The All Purpose Advice Thread

No worries bud, I appreciate the help! Any ideas on other cables to look at?

 

This is the 2nd time I've posted this today, but just in case you missed it the first time around:

Give this guy a look: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ImpactAudioCables

 

I'll take a look, thanks for the head's up!

 

I purchased the ZMF Omni after several recommendations from CS and SBAF. I have been enjoying my HA-1 + ZMF Omni for several months now, and I am extremely satisfied with this pairing ... sonically, at least. Unfortunately, it is just too heavy for me and my neck or head sometimes starts cramping after an hour or so. I didn't notice this too much at first but over the months I've caught myself taking off the headphones just to rest my muscles or readjust my neck. It gets too uncomfortable, even though people say it should feel nicer than Audeze cans!

As some of you may know, I have pretty much ZERO headphone availability in my Chinese city, but I recently had the great opportunity of spending 5 hours at a headphone store in Taiwan with minimal interruptions. I was able to try out many headphones I've been long interested in: HD800, T1, K812, LCD-3, LCD-X, PM-1, HE-560, HE-1000 and Dharma. The only headphones they didn't have that I wanted to try were the HD800S, Ether/Ether C, TH900, Nighthawk and Edition X. They had some Stax headphones but they weren't available for audition.

I can tell you straight away I absolutely hated the K812. In fact, it sounded worse than my $100 Dunu Titan IEMs... I wouldn't even pay $50 for them. I can't believe they are considered flagships by some!!!
The HD800 was too thin for me, and now I know that I don't want an overly large soundstage. Music and instruments sounded too distant for me.
I wasn't feeling the T1 either - can't tell exactly why but music sounded unnatural.

In better news, I thought the LCD-X sounded pretty good but not that different from my Omni. I actually found the LCD's to be a bit more comfortable than my Omni but not by much, and the price gap can't be justified.
The HE-560 was OK but... still too thin for me? I didn't notice too much treble peak either from this or the HD800 in my music selection.
PM-1 sounded unimpressive and boring for some reason, though I liked the bass better than my PM-3.

I spent the most time with the HE-1000 and Dharma. The HEK sounded great overall but I can't justify the price, especially for the aesthetics and build quality. HEK feels like a cheap headphone yet costs $3000? The sound was pleasant though and I enjoyed the bass more than any of the other headphones I auditioned. I could tell the soundstage and detail were several levels above my Omni as well.

The Dharma impressed me the most, at least in terms of bang for buck. It's less than half the cost of the HEK yet I felt the treble and detail was NEARLY in the same league. Unfortunately, the bass sounded muddy to me and lacked articulation, which was really unfortunate because I thought it was a decent deal.

All these phones were initially driven out of a Ragnarok but they changed it to the Oppo HA-1 for me so I could hear how they would sound on my home setup. My music genres of choice are EDM, acoustic guitar and classic rock, game and movie OSTs, progressive rock, some modern pop and KPOP and some female vocals. I don't require isolation since I use my PM-3 as my portable setup.

I know the HD800 gets a lot of love here so some of my opinions may be unpopular. I like good and present bass with noticeable impact, but I don't want them to overshadow the rest of the music. Now I know I also want a comfortable build quality so anything over 450-500g is probably out of the question (the HEK is heavier but felt fine due to its suspension headband). I'd rather not pay more than $1200-1300 used, though if it's a big upgrade I would go as high as $1800.

TLDR: Absolutely love the sound coming from my ZMF Omni but it is a bit too heavy/uncomfortable for long listening sessions. Any similar sound or upgrades below $1800? Thanks everyone!

 

Good call. I will try to audition them if I can. I'm a bit worried that they will lack the openness that I'm used to with the 400i and Omni though.

The 650 is a no go since I can't afford to replace my DAC/Amp setup at the moment, and I don't think it will synergize well with my HA-1...

Any other suggestions? I'll be on the lookout for the X00.

 

ok just bought a Geek Out V2 as my Portable / Work setup DAC for my Vali 2. Question for using it as a DAC:

I'm assuming that i'd connect it to the SE 3.5mm port with gain at 100mw (low gain) using a 3.5mm to dual RCA cable? I've also heard that the balanced out is vastly superior, would it work to make a 3.5 TRRS cable to dual RCA from the balanced out to the vali 2? would that even work?

 

Hi all,
I have ordered a GOV2. Where can we buy the balanced cable for using with GOV2 for HD650?
Searched with google but couldn't find any reasonably priced options..
Thanks.

 

@danishchelsea i'm in a similar predicament. I'm planning to make a 4pin XLR to TRRS adapter so i can use various 4pin XLR cables. Here's some info that i found here on a good way to make the adapter for cheap.
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...hlabs-geek-out-v2-review-and-measurements.79/

as far as balanced cables for the HD650 the best one i've found for reasonable pricing is the ZY cables on amazon
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ue&ref_=ox_sc_act_title_2&smid=A2Q0JVLI22BSVA

other than that you'd probably need to make your own or wait a lengthy period of time to get them custom made by someone. I'm currently using an 1/4 to 4pin XLR adapter i bought from vero cables via indiegogo

 

Thinking of fitting a DAC to fit into my Galaxy Note 3 -> UHA6SmkII portable rig to see how much it improves - lots of comments from more experienced folks about how the DAC is the weak bit of the Leck, which made me look into some options:

- GOV2 or GO450
- Centrance Dacport Slim
- Stoner Acoustics UD120

Any recommendations from this list (or other options)? One of my main concerns is that adding a DAC with no battery of its own would be quite a drain on the Note 3's battery, even though the Leck would last longer fed through its line in instead of doing DAC duty as well.

Will be scrounging up for these used - under $200 is ideal.

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can give!

 

You have to use the single ended out into the Vali 2. There was a brief discussion in the Vali 2 thread if you want to know more. Play with which combo of gains for both the GOV2 and the Vali 2 sound best to you.

 

Hi all,

I've been lurking a while. This seems like a great group of folks. In particular I found a thread by @purrin to be very helpful in thinking about how to approach putting together a kit.

My current setup:
-320kbps Spotify on Windows 10 PC (no ASIO or WASAPI if that matters)
-Modi (original) via USB
-Asgard 2
-Main headphones: HE-560, HD600

I have about $2,000 budgeted for amp and/or DAC upgrades.

-I love the headphones I have now so not thinking of changing those.
-Not opposed to getting a tube amp but ould prefer not to get into tube rolling.
-Would ideally like to have a headphone amp that can also output to powered speakers like my Asgard 2

Considering:
-Changing Modi to Bifrost Multibit
-Changing Asgard 2 to Violectric V200 or Lyr 2

Would appreciate any advice.

Thanks!

 

I'm looking to go TOTL cIEM and shed some of my home "collection" as my job is changing a bit and I am staying late at work more and taking it home to work less often. I work in a Laboratory so I am away from my desk/computer a lot of the time, so I need something portable I can move with, so a proper desktop setup and open backs are out.

I now have an MSR7, PM3 and some 1964 V6 cIEMs, and they all do the job ok, but really can't compare to my Gungnir Multibit>Mjolnir 2>HE6/HD800...etc at home. The V6 are also too neutral for my tastes as a work/portable.

Sources: phone/Oppo HA-2 and a Sony A17 DAP, and am sticking with those for now.
Budget: Not too important as I'll wait for a sale/used reshells and am shedding home gear to pay for it
Signature: Something musical/euphoric, not looking for a super v-shape, but also not pure neutrality as I have that at home. Smooh or slightly laid back highs would be nice as these will be used for long sessions.

Been strongly eyeing the Noble K10 as it seems to check all my boxes (I also like how aesthetic upgrades are free, as I could never rationalize paying extra for looks but at the same time would like to really make these "mine"). Would love to hear other suggestions! I think the SBAF favorite UERM is out as I'm looking for something a little more colored

 

Bifrost MB and Lyr 2 would be very reasonable upgrades.

 

What's as good technically as an HD 800 in terms of resolution but more visceral (bassier? dynamic? euphonic?) out of a Ragnarok / Yggdrasil setup?

Or, what gets closest?

What if I replace Rag with something in the same price/performance range?

I've been through the Audezes. I'm iffy about companies like hifiman and Audeze because of quality issues. I've been thinking about HE-6, but based on one thing Marv said, I'm not sure even Rag would be enough.

Am I looking at Abyss? Sell Rag and go Stax?

I listen to mostly alternative (pixies, Sleater- Kinney, soul coughing), rock (Bowie, my chemical romance), and stuff like Fiona Apple and Tori Amos. Some classical. No jazz.

 

JH Angie might be a good choice. Also Sony A17 doesn't have enough juice and has an output z at around 3, so this might not be the best companion for CIEMs.

 

Thanks, I'll research the Angie as well. The Siren series seems to be quite polarizing, is the Angie the favorite out of them?
I can always reevaluate DAP choice later, once I have my end game cIEMs in hand. Sounds good and only need about 13/30 volume with my current cIEMs but we'll see in time.

 

I'd go for HE-6.