don't necessarily mind the wait. I'd just like to figure out whether the extra $50 or so that it would cost to buy a Schiit stack would get me equipment that's "$50 better," or whether that price difference is mostly just the cost of getting my stuff in a few days, versus a few months.
Based on what @TiffanyPoodleslide has said, I'm leaning toward getting the O2 + SDAC. The wait would give me some time to hunt down another pair of headphones, anyway.
Based on what @TiffanyPoodleslide has said, I'm leaning toward getting the O2 + SDAC. The wait would give me some time to hunt down another pair of headphones, anyway.
shimage
228
Sep 29, 2017
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SunBearDontCareThe point of the O2 wasn't to be the best. It was meant to be good enough that anything better wouldn't be audibly better (in a blind test). For the most part I think it succeeds in this regard. Magni 3 measures marginally better and has a lot more power, but unless you find the O2 doesn't get loud enough for you this doesn't really matter. O2 has more than enough power output, but sometimes not enough gain, depending on headphones, source levels, and personal tastes. Note that the gains are 0dB and 10dB for this O2. For the Magni 3, it's 6dB and 17dB. Low gains are better for efficient low impedance cans and also people that listen at low volume levels (like myself).
One last thing, no need to mention the QC25s. Any headphone with DSP and/or bluetooth is going to have a built-in amp. While it is possible to run them passively, that's really "for emergency use only".
One last thing, no need to mention the QC25s. Any headphone with DSP and/or bluetooth is going to have a built-in amp. While it is possible to run them passively, that's really "for emergency use only".
awi5951
87
Sep 30, 2017
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shimageThe power my AKG K712 pros and the fostex Mark 3's run really well on my O2 but mine is JDS Labs. Also they can blow up my Monolith M560s they dont take much to power but man they sound so good on the O2. I have to say it has more detail in the sound than my Micca origen plus but the Micca is great you can plug anything into it i use it for late night tv watching so i dont piss the neighbors off.
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* My current headphone lineup is as follows: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (32 Ohm); Bose QC 25 (Yeah, yeah, I know. I work in a loud, distracting office environment, and I purchased these solely for their outstanding noise cancellation.); and multiple pairs of VE Monk Plus earbuds. I don't own a DAC or an amp, and right now, I'm using a cheap USB sound card, because the the integrated one on my motherboard is unbearably noisy.