Headphone Amp/DAC suggestions ?

I am looking to have something kinda portable for headphone listening.

currently have my Marantz HD DAC1 In my main system so it’s not something I can easily tote around with me.

I would ultimately like something I can tote around the house plug in my iPad and headphones and enjoy. Making it portable would obviously be a plus as well. So most likely a desktop amp.

I am looking to ‘beat’ the sound of my Marantz HD DAc 1 as a headphone amp.

I did try the Cobalt and was very unimpressed. Gonna get the Chord mojo today and see how that sounds as well.
Been looking at stuff like the Woo WA7 and similar products. A headphone tube amp/DAC would be great but I am afraid it might lack in punch.
Also looking at the Schiit Audio Lyr

any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Price point would be under $1000


Thanks!

 

I like the Schiit stuff ... worth more than you pay.

 

You think that will sound better than the Chord Mojo?

 

Let's drop capitalism. Our new price point will be under $000. Indeed, why buy anything at all? That way we just might save the Earth

 

Considering power sources, not exactly portable but then the OP needs to pin down what "portable" means. "Tote around the house" does that mean stationary or actually moving about while listening?

Fulla and Hel require a USB power source, so maybe that might be considered portable, the Modi, Magni & Magnius are around 2 lbs. and require wall wart power supplies.

The other Schiit offerings starting with the Asgard and Jotunheim are hitting 6 lbs and above.

So in terms of portability similar to the Chord, --Fulla or Hel - Modi/Magni combo. (will be a bit heavier than the Chord)

It's all subjective. Only you can answer that question. But Schiit will give you 15 days to find out whether you like them or not.

 

Hey thanks for the response.
What I mean by tote around the house is , take to my balcony for example set it up and listen. Not walk around with.

have you had the mojo and the Schiit?

 

I think that if you're satisfied with the Marantz HD DAC1 you're going to have to spend quite a bit more than a thousand bucks to get and DAC/amp that completely woos you away. You'll find a tremendous number of high-quality DAC/amps just under $1,000, but IMO they're all liable to sound mostly like a sideways move to you compared to the Marantz. Budgeting the exact same amount of money (or nearly so) as the cost of an HD DAC1 in a hunt for a notably better DAC/amp might be a low percentage effort.

I love the Woo Audio products, but I don't think that the WA7 provides a clear path upward from the HD DAC1 (to my ears). The WA7 is very good, but so is the HD DAC1. The main difference is that the HD DAC1 is solid-state while the WA7 is valve-based. You'll definitely hear a difference in sound, but as far as midrange accuracy and transparency, treble clarty and detail, acoustic instrument timbres, and bass performance are concerned the two DAC/amps are about dead even (though my personal preference is the HD DAC1.

The RME ADI-2 headphone amp/DAC is also very good and hits your price point. Whether you like it better than the HD DAC1 is a whole other story. Some people definitely like it better, but that's by no means a general consensus.

My unsolicited advice is to wait for a while, stash away more cash for the purchase over some period of time, and target something like the Benchmark HGC DAC3, MyTek Brooklyn DAC+, Schiit Audio Gungnir/Mjolnir stack, Chord Hugo 2, the Naim DAC V1 (if you can find one), or the SPL Phonitor SE (which is realitvely new for SPL but like all the SPL headphone amps is very, very good, has a very good DAC implementation, and is competitively priced at least for an SPL product).

Your biggest problem is that the Marantz HD DAC1 is already very good. You're going to have to go some way to 'beat' it (as you mentioned in the other thread).

 

Thanks !

didn’t know the Marantz Headphone amp in the HD DAC 1 was so highly regarded.
That’s why I was assuming that a Schiit lyr3 with a Multibit inside would be as good.

Curious to see how the Mojo compares to the Marantz with headphones.


Well pardon let me rephrase I’m not look it to ‘ beat it’ but rather have something as good that I can go to my balcony plug in and listen to. Or other rooms.

 

The Chord stuff is good. Take any opportunity you have and are able to audition Chord gear. That will give you a basis for comparison with other amp/DAC combos. The Mojo and Hugo are also more portable since they're battery powered. Once you hear some of the Chord stuff let us know how you like it to help narrow in on your sonic preferences. Also, what headphones are you using?

The Chord gear is neat. My main complaint about Chord is that it's not exactly a value leader. It's good stuff if you're not too price conscious. Though the Mojo actually is reasonable value for cost. As you go up the line the price premium goes up and up and up.

 

I've very happy with my Asgard 3 (with internal 4490 card). Not exactly "portable," but with an internal DAC card and an internal power supply it's easy to move.

At $300 it has tons of clean power (enough to drive any cans) and is one of the greatest bargains in hifi IMO.

Would it "blow away" what you have? Maybe not. Would you feel you downgraded? I don't think so.

And the Asgard 3 is built like a tank. I'd rather move it around than the Marantz.

Bill

 

my headphones are the Beyerdynamic DT 1990 Pro.

I’ll definitely write on how I liked the mojo tonight for sure. Or not liked it.
Like I said the Dragonfly Cobalt was a big disappointment. No depth. Yeah it had width. But again was like one click up in volume compared to my iPad only. And I preferred the DAC in my iPad. The cobalt had little punch to it.

the headphone amp in the Marantz is in another league.
Btw I am a musician so my ears are pretty well trained.
Thanks so much !

 

yeah the only reason I want something more than my Marantz is because the Marantz is in my main system. So I can start unplugging it etc and moving it around.

 

The DT 1990 Pro are single ended headphones. The jack in the headphone cup is only three pins. Can't just plug in an after-market balanced cable and make the headphones balanced (balanced headphone cables require four separate wires). Converting them to balanced cables requires sending the headphones away to be modded with new wiring connectors. Can be done but will cost as much as the headphones were. I mention all that because I was about to mention some balanced headphone amp/DAC options and those options won't work unless you are willing and able to convert the headphones to balanced cable.

 

Maybe . . . to some people . . . not to me.

If you’re looking for a portable headphone DAC/amp, the Chord Mojo is very difficult (if not impossible) to beat at the price. As always, an audition will tell the tale. But the Marantz HD DAC1 is not portable, so it will never beat the Mojo in portability. If you’re mainly trying to duplicate or exceed the HD DAC1 experience while you’re traveling or taking it easy in the backyard (or balcony or what-have-you), the Mojo is about the best choice at the money, IMO.

That would be the Mojo, I think. Very good choice, but the audition will decide that for you personally no doubt. Enjoy it. I think it’s a great music maker.

 

Neither. Considering a Lyr 3 / Bifrost 2 stack for my desktop. This will be my first headphone setup. I recently ordered a pair of Drop Sennheiser HD 6XX's, so I have to wait until I have headphones to evaluate.

Been seeing mixed comments about the Multibit cards inside either the Asgard 3 or Lyr 3. Some prefer an external DAC, some prefer the lower cost of adding the card.

Personally, I think an external DAC benefits from having it's own power supply, etc., and gives you more of an upgrade path (especially the Bifrost) but that's just my opinion.

 

An alternative to the Chord Mojo that is worth a listen is the Ifi XDSD. I use one with my AKG K712 and AKG Q701 headphones and it sounds great.
Gives you choice of plugging in (which I use inside) or bluetooth, which I use outside.

 

I purchased a pair 0f HD6XXs and an Asgard 3 (internal 4490) just before the lockdown. And thank goodness.

I've always been a speaker guy. But with everyone home (working and going to school) being able to listen on cans has been a godsend. I love the combo.

Bill

 

So if you are looking for a second headphone amp that you can easily unplug and move around, that sounds great, has more clean power than you will ever need, that is very rugged, and is an phenomenal value, you can't go wrong with an Asgard 3 with an internal card IMO.

I got the simple (cheaper) 4490 card and don't regret that decision one bit.

Moving around an Asgard 3 plus an external DAC would be far less appealing to me in your circumstance.

I also don't think I'd want to move around an amp that had a tube sticking out the top (Lyr) and when I previewed the Lyr at the Schiiter the sound profile was nearly the same as the Asgard 3.

Bill

 

I am going to audition the Chord mojo more but so far it’s too airy for me.
Not enough punch and solidarity.

 

If the mojo had a bit more treble and solid punch it would be out of this world.
Has amazing spaciousness to it.

can’t they fix that with firmware since the chip it has is programmable?

 

Try this. This should be more in the line of what you're wanting. $650 and should be really good for a portable solution.

micro iDSD Signature by iFi audio | Supercharged desktop and transportable USB DAC and headphone amp

 

Chord is pretty good at doing a spacious and layered and separated style of sound. The Chord DACs get better at that as you move up the line, and especially after you add the M-Scaler. It's the million taps thing. The more taps the Chord DACs have the better for layering and separation and more precise 3D imaging. If you find the Mojo too airy you'll find the Chord DAVE and M-Scaler to be way over-the-top airy and spacious.

The Schiit multibits also do a layered and dimensional sound, but not as airy or thin as the Chord.

The issue you're going to have is that you're seeking somewhat sonic opposites. You're after both punchy and layered/separated/imaging style. It's difficult to get both in an audiophile level system. As an example, home theater systems will typically be great at punchy dynamic sound but do poorly for nuance and layering and imaging for audiophile music playback. While an audiophile music oriented system will do the nuance and layering and 3D imaging but not have the punch and physical dynamics of a home theater system. It's difficult and heroic to get both in the same system. There are audiophile speaker systems that do, but they're heroic and expensive. And it's the same with headphone systems. You can go for punchy dynamics or you can go for nuanced layering and imaging. Going for both at the same time gets into heroic high-end territory.

Flatter sounding headphone amps and DACs will be more forward which means they'll have more punch. Headphone amps and DAC that are more spacious and layered will have less punch. A flatter sounding amp is like putting speakers in a small room. It's easy to get speakers that are able to load a smallish room to have punch and physical dynamics. A spacious sounding amp combined with a spacious and airy sounding DAC is like putting high-end small speakers in a room that is too big for the speakers to properly load and fill. You're going to lose the dynamics and physical punch. But the layered and spacious system is still going to have more musical nuance and layering and imaging.