The All Purpose Advice Thread

Hey SBAF,

I'm now for a while looking around for amplification for my future audio system.

I'm stuck a bit - as I'm living in China, my testing degrees of freedom are limited, and as my stereo loudspeakers are DIY by a friend of mine, I'm not able to seek for similar speakers. Just to give you an idea, the speakers are compact type for the time being (another "big" high end is planned in the next years), based on Accuton Chassis and similar to Gauder Berlinea RC 3. I'll post further information about the speakers later in another thread as promised earlier, will take a while.

I'm looking for best amplification - for speakers of sensitivity of 89dB+. The compact speakers will have a sensitivity of around 86dB, would be nice to drive them to exploding levels, but should not be the guiding rationale.

I have the Yggdrasil and the Eddie Current BA, the latter maybe even used as an Preamp, but that's not necessary, I'm looking for an integrated amp mainly). Remote is mandatory - I don't like to get up frequently.

I'm looking for best sound with "plankton", highest resolution, transparency and accuracy - thats the reason why I've chosen ceramic chassis for the speakers

Some examples for amps in my shortlist:
Pass Int60
Pass Int30A
Ayre AX-5
Krell S-550i
T+A PA 3000 HV

Some other recommendations? Some better idea?

Thanks a lot for any comment.

Cheers

Feuergeist

 

Hey Zero,

Thanks for the hint. I've read too much - that's always the story, especially if you are living in CN. I almost forgot that Schiit is about to release stereo gear - or is expected to do so. I'm only wondering how good it will be - sonically.

I'm really extremely happy with the BA - especially as I've bee able to get the AVVT PX4 mesh tubes. That's the real deal. The emission labs 300b XMLS are also great, but they simply don't have the same magic.

But sometimes I miss two things on my BA: a remote and/or the amplifier section.

Cheers

Feuergeist

 

Guys,

I'm trying to get my cousin in India into the hobby. He is ready to 'splurge' on his first set of open cans for home listening.

Headphone pricing in India is atrocious but he found a deal on the HD598 SE for $116.

Is there anything better around the sub $150 price point?

He does not want to get an amp. I'm still working on him ☺

 

Apology I don't have any experience on any of the Schiit DACs, but if it worth anything: in my opinion a tidy workspace is a happy workspace;
so if you are considering the less space taken by Momby vs Bifrost Multibit, I suggest getting the Momby. After all on the impression threads here (about Momby / Bifrost Multibit) it seems like they are more similar than different, and you're not going to do that critical of a listening either while you're working aren't you?

Koss PortaPro is a potent gateway drug for less than half of that budget, and if he's not convinced to convert into this audio hobby then it is not much of a loss too. But if you want to stick around the $150 mark and less I believe a lot of experienced people here will happily vouch for that Senn.

I suggest not umm... persuading your cousin too much into buying an amp at first. The piece that is truly an eye-opener for someone who just starting into the hobby is the drivers/headphones, not the amp, not the DAC, especially not the cable, connector, USB, bla bla.
It will take a bit while for someone starting out to feel the need of serious amp-ing. I will even suggest that your cousin put his/her next effort to upgrade his source musics first e.g. from MP3 to lossless to train the auditory system to distinguish that relatively small but discernible difference of compressed music files.

 

Actually that make sense! Thanks for that advice : )

 

Thanks man! I was searching the interwebs for a better option but could not find anything. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

 

Cool, I had checked this out but did not find a more current shootout.
I tried to explain that going straight to the HD600 was the best solution ( available for less than $200 in very good used condition) but we're freaks to most people

 

One of my really bad decisions (there have been many)... There was a weekend when Flipkart were offering HD800 at around half price. And yes, I heard from others that it was a confirmed genuine product. Still, even half-price is a fair amount to spend on a headphone. But I wish I had.

I'm happy with the HD600 I subsequently got carried from USA.

 

IMO going straight to the HD6x0 is not that good for someone starting out from zero (figuratively).

One: he doesn't yet have the personal experience on how delightfully good an HD6x0 is when compared to others in its tier (or even above) and thus, will probably appreciate it less and won't stop him from the dangerous early upgrade-itis syndrome.

Two: HD6x0 sounds shitty out of 'basic' equipment most people have nowadays when starting out such as: PC headphone jack or directly out of your smartphone/tablet.

Three: HD6x0 I think should be used as a cure for the upgrade-itis instead;
Introduce him to this hobby through remarkable yet cheap cans such as Creative Aurvana Live! or PortaPro so that he can experience the first step without the need of dedicated setup, to find out if he's staying in the hobby or not; if he's staying then to find out in general of what he likes and what he doesn't like in music, then take him with you on meets or such so that he has the experience in hearing how different setups reproduce recordings differently, in a big or small way.

Then the urge to upgrade kicks in bad and suddenly he no longer need or ask for your help anymore and then you simply watch him spirals downward and burn in the eternal flames of purgatory...
No no, I mean then you point him into the direction of a properly modded HD6x0 and let him hear it himself how it stands tall against so many contenders in the field.

nb: Do not let your cousin listens to Elear/Utopia if they are present in a meet for the time being. From the impression of others here I have a feeling that those are akin to a hellishly-hot leggy blonde with blue eyes, covered in torso only with silk bed cover, laying there enticing you to embrace her while she knows exactly that you're in a stable relationship with another woman.

 

My god man! How many rupees was it at half price?!

The 800s hurt my ears after a while and I've learnt that I need a bit of warmth so that's a path that is closed to me for now.

Very happy with my 650. I will listen to a Utopia in London in October and hope that it does not destroy my happiness.

 

This is actually surprisingly good advice. HD6x0 sound like insipid crap until they are in the vice-like grip of an amp that doesn't suck. It might be best to emphasise that point when the inevitable buying of tons of sidegradey mid-fi phase starts.

That said, what to actually start with might be more tricky if you're talking full-sized open headphones straight out of phone... my mind is blank (you won't be surprised to hear). Maybe someone who is more awake has an idea. I tend to just use IEMs when right out of my phone, so am not well-placed to think about this.

 

I've got some stupid dell computer and the HD600 sounds really good out of the headphone jack. Has it sound better? Of course. But it doesn't take much to make them shine!

 

About half what it was at full price! Sorry: I have a terrible memory for numbers. I do remember, though, that the full price was not India-inflated compared to other countries --- as our prices so often are.

Well, buying it unheard was what I chickened out of. I still haven't heard one. With my HF hearing loss, I think it possible that HD800s could be just perfect for me now!

They even sound good out of my phone. Not loud. Probably not even loud enough for most people --- but not bad.

Historians: hasn't the HD600 been around longer than the concept of dedicated headphone amps? I don't remember them from 20 years ago, but then, I was not into headphones then,

 

People probably used the HP outs of their receivers. IME, the hd6x0 and high impedance beyers actually sound pretty decent out of them since they generally had high power outputs and high impedance outs. A receiver can definitely be used until one gets a dedicated headphone amp.

 

I'd be pretty surprised. I have used some pretty ancient pro/broadcast headphone amps -some of which sounded surprisingly good- that I would imagine dated from at least the 70s, if not the 60s. They were all designed for pretty fearsomely high-impedance cans, as far as I could tell- they tended to be a little hot for my 70 Ohm HD25s, but fine for a battered old pair of 300 Ohm DT100s that I used to have.

(I think most of the amps in question were built by small and by now long-defunct British broadcast gear builders, though some may well have been built in-house, back when my employer had its own workshops.)

 

From my exprience, some old receivers' headphone outs are actually not that bad, especially on powering high-impedance cans like HD6x0 or Beyers, given that they are properly maintained/refurbished. In fact, these amps can rival low-mid end amps like Magni or O2, while can be found for equally cheap. Dont expect plankton monsters though.