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Overwhelmed newbie confused about Schiit DAC modules

After years of day-dreaming about heavenly eargasms, I finally pulled the trigger on my first set of decent headphones (Sennheisser HD 650), but now I’m having a serious case of analysis-paralysis in my hunt for an amp and DAC. Bear in mind, I’ve been living with a $35 walmart gaming headset for years, so my ears are convent-level virgins.


As I'm completely new to all of this, I'd like to keep my budget below $1000 for both an amp and a DAC. Right now, I’m leaning towards the Jotunheim 2 or Lyr 3, but am stymied by the choice of DAC module. From what I’ve read, the Multibit is either stupendous at highlighting the layers of a soundstage and will change the way I listen to music forever, or is complete and total music-ruining Schiit propaganda. Or do I go with the AK4490 module that, depending on who you ask, provides a more neutral and accurate depiction of the instruments, or is all-schiit-DACs-are-garbage-you-fucking-shill-go-kill-yourself.

If I do stick with something from Schiit, would it be worth it to skip the dual amp/DAC and splurge on a Magnius/Bifrost stack? Would my completely uninitiated ears be able to tell the difference between the USB-driven DAC of the Jot/Lyr and the wall-powered Bifrost?


Or perhaps Schiit really is terrible and I should go for a completely different set-up.


Please, help guide this neophyte out of the quagmire of interference curves and partisan bickering. I just want something that sounds "good" and gives me wiggle-room down the road. Any advice would be extremely appreciated. Many thanks!


P.S. In case it matters, I’m planning to use my new headphones chiefly to melt my brain with music, but they will also be my primary listeners for gaming and movies on my computer+TV combo.


giddian
nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
Maybe see if you can find somewhere to audition the gear you're looking at? Or you could consider Schiit's 15-day return period and restocking fee the minor cost of the convenience for an in-home audition.

The RME ADI-2 FS is also in your budget, for an integrated DAC + headphone amp.
giddian OP
2 posts
 
Thank you both for your replies! I will definitely look into both the Singxer and the RME ADI-2 FS. I will also research DSD since I am not familiar with that feature. I am embarrassingly new to all of this, haha.

A follow-up: in your opinions, does USB-versus-dedicated power supply matter much for sound quality in a DAC?

Edit: As for your suggestion of testing out Schiit products, I'll have to rely on their return policy as I live in a small town on an island in the Atlantic. I would count myself lucky if there was any audio store here period ;)
docknow
312 posts
 
I had two version of the Bifrost before the Multibit and although they were nice, they did not excite me or make me want to listen to music.  The Multibit upgrade totally changed that, for me. It was digital that finally sounded close to music and encouraged me to listen to more and more hours of music.  No way would I consider getting a non-Multibit Schiit DAC, personally.

I have a Multibit Bifrost at work, Multibit Yggy in my main system and going to buy a Multibit Jotunheim R to power my Raal SR1a headphone.

-docknow
giddian OP
2 posts
 
Thanks for the tip, docknow. I have yet to hear a bad thing about the Bifrost 2. After a fair bit of research, I've decided to go with a Valhalla 2/Bifrost 2 stack. Considering this will be my first foray into quality audio and I have zero baseline, I hope I'll be pleasantly surprised by the experience.
nekoaudio's avatar
nekoaudio
489 posts
 
@giddian if you're asking how power over USB compares to a USB input that has its own independent power supply, in almost all cases I'd prefer the latter. Not only is it possible that the computer/source power over USB is not as stable or reliable as it should be, but it can also fluctuate based on what else you are connecting to the computer/source.

DSD is not a necessary feature, and neither is MQA. So I would weight them lower in your decision process unless you are already invested in them.
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