The All Purpose Advice Thread

@loki993 , other points for consideration are the excellent quality control (driver matching), availability of replacement parts, and ability to scale up with improvements throughout the chain.

 

I used to own Q701. Its soundstage is too wide with no depth at all, to my ears. Didnt sound natural. I prefered Fidelio X2's more rounded soundstage a whole lot more.

I dont remember the Q701 having sub bass extension. Build quality is nothing to write home about too. Only thing I liked about it is its lightweight.

 

Fostex TH-X00 sounds like what you're looking for. I miss mine.

 

I dont mind giving up some soundstage, Ill probably keep the K7xxs for gaming duty. bass rolloff after 50 Im not so sure id miss that much either as long and the bass the 650s provide is good, it would definitely be more of a concern then the soundstage though.

So summarizing aside from soundstage the 650s may actually be a worthwhile sidegrade, probably a bit of an upgrade from the K7xxs in areas. So that would cover the 250 300 ish range

If I wanted to move to the 4 to 500 ish range would I see an appreciable difference above what I can get with the 650s or do I need to move up even more to start getting a lot better?

I know the TH-x00s were mentioned.

 

I'm looking for small powered speakers for my desk at work. These would not be for critical listening, but hopefully the sound is not pure crap. I have maybe 7 inches of clearance below my computer monitors (which take up my whole desk), so something like the JBL LSR305 wouldn't work. I'm hoping to spend less than $300.

 

This hits the top of the budget, and you have to be ok with refurbished products, but...

https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...red-desktop-speakers-w/bluetooth-black/1.html

Or, if you can find a deal on the Vanatoo Transparent Zero, I have heard they do sound pretty good.

 

Audioengine A2+'s come to mind.

 

Audioengine A2s really aren't bad for their size if you get them used or refurbished. I still have mine after 5 years

 

I'm feeling really curious about tubes lately. Other than a Vali 2, everything I've lived with has been solid state. I've been reading the threads here about the ZDS as a great match for the HD650 and Utopia, but I also really enjoy the HEK, and I see that @purr1n suggests that the ZDS and HEK wouldn't pair well. Is there a tube amp out there that would shine with my 3 favorite headphones, or do these life changing tube experiences only come with TOTL OTL amps and dynamics?

 

I bit of a tube noob here, I just got the MCTH and I'm loving the heck out of it.

One thing I noticed is the tube is rather loose in the socket. I posted the question in the MCTH thread to see if it's a common with this amp or not, but I also saw these thingys in a post somewhere on Facebook... is this something useful, or mere decoration?

http://www.hifiwinkel-beek.nl/bermu...mpers-vanaf-deze-week-de-winkel-verkrijgbaar/

I don't speak German, but Google Translate is saying these are dampeners of some sort, so IDK if it would be helpful or not.

Thanks!

 

Those appear to be intended to damp out vibration, I don't see how they would affect how tightly (or not) the tube fits in the socket.

 

I was thinking it might hold it in place better, not move around as much and loosen less, but I'm sure you're right...
Thanks

 

I was sort of afraid someone would say something like that but I was also sort of expecting it. A stretch if new but I think I may be able to get close if I try to find them used no? Used stuff is nice because if I need to sell it or I dont like it I dont take a bath on resale like I would on something new.

 

Moving house soon entailing a significant down-sizing. Considering moving from desktop to portable set up. IEMs could also help blocking noise at certain times of the day as we will be over the road from a High School.

Currently have a rack-mountable CD player, HE560 and Meier Audio Corda Jazz. Considering selling them all and buying something like an Andro. Would plug straight into my phone, a Sony Xperia ZX Premium.

How do you think the Andromedas compare to my current setup in timbre, detail and imagining? I'd prefer better imaging and stage depth than offered by the HE560s.

I've read that the Andros have a certain similarity to the HD600s, which I owned for a year paired with a Lyr 2 and Modi MB. Found the combo to lack a certain clarity and to be a little bass light (have trouble using words to describe what I hear).

Musical preferences - Art music from 1200-2018 (early music, baroque, classical, romantic etc); Rock (mainstream, prog, heavy etc); Jazz; other miscellaneous representatives of many other styles.

Advice please!

Edit: Oh, I'm not in a position to audition a pair due to location

 

Thanks Marv. The Andro could fit the bill quite nicely. Really appreciate this. Buying headphones/IEMs seems to be a matter of "pick your compromise" at this price point.

 

Shit, that's life. And at any pricepoint.

 

I use the EDC every time I go to the gym - form factor looks the same as the EDC3, so I think I can chime in about how they function at the gym, but not so much about sound signature.

I use the cable w/out the controls and the Comply foam tips. I just plug them into my iPhone via that Lightning adapter thingy.

The cord is long enough to not jerk the phones out of my ears in case the cord gets caught on something.

Isolation is good, I listen at only 5-6 bars, but that’s good enough to block out the gym’s annoying music selection.

Maybe EDC are an option if you are worried about them taking a beating at the gym? They are half the price (or so) of the EDC3, so fewer tears shed if something bad happens.

My workout consists of 55 minutes on the elliptical or 55 minutes of hill/sprint work on the treadmill 4-5x a week, followed by a week where I spend 30 min on the elliptical or run 2 miles at an easy (8 min/mile) pace + 30 min of resistance training 4-5x per week. I end up getting sweaty, and haven’t had any issues with the phones + sweat yet.

Hope that helps.