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Post by tonymc on Jul 14, 2011 10:24:30 GMT -5
A couple months back I started a thread about getting a pair of Audio Technica ATH A700 headphones, a sanza clip, and a CMoy amp. Well it turns out that the A700 are great headphones, just not very portable(who would have thunk it. They are huge ;D ) so I bought a set of the Audio Technica EW-9 wooden clipons(beautiful to look at as well as sounding good) and retired the A700 to the computer. Well after much research about Foobar and getting it tweaked just the way I like it. Converting all my CDs to FLAC I just wasn't happy with the way my on board sound... was sounding  anyway... So I brought the DAC in from my main system, bought a topping TP21 T-amp and life has been good.................................................. Until now... My wife wanted the DAC back in the main system(bless her heart ;D ) and I got a bad case of upgraditis. So I just bought:     All stock pics as nothing has come in yet. Will post the real deal when I get everything. I'm pretty excited about the crack build. It should ship out today or tomorrow(hopefully). |
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Post by absorbinesenior on Jul 14, 2011 12:25:31 GMT -5
That is a very slippery slope my friend. This was the last headphone amp I owned:  www.eddiecurrent.com/Zanadeux.htmlI spent many years in the headphone world but have finally been seduced to only speakers. But there are many things to love about headphone gear and there is a huge DIY crowd for amps and such. |
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Post by jedinite24 on Jul 14, 2011 12:41:39 GMT -5
Hi TonyMc
I hear you about headphones. Man they are very addicting. When I asked members here for help I got a lot of great suggestions and then I went on a tear.
Headphones wise I currently have a pair of Sony MDR-V6, Sennheiser HD580s, modified AKG K701s and AKG K240 Mk IIs. I had the open back version of your AT headphones but I could not stand them sound wise in my set-ups even after hours of burn-in. I guess they didn't have good synergy with my set-ups. I'll actually be selling the AKG K240 Mk II soon as after lots of listening I've decided which ones I like. My absolute favorites are the AKG K701s for music. The Sennheisers aren't too far behind music wise vs the K701s but I love them for movies. The Sony MDR-V6 I plan to use daily on the PC or playing music on my MP3 player.
Headphone amp wise I've been through a Musiland MD10 and a Schiit Audio Valhalla. The Valhalla is amazing but runs very hot. Hours after listening even the volume knob gets hot. I was looking at a Donald North Audio headphone amp but it was too expensive and the seller was flaky.
One lounge lizard who was a great help to me was Bootman. He knows headphones and is willing to help.
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Post by tonymc on Jul 14, 2011 12:42:07 GMT -5
That is a very slippery slope my friend. One of my favorite lines from Super 8. ;D www.eddiecurrent.com/Zanadeux.htmlI spent many years in the headphone world but have finally been seduced to only speakers. But there are many things to love about headphone gear and there is a huge DIY crowd for amps and such. That is a beautiful amplifier. The DIY, upgradability, and price is what attracted me to the Crack. Hope I don't form a crack habit...  |
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Post by tonymc on Jul 14, 2011 12:49:49 GMT -5
Hi TonyMc I hear you about headphones. Man they are very addicting. When I asked members here for help I got a lot of great suggestions and then I went on a tear. Headphones wise I currently have a pair of Sony MDR-V6, Sennheiser HD580s, modified AKG K701s and AKG K240 Mk IIs. I had the open back version of your AT headphones but I could not stand them sound wise in my set-ups even after hours of burn-in. I guess they didn't have good synergy with my set-ups. I'll actually be selling the AKG K240 Mk II soon as after lots of listening I've decided which ones I like. My absolute favorites are the AKG K701s for music. The Sennheisers aren't too far behind music wise vs the K701s but I love them for movies. The Sony MDR-V6 I plan to use daily on the PC or playing music on my MP3 player. Headphone amp wise I've been through a Musiland MD10 and a Schiit Audio Valhalla. The Valhalla is amazing but runs very hot. Hours after listening even the volume knob gets hot. I was looking at a Donald North Audio headphone amp but it was too expensive and the seller was flaky. One lounge lizard who was a great help to me was Bootman. He knows headphones and is willing to help. I was looking into the Vahalla as well, but the DIY Crack sounded like a lot of fun to build and it has so much room for expansion it will give me something to do over the next winter months(upgrade wise). I was also looking at the AKG 701/702 phones as I have heard great things about them and love the way they look, but, from what I have been reading, would be a bad match for the crack amp since they are such a low impedance headphone. I was also looking at the Beyer DT990 600 ohm version, but I found the HD600 b-stock at a great price. |
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Post by ribbonking on Jul 14, 2011 13:18:14 GMT -5
I have the K702's. I like them but no doubt its a controversial headphone - seems you either love it or hate it. Also have the Sennheiser HD 650.
Just sold a pair of Beyerdynamic T1's. Didn't use them enough to justify the price.
On the amp side I have the Burson HA160 (solid state) and a Mapletree Audio Ear + HD Super II (tube).
I seem to go back and forth between headphones and speakers. Spending more time with my 2-channel rig recently
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Post by tonymc on Jul 14, 2011 14:58:30 GMT -5
I have the K702's. I like them but no doubt its a controversial headphone - seems you either love it or hate it. Also have the Sennheiser HD 650. Just sold a pair of Beyerdynamic T1's. Didn't use them enough to justify the price. On the amp side I have the Burson HA160 (solid state) and a Mapletree Audio Ear + HD Super II (tube). I seem to go back and forth between headphones and speakers. Spending more time with my 2-channel rig recently I definitely coveted the K702s for a long time and would get them if they were in the 150-600 ohm range. My A700 are 64 ohm and work great with a simple opamp, but I imagine the gain would be too high running them or the K702s on the crack. |
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Post by ribbonking on Jul 14, 2011 17:19:32 GMT -5
My 702's definitely sound better on the tube amp. The Mapletree also pairs well with Grado phones.
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Post by ribbonking on Jul 14, 2011 17:33:48 GMT -5
...and that Zana Deux is one heck of a headphone amp.
Blows mine right out of the water.
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Post by tonymc on Jul 14, 2011 17:38:47 GMT -5
...and that Zana Deux is one heck of a headphone amp. Blows mine right out of the water. It looks like a sweetheart no doubt. |
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Post by absorbinesenior on Jul 14, 2011 21:38:38 GMT -5
Well, I'll tell you something. A guy I knew from Wisconsin had a Crack amp. First time I met him (at a headphone meet) the Crack was basic. It sounded good, but was far below the Zana. 6 months later we met again. He had done a lot of tweaking. It was closer to the Zana and really was very good. The last time I saw him, it was hard to tell which amp was better! Some cans performed better on the Crack, some on the Zana. So you have a very good base platform to work from.
I had the K701's when they first came out. I never really could warm up to them. To me they were always bass shy and too clinical. Now those 600's you have coming, those are great phones. I owned them and 650's and always preferred the 600's. The 650's always sounded dark and a tad bass bloated to me. I also had many Grado's, with the RS-1's being my favorite. They are great rock cans, not so much for classical.
And I also started with headphones because it was a cheaper route to good sound, but that led to a $2600 CD player (used), a $2100 amp and multiple headphones probably worth $2500 or more. So I realized I was in speakerville with that money and dipped my toe. Found out I like it better with speakers and so here I am.
Regardless, enjoy your headphone travels. Make the music come first and the quality sound will follow.
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Post by tonymc on Jul 14, 2011 22:58:54 GMT -5
Well, I'll tell you something. A guy I knew from Wisconsin had a Crack amp. First time I met him (at a headphone meet) the Crack was basic. It sounded good, but was far below the Zana. 6 months later we met again. He had done a lot of tweaking. It was closer to the Zana and really was very good. The last time I saw him, it was hard to tell which amp was better! Some cans performed better on the Crack, some on the Zana. So you have a very good base platform to work from. I had the K701's when they first came out. I never really could warm up to them. To me they were always bass shy and too clinical. Now those 600's you have coming, those are great phones. I owned them and 650's and always preferred the 600's. The 650's always sounded dark and a tad bass bloated to me. I also had many Grado's, with the RS-1's being my favorite. They are great rock cans, not so much for classical. And I also started with headphones because it was a cheaper route to good sound, but that led to a $2600 CD player (used), a $2100 amp and multiple headphones probably worth $2500 or more. So I realized I was in speakerville with that money and dipped my toe. Found out I like it better with speakers and so here I am. Regardless, enjoy your headphone travels. Make the music come first and the quality sound will follow. Thanks absorbinesenior. Yes. I have BIG plans for the crack already. I have been doing a lot of research. I am a tinkerer at heart so this amp is right up my alley. I'll start basic and when the short days of winter come around I'll start tweaking. 1st will be the speedball upgrade, AXOM caps and a different pot(blue Alps, TKD, or maybe a Goldpoint Attenuator). We'll see where it leads from there ;D I have my main rig just where I want it and as far as my budget will allow so a good headphone rig was an inevitable direction to go. |
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Jul 15, 2011 10:13:16 GMT -5
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Post by ribbonking on Jul 15, 2011 10:22:29 GMT -5
The Schiit headphone amps have been well reviewed, like to try one myself. They are all the buzz over at Head-fi.org
The have a new line of DAC's coming out that look interesting.
The DAC's will be upgradeable.
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DYohn
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Post by DYohn on Jul 15, 2011 10:37:13 GMT -5
This is a great thread. It's this sort of passion that keeps the audio hobby alive.  |
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harri009
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Post by harri009 on Jul 15, 2011 10:42:47 GMT -5
I noticed they released the bifrost which looks very interesting. I have yet to pull the trigger on a DAC but wonder how it would compare to the XDA-1, they are similarly priced.
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Post by tonymc on Jul 15, 2011 11:12:36 GMT -5
I noticed they released the bifrost which looks very interesting. I have yet to pull the trigger on a DAC but wonder how it would compare to the XDA-1, they are similarly priced. The Bifrost does look intriguing. The only DACs I have tried so far are: Valab NOS with the external power supply(stock for now. Looking into upgrades) Fubar II MKII (currently running the AD797AN dual opamps. Came stock with the LM4562) HRT Music Streamer II (hated this DAC with a passion. Could not get it to work on my system. Trying to run it WASAPI in foobar was a nightmare. Popped and crackled constantly. Even ran it through a powered USB hub and still a no go. Maybe I just got a bad unit) I would like to try another OS DAC someday other than the HRT unit. Maybe a bifrost is in the future.  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2011 11:18:15 GMT -5
I spend nearly half my listening using HD600 headphones and am very happy with them. I prefer the sound of my speakers for the first time ever though since I put them together.
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Post by tonymc on Jul 15, 2011 11:21:51 GMT -5
I spend nearly half my listening using HD600 headphones and am very happy with them. I prefer the sound of my speakers for the first time ever though since I put them together. Man you guys are making the wait for the HD600 painful.  But keep it coming. Sounds like I made a good decision getting these phones. ;D |
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Post by 12elfthfloor on Jul 24, 2011 6:36:48 GMT -5
Ahhh S%$t. i was hoping no one was going to bring this subject up, but.. they did.
i started with a nice pair of AD900's, then added a little dot 1+.
And now it will never end.
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anyway... So I brought the DAC in from my main system, bought a topping TP21 T-amp and life has been good..................................................
