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[thuway]

So I just did an A/B between the Fiio E17 docked into an E09K and the Schiit Modi 2 with the E09K. Holy shit. Night and Day difference. The Modi 2 outright destroys the E17. Dynamics, instrument seperation, and soundstage were all much better on the Modi 2. The Fiio E17 has a warmer sound, but it also has this strange "boxing" in of information. For any one that says DACs are all the same, the Modi 2 definetely one ups the E17 by a quite a margin.

Stranger news- the Fiio E09K runs circles around the Magni 2 Ano. The E09K is a little darker, but it also has an incredibly dead sound to it. The Magni 2 is a little more forward but the details also sound a tad bit more digital. It also looks like an unpowered portable amplifier pretending to be a desktop device.

My aesthetics now are absolute garbage with the Schiit Modi 2 and E09K looking totally different.

 

[leng jai]

Got some new Schiit

 

[Tommy DJ]

eBay is really shit if you're a seller because of those goddamn seller fees but great if you're a buyer. Though that depends on the item.

eBay is good because it opens you up to international buyers/sellers, where it is possible to make more $$$. A common example is selling a Australian NAD M51 to a US buyer, which is actually possible as international buyers still get some form of buyer protection.

You also get less assholes who lowball you since my experience is that everyone low balls you hard on Head-Fi/Stereo.net.au classifieds unless you have a one-of-a-kind item like a Eddie Current amp or something.

that looks pretty good. I was actually thinking of getting a Omega-shaped wooden stand but I might just go with this instead

I have an authentic Sieveking Omega stand. There's three problems with the Omega stand:
(1) I have to stretch my Sennheiser HD800 to fit them onto the stand. That's harder than simply plopping onto a T shaped stand, obviously.
(2) Trying to do (1) isn't that easy since the stand has like no mass. The stand slides around like butter in a frying pan.
(2) Because the headphones are compressing against the stand, this will deform the earpads. Earpad condition are pretty critical to sound quality for 99% of headphones.

The Omega stand looks pretty cool but it isn't all that useful or functional IMHO. Also, don't bother with fake ones unless you want wood treatment chemicals to transfer onto your earpads and headband.

 

[Bloodember]

Got some new Schiit

Nice, is that the Multibit model?

 

[leng jai]

Nice, is that the Multibit model?

Nah, just the peasant 4490.

 

[Bloodember]

Nah, just the peasant 4490.

What do you have it hooked to?

 

[SolarMystic]

Nah, just the peasant 4490.

4490 is at least a valued Count of the Kings Court.

 

[leng jai]

What do you have it hooked to?

A Woo Audio 2 and a HD800/T1. My ancient DAC Magic was dying which is the only reason I bought this really.

 

[Afro]

Some of you guys may already know about this. Shit-ton of free FLAC files. All different genres. Discovered some pretty cool stuff.

Track #4 on this is so chill. #8 is cool too. Free for limited time, apparently.

 

[Blitzhex]

Just got these in. Serial #00041

Bought off ebay from a nice brazilian gentleman, brand new in box. The grain looks very nice and the color is quite a bit darker irl. I used camera flash to make em stand out.

Running off the vali 2, they don't sound very closed. First thing I hear when I put these on is the midbass bloat and the mids are slightly recessed compared to my k7xx. All of that works out for the music I listen to tho. Metal and electronic. Excellent headphones, worth every dollar imo. The pads are soft and don't get hot, been wearing them for 2 hours straight now.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

 

[opticalmace]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

My DAP is a Sony NWZ-A17, love it.

On PC... well I don't bother as much anymore, but Foobar2k when I did.

 

[Bloodember]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

Software or hardware? I'll say both.

software: Tomahawk
hardware: Fiio X3ii & Samsung Galaxy Note 5

 

[Afro]

Software or hardware? I'll say both.

software: Tomahawk
hardware: Fiio X3ii & Samsung Galaxy Note 5

Downsides to using Windows Media Player? Serious question lol.

 

[Blitzhex]

Using musicbee, its awesome. all of the functionality of foobar, but with a better default ui.

 

[Bloodember]

Downsides to using Windows Media Player? Serious question lol.

It doesnt support all formats, plus i just dont like it.

 

[SolarMystic]

I've been using MediaMonkey because it's simple to use. Would like to use something a bit more robust, though foobar seems kind of daunting to set up.

 

[leng jai]

98% of my music are CD rips so I just use iTunes. Works fine for me and looks nice with all the cover art.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

My DAP is a Sony NWZ-A17, love it.

On PC... well I don't bother as much anymore, but Foobar2k when I did.

I was thinking of using Foobar but there are many different options so I wanted some input.

Software or hardware? I'll say both.

software: Tomahawk
hardware: Fiio X3ii & Samsung Galaxy Note 5

I was wondering software wise but I'll also be using a phone. How's the sound?

Using musicbee, its awesome. all of the functionality of foobar, but with a better default ui.

Interesting. So I don't have to do the entire setup like with Foobar?

 

[HiResDes]

I use music bee with an iTunes skin lol

 

[Bloodember]

I was wondering software wise but I'll also be using a phone. How's the sound?

Samsung phones actually use a really good Wolfson DAC in their phones. I actually don't notice a difference between my X3ii and my Note 5. I also don't use the shitty earphones that came with the phone either.

 

[SolarMystic]

I'll have to look into musicbee. Isn't MediaMonkey not all that great for some reason? I always hear people on head-fi sying it's inferior to a lot of other programs. I've been using it so long since that's what I'm familiar with.

 

[wilflare]

Itching for an upgrade - Do any of you pay attention to Massdrop stuff? I really wanted to get the Fostex previously

 

[Antiwhippy]

You could probably find used ones floating around head-fi used and ebay.

 

[mr stroke]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

Spotify (Hi-quality streaming enabled) with my iPhone or Macbook...

Don't shoot me but I have tried lossless rips from CD's and HDtracks.com and can not tell a difference(even with my higher end cans+Amp)

 

[Antiwhippy]

Blind tests would say that you're right, even among people who say that they can hear a difference.

 

[super-famicom]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

Vox on OSX
Cowon J3

 

[Antiwhippy]

I've also been using UAPP (usb audio play pro) and there is actually a difference between sending bit perfect to the mojo to process instead of allowing android to upsample first.

 

[crazepharmacist]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

Google Play, also with high quality streaming enabled

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Thanks for the replies guys! I'm not to sure about what I should use as a source; should I get flac files if I don't have a the proper setup? I will be using my phone for when I'm out. But I could also use Spotify/Google Play Music if needed. Not sure what to do...

 

[Oveja Negra]

I still use Winamp, but I've been tempted to switch to MusicBee, it looks damn great.

Foobar is fantastic too, except that by default... it looks awful (besides the performance, I like things to look pretty, ok?)

 

[Afro]

Best budget (<$50) desktop amp for speakers? The Dayton DTA-1 is fine, right?

 

[HiResDes]

Depends on the speakers. A pair of small Bookshelf speakers yes

 

[SliChillax]

The Vmoda coiled cable doesn't seem to be available anywhere and the cable that comes with it sucks. Are there any good coiled cables or are all just the same? Like this for example http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B009FJELP2/

 

[K.Jack]

All coiled cables annoy me, so I vote no.

 

[SliChillax]

All coiled cables annoy me, so I vote no.

And the horrible braided cable that has already developed lots of kinks does not annoy you?

 

[Afro]

Depends on the speakers. A pair of small Bookshelf speakers yes

Thanks! Actually went with the Lepai LP-2020A+ so I can use both my PC and PS1 SCPH-1001.

Also nice to have bass/treble controls.

 

[Celcius]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

I've been using MediaMonkey for years and it works great for me.

 

[Joyful]

What music player do you guys use to listen to your music?

foobar

atm I use this skin with it
http://slowboyfast.deviantart.com/art/VERONiCA-2-502481907

 

[Blitzhex]

Using the th-x00 more, one thing I really like about it is how it makes all of my tracks sound good. Some badly mixed metal albums sound horrible on my k7xx because of its analytical nature. Th-x00 hides all the blemishes without sacrificing too much detail. Earcups could be bigger though.

Interesting. So I don't have to do the entire setup like with Foobar?

Nope, musicbee like a mix of winamp and foobar. Has everything I'd ever want ready to access from the get go with a modern metro like ui. Has replaygain, wasapi, asio, crossfeed, mono, eq, press letter to search artist/song/album, internet auto-tagging etc.

 

[thuway]

Crossposting from the LG G5 thread:

The LG G5's Hi-Fi module's specs are coming out: it's absolutely incredible.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/lg-g5-hi-fi-plus-modular-hi-res-dac/


Modular design aside, the Hi-Fi Plus’ most intriguing features are its 32bit Sabre ES9028C2M DAC (digital to analog converter), and its Sabre9602c amplifier, which will allow the device to playback 24bit/192kHz hi-res tracks. A trusted brand in hi-fi, Sabre makes components for a wide array of high-end receivers and other audio components for brands like Pioneer, Yamaha, and others. That kind of quality circuitry is something audiophiles have been looking for in a smartphone for years.

.....

The system also comes with a headphone upgrade in Bang & Olufsen’s H3 in-ear headphones, which will run you around $200 on their own. That leads us to wonder what it will cost you to buy the module for your G5 — all LG is saying is present is that the pricing will be “reasonable,” but there’s no telling what that will translate to in dollars and cents. Then again, even a modest hi-res portable audio player will usually cost around $500-1,000, so anything under that healthy sum may be worthwhile considering.

Documentation from Sabre's official page claims this thing can run 600 ohm headphones with ease:

http://www.esstech.com/index.php/en...-sabre-mobile-dac-es9603-headphone-amplifier/

The ES9603 Headphone Amplifier supports a DNR of up to 122dB and THD+N of -117dB with 600ohm loads. Additionally, it implements a unique programmable feature that can improve THD+N with 32ohm loads to -112dB in Best Performance mode.

Takeaway? We might have a portable device here that can run our HD650/HD800s and actually do them justice. Say goodbye to those one thousand dollar Sony Walkmans and Astern Krell DAPs which do nothing but play DSDs.

The bad news: LG won't say a price, sounds like it's going to be expensive because B&O are a brand that have been built on the back of a Vanity tax.


The good news? A chinese phone, the Vivo Six Plus looks to be using the exact same configuration and it's built into the phone. LG for the loss.

 

[Antiwhippy]

Hmmm, sabre eh. Depends on how they implement it, but the usual sound makes the treble a tad glarey/sharp.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

I've decided to use Google Play Music for my music since I don't have a proper set up yet. Music sounds great at high quality.

 

[Xander51]

I've decided to use Google Play Music for my music since I don't have a proper set up yet. Music sounds great at high quality.

That's what I use when I'm on the go, and I actually really like it!

I picked up a pair of Blue Mo-Fi's today, a headphone I've been interested in since they launched. Wow! I've avoided them this whole because of their weird-ass looking design, even though they're supposed to work great for people with big heads and glasses (I have both.) I had some extra money saved up so I finally caved, and they're great. They feel a little clampy even with the tension knob set all the way down, but not uncomfortable, and I'm loving how they sound. They seem like they'd work as a decent tracking headphone too, for how isolating they are.

 

[HiResDes]

I heard the Blue Lolas alleviate many of the comfort problems

 

[Antiwhippy]

So, if neutrality is the goal, HE-400s or HD600?

Though I'm not sure if I want to get a hifiman anyway just due to built quality generally.

 

[leng jai]

HD600 always seem to get the nod when it comes to neutrality. They've really stood the test of time.

 

[Trojita]

If anyone is looking for a headphone stand I really have to recommend the SilverStone Technology EBA01B. Really solid construction and can potentially old three nice size headphones, two for sure. Its currently $60. I think it is worth it considering most of the decent headphone stands go for around $30 and this has the potential to hold 2-3.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00Y54RXO8/?tag=neogaf0e-20


Looks way better in person. I hate the logo but my O2 covers it nicely.

(not my image)

Yeah I bought this more than a year ago. The only things I hate about it is that the aluminum isn't smooth and it would be nice if their was a bihanger design. Having to pull of 1 or 2 headphones to get to the one you want kind of sucks. Didn't even know they made a black version.

 

[HiResDes]

If we're talking about the original HE-400s they have a shit ton of subbass and some treble peaks, not neutral at all. AKG K612 are the most neutral headphone I've heard

 

[Antiwhippy]

Hmmm, weirdly enough the k612 is more expensive here.

I'm just dilly dallying though. Will most likely land on the hd600 soon.