The All Purpose Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Sep 26, 2015.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2020
    Likes Received:
    12,238
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Home Page:
    Oh and as for tubes blowing up headphones? Not something to worry about unless you’re rolling tubes and don’t know what you’re doing. This isn’t an issue to be worried about at all with tube amps in general especially something from a well regarded company like Schiit, etc and not a DIY creation.
     
  2. RenEH

    RenEH Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2020
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Canada
    Re-reading this, I'll try to connect my modi 3 to the active speakers. If they can manage to sound dynamic in the mids even with the added ADC->DAC conversion then it would definitely be the amp, thanks!
     
  3. RenEH

    RenEH Acquaintance

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2020
    Likes Received:
    66
    Trophy Points:
    18
    Location:
    Canada
    Interesting results this morning. Connecting the Modi 3 to the active speakers did indeed sound flat. Changing the power supply back to the OEM one, and even a Amazon fire HD10 charger, did change the dynamics for the better, but they lost the blackground. The OEM one in particular was less clear in the treble and lost bass slam. So, Bifrost 2? Getting tired of fiddling and just want to enjoy the music.
     
  4. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

    Pyrate BWC
    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2015
    Likes Received:
    7,462
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Winnipeg
    My home office is getting too cold and I'd like to use a headphone amp as a foot warmer. Any suggestions?

    Yes I did ask this last year semi-jokingly. Something something I wound up getting a Lyr3-multibit earlier in the year (with a LISST tube), and a week ago I stuck it under my desk. This being Canada though, my Schiit ain't hot enough. What's a hoser gotta do to keep his toes toasty around here?

    edit: yes I do have a normal tube for the Lyr, but that's just dangerously hot... and have you ever smelled burnt socks? I want low-risk heat here folks
     
  5. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Likes Received:
    280
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Molvanîa
    Bryston BHA-1, nice size to rest your feet on, flip it up side down for more heat. I sometimes use it as hand warmer as the temperature is just right(for me), but it is still kinda summer in Hong Kong so YMMV.
     
  6. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

    Pyrate Contributor Banned
    Joined:
    May 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,092
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Does in-line attenuator degrade sound quality? I’ve read in Vali2 thread that high-gain mode yields slightly better sound. My issue is I have computer digital volume set to minimum and Vali2 amp on low-gain and knob set to minimum too (~9o’clock, just past channel imbalance). I would like to turn it down even more but then there is channel imbalance...
    https://www.hlabs.com/products/attenuators/
     
  7. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,649
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Land of Enchantment
    In this case I recommend just using low gain. At best, using passive attenuators with high gain would be a wash compared to low gain without attenuators. This is one of those things that gets blown out of proportion, in my opinion. Does high gain sound a bit better? Yes, I think so, *if* the headphones you're listening to are in the appropriate sensitivity range. Does it sound so much better than low gain that you should bend over backwards or add in-line attenuators to use high gain at all costs? No, not even close. At that point it becomes kind of a nervosa thing, and for me, my system always sounds better when I let those things go. Low gain exists for a reason, namely high sensitivity headphones and iems. So if you're listening to either of those, by all means, use low gain.
     
  8. Philimon

    Philimon Friend

    Pyrate Contributor Banned
    Joined:
    May 6, 2016
    Likes Received:
    2,092
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    I didn’t communicate well. I am using low gain but would like even lower volume still. I mentioned the high gain equals increased sound quality as anecdotal evidence that adding attenuators might reduce sound quality.

    I guess my perspective is wrong headed anyway. I should be listening at lower volumes per my preference and its benefit of hearing damage safety. Worrying about minor sound quality degredation is dumb. I will not be enjoying the sound anyway if its too loud for my tastes.
     
  9. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2017
    Likes Received:
    606
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Canada
    I've used a SYS between DAC and amp to reduce volume on low gain, when I had a Vali 2. It worked well enough. I didn't notice any degradation in sound quality, although I think it's harder to notice that at lower volume.
     
  10. monacelli

    monacelli Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2017
    Likes Received:
    1,649
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    The Land of Enchantment
    Ah, I see. I misunderstood you. Are you listening to Andros? I figure it must be something in that sensitivity range. If you are already on low-gain and don't have enough usable range on the volume pot, then yes, I would say digital pre-attentuation is your best bet. If you're listening to redbook content that is passed to your DAC as 24-bit PCM, then you should have 8-bits to play with without degrading the original signal. So in theory you should be able to pre-attenuate by -48 dB with little to no quality loss (if I did the math right). That's a lot. Because a perceptual doubling of volume corresponds 10 dB, you should be able to reduce the volume by roughly a factor of ~30 via digital attenuation. Unless you've got a DAC with really hot outputs, this should be sufficient to give you plenty of adjustable range on the volume pot. Is it possible that your player is not responsive to your attempts to attenuate the signal digitally? I don't know what OS you're using, but I would try adjusting both the device volume (controlled by the OS), and the application volume. Some DACs may be responsive to one but not the other. Good luck~
     
  11. bixby

    bixby Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2015
    Likes Received:
    3,987
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Northern Colorado
    The Harrisons I bought years ago had a detrimental effect on the sound quality and were promptly returned. They are just resistors if I recall, and based on the mods I did on my amp with resistors in the signal path, they do sound different.
     
  12. dllmsch

    dllmsch Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2016
    Likes Received:
    280
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Molvanîa
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...trol-v-analogue-attenuation.4299/#post-224989
    There was a discussion a while ago regarding this topic, worth a read I think. I personally haven't noticed any degradation with foobar2k set to -20dB replay gain, but that was before I acquired better gear.
     
  13. corzendonk

    corzendonk New

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2020
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    California
    Hi all,

    I'm in the market for a new set of headphones and I've got a bad case of choice paralysis, simply because I haven't auditioned many high-end headphones and my attempt at reasearching has been inconclusive, I'm hoping someone here can help.

    My main criteria is soundstage. Something big, realistic, holographic, "speaker-like", etc... Dynamics and fast response, especially in the bass, are also important.

    From the headphones I've researched, I've taken an interest to the HD800S, Ether CX (Drop version), ZMF Aeolus/Auteur, and Beyerdynamic T1. I'd like to know if anyone here has listened to two or more of these, and could give their thoughts on how they stack up, or if they have other recommendations that I haven't yet seen.

    Cost is a big consideration but not a dealbreaker, I would rather get the right headphone rather than buy something cheaper and wish I had spent more. Hard to justify spending more than about $1500, something closer to $1k or less would be ideal.
     
  14. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2019
    Likes Received:
    1,617
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Layla
    The Hifiman Arya has all what you desire except the bass dynamic is just okay.

    Maybe the T1 or a hard wood Auteur be a better fit from what I read but I have not heard them myself so idk, research them more at least.
     
  15. corzendonk

    corzendonk New

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2020
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    California
    Thanks for the response, I did see the Arya in my research but to me it seems to be overshadowed by the HD800S since they are about the same price. Everyone talks about the huge soundstage of the HD800S so I guess that's why I discounted the Arya, but I'll take another look.
     
  16. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Dec 1, 2019
    Likes Received:
    1,617
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    Layla
    Unfortunately I have not heard the hd800/s, but I doubt they have the sound scale of those egg shaped HFMs. Things sound bigger not just far away (their imaging is a bit diffused tho).
     
  17. señorhifi

    señorhifi Friend

    Pyrate
    Joined:
    Oct 16, 2020
    Likes Received:
    381
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Spain
    Or the K712 would be a good fit, if you don't wanna break the bank.
     
  18. Tchoupitoulas

    Tchoupitoulas Friend

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2019
    Likes Received:
    3,710
    Trophy Points:
    93
    Location:
    PA
    For the HD 800S, here are four thoughts for you:
    1. As someone who can't have a speaker setup for the foreseeable future, the appeal of the HD 800 lies for me precisely in its spacious and open soundstage (I have the earlier, non-S version). The HD 800S shares the same staging qualities: both have exceptional depth, layering, and lateral width, although some find this last quality to be somewhat unnatural, and that doesn't seem to be an unfair criticism to me.
    2. the HD 800S has excellent macro (and micro) dynamics, but because the bass isn't particularly hefty (see the next point), it doesn't have as much impact or slam as other headphones in the same price range. You might have more luck with the ZMF headphones here.
    3. The bass response is excellent; it is indeed very fast, uncommonly so, but as noted above, the bass doesn't have the weight or emphasis of other headphones.
    4. The HD 800 S version requires fairly careful amp matching: depending upon what your current setup is, you may have a hard time staying under budget if you need a new amp.
    I've only heard the Arya briefly, in poor show conditions, and it does have a spacious, open soundstage. Its frequency response seemed uneven and wonky to me, but that might be a function of the show conditions. The Arya might be easier to match with a synergistic amp; they're designed to be easy to drive, I believe. Beware of HiFiMAN's quality control issues, though.

    The ZMF Aeolus and Auteur have quite different sound profiles from the HD 800S: neither offers the sense of spaciousness and openness of the HD 800S, at least not when it comes to width, but their staging is still excellent in many ways; I'll defer to others' judgments, as I've only heard them briefly, but my sense is that the ZMFs have great imaging and a slightly more intimate headstage.

    Sorry, I can't comment on the Beyers or the Ether CX. I'd avoid the latter if only because they're closed back headphones.
     
  19. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

    Pyrate Contributor
    Joined:
    Feb 23, 2016
    Likes Received:
    10,687
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    NOVA
    Home Page:
    Honestly, these impressions are spot on. Bang for the buck excellent headstage would be used HD800SDR, imho. But I'm one of those folks that thinks that everyone should own HD600 + HD650 + HD800 just so they know where a new (to you) headphone sits in the "scaling and resolution" hierarchy, tho I am someone who reaches for HD600 7 times out of 10 when daily driving.
     
  20. corzendonk

    corzendonk New

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2020
    Likes Received:
    7
    Trophy Points:
    3
    Location:
    California
    Great response! You seem to know a lot about the HD800, I hear some people complain about ringing or sibelance at certain frequencies, do you notice anything like this or does this bother you?
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page