The All Purpose Advice Thread

I second the suggestion of Fulla 2, but I would get both the HD6xx and the HE560 and learn both of their sounds. Then keep whichever is preferred. I have both (well HD650) atm and like things about each one.

 

hello!

I'm looking for a cheap-ish DAC but I have some awkward limitations-

(I think) it has to be USB-powered and work well on Windows 7 (64-bit), my PC USB is completely borked so I use a Schiit Wyrd through a USB hub. the SDAC I bought does not work with the USB hub I have, and cuts out on my Windows 7 PC all the time (like every 30 minutes or so). not having any problems on the Windows 10 PC, so I suspect it's a driver issue with Windows 7, haven't been able to resolve it.
the SDAC is pretty good sounding though, just wish it was maaaybe a little warmer.

soo, I'm hoping to find something that fits my tastes:
good staging/imaging, but slightly warmer sounding- I can't stand the sound of those Topping DACs and whatnot.

I really enjoyed the Modi Multibit but the power supply is a problem since I need it to work on 100-120V and 230V power for travelling if I use a wall-powered one.

budget-wise I am hoping to find something under $300, but even cheaper would be much better. don't mind buying used at all!

cheers

 

Get the regular Modi...

 

Marv has said that the iFi dsd nano black is good. Has a warmer sound, plus has an internal battery that might help with various usb issues. No clue about the drivers. Regular Modi is good, but I wouldn't call it warm. Definitely more treble presence and a touch leaner than the Modi multibit.

 

@C_J_Hello There , @munch : as others have suggested, Schiit Fulla 2 or ifi Nano BL. The Schiit can be powered by an external 5V supply and the ifi has a battery, solving travelling issues and maybe also at least some USB noise issues. I haven't heard the Schiit but the ifi is indeed on the warmer side. The Schiit has a 3.5 mm input as well as USB, the ifi USB only; the ifi has two headphone outputs, one low-impedance one and another around 3 ohms for sensitive IEMs. Both have line outputs to connect to external amplifiers if desired.

C_J_Hello There , either are cheap enough that you could do as has been suggested and buy both headphones (which make much more difference to the sound than the DAC or amp does).

ifi Nano BL is discussed in this thread, Schiit Fulla 2 here (also mentioned in other threads here - search by name).

 

I found a deal for an open box LCD-XC music creator edition (so without the case) for $950 still covered with warranty. I'm seriously tempted but have never had a chance to actually listen to them before (don't have any dealers nearby with Audeze)

I haven't seen any reviews from people I trust so it's a bit difficult for me to really know what they are actually like (The post Tyll innerfidelity review doesn't count since it's utterly useless). In terms of headphones, I am not that treble sensitive and tend to like bright sounds although I do find my th 900 sometimes a bit fatiguing (no issue with fatigue with my T90 at all). What do people here think of those headphones?

 

I have purchased the socket savers that @JustAnotherRando linked from tubemonger.com and have been satisfied with them. I realize they are more expensive than the ones on eBay, but I have not noticed any degradation in sound quality when using them and they appear to be built as solid as I would have expected.

 

Can I use a true 75ohm BNC output to bnc->RCA adapter into RCA sdpif input without any voltage issues?

 

Noisy tubes— What should I do with them?

Because 6FJ7 tubes don't have a lot of uses outside of the Bottlehead S.E.X. 3.0 (S3X) and DIY projects, they can still be found relatively cheaply (<$10). I've been blind-buying untested / NOS tubes on eBay. Sometimes the gamble pays off, but sometimes I plug the tube in and find out that it makes swooshing noises like a cheap headset microphone in the wind. What should I be doing with noisy tubes? Just junk them? Give them some amount of break-in time and reassess? How much break-in time do I need to give a tube before I write it off as unsalvageable?

 

I've been looking for a cheap source of balanced cables too (but for my TH900). So far the cheapest I found is this one (that's the AKG K7XX version): https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Custom-H...712-K7xx-K240-K171-DT1770-DT1990/173447070914

They seem to have a few users recommending them on reddit but I haven't tested them yet so take this advice with a grain of salt.

EDIT: Nevermind, they don't actually offer balanced cables for the K7XX... Reading up on it, you would need to actually modify that headphone to make it balanced since right now the connector for both drivers is a 3 pin mini xlr connector which means that just using a balanced cable won't give you anything since you're connecting to a SE cable in the end (the internal cabling of your headphone is SE). So, it's a bit more involved than just buying a cable unfortunately.

 

Will this work?
https://periaptcables.com/products/5-type-5-3-pin-xlr-mini

I bought a replacement from them for an HD-650. They're nice cables and cheap if they have something that will fit for you.

 

I just bought a rather cheap Stax SR007 Mk1 on yahoo auctions. I have 7 days to test them and return them if they are not good. Unfortunately, I'm not in Japan right now to test them but my friend can help me with that.

What are the things that need to be tested with old stax electrostatics? What kind of issues can happen? (I know they have poor resistance to dust but I'm not sure how that manifests itself)....

 

I'll echo the earlier poster's recommendation to look at Periapt. I got Balanced XLR's from them for both my Sennheiser HD-6XX and Audeze LCD-2C back in December; price is very reasonable ($60-$70), they shipped with a Quality Control statement about how a specific person had tested my specific cable using a specific song and signed off on them as being "good to go" (which I liked), and I've had no complaints/problems with them in the 4 months that I've had them... I'd definitely recommend you check their site and see if they offer anything that will connect to your AK7XX's...

 

For someone (me) looking to try a tube hybrid amp as a fun complement to a Rag, how do people see the Vali 2 and the Liquid Platinum stacking up to each other? Both are on sale now with the Schiit b-stock and Monoprice open-box/coupon, but the latter is still five times as expansive. I like that it’s balanced, but I don’t know it’s ultimately worth the extra cost (and my instinct is to just go with the Vali). The V2 and LP threads have a few references to the other amps, but I’d appreciate any thoughts from people who’ve owned both. Thanks.

 

Anyone use one of these in their systems?

https://www.tripplite.com/1800w-120...tion-avr-ac-surge-protection-6-outlets~LC1800

Thoughts? Thinking of putting it in my PC / headphone setup.

 

Thanks for the honest feedback. I guess one other I should ask about is the CTH, which at last price-wise falls in between.

 

@Hands 's review of the MCTH (link here) has some explicit comparisons with Vali 2, and there are other mentions later in that thread. ISTR there are MCTH comparisons with LP in the LP thread, but I'm less familiar with that one.