The All Purpose Advice Thread

Hello, I'm hoping i can get some suggestions here for a dac/amp to power my th900s i just got a few days ago. I have a max budget of about $500. If its really necessary i get go a little bit over but i would much prefer to go under if possible. Right now the jotenheim seems like a good choice, but i'm not sure how well it would pair. Th900s sound very V shaped to me and the treble is a little much so im hoping theres a dac/amp in my budget that can help mitigate that. Maybe a fostex made amp like an hp-a4 would pair well, but I have very little experience in these things. My only dac/amp is a micca origen which has been failing me recently so I've been using my computer's audio.

 

When in doubt go Schiit seems like a common trend. Sorry if I got your hopes up with this reply.

 

When trying out the same tube on different amps, how much of the tube's sound signature is retained?

 

Hello all,

I'm a new member here and was hoping those of you with more experience/use with custom IEMs could help me with deciding what my first pair will be.

Just a bit on info about what I am looking for and a few products I have been considering:

• I will be using custom IEMs to listen to music casually, while at home, travlling and working out (running). The source will be an iPhone 6.
• As a non-professional hobby I produce and create my own music (primarily using Ableton and Logic), so I'd like some custom IEMs that will be good for that (I currently use some Audio Technica ATH-m70x headphones). The source for this will be a macbook pro (late 2014).
• I listen to a very diverse array of music. Some of my favourite artists include Ray Charles, Frank Ocean, Nina Simone, The Beatles, J Cole, Chris Stapleton, Etta James, James Blake, Queen, Kanye West, Vampire Weekend, The Killers, Pink Floyd, and many more. I listen to and enjoy just about everything, so I would prefer a versatile CIEM with a sound signature that works well across many genres–would neutral be best for this?
• For my hobby I produce mostly hip hop and experimental music, often working with guitars, distortion, brass instruments, 808s, as well as less aggressive bells and keyboards (basically a wide range of instruments with many different sounds). My arrangements can get quite complex so detailed sound is important.
• I want them to look cool (looking at you Noble Audio), but sound is obviously king.
• My budget is $600-900 USD (not including cost of molds).
• I have been looking at the JH10x3, Empire Ears Spartan IV, 64 Audio A3/A4, and Noble Savanna C. Any thoughts on any of these models/companies for my needs? Any additional models I should be considering?

I appreciate your help and advice.

 

A decent amount of tubes characteristics carry from amp to amp. Amprex orange globes are always going g to be laid back and a bit warm, but each amp will take those characteristics to a different degree. Same kind of thinking with LISST, those are faster, neutral, tight etc in all the schiit amps.

For example both Valhalla 2 and Lyr 2 use 6992's, the Amprex tubes will make amp sound just a bit warmer, where on Lyr I found it to make it sound much warmer. This may be die to Lyr being warm to start with.

 

Those are a LOT of competing demands from a single CIEM For capability across many genres when listening, I have to recommend you search for most neutral. For mixing/mastering you obviously want detail, but as long as its neutral any CIEM will crush the m70x (no shade at the m70x, just saying). Round these parts, and earlier waters, UERM was king of neutral + detail until they stopped making it. Now everyone has a boner for campfire audio andromeda (haven't heard that one, also its a universal).

Honestly, check out the UE4. good price and neutral sound. Only has one cross-over so less complex amping requirements (could sound decent out of a phone / laptop). I have UERM, but remember when I was getting my moxxy up to make that purchase either @CEE TEE or @zerodeefex mentioned the UE4 was a baby UERM. They can probably give you more detail about it.

 

+1. Baby UERM indeed. I bought UERR to replace my lost/stolen UERM but sold it and went back to my old UE4 which has better balance than UERR and sounds great out of an iphone. It's crazy value, I honestly think UE must write off their profit margin on it and just see it as a gateway to people moving up the UE line...

 

Thanks man. This gives me a bit of confidence.

Am thinking of getting a tube amp very soon n thinking in the long run it would be when I want to try a new tube that I need to source from overseas and have to rely on reviews from people using different amps.

 

Thanks for the advice! I know all of my demands are going to be very difficult if not impossible to meet, but I will definitely look into the UE4 and UERM. As a side note, since UE was founded by Jerry Harvey, does anyone know what the UERM's rough equivalent would be in the JH Audio lineup? Unfortunately, because of where I am located (Canada) there are very few dealers for most CIEM manufacturers, although I will be able to sample JH Audio's lineup next week. I am willing to bite the bullet and get the JH13v2 if I think they meet my needs.

I actually find the m70x's fairly neutral sounding, which is why I picked them up instead of the V-shaped m50x's which a lot of DJs use, but I'm happy to hear that CIEM's will blow it out of the water for detailed sound.

Thanks for the help. I'm going to do some more research on the UERM (I've heard nothing but good things about it) and may well choose to pick up a used pair for reshelling.

Thanks Jowls, gonna check out the UE4 and see if I think it meets my needs. Appreciate the advice!

 

Might not be super related, but does anyone here have experience in powering modern speakers (esp. shoebox-sized Harbeth, Spendor, Philharmonic audio and the likes) with older, vintage (think of 70s ones) solid-state gears ? I'm considering getting a BMR Philharmonitor to pair with my Luxman 309 (75wpc into 8ohms), but I'm wondering what I might miss when I use the Lux instead of modern gear. I really dont have any experience with the modern speaker world, so please excuse my ignorance.

 

Koss esp.6 any good? Worth a 1 hour drive, then one hour back to get them for $40?

 

That's a great price for a vintage set like the esp6. I can't expect they will blow you away or even become a regular part of your line up, but it's fun to try old shit. I have a set of oooooold school Beyer dt100 that I picked up at a thrift store and will never get rid of even though they are impossible to drive. Sometimes it's fun to have a cheap piece of history. If you have $40 to burn (I'm guessing you don't) and something good to listen to in the car or a good trip companion (I'm guessing you do), then I say f**k it and pick em up.

As for value/performance, @takato14 might know more about the esp6.

 

Might try it then. I have a nice pair of vintage pioneer se-l40's, and would be interesting to have something from koss's history.
I'm getting a nice $200 paycheck this week, and nothing better to buy.

 

ESP/6 will require a LOT of restoration work. Also, it will be quite heavy and uncomfortable, but for $40, if they're working... I personally wouldn't pass it up.

The foam in the cups decays and the pads tend to harden and deflate. There are some restoration guides available around the web but I'm having trouble finding them right now. Give it a search and see if you can find anything...

 

OK, thanks for the info, i might try and get them.

 

Looking for some advice on replacement pads for a Denon HP700. The stock pads thin, hard, small, and very uncomfortable so I was hoping I could somehow attach some bigger, softer earpads to it. Perhaps the NVX XPT100 replacement pads or Brainwavz angled pads. I don't think any of the replacement pads out there can fit onto the HP700's earcups because they're smaller than the pads, so how should I attach them? Glue? Double-sided adhesive tape?

This guy on Headfi modded his HP700 with some other pads using double-sided adhesive tape, so I might go the same route but I have no experience with modding and earpads so I thought I'd ask around for some ideas first.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/524526/playing-shifting-pads-for-the-denon-hp700

http://www.head-fi.org/t/552014/pictures-of-your-portable-rig-part-xv/1470#post_7767002

 

Im thinking about getting a bass. IDK what to get.
This is what I found.
This I can get for $150
http://rochester.craigslist.org/msg/5697738478.html
This I can get for $150
http://rochester.craigslist.org/msg/5721166073.html
And this I can get for $180
http://rochester.craigslist.org/msg/5722594905.html

Not sure whats best. Just looking to get into electric bass, I play cello now, so shouldent be too hard.
Will be using a cabinet I have on hand with a JBL 2226h and a yamaha pa amp/mixer.

Thoughts?

 

Ha, I've been bass shopping as well, and similar situation of just looking at cheap ones to learn on. There's got to be an actual bassist around here, right?

I like the Squier just because of the PJ pickups instead of two split-coils, and the jack on the top instead of the side. Those are pretty trivial reasons though.

 

Is there a good quality CD/SACD player that comes in under $500? Or should I just hunt for a used Theta and skip SACD playback altogether?