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[SolarMystic]

The Mojo still has an amp section. Unless my understanding of audio equipment is wrong, anything that is outputting sound has an amp built in. The DAC just converts the digital signal, it still needs an amp to output it to listening equipment/headphones.

Edit: Even Chords own website has it listed as an all in one dac/amp.

 

[Antiwhippy]

You can't isolate the amp section though. I'm sure it's amplified at some point through the fpga circuit but to me the difference is that you cannot isolate the amp section, unlike most dac/amps.

 

[HiResDes]

How good are Audio-Technica ATH-M50x relative to the Sony MDR V6 and the Sony MDR V55? I wont be using any kind of DAC/AMP and will be mainly using it with my iPod.

Basically just picture those headphones with a greater amount of bass impact and a wider soundstage

 

[Whales]

After browsing a lot and reading around, I think I want to get those Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones too. They look perfect to me.

I do have another question now: what do you guys think of ordering them used from amazon warehouse?

there's a pretty big price difference ( basically 90-100$). Is it worth picking them up new or are used headphones still alright?

sorry for the completely ''random'' questions, it's the first time i'm getting in the headphones business

 

[SolarMystic]

After browsing a lot and reading around, I think I want to get those Audio-Technica ATH-M50x headphones too. They look perfect to me.

I do have another question now: what do you guys think of ordering them used from amazon warehouse?

there's a pretty big price difference ( basically 90-100$). Is it worth picking them up new or are used headphones still alright?

sorry for the completely ''random'' questions, it's the first time i'm getting in the headphones business

If your in the US, the m50x goes on sale for around $99 brand new pretty often. That said, I've purchased headphones from AWD in the past to much success.

 

[Whales]

If your in the US, the m50x goes on sale for around $99 brand new pretty often. That said, I've purchased headphones from AWD in the past to much success.

I'm in canada, so not sure if that applies here?

99 usd translates to roughly 130 cad
the used ones are selling for 150 right now

They're not new but eh, better than nothing I guess. I'll try being patient and see what happens.

Also, one of my friends just told me that they're ''More studio headphones'' so I shouldn't buy them if I intend to listen to music in the metro/bus + in the library.. is that true? I'm pretty lost now lol, dunno what to buy

 

[Antiwhippy]

They're nowhere near studio reference quality, though in most cases honestly studio quality means "can take a beating and is cheap" because studios mix through speakers.

 

[HiResDes]

Yeah your friend doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about

 

[Bubble Metropolis]

Be warned that the Doppio is extremely neutral, which isn't everyone's cup of tea.

The Tenore is a guaranteed good time.

I ended up going with the Tenore and absolutely love the sound, thank you! I have noticed that I'm maxing the volume on my devices with them and still not feeling like it's loud enough, though. I'm sure I have an old Fiio E6 somewhere in my home that I can dig up.

 

[Articalys]

I haven't heard the AT but I generally recommend staying away from active noise cancelling headphones unless absolutely necessary. My vote goes to the hm5.

Because it doesn't work as advertised if you're not paying $300 for it, or because it detracts noticeably from the sound quality?

If your in the US, the m50x goes on sale for around $99 brand new pretty often. That said, I've purchased headphones from AWD in the past to much success.

How often is pretty often, and from what sites new? These were on my shortlist as well but I had eliminated them due to the price difference.

 

[Whales]

They're nowhere near studio reference quality, though in most cases honestly studio quality means "can take a beating and is cheap" because studios mix through speakers.

Yeah your friend doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about

thanks guys

So, huy used or not? I know there's stuff you should never buy used. What about these headphoned if they're 100$ cheaper used? Worth it or just buy new?

(For reference, amazon says "Very Good")

 

[HiResDes]

More a sound quality problem

 

[SolarMystic]

Because it doesn't work as advertised if you're not paying $300 for it, or because it detracts noticeably from the sound quality?

How often is pretty often, and from what sites new? These were on my shortlist as well but I had eliminated them due to the price difference.

Sound quality is usually horrible in noise cancelling headphones.

Keep an eye on Slickdeals. They turn up there on an almost monthly basis.

The m50x are nowhere near studio sound. Boosted bass and treble.

 

[my6765490]

Have a TH900 on local listing for cheap, so bloody tempted right now, what are some reasons not to buy it...

 

[Onemic]

thanks guys

So, huy used or not? I know there's stuff you should never buy used. What about these headphoned if they're 100$ cheaper used? Worth it or just buy new?

(For reference, amazon says "Very Good")

Im in the exact same situation as you(looking at getting those headphones from the Amazon Warehouse and also from Canada). It supposedly only has cosmetic dmg on the box and a small ding on the front of the headphones. I think I'll bite.

 

[Chittagong]

Have a TH900 on local listing for cheap, so bloody tempted right now, what are some reasons not to buy it...

The main reason not to buy it is that it's almost too good.

 

[SolarMystic]

Schiit announcement pushed back to Monday.

 

[Hattori]

Just picked up an LCD-2, and I'm blown away. The build quality is insane compared to the Hifiman I returned. Sound wise, I'm surprise that it's a bit brighter sounding and soundstage is somewhat wider than the 400s. I was under the impression that treble would be terrible. All in all, I'm glad I picked up the 400s first because I wouldn't have been able to pick up the LCD2s $250 off, which is ironically cheaper than the he-560 I was planning on getting

 

[Chittagong]

Schiit announcement pushed back to Monday.

Goddamit. Again! Better be good

 

[K.Jack]

Just picked up an LCD-2, and I'm blown away. The build quality is insane compared to the Hifiman I returned. Sound wise, I'm surprise that it's a bit brighter sounding and soundstage is somewhat wider than the 400s. I was under the impression that treble would be terrible. All in all, I'm glad I picked up the 400s first because I wouldn't have been able to pick up the LCD2s $250 off, which is ironically cheaper than the he-560 I was planning on getting

You really shouldn't be surprised that a $1k headphone sounds better than a $299 one.

 

[Xander51]

This constant pushing back of the Schiit announcement is annoying. I was interested in whatever it might be at first, but now I'm getting tired of waiting. I guess that makes me impatient, but I already loathe announcements of announcements, and delays just make it worse.

 

[Tommy DJ]

Have a TH900 on local listing for cheap, so bloody tempted right now, what are some reasons not to buy it...

Main thing is the irksome treble. Heavy narrow peak at around 7khz, which may or may not be annoying for you. The whole sound signature is pretty strange with dips and peaks everywhere in general so you might not like it unless you're a big fan of good quality bass.

Having owned the TH-X00 for a few days I'd...actually get the TH-X00 over the TH-900 unless you're willing to listen/measure carefully to EQ the headphone.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Demoing the campfire audio nova and holy balls, if you want one of the smoothest, cohesive yet high resolution sounds you can get in an iem.

Get them.

I'm kinda gobsmacked at how smooth and cohesive they are. Like smooth to the point where i feel like they are cutting out some of the rough edges between the notes, but it's just so smooooooooth.

If i want getting a savanna c (also demoing the savanna uiem alongside) i would be shaking them up. The savanna's are great too though, probably beating the nova in clarity, treble detail and imaging, but the nova is so smooooooooth.

 

[SolarMystic]

Modi Multibit confirmed.


It's been taken down. I'm guessing either $249-299.

 

[Antiwhippy]

I must say though the k10 is pretty disappointing. Its resolution and soundstage/width is about on par with the savanna, but other than some added sub bass depth and heft and a bit of a mid bass bump it doesn't seem to to offer much else? I even prefer the mids of the savanna. It doesn't offer me anything the aurisonics harmony already gives to me and i definitely prefer the Harmony's sound more.

 

[Oveja Negra]

Yeah, Modi Multibit.

Pictures:

 

[Articalys]

Sound quality is usually horrible in noise cancelling headphones.

Keep an eye on Slickdeals. They turn up there on an almost monthly basis.

The m50x are nowhere near studio sound. Boosted bass and treble.

Are the m50x and HM5 about equal in terms of isolation? Does one do a better job of keeping outside noise from getting in than the other?

 

[Flying Toaster]

Schiit announcement pushed back to Monday.

This is sad... I will forget and the. Come Monday be shocked at the announcement.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Also i just bought the dragonfly red. To be totally honest, there's not much separating it from the mojo. From what I've listened to so far, it's a bit more smoothed out and smeared in the lower mids, and maybe a little bit more laid back in the treble whereas the mojo has a bit more sparkle, which makes it a tad warmer, but for the form factor and the price, it's kind of a brilliant device. Got it for those times where i don't want to lug a brick around.

Who knows, I'll see how the announced mojo module that basically turns the mojo into a dap is, but i can very well see tge df red relegating the mojo to desktop duties or even being sold off. I still think the mojo is a bit more resolving but we'll see if the differences makes it worth keeping.

 

[opticalmace]

Yeah, Modi Multibit.

Pictures:

That USB port reflection makes no sense.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Just ordered a Head 'n' Hifi Objective2 +ODAC Amplifier / DAC combo and a Sennheiser HD800s.

I did, surprisingly for me, almost no research. Got a pretty good discount on the HD800s trough my job and thought ill need at least some form on DAC/HPA to go with it.

I ordered it in green with a bamboo front

Did i do good?

 

[Tommy DJ]

O2/ODAC is alright but beware 6.5x gain on the O2 amp causes clipping so hopefully you have a version with less gain.

The Sennheiser HD800 is not a headphone I would pick. Terrible sound signature that can very potentially cause hearing damage if you listen to music at even a moderate volume due to how significant its 6khz peak is. I don't know how people tolerate the sound signature without physical modifications or EQ. I say this as an owner of the HD800s.

Taking the HD800's sound signature into account, that headphone/amplifier pairing is not what I would pick. The O2 amp has an insignificant amount of output impedance. Having more output impedance, which you'll get from tube amplifiers due to how they are designed, is actually beneficial in this case since it'll make the Sennheiser HD800 sound thicker/bassier/less bright (see: HD800's impedance curve).

The individual choices aren't really bad but I can see how you did almost no research. As I noted, the O2 has actual design flaws that can be circumvented if you do your research and the Sennheisher HD800 is one of the best headphones in the world that is failed by its sound signature that was designed to suit hard of hearing Germans who served in World War II.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Well, thats kind of a downer response

My O2 has 2,5x and 6,5x gain (there seems to be a switch), and the HD800s is said to not have the 6kHz peak anymore.

 

[Tommy DJ]

Did you get the Sennheiser HD800S (they're black) or the HD800s (they're silver)? Its a confusing and stupid name but the HD800S (black frame) has no 6khz peak. The silver frame model still does.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

I got the new one, black with the added "S".

 

[Tommy DJ]

Then that's actually a good purchase.

I don't know about that ODAC/O2 combo you bought but the issue was that if you had software volume (i.e. Windows volume) at 100% and an ODAC at above 3.5x gain, you will have clipping issues. The solution is to use 2.5x gain or lower software volume...hopefully the HD800S still gets loud enough for you.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

Im using a Mac if that makes any difference?
Do i set the Mac's Volume at 100% and go from there on the O2?

I bought this version: Link with some mods (6,5mm headphone jack, gainswitch). Hope that'll drive the headphones.

The new HD800s comes with (extra) balanced cables, which the O2 does not support. Is there tons of difference between balanced or unbalanced cables?

Funny thing, after i purchased the stuff i took a look at the OP :/

 

[LQX]

Yeah, Modi Multibit.

Pictures:

Ugh, disappointed. Was hoping for a combo unit of the Modi and Magni.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Honestly after stuff like the mojo, dragonfly red and the geekout (though I would be really hesitant to give light harmonics any money) I'm starting to think why do amps and dacs have to be these massive, discrete things.

 

[Tommy DJ]

Im using a Mac if that makes any difference?
Do i set the Mac's Volume at 100% and go from there on the O2?

I bought this version: Link with some mods (6,5mm headphone jack, gainswitch). Hope that'll drive the headphones.

The new HD800s comes with (extra) balanced cables, which the O2 does not support. Is there tons of difference between balanced or unbalanced cables?

Funny thing, after i purchased the stuff i took a look at the OP :/

Set the Mac at 100% volume and set the O2 at 2.5x gain. It should still get plenty loud enough.

There's no difference between balanced and unbalanced cables beyond the connector. I reterminated my HD800 cable by simply cutting off the TRS plug and replacing it with a XLR plug.

Whether balanced or unbalanced matters is all dependent in hardware design. In theory, balanced hardware gets less outside interference, outputs more power for headphones, suffers from less crosstalk, and uses a better connector in the form of XLR plugs. But all of that stuff is in theory and don't really matter a whole lot in most consumer hardware/environments.

So don't bother about balanced/unbalanced unless the hardware gives you the option.

 

[sankt-Antonio]

That's good to hear. Thank you for the feedback. I'll report back once I get the cans.

 

[Chittagong]

Yeah, Modi Multibit.

Pictures:

Pretty much expected. Was hoping for something more adventurous but this was the logical answer.

 

[Oveja Negra]

That USB port reflection makes no sense.

I've noticed that with a fair amount of their pics. It's like the reflection is "faked".

Pretty much expected. Was hoping for something more adventurous but this was the logical answer.

Me too, I was expecting something truly different, so I'm kinda disappointed.

Looking at the bright side, this is cool news for anyone who wants a cheap DAC with a even better performance.

Ugh, disappointed. Was hoping for a combo unit of the Modi and Magni.

There is another announced desktop product that potentially will make a big impact, but reading at past posts from Schiit guys I doubt it will be a DAC+AMP. Who knows.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Ok, the Dragonfly red definitely can't run the HD600 to satisfactory levels, gets real close though. Keeping the mojo for sure. Dragonfly red is so much nicer for portable use, so that's nice.

 

[Xander51]

I've noticed that with a fair amount of their pics. It's like the reflection is "faked".

As someone who used to work editing marketing images for use in print advertising (anyone remember print, hah), there's a high probability that the reflections are indeed faked in software.

A well-done reflection can enhance the reality of an artificially staged product shot quite a bit. This one looks a little strange. It's almost too bright and distinct. And yeah that USB port looks trippy. Some blurring would help.

 

[Ostinatto]

Im looking for wireless headphones ON EAR similar quality to AKG Q701.

 

[Xander51]

Im looking for wireless headphones ON EAR similar quality to AKG Q701.

That's a tall order! P5 Wireless maybe?

 

[Ryne]

Need to replace my Momentum over ears v1 which I bought due to recommendations from here a thread back, I think. Loved them, they were perfect for me.

Looking at the current prices, I'm going to spend 500+ CAD for a newer set, so I'm looking for recommendations. My choices are as follows:

PM-3 Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones - [BLUE FINISH] - $519

Sony MDR-100AAP h.ear Headphone - Charcoal Black - ~$200

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Headphones - ~$250

Sennheiser Momentum 2 Around Ear Galaxy Ivory - $399

I'm leaning heavily to the Momentum 2's because I loved the previous pair. I like my bass, and I listen to a lot of RnB and Hiphop. I can't listen to them individually unfortunately.

 

[K.Jack]

Of that list, I own the Momentum 1 and the PM-3. Hate the former, love the latter. PM-3 is probably too neutral for you though. Has good bass, but it doesn't rumble. It's a very accurate set, without emphasizing any part of the spectrum.

I also own the NAD Viso HP550, which poops all over the Momentum in a fair 1v1, may want to add that to the list.

M50x is meh, can't speak for the Sony. Someone in this thread owns it, and really likes it.

 

[SolarMystic]

Need to replace my Momentum over ears v1 which I bought due to recommendations from here a thread back, I think. Loved them, they were perfect for me.

Looking at the current prices, I'm going to spend 500+ CAD for a newer set, so I'm looking for recommendations. My choices are as follows:

PM-3 Closed-Back Planar Magnetic Headphones - [BLUE FINISH] - $519

Sony MDR-100AAP h.ear Headphone - Charcoal Black - ~$200

Audio-Technica ATH-M50x Professional Headphones - ~$250

Sennheiser Momentum 2 Around Ear Galaxy Ivory - $399

I'm leaning heavily to the Momentum 2's because I loved the previous pair. I like my bass, and I listen to a lot of RnB and Hiphop. I can't listen to them individually unfortunately.

Having owned both the Momentum 2 and Pm3, I would go with the Momentum 2, particularly with your music selection. Though I did sell them both eventually to stick with my Momentum 1.