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.
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
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.
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.
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
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!
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!
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 :)
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.
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.
Great to hear your personal preferences! Seeing you compare such a huge range of headphone amps is really useful to me. Thanks! If I were to select an S Tier headphone amp - maybe my Nitsch Piety or my Geshelli Labs Archel 2,5 XL. F Tier - xDuoo MT602.
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 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
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?
Just a thought, but you may want to put links to your RU-vid video reviews of each of these headphone amps, especially S tier and A tier. 💡Just saying...
Your ranking of the TA-26. In your video review, you had a totally different opnion and praised the TA-26 over tha Dark Voice and went in detail about how annoying and lower quality the Dark Voice is. Not saying opnions can't change, but the level of drastic change of opinion here about that amplifier rips away at your credibility, especially since how you just staright up threw it in F-tier with single sentence to explain your totally new opnion. How or why should we believe your reviews if your opnions will be totally different not long after, without any justification as to what changed your opinion? What changed? Which video was wrong, the previous one where you parised it or this ranking because both can't be right. As someone who was highly considering this amp at the moment, I'm a bit ticked 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!
I have the Topping A30pro & the Sabaj A20d, love both of them, would put them in A tier for sure, love the the styling on the Sabaj, feel better soon and keep doing what you do ;-)
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.
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!
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.
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
I am very happy with my A90. I don't have nor would I likely own anything that would turn up in F tier, as I tend to follow the advice of people like you, whom I trust.
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.
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 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
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!!
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
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.
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.
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.
Josh I think to me the Mal Valve Head Amp MK-IV would be an excellent choice on the S-tier list. It is one of the few headphone amps that is designed to accommodate both electrostatic and dynamic type headphones in one chassis and enough connections (for most) to enhance your musical enjoyment.
That intro! Lol I had to replay it like 4 times cuz I was like, “Did he… did he just say my name?” 😂 P.S. I liked the video… I better not see you in my dreams 😅
I love how no one is picking their S & F tier as mentioned at the end of the video for comment. Meaning no one made it to the end. I have a DX3-Pro so naturally going there for the S and F the TA-26
YOU SCARED ME, my name's adam and i have been searching for AMP/DAC for the past few days, i came across your video few times and i actually watched more than once but i never got to the end before this time and that last few seconds took me way too off guard
Delighted to see I own an S tier amp in your regards, the magni. I got later a chinese little dot 1+ to tinker later with a burson opamp and roll some tubes, I don't know if that would be an f as it is or even after being upgraded, I haven´t listened long to it, but what i have, I really liked. Maybe solely for the price it could be placed some tier(s) above? Also found interesting to see smsl got an s tier. I got the c200 dac-amp. Thank you for this Ranking video.
I had a Topping A90D for 2 weeks from a friend and for some years now I'm using the RME ADI-2 Dac fs. tbh the RME eats the the Topping for breakfast, spits it out again and wipes the floor with it. The fact that the RME is not even on your Tier list eventhough its AMP and DAC in one and the price is only 1k just shows, that you really need to give it ago. Srsly the difference between the both is so insane, that with for example a HD800s it sound like a completely different beast with the RME. Soundstage is bigger, more resolution in the highs and low and the music come ALIVE with the RME, it's honestly insane. And I used the RME as a dac connected to the Topping in case anyone is wondering what dac i used for the Topping for comparision.
i've tested a lot of dacs that are sub 2k ... would love to hear some options that are better in your opinion. Even on paper the RME as a dac beats almost everything in this it's price category and even slightly above as it is studio eqipment in a hifi casing.@@j-mals
@@Robert-ci6sj what's the point you have heard most sub 2k DACs , if you like your RME then that's good. Sound is subjective but there's far better now even coming from chifi
Just bought a k7 and then seen this. From what I've seen while researching most seem to say go the k7 over the schitt stack dx3 amount others. Actually surprised it wasn't s tier. But it's the second time I've noticed you having a different opinion to what the community is saying. It was fairly new at the time don't know if your stance has changed I will soon find out for myself
Good day, I bought Audez Maxwell headphones, I want to use them with a computer for games and listening to music, I subscribed to Qobuz and Spotify, but I connected the headphones via WiFi and did not hear any difference) I understand that I need a DAC and connecting my Maxwell only via a cable to the DAC, so that I could hear the difference? Am I understanding everything correctly? And if possible, which DAC within 200 +- dollars would you recommend for my setup. Thank you.
Josh, maybe you could treat yourself by picking up a Heil or Rode mic boom arm for videos like this? The rest of your studio is pristine, and I think that a boom arm could really up the vibe over holding your mic by hand? PS (I don’t suppose you might be up for adding chapters to this?)
I think the Atom sounds better the Magni. To my ears, the Lyr sounds awesome (I haven't heard the plus), and I like much more than the Magnus. To each his own.
With how Schiit handled the HEL2, I'm unlikely to buy any of their stuff ever again. I got a 100% reliable, and better sounding gaming amp from Soundblaster in the X G6, and that's on my PC38X that was in your B-tier headphone list. I've also gotten the Boom3D app and completely flattened the PC38X response curve and i've shared it with my friends, kiddo and her friend, and they say it sounds like they're actually there.
Lmao. SA-1 in D tier because you have to glaze up the Topping A90d. Literally has the toggles you prefer with the A90 and a better internal build quality than the A90D. You do know APOS sells both so you can breathe a sigh of relief. But since you prefaced the Darkvoice with garbage about measurebaitors before even considering build or how it actually sounds we know where this list was going.
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…
If I was going to pick an S tier amp it would probably be Naim unity atom headphone edition which I probably should have got instead of focal arche that said the arche is a great match for my focal clear mg headphones which I know you don’t rate as highly as I do but I really enjoy their sound especially through the arche amp which is an absolutely fabulous match for them.
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.
The Sennheiser is not for enjoying music. It's for mastering music. It's supposed to increase the volume with as close to zero coloring of the music as possible. It should should as close to exactly as the the music that enters is with very little noise and no change to the EQ so it should sound very very plain, flat, bland. That's what I'm trying to find. flat amplification.
@12:13 which Dac/Amp Combo is he referring to for a bit more money than the Schiit Fulla? Audiophile noob here looking to grab his first Dac/Amp and looking to not spend too much
No JDS Element II or III? Build wise with the new EQ adjustments on-board it seems like one of the MOST unique, not to mention from a company that isn't rude to their customers like Schiit which I see 4 products for here... I know tier lists are notorious for never pleasing everyone, though I think it was a goof to glaze over JDS with just their budget offering in a quick snip like that. The element series is end game for many people and shouldn't fall into the non standout-ish category you mention.
