
- AUDIOENGINE D1 DAC VS SCHIIT STACK UPGRADE
- AUDIOENGINE D1 DAC VS SCHIIT STACK PRO
- AUDIOENGINE D1 DAC VS SCHIIT STACK PC
AUDIOENGINE D1 DAC VS SCHIIT STACK PRO
I'm not intimately familiar with all the devices on that chart, but Topping DX3 Pro and Aune X1S are pretty recommended as well. Usually a target wattage of 100mw or more at peak volume (with low distortion) means that you would have plenty of headroom.Īll this considered, the JDS Labs Element II indeed looks like it fits the bill.

I'll add to that, that for your particular case (250 ohm headphones), you should look at these measurements to see how each amp performs with 300 ohm load. In short, a device that is audibly transparent impart no character of its own to the signal been passed through it, and effectively plays the sound exactly how it should be played. All of these devices that I filtered for had been given Amirm's recommendation, simply meaning they exceeded the transparency thresholds we expect from such devices. There is a complete review and measurements for each one of these devices – meaning you don't have to trust anyone's subjective opinion. You can see what are your best options, according to the measurements performed on ASR: You have come to the right place, my friend.įirst of all, if you want to skip the explanations, I took the liberty of plugging the appropriate filters (as I understand them from you post) in the Audio Electronics Reviews and Measurements Index. Would this meet my needs, or are there some other units I should consider, or even a discrete unit combination? I'm primarily a gamer and I like to listen to music on iTunes as well. I even found a thread on it here that seemed positive in general. Preferably a unit that doesn't have a ****** pot or any glaring design issues that will take advantage of my 990s and allow them to shine as much as possible given my budget (probably $400 or less)Īfter some more searching I came across the JDS Labs Element II which would seem to tick all my boxes.
AUDIOENGINE D1 DAC VS SCHIIT STACK UPGRADE
So what the hell is the truth? Here's what I'm looking for: a relatively non-ugly, preferably combination amp/dac unit for my DT-990 Pro 250ohm (bearing in mind I may upgrade to the 1990s later), and most importantly, a unit that has the respect of people who know what they're talking about. I think one such disparaging thread was somewhere on this very forum, and in a certain reddit comment a user tore Schiit apart talking about how they're just marketing without the engineering to back it up. Despite so many websites and users recommending the Magni/Modi stack otherwise. So I got to looking into other options like the Schiit Magni/Modi, but the more I looked into it, the more I found disparaging comments about these devices, and Schiit in general. I can return the D1 to Amazon easily enough. And yet, the reviews on Amazon and Crutchfield and the like are all very positive, some reviews seemingly coming from experts in the field. Furthermore, I've seen some people speak poorly of Audioengine, calling the D1 "junk". I understand now at least to some degree what I was missing out on.Īs I mentioned, though, the D1 is still too quiet in some cases and I just don't have any extra headroom. It actually feels almost like I'm there in the room when I close my eyes. When listening to live music performances it sounds like everything is more spaced out - I can identify the individual instruments much more easily and hear the details of them better. Switching back and forth between the D1 and my mobo's output is just. In my haste I went ahead and ordered an Audioengine D1 for $169, which does give me more volume (still not quite enough in some cases), and it seems to have DRASTICALLY improved the sound. I'll admit I still don't understand the intricacies of this and why this is such.īut that said, I have decided that I want a headphone amp (and I guess a DAC as well cause I'll need one of those as far as I'm aware). But, after asking around, it became evident that "just because it's loud enough" does not mean that you're getting a high quality experience.
AUDIOENGINE D1 DAC VS SCHIIT STACK PC
I know they're not super awesome but they seem pretty good for gaming and music (though I do have my eye on the 1990s.).Īnyways, when I first tried running my 990s directly from my desktop PC mobo's stereo output, they were satisfactory and I could almost get them as loud as I would've preferred. I own a pair of DT-990 Pro 250ohm headphones.

What I really want is to not necessarily become an expert in this field but to learn enough to make a good, informed buying decision.

First off, I'm in the process of educating myself on amps, dacs, and the like.
