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Newbie HiFi Headphone & Amp pairing suggestions

Hi Gang,

I know headphones and headphone amp pairings are very subjective and vary person to person. Being new to the HiFi world of headphones, I've narrowed down (I think) a new headphone purchase to:

• Audeze LCD-X
• HiFiman Arya
• Sennheiser HD800S

I've not had open ear headphones before but have a relatively quiet office in the house (when the kids aren't around) and am excited to explore the HiFi headphone world. 

So, I'm curious if any of you have had any experience with the above and would make any recos either way and if so, what amp you reco pairing with it. I have a buddy who has the Viiolectric V281 and swears by it but it seems impossible to find (and quite pricey).

Lastly, is there any hope of getting a great DAC and headphone amp in the same unit or would you reco separates for longevity's sake?

Cheers
fourminutesong

Showing 1 response by rego

rego
378 posts
 
My Gear (for the last six years):
LCD-X / HD 700
Mjolnir (first Gen) / Valhalla 2
Gungnir Delta-Sigma with Gumby in the chain (a year or two) as well.
Water / Yukon - RCA / XLR (more recent)
LCD-X is Lush (good tone, separation of resonance) and fast.
HD 700 nice as in much better than HD 6xx series good Resolution and
my preference for GoTo and extended listening (dynamic drivers!).
LCD-x ... heavy ... shorter times but very engaging.
Don’t hesitate to try HD 800 / 800s - very detailed.
Having plenty of power is a stand out quality for me (Schiit delivers).
The Valhalla 2 sings with Water ICs, with Mjolnir and Yukon is a bit less detail (it seems) but a better DAC should prove to be better (all around).
Headphone gear shares my desktop (smallish) with Monitor / Keyboards / Router / Streamers ... a bit crowded but functional.
Look into HiFi Man latest models as well.
A component set up my prove best all around.



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