Newbie to this,but want the best possible advice

Sorry if this is breaking any kind of rules,but Im new to this hobby and would like the best start that I can have.
My question is simple, whats the best schiit amp/dac under 500$, I ordered the HD650s and they should arrive within a week.

I would like to buy a schiit product cause I am from norway and all the custom brands are hard to get a hold of.Schiit has an authorized reseller at duetaudio (duet.no).

Here are my options :
Modi Multibit 2 with Asgard 2
Modi Multibit 2 with Vali 2
Regular Modi 2 with Lyr 2
Regular Modi 2 with Valhalla 2.
Jotunheim with included DAC.

Again I am really sorry , but I just want the stuff I buy to last and this seems like the most knowledgeable site.

 

Please refer to the answers in this thread:
http://superbestaudiofriends.org/in...for-a-balanced-amp-is-aune-x7s-any-good.4326/

You may also wish to refer to this for more detailed info re Schiit amps.
http://superbestaudiofriends.org/in...ompendium-guide-to-schiit-amps-headamps.3058/

 

I recommend Momby with Vali 2, or Val 2 if you could stretch your budget to $600.
Of course, @Psalmanazar will tell you to go with Asgard.

 

momby would stand for modi multibit ? I could stretch the budget a lot,I could go for end game stuff but the thing is I havent experienced anything more than ath m40xs plugged into my macbook.

I bought the hd 650s cause they are only 20$ more than the hd 600 here in norway, and now I am looking for entry level dac and amp.Is my logic here good ? Or should I go straight for yggdrasil and ragnarok and stuff like that?

 

Definitely start out with a good entry level set up to get your feet wet. The Magni 2 Uber / Modi 2 Uber stack are well reviewed. I enjoyed my time with that combo. After that, I would look at the Modi Multibit with the Jotenheim which has good synergy with the 650.

 

Yes, Modi Multibit. Momby may seem entry-level price-wise but definitely not entry-level performance-wise. It is the gateway drug to multibit DAC's, once you go down this route chances are you'll never want to go back to Delta-Sigma DAC's. If you want endgame stuff, I say grab a Gungnir Multibit and look no further. Upgraditis may tempt you to go with Yggdrasil, but Gungnir Multibit is very close to Yggdrasil for only half its price and has a slightly more forgiving nature that some folks prefer to Yggdrasil when it comes to headphone listening.

As for headphone amp, I think Val 2, Jot, and Rag are the best amps for HD650 in the current Schiit lineup. Rag is the most expensive of the bunch but I wouldn't necessarily call it the best, each brings a different flavor to the table. In order from most exciting/aggressive to most laid-back/polite, Jot-Rag-Val 2.

Lyr 2 on the other hand is not as transparent as the above 3 and pairing with HD650 might make it sound a bit muddy in comparison.

 

Holy shit the Gungnir multibit looks huge.I mean the price is alright but I think I will go with modi 2 multi bit for the dac.

Now I just need to decide on the amp,how big is the difference between vali and valhalla ? and when thinking about Jot should I go with jot amp or jot combo ? Is there a difference between the modi and the included jot dac ?

Sorry for my bad english,not native speaker.

 

Val 2 is more transparent and has a more holographic soundstage than Vali 2.
The Jot DAC isn't too bad, actually it's surprisingly decent for only $100, but the Momby is better.
Another viable option is to add a Saga or Freya between Momby and Jot.

 

Just get a Schiit Modi 2U and Magni 2U stack. You'll be fine. The Modi Multibit is veiled to hell and the Hd 650 is already slightly dark so avoid that like the plague.

 

Vali 2 preferable to jot amp section with 650s, not crazy about low level schiit dacs

 

is there a reason for going with uber modi instead of regular ? they are the same dac except one has more options if I understood right ?
and how would the magni 2 uber compare to vali 2 and asgard 2?
sorry for all these questions

 

Hey @medo357 , welcome to SBAF!
It seems like you've gotten some good advice here.
Take a few minutes and head over to the introduction thread; http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/new-members-introduce-yourself.17/

There's a lot of great info on the first page. Read through a bit and give us a short presentation.

Edit: Also, and I can't recommend this enough; check out @atomicbob System Synergy thread; http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/system-synergy-special-sound.54/
Many nice ideas for setups that play nice together with different price tags.

Again, welcome - hope you'll like it here, and good luck!

Edit2: I'm running Modi MB / Vali2 with Hd650 as my small footprint second system. I love it. Low cost, sounds great!

 

I believe the only differences are that the Modi 2 Uber adds optical and coax inputs, and it moves from 5v USB power to a 16v wall wart. IMO the added input flexibility and getting off of USB power is well worth the $50 difference.