My first, very modest foray into the audiophile experience!

Submitted by ThePilifino t3_yxwt80 in headphones

Recently bought myself the Hifiman Edition XS and paired it with a used Massdrop Liquid Carbon X + SDAC DAC/Amp I got off eBay.

I'm literally blown away as to how good this setup sounds, music is infinitely more enjoyable, and much greater in depth in comparison to the cheap Amazon headphones I've used over the years which were simply 'boomy' and didn't really offer the resolution I was looking for. There's now details in music that I'm picking up that I never knew where there before...just...wow.

I'm thinking of buying the SMSL SH-9/DA-9 stack to replace the Massdrop unit, which I plan to move to my gaming computer. That'll probably be a little later down the road, but I'm wondering if there are opinions on the SMSL stack or maybe advice on other options for a DAC/Amp that play nice with these headphones? Also I just want to show off my new setup (since the wife doesn't see what the big deal is) šŸ„²

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https://preview.redd.it/ccl5mp6enk0a1.jpg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=953bfb1afd146c9c484cd4e6966e6604cb2b1f6f

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Comments

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LArule19 t1_iwre7cl wrote

Modest my ass. Your set up is already comparable to a high-end one, just not totl, and more than anyone ever need to enjoy music. It's an excellent set up.

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szakee t1_iwqxb5i wrote

you're fine with what you have.

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ThePilifino OP t1_iwrkhs0 wrote

Thanks, I'm still needing another dac/amp so maybe I'll just pick up another one of these.

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No-Context5479 t1_iwrqnzs wrote

For what?

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ThePilifino OP t1_iwruukk wrote

Itā€™d be for my gaming computer which is hooked up to some crappy USB headphones. Iā€™d like to use my new headphones there too. I guess I could just power these off the onboard sound card for now

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No-Context5479 t1_iwrvhjx wrote

Cant the Liquid carbon DAc be used on your PC?

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ThePilifino OP t1_iwrwpko wrote

Yes, but I don't want to have to keep moving the DAC back and forth between my work and gaming computer. I suppose I could just find another another power brick and usb cable to leave there and save money to boot...food for thought. thanks

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No-Context5479 t1_iwrwz0m wrote

Yes that works but if you still intend to get one... Just get the iFi Zen DAC V2. It's perfect and relatively well priced for the use and value you get out of them

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ThePilifino OP t1_iwrxuro wrote

thanks for the suggestion! i'll look into that one. seems like it has very good reviews.

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blargh4 t1_iwrg8fu wrote

how the goalposts for "modest" have shifted over the years.... I remember when the HD650 was considered an expensive headphone.

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ThePilifino OP t1_iwribs7 wrote

Yepā€¦I guess ā€œmodestā€ really is relative. Seeing thereā€™s headphones north of $1500 like HD800ā€™s or Aryas and DAC/Amps that are just as expensive, I feel that for what I paid (~$550-ish) constitutes a very good setup in terms of value and probably like 95% of the performance (which is also subjective) that Iā€™d get from a high-end $3000 setup.

I suppose by modest I was meaning more in terms of price, but not in terms of performance. I donā€™t think I could ever really justify spending the cash on some of the other setups Iā€™ve seen around this sub.

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abir_valg2718 t1_iwrxaqt wrote

A pair of $500 headphones is considered very modest these days? I thought you'd have something like a Porta Pro with Yaxi pads.

Seriously, those are $500 cans with a $400 amp+dac.

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BigLorry t1_iwv4oez wrote

I think itā€™s more telling of how far the needle has moved in regards to spending ceilings in this hobby now.

Insane how much itā€™s changed in just a decade. The HD650 used to be the cream of the crop in terms of performance, and was probably considered wildly expensive at the time.

Itā€™s practically an entry level Headphone at this point, barring consumer-targeted stuff.

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solarity05 t1_iwszqnw wrote

Great setup hope you're enjoying the music! I recently bought Aryas and rme adi 2 coming from nothing and can't get over how amazing it is

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mrnude778 t1_iwsra8c wrote

You have a similar setup to mine! I have The edition XS and have the same amazon cable(miles better than stock). I was using an Ifi zen air dac and a ifi xcan. I actually upgraded to the SMSL SH-9, I think its a great amplifier has plenty of power and the screen and remote are underrated. I woudn't upgrade unless you feel like you need more power. I did exchange the DAC and now I'm using an Aiyima T10 tube dac with upgraded tubes and its been a noteworthy upgrade. Theres next to zero reviews on the unit but Tube goodness+a solid state amp with power and planar headphones are a heavenly combo.

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