New Members - Introduce Yourself

Have recently tiptoed from two channel into the headphone world with the acquisition of a Sennheiser HD800S and Bryston BHA-1. The change was necessitated as we now travel full time and live in the confined space of a motor home. The short time spent with the HD800S and BHA-1 has be exhilarating but I am already looking forward to further exploring additional options. Lots of great information here and I am looking forward to learning more from the community.

 

Welcome. It's tough to live without speakers if that is what you've always had and loved, but even more modest systems can be very enjoyable.

My movement into the headphone was space was due to a large area of musical taste that my wife does not share. I had been put off closed-back 'phones in my youth, finding the claustrophobic, and was pleased to discover this whole world with open-backs.

But, in such a confined space, why did you not go closed-back?

 

Indeed, it was tough to give up the Aerial 20Ts and Simaudio W10s as we transitioned to a nomadic lifestyle living in a motor home. My initial experience with headphones were quite disappointing as I could not get used to the sound and eventually opted to get a pair of Dynaudio XD400s which with their built in amplification worked quite well in the confined space of a motor home. The constraints were a small listening sweet spot and the noise factor. It took me seven additional years to revisit the headphone scenario again, and I guess the brain was more accommodating this time around.

Our motor home at 45 feet long is a small space compared to a typical home. However, open-backs are perfectly fine to use and a lot less noisy compared to the XD400s, so the wife acceptance factor has been pretty good actually. As I have just started my explorations with HPs, I am sure there will be opportunities to enjoy others in the future.

 

Spent quite a bit of time lurking but wanted to finally take a moment to introduce myself.

I'm a musician by hobby and IT professional by profession. Have read too many words about equipment that I've never been able to afford over the years since the early 00's over on HF, then Headcase and most recently here.

Current setup is a Modi 3E > Magni Piety > HD6XX

 

Hi!
Old guy from Hungary here, happy to find this forum.
After decades of experience, I'm still searching for that unattainable perfect sound. As with so much else, it's the journey rather than the destination that's interesting.
db

 

New member, have a heathy amount of gear mostly B&W, one behemoth integrated McIntosh. Hoping to get some decent headphones…

 

HeadCase, there are quite some music nerds there. Same here, after HF came HC and I somehow ended up at this place.

Feel free to be a dork in the music threads.

 

Hey. Just need some advice as I'm upgrading my system. Mostly listen to albums, some home theater. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

Hi, just joined the forum, I m Italian and music is one of my passions

 

I've been lurking here for a few years now, and decided to take the plunge. I thought I'd do a brief (a-hem) go-through of my music gear history. Especially in terms of headphones, since I'm a big lover of headphones.

TL;DR - Thanks SABF! You're making a difference out there. Keep it up.

My first serious purchase was the Sennheiser HD 580 Precision, which I still have and use. That's one thing about Sennheiser, the durability is off the chart. These headphones are, what, 30 years old now? No mods. I did replace the earpads, though. For years, I used the Dolby Surround Sound simulator thing that came with it. Great for apartment living when watching movies. But, it eventually crapped out on me. The Schiit Syn looks similar. Maybe I'll have to give it try.

After that, I got an HD 650 and a Headroom "BUDA" balanced amplifier and DAC with a balanced Cardas cable. That was my office rig for years, while I toiled away on software. For its time, the sound quality was exquisite, though my friends thought I was crazy for paying so much money for "headphones".

Then I moved overseas. And portability, and small footprint, was the issue. So, I brought along my 580's and used them with a Dragonfly Black. I used it for about five years, and it was nice having something I could run off of my laptop, without having to deal with 220 volt power supplies. I didn't know how much the SQ was lacking until I came back to the states.

But... when I got back, I wanted to up my game and started to do some research. That's when I found out about Schiit, and SABF, Youtube (and Audio Science Review). My first step was an IFI Zen Dac and Can. My first real "stack". I found the Zen Dac to be a step up from the dongle, but the real fireworks started when I added the Zen Can. The sound stage opened up so much. It was a real eye-opener for me about the value of good headphone amp. Seeing how good that rig sounded (in comparison to a dongle), I decided to take the plunge and ordered a Bifrost and a Jot 2, to get to a next-level stack. However, supply problems being what they were at the time... the 4 to 6 weeks cited on the Schiit website was, in reality, more than 4 months. Frustrating, but I don't blame Schiit. We all know what they were up against.

While waiting for my first Schiit stack, I was also doing research on a next-level 2-channel system. I went ahead and purchased a Freya S, because it looked like they were going to be limited-availability. But, I just didn't have the space for a 2-channel system at that time. (Long story.) So, I decided to re-think my strategy and re-allocate my resources. That led me to the Raal SR1a and the Jot R. (Thanks Moon!). And soon, on top of that, a Bifrost and a Freya S. (Synergy! Thanks SABF.) Wow! Now, we're talking end-game. Better, for me, than any 2-channel system I was contemplating. But, how to improve it? I started looking at the DAC. The Bifrost is the best DAC I ever owned, but could I improve on it? The Yggdrasil OG was in stock, but it's too big. I just did't have room for it on my shelf! I wanted to go Gungnir Multibit. It fits the footprint of the Freya S. However, there was that 6 to 8 weeks thing at the time. But, SABF to the rescue again. I'm now rocking with a Soekris Dac2541, and loving it.

So, what's next? I'm still an old fart with a laptop full of FLAC files and a USB cable. So, I still haven't jumped into the new Mercury all-in-one so-easy-even-I-can-use-it Pi2AES device. Also, I'm now thinking about how I can up the anty on my two-channel tube rig. Upgrade the pre-amp? Kara? Or more tube goodness with Freya+? Or upgrade the DAC to Yggdrasil More-is-Better?

On the measurements war... I read Amir's stuff, and I appreciate the effort that he, and others put into their research. But, it's weird to me that so many people are so slavishly, and irrationally, devoted to the measurements, and not to their own ears. For speakers, there are some measurements that are important, and that we didn't have access to in the past. Like impedance curves, or off-axis performance. For amps, there's obviously something wrong when audiophile-grade tube amps measure "badly" and the AHB 2 is considered state-of-the-art. For DACs, forget the measurements, I'll stick with the SABF spider charts.

After a recent move, here are the current music paths I'm using. Currently my Saga+ is sitting on the bench.

laptop -> Soekris Dac2541 -> Freya S -> Dennis Had Firebottle w/KT88s -> Klipsch Heresy IV
laptop -> Bifrost 2/64 -> Jotenheim R -> Raal SR1a

I'm thinking of moving my two-channel rig to this. What do you think? Better?

laptop -> Yggdrasil More-is-Better -> Saga+ -> Dennis Had Firebottle w/KT88s -> Klipsch Heresy IV

If you read through this far, I want to give a big "thank you" to all the contributors to SABF. Your impressions have been very useful to me, and have led me down the path to some great gear. You guys are making a difference. Keep it up!

 

Hi,

I'm a new audio enthusiast wanting to learn about good sound. I stumbled upon this forum after reading a lot of reviews of different headphones and audio equipment, talking a little bit on discord, and learning that a lot of reviews online might be questionable. I'm on a budget but also on a quest to eventually get a good setup.

Currently running Topping DX3 Pro Plus (I know) to Schiit Magni, to AKG K371. Soon the DX3 Pro Plus will be returned for a better DAC or AIO. I was previously running Apple Dongle -> Schiit Magni and wanted to transition to AIO. But soon learned that many of the cheap chi-fi products are controversial and measure well but may not be the best quality. I'm still sorting it out.

Nice to meet you all!

 

Hello, I'm from Chile, I've always been passionate about SQ. First aquisition was a sound blaster audigy lol but PC audio in that time and day was horrible. I currently own he-1000v2 and stereo monitors I'll try to replace later.

 

Talented discusser as long as the subject is interesting. Occasionaly visits ASR, expecting to be surprised. That rarely happens. But I've learnt most of what I know about measurements from there.
Predominantly I enjoy subtly intoxicating myself and listen to good music on all kinds of gear, mainly my Audio Note AN-K/SPes connected to a red Lavardin ISX Ref amplifier. Main sources are CDs and streaming. Setup is in a constant state of flux although it does sound pretty good right now.
Feel mildly intimidated but in the most confident way possible. Pleased to be here.

 

Hey guys
I'm in middle of my journey through hi-res music mostly listen to 60s 70s 80s 90s
Hope to learn more & more about audiophile equipment on this amazing forum

 

Longtime lurker here and decided to finally introduce myself after some difficulty getting my email address confirmed. I have been on Head-Fi for a while but have gotten tired of all the noise on that site, having to read through hundreds of posts for maybe one post with helpful information. I have really benefited from all of the information on this site with its high S/N and appreciate the balanced approach to measurements.

A little on my audio journey so far. I grew up playing guitar and loving music. My favorite genres are classic rock and progressive rock/metal, though I enjoy most genres and listen to Radio Paradise a lot.

I started out with headphones mostly due to space constraints (city living) after college. My pinnacle headphone setup was a Yggdrasil A2 --> MJ2 --> ZMF VC, and on my way there I moved through Sennheisers and various planars. I had this set up for a while until we moved to a house in the suburbs which allowed me to properly move into 2 channel.

I downgraded the headphone rig to an HD6XX/800S with a Bottlehead Crack and MMB. I sold the VC's to fund a pair of Klipsch Forte IV's and moved the Yggdrasil to the 2 channel system in our living room with a Freya and pair of Aegis. I played around with DIY a bit starting with the crack, and built a few pairs a speakers and started a second 2 channel system in the basement.

Along the way, I also went through a lot of IEMs, mostly because they were easy to buy and sell and try a lot. I sold off the last after getting some AirPod Pro 2's, which can't be beat for convenience and are well into "good enough" category for sound quality. Highlights for stuff I had were the OG Solaris (just couldn't get them to fit comfortably though) and the KSE1200 (ultimate in ear experience for me after finding the right tips, but way too inconvenient for a portable set up).

I'm currently (slowly) reading my way through Floyd Toole's Sounds Reproduction and have found it tremendously helpful so far. My current train of thought on measurements is that they are most helpful for predicting sound characteristics of speakers and least helpful for electronics, with headphones being somewhere in the middle. Spinorama data seem to give a pretty good picture of what speakers sound like in most reasonable rooms. I've found headphone frequency response graphs more akin to single in room response measurements for speakers. Somewhat helpful in a comparative sense, but not as generalizable to what I will actually hear when I have them on my head. For amps, I've found the distortion profiles on this site the most promising so far, and in agreement with the research of Earl Geddes and other interesting anecdotes like the Carver Challenge. These are all general observations based on my personal experience and reading so far, but I am certainly open to changing my outlook as I learn and experience more.

I know I've benefitted a lot from the knowledge and experience shared on this site and hope to be able to contribute however I can. Hopefully this post is helpful to give some context on my experiences and outlook on the hobby so far. If I don't post often, it's only because I'm trying to keep the noise to a minimum.

 

Hello All
I'm from Poland, living in UK now.
User (definitely not an audiophile of following haedphone audio gears :
Chord Mojo/Poly
WBA HPA Master Pro
Topping DS50s
Cambridge audio Azur 851N

Sennheiser HD 800s
Sennheiser HD 600
Beyerdynamic T5p
AKG K550 mk2

At the moment looking for some upgrade in my dac/amp path for HD800s
And replacement battery for my Poly...

 

Hello everyone, I’m new to SBAF, but I’m not new to the audio or headphone hobby. I’ve been addicted since 1990ish. Here’s a current inventory of my financial irresponsibility:

Headphones: Sennheiser HD660s; HD650; HD6xx; HD600; HD58x; Symphones v9 build; JH Audio Roxanne
Amps: Bottlehead Crackatwoa; Bottlehead Mainline; Schiit Lyr 3; Chord Mojo; <Mjolnir 3 inbound>
DACs: Schiit Bifrost 2/64
EQ: Loki Max
Sources: Qobuz via Bluesound Node2i
Power: iFi PowerStation

I find myself back in the forums because I've lost that lovin' feeling with all of my headphones. I want something that knocks my socks off... so... a-shopping-I-will-go...

 

I should've done this over a month ago. Introductions.

My name is David and if I had a label under my name it would likely be: "Lurkicus Maximus". I lurk at a rate of about 100 -1 and though I'm super chatty IRL, online I tend to just chill. I'm glad this place exists and I finally registered and came here in the hopes that I'd found a place where people still get happy about the gear, the music, the experience and the journey.

My beef with most other audio related sites: They have devolved into non-stop bicker-fests and everyone's trying to convince the other person their right. I can easily live in a world where you and I disagree as long as we can appreciate each other's opinion. I think that's reasonable, right?

My origin story: Some time around 2007 it hit me that, for all of my love of music I had never invested in hearing it sound better, and that began my decent into poverty ʕ •ᴥ•ʔ.

I got started with portable DAPs (Hifiman, Colorfly, iPod Classic, Zune, etc) and IEM's (Westone, Hifiman, Shure, Klipsch) as I didn't have any real space or extra money. Later I got into desktop gear (Topping A30 and D30 original, Little Dot Mk2, etc). A brief listing of some of the things I own or have owned: iFi Neo/Pro iDSD Signature, Schitt Mjolnir 3, Headamp Gilmore Lite MKII/GSX-Mini, Questyle CMA Twelve/Fifteen and others. I've been in the hobby for over 15 years now and in that time I've learned a lot, including just how much I still don't know. The experiences of others are a wealth of knowledge and I look forward to learning more here.

Currently my main listening set up is headphones and speakers for nearfield listening: Roon, Mytek Liberty THX AAA HPA, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+, Shanling ET3, Triangle Elara LN01A's, Cambridge Audio Minx XC301 Subwoofer. My favorite genre is Jazz and I am always looking for good new to me music. I'm also an avid SACD and CD collector. I'm one of those guys who never got rid of his CD's and still have discs I bought back in middle school.

 

Hello to everyone in this fine community, Another long time lurker here. I've been into audio/music since I was a little boy. Got my first system made up of old second hand gear from my dad's electronics repair shop in the mid 1980's.

 

Just to let everyone know that this was my account but I guess my password ended up in a leak somewhere, so this person took it. Why would you steal a SBAF account? I have no idea lol.