The All Purpose Advice Thread

Ah, might you have a personal recommendation for the "appropriate tube" for the Ember? Just want to calculate and comparing the costs and stuffs.
And umm, what kind of interference that it picks in your case? Radio? Incoming calls on the cellphone? PC's PSU? Nearby Wi-Fi router?

 

I'm using a grey GE 6dj8, got it from Garage1217 with the amp on their recommendation (something to take the edge off the HE-560 I used to have). Not an expensive tube at all. I think most members here find that the Ember changes its characteristics quite a bit depending on the tube used.
I think it's picking up electrical interference from the speakers near it, or from the cable modem next to it. My table's a bit cramped so I can't really place the amp anywhere else.

 

MattTCG is selling off all of his NOS tubes for the Mjolnir 2 on head-fi. He's a trustworthy seller, and I'm sure he'd help suggest a pair depending on your sonic preferences if you shoot him a PM.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/815062/nos-tubes-for-lyr-mjo2

 

@rayfalkner I've found the G1217 Project Polaris to be an excellent match with the HD650, and although I haven't heard the Ember it supposedly shares quite a lot with the Polaris.

A good option might be the original Vali which Schiit is still selling for USD $99.

 

Coincidently, I have both of these amps and a pair of hd600s, and to my ears, they both pair very well with the 600s, and I would assume the 650s would be no different. For <$400 you could have both, actually. The valhalla 2 would also be very good with both sets of senns, w/r/t the k181, I must plead ignorance.

 

Thanks!
Polaris does have my curiosity as well. Mostly because it is a SS offering from G1217 though. I have to admit that if I really have to choose, I'll be choosing SS over tubes any day.
Not really fond of tubes; not because of their sonic quality but aesthetically, and because I'm wary of having electronics with fragile glass component on them.

Thanks!
The difficult consideration for me is importing any of those will swell the cost of those amps significantly. A new Val 2 will be over the $400 mark definitely.

 

Sorry, I've only ever lived in the US and am unfamiliar with the ins and outs of international distribution. Friend in OZ maybe?

 

Can anyone recommend a good amp and DAC to pair with a stock HD650? Currently using the JDS Labs The Element, but sound is a tiny bit lean and the amp crackles when changing volume.

I am kinda intrigued by Project Polaris. Maybe pairing it with a Modi 2U (AK4490) ?


I don't have a fixed budget, though it should be well below 1000€.

 

I have the new chip Modi2U and the Polaris. I tested this setup with the HD600 and 650 at the same time. While I ended up keeping the 600, it drives both very well and I don't think you'll be disappointed with the Polaris as a solid-state option.

Try to sell your Element to the first sucker you can find.

 

What portable player should I get? ~$120, FLAC and gonna be paired with Koss Porta Pro (unless anyone got better idea).

 

Rockboxed Clip Zip or Clip Plus is an option if you don't care about sound quality too much.

 

Sound quality is still very good out of a clip. With something like a porta pro this is a no brainer. Porta doesn't demand more than a rockboxed clip, and I don't think either will be limited by the other.

 

This. Make sure to rockbox the clip and (IMO) quarter & kramer the Porta Pro.

 

Sansa Clip -> Portapros was my gateway drug back in 2009. Very good setup on a limited budget. Note that the 'lifetime warranty' on the Portapros is not completely free. I think it costs like $7 now (it used to be 5), plus shipping of course. Just wanted to mention it because when way back then, I had always thought that a warranty meant that it was free. Still a great deal though.

 

Thanks guys.

What does this mean?

 

1. Rockbox - a replacement firmware and OS for select music players. It greatly improves the functionality, SD capacity, and some would say sound quality of the clip zip.

2. Quarter mod is when you take the pad, use a quarter (or - similarly proportioned coin/circle) and cut it out of the center of the pad. It's identical to what we do with the modded HD650. Helps with general clarity.

3. Kramer mod is where you pop off the grill cover and put extra holes in it. I use a dremel for the task, but a drill or other small implement would work too. This is a solid video, albeit long and a times a bit slow/thorough, that covers both the quarter and kramer mods with a KSC-75. The principle is the same.

End result looks like this.



Make sure to take a small file or whatnot and sand down any extra burrs afterwards because they can damage your drivers.

 

Not to dis the rockboxed clip , it is a good cheap option, but for me a good player like foobar 2k mobile on a moderate phone sounds better to my ears.

 

If you get a good phone for it - definitely. Onyko HF Player, UAPP, Foobar 2k mobile on a decent phone can all sound better than a Clip. My 6S Plus certainly does. So did my previous Note 4, Note 2, and Galaxy S1 Captivate.

But there are also lots of terrible, shitty, dead sounding smartphones out there. Huge variability in terms of sound sig, amp output power/quality, OI, price etc. etc. Rooted vs. not rooted, kernel choices, OS versions - all of these things make it harder to give a general catch all recommendation.

 

@AustinValentine
You are so right, Original Moto X, ugh, Mot G 2nd gen, argh, LG g4, pretty poor, Samsung S4 not so hot, Lumia 640, pass.

Moto G 3rd gen - decent

 

Does anyone know how the Schiit Vali 1 pairs with AKG K7xx? I'm debating whether to pick up the Vali for cheap.