Audio Gear Wish List

I'll play.

DAC

• Schiit Yggdrasil (for home) Purchased 11/2015
• Schiit Bifrost Multibit (for work) Not interested anymore.

Headphones
Sennheiser HD 800, to complement HD650 Bought, tried SDR, sold in 9/2016 in favor of HD6x0 and Utopia

Magnepan 1.6QR Speaker Amp
To replace Peachtree Nova125. Undecided, but options are:

• Benchmark AHB2
  
• NAD M22
• Parasound A21
  
• Sanders Magtech
• Edit: Schiit two-channel gear

Preamp / headphone amp:
Undecided, but top candidate at this point is Simaudio Moon Neo 430HA. Bought T3. Planning on buying new Schiit preamp.

Cabling

• Used Cardas Golden Reference power cords Purchased. May need one or two more.
• Used Cardas Golden Reference speaker cables Purchased.
• Potentially Cardas Clear 3m cable for HD 800 Sold HD800

Power Distribution
Maybe a Shunyata MPC-12C, but the price makes me want to cry. Maybe I'll find one for free on the curb one day. Stupid massive wallwarts for router and cable modem make using my APC H15 more difficult than it should be. Edit: Purchased MPC-12C used.

Edit fall 2016: Looking forward to confirmation of Schiit's two-channel product specs. May revise the above and acquire, but then pretty much done with my home rig except for tweaks like Mye stands, etc.

 

Uncola's audio wish list

DAC

• LH Labs Vi Dac Infinity(awaiting shipment)

Speakers

• Ascend Sierra 2(espresso) - waiting to buy til I have vi dac in hand
• or Selah bookshelf speakers

Cabling

• Speaker cables better than my 12awg Blue Jeans Cable(ribbon type?)

The Far Future...

• Decware CSP3 tube headphone amp/preamp so I can say I have a nice point to point tube amp, which I probably won't' use much because of heat

 

I'm done finding headphones for now.
Sennheiser HD650 (in the process of modding them per @purrin) and JVC HP-DX1000/HA-DX2000 (yeah... I bought both. I'm doing overtime at work and someone was selling the super rare DX2000, so it's mine now).

That leaves the other things.

Work:
DAC: Schiit Bifrost Multibit is awesome and is probably my endgame for work. I have this now.
Amp: Some kind of awesome tube amp that isn't very big. Right now, my wish list item is Lyr 2 (Black).

Home:
DAC: R2R, big, and balanced! I really like the Audio-GD Reference 5, so the newest AGD stuff is currently on the list here (Master 11 or Master 7). I also have the Gungnir Multibit hovering at the top of the list here
Amp: Balanced tubes. Mjolnir 2? The 650s and DX1000 both enjoy tubes, and the option to go solid state on the Mojo is nice. Otherwise, still interested in the Master 11 since I really enjoy the Audio-GD Roc.

I'm hoping to hear some things at CanJam SoCal.

 

Amp: Project Ember II and/or Mjolnir 2. I think I'm pretty much done with SS.

DAC: Really not my biggest concern. Thanks to the generosity of @Mikoss I've got Modi 1 which is actually very listenable, but if I'd upgrade it's Gungnir MB for sure, again thanks to mikoss.

Transducers: I think I've got all the right transducer components: HD650, UERM and TH900. At current stage of game I'm not needing HD800 badly, but if I was to upgrade to Mjolnir 2+Gungnir Multibit, then HD800 is a must.

 

My [realistic] Wishlist

DAC
-Upgrade the UberFrost --> BMB
-In the distant future, Yggdrasil

Amp
-EC Black Widow (Or Mjolnir 2)
-Undecided electrostatic amp

Headphones
-HEX
-STAX SR-L700
-ETHER C

Speakers
-ELAC Debut B6

Speaker Amp
-Undecided

 

DAC
Bifrost Multibit

Amp
Liquid Carbon (pre-ordered)
Little Dot (far future)

Headphones

One of:
ZMF Blackwoods
JVC DX-1000
ETHER C

 

Headphones
Sennheiser HD250 II Linear (keep your HD800s, this is the Sennheiser sound I love.)
AKG K1000 (the AKG midrange and more "air" and yes I know my bias.)
Sennheiser HD600 or 650 (for relaxed listening.)
Extra AKG K181 DJ (Best portable headphone with bass head mode I ever had.)
Several Koss KSC-75s (for modifications and to keep me humble.)
... (unknown headphone I might pick up because it surprises me pleasantly.)

Amplifier
Whatever works best with the current audio set-up and lasts. I want variable gain and a stepped volume pot though. Some headphones like extra gain.

DACs/Sources
Whatever works best with the current audio set-up and lasts.

Speakers
Monitors, preferably compact designs and active to keep things practical.

I like to keep things practical. Most likely I will not get the HD250 II Linear or K1000, too rare.

 

DAC:

Bifrost Multibit (Hopefully in near future)

(Wishful) - Gungnir Multibit or Yggdrasil

Amp:

Happy with my My Valhalla 2 with Amperex Orange Globes

(Wishful) Modded Super 7

Headphones/IEM's

Happy with HD650's

(Wishful) - HD800's and Astell & Kern Layla In Ear Monitors (Universal IEM)

 

Hunh. I don't really plan on upgrading for now. I'm pretty happy with my setup, although I'm sure that will change down the road.
I am content for now with my Wyrd -> Bifrost MB -> Valhalla 2 -> hd650

 

That is very close to my current setup - Bifrost Uber->V2->HD650

 

If I can get myself a Gungnir Multibit next, I'm done. Maybe a Wryd too.

Currently driving Marantz CD6004 > Schiit Asgard 2 > Hifiman HE-560

 

I'm pretty much just looking at amps, bookshelf speakers and maybe a TT/vinyl setup.

Amps
EC Studio/2A3mkIV
Those new DNA amps

TT
VPI Classic/Prime

I'm honestly in the dark about where I should even start with speakers.

 

I usually put a list like this in my profile description, but this is a good page for it too. My true end game setup is speakers so one informal rule I have for myself is that I will not spend more on a headphone + headamp then on speakers + speaker amp. This definitely means no headphones over $1000(although several headphones adding up to more then $1000 is ok). DACs don't count since I expect to use them with speakers as well. If I do get a really expensive headphone amp it's because it can do speakers as well, like the Schiit Ragnarok or the Eddie Current 2A3 mkIV. You'll notice a ton of DIY stuff. Not so much because I want to save money but more because of the educational aspect that comes with DIY.

Headhones:
Open planar magnetic - HiFiMAN HE-400i
Closed - Oppo PM-3
On-ear portable - Sennheiser HD-25 amperior
CIEM - Alcair Reference
Electrostatic - King Sound headphones

DACs:
Schiit Modi 2 Uber
Schiit Gungnir Multibit or Schiit Bifrost Multibit
Soekris R2R DAC - DIY

Headphone amps:
portable amp - JDS CMOY amp - DIY
portable amp/dac - Oppo HA-2
work amp - Schiit Magni 2 Uber
end game amp - Schiit Mjolnir 2 with LISST
OTL tube amp - 6080 tube amp - DIY
Transformer coupled tube amp - ECP Torpedo/Bottlehead S.E.X./Millett Jonokuchi/etc. - DIY
Amp I should just have for whatever reason - Objective 2 amp

Speakers:
active speakers - Linkwitz LXMini - DIY
ultimate active speakers - Linkwitz LX521 - DIY
living room full range single driver - Fostex fe166en backloaded horn/transmission line/bass reflex - DIY
bedroom full range single driver - Nagaoka Swan with fe108ez - DIY
2 way open baffle - 4" Fostex + Eminance - DIY
desktop monitors - Genelec or JBL

Speaker Amps:
Class A solid-state - Aleph 30 clone or First Watt F5 clone - DIY
Trans-conductance solid state amp - First Watt F1 or F2 clone - DIY
Class A tube SE/parafeed - Undetermined 300b or 2a3 - DIY
Class A or AB tube push-pull - KT88/EL34/KT90/KT120 type amp. Either a Pete Millett build, Oddwatt or Lenard Audio. - DIY
Ultimate chipamp - Neurochrome Modulus-86 - DIY
End game Class D - Hypex nc400 monoblocks - DIY
4/10 channel amp for LXMini/LX521 - Hypex UcD180HG or Modulus-86 - DIY

Ultimate endgame speaker setup where I sacrifice all my amps, dacs and other speakers to the audio gods:
Kii Audio Three

Other:
Crossfeed box - Probably doesn't exist but I want some sort of crossfeed preamp that I can put in between a source and a headphone amp. It should have a switch to patch the signal straight through or use the crossfeed circuitry. This way I can use any headphone amp I want instead of having crossfeed integrated in a headphone amp.
miniDSP

I was about to include preamps, phonos and turntables but the list was already getting stupidly long.

 

Nice! I guess I'll just have to DIY something like everything else on my list.

 

I've maxed out the headphone side of things, but I still have a few things I'd like to get.

Cartridge
Lyra (any model)

Preamp
I'm hoping to put together a modification on the phono preamp here, using D3a's for all valves and DC coupling instead of caps, and then coupling it with a preamp stage based on the 6dj8 family of tubes. Still needs a lot of work, and I need to get stuff to allow me to work with metal chassis.
Just got an EC Transcription, so this is all on hold for the foreseeable future.

Speaker Amp(s)
Something beautiful and Class A from Eddie Current (Shout-out to Marv and Craig), maybe try to get a tricked out Hong Kong version for shits and giggles. Fingers crossed for another run or two of the Studio.
Maybe actually get around to prototyping the 845 Amp I've been toying around with on LTSpice.

Speakers
Ultimate dream for when I win 100 million in the lottery after taxes - Infinity IRS V
More realistic - JBL M2
I've been kicking around a few DIY ideas for open baffles, nothing concrete at the moment.

 

I'd love a pair of K10 Wizard. I love his designs.

I'd also love an Audio Technica L3000 in green and tan.

 

Wish List (stuff that does not exist............yet)

Schiit Modi 2 Uber with AKM 4490 chip

Portable Dac / amp for iems sporting AKM 4490 chip and lion battery - phone sized or smaller and works with Android OTG

 

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