The All Purpose Advice Thread

Thanks guys, interesting. If that's the case I'll probably stick with my Shure 215's over ER4's.

Similar question: Has anyone compared the Shure 215 vs 315, 425 or 535? Worth the upgrade you think?

 

About the sound: came from ER4SR (the new one), HD800 & custom (Fostex closed kind of sound but bit more neutral). Tried 215 once, didn't like it very much. It's fun, but the bass is too much & bleeds into mid. Think ER4s as HD800 junior with more tamed treble, less dynamic & attack due to BA transducer. ER4s has spike around 10kHz though, so the treble sounds quite different than HD800. You may like it or hate it. Shures are very fun & Etys are very analytical/flat, both are on the very opposite sides.

 

About ety vs shure: I have owned er4s several times and still have a pair of mk5 (great for the price), and have had several shures, but most notably the ancient ec3 and the recent se535. In general, all shures are "laid back" compared to ety's, and if you are normalized to the ety sound (which they call "neutral") you will find most shures bassy and or fuzzy. Ety's are crystal clear, at the expense of painful brightness in treble; this can be managed with filters and insertion, but it is always kind of there. To be honest, I f'ing loved by ec3. It was a single driver design, so it had the clarity that most shures lack, and it was not fatiguing. It did not have super awesome detail retrieval, but for my uses at the time I didn't give a shit. Its broken now, and I am sad about that.

As to the more current question: I can only speak to the 215 vs the 535. I auditioned the 215 at an airport store while unexpectedly laid-over (f**k you, ORD), and I briefly owned the 535. I did not like the 535. It fit fine, and sounded ok, but the bass was shitty, muddy, and unnecessarily overpowering. It bled into the lower mids, and obscured a ton of cues I know were in tracks. The 215, by contrast was pretty solid in terms of sound sig and tonality. Very impressive for single dynamic driver, but it lacked detail retrieval capabilities in a way that I found unacceptable at that time (it was compared to my uerm, which was not fair at all). Hope that helps.

 

I think this is probably what I didn't like about them as compared to my Westones.

 

Hi all,

I've been using a O2/ODAC combo with a Philips Fidelio X2 for a while now and I'm considering an upgrade in both headphones and amp/dac.

Which amp/dac combo (or separates) and headphones would you all recommend as an upgrade to the O2/ODAC? My budget is $1000 (a little over is ok) for the amp/dac and $600 for the headphones. I prefer solid state but I'd also consider tube amps. My favorite music genre is classical and opera.

Thanks in advance and cheers!

 

HD650 w/ balanced cable ($300 used?), Jotun ($400 new), Schiit Modi Multibit ($250 new).

You could opt for the built-in dac on the Jotun if you plan on saving up for something more expensive down the line like the Gungnir multibit or Yggdrasil. The stock hd650s will have similar tonality to the X2 but much better technicalities and scalibility. Modding is a must imo but if you like the stock sound, then that's fine too.

Edit: I just saw that you made your own thread and Marv recommended the exact same thing.

 

Culture shock is a light way of putting what you are going to experience going from an unbalanced unresolving headphone like the X2 and a grainy, weaksauce source like the O2/ODAC to what you have already been recommended.

Not trying to insult your purchases thus far (yes I am), just saying you're in for a good time.

 

Ok guys, relative newbie here experiencing the cheek-flapping force of rapid learning.

Just got my first pair of proper cans (HD600) and amp (Objective2). Using Xduoo X3 as DAP with Modi Multibit on the way.

This combo is great but I'm a bit disappointed with the "relaxed" nature of the Senns. I used to have some HD555's which were similarly relaxed but I thought that was due to the major treble rolloff. The 600's don't have the rolloff but the same standoffish, lazy feel is still there. I don't know whether this is because they are more neutral than I'm used to, or if they're a bit slow or soft. Oh and the soundstage is pretty damn narrow and I love a big soundstage. Maybe I'd love a can with both speed and big soundstage if such a thing exists. Planar? Modded 650?

The objective 2 was bought used and turns out of have three holes drilled in the backplate. I'm half of a mind to return it and buy a Schitt or something else with a bit more pedigree.

Anyway give me your thoughts, I have plenty of time on my hands and some many so I'm happy to trade my way to a more fitting setup.

 

Get rid of the O2, I used to think the HD600s were boring too when all I had was an Objective stack. There are many here that find the 600s too forward sounding in the upper mids and treble. The grain of the O2 doesn't do any favors for the perception of soundstaging and space on the 600s but they may legitimately not be the cans for you.

edit: I should clarify, while the Jotunheim is the FOTM here, if $399 is too much I really liked the Garage1217 Project Polaris with the 600s and 650s.

 

I'm not surprised some don't like the treble: I swear John Bonham's cymbals have leapt out to try and take my head off a couple of times today. Also screamy high vocals sound less natural than they did on the 555's.

Action taken: Amazon return ticket for the o2 submitted.

Is there a favoured amp for the Modi Multibit? Obv the Magni 2 would be an ergonomic fit.

 

@Treesmithy You'll not find much love for the O2 around here, especially as a pairing with HD600s. I still have my O2 floating around somewhere, it's not incompetent but the jump to a better amp is well worth it.

Having said that, everyone is different and it may just be that the HD600 is not for you... Take some time to get used to the signature and reassess before chucking money at amplifiers.

An excellent option might be the original Vali which is still available for $99 on Schiit's website. I've not heard it myself, but the price is right and it would sit nicely atop your Modi!

 

I have the Vali 1, and it is a warm and engaging amp. Brought to life an anemic pair of KRKs I had.

 

The O2 turned up looking a bit tatty with a broken 3.5mm chord and three holes drilled in the backplate so I'm inclined to get shot of it while I can. You're right about resisting the temptation to start shelling out on pricey amps though, especially when I have no idea what cans I'll be using in the near future. Being in the UK new Shiit amps are pricey but there are a Vali and an Asgard on the 'bay I can try to get.

 

My son has just completed a pair of Fugalhorn Mk IIIs.

He's thrilled with the way they reproduce vocals and pianos but he feels that they're a little light on electric guitars...

Currently playing from the internal DAC in an Apple Airport Express and I would like to buy him a standalone DAC.

Question is would the Modi Multibit or Bifrost Multibit complement these speakers the best? Since they're bass light speakers I was thinking Bifrost Multibit but I don't want to go too warm and loose the positive attributes of the speakers which is clarity.

Which of the two has better sound staging? I've only heard the Bifrost Multibit through the loaner program but only through headphones.

 

Puns all the way, i think it is Frugelhorn!

And I heard a homebuilt pair a few years ago and was very impressed. Especially with the frugality! If I was good with wood...

 

Yes, Frugel-Horns...sorry for the spelling

 

Hello everyone!
I've been a member on super best audio friends for several months now and have been enjoying the wealth of information found on this site.

I'm currently experiencing a problem with the system I have built up. It consists of a bifrost 4490, mjolnir 1, vali 2, and paradox slants. The problem with my system is that I'm only occasionally enjoying it.

Its not a problem that involves not having enough time to listen to it. I almost always do when I get ready for bed.

I'm having trouble figuring out whether there are any obvious bottlenecks with the gear I'm using and what should be my next step in upgrading my listening experience.

What I find to be wanting more of is the soundstage. Even with the slants I still seem to want the soundstage to be wider and deeper. And additionally, I seem to be enjoying some of my music more with my fidue a83 through my phone that has an ess9018 dac chip built in. So that tells me I may want a pair of brighter sounding, neutral, open back headphones.

I was wondering if I should save up to buy a used pair of modded, sennheiser hd800. What's holding me back from doing so is I'm worried that even with modding, they are going to be too bright and sibilant from the system I currently have.

Any recommendations, suggestions, or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

EDIT: Answered this one myself.

 

Hello all the wonderful users of the SBAF community.

I have been driving myself mad recently with all the research and time that I have put looking towards my next upgrade. It's got to the point where I sometimes feel a bit overwhelmed. Please help me! Any recommendations, comments, etc. are appreciated.

Current Gear:
Headphones: Oppo PM-3, ATH MRS7, ATH M50 (I mainly use the ATH MRS7s and barely touch the M50s anymore)
Source: Foobar 2000-> USB 2 -> Schiit Jodie with DAC module (had the Mojo for a short while, but didn't like that it had a battery because I'm looking for Desktop use. I already have the Oppo HA-2 for on the go.)

General impressions of current gear from listening at Audio Shops:
Headphones:
Focal Utopia: Sounds and Looks great but unsure if it's worth $4000 to me
Focal Elear: Also impressive but it was a bad idea to test them after the Utopia. Not as clear as the Utopia, but slightly more fun sounding

HE-1000: Solid headphone, not crazy about the design. It was comfortable to wear and had a nice wide sound stage

Mr. Speakers Ether C: Not as good as I thought it was going to be. Could be something else in the setup. It was very open sounding for a closed headphone, but everything sounded thin. Bass left a lot to be desired.
Mr. Speakers Ether Flow: Liked slightly better than the HE-1000. I am still new so it's difficult to pin point the exact reason for the preference.

HD-800: Do not get the hype. Sounded very airy. It was like I was hearing the music from a further distance than normal.

DACs/Amps
Mojo: Loved the sound. Didn't love that it was battery power and that it kept turning off. Could have been a defective unit because I always made sure it was fully charged

Hugo/Hugo TT: Sounded brighter and not as pleasant. The TT did seem to do a better job of Isolating different instruments.

Music that I like:
Most Genres, but Rap and Classic Rock are at the top of the list. I also listen to EDM, Classical, Kpop, Reggae, etc.

What I want to get:
The best headphones and DAC I can get for under $6000 overall. I took awhile for me to save this up, but I'm looking to get my endgame setup complete by the end of the year.

Main usage will be for music listening while on the PC. It will most likely be used for some voice over work and video games, but I can always go back to what I already have for those activities.

Looking at Mr Speakers Ether Flow, ZMF Headphones, High end Audio Technicas, and the Focal Utopia for Headphones
Looking at Metrum and Schitt for DACs.