The All Purpose Advice Thread

Find an HE-6, pay in blood if you have to
Schiit Yggdrasil
a 200 lb amp, doesn't really matter what kind at that point
the best preamp you can afford with the money leftover (I'd suggest a TVC)

 

I have not heard Utopia, might be good investment.
Get a good dac. You can get a Yggdrasil and pretty much any hp you'll like.
Try to audition HD800/HD650 with mods, you might like these with Jotunheim.
What do you think of PM-3 vs MSR-7 with Jot ? I can relate more to your taste then.

 

@IndecisiveLemur

Everyone is going to have their opinion of what could work. But here are some ideas.

1) HD800 + SD-mod + SBAF-mod + copper cable + eddie current zana deux or DNA stratus + schiit Yggdrasil
2) Focal Utopia + Balanced Cable + Audio-GD Master 11
3) Stax 007 mk2 + some amp + schiit Yggdrasil

Don't buy Audeze.

 

Hope you get the chance to check out the Utopia. It definitely stood out of from the others that I tried.

I have been focused on getting a DAC upgrade. I felt the Mojo with my MRS7s was a solid pairing but the battery etc. Kept me from keeping it.

Current system impressions:
WIth the PM-3 via stock cable: Pleasant and smooth Mids but lacking when it comes to Highs. Sub bass is definitely there but doesn't have any punch.

Tracks sampled with Oppo:
Yoonmirae 윤미래 _'잠깐만 Baby - Rolled off highs. Not a lot positive about this pair
DJ Shadow feat. Run The Jewels Nobody Speak- Nice lows and sub bass, but not a lot of punch at the bottom
Johnny Cash- Folsom Prison Blues - The Mids are good but once again it's a victim of rolled of highs

Tracks sampled with MRS7:
Yoonmirae 윤미래 _'잠깐만 Baby - Enjoy this pairing a lot more. Clear highs really make this track stand out to me. Slightly more analytical sounding than smooth for the mids. Everything feels more clear.
DJ Shadow feat. Run The Jewels Nobody Speak- The MRS7s struggle more so with the bass so this track suffers because it's a bass heavy song.
Johnny Cash- Folsom Prison Blues - MRS7s do a great job here. No real complaints

In short Oppo has smooth mids and better base than the MRS7s, but I prefer the MRS7s because they have better sound-staging to me. I also like being able to hear the highs when it comes to female vocals. Overall I want to see if I can get something with both good treble and more base than the MRS7s.

 

Don't worry! I tried some Audeze and wasn't that impressed. One of the dealers demo pairs had a bad ear cup which I viewed as a warning sign. Plus I haven't read the best reviews for them on this site.

I really like the way you broke down the options. I hear great things about the electric stat headphones, so I'll have to do more research there. I don't know of any nearby dealers to go through to try them out.

What is your opinion on:

1) Utopia-+ Metrum Musette or Schiit Mutl Bit Bifrost Multibit or Lynx Hylo
2) Mr. Speakers Ether Flow or Focal Elear + Schiit Yggdrasil or Metrum Pavane

I will do more research on electrostat headphones, but I was interested to see how good the Ether E ended up being on release. I'm a bit too nervous to want to try a lot of headphone mods that I feel the HD800 would need because I never liked them during my Demo. This could be due to the Amp pairing being off.

 

Awesome! I'll go do some research on the HD650. The Hylo Lyx looks very interesting. Is there a reason for me to replace my Schiit jot with the Mjonir2 or the ZDS. Are both of those a big upgrade?

 

Any recommendations for a universal IEM under $500?

Looking for a good all-rounder as I listen to all kinds of music.

Was looking at a couple of Noble IEM but it seems like according to SBAF, they are overrated.

What's the best value universal iem under $500?

Thanks!

edit: nvm prob going for the andromeda

 

I really like my TFZ Series 5, the best value out of all my gear. Check out the thread "End Game IEM for a stupid small amount of money"

 

I was just saying that because I don't know enough about stax amps to really pick one. Haha. But the spritzer ones have very solid reputation and the Aristaeus looks like a work of art.

I haven't heard any of the Focal headphones, nor the Lynx Halo, nor the Ethers, nor the Yggdrasil, nor the Pavane... so I'm probably not as much of an expert as you think I am. But I will say some things anyway:

1) $6000 is a lot of money, for that kind of money you should be able to get "real" reference level sound.
2) The HD650 is a fantastic headphone. Still one of my favorites at any price and I've sung it's virtues many times, but I don't consider it an "ultimate" and I wouldn't pick it in a $6000 system. I think it lacks the last bit of soundstage, plankton and resolution that such a system implies.
3) Don't dismiss the HD800 with mods. HD800 with SD-mod + sbaf-mod + copper cable + the right system synergy (tube amp + darkish dac) is a VERY different beast than a stock HD800. Completely different experience. I personally like this setup better than any other headphones I've tried. No one likes the stock HD800, or at least they shouldn't. The beauty of a setup like this is that you can get a world class reference level headphone for under $1000. Leaving plenty of money for dac and amp.
4) I don't think the Gungnir Multibit is an "ultimate" level dac. It's a very good dac. And a very solid recommendation in the high-high midrange. But it didn't blow my socks off when I had it in my system, it's "just" a very good dac, I didn't think it was "amazing". Based on other people's reviews, and other dac's with the same design principe, I do hower think the Yggdrasil might be a worthy of a $6000 system.
5) I would love to hear the Pavane but at €5000 I'll probably never buy one. Same for Hegel HD30, the MSB analogue and some of the Total DACs as well.

Based on how much people are praising the Utopia it could be interesting to just get Utopia + Master 11 and call it a day. That's probably the "$6000 plug and play option". If you're more of tinkerer who likes soundstage and detail the HD800 is a very good route, I'd put my HD800 system up against any system out there and I'd wager it would suprise quite a few people. Because it sounds nothing like a stock HD800. It's actually smooth, dark and powerful, but with soundstage and a sea of plankton. Or you could join the stax mafia lol, no one would blame you.

 

It looks like you want a dynamic driver. HD800 is not a bass monster, in this regard similar quantity as MSR-7. HD650 has relatively more mid-bass, but even less sub bass than HD800 or MSR-7. On that end you are left with Elear or Utopia which I have not heard but I do trust OJ's, Marv's impressions. I will probably not buy Utopia as I could get better speakers for that kind of dough.

 

I've been enjoying the TH-X00 Mahogany from my Asgard 2. Tried it with the Valhalla 2 and didn't like it too much.

Worth selling the Asgard 2 and getting the Jotunheim in place?

 

Probably, the th-x00 likes clean solid state power. Jotun will deliver that in droves. I believe @philipmorgan is running jot/purple hearts right meow.

 

On the other hand... I personally wouldn't trust any impressions you get from listening at a store or at a meet, I think at best it's an indication. In my experience there is little substitute for actually buying the damn stuff and trying it at home over an extended period of time. Which is why buying used is such a good idea, if you buy well known equipment from good brands you can typically sell it again with no or little loss if you don't like it.