Description

My work office system is a full Schiit stack, coming out of an iMac, with nearfield listening through a small PSB combo.I'm pretty pleased with this, for an office system that serves mainly as background and distraction while I think.

My first "good speakers" were PSB Image series towers, and that experience drove the PSB PS1 purchase. They run circles around the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks I had before them (which were, in turn, an upgrade from a hand-me-down Klipsch system). 

I run the iMac to an Eitr, with decoding duties handled by the least expensive multibit DAC in the line. This was my first foray into R2R DACs, and I liked the spacious sound and musicality so much, I upgraded the home system and moved the Modi to the office (to displace an Audioquest Dragonfly). 

The Sys was a spur of the moment add-on for an upfront volume control. I could ditch it and use the Magni as a volume, but the Sys appears to harm nothing and introduces nothing "wrong". The Magni was a pittance of funds, and serves spot duty when I want to plug in some phones for bit more isolation from the external surroundings.




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Components Toggle details

    • PSB PS-1
    Fantastic desktop powered monitors. Superb imaging and good all-rounders.
    • PSB Subseries 1
    Midbass to mate with the PS-1's. Not a true sub, but the PS1's are so thin, I can't imagine using them without this. It supplements the bass output to around 40 Hz.
    • Schiit Audio Modi Multibit
    Budget multibit DAC. Spacious sound, a touch on the warmer side of neutral.
    • Schiit Audio Eitr
    Cleans up the USB output from the iMac. I can hear a difference, but this also seems to introduce some USB connectivity issues.
    • Schiit Audio Magni
    Great budget head amp for when I want a little more isolation.
    • Schiit Audio Sys
    Passive preamp - used as a volume control in this setup.
    • Apple iMac
    Home base work computer. I use lossless ripped CDs, purchased apple store files, and high resolution Flac files purchased from HD tracks and played through the free version of Vox.
    • AudioQuest Forest
    Predominantly Audioquest Forest series connections loomed through the entire setup.
    • Blue Jeans Cable Belden 1694A
    Digital cable runs from the Eitr to the Modi.

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amvm73, I own 3 decent pair: Hifiman HE-560, Massdrop HD6XX, and a set of Shure IEMs. The open back phones didn't provide any benefit in reducing background noise, so I stick with the Shures. If I find the right set of closed back over ear headphones at some point, I'll try that. The Magni has, so far, done a great job with all 3.

awaters