The All Purpose Advice Thread

It was just a random question since assuming you get 2 extra tubes to roll the price of these are about the same. Just for the hd600 alone, which one sounds better for all genres combined is the basic question. Which is a better combination of a clean yet engaging listen basically.

 

@cizx.6 BK XLS200 is an excellent small sub and would take that over the REL. I suggest getting 2, although I think you can also also look at the SVS subs since you are in the States. Usually sealed subs go lower, but have less spl. Ported goes louder, but does not go as deep. Either one will work fine for music.

 

I've been in love with MDR-EX1000 for years, but I'm trying to build a portable setup for it just now. I'm mainly using my phone (iPhone 5S) to drive it on the go... and well, its pretty mediocre - I don't like its SQ all that much. At home I have different gear and setup to drive it, but I want something portable. Sadly my budget is pretty limited at the moment (otherwise I would've just bought ZX2) - so my options are rather odd: I can get Fiio X3, AK JR or A17... the other option is to upgrade my phone (significantly cheaper and something that I'd generally have to do at some point) - so I can go for either HTC 10 or V20 (even tho V20 has sabre and I doubt they'd match well).

So, whats your take on this guys? Which way? Get Fiio X3 (I'd love an extra portable DAC) or upgrade to HTC 10? What about AK JR or A17? What's gonna be better match SQ-wise for EX1000.

Cheers!

 

Use the search function here. So many people here have an HD600/650 there must be impressions.

I am considering a Vali 2 because I want a taste of that tube sound.

 

edit:figured it out.

 

I really need to make up my mind on a tube amp.

So I have been thinking about the WooAudio SE6-SE for months:
http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa6se.html

Also tho I hear good things about the Schiit Mjolnir 2:
http://schiit.com/products/mjolnir-2

Anyone heard both and can compare and contrast?

I feel like a shill owing some much Schiit stuff at this point. I don't know if the Mjolnir will sound different enough from my Asgard 2.

I listen mainly on my Audeze LCD-2 and HD650.

 

What is your recommendation for a silent, portable amp/dac for use with sensitive iems? Every time I get a dap I think: "Why am I messing with this if its sitting right here on my laptop?" Foobar is just so easy compared to lots of dap UI. And I can't often think of when I'd use a dap without a laptop because I don't travel much.

 

Audioquest Dragonfly/LHLabs Geek Out 2A etc all work pretty well while maintaining small sizes. How silent/budget/sound preference?

 

I would, it's deeply overrated. Rolled-off and not that resolving, with a certain amount of prickle in the (not terribly well-extended) treble, even if fed from clean optical/SPDIF. You can get much better for much less.

 

Even with 1/64 volume? The Black also has even lesser power so it should be even quieter.

 

Silly question, but was that out of an Android device? Unless you're using UAPP or somesuch, you don't get proper volume control of the DFR on Android (you do on iOS).

The SE535 are quite an old design and showing their age. They're not just quite rolled-off but slow. Transients lose their sharp attacks, percussion sounds more like short bursts of noise rather than proper enveloped sounds with a timbre. They also make cymbals sound quite splashy, rather than metallic with a crisp attack. They blur the distinction between plastic and metal strings more than you'd expect.

I have a pair of SE535s, as my backup IEMs- had to use them recently while I sorted out a new cable for my Martians, and really found them bland and sluggish*. A better and cheaper option would probably be the Noble-X, which tonally have a lot in common with HD650, but are capable of reproducing some attack on transients. They're a better listen all-round, not just for the price.

That's not to say that there aren't things to really like about the SE535. They're tiny and hugely comfortable, plus the stock Shure cable is nice and long and very sturdy. If someone found a tidy pair for about $100, they'd be worth snapping up.

An odd gotcha of the Shures is that they have very skinny stems, most tips slide off- you're more limited in your choice of aftermarket options (though the Shure-sized Spinfits worked well for me).

The Noble-X at $249 new seem like a better option all-round, though.

* I used to quite like them, out of a Mojo- but both were mediocre, so you didn't hear either being held back all that much. I guess I just didn't know what I was missing, and was happy.

 

GOxx on low gain are fine loudness-wise, IMO. Both GOV2 and GO2A hiss though, GO2A more so than GOV2.

How portable does this need to be? There's something to be said for desktop-scale stability.

 

Thanks for all the ideas! I'd really like 0 hiss. I'm crazy hiss sensitive. I also like listening on low volumes. I've had both the E10K and GO450 and neither of them had the volume play I'd like with even the SE215, much less a more sensitive iem. (Have my eyes set on the UE4). Personally, I prefer a volume knob though like the E10K has over the dragonfly/GO model; it's not a dealbreaker though.

As far as budget, I'd like to stay under $300. The AK JR can be had for less than that...so at some point, I have to ask whether a portable dac/amp is really worth it if I'm going to end up paying more than a dap, even if its a dap with an uninspiring UI.

I do find myself working at home/office/coffee shop quite a bit so a desktop system doesn't seen to make the most sense... though I'm fine with transportable over portable.

 

Slightly topping your budget, but not wildly.. did you see this thread?

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...d-gen-fiio-x5iii-soc-impressions-review.4128/

 

Yeah, its a little out of my price range, but not horribly. But if I remember correctly its not hiss free... I just hearing you have to turn up something for the hiss to go away...

 

Yeah, though apparently it's pretty decent:

To be honest, if I didn't have a WM1A, I'd be tempted. It's typical, there has been a dearth of DAPs that seemed suitable for ages, too.

 

Sony hasn't learned that people want to use their products as a DAC/AMP though, unlike most DAP manufacturers.

 

Oh they know all right, they just want to sell you an even more expensive unit for that.