The All Purpose Advice Thread

Probably a bit more detail needed. Cans, Open or closed? What type files and quality or what sources do you get your music from? What player? Is the computer, PC or Mac? And do you use it while listening to music, if so how old and what processors and memory? This matters cuz getting some player to work while having 10 tabs open and surfing the net often times ends up in glitches at least on 4-5 old machines I have used.

As for initial dac/amp and cans, I think many here might advise getting a decent can in the $300 - $400 range and if you can go all the way to the $700 or so you have listed then perhaps a good Geek Out combo or a Schiit combo. My short list would include the obvious HD-600/650, Hifiman 400s for cans and a decent dac/amp combo. And you should be happy for years.

 

Hi bixby, I have purchased the AKG K7XX Open headphones from Massdrop, waiting for it to arrive.

My setup was built in 2012 and is currently Windows 7 64-bit, Intel 3570K 3.4~3.8GHz stock, 8GB ram. I have been mainly listening to Pandora free streaming to discover new music and I used to listen MP3 files at 320kbps. Will look at my options in the future for file types.

 

Probably no issues with playback, given your up to date processor and memory. The AKG k7xx are pretty efficient so if it were me, I would just grab a Schiit fulla and call it a day. When you start to listen to higher resolution files without a browser as your player, only then would I recommend going upscale on a dac/amp. Really it would be a waste of money to buy a more upscale dac/amp without also looking at the source and the Fulla is quite nice.

Hope you like the AKGs, nice phone for the bucks.

 

Budget - less than $300

Source - Schiit Vali

Requirements for Isolation - None

Preferred Type of Headphone - Full Sized

Preferred tonal balance - IDK. I guess balanced but not boring. Enjoyable to listen to

Past headphones - Astro a40s and the earbuds that come with Samsung phones

Preferred Music -I listen to rap and alternative but the rap i listen to isnt like trap but more focused on vocals and not a hard bass line. like gambino, chance, New Eminem, and twenty one pilots. Example: ,

Mostly Looking for Clarity and sound stage. Really want a nice crisp sound. But i also plan on gaming with these for long hours at a time so comfort is important. Looking at the dt-880/990 for beyerodynamic but the things ive heard about the treble scare me. And ive also looking at things from akg like the q701 and the k7xx but i really have no idea. much noob. please help me find a good pair of headphones

Location- US

 

Ok, first lets see if you meant what you typed. first line reads "Budget greater than $300, did you mean that?

If not okay, you say source is Vali which is cool but not sure what level of quality the files will be?

DT-880 are pretty hard to drive well, not sure if the Vali will do them justice, assume you mean 250 or 600ohm and yes the treble can be bothersome and the mids are a bit set back. I would short list these as some of the better cans I have heard that are not too hard to drive:

Beyer T51P - on ear good close to linear bass, no wild treble pins, not too clampy
Hifi Man 400S- fairly easy to drive, detailed yet pleasant, fairly comfy
NAD visio 50 - Nicely balanced and a bit warm, softer treble, some peeps don't like the feel, may be tough to go for hours though.
Senn HD600- might have to go used, comfy, a bit more forward in lower treble, low bass is rolled, good space, can use as you get better stuff, made well.

ttfn, hope that helps

 

^ isn't Viso HP50 quite efficient? Might not play well with Vali, if that's the case.

 

sorry meant less than and yes the 250 ohm version. and ive heard the vali can drive up to 600ohm just fine

 

You are correct, but that did not stop me from using it with some strong amps to good effect.

And yes, that Vali may be okay with 115 mw into 600 ohms but the amps I used at the time did about 5 times that into 600 ohms and yes, it does help even at moderate listening volumes.

 

Hi bixby, I have purchased the AKG K7XX Open headphones from Massdrop, waiting for it to arrive.

My setup was built in 2012 and is currently Windows 7 64-bit, Intel 3570K 3.4~3.8GHz stock, 8GB ram. I have been mainly listening to Pandora free streaming to discover new music and I used to listen MP3 files at 320kbps. Will look at my options in the future for file types.

Thanks, I hope I will like them too. I am also thinking of future-proofing, I will not upgrade for at least 5 years and will want to listen to higher resolution files in the near future. The M9XX seems like a steal by the way Massdrop and Grace are marketing the product. Any more thoughts?

 

Open headphone less than 300$. Open or semi Open. Clarity is most important. something enjoyable to listen to. not to lacking in bass. good soundscape and comfort for gaming. listening to flacs from pc going through schiit modi 2 uber and vali. and some vinyls

 

I have no thoughts on the Grace since I have not heard it. The only way I see it as a steal is if it totally blows away the Schiit Magni, Modi stack or some other Schitt combos closer to that $500 price.

 

I sit at my desk all day in my own office. There are times I just get tired of listening to headphones; honestly, even comfy ones, I just get sick of wearing and won't for days at a time

What is all of your recommendation for desktop speakers that sound neutral/natural and yet aren't obnoxious to look at? My desk is in freestanding, in the middle of the room, so they can't just be bookshelf speakers... I'm not worried about them looking good, just not bad. And they can't be too big. I don't want someone to come in and think the speakers are the job.

For reference, I love the HD600/HD650 and would like speakers smack dab in the middle sonically.

 

http://www.abacus-electronics.de/122-0-C-Box.html

I had them for a while at home on my desk until I moved up to the Neumann KH120A.
Quite good for their size and especially their price. Don't expect miracles for the bass though as physical boundaries are yet to be broken for small speakers.

Other than that maybe LSR 305 http://www.thomann.de/gb/jbl_lsr_305.htm

 

You have a big dilemma for sure. Both of the highlighted words above are subjective and what you or your guests deem acceptable is the problem. I can tell you from experience that most of the small, let's say under 4 -5 inch tall speakers are unlikely to satisfy you the way the Senns do. My old desktop system used bookshelves from the French firm Jean Marie Reynaud. Nice looking wooden jobs but big by desktop standards and they sat on small cider block supports.



They sounded very nice, yet were passive so needed an amp. So that look is probably out, but it was pretty reasonable using a small T-amp. What I have heard in studios and at shows that I liked was the Focal CMS 50s and the Dynaudios- Excite or DMS, but 11.5 inches tall. Perhaps the CMS 40s would work, although I have never heard they have a good reputation, just not sure any will perfectly match the senn character exactly, 9.5 inches tall.





Both are reasonable small powered and sound nice. Another great speaker is the Vanatoo, powered, digital, but big at 14 inches tall.

Just remember, when you add a stand to get them up off the desk and closer to ear level, they ain't exactly going to be inconspicuous.

Good luck in the search.

 

If I listen to FLAC 16/44, the Fulla is still sufficient or would I then consider the M9XX? What about the flavour of the reproduced sound? Do I have to take that in to account?

Thanks a lot!

 

Never heard the Grace, so I really cannot comment on it. But Marv has measured the grace along with the Magni Modi stack in another thread. Let's just say from a measurement perspective, the Schiit did better. Marv also has some comments on the sound so do check the thread out. The Fulla is quite good for full resolution music. That being said, if you do want to go up a bit, I would look at the Schiit stack, I just think $500 for an all in one device is pretty high. Then again it may sound great, but with separates you can upgrade one or the other as you wish.

 

Krismas present for dad. He's got a little pile of vinyl downstairs and I was wondering if the Schiit Mani would be a good fit or if I should go even cheaper. (because he is my dad and I need to spend more money on myself than him )

 

I'm looking for a mid to high end desktop amp with all of the following features ideally: Would like to keep it under $1000 for sure
-SE and Balanced Outputs
- Low and High Gain switch for sensitive headphones and current hungry planars
-Preamp volume control for JBL LSR305 powered monitors
-I don't care if it's Solid State or a Hybrid Tube amp

This will be used with 3 planars (HE-500, Alpha Dog, and an ETHER on the way) as well as high sensitivity headphones like AD2000, ATH-MSR7 and cIEMS (if possible). I currently have a Lyr 1, and while its great for my planars it doesn't check most of those other boxes. I also don't like using it as a preamp because of the loud pop on power down, and it's hard to turn off my powered monitors.

DAC is an SMSL M8, and if I really need to get a balanced DAC to be truly balanced, I can do that way down the road.

Any suggestions are appreciated. The only thing I came up with on my own is the Mlojnir 2, but would really like to hear the community's opinions before pulling that trigger.

 

I bought a Tripp Lite isobar ultra recently (6 plug) and have noticed a fairly quiet clicking sound coming from the unit. Almost like the sound you'd hear from a wireless modem, but a bit louder, and with more of a "click" sound. I've used other surge protectors (cheaper) before and not heard anything. Does it sound like the unit is defective?

 

Owning a nightclub.