The All Purpose Advice Thread

I have HD6XX & K702 (pretty close to K7XX, by all reports) and haven't heard 4XX. My impression is the ranking is as you said. For me it's like you guys say: 6XX scales better. I can understand gamers liking K7xx because the separation is enhanced by the 4k FR dip. While I like mine, especially with the treble-taming mod I did to them, they don't do technicalities like the Sennheisers. I'm planar-curious, so would like to try something like the 4XX - but the Fostex RPs always struck me as cooler and now there's the Verum.

@Alexander I can't seem to find you either, and I don't know where you live - but if after all this you might be interested in a gently-used pair of K702s (with a mod that's reversible) and you're in North America, PM me.

 

I kind-of went dark after some backlash I got for making a new post instead of staying in this thread. I was constrained for time since the drop was ending soon which is why I made a new topic instead, but what wasn't received well. Socially I'm like a turtle in that if I detect any sort of confrontation I typically delete my account or at least go dark for a while. Unfortunately SBAF isn't like Reddit in where I can just delete my account and come back under another name and pretend nothing happened.

I managed to fix my K7XX headphones in the end. There was a bad soder in the right earcup - the red wire soder came loose. With the help of my dad and his sodering gun we were able to fix it. The headband still has a plasctic piece that's broken but I guess I just have to tape and gorilla glue that since I don't think replacing those plastic stopper things is possible.

I think the only other AKGs I'm interested in that are in my price range are the Q701's actually.

I didn't cancel my order for the HD6XX even though I fixed my AKGs. I felt that it's time I finally hear what all the fuss is about with the HD600/650/6XX. It's what everyone uses as a reference point so not owning one feels like a crime. I will say outright though that Sennheiser's sound signature has never seemed like my flavor in their lower models, like the HD598C - I find I like the way most Shures and AKGs sound. So I'm hoping the HD600 series is just totally different than Sennheiser's lower models.

I need to conserve money right now so I'm not getting a Schiit stack yet - I need to buy other things first. But when I do I intend to get a Magni and Modi 3 stack which I'll connect using the introprose bridge. I do wonder if USB or SPDIF is better for the connection to the Modi - so far I'm guessing SPDIF.

Would anyone like an old Oppo HA2 AMP/DAC though? Still works, I figure the internal battery has wear of course but aside from that it works good as new. If I decide I like the Schiit setup more than my Oppo then I'll probably willing to sell it for like $250 or something (most seem to want more for it so I figure that's fair... I still have the box it came in and a jacketed aftermarket cable and everything, the few on there for less than $250 have cosmetic damage and are missing box) just to make some money back on all this money spent. I'll also be selling my GTX 1060 and Samsung 970 Evo 250GB when I replace them with a GTX 1660Ti and 1TB 970 Evo Plus, if any of you are into PC hardware.

That's about all I've got in terms of an update. HD6XX is on the way and I also went ahead and bought an Introprose (along with some extra rubber feet so I can put the feet on both the Magni and Modi) because they're out of stock so often and they happen to be in-stock right now.

Soon I'll have a Magni-Modi stack with HD6XX which seems to be like the most tried and true setup possible more or less.

Thanks.

 

@Alexander
Just because most people here are on the Senheiser HD### bandwagon doesn't mean that you should necessarily jump on it. If you like the sound of the Shures and AKG's, and didn't like the Senn 5## series, then chances are you will not find the 6xx to be the magic bullet you were hoping for.

Personally, if you like AKG then I think the best one in the lineup is the K612 Pro (as a bonus, it is cheaper than all the 700 series, even from massdrop).

At this stage in the game, don't even both fussing with the difference between usb and spdif. Use whichever is most convenient.

Keep the 250gb for OS and get the new 1TB for storage.

 

I've been checking the background noise levels of my setup recently, and I found that plugging a power cord into my computer (without turning it on) introduces something like 10-20 dB of hash. I've tried using a rudimentary power conditioner on my DAC and computer, putting everything (computer/amp/DAC) on the same power board, and putting everything on separate power points, but nothing seems to help. Any ideas on what might work here?

 

Have you tried a different power supply?

 

@Tachikoma what happens when you just turn off the power on the pc psu not just on the pc

 

Magni 3 or Vali 2 for HD600? Source is Modi 3.

 

No, I don't have a spare available. I am using a decent power supply though (Seasonic X-650).

The switch on the PSU was also turned off.

 

It might still be the PSU you can try if it is the PSU by unplugging it from your Hardware and do the following tests https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...0Clip-EN.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3vT0lei_tmjHKKGVFLYfUq
check if the Noise is still there if so then it is the PSU

Edit wrong link

 

Do you wanna rock out or chill out?

 

Then I would say Vali, it is on the softer side though, and quite laid back.

Ask your friend how much they want the music to grip them, the Vali is very much a fall into a trance on an overstuffed chair kinda amp.

After a day's work the Magni is a pick me up amp, the Vali a lull me to sleep amp.

Not sure what a good cheap tube for the Vali is.

 

Vali2 mate. Is, imo, a significant step up from the 1st, although I had this one the longest.

 

You can get Blue Jeans to make the RCA's with Belden 1505F, which is much more flexible than the standard LC-1.

 

Redco.com can make custom cables from many different manufacturers for very reasonable prices. I like Mogami cables for their served shield and relatively soft jackets if flexibility is important.

 

Good, cheap(ish) tube - Tungsram PCC88 from upscale. About $60 when I bought it.

 

I'm a fan of black-plate 6CG7s in the Vali 2. Pin-compatible with 6DJ8. The old ones sound better imo. I didn't care for the new production Electro Harmonix, which has kind of an unnatural coloration to my ears. The 6CG7 is essentially a miniaturized version of the 6SN7. The RCA versions I have are quite neutral and normal sounding, not sandy or etched like the stock 6BZ7. I found the JAN GE 5670 mini tubes to be too rolled off at the extremes, although they do impart nice warmth and have good mids.

 

The hash is audible - It begins to creep in at high listening volumes, so it does show up if I'm listening (loudly) to classical music with a high dynamic range. No, I do not have access to an analyzer =P 10-20 dB is a very rough estimate, and I'm "measuring" it with my ears.

The hash is still there when the computer is turned on. Have tried disconnecting ground (to the PC) with a Japanese 2-pin power cord, but that didn't seem to change anything.

 

I have two monoblock amps in each the ground pin on the power cord connected directly to the chassis. Can I use a single chassis as a ground - simply extend the ground wire on one of the amps to the second amp chassis? Would it potentially fix a ground loop?