What cables did you get? I have some custom Canare interconnects from Ghent Audio and they are great.
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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
Sleeping Lesson
Member
I bought some Canare L-4E5C microphone cable. It's a really cost-effective way of going about it if you don't mind splitting the cable.
opticalmace
Member
Do better dacs make that much of a difference? I sort of assumed the conversion was a pretty well solved problem if you know what I mean.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Depends on implementation. I just got in a DragonFly Red and I think it's pretty exceptional. Most natural and organic sounding portable source I've heard to date and doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Super god damn smooth, nice and rich midrange, powerful bass, articulate treble, and really excellent imaging. It's easily a cut above stuff like the AK Jr, ZX2, go v1/v2, leckerton Uha-MK II. etc. like this $200 stick DAC has made all of my portables obsolete lol. Also sold the Andromeda. The modded Series 5/DFR combo sounds fuckin incredible and costs less than $300 LOL.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Hmm, that's interesting, because from what I know the original dragonfly wasn't well regarded, at least not by the dac/amp loonies at SBAF.
Audeze Sine - http://slickdeals.net/share/android_app/fp/207763
Chittagong
Gold Member
Please convince me that these are no better than PM-3s, for my wallet's sake
From what I've read they sound similar.
SolarMystic
Member
Measurements don't look very promising over on SBAF for the Sine.
Another day, another Audeze adorama sale. Still resistant to getting the LCD-2 again.
Another day, another Audeze adorama sale. Still resistant to getting the LCD-2 again.
Chittagong
Gold Member
All I needed to hear, cheers
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
To be frank I don't agree with everything said over at SBAF. Like how Marv thinks the zx2 is the end all be all for portable sources. It's not. I have no idea how the original dragonfly sounds, but the DFR is a really fuckin great source to my ears and sounds substantially more "analogue" than nearly every portable source I've heard. This isn't a subtle thing to me. It's actually quite noticeable. Whether someone actually likes this type of signature is something else altogether
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Softer transients/rolled treble?
Also yeah, i enjoy browsing sbaf but they're nearly head fi esque when it comes to dacs and amps.
Also yeah, i enjoy browsing sbaf but they're nearly head fi esque when it comes to dacs and amps.
The Lamonster
Member
After getting a DAC/amp (Schiit stack) and some nice headphones (Fidelio X2s), the next piece of tech I bought for my gaming/listening setup was a SubPac and I'm in love with it!
I made a thread on gaming side about the SubPac; check it out if you've never heard of it:
http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1243738
I made a thread on gaming side about the SubPac; check it out if you've never heard of it:
http://neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1243738
About those really expensive focal headphones...
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/focal-elear-and-utopia-impressions-at-source-av.2402/
TL;dr; Equal resolution to HD800, more precise imaging, better transients, Elear ~= "Super HD650"
Damn, now I am tempted...
http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/focal-elear-and-utopia-impressions-at-source-av.2402/
TL;dr; Equal resolution to HD800, more precise imaging, better transients, Elear ~= "Super HD650"
Damn, now I am tempted...
Hi Can-Gaf, been reading through this thread, but I figured I'd come in and ask directly. What would be your go-to recommendations in the $300-350 range?
This will be my first time investing this much in headphones, so I want to make sure I get something good. I checked out some Bose QC35's recently and thought they sounded good, but this thread taught me that there's better stuff out there.
I'd appreciate any recommendations!
This will be my first time investing this much in headphones, so I want to make sure I get something good. I checked out some Bose QC35's recently and thought they sounded good, but this thread taught me that there's better stuff out there.
I'd appreciate any recommendations!
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
At that range the hd600/650 no doubt, but the qc35 has different applications compared to them.
Super intrigued by this. Tonality of the 650 plus hd800 clarity sounds great.
Super intrigued by this. Tonality of the 650 plus hd800 clarity sounds great.
What is the rest of your gear? Sounds like you probably don't have an amp or dedicated DAC.
Few options to consider:
-K7xx + amping
-Talos + amping
-TH-X00 (used)
-HD-600/650
Depends on your sound sig preference
Thanks guys. I should've mentioned this, but I would like to be able to use them on the road. Although I have an amp at home, being able to take the phones with me and listen to them without using an amp or DAC is a big factor. From what I can tell, both the TH-X00 and the HD-600 require an amp. Any suitable alternatives that could be powered sufficiently by a portable device?
I've hit a problem that sucks.
So I had the Beats Solo HD 2, and loved the sound. But fuck man, they KILL my ears after wearing them for an hour. It's like they press my ears so hard that they just start to hurt.
So I put back on a pair of Bose sound true around ears that I had. The comfort is unreal, I can literally wear these all day. The sound isn't BAD (i don't think anyways), but it's like there is no loudness to it.
On my Nexus 6p, at the same volume, the beats are significantly louder than the Bose is what I'm trying to say I guess. I wish I could get the sound from the beats headphones in the bose set.
So I had the Beats Solo HD 2, and loved the sound. But fuck man, they KILL my ears after wearing them for an hour. It's like they press my ears so hard that they just start to hurt.
So I put back on a pair of Bose sound true around ears that I had. The comfort is unreal, I can literally wear these all day. The sound isn't BAD (i don't think anyways), but it's like there is no loudness to it.
On my Nexus 6p, at the same volume, the beats are significantly louder than the Bose is what I'm trying to say I guess. I wish I could get the sound from the beats headphones in the bose set.
Sleeping Lesson
Member
Going from Beats to Bose is like a something you might see in a parody headphone post.
I have a Nexus 6P as well, and I've found it to only really sound good if I output via the USB C port to an external DAC/Amp.
I have a Nexus 6P as well, and I've found it to only really sound good if I output via the USB C port to an external DAC/Amp.
I know. I bought the bose before I found this thread.
I was going to buy the Audio Technica after finding this thread, but I talked to people in here who said the solo 2's were actually good, and I only paid I think 20 dollars for them (sale at best buy plus reward certs)
Beats Solo 2 are good headphones.
For portable use I'd recommend the KEF M500, Focal Spirit Classic, or ATH-MSR7
Probably should have gotten in on the Sine sale on the fourth.
For portable use I'd recommend the KEF M500, Focal Spirit Classic, or ATH-MSR7
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Getting my ear impressions done for the savannas. Second customs, so that should be fun.
Thanks man. Gonna do a bit of research over the weekend. I live in Europe so the sale would've probably been wasted on me.
Well, in that scenario the Nexus is not "sounding" at all...
PalaceBrother
Member
I'm not sure that this is the best place to ask, but I have a headphone related question.
I was recently given a tube amp by a friend who upgraded, and have finally got it up and running. The amp doesn't have a headphone jack but it does have an RCA output for each channel. I was thinking about running those outputs through to a female 1/4 jack for my headphones (Sennheiser HD595s, nothing crazy).
Here's my question:
I've read that you shouldn't turn on a tube amp if it isn't connected to speakers. This could be a totally dumb question but will I damage it if I just have it hooked up to the cans?
This is the amp in question.
http://www.decware.com/newsite/minitoriise.htm
If there's a dedicated audio thread I should be posting in please point me in the right direction! I am completely new to this.
I was recently given a tube amp by a friend who upgraded, and have finally got it up and running. The amp doesn't have a headphone jack but it does have an RCA output for each channel. I was thinking about running those outputs through to a female 1/4 jack for my headphones (Sennheiser HD595s, nothing crazy).
Here's my question:
I've read that you shouldn't turn on a tube amp if it isn't connected to speakers. This could be a totally dumb question but will I damage it if I just have it hooked up to the cans?
This is the amp in question.
http://www.decware.com/newsite/minitoriise.htm
If there's a dedicated audio thread I should be posting in please point me in the right direction! I am completely new to this.
Sleeping Lesson
Member
Palace that is a fucking cool looking amp.
I have certainly seen folks say to leave your headphones unplugged until your tubes heat up to avoid the "pop", but I've never seen anyone that actually had speakers or headphones damaged because of this.
I have certainly seen folks say to leave your headphones unplugged until your tubes heat up to avoid the "pop", but I've never seen anyone that actually had speakers or headphones damaged because of this.
The Lamonster
Member
Fidelio X2?
HD650, Nighthawk, Fischer FA-011, HE-400, Master Dynamic MH40
...Some of those more V than warm, which I think is more U shaped
PalaceBrother
Member
Thanks for the reply!
So the general consensus appears to be that the amp itself won't get damaged but I could potentially overdrive my headphones. I gave it a shot and it is working very well so far but the output volume is quite low. I'm thinking I may need to run my source through a preamp.
I've also realized how crappy the compression is on most of my music. Some of the bass sounds absolutely crusty.
X00s as well, functionally an open back in terms of leakage and isolation anyway
Chittagong
Gold Member
Jason is posting they will announce a new 'small' Schiit product next week, excite!!
A new Fulla, or combined Magni/Modi maybe? They've said repeatedly that no battery operated devices for Schiit which is a shame.
A new Fulla, or combined Magni/Modi maybe? They've said repeatedly that no battery operated devices for Schiit which is a shame.
Man the FA-011 seems like exactly what I want. Can't find it for sale anymore though, bummer.
Antiwhippy
the holder of the trombone
Noisymotel does not ship outside australia and new zealand iirc.
PalaceBrother
Member
I have heard that a DAC can help tremendously when feeding a digital source through an amp and into headphones. Does the DAC sit between the source and the amp?
That amp has an optional headphone output for $100. Might want to contact decware and see if they can retrofit. I've emailed decware a few times and they are very helpful.
It's got output transformers so speakers must always be connected when powered on unless the user manual says otherwise. I would suspect that the headphone option switches in a dummy load on the speaker outputs.
I wouldn't think the line level output really offer you any benefits - they shouldn't be used to drive headphones.
I have a decware that I was thinking about modifying to a headphone amp with a dummy load on the outputs but not got round to it.
Oveja Negra
Member
Amplifiers only "understand" analog signals, hence... if you have a digital source, there is no choice but to have a DAC, since this is the device that converts the digital signal sent by the source into an analog one that can be sent to an amplifier (DAC = Digital to Analog Converter).
Every digital device, like an iPod, or a cell phone, has a DAC and Amp, and as you can imagine, most of the time, those are "generic" ones that do the job good enough (for most people).
At the same time, you can have both DAC & AMP as separate devices, which allow manufacturers to develop much more advanced (higher quality) products.
Those separate devices are available in a huge range of prices. There is a consensus regarding that at a certain price point, diminishing returns law applies.
There is no consensus at all about what's that price point, so is up to you to decide that, just using your ears
EDIT:
If you're interested in a DAC and/or an Amp, take a look at what Schiit offers...
http://schiit.com/
Those guys are known to offer kick ass products at great prices. I doubt there's another company with a better quality/price ratio.
Yep, already came across that and emailed them. Good looking though.
Nah they have on the FA-101 page:
"Please note: We can ship Fischer Audio products internationally. For customers outside of Australia and New Zealand, please contact us via email to obtain a shipping quote and procedures on how to complete your purchase."
I wonder if they're gonna try to abuse me with their weak Australian dollar.
PalaceBrother
Member
The retrofit is where I'm headed. I think I'll just bite the bullet and do that instead of trying to accomplish this via a bunch of cables.
Thank you! I think the manual actually says it us ok but I'm not well versed enough to confirm. From the manual:
If for some reason the amplifier was on with the volume all the way up and the CD player on with no speakers attached, having the speaker outputs shorted together will actually protect the amp from possible damage to the output transformers. With most tube amps, this scenario would immediately damage the output transformers making shorting of the outputs mandatory when a speaker is not connected.
Amplifiers only "understand" analog signals, hence... if you have a digital source, there is no choice but to have a DAC, since this is the device that converts the digital signal sent by the source into an analog one that can be sent to an amplifier (DAC = Digital to Analog Converter).
Every digital device, like an iPod, or a cell phone, has a DAC and Amp, and as you can imagine, most of the time, those are "generic" ones that do the job good enough (for most people).
At the same time, you can have both DAC & AMP as separate devices, which allow manufacturers to develop much more advanced (higher quality) products.
Those separate devices are available in a huge range of prices. There is a consensus regarding that at a certain price point, diminishing returns law applies.
There is no consensus at all about what's that price point, so is up to you to decide that, just using your ears
EDIT:
If you're interested in a DAC and/or an Amp, take a look at what Schiit offers...
http://schiit.com/
Those guys are known to offer kick ass products at great prices. I doubt there's another company with a better quality/price ratio.
This is great information, thank you! Given that I'll be using the amp through an iPad 75% of the time I'll look into getting a nice DAC. Thanks again!
Oveja Negra
Member
How do you plan to connect the iPad to the amp?
If you are planning to use the iPad's headphone output, you don't need a DAC, that signal is already analog (ready to be sent to an amplifier).
Take a look at this, if you are confused about it...
http://schiit.com/guides/getting-connected
SolarMystic
Member
Where are you reading this? I'm not finding on Jason's head-fi blog or on sbaf.
Oveja Negra
Member
That whole post from Jason left me salivating so much hahaha. Count me among the ones that can't wait until those new products are revealed!!!!
That product that has the potential to change the desktop landscape intrigues me so much. It's been a WIP since 2012, wow.
That product that has the potential to change the desktop landscape intrigues me so much. It's been a WIP since 2012, wow.