I recommend the modius and magnius, It's a fantastic combo! I currently run my lcd-x and the arya's on it, they sound amazing through that stack! Also another thing I like to point out, in the tier list he said A tier but put it in S. I guess he changed his mind while editing lol
@@parkerlewis7924 question for you my guy. How bright is the Aryas treble compared to the lcd-x? How about the amount of bass and vocals? Also let me know which version of each headphone you have. Arya v1, v2, stealth and lcd-x 2021 or pre2021. Edit: I am assuming the Audeze will of course have less treble and more bass but really how much of a difference?
@CamoTurtle18 To be completely honest these headphones sound very similar but the lcd in my opinion sounds a little better, but the aryas don't hurt your head after a long session cus they're so Weightless. And like you said less trouble and more bass on the lcd. Edit: Oh yeah one more thing. I have the stealth verison and the the lcd its 2021? The lcd has way better sound staging Compared to the Ayra stealth.
Dx3 pro + is amazing price vs. performance... definitely a great buy and it sounds right there with the best topping makes plus it's feature loaded. At $200 it's hard to beat... On sale it's crazy.
that's IF you like the clinical sound topping makes, I've compared it with the K5 pro and it's definitely harsher sounding though more resolving whereas the k5 has a slight heft to the bass. imo the jds labs atom stack sounds the most linear - bass is not as flat as the topping but also doesn't add any warmth like the k5 did, that's my reccomendation but to each of their own i guess
So this is a value tier list ... I'd rather see a ranking not relative to the prices. Everyone could derive the value proposition from that, but not so easily the other way around.
Yeah. This seems easily solvable by simultaneously ranking them against two tier lists: one tier list with respect to value and one tier list with respect to absolute performance.
Considering how overblown amp differences are an audio noob would have no idea what amount of money they should spend on an amp. The message here isn’t - the 500$ amp is better than the 100$ one(which is obvious). It’s - expensive stuff is highly overrated.
There are so many headphone amplifiers, but a few a wish were included the Nitsch Schiit Piety, Drop THX One and Little Dot. Thanks for these lists, and I hope you feel better soon.
The 789 has something nothing in his list has, a signal passthrough as well. Got powered speakers? Just put the 789 after the fact and pass the signal out the 789 to the powered speakers rcas. And the little dog is probably one of the most if not The most popular tube amp. Those 2 were big misses.
Well, based on my limited experience of only a handful of amps, the 789 is my personal S tier seeing as it really doesn't leave me wanting anything more and it's driven me to sell/get rid of a few others that I've tried because they all sound worse. The A90D is in my sights for another clean and linear king at some point in the future. Right behind the 789 is the M17 even though it's a DAP. I use it for desktop use at work every day. I put it behind the 789 just because it lacks a tiny bit of bite (texture?) that the 789 has that I love so much. It's still clean and linear though and that's what I like. The most disappointing amp I've tried is the FiiO K9 (AKM). It blunted the treble while still somehow adding sibilance and harshness where literally no other amp I have tried shows either trait on the same roster of headphones/IEMs. If I desired those traits then I'd rather mace myself and shove a sock down my ear canal to get the same effect. Also I hate the interface. Those puny little cheap feeling switches that require a flashlight to use, the volume knob that wobbled and felt like a paddle in mud.... It's big, heavy, and runs hot to the point that it concerned me. Hate that thing so much.
Consider keeping this list a live list, published online and updated every time you get an amp .. though you may need different categories like build quality vs sound. Would be immensely useful for someone 4 years down the line who found a thing on used market and wants to know if it was any good.
Love the list, just wish some more tube amp were included. Recently got the mt-604 and would definitely put it in S tier after about 4 months of use. Was able to get it for 100$ usd, and genuinely just sounds great (tube-ish but not over dramatic, makes eqing easier imo) with enough power to drive everything I own. Would put the khadas tea in F tier, its great for convince and has a warm neutral-ish signature, it doesnt really come close to the resolution of bt dac amps half its price (btr5 and quedelix 5k), and i didnt end up keeping it
Well, I got the ifi zen dac v2 but it makes random annoying sounds that really makes me angry, when it sounds good it does a good job. I definitely not going to buy any ifi products. I don’t know nothing about Topping but probably is going to be my next move… any recommendations???
Why so many people are stuck on how a component measures is beyond me. Our ears and the music we listen to are anything but flat. We are not machines. Sources and amps should be flat, but most cans and speakers that are, do not sound natural or pleasing to the human ear. The design teams and engineers that make our stereo components are finally starting to make good sounding gear that is musical and enjoyable once again. These said stereo components measure anything but ruler flat. It's about time as far as I'm concerned. Why do you think so many people nowadays have turned back to buy various stereo components from the seventies and eighties? Because we weren't fixated on measurements, just good sound, if we had the right synergy. Thanks for the video Josh. These are a lot of work.
Agred and its .ike Maradona vs Messi mesi sia numbers man in the clean efficent game Maradona was a coke head booze head who played in tne days of butchery abuse assults yet still played the game better than anyone ever born one is art the other just numbers. I use warm headphones tried by previous reference ones they sound like a old crisp chip packet being crushedmup before throwing into the waste paper basket
I'm thinking about the new RME 2/4...does this sound better than the toppings A90D? This price difference is not an issue. Have you reviewed this newer RME? I don't see that you have yet so just wondering if I missed it.
S tier - BURSON Soloist x3 GT, one of the best amps I’ve heard and owned. F tier - never thought about it, but I was shocked that HD 800s sounds really good on Burson (I could listen to it without eq easy) and how sharp, piercing and flat they are on D90, but D90 relatively affordable… so for F tier (from what I owned) - Musician Andromeda. Not the worst overall, but power is not it’s strong suite. For AMP it’s crucial in my opinion.
I agree the Burson Soloist 3x GT is balls to the wall good. It's even better if you have it fed by a tube pre-amp.. I have the WA7 Fireflies Gen3 from Woo Audio working as pre-amp to my Soloist and it is just lovely. The sound stage opens up and you get that lovely tube feel to compliment the strengths of the Soloist. I have Mullards 12AU7 reissued tubes from Vivatubes on the WA7 and the sound is just sublime.
I have since upgraded from Arya SE to HE1000 SE. Holy fkballs! The synergy between the Burson Conductor GT and these headphones 🎧 is utterly breathtaking. I have demo'd for multiple people and the reaction is the same as mine. It's not a small step from my beloved Sennheisers. It's a giant leap! Besides unreal clarity the music sounds like a live performance. I can't believe how much more there is to hear. So happy with my upgrade! Highly recommend this combo.
Agree 100% with the Burson Soloist X3GT being S-tier. Almost certainly the best amp I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, and has vast amounts of power so things like the 1266 are no problem for it.
@@salut9658 oh man, $1,000,000 question! Right now I’m using Musician Andromeda and I quite like it. I think good r2r could be overall good choice, like Gustard for example. But it’s all quite pricey, if you willing to buy new. In the end of the day, personally, I am a strong believer in concept, that headphones affect sound so much more, than any DAC. So if I had like 5 grand to spent on gear I would go nice DAC and great HP (like Diana for example), the another way around.
Well, I'm loving the Sundara that you recommended on another tier list. I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the TA-22. I used to have a Luxman LV-104u hybrid amp and loved the sound from it. Thank you for providing a valuable service in a age when it is difficult to audition audio gear in person.
I know there's not a lot of talk of portable amplifiers on this channel, but would be nice to see how the Fiio Q7 and the iFi Gryphon stack up. Or any iFi product, like the Zen CAN or the Zen DAC! Because to me, the Zen DAC V2 is absolutely S-tier for its price point and its sound quality. I'm not sure about F-tier, I just haven't heard that many bad ones. Some Schiit Magnis have noisy volume knobs and I've had that with more than one (lots of crackling in the right channel). To me that's unacceptable, so that might move them into F-tier.
@@chrisk3127 The Zen Air is like just over a hundred bucks, has a dac built in and xbass...hard to beat at the price, assuming someone is ok with the sound signature. I took it to work. edit: Just checked amazon, it is 99$
ZEN DAC V2 is good, and very handy with the ability to interface with game consoles. I also like the way it sounds way better than the ZEN CAN. I think the 3 competing products that do DAC/AMP are K7, DX3 Pro+, & Zen Dac V2. - I have all 3. It really comes down to feature set and sonic preference.
I have the TA-22 and it blows everything else I've used away, from my Schiit Modi/Magni stack, iFi Zen stack, Loxjie P20 with a Qudelix 5k... the list goes on. For me personally, the price to performance and absolutely incredible sound even with the stock tubes can't be beat in the $500 range. It's an S Tier from me imo and highly recommended if you want an all in one unit. Alternatively, TA-20 plus and an SMSL SU-9 DAC are a good combo too.
I’m very confused on why you ranked the TA-26 as F, in your review you seemed to like it more than the dark voice?? Also there’s a new S version with 4.4 balanced and a better volume potentiometer that doesn’t skyrocket the volume as fast
As someone that owns at least $20k of headphone gear because I'm disturbed I am very impressed with the Topping DX3 Pro+. Firstly, for doing its job but for the amazing feature set. I have a LG C3 TV plugged into my Windows 11 PC via an eARC HDMI 2.1 cable from my RTX 4090 graphics card. I have the Topping always connected to the PC via a USB cable directly to a usb port on the rear. Also, have an optical cable plugged into the TV. This allows me to just use the TV for cabled headphones but also use the remote from the couch or bed to swap to Bluetooth mode to extend the distance of wireless Bluetooth in which the TV is poor at. So, I can use my sennheiser momentum 4s, Audeze Maxwell's, XM4s etc on Bluetooth mode. As Netflix and other streaming apps installed on the TV provide a better picture than going through my PC. Such as dolby vision and just colour accuracy and blacks. When using my PC for gaming, movies heck TH-cam I have one of my wired headphones plugged into the pro+ and what a difference. As the Maxwell's are great, especially with the Dekoni Sheepskin earpads, as they are more comfortable and tend to breathe better. Yet, they are still 500g and clamping pressure makes me pull out a sub 300g set when I don't need a mic. So, with the remote being able to switch simply from modern Bluetooth specs and USB mode for multiple different needs it is my workhorse. Plus, it drives everything 'chef kiss' including my Sennheiser HD 800 S amazingly well. The other surprise was when pulling out my old DT 990 Pro limited 80 ohm using the attached unbalanced 3.5mm cable directly into the Topping they sound bloody good. Really opens them up and makes them sound much nicer. Odd as they're not the 250 ohms and don't really need a dac/amp to get plenty of sound. But they Topping really opens up the sound and even the bass is a deeper cleaner sound and not as muddy compared to plugging them directly into the PC (usb) or TV (optical). Which is nice as they are under 300g open-backs the are nice when you get headphone fatigue. As for the Maxwell's I just use the 2.4ghz wireless dongle (wish more headphones used this) when using the PC or a direct usb connection to pc. With a Dolby Access profile. (Usually). Yet, tried the 3.5mm cable with them turned off and it works well. But pointless. I would like to try the Sennheiser HD 660S2 and a bit of eq foror bit more bass in the attempt to get more fun out of them.. but can't find them. See if the Topping can make the 600s pull of a miracle. I think the 5th filter setting is good but also change to pcm from bitstream when connexted to tv. I think. As i changed a few settings to get them to not sound hmm as artificial/clinical as default. With the PC the latest Topping 5.68 driver for Windows 11 also should be installed
Class S: RME ADI DAC-2 fs (which I have), any THX AAA design amps (I have the THX AAA 789). Note: the RME has a special output for sensitive IEMs as well as single ended/balanced oututs to drive the most power hungry headphones. Add in your choice of anti-aliasing filters in the dac and full dsp eq with memories for multiple headphones and you have one very special device -of course with all that power you could also make poor choices and have an F-sounding setup. I disposed any F sounding amps sometime ago and don't remember their names. Edited for typos.
It's funny to see how tastes differ, I bought the Lyr + for my Arya and I'm very happy with it, it's exactly what I needed to tame these headphones brightness in the upper range and it's very fun to roll the tube to get different flavors. I even directly compared it to the Pro Ican Signature (4 times more expensive than le Lyr) but I returned it and kept the Lyr.
Probably just a case of different taste, or the specific usecase. That's just how it is in audio. But that can be wonderful as well, saved you over a grand for example. Btw i suppose you mean the Pro ICan Signature.
Really? The two brighter leaning headphones that I heard with the Lyr+ got more sibilant and harsher. Utopia 2022 and Erzitich Mania. It really is crazy how different people hear differently.
Topping A90D for sure - purchased based on your recommendation, mated with SMSL SU-9 Pro. Nice! But I have to say, Im really enjoying the Chord Mojo2 dac/amp- sweeeeet!
Great content as usual! I've got to ask, where would the WA7 fall in this tier list in your opinion? I'll be testing out the Diana MR and Empyrean II on that amp (along with a few others) and would love to know if it's maybe A or S tier for you. Thanks!!
Hey, trying to find a headphone amp to power my Supermix 4s as well as headphones (which might get upgraded later on to higher ohms) I already have a DAC, well an audio interface "goXLR mini" but it produces hiss on my IEMs and I might as well get a desk amp. I've limited or googled around to see myself against two options, Schiit Magni and Topping L30, going for 175 euros and 90 euros. Which would you recommend? Am I losing out on that much between the two to justify paying the 85+ euros?
Thanks for the list. I was surprised you didn't mention a single iFi product and that some amplifiers were also DACs. Hybrids disqualify as Amplifier in my opininon, unless they have also a line-in option (so you can bypass the DAC). If i buy an amp, i just want an amp :)
I feel the focus on power is a bit extreme at times. Some of the amps get criticism for lacking power that only is needed for a handful of headphones. The K7 for instance. For a cheap DAC/amp it is unreasonable to expect it to have power to handle even the most demanding headphones.
I learned my lesson buying a tube amp and trying to run 16ohm and 32ohm headphones on it. Nope even in high gain you turn it up to 89% and it is way distorted and not at listenable levels.
The Sony amp is really the best if you're powering any dynamic headphone. Not really a planar guy so it's not really an issue for me, but obviously a limitation as far as those power hungry things are concerned.
I was a bit disappointed xduoo mt-604 was not included. Would love to know how it compares to ta-22 if it's worth it to get an all in one vs. separate dac and amp
Separate dac and amp would be more versatile. I have the mt-602 and ta26s. Both are nice. mt604 would be great for balanced, but tube rolling gets to be more of a pain with 4. Basically, you may want to try other dacs with your tube amp, and then a built in dac may also go out of style before too long. Separate amps are more resistant to tech advancements and obsolescence
Love Regis tier review ! One thing confused me was that Xduoo XA10 is very powerful and on paper and from so many reviews and Josh said it’s not powerful and not sounding good, hope to get more feedback on this point
I'd add the a30pro to A or S tier. For the price and power and form factor. And the Gustard H16 to a low rank. Not a bad amp, just nothing interesting bout it.
Nice video appreciate the Tier List Josh :) I own the Schitt Magni/Modi and Magnius/Modius and LOVE THEM!!! You said in the video Magnius/Modius is A teir but notice it is actually listed in S Teir? Do you stand by S Tier? I have Senn. HD 560s, HD58X, Beyerdynamic DT 177x GO, HiFiman HE-4XX and a few others along with some IEMs as well Dunu Vulkan, Dunu Falcon Pros. My Daily drivers are HD 560S and Dunu Vulkans. I do listen to some music but really mainly use it for PC Gaming mostly FPS games and for amazing positional awareness in games, like HUNT Showdown (LOVE IT)!! Would there be any reason for me to go to Topping A90 or A90D from what I have?
I have the chance to get Topping A90 for $300, but still dont have the DAC. What DAC do you recommend to be paired with Topping A90 with price around $200 max?
S-Tier - I would choose JDS Element lll Mk2 Boosted. For me simply the best all in one amp/dac, in $450- $500 range. I wish you would review this unit. For F-Tier I would have to say Hifiman EF-400 Amp/Dac, it sounds just OK to me but built really cheap for the price in my opinion.
Same, wrote a comment about it. IMO it's one of the best AMP/DACs around for any price point. I reviewed equipment much more expensive and also A90D, ... the RME is just superior - but of course it is, it's professionell equipment for sound studios and their intention when they created the ADI line wasn't Hifi only - only when they put it in a smaller case but still kept the same sound. This thing is neutral af and the AMP just insane. Pair it with a HD800s and your fucking brain begins zu melt.
I don't know anything about audio. But the audio that comes out of my pc. Not only for music, but also for social networks and games its horrible. What AMP do you recommend for this case? I was thinking that Fiio K7 might be a good option. I read you guys. Great video!
really helpful tier list! I'm curious with your opinion about some of dirt cheap amp like Douk U3 and U5, haven't really found a comparison that include this 2 amps.
Thanks for the updated list! I’m curious where you think something like a GSX Mini would fall. I’m currently running an A90 and Modius, but am considering upgrading both. I’m looking at the Mini and Schiit Bifrost 2/64, but don’t know if the significant cost would yield a comparable upgrade in quality. Would love your thoughts!
@joshua valour what are the best dac/amp for 350 / 500 / 1000 euros (eachsection) fitting for arya v1? is the burson soloist 3x p still the best (even price-performance?) also can u just buy arya v2 v3 v4 and pull out the foam things to make it sound more like the v1? also can u describe the arya v1 treble a bit more? i couldnt handle dt990 for example, also what do u think the arya v1 is worth in euros/dollars rough guess in current market? thanks!
My S-Tier: Schiit Jotunheim. My F-Tier: Sennheiser GSX 1200 Pro. The Jotunheim just checked all the boxes for me. The GSX 1200 has a great interface, and it’s eye candy. But it has 0 power, most of it’s features are useless, and USB 2.0 means microphone quality suffers and is limited to phone quality.
Planning on getting a pair of HD 6XX. Entertaining level enthusiast wanting to get into the hobby. Do you think it would be better to buy a Topping DX3 Pro +, or a Schiit Magni paired with a Schiit Modi+. Both around the same price. What would you recommend…
Just a thought, but you may want to put links to your TH-cam video reviews of each of these headphone amps, especially S tier and A tier. 💡Just saying...
What do you think of "XDUOO XD05 Pro Portable Full Balanced DAC Headphone Amplifier Double Screen 4.4 Balanced USB XMOS XU316 AMP Decoder" and how would you rank it. And is "SENNHEISER HD 820 Over-the-Ear Audiophile Reference Headphones" a good match for the XDUOO? Thank you.
From the S tier: Topping DX3 Pro + From the F tier: I don’t know. When I shopped i winnowed the field pass/fail each round. If a product got dropped from consideration I just didn’t think about it anymore. I bought, and am happy with, the Topping DX3 Pro + which I paired with a Wiim Mini to drive Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X headphones. The sound is clean and detailed with the power to drive the cans. No complaints and excellent value, so I’m happy.
Schiit Jotunheim 2. If only you could shut the headphone output off in the front or the back for that matter when you output to speakers it could be between an A and S. I heard something about it being that way for people who want to use subwoofers, but really? This is a damn headphone amplifier. Don't want to wear out my 4-pin XLR connector because I constantly go from headphone to desktop monitors.
Their Rag 2 is the same way btw. I have both the Rag 2 for my Floor standing speakers and the Jot 2 for my headphones. I just turn off the sub at this point haha. If I could go back I would have never bought the Rag 2. Hegel H190 is so much stronger and on sale isn't horribly expensive
Was hoping to upgrade from my DX3 Pro+ next month, taking advantage of a trip to the US. But having trouble finding something that’s significantly better, which might be a good problem. Thoughts Josh?
Dx3pro+ is my newest amp, and Tbh, if you like clean sound, only an A90 or A90d would make sense, or a soloist 3xp. My opinion is that to get a tangible upgrade to the dx3pro+ AS AN AMP you kinda need to go that high, it really is that good. Get something dirtier instead, maybe tubes or something with meatier bass, and it will give you something different for cheaper instead of better for way more money
if you want a very natural headphones and speakers amp together, my benchmark hpa4 can be a good choice without considering the price. but for a headphone amp only,a90 and a90d is like 90% versions of hpa4 with 1/6 the price
Here to defend the Singxer SA-1. To this day is one of the best measuring headphone amps out there. Solid build quality, nice physical toggle switches and smooth volume. Works great as a pre-amp and is fully balanced. 6.4 Watts at 32 Ohms should drive pretty much anything. I've had mine for a few years and have had zero issues. Yes, $599 is not "cheap", but that is a steal compared to a lot of "audiophile" BS out there. I don't think it deserves to be dumped into D. Anyone considering this amp, I would fully recommend it!
Had a Topping A30 pro in house along with Singxer. Headphone is Sundara. Using Topping E50, chose Singxer SA-1. Topping was way sharp with tons on sibilance. Pretty day and night. Kept the Singxer.
Bought the Xduoo TA 22 after your review and very glad I did, so thank you for that. But S tier experiences would be Schiit Folkvengr and upcoming Mjolnir 3. I thought I was anti-tube because I’ve been an objectivist, ahem, on faith. My faith was misplaced. I’ll be exploring tubes.
Got a Xduoo MT-602 a couple years ago and learned to love tubes, it's been plugged into my desktop PC's headphones nonstop, really tempted to get the TA-22, but still keep the MT-602 connected somewhere just for giggles to "double tube" something or amplify another piece of equipment. I feel like this is a slippery slope ending in a room full of Tubes XD
Update. In a moment of inspiration (or perhaps weakness) I bought the APOS matched tubes for this Xduoo TA-22. Eyes sparkling. I don’t lust after the Mjolnir any more. I don’t have a direct comparison of course, but the sense of depth to go along with the already-fine tonality of the 22 stock would be mouth-watering if this were cuisine.
I‘ve just started the audiophile journey with the Topping DX 3pro + & Hifiman HE400se as well as Hifiman Sundara. I’m more than happy at the moment and I‘m curious to discover more within the upcoming months and years. Thx for the great job as well as the for Tier list! That will help for further selections!
Is it really neccessary to get an AMP with the HiFiMan Sundara 2020? The HiFiMan Sundara 2020 has a fairly low impedance of 37 ohms, which means they are not extremely hard to drive. For example, I have onboard Realtek S1200A 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC on my motherboard. Surely that will be enough to drive the headphones?
running hifiiman he400se balanced off a magnius/modius stack and im LOVING IT!!! Tho i am hearing a bit of crackle in the speakers so thinking of buying edition XS to see if they can handle the power better.
S- A90D, features, power and is clean without being as sterile as the OG A90 F- TBH don't think I've experienced an F personally but one of my friends uses a Focusrite audio interface that supposedly sounds awful
I came here ready to brace myself for some Topping-biased p[references... and this was a very fair review. JV pointed out valid points (e.g. not enough power, sound quality could be better, etc.) and I'm impressed with his rankings. I bought my Arya hp's based on JV's recommendation, so thanks for this video!
Interestingly I have the Magnius and Lyr+ for A/B using single ended headphone out, and found the Magnius more detailed. The Lyr+ has a more ethereal sound and the vocal sweeter with the Tung Sol tube. Without the tube the Magnius wins hands down. For the price, Magnius is unbeatable. I returned the Lyr+. Still looking for something tonally different from the Magnius to compliment it.
My jds labs element is on its last leg and I'm considering getting the topping dx3 pro plus. The only headphones I have are the hd600s and the pc38x. Just need a solid dac/Amp for a decent price.
I hope you feel better soon! Unfortunately this list is as good as buying cheap lenses that a manufacturer in China made for your expensive Sony and Canon cameras. It might work but it won’t give you the quality that matches their performance.
I have the Topping DX3 Pro + and its been great for my everyday use. You are right for a couple of hundred bucks its hard to beat what it offers. One day I hope to afford a higher price one but I'm just starting off.
Surprised by how you put Sinxger SA-1 saying it's "not the most clean" which is funny since it's one of the cleanest ever measured by ASR. Other than that, thanks for this list. It is helpful.
He is obviously free to make his own list. I had a Topping A90 and a Singxer SA-1 at the same time. Superficially the Topping sounded better, but after a while the sound started to annoy me - too 'try hard' / couldn't listen to it more than half an hour. Sold it. I kept the Singxer.
I am sad that Schiit stuff costs about 80-90% more in EU. Because I really want to buy Fulla but paying 185 dollars for a 100 dollar thing is... a bit much.
Solid rankings here. My S tier would be the Violectric V281 (or V222) or the Headamp GS-X Mini. F tier for me would cause some controversy so I'll just politely say I'd never risk plugging any of my headphones into any Schiit product, respectfully.
was really suprised to see the Singxer so low on the list. I have a THX 789, a Aune X1s, and a Xduo MT-604, and I heard the Singxer in comparison to them as a friend brought it over and I felt it sounded better than anything I owned. Maybe I am crazy, or maybe his was just built on a Wednesday I don't know but I have been considering ordering one. Now I want to hear one compared to the A90D side by side. I just liked how warm the Singxer sounded
Its a very subjective list, i own the singxer and for the price its really very good (i can only think of rebelamp outclassing it). I purchased both singxer and a90d and compared them everyday side by side, ended up returning the a90d as it sounded extremely sterile, lifeless and devoid of any soul/joy to my ears. Singxer is warmer, but not overly warm that it makes everything dull, I personally like that middle ground.
@@joelcutinho2020 thank you for the reply. I have never heard a Rebelamp but they sure look nice. I felt the same way about the Singxer as I feel that the THX amps are very sterile.
@@ToysForTheGods Welcome. I havent listened to the rebel too, but only heard good things about it, some of them being it is warmer than singxer. As for the singxer, it feels like the perfect entry point (other than rebel if u want an even warmer sound) for achieving class A/AB topology and its inherent advantages.
Ay bro, just wanted to let you know that the audio on your videos is consistently top-tier. Bought a pair of LCD-2's, but had some stuff to do before I could actually listen to music. Decided to listen to some youtube vids in the background while I worked, and my first "Whoa" moment with them was when one of your vids popped up in the queue. Love your content, keep doing your thing!
@@sy0635 the 789 has a passthrough that is invaluable in my set up. Literally nothing in this video had one. So 789 still unbeaten for me. Not to forget it started the whole 0 distortion thing. I literally haven't desired another amp since I got the 789.
S-tier, especially for price - DIYAudio Whammy for $300 designed by the dude from Pass Audio. It's a kit. I enjoy it more than $2000-$3000 solid state amps I've owned. Especially with Sparkos Pro opamp. I ordered the $500 Geshelli Archel 3 Pro with the same Sparkos opamps, and based on what I've read I bet it will be S-tier😊
Bid once for an Element II on a whim, accidently won and hit my amp endgame instantly. I've literally never worried about neutrality at that point in the audio chain.
Kinda surprised not to see anything from Chord. I had an EF400 and liked but decided to switch to a Mojo 2 and was much happier. Good video either way!
how would you rate the Zen Can Signature?, you made a review about it some time ago. I have it with my Senn hd660S and with the eq activated sounds fantastic to me
Updated headphone tier list with DMS would be amazing, keep it in mind!! (:
As an audiophile noob, keep the tier lists coming. It’s a HUGE help
This channel is better viewed than listened to for buying advice
I recommend the modius and magnius, It's a fantastic combo! I currently run my lcd-x and the arya's on it, they sound amazing through that stack!
Also another thing I like to point out, in the tier list he said A tier but put it in S. I guess he changed his mind while editing lol
@@parkerlewis7924 Nice humble brag to a person that literally identifies himself as audiophile noob.
@@parkerlewis7924 question for you my guy. How bright is the Aryas treble compared to the lcd-x? How about the amount of bass and vocals? Also let me know which version of each headphone you have. Arya v1, v2, stealth and lcd-x 2021 or pre2021.
Edit: I am assuming the Audeze will of course have less treble and more bass but really how much of a difference?
@CamoTurtle18 To be completely honest these headphones sound very similar but the lcd in my opinion sounds a little better, but the aryas don't hurt your head after a long session cus they're so Weightless. And like you said less trouble and more bass on the lcd.
Edit: Oh yeah one more thing. I have the stealth verison and the the lcd its 2021? The lcd has way better sound staging Compared to the Ayra stealth.
Really surprised the THX789 doesn't even get listed considering it's the only amp anyone could talk about a couple years ago...
What about the THX 789/887 that you once recommended? Which tier would they be in?
Dx3 pro + is amazing price vs. performance... definitely a great buy and it sounds right there with the best topping makes plus it's feature loaded. At $200 it's hard to beat... On sale it's crazy.
that's IF you like the clinical sound topping makes, I've compared it with the K5 pro and it's definitely harsher sounding though more resolving whereas the k5 has a slight heft to the bass. imo the jds labs atom stack sounds the most linear - bass is not as flat as the topping but also doesn't add any warmth like the k5 did, that's my reccomendation but to each of their own i guess
K7 is a direct competitor, and based on sonic preference and required features, may be better.
@@JohnSmith-oe4bw wow the K7 really does look like a great piece of gear...👍🏼
it also doesn’t like 16ohm headphones
Would something like that work with a beyerdynamics 250 ohm? What spec do you look for on an amp to make sure it can power your headphones?
So this is a value tier list ... I'd rather see a ranking not relative to the prices. Everyone could derive the value proposition from that, but not so easily the other way around.
Yeah. This seems easily solvable by simultaneously ranking them against two tier lists: one tier list with respect to value and one tier list with respect to absolute performance.
This!
Considering how overblown amp differences are an audio noob would have no idea what amount of money they should spend on an amp. The message here isn’t - the 500$ amp is better than the 100$ one(which is obvious). It’s - expensive stuff is highly overrated.
@bruh Who cares? Enjoy your hobby without worrying about those who get it wrong first time.
@bruh ifi hip dac is $150
There are so many headphone amplifiers, but a few a wish were included the Nitsch Schiit Piety, Drop THX One and Little Dot. Thanks for these lists, and I hope you feel better soon.
Agree on the One.
No drop thx 789? Everyone was blubbering effusively 3 years ago. I would love to see how it stands up with the test of time.
The 789 has something nothing in his list has, a signal passthrough as well. Got powered speakers? Just put the 789 after the fact and pass the signal out the 789 to the powered speakers rcas.
And the little dog is probably one of the most if not The most popular tube amp. Those 2 were big misses.
Well, based on my limited experience of only a handful of amps, the 789 is my personal S tier seeing as it really doesn't leave me wanting anything more and it's driven me to sell/get rid of a few others that I've tried because they all sound worse. The A90D is in my sights for another clean and linear king at some point in the future. Right behind the 789 is the M17 even though it's a DAP. I use it for desktop use at work every day. I put it behind the 789 just because it lacks a tiny bit of bite (texture?) that the 789 has that I love so much. It's still clean and linear though and that's what I like.
The most disappointing amp I've tried is the FiiO K9 (AKM). It blunted the treble while still somehow adding sibilance and harshness where literally no other amp I have tried shows either trait on the same roster of headphones/IEMs. If I desired those traits then I'd rather mace myself and shove a sock down my ear canal to get the same effect. Also I hate the interface. Those puny little cheap feeling switches that require a flashlight to use, the volume knob that wobbled and felt like a paddle in mud.... It's big, heavy, and runs hot to the point that it concerned me. Hate that thing so much.
How would the IFI Zen Dac 2 compare? I know it is a DAC/AMP combo but how would it rank compared to these on the list?
Consider keeping this list a live list, published online and updated every time you get an amp .. though you may need different categories like build quality vs sound. Would be immensely useful for someone 4 years down the line who found a thing on used market and wants to know if it was any good.
Well then he can't make revision videos every year.
Isn't that just hifiguides?
Love the list, just wish some more tube amp were included. Recently got the mt-604 and would definitely put it in S tier after about 4 months of use. Was able to get it for 100$ usd, and genuinely just sounds great (tube-ish but not over dramatic, makes eqing easier imo) with enough power to drive everything I own. Would put the khadas tea in F tier, its great for convince and has a warm neutral-ish signature, it doesnt really come close to the resolution of bt dac amps half its price (btr5 and quedelix 5k), and i didnt end up keeping it
Super curious to know what you think of the ifi zen DAC v2... Especially vs the Topping DX3 Pro+...
Well, I got the ifi zen dac v2 but it makes random annoying sounds that really makes me angry, when it sounds good it does a good job.
I definitely not going to buy any ifi products. I don’t know nothing about Topping but probably is going to be my next move… any recommendations???
Why so many people are stuck on how a component measures is beyond me. Our ears and the music we listen to are anything but flat. We are not machines. Sources and amps should be flat, but most cans and speakers that are, do not sound natural or pleasing to the human ear. The design teams and engineers that make our stereo components are finally starting to make good sounding gear that is musical and enjoyable once again. These said stereo components measure anything but ruler flat. It's about time as far as I'm concerned. Why do you think so many people nowadays have turned back to buy various stereo components from the seventies and eighties? Because we weren't fixated on measurements, just good sound, if we had the right synergy. Thanks for the video Josh. These are a lot of work.
Agred and its .ike Maradona vs Messi mesi sia numbers man in the clean efficent game Maradona was a coke head booze head who played in tne days of butchery abuse assults yet still played the game better than anyone ever born one is art the other just numbers. I use warm headphones tried by previous reference ones they sound like a old crisp chip packet being crushedmup before throwing into the waste paper basket
I'm thinking about the new RME 2/4...does this sound better than the toppings A90D? This price difference is not an issue. Have you reviewed this newer RME? I don't see that you have yet so just wondering if I missed it.
What do you think, Fiio Q3 or Q11? Also, when you look at other Fiio products that are portable, what would be your suggestion?
S tier - BURSON Soloist x3 GT, one of the best amps I’ve heard and owned.
F tier - never thought about it, but I was shocked that HD 800s sounds really good on Burson (I could listen to it without eq easy) and how sharp, piercing and flat they are on D90, but D90 relatively affordable… so for F tier (from what I owned) - Musician Andromeda. Not the worst overall, but power is not it’s strong suite. For AMP it’s crucial in my opinion.
I agree the Burson Soloist 3x GT is balls to the wall good. It's even better if you have it fed by a tube pre-amp.. I have the WA7 Fireflies Gen3 from Woo Audio working as pre-amp to my Soloist and it is just lovely. The sound stage opens up and you get that lovely tube feel to compliment the strengths of the Soloist. I have Mullards 12AU7 reissued tubes from Vivatubes on the WA7 and the sound is just sublime.
S tier - Burson Conductor GT. Makes all my headphones sound fantastic! Incredible how much detail it can extract from HD650 to Arya SE to HD800S
I have since upgraded from Arya SE to HE1000 SE. Holy fkballs! The synergy between the Burson Conductor GT and these headphones 🎧 is utterly breathtaking. I have demo'd for multiple people and the reaction is the same as mine. It's not a small step from my beloved Sennheisers. It's a giant leap! Besides unreal clarity the music sounds like a live performance. I can't believe how much more there is to hear. So happy with my upgrade! Highly recommend this combo.
Agree 100% with the Burson Soloist X3GT being S-tier. Almost certainly the best amp I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, and has vast amounts of power so things like the 1266 are no problem for it.
@@salut9658 oh man, $1,000,000 question! Right now I’m using Musician Andromeda and I quite like it. I think good r2r could be overall good choice, like Gustard for example. But it’s all quite pricey, if you willing to buy new.
In the end of the day, personally, I am a strong believer in concept, that headphones affect sound so much more, than any DAC.
So if I had like 5 grand to spent on gear I would go nice DAC and great HP (like Diana for example), the another way around.
Well, I'm loving the Sundara that you recommended on another tier list.
I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on the TA-22.
I used to have a Luxman LV-104u hybrid amp and loved the sound from it.
Thank you for providing a valuable service in a age when it is difficult to audition audio gear in person.
I know there's not a lot of talk of portable amplifiers on this channel, but would be nice to see how the Fiio Q7 and the iFi Gryphon stack up. Or any iFi product, like the Zen CAN or the Zen DAC! Because to me, the Zen DAC V2 is absolutely S-tier for its price point and its sound quality. I'm not sure about F-tier, I just haven't heard that many bad ones. Some Schiit Magnis have noisy volume knobs and I've had that with more than one (lots of crackling in the right channel). To me that's unacceptable, so that might move them into F-tier.
before the price jumps Zen dacs were an absolute steal now depending on what features you want/need there can be better options
@@chrisk3127 The Zen Air is like just over a hundred bucks, has a dac built in and xbass...hard to beat at the price, assuming someone is ok with the sound signature. I took it to work.
edit: Just checked amazon, it is 99$
@@chungang7037 could get zen dacs for $130 at one point, bit more power and nicer build + balanced
@@chrisk3127 Yea I own that as well, I guess 30 bucks is good if someone wants balanced
ZEN DAC V2 is good, and very handy with the ability to interface with game consoles. I also like the way it sounds way better than the ZEN CAN. I think the 3 competing products that do DAC/AMP are K7, DX3 Pro+, & Zen Dac V2. - I have all 3. It really comes down to feature set and sonic preference.
I have the TA-22 and it blows everything else I've used away, from my Schiit Modi/Magni stack, iFi Zen stack, Loxjie P20 with a Qudelix 5k... the list goes on. For me personally, the price to performance and absolutely incredible sound even with the stock tubes can't be beat in the $500 range. It's an S Tier from me imo and highly recommended if you want an all in one unit. Alternatively, TA-20 plus and an SMSL SU-9 DAC are a good combo too.
S Tier- Audio GD Master 9-
F- Tier - Most op amp based amplifiers except for the Burson stuff.
S tier, definitely:
- HFM EF400
- Schiit Magni+
- ifi Zen Can Singature
- HFM Ef500
- Topping DX3 Pro+
- xDuoo TA22 and TA30
- Schiit Jotunheim 2
I’m very confused on why you ranked the TA-26 as F, in your review you seemed to like it more than the dark voice?? Also there’s a new S version with 4.4 balanced and a better volume potentiometer that doesn’t skyrocket the volume as fast
I guess just for lulz :) tier lists are stupid anyway...
As someone that owns at least $20k of headphone gear because I'm disturbed I am very impressed with the Topping DX3 Pro+. Firstly, for doing its job but for the amazing feature set.
I have a LG C3 TV plugged into my Windows 11 PC via an eARC HDMI 2.1 cable from my RTX 4090 graphics card.
I have the Topping always connected to the PC via a USB cable directly to a usb port on the rear. Also, have an optical cable plugged into the TV.
This allows me to just use the TV for cabled headphones but also use the remote from the couch or bed to swap to Bluetooth mode to extend the distance of wireless Bluetooth in which the TV is poor at. So, I can use my sennheiser momentum 4s, Audeze Maxwell's, XM4s etc on Bluetooth mode. As Netflix and other streaming apps installed on the TV provide a better picture than going through my PC. Such as dolby vision and just colour accuracy and blacks.
When using my PC for gaming, movies heck TH-cam I have one of my wired headphones plugged into the pro+ and what a difference.
As the Maxwell's are great, especially with the Dekoni Sheepskin earpads, as they are more comfortable and tend to breathe better. Yet, they are still 500g and clamping pressure makes me pull out a sub 300g set when I don't need a mic.
So, with the remote being able to switch simply from modern Bluetooth specs and USB mode for multiple different needs it is my workhorse. Plus, it drives everything 'chef kiss' including my Sennheiser HD 800 S amazingly well. The other surprise was when pulling out my old DT 990 Pro limited 80 ohm using the attached unbalanced 3.5mm cable directly into the Topping they sound bloody good. Really opens them up and makes them sound much nicer. Odd as they're not the 250 ohms and don't really need a dac/amp to get plenty of sound. But they Topping really opens up the sound and even the bass is a deeper cleaner sound and not as muddy compared to plugging them directly into the PC (usb) or TV (optical). Which is nice as they are under 300g open-backs the are nice when you get headphone fatigue.
As for the Maxwell's I just use the 2.4ghz wireless dongle (wish more headphones used this) when using the PC or a direct usb connection to pc. With a Dolby Access profile. (Usually). Yet, tried the 3.5mm cable with them turned off and it works well. But pointless.
I would like to try the Sennheiser HD 660S2 and a bit of eq foror bit more bass in the attempt to get more fun out of them.. but can't find them. See if the Topping can make the 600s pull of a miracle.
I think the 5th filter setting is good but also change to pcm from bitstream when connexted to tv. I think. As i changed a few settings to get them to not sound hmm as artificial/clinical as default. With the PC the latest Topping 5.68 driver for Windows 11 also should be installed
You didn't say anything about the Drop 789? Is that because it is no longer available, or ?
Class S: RME ADI DAC-2 fs (which I have), any THX AAA design amps (I have the THX AAA 789). Note: the RME has a special output for sensitive IEMs as well as single ended/balanced oututs to drive the most power hungry headphones. Add in your choice of anti-aliasing filters in the dac and full dsp eq with memories for multiple headphones and you have one very special device -of course with all that power you could also make poor choices and have an F-sounding setup. I disposed any F sounding amps sometime ago and don't remember their names.
Edited for typos.
It's funny to see how tastes differ, I bought the Lyr + for my Arya and I'm very happy with it, it's exactly what I needed to tame these headphones brightness in the upper range and it's very fun to roll the tube to get different flavors. I even directly compared it to the Pro Ican Signature (4 times more expensive than le Lyr) but I returned it and kept the Lyr.
Probably just a case of different taste, or the specific usecase. That's just how it is in audio. But that can be wonderful as well, saved you over a grand for example. Btw i suppose you mean the Pro ICan Signature.
Really? The two brighter leaning headphones that I heard with the Lyr+ got more sibilant and harsher. Utopia 2022 and Erzitich Mania. It really is crazy how different people hear differently.
@@Armbrust210 Yes, signature and not "prestige", I'll correct that, thanks.
@@Michael_mki233 This, or maybe it's a question of alchemy between headphones and amps, I don't know.
@@Michael_mki233 Out of curiosity, which amps have your preference?
Topping A90D for sure - purchased based on your recommendation, mated with SMSL SU-9 Pro. Nice! But I have to say, Im really enjoying the Chord Mojo2 dac/amp- sweeeeet!
Great content as usual! I've got to ask, where would the WA7 fall in this tier list in your opinion? I'll be testing out the Diana MR and Empyrean II on that amp (along with a few others) and would love to know if it's maybe A or S tier for you. Thanks!!
Hey, trying to find a headphone amp to power my Supermix 4s as well as headphones (which might get upgraded later on to higher ohms)
I already have a DAC, well an audio interface "goXLR mini" but it produces hiss on my IEMs and I might as well get a desk amp. I've limited or googled around to see myself against two options, Schiit Magni and Topping L30, going for 175 euros and 90 euros. Which would you recommend? Am I losing out on that much between the two to justify paying the 85+ euros?
Thanks for the list. I was surprised you didn't mention a single iFi product and that some amplifiers were also DACs. Hybrids disqualify as Amplifier in my opininon, unless they have also a line-in option (so you can bypass the DAC). If i buy an amp, i just want an amp :)
love it man, please do a combo dac-amp tierlist! :D
So what's this list about?
Price to value or sound?
I feel the focus on power is a bit extreme at times. Some of the amps get criticism for lacking power that only is needed for a handful of headphones. The K7 for instance. For a cheap DAC/amp it is unreasonable to expect it to have power to handle even the most demanding headphones.
I used to feel this way until buying a few Audeze/Hifiman/Dasn Clarke mid/highdisappointment
@@tswfoutsider how much does it take to drive what? Just so I can be ready for the future. Saving for a Hifiman Arya Organic for reference.
I learned my lesson buying a tube amp and trying to run 16ohm and 32ohm headphones on it. Nope even in high gain you turn it up to 89% and it is way distorted and not at listenable levels.
The Sony amp is really the best if you're powering any dynamic headphone. Not really a planar guy so it's not really an issue for me, but obviously a limitation as far as those power hungry things are concerned.
I was a bit disappointed xduoo mt-604 was not included. Would love to know how it compares to ta-22 if it's worth it to get an all in one vs. separate dac and amp
Separate dac and amp would be more versatile. I have the mt-602 and ta26s. Both are nice. mt604 would be great for balanced, but tube rolling gets to be more of a pain with 4. Basically, you may want to try other dacs with your tube amp, and then a built in dac may also go out of style before too long. Separate amps are more resistant to tech advancements and obsolescence
Love Regis tier review ! One thing confused me was that Xduoo XA10 is very powerful and on paper and from so many reviews and Josh said it’s not powerful and not sounding good, hope to get more feedback on this point
I'd add the a30pro to A or S tier. For the price and power and form factor. And the Gustard H16 to a low rank. Not a bad amp, just nothing interesting bout it.
I don’t have an F tier because I don’t own one yet lol but my S tier is my IFI zen Dac v2. Extremely surprised you didn’t put this on the list.
Nice video appreciate the Tier List Josh :)
I own the Schitt Magni/Modi and Magnius/Modius and LOVE THEM!!! You said in the video Magnius/Modius is A teir but notice it is actually listed in S Teir? Do you stand by S Tier?
I have Senn. HD 560s, HD58X, Beyerdynamic DT 177x GO, HiFiman HE-4XX and a few others along with some IEMs as well Dunu Vulkan, Dunu Falcon Pros. My Daily drivers are HD 560S and Dunu Vulkans.
I do listen to some music but really mainly use it for PC Gaming mostly FPS games and for amazing positional awareness in games, like HUNT Showdown (LOVE IT)!!
Would there be any reason for me to go to Topping A90 or A90D from what I have?
I have the chance to get Topping A90 for $300, but still dont have the DAC. What DAC do you recommend to be paired with Topping A90 with price around $200 max?
whats the opinion of the topping l30 ii? better than the smsl sh 6? im having a hell of a hard time finding any answers
S-Tier - I would choose JDS Element lll Mk2 Boosted. For me simply the best all in one amp/dac, in $450- $500 range. I wish you would review this unit.
For F-Tier I would have to say Hifiman EF-400 Amp/Dac, it sounds just OK to me but built really cheap for the price in my opinion.
Hello Mr. Valour. Please, I have question. Can Topping DX1 theoretically damage Tygr 300 R when maxed out?
I prefer sound quality over sound quantity. My daily is Sony DMP-Z1 with Diana v2 headphone.
Love to be able to afford that :)
I bought the SH-6 and SU-6 based on your recommendation a year or so ago and I love them.
How come I've never seen you review or "rank" the RME ADI-2 DAC FS?
Same, wrote a comment about it. IMO it's one of the best AMP/DACs around for any price point. I reviewed equipment much more expensive and also A90D, ... the RME is just superior - but of course it is, it's professionell equipment for sound studios and their intention when they created the ADI line wasn't Hifi only - only when they put it in a smaller case but still kept the same sound. This thing is neutral af and the AMP just insane. Pair it with a HD800s and your fucking brain begins zu melt.
@@Robert-ci6sj So you think the headphone amp in the RME ADI-2 DAC FS (the one for $1300) sounds better than the Topping A90D amplifier?
Awesome sound mate, how do you process you audio?
I don't know anything about audio. But the audio that comes out of my pc. Not only for music, but also for social networks and games its horrible. What AMP do you recommend for this case? I was thinking that Fiio K7 might be a good option. I read you guys. Great video!
The Douk U10 tube headphone/preamp for 46$ is supreme,lifetime klipschorn la Scala owner loves them,my#1.
really helpful tier list! I'm curious with your opinion about some of dirt cheap amp like Douk U3 and U5, haven't really found a comparison that include this 2 amps.
Thanks for the updated list! I’m curious where you think something like a GSX Mini would fall. I’m currently running an A90 and Modius, but am considering upgrading both. I’m looking at the Mini and Schiit Bifrost 2/64, but don’t know if the significant cost would yield a comparable upgrade in quality. Would love your thoughts!
A90 is "S tier". (I've got one myself and can vouch for that)
@joshua valour what are the best dac/amp for 350 / 500 / 1000 euros (eachsection) fitting for arya v1? is the burson soloist 3x p still the best (even price-performance?) also can u just buy arya v2 v3 v4 and pull out the foam things to make it sound more like the v1? also can u describe the arya v1 treble a bit more? i couldnt handle dt990 for example, also what do u think the arya v1 is worth in euros/dollars rough guess in current market? thanks!
SA-1 straight to D tier while A90 in S tier 🤣. Well sold my A90 long time ago, cant stand its cold and piercing sound from this amp...
My S-Tier: Schiit Jotunheim. My F-Tier: Sennheiser GSX 1200 Pro. The Jotunheim just checked all the boxes for me. The GSX 1200 has a great interface, and it’s eye candy. But it has 0 power, most of it’s features are useless, and USB 2.0 means microphone quality suffers and is limited to phone quality.
Planning on getting a pair of HD 6XX. Entertaining level enthusiast wanting to get into the hobby. Do you think it would be better to buy a Topping DX3 Pro +, or a Schiit Magni paired with a Schiit Modi+.
Both around the same price. What would you recommend…
Mojo 2 is my top amp/dac that I’ve heard. The eq and versatility is amazing. F tier would be smsl vmv a1. The headphone out is terrible.
Just a thought, but you may want to put links to your TH-cam video reviews of each of these headphone amps, especially S tier and A tier. 💡Just saying...
Where does the iha-6 rank?
What do you think of "XDUOO XD05 Pro Portable Full Balanced DAC Headphone Amplifier Double Screen 4.4 Balanced USB XMOS XU316 AMP Decoder" and how would you rank it. And is "SENNHEISER HD 820 Over-the-Ear Audiophile Reference Headphones" a good match for the XDUOO? Thank you.
The Zen air and Uno are $20 apart, which do you suggest between the two?
I use Sennheiser 560s And 58x, and mostly game and watch videos.
From the S tier: Topping DX3 Pro +
From the F tier: I don’t know. When I shopped i winnowed the field pass/fail each round. If a product got dropped from consideration I just didn’t think about it anymore.
I bought, and am happy with, the Topping DX3 Pro + which I paired with a Wiim Mini to drive Drop + Dan Clark Audio Aeon Closed X headphones. The sound is clean and detailed with the power to drive the cans. No complaints and excellent value, so I’m happy.
Correction: S.M.S.L C200 not Topping DX3 Pro (my #2 choice by a very narrow margin)
Schiit Jotunheim 2. If only you could shut the headphone output off in the front or the back for that matter when you output to speakers it could be between an A and S. I heard something about it being that way for people who want to use subwoofers, but really? This is a damn headphone amplifier. Don't want to wear out my 4-pin XLR connector because I constantly go from headphone to desktop monitors.
Their Rag 2 is the same way btw. I have both the Rag 2 for my Floor standing speakers and the Jot 2 for my headphones. I just turn off the sub at this point haha. If I could go back I would have never bought the Rag 2. Hegel H190 is so much stronger and on sale isn't horribly expensive
Was hoping to upgrade from my DX3 Pro+ next month, taking advantage of a trip to the US. But having trouble finding something that’s significantly better, which might be a good problem. Thoughts Josh?
Dx3pro+ is my newest amp, and Tbh, if you like clean sound, only an A90 or A90d would make sense, or a soloist 3xp. My opinion is that to get a tangible upgrade to the dx3pro+ AS AN AMP you kinda need to go that high, it really is that good. Get something dirtier instead, maybe tubes or something with meatier bass, and it will give you something different for cheaper instead of better for way more money
if you want a very natural headphones and speakers amp together, my benchmark hpa4 can be a good choice without considering the price. but for a headphone amp only,a90 and a90d is like 90% versions of hpa4 with 1/6 the price
Singxer SA1 D and topping A90 S tier??? Man! Hope you get well soon!? 😅
Here to defend the Singxer SA-1. To this day is one of the best measuring headphone amps out there. Solid build quality, nice physical toggle switches and smooth volume. Works great as a pre-amp and is fully balanced. 6.4 Watts at 32 Ohms should drive pretty much anything. I've had mine for a few years and have had zero issues. Yes, $599 is not "cheap", but that is a steal compared to a lot of "audiophile" BS out there. I don't think it deserves to be dumped into D. Anyone considering this amp, I would fully recommend it!
Had a Topping A30 pro in house along with Singxer. Headphone is Sundara. Using Topping E50, chose Singxer SA-1. Topping was way sharp with tons on sibilance. Pretty day and night. Kept the Singxer.
Bought the Xduoo TA 22 after your review and very glad I did, so thank you for that. But S tier experiences would be Schiit Folkvengr and upcoming Mjolnir 3. I thought I was anti-tube because I’ve been an objectivist, ahem, on faith. My faith was misplaced. I’ll be exploring tubes.
Got a Xduoo MT-602 a couple years ago and learned to love tubes, it's been plugged into my desktop PC's headphones nonstop, really tempted to get the TA-22, but still keep the MT-602 connected somewhere just for giggles to "double tube" something or amplify another piece of equipment.
I feel like this is a slippery slope ending in a room full of Tubes XD
Update. In a moment of inspiration (or perhaps weakness) I bought the APOS matched tubes for this Xduoo TA-22. Eyes sparkling. I don’t lust after the Mjolnir any more. I don’t have a direct comparison of course, but the sense of depth to go along with the already-fine tonality of the 22 stock would be mouth-watering if this were cuisine.
@@UNSCPILOT Interesting. Picked one of these up for fun on ebay for $60 w/some GE tubes- Should be interesting. Currently on as asgard 2.
No liquid spark? Damn, its a fantastic amp for the price, its my go-to budget amp.
Where would you put the iFi Zen DAC v3?
Would like to see where you put the geshelli stuff on here.
I‘ve just started the audiophile journey with the Topping DX 3pro + & Hifiman HE400se as well as Hifiman Sundara. I’m more than happy at the moment and I‘m curious to discover more within the upcoming months and years. Thx for the great job as well as the for Tier list! That will help for further selections!
Is it really neccessary to get an AMP with the HiFiMan Sundara 2020?
The HiFiMan Sundara 2020 has a fairly low impedance of 37 ohms, which means they are not extremely hard to drive.
For example, I have onboard Realtek S1200A 8-Channel High Definition Audio CODEC on my motherboard. Surely that will be enough to drive the headphones?
running hifiiman he400se balanced off a magnius/modius stack and im LOVING IT!!! Tho i am hearing a bit of crackle in the speakers so thinking of buying edition XS to see if they can handle the power better.
S- A90D, features, power and is clean without being as sterile as the OG A90
F- TBH don't think I've experienced an F personally but one of my friends uses a Focusrite audio interface that supposedly sounds awful
Do you NEED a dac as well? Only a few options are a combo, the rest seem to be amps with the option of adding a dac. Looking to get some dt 990 pros
Note that the Darkvoice is based on a decades old design so the TA-26 isn't really a rip-off.
I came here ready to brace myself for some Topping-biased p[references... and this was a very fair review. JV pointed out valid points (e.g. not enough power, sound quality could be better, etc.) and I'm impressed with his rankings. I bought my Arya hp's based on JV's recommendation, so thanks for this video!
Please use segments! That would make your videos so much more accessible..
Interestingly I have the Magnius and Lyr+ for A/B using single ended headphone out, and found the Magnius more detailed. The Lyr+ has a more ethereal sound and the vocal sweeter with the Tung Sol tube. Without the tube the Magnius wins hands down. For the price, Magnius is unbeatable. I returned the Lyr+. Still looking for something tonally different from the Magnius to compliment it.
My jds labs element is on its last leg and I'm considering getting the topping dx3 pro plus. The only headphones I have are the hd600s and the pc38x. Just need a solid dac/Amp for a decent price.
Why is the JDS element just not talked about?
I hope you feel better soon! Unfortunately this list is as good as buying cheap lenses that a manufacturer in China made for your expensive Sony and Canon cameras. It might work but it won’t give you the quality that matches their performance.
Should I replace the normal pro for the plus one? It's worth it? Does it make sense?
What about the monolith by monoprice DAC/AMP?
I have the Topping DX3 Pro + and its been great for my everyday use. You are right for a couple of hundred bucks its hard to beat what it offers. One day I hope to afford a higher price one but I'm just starting off.
I have the same DAC and another higher end DAC and don't hear a difference.
Surprised by how you put Sinxger SA-1 saying it's "not the most clean" which is funny since it's one of the cleanest ever measured by ASR. Other than that, thanks for this list. It is helpful.
I was shocked by that too, but I remember Josh didnt like the SA-1 in the first place. I have one and I really like it.
Could it be QA issues? I have no experience with it, but the community response sounds awfully polar
He is obviously free to make his own list. I had a Topping A90 and a Singxer SA-1 at the same time. Superficially the Topping sounded better, but after a while the sound started to annoy me - too 'try hard' / couldn't listen to it more than half an hour. Sold it. I kept the Singxer.
Thanks for the upload Joshua! Could you review the zoom UAC-2?
I am sad that Schiit stuff costs about 80-90% more in EU. Because I really want to buy Fulla but paying 185 dollars for a 100 dollar thing is... a bit much.
Solid rankings here. My S tier would be the Violectric V281 (or V222) or the Headamp GS-X Mini. F tier for me would cause some controversy so I'll just politely say I'd never risk plugging any of my headphones into any Schiit product, respectfully.
Hi Josh, nice up!
What's your tier ranking for Gustard H16? Just curious. Thanks!
was really suprised to see the Singxer so low on the list. I have a THX 789, a Aune X1s, and a Xduo MT-604, and I heard the Singxer in comparison to them as a friend brought it over and I felt it sounded better than anything I owned. Maybe I am crazy, or maybe his was just built on a Wednesday I don't know but I have been considering ordering one. Now I want to hear one compared to the A90D side by side. I just liked how warm the Singxer sounded
Its a very subjective list, i own the singxer and for the price its really very good (i can only think of rebelamp outclassing it).
I purchased both singxer and a90d and compared them everyday side by side, ended up returning the a90d as it sounded extremely sterile, lifeless and devoid of any soul/joy to my ears.
Singxer is warmer, but not overly warm that it makes everything dull, I personally like that middle ground.
@@joelcutinho2020 thank you for the reply. I have never heard a Rebelamp but they sure look nice. I felt the same way about the Singxer as I feel that the THX amps are very sterile.
@@ToysForTheGods Welcome. I havent listened to the rebel too, but only heard good things about it, some of them being it is warmer than singxer.
As for the singxer, it feels like the perfect entry point (other than rebel if u want an even warmer sound) for achieving class A/AB topology and its inherent advantages.
Ay bro, just wanted to let you know that the audio on your videos is consistently top-tier. Bought a pair of LCD-2's, but had some stuff to do before I could actually listen to music. Decided to listen to some youtube vids in the background while I worked, and my first "Whoa" moment with them was when one of your vids popped up in the queue. Love your content, keep doing your thing!
Finally a video joshua keep them coming plz
Did you stick that smsl on your wall brooo??
How come no mention of the AMP that was the one to get? Massdrop/Drop AAA 789?
Because it’s obsolete now. For its price you have many better options
@@sy0635 the 789 has a passthrough that is invaluable in my set up. Literally nothing in this video had one. So 789 still unbeaten for me. Not to forget it started the whole 0 distortion thing. I literally haven't desired another amp since I got the 789.
Where would you place the Jotunheim 2?
S-tier, especially for price - DIYAudio Whammy for $300 designed by the dude from Pass Audio. It's a kit. I enjoy it more than $2000-$3000 solid state amps I've owned. Especially with Sparkos Pro opamp. I ordered the $500 Geshelli Archel 3 Pro with the same Sparkos opamps, and based on what I've read I bet it will be S-tier😊
Bid once for an Element II on a whim, accidently won and hit my amp endgame instantly. I've literally never worried about neutrality at that point in the audio chain.
Neutrality is your endgame?????
I have hd560s on a fiio k3. Im considering moving up to fiio ft3 on topping dx3p+. Worth it?
Im new and very inexperienced. Feedbacn welcome!
My current setup is Hifiman Edition XS and Fiio k7. Is it worth to get EF400?
Kinda surprised not to see anything from Chord. I had an EF400 and liked but decided to switch to a Mojo 2 and was much happier. Good video either way!
Under $1000 the Chord Mojo 2 is a game changer
how would you rate the Zen Can Signature?, you made a review about it some time ago. I have it with my Senn hd660S and with the eq activated sounds fantastic to me