The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. Darko

    Darko Acquaintance

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    Kind of stuck. Fulla 3 + HD6XX is underwhelming to me right now. I owned HD650 years ago with a ChiFi amp and seemed to like them better, but my memory could be wrong. I can’t help but feel that my current setup sounds way too congested. Would a Magni 3+ fix this? Mods? If mods, how much % of an increase, realistically? I used to own modded HE400s and drove them from a vintage receiver and ADORED them. But can’t exactly afford that setup again and those were sold long ago. I just miss the slam and physicality they offered, something that is definitely missing with the HD6XX. Sure they were bright, and 45 minutes was about all I could take, but they were fun and engaging. Anyone have some solid advice on how to proceed? The tone of the HD6XX is perfect, I just miss the tactically of instruments that the HE400 brought (hits of the drums, plucks of guitar strings, etc).
     
  2. imackler

    imackler Key Lime Pie Infected Aberdeen Wings Spy

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    I've never heard the Fulla 3. But, when I switch to Modi 3 and Magni 3+ from my Leckerton, I find the combo very engaging. Modi 3 is a really impressive DAC; When I switch amps, the improvement with Modi 3 is easy to pick out. Maybe the only budget dac I've been impressed with, really (not that my opinion counts for much.) Most of the time budget dacs don't make much of a difference for me.. for the cost of the combo, and the potential resale of your Fulla 3, tough to imagine you going wrong....
     
  3. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

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    Just curious - what do you hope to gain from glass vs plastic? BER attributable to either will be way less than 10 ^-9. Plastic is much cheaper to manufacture and is less susceptible to microfractures when bent. In my previous work experience with network connectivity devices including connectors and cable assemblies, patch cables that get moved, plugged/unplugged, etc. are exclusively plastic. The backbone cables, if they are glass, are pretty carefully laid out, loop diameters controlled and well-secured.
     
  4. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    How new are your earpads btw? Pretty significant in making HD6xx more warm-poo vs "right".
     
  5. Darko

    Darko Acquaintance

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    Pretty much brand new. Bought this summer, haven’t used them a ton really. Again, the tone is perfect for me - vocals are incredibly natural. I can deal with the slightly muddy bass, that doesn’t bug me too much. It’s just the separation and physicality that’s missing.
     
  6. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    Ah, that makes sense. I'm so used to it that it doesn't bother me anymore. If you want more separation and sense of space, I would try to audition a HD800/HD800s in a hifi store.. when bought used and EQ'd they are quite excellent. Hard to beat that natural HD6-- sound, though.
     
  7. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    sounds like you are a closet member of team ortho! Welcome! You may find a better ortho satisfying. I haven’t heard any of the new versions of the he400 but if it’s peaky then it’s a total fail for an ortho. Part of the advantage of ortho tech is the ability to have a fast, detailed, resonance free and highly dynamic sound while maintaining perfectly flat frequency response. All these bright neo orthos are complete failures.

    I think it takes a pretty expensive dac/amp to make the hd650 lively and dynamic. You may spend money on a new budget dac/amp only to find the same weaknesses still there.

    edit: I see your he400 was modded. The mods could very easily have been making them overly bright. Just fyi
     
    Last edited: Nov 7, 2020
  8. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    This might not work out. I can't remember the technical details as I learnt this lesson the hard way over twenty years ago and then confirmed the theory. Some optical-connected component sounded like the fibre was broken, but... I pulled it away from the wall and it was fine. There is a minimum bend radius, not because of tensile problems, but because, if the curve is too tight the light starts bouncing around rather than travelling straight.

    I haven't compared but I've always thought this is just a bias thing, with plastic perceived as being inferior. That might be my bias! Blue Jeans says:
     
  9. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

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    I need help to understand the current delivery of amplifiers.

    If amplifier A has 40 amperes of maximum current and amplifier B has just 20 amperes.

    Does the amplifier A deliver more current to speaker X that has a load of 4 ohms with a 4 volts signal? or is the amount of current is the same and it only depends on the speakers and the amps are just a reserves?

    That's of course assuming all other variables are the same for both amplifiers, it's just amp A is more biased toward current amplification.
     
  10. Darko

    Darko Acquaintance

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    I did the grill mod (more open), switched pads to Brainwavz HM5 velours, rug liner + hole on ear side. Sounded perfect to me, just got a little fatiguing. Ultimately I want an HE-6, but my wallet said no lol. Maybe ortho is the way to go after all...

    Edit: I had an OG HE400
     
  11. rhythmdevils

    rhythmdevils MOT: rhythmdevils audio

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    The new he5xx is only 200$ I think. I haven’t heard it but good ears say good things. Then again it could be very hard to drive properly. Check out the thread.
     
  12. señorhifi

    señorhifi Friend

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    How does the Modi Multibit compare to the rest of the entry level DACs? Has anyone compared it to: K5 Pro, Modius, Zen DAC and/or Modi 3? I reckon overall less detailed, but more spacious/open?
     
  13. farbinator

    farbinator Facebook Friend

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    Here's an odd one, I confess I am weird. I'm looking at building an adapter that would take the sennheiser 2-pin male headphone plug and convert it into a 2.5mm connector. The idea would be to enable me to use my sennheiser balanced cable with headphones (hifiman) that use the 2.5mm plug without having to buy another whole new balanced cable.

    Finding a female socket for this plug has been challenging.

    Anyone know if the pin dimensions are close enough to a QDC or 0.78mm headphone plug or are they different?
     
  14. fastfwd

    fastfwd Friend

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    If the amp designer has put a buffer between the amp's input and its pass-through output, it's fine. If there's just a wire between input and output, then the device you daisy-chain to the amp will load down the DAC's output -- potentially causing distortion or damage -- by an amount inversely proportional to the daisy-chained device's input impedance (i.e., lower-impedance inputs will put a heavier load on the DAC).

    If you hang one high-impedance device on the pass-through output, it'll probably be fine. But the more you add, the more likely it is that you'll have trouble.
     
  15. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    I don't know what a QDC is, but I have never seen another application using the Senn 2 pin connector. The pins are two different diameters, so a .78mm 2 pin as on iems definitely will not work.
     
  16. Enigmatic

    Enigmatic Friend

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    Dear all,

    Since I have an Eddie Current Studio B coming in later this year... I am also looking for a pair of headphones to "wrap things up" with headphone scene.

    I would be hooking up either my SFD1 MKII or SFD2 to the Eddie Current Studio B, very likely the SFD1 MKII since the SFD2 is doing speaker duties at the moment. I do currently have the HD580 and HD650 in my inventory, unfortunately not the gears to listen to them as I've neglected headgear for a couple years now.

    As for recordings, I listen to anything from modern pop/jpop/kpop, baroque, instrumental, electronic, piano. Over the long run I am generally more disturbed by sins of commission than sins of omission. Not bothered with headstage (or the lack thereof), but the ability to resolve ambience is a must. Basically am looking for a clear upgrade over the HD650 and HD580.

    As for budget, as Focal Utopia is in my shortlist so that would be roughly what I am looking to spend (~4000USD). My only concern with the Utopia is how it'd sound like with some of the crappier recordings I listen to, albeit not having the chance to audition as local dealers do not have them readily stocked.

    Happy to hear any suggestions/provide more details where required. Thanks in advance!
     
  17. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    You are better off going the other way around. Reterminate your cable to 2.5mm and use an easy to find female socket to build your adapter. I looked on and off for years and there really isn't anything available to consumers. I found what I think was one years ago from a hearing aid manufacturer, but never followed up on how to get some.
     
  18. farbinator

    farbinator Facebook Friend

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    Yep, I actually had a common sense epiphany this morning! I started down the crazy rabbit hole yesterday and somehow ended up with that idea I posted originally.

    My plan is to actually take the 2.5mm (at the earpieces) -> 3.5mm SE cable, reterminate the 3.5mm end as a 4 pin XLR and then go XLR to 1/4" or whatever when I want single ended. I am assuming ofcourse the cable is wired correctly for that but a quick test with a multimetet should confirm that.
     
  19. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    I'm after some help identifying what's causing some noise in my system. The set up is Windows PC>Modius>Auralic Taurus>Ether CX. The Modius is connected to the PC using an Anker powerline usb cable and is also connected to a apple charger for power with another anker powerline. Both the apple charger and the amp are plugged into a Thor power conditioner. The DAC and amp are connected using short XLR cables made by Ghent Audio The noise was not hiss, it was that digital interference type noise.

    I know that's not much info, I haven't yet really done any testing, I just wanted some guidance on what to test for and how.
     
  20. Jokko

    Jokko Friend

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    Hi all,

    I've been out of the headphone game for a few years now because we all know Speakers > Headphones. Can someone please bring me up speed what is considered good stuff nowadays?

    My main criteria is that they sound good with suede, velour, hybrid, microfiber style pads. Leather drives me crazy…you know, not in a weird way….

    Second criteria is that they have to sound as good or better than modded HD650’s, but can also produce quality bass. I currently have my eyes on the Ananda/Arya.

    Price, nothing crazy: 500 – 1500$

    After reading quite a bit as I always do, I tried the Focal Clear as my first choice. Sounded way too bright and midfi at best. This really surprised me. Expected both better stage and low frequencies. Did not even try the Utopia or Elear.

    HIFIMAN Ananda or maybe to a lesser degree Arya. Srsly considering these! Only thing holding me back is the known HIFIMAN quality.

    Audezes (LCD 2, 2C, X or 3) have never really “wowed” me in the past, but definitely an alternative if somebody has replacement pads to recommend.

    AEONs were quite nice as an alternative HD650’s. Similar sound if I remember correctly, super comfy, but again wrong pads. Makes me wonder if any of the ETHER variants are worth checking out with Suede pads?

    HD800S, I will probably re-purchase these as a complimentary headphone down the line. I find it too lean / bright as daily driver, but the stage and details are amazing!

    I will throw in Fostex TH900’s and Klipsch HP-3 for reference. These have quite decent stages and “fun” to listen to I guess. V-shaped signatures. Too bad the treble gets quite hot on both. Also tried the TR-X00 Ebony, but that seriously gave me mild headaches.

    Thoughts?
     
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