The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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  2. nickwin

    nickwin Acquaintance

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    Interesting, there was something about the sound of the 5 I just did not like. I felt like it was trying to be analytical and it did sound kind of try but it didn't excel anywhere an analytical DAC/amp should, detail, imaging, black background... Like you say thought, new ownership, the 5 could be a totally different animal the the previous models.

    I did read some negative stuff about the 2 and 3 from an engineering standpoint that may or may not be accurate but either way it kind of turned me off to the brand.

    Anyway, I "downgraded" to a Fulla 2 and am much happier. The volume knob feels better, is easier to use and has better tracking. The headphone out sounds much better to me with my IEMS and it some extra functionality like an analog input, fixed pre output... I've only had it for a few days but so far I'm really happy with it for $99.
     
  3. nickwin

    nickwin Acquaintance

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    Haha, no worries. Most monitors don't have volume control built in.
     
  4. earnmyturns

    earnmyturns Smartest friend

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    Thanks, ordered a mixed size set to try out fit and isolation.
     
  5. iDesign

    iDesign Almost "Made"

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    I wanted to get a pulse check on what's currently considered to be the best DAC under $2,500?
     
  6. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    My vote, based on auditioning most of the direct competition and a good deal of significantly more expensive units, would be Schiit's Yggdrasil. If you want the details behind that, you can check out this thread: "Life after Yggdrasil?"*

    Another excellent option, at half your stated price is Schiit's multi-bit Gungnir. It's very close to Yggdrasil in performance, with a slightly moister presentation.

    Both benefit usefully by feeding them via their S/PDIF inputs (COAX and TOSLINK, plus AES with Yggdrasil) and avoiding USB.

    --

    *I really should get around to posting an update version of that thread over here.
     
  7. AdvanTech

    AdvanTech Friend

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    I love my Campfire Vegas but have been fooling around with foam tips to see which ones are comfier and I wish they were custom so I didn't have to. I
    just found out about custom sleeving and I was wondering if that is even a possibility with these? It seems most custom sleeves are for a specific small number of IEMs but I did find this where they just ask you what bore size your IEM is: http://www.jomoaudio.com/products/jomo-custom-sleeve-accessory
     
  8. kirayamato

    kirayamato Friend

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    hi guys so since my schit pyst rca cables don't have the shielding I require, could anybody link me rca cables that have better shielding and grounding not sure which to get.
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2017
  9. qetadg

    qetadg New

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    I think custom tips are going to have quite an impact on the sound, for better or worse, due to different bore length from stock tips, and from your link it seems that the inner surface of the bore isn't even smooth, which I cannot imagine doing any good to the sound. But of course you can try getting them at the risk of slightly degraded sound quality if comfort is of great concern.

    Does anyone have a FiiO E17 to compare against other $100-200 dac/amp combos(quite interested in the Fulla 2)? There isn't much information about FiiO products around here, and even less for the E17(like one review of the k5 paired with E17k)
    EDIT: I will be using the dac/amp with hd600 and he400i
     
    Last edited: Feb 7, 2017
  10. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    Here the ZX2 seems to be held in high esteem:
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...0ii-chord-mojo-shootout-w-andromeda-iem.2252/
    http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...ormerly-best-daps-2015.174/page-18#post-56814

    Especially when paired with the Andromeda.

    Also it seems @Torq is also mooting a write-up of a portable shoot-out these days (plus a WM1A).
     
  11. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    The ZX100 is a smaller ZX2 without the Android follibles. You give up a bit of SQ, but the size is a lot smaller + physical controls. No touch screen though, but you get 128GB built in + mSD slot.
     
  12. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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    I am a very happy Yggdrasil owner and I am convinced it is the best DAC under $2,500. But if I were faced with that choice with what I know today, I'd buy the multibit Gungnir and take a $1,000 motorcycle ride. If someone put a bigger gun to my head than the one I have in my pocket and made me spend $2,500, I'd still go with a multibit Gungnir, but preceded by a Mutec MC-3+ USB running AES between them. Same money as a Yggdrasil.

    ETA: I'm an idiot. See below.
     
    Last edited: Feb 8, 2017
  13. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    do let us know how Gungnir Multibit's AES input sounds? my guess- dead silent.
     
  14. beemerphile

    beemerphile Friend

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    You're right, my Yggdrasil bent is showing there. With the Gungnir Multibit the connection would best be BNC SPDIF. Mea Culpa.
     
  15. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    Has anyone listened to the new Sony PHA-2A? I'm wondering how it may compare to the WM1A as an Adromeda pairing.
     
  16. aufmerksam

    aufmerksam Friend

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    I don't know what kind of suck out you are fearing, but I do not find the TH-X00 lacking in the mids. Like, not at all, and especially not when compared to many other closed cans. It has good bass that is not overpowering, good treble that does not make my ears bleed, and the overall tonal presentation (ahem, the mids) is excellent. Is it a little v-shaped? yeah? I guess so? But the FR plot doesn't really tell the whole story. I would not call the mids sucked out. There is actually a bit of a boost in the lower midrange, and then the upper midrange is relaxed (why everyone says its more of a "W" than "V"). I think this is what leads the treble to be so inoffensive for a closed can. Also, the TH-X00 is fast, which I think allows it to make up for the limitations you might otherwise perceive. When I think "sucked out mids" I think Elear... which has the upper midrange literally removed.
     
  17. zerodeefex

    zerodeefex SBAF's Imelda Marcos

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    Having heard it, I'd go the lynx card and gungnir multibit + Freya using some nice old tubes if I was forced. Add a Jotunheim and you have a party.
     
  18. Vanheim

    Vanheim Acquaintance

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    well, I was leaning towards the most fun and bombastic sound I could get and ended up getting the purplehearts because why not go all the way? I know they have more recessed mids than mahogany but after reading Marv's thoughts they don't seem to be that much recessed as others had led me to believe. Hoping I'll really like 'em!
     
  19. 8man

    8man Acquaintance

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    Does anyone have any experience with RME products (amps and DAC's mostly)? I know a while ago their DAC's were pretty popular (akm chips), but I've been reading up on a few rather recent reviews on random audio sites.
     
  20. philipmorgan

    philipmorgan Member of the month

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    Thank god somebody finally put this straight! I don't know where the "TH-X00 recessed mids" thing came from, but unless you just sit there switching back and forth between the TH-X00s and some other headphone with super prominent mids (I don't even know what that would be TBH) instead of, you know, just listening to music you won't feel like there's anything missing from the TH-X00s.

    Muscular, emphasized bass? sure.... they've got that. :) Not everybody's going to want that much bass.

    I've heard far worse mids on most other closed cans. The T50RP mods I've heard have crunchy distorted harsh mids which match up with higher measured midrange distortion. The Meze 99 Classic had this strange lower mid suckout that made baritone male voices sound hollow (to me; I haven't heard others register this complaint). The PM3's had good mids but a somewhat tame, soft overall presentation. The Audeze SINE just sounded thin and weak to me, a symptom of strange mids IMO.

    But missing mids on the TH-X00's that somehow mess up how real music sounds? I don't think so. That's a myth.
     
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