The All Purpose Advice Thread

Alright fellas.. I love the Andromeda.. but the fit just isn't a good match for my ears. Bores are a tad wide for absolute comfort. Comply's tips yield the best sound (to me), but.. it's kind of a PIA to use them. Silicon tips don't isolate enough. It's going up for sale.

What I'm looking for? A reference level/tuned IEM with all the good stuff my trusted SBAFs value.. neutrality, speed, resolution, smoothness, clarity, imaging, dynamics, etc. Since my choices are primarily multi-BA IEMs, coherency is very important to me.

My past favorites? UERM, EE Apollo-X, CFA Andromeda, Heir Audio 4S (back in the day before Heir went Noble), Harmony H8 (non-P).

My current choices? Ety ER4SR, Noble Audio Savanna, UE4 or UERM (reshell), TheCustomArt.

Basically, I want something as close to the Andromeda as possible.. but with an even more reference tuning.

 

I ordered the Savanna during the sale; has yet to ship but I hope to share impressions of it soon. I am hoping the reference tuning from the Noble 4 was carried over and the sound was not warmed over too greatly.

 

I'd be keen to take them off you.

 

Fix your quote. Your text is blended in with the quote. add the missing [ in the /QUOTE]

 

Already did mate.

 

You are amazing just the way you are.

 

According to @shotgunshane's impressions, Perfect Seal Deca sounds like a candidate...

http://www.head-fi.org/t/718626/perfect-seal-custom-in-ear-monitors/75#post_12696312

 

What is the best amp that I can get for under $500 for the HD 600?

Currently using the Magni and it's way too flat and bright and boring.

 

Crack w/ Speedball if you want a warmer sound. You may want to try a different headphone though. An amp isn't going to dramatically change the sound signature. Particularly since your already using a nice budget amp.

 

Valhala? You can always come to the dark side that is the 650!

 

Please recommend tubes for Mjolnir 2 for a tube rolling noob (running stock tubes now and I've never rolled tubes before)
Is the iFi NOS 6922 a good place to start ?

Edit: I am trying to start small (in terms of budget) and see if tube rolling is for me or not

 

If budget is a concern, tube rolling is not for you...
But, the mjolnir2 thread in the amps section of the forum has some pretty good tube suggestions.

 

The Bottlehead Crack Speedball would be the opposite of flat, bright and boring.

 

So, my old WooAudio WA6 breathes its last this morning (actually it's the tube, but I don't think the amp is worth to be kept revitalized anyway, nothing special about it).
Any recommendation for a budget*) desktop amp to drive the K181, HD650, and HD800?

Been considering to get a current Magni / Vali / Asgard offerings, but will seriously consider other logical options of course.

Still using my Fostex HP-A8 as the DAC currently;
Modi with 4490 really had my interest but I guess having a new DAC is largely unnecessary at the moment.

*) Budget as in preferably lower than $400 (counting shipping and stuffs). Money is quite tight at the moment.

 

Bottlehead crack is on sale for $249 and the speedball upgrade is onsale for $364. It pairs super well with the HD650.
http://bottlehead.com/?product=crack-otl-headphone-amplifier-kit

 

I am... really not good with DIY electronics, nor have the quality tools (soldering iron etc) necessary for that.
And I have not had the chance to listen to Crack and bottlehead's other offerings. For some reason despite their popularity and value, it is hard to see one in a meet here.
and anyway, bottlehead website blocks the access from my country. Guess they are not fond of us or something.

 

You can always go for the Valhalla 2 then. Less bright but still gets the job done and still pairs well with the HD650. $350
http://schiit.com/products/valhalla-2

 

Wait, wait. "Less bright"? How "bright" is a Crack actually?

I've listened through a (stock) Val 2 before and yep I liked it. A lot.
The concern about purchasing one is on the import fees. No retailers here officially stock Schiit products or partnered with them. All of Schiit products lost most of their price-performance value when procured where I live.

Wondered if Asgard or Vali will be also a more-than-good-enough budget amp for the 650 and 800.

Been considering the built Garage1217 amps too.

 

The Vali or Vali 2 is a fantastic budget amp for 6x0.

 

Still find Ember to be good with HD800 (and the appropriate tube). Even better now that it's SuperDupont modded.
Just wish I knew how to stop the amp picking up little bits of interference.