Schiit Stack ordered... going down the computer audiophile rabbit hole!

[TomDac]

75% of the time I'm listening to music, it's on the computer (Mac Mini) using Audirvana and my headphones. Decided today to pull the trigger on an external dac and headphone amp, so I ordered a Schiit Stack.. Modi 3 and Magni 3+

Currently using my Sony MDR-ZX770BN noise cancelling bluetooth headphones. I'm using the supplied cable instead of bluetooth because the battery runs out after about 8 hours. I may look at some other headphones at some point.. Suggestions are appreciated My budget is < $500

 

[amey01]

75% of the time I'm listening to music, it's on the computer (Mac Mini) using Audirvana and my headphones. Decided today to pull the trigger on an external dac and headphone amp, so I ordered a Schiit Stack.. Modi 3 and Magni 3+

Currently using my Sony MDR-ZX770BN noise cancelling bluetooth headphones. I'm using the supplied cable instead of bluetooth because the battery runs out after about 8 hours. I may look at some other headphones at some point.. Suggestions are appreciated My budget is < $500

Stax. But then half the stuff you bought is useless.

On a more pragmatic note - there are a few models of RHA IEM that will fit your budget, and they sound awesome for the money. What about Oppo PM-3 / PM-1 (if you can find any)?

 

[TomDac]

I'm looking for an over the ear solution, Amey.. Thanks.

 

[JonFo]

Hi Tom, good choice to go for wired headsets and a decent DAC / Amp combo.

I also recently bought a Schiit stack (Fulla 2 / Magni 3+), along with an Electrostatic headset.

So the Electrostat is the Monoprice Monolith ES (see, matches my ML Monolith in naming ), which was on such a massive sale ($350), I impulse bought them, then figured out what else I needed.

They are decent headphones, quite comfortable to wear for extended periods. Clarity of the mids and highs are as expected from an ES design, solo piano sounds fabulous. The cups of the earpieces are plastic, and when manipulated sound just like a plastic cup over the ears, but when just listening, it is transparent. The cables (one to each cup) can induce a bit of mechanical cord noise, but in general, no worse than many other wired over-the-ear headsets.

So far, there only two negatives: 1- Need an Amp that can deliver plenty of power. The Magni 3+ can, so that's solved. 2- Weak bass. But some of that can be due to low-hours, supposedly they improve after a few dozen hrs. I fixed it with some EQ in the Mac.

So no, they ain't no Stax, but for the money I paid, a solid headset so far. I need to put a lot more time on them.

One thing I did notice is the high-voltage energizer is sensitive to EMI, as if placed too close to wall-wart transformers, it picks up some noise.
Unlike the pic, I now keep it well away from all the other gear in the office, and it's clean.

Oh, and as shown in this pic, lots and lots of wires ...

 

[TomDac]

Thanks Jonathan!! Please let me know how you like them after some more hours. Never heard of that brand.

 

[twich54]

Wow, a lot of guys in the Schitt this time of year ..............

 

[TomDac]

got my Schiit stack today... connected them to my Mac Mini using supplied USB cable. "Schiit Modi 3" appears in the audio dropdown on the Mac. Selected it and then opened Audirvana... Selected it there, which then de-selected it on the Mac. I've connected the Modi to the Magni with my leftover Audioquest King Cobra RCA's... I'm listening to Yes' Fragile (Steven Wilson remaster) and must say that there is an immediate noticeable difference in sound quality. YAY

Holy cow.. at the end of "We Have Heaven" when you hear the footsteps running out of the room... HOLY COW! so much more detailed. Amazing.

 

[JonFo]

Wow, a lot of guys in the Schitt this time of year ..............

Oh yeah, the wife saw the new setup in the office and after I tried to sell it with 50% off on the headphones, and a good deal on the rest, and that all that is way cheaper than the Stax I really wanted, she told me the same thing my new DA says when selecting it on my Mac:

 

[JonFo]

got my Schiit stack today... must say that there is an immediate noticeable difference in sound quality. YAY ...

Congrats Tom, glad the results are good.

BTW- The naming of the Fulla DA unit is a lot more entertaining (see above)

 

[TomDac]

ROFL. that's hilarious. I've been doing some research on headphones in my budget and pulled the trigger on a pair of Sennheiser HD6XX cans from Massdrop (now just called "drop"). I think they will be an improvement over the Sony's i'm using now and they didn't break the bank at $195

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

Basically the HD650 with some slight changes.

 

[JonFo]

That's a nice choice Tom, as that one is likely an improvement and a good value.

My other choice in that range would be the Philips Fidelio X2, but I think the Drop HD6XX is better.

Post back your impressions once you get it.

 

[TomDac]

Got the HD6XX's in the mail today... Listening now... Very VERY comfortable.. Ear cups are very big. Clamping force is good.. Not too much, like many others have reported. They sound very nice. Neutral and very VERY detailed..Bass is more pronounced than my Sonys.. They seem crisper too. Definitely an improvement over the Sonys. More listening and break-in required! Happy New Year!

 

[JonFo]

Happy new year to you too Tom!

Thanks for the report, sounds like they are a great deal. Good to know they have good bass performance.

I've hardly used my new cans, as they are in the office downstairs, and I've been trying hard to not work over the holidays. But it turns out that as long as one has a laptop nearby, work happens anyway Hopefully will report back in a few weeks on the ES headset. Will start another thread for that.