The All Purpose Advice Thread

I keep going back and forth on ordering the Wooaudio WA6-SE:
http://www.wooaudio.com/products/wa6se.html

Anyone heard it and the Asgard 2 and can compare and contrast?

 

Maybe check out the Vanatoo Transparent One. Same guy did a review of the Audioengines if you want to read it for comparison. Basically said they (A2+) ended up OK only after a bit of DSP.

I don't have an AK JR, but I can tell you that my phone has enough juice to run my ER4P-T with the S converter at levels louder than I could stand to listen to. I use a RSA Tomahawk anyway.

 

So, right now I'm running GOV2 -> Vali 2 -> Elears.

Is my GOV2 potentially holding back my system for casual listening? If I bought a Bifrost Multibit or a Emotiva DC-1 (Since those are the two higher-end DAC's that are in my price range and availability as a Canadian buyer), would I notice an improvement if I just listen to music while working and studying, or would it really only show up if i was paying careful attention to individual nuances?

At the end of the day, I want to just listen to my music and enjoy it, not pay another $700 and focus in to hear details that mean my system isn't 'perfect'. If I can call it quits with how my setup is right now, then I'd be happy to do so until my needs change.

 

Nope. Back when I owned the Elear, I tested it out of a variety of source equipment (Modi 2, WA7 2nd gen, Mytek Brooklyn, Marantz HD-DAC1, and my phone out of curiosity). The changes were very subtle, and the Elear was... well, still the Elear at the end of the day. It's not a picky headphone.

I don't think you're missing out on much with the GOV2 and Elear pairing, certainly not for casual listening.

 

Does anyone have experience with the Classe DAC1 ? How does it compete against the top vintage dacs (Gen V, SFD1/2) and Gungnir Multibit/Yggdrasil ? There seems to be little information about it, apart from that it uses 2 UltraAnalog modules. Managed to find one locally in pristine condition but the asking price is a bit high (~$1.2k), almost as much as a SFD2.

 

How old is it? Google tells me it came out over 20 years ago. Was it serviced recently?

It looks like the MSRP was 4k+

 

The seller told me that it was mostly storaged until recently, so I guess that it is a bit old, and hasnt been serviced. It looks really nice tho.

 

I'd be careful, caps may have dried up. For that much money I'd rather get a new DAC. Usually with old speakers you can tell by inspecting physically, but DAC and amps are more tricky.

 

@ak2angel I don't remember much about that DAC (though I could look it up in an old Stereophile when I get home), but it's from the same era as the SFD-1 mk2. I don't remember which was more liked at the time. I can tell you what the a-gon bluebook says fwiw*. Their overall average sale has them at 1,183 USD, but that's got a lot of early sales from the early 2000's in there. Over the last 7 years, they have 17 sales for an average of $835. Over the last 5 years, 10 sales for a $781 average.

*Their pricing advice isn't that reliable, but it is sales history even if it is somewhat limited. Generally prices tend to be slightly inflated compared to eBay, but scammers tend to be less frequent or at least easier to distinguish (IME).

 

Yeah I seen one go for $800 in good condition on eBay a few months back.
Unless it's been serviced or upgraded/rebuilt, I wouldn't pay that high of a price for it.

 

The 400i has more of a mid-bass tuning, the 560 goes lower but isn't as forward in the bass. The 560 is also less grainy in the highs, though the tuning is still a bit weird in places. The 560 is thinner-sounding, less warm, bit more extended at both ends, and more detailed. They're actually surprisingly different.

That said, having had both at once, and HD650, the HD650 got and continues to get more head time. It requires some proper amping, and often benefits from some modification, but it's a much saner tuning and a nicer listen all-round.

 

Given some recent impressions, the Monoprice M1060 might be worth some consideration as well, since it's pretty much in the same price niche as the other suggestions.

 

@Kattefjaes: Thanks for the comparison, I like my 400i, however, I have only really owned planars (Alpha Dogs, 400i and PM-3), and would like to try out some decent dynamic headphones for comparison. Looks like the HD650 will be those.

Now I just need to figure out what to do first: Replace Modi (1) with Modi Multibit (or something similarly priced) or buy a pair of HD650?

 

Here is a question for everyone... What's your opinion on the Milo from Wells Audio? Lots of talk about it over in HF land, but very few posts here. I value different opinions, especially criticism, and there just isn't much to be found.

 

I heard it at a meet last month. I really liked it with HE-6 and several different T50 mod planars (Ori, Blackwood, paradox) had very good bass slam, maybe even better than Mjolnir 2 overall and definitely so with the HE-6 specifically. On the other side of the coin I really did not like it with the HD800. Other than the great bass slam and texture the Milo gave it, which the 800 can do well, it sounded pretty closed in with not a ton of airiness or resolution to it. Considering it's small form factor, I'd consider it for a second setup that involved planars (or potentially other headphones) but can't see it as a good all aroudner. Also you get hilariously little play with the volume knob, and it's so powerful it made me nervous

 

I've NOT heard the Milo ... however, I have heard the HeadTrip (w/ Abyss, LCD-4, and HD800S) ... and I've seen inside it* ("$12 million! Your honor! I need $12 million ... for my sprained eyes ...") and if the Milo is anything like that ... well, I'd avoid it like the plague.

I'd take a Decware Taboo III (or the Zen UFO), and a bunch of other amps, over the HeadTrip every day of the week and several times on Sunday. I can't imagine the Milo being better.

--

*Phuc-me ... I built things neater than that when I was a pre-teen. And that was with a ropey 18w RadioShack/Tandy-special soldering iron.

 

been wondering this myself I think a lot of the hype has to do with the slam and engagement it offers. I'd be interested to know why it's advised against.

 

Your honour I submit as evidence exhibit A.

 

I got a bit of a wild hair yesterday afternoon and had the following thought: With the ZMF Eikon arriving within the next month wouldn't it be nice (and advantageous) to be able to throw a ton of power at them in a completely balanced configuration in such a way that my setup really grabs them by the neck and gives them a good shake. Now, how could I do this on a modest budget?

Well, Massdrop has the NuForce HA-200's at $199 and they can be run in dual mono mode as long as they are fed by a balanced DAC, which brings me to my next problem. Oh, I see Amazon has a warehouse deal on an Emotiva DC-1 for just under $400. Hmm, now wouldn't that be an interesting way to listen to the Eikon? And all for around $800?!

Of course, you never know about system synergy and it might end up not being as good as my current Modi Multibit -> Lyr 2. There's really no way to tell without testing them, of course. And for what it's worth I would keep the Lyr 2 on hand just because I really, really like the tubes I am currently running. So, is this just a terrible idea or is it worth pursuing for the potential gains?