The All Purpose Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Sep 26, 2015.

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  1. ibzrg1570

    ibzrg1570 Facebook Friend

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    If you have issues with brightness, I wouldn't recommend the HD800S, you'd be really limiting yourself with amps that can get a truly warm sound out of them. I tried my own pair with a prototype of the WA33 and it was an ice pick, nothing like the WA22 at all. Maybe a ZMF Atticus would be better suited for your tastes.
     
  2. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    I would focus on getting the most out of your LCD-4s. And I'd suggest going to meets and try as many tube amps (not OTL tubes) with your Audezes as possible.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2017
  3. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    I'm also getting a Geek Out v2+ for my self! Honestly, after owning two Hifiman Daps, TOTL and Entry level, I'm hoping to explore the smaller android capable options, just for the convenience of improving both the quality of my Cell and my Laptop
     
  4. PeteMullersKeyboard

    PeteMullersKeyboard New

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    I would like to very much, however where I live there's very little going on it seems...that's why I posted here too, just to see if there's something specific I should try to audition or research. I feel like every time I turn around there's new gear I haven't heard of.
     
  5. PeteMullersKeyboard

    PeteMullersKeyboard New

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    Thanks for the info. That's a shame, I'd have imagined that the 33 would've been full-bodied and perhaps a bit warm, even with 800s. I will look into the ZMF as well.

    Mostly I love the sound of the LCD4s even out of the Mojo so I'm not worried about adding to the collection that way yet. Mostly just interested in trying to drive them properly...which I realize will require some effort. Thanks.


    Would love to hear anyone else's input as well, although from what I can see the LCD4s aren't everyone's favorite HP around here.
     
  6. winders

    winders boomer

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    Now that Vidar and my floor standing speakers will be arriving next week (fingers crossed), I have moved my rack (Yggdrasil, Freya, Mjolnir 2) out of my home office to my Library/Listening room. The quality and number of components in my nearfield setup has gone down. Currently, I am using my main computer (2016 MacBook Pro) running Audirvana Plus to play music. Soon, I will be putting a Roon endpoint in the listening room to feed Yggdrasil via AES/EBU. Initially, I will run the server on my MacBook but that will change after I buy a dedicated device for that function. In the mean time, it is easy enough to move the MacBook Pro to the listening room when I want to play music there.

    I am now using a Modi Multibit to feed my powered monitors directly and I am using the volume control on one of the speakers to control volume. The problem is that this setup just doesn't sound anywhere near as good as what I had with Yggdrasil and Freya. There is no way I am buying another Yggdrasil and Freya for the home office. But, I could run RCA interconnects from the Yggdrasil in my listening room to a Saga in my home office. I could run the interconnects in the crawl space under the house. The total length would be about 25 feet. This would let me use the Roon server/endpoint setup to play music in either the listening room or the home office. The Saga getting input from Yggdrasil should sound close to what I had before. That is a significant selling point for this plan.

    How far can you run shielded RCA interconnects before the distance becomes a significant problem? Would the sound quality be diminished a lot at 25 feet? I know XLR would be perfect for this, but that is not really an option.

    Any thoughts appreciated!
     
  7. kirayamato

    kirayamato Friend

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    hi anyone know a good looking headphone stand ?
    + anyone a headphone case for travelling that could fit like a he1000 ?
     
  8. Bulldog

    Bulldog New

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    I just came back from camjam london. Is it normal that i did not find most of the headphone impressive.

    Picked up the Focal Utopia listen with the gsx mk 2 and the feliks elise found it nice but not mind blown for it's price, picked up the susvara which i did not care about, as i knew it was going to be expensive. Found it to sound nice but it did not leave a impression on me.

    Is this rather a reaction to having a hd 650 that is you could say well amped and my fostex th610 bass which i have to say is highly competitive even against flagships.
     
  9. o0Ampy0o

    o0Ampy0o New

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    I went through an audiophile glossary and selected a few terms which describe what I like. Hopefully people will see a common theme or style in this collection. I don't expect to find a solution that fulfills every characteristic. I suspect that the HD 598 thru 650's that I have are not designed for this theme. So if I aim for a different headphone which can deliver this and select the amp/DAC that suits those headphones I will at the least be better off with the HD 598 thru 650 than I have been because I was only using the headphone jack of my computers. To clarify, my goal is not to get the most out of this array of Sennheisers I have. It is to acquire an amp/DAC and headphone which will enable me to gain access to the listening experience that is described by the following terms:

    NOTE: These terms should be read as "I would like the sound system to feature..., be..., have good...."

    Articulate - Intelligibility of voice(s) and instruments and the interactions between them.

    Definition (or resolution) - The ability of a component to reveal the subtle information that is fundamental to high fidelity sound.

    Depth - A sense of distance (near to far) of different instruments.

    Detailed - Easy to hear tiny details in the music; articulate. Adequate high frequency response, sharp transient response.

    Euphonic - An appealing form of distortion that generally enhances perceived fidelity, often ascribed to the harmonic elaborations of some valve amps.

    Full - Strong fundamentals relative to harmonics. Good low frequency response, not necessarily extended, but with adequate level around 100 to 300 Hz. Male voices are full around 125 Hz; female voices and violins are full around 250 Hz; sax is full around 250 to 400 Hz. Opposite of thin.

    Gentle - Opposite of edgy. The harmonics (of the highs and upper mids) are not exaggerated, or may even be weak.

    Imaging - The sense that a voice or instrument is in a particular place in the room.

    Naturalness - Realism

    Soundstage should have width, depth, and height.

    Good transient response to make the sound as a whole more live and realistic.

    Weighty - Good low frequency response below about 50 Hz. A sense of substance and underpinning produced by deep, controlled bass. Suggesting an object of great weight or power, like a diesel locomotive.


    Budget for the amp/DAC is $500-$1000. I would consider anything close if it was worth the extra dollars.
    For reference, the headphone budget is $1000-1800.

    I'd like the option to use XLR.

    Thank you
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2017
  10. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    ^^^ My official suggestion is to switch to speakers.....

    .....geeze we are all chasing the same thing as your list
     
  11. sheldaze

    sheldaze Friend

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    The only thing I can offer is what's on my plate. I'm currently listening to Grace Design m9xx feeding into Rupert Neve Designs RNHP (total cost is less than $1000, and the RNHP accepts XLR inputs), feeding Audeze LCD-X headphones (also fits your budget).

    But as my brother-in-law frequently tells his oldest child, "Use your words." It may not make for an exact, perfect description - but it gets us a lot closer to your vision. Going through your list, my setup seems to hit the key points - but it is from my perspective, how I hear it.
     
  12. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    I'm not a speakers guy so I can't speak for how much BETTER they are... I can say hearing a $20,000 set up with a pair of Maggie 3.7s left me... not all that impressed. Non the less, I'd really consider going to a show to audition gear for your self,

    Though if your preference is for gentle over edgy and you want a weighty full sound I'd grab the ZMF Eikon. I found it's transients very impressive, the sound stage has good depth and overall imaging, width was more than sufficient an it sounds very real to my ears. As far as a budget goes, the Headphone in Cherry [how I enjoy it] is $1300, so for an amp dac all I can recommend is a Project Ember II running a Sylvania 6sn7 GT Tube, so the amp will run you around $450 with a good tube, that leaves you overall with around $1000 for a dac... the problem with the Ember II is that it's only 6.5mm out... I've not heard another tube that's running 4pin XLR that I can recommend. You could duplicate my set up and get your self a balanced solid state dac/amp. So An Audio GD NFB 29 [$750-850 Shipped] or a Schiit Jot $500 + Shipping if your US Based.

    All in all With the Audio GD you'd be pushing $2600 for everything, a Schiit Jot can bring you closer to $2300, but I can't speak for how it sounds...
     
  13. o0Ampy0o

    o0Ampy0o New

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    Thank you all for trying to provide assistance. I love you for it. I do!

    I hope to be able to listen to some things in person but it helps to do as much research in advance as possible. No sense in driving all over without a clue. Years ago there was a specific store I could go to. In a huge metropolitan area there were maybe 3 within 100 miles. But audiophile shops seem to have given way to home theater and a lot of that is horribly steroidal DSP sounding to boot.

    I live in an apartment and speakers are not an option.

    As for using my own words, I tried that elsewhere and received feedback pointing out how vague and subjective your own words usually are. So I quoted terms with acceptable enough definitions to be used in an audiophile glossary. I even included the definition to eliminate any doubt regarding my meaning. Whether my own words or a glossary formed through consensus the definitions of those words are there. All I would do is change a word to something I thought fit better but the meaning has already been provided so it could only take away clarity at this point.

    If I reduce the list to the common theme I see I would say a large soundscape with a range of full depth and gentle detail sums it up.
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2017
  14. o0Ampy0o

    o0Ampy0o New

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    Are you saying I could utilize the three components in some way to get XLR with the Project Ember II? Or would it be a matter of choosing different components when I wanted to use XLR? (i.e. Project Ember II with a DAC and then separately a SS amp with XLR and a DAC).

    Also, did you choose the wood? If so did you select the cherry after listening to the differences or based on appearance?
     
    Last edited: Jul 15, 2017
  15. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    For your next assignment @o0Ampy0o , you need to prioritize your glossary from most important to least. Then we "might" be able to help...
     
  16. Mshenay

    Mshenay Barred from loaner program. DON'T SEND ME GEAR.

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    Yea my Ember II has 6.5mm out, my Audio GD NFB10ES2 is a Dac/Amp in one box it has 4pin XLR out on the amp section, at the back of that is outputs that input into the Ember II

    So I choose between the two,

    @ButtUglyJeff is correct, re organize the list in terms of important to least important. But more importantly If you have $3000 around to purchase gear take the time to go an listen. There are a number of Audio Festivals that will gather together a ton of gear in one place, that would be a good place to just listen. An get a feel for what you like and then make a purchase
     
  17. o0Ampy0o

    o0Ampy0o New

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    Prioritized individually and grouped at least as I see they more closely relate to one another.

    I would like the sound system to feature..., be..., have good....

    1. Euphonic - An appealing form of distortion that generally enhances perceived fidelity, often ascribed to the harmonic elaborations of some valve amps.
    _______________

    2. Imaging - The sense that a voice or instrument is in a particular place in the room.
    3. A large soundstage should have width, depth, and height.
    _______________

    4. Full - Strong fundamentals relative to harmonics. Good low frequency response, not necessarily extended, but with adequate level around 100 to 300 Hz. Male voices are full around 125 Hz; female voices and violins are full around 250 Hz; sax is full around 250 to 400 Hz. Opposite of thin.
    5. Gentle - Opposite of edgy. The harmonics (of the highs and upper mids) are not exaggerated, or may even be weak.
    6. Weighty - Good low frequency response below about 50 Hz. A sense of substance and underpinning produced by deep, controlled bass. Suggesting an object of great weight or power, like a diesel locomotive.
    _______________

    7. Good transient response makes the sound as a whole more live and realistic.
    8. Naturalness - Realism.
    _______________

    9. Articulate - Intelligibility of voice(s) and instruments and the interactions between them.
    10. Detailed - Easy to hear tiny details in the music; articulate. Adequate high frequency response, sharp transient response.
    11. Definition (or resolution) - The ability of a component to reveal the subtle information that is fundamental to high fidelity sound.
     
  18. gaspasser

    gaspasser Flatulence Maestro

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    @o0Ampy0o what you are looking for amp wise is in the Eddie Current or DNA lineup and super way out of your budget. My advice is start buying high value budget gear (Schiit) spend time listening and get on the upgrade train. Buy separates so you can compare and contrast how different equipment effects the overall sound. My advice is don't blow your budget on a single pair of headphones either. I purchased HD650 and that is the only consistent part of my evolving system and with each upgrade it scales up. Good luck, listen, read, buy...repeat.
     
  19. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    Thanks for the useful information. Now we are getting somewhere! I think you said that your total DAC/amp budget at present is $1000. Definitely stay within that. Beyond a certain point it becomes about preference more than anything else, and at that point there is no way that anyone can advise you with certainty what is best for you; you have to listen to stuff for yourself. So as @Gaspasser said, I would recommend starting with something cheap-ish with high value and good resale value so you can figure out over periods of extended listening what you care and don't care about, and maybe what you would like to improve. Which may be nothing, in which case you have saved yourself some money.

    Most of the things you list as important are achievable with the headphones you have. The Sennheiser 600/6XX are inherently good at 1,4,5,8,9,10,11, not bad at 2,7 and let down a bit by 3,6. But if you haven't heard them out of a half decent amp, you probably don't know what they are capable of as yet. The right amp can fix up 3 and get you something at least acceptable for 6.

    So I would strongly recommend sticking with the Senns you have, upgrading your DAC/amp first, and then seeing how you feel. All the things you select as important also suggest that you would like a tube amp.

    I would get Schiit stuff because of the high value proposition in the price range you are looking at. I would go for a Modi Multibit for the DAC and either a Vali 2 or a Valhalla 2. The Valhalla 2 will really do an incredible job for the price with your Senns. The only thing that Modi MB + Valhalla 2 + HD6XX is maybe not the best at from your list is 6 - the low bass can be a bit wooly/soft on both the 6XX and the Valhalla 2. Aside from that everything else you list will be done with panache. If you are worried about making a loss later on if you sell things on, buy secondhand.
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
  20. LSW

    LSW Facebook Friend

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    Can anyone recommend a portable DAC/Amp combo that can power a Mr. Speakers AEON? My smartphone, the Pixel XL, doesn't anywhere near the power to drive the Aeon's loudly. I want something for my bedroom that can also be portable. My headroom Micro stack, while portable in theory, has never been used with batteries, and frankly I don't want to mess around unhooking it and lugging around those substantial bricks a lot, they live at my desk. I also want something with a low output impedance so that I can pair it with any HP/IEM without modifying their frequency response (my phone is 5 ohms output impedance, too high).

    Is the LH Labs Go2pro still something that the Best Audio Friends recommend for a portable DAC/Amp? I've read through the thread and am a bit confused about the availability of it and how sever the quality control/customer services isues have been. It seems like their products break a lot, but on the other hand it seems as if people like the ones that work right. Was also looking at the JDS labs C5D, but some of their products seems not too fondly thought of on here.
     
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