The All Purpose Advice Thread

To clarify, I can get either an amp OR a headphone. And it must be off of amazon. I'm thinking about just getting a Nobsound 6j9 and tube rolling to be honest.

 

What about the Bravo Audio v2? I've never heard though, so not recommending, just an option to explore. It's just a smidgeon out of your price range.
And of course, the legendary Koss KSC75. Or maybe the PortaPro.
The HD439 is a surprisingly inoffensive headphone, too, though the dollar-price ration plummets compared to the Koss.

 

Anxiety overload time. Yggdrasil + hd650 and probably hd800 again at some point...what to replace valhalla 2 with? I'm mulling BH Mainline, Torpedo III, or maybe a BW. Anything else I should look at in this range?

Which amp? I would probably take my time on this, but BH has a weekend sale on the mainline.

 

Mjolnir 2? Project Ember II? Or fully upgrade a BH Crack?

 

Thanks for the suggestions. Crack is always interesting but I've seen several impressions that put it below some of the others I mentioned. If it's possible to reach into the stratosphere with to the limit upgrades I could be persuaded.

Mjolnir 2 is intriguing as I owned the original and quite enjoyed it. I get the impression from others' impressions that it may not be resolving enough to make Yggdrasil worth it.

 

As far as your budget allows Mj 2 should be one of the most capable amps in terms of exploiting Yggdrasil and HD800. Otherwise you're looking at ECZD or higher like DNA.

 

Bumping up my advice request (or rather, persuade me to save my wallet please!) :

 

I listened to TH900 at a couple meetings. Overall I think it is inferior to either HE6 or HD800 (some of my comments can be found at HF). I got near new HE6 for $820 and HD800 for about $700 (after selling accessories I don't need). So I don't think TH900 is worth more than $700. Rumor has it the TH900 successor is coming. So be patient.

 

The factor that makes me searching for a TH900 at the first place is the aesthetics (and I admit I'm quite comfortable with its sound signature too).

When I took my wife to a local audio store where there's one for demoing, surprisingly she likes it too (must be the pretty red cups, got to be it) so... Well, I guess it's not too much of a hyperbole to say that the majority of audio equipment are not scoring too well on the household acceptance factor so this TH900 is one of the exception for that.
It will certainly looks nice displayed on its stand compared to the too-geeky looking HD800 (or an HE-6 that somehow oozes the 'made in the far-east' with its design).

edit: What makes me on the fence with this is whether I could justify having more than one headphones. Now that I primarily work from home even my RS1i is no longer being used, only the HD800.

 

TH900 indeed looks nice. And it is comfortable too especially with the pad mods which softens the pressure on one's head and improves sealing.

Unfortunately the point of whether you need more than one pair of phones is hardly defensible. If you have fun frequenting this and other forms, sure you need at least 3 pairs. I have HD650, 800, HE6, and they are not interchangeable.

 

Hard Reset

So I've gotten to a point where I am no longer as emotionally involved in the hobby as time, resource, space, etc. constraints have have taken away from it. Not that I don't love music or audio gear anymore - just that I don't feel like spending so much of anything on it any more. I'd like to do a hard reset, sell everything I have except for my HD650's (and Bose QC15's for travel), and then build a simple listening station that will pair up nicely and be "done" for a while. I have chased so many different paths that I have ended up with nothing I am really in love with except the HD650's.

Current gear (with guesstimated resale value in parentheses):

Sennheiser HD650
Kenwood KH-K1000 ($250-300)
Shure SE215 ($40)
Box full of T50RP parts ($200)
Nuforce HDP ($125)
LHLabs GO450 ($100)
LHLabs Pulse Xfi + LPS ($900-1000)
Bottlehead S.E.X. (with slight transformer hum that I can't figure out, though ) (no clue. half what I invested? $350-400)
Schiit Wyrd ($75)
Lots of cables ($250)
Still owed another Pulse Xfi by LHLabs as part of Wave campaign ($650) (will come back to this)

Assuming I can get reasonable money for everything, I am looking to re-spend up to roughly $1500 on a simple stack for the HD650's, plus something transportable for coffee shop work and travel (usable from my Android phone or my laptop). Compact size is REALLY important, as I decided to move back into the city from the suburbs and am giving up a lot of space to do so. The Pulse Xfi by itself is almost good enough to be all I need, and may still be what I end up with if something in the same price range can't give me much better. I just have always liked the way Sennheisers sound off of tubes. As for portable, I had the idea to try to get LHLabs to change my second Pulse Xfi into a GOv2 and a GOv2+. They make out a little better this way as an enticement to do it, and I get some pieces that will likely be easier to use or sell. Don't know why people don't want to buy the Xfi. Really good for the early backer price I paid, company opinions notwithstanding. About 50% of the time I listen to classical or orchestral, 25% of time jazzy, vocally stuff, and 25% of time everything else from classic rock to clubby, dancy stuff. I like a nice balance of detail and emotion. Definitely don't like too bright or too bass light. Basically, I love the HD650 and want to maximize it within my budget. Oh, and while not a requirement at the moment, I would love it if the new stack would play nicely with the HD800(S), as I'd like to reacquire them some time down the road. I understand I may need to get a whole different rig for them so it will realistically be a year or so before I consider them again.

Should I keep anything? If I am able to sell everything, what should I consider buying? Anyone want to buy anything? D). Thanks!

 

keep the hd650 & an amp if you want to keep one pair of headphones. everything else shld be able to go with minimal regret imo.

 

For me, the build quality of the SE215 is just too good to give up for $40. Yard work? Check. Exercise? Check. On the go/in a pinch? Check. As long as you're not worried about finesse, it'll do the job in a noisy environment.

 

Hey, I might be interested in taking your SE215! My gr07s started giving me problems again so I've just been taking my UERMs to the gym. I'd rather take a cheaper pair of universals than my UERMs.

If you like the Pulse X-fi, then keep it as your dac/amp and be done with it. I implore you to give the schiit multibit dacs a try though. A Bifrost Multibit + valhalla 2 or a mj2 might just be what you need. Definitely keep the hd650s around.

 

I was in a similar situation to you, chasing gear. It was mostly driven by HF. I went there to find out how to get the most out of my HD600, and sunk a crapload of money into forgettable (and regrettable) gear. I eventually realised this was actually preventing me from enjoying music so I recently sold all of my shit and went back to listening to UERM out of my iphone for a while. Bliss.

I cancelled an Ether C order and re-bought an HD650. I demoed a Multibifrost/Valhalla stack yesterday and was really impressed with the pairing so I bought one with the money still left over from Ether (with some change).

I have a GOV2+ incoming which I will use to drive UERM (and HD650 away from my desktop). I already have an XLR cable for the HD650 and I bought a couple of pigtails to convert to TRS for Valhalla and TRRS for GOv2+.

I might mod the 650, I might roll the Valhalla, I might even try to build a DIY amp, but otherwise I think I am done. Thanks CS/SBAF

 

^^ that right there is what's up ^^ and I'm generally headed in that same direction (give or take keeping a planar/560) and swap a T3 in place of the Valhalla 2 (if funds allow).

 

just wanted to ask something here what is the end game for pop music like the highest end you can go to listen to pop electronic music?

 

I think the Bravo is pretty much considered junk. Cheap and tubes don't really go together.

 

Mine is. Literally.

Did the stupid thing, buying a cheap thing cheaper second-hand, and from another country too. At least, if I had bought it new I could have returned it.

Now, from too-old memory... it's tubey-deep, and very, very loud. I actually enjoyed its sound whilst it lasted, but it cuts out one channel after a short time of playing. Also, for something so small, it makes a great room heater!

 

Hello everyone! Just a bit of backstory here, I have never owned any Mid-Fi ~ Summit-Fi gear in my life. I'm a part-time student/worker who does not earn much, but would love to finally have a decent Mid-Fi setup to keep for at least 5 years. I have been using on-board audio for my whole life and Sennheiser R120 9 year old wireless headphones, sad right?

My friend/workmate introduced me to Massdrop a few weeks ago and I saw the AKG K7XX, I thought cool! $200 USD / $321 AUD is a steal for what people are claiming they sound like and that it scales well and I finally upgraded.

Now, I am on a hunt for a DAC/Amp, originally I was looking at separate O2/ODAC as it was available on MD at the time, then the O2+ODAC combo came along(which is still available on MD). I was curious about the Starlight hybrid / Polaris solid-state by Garage1217 for a while and finally the M9XX.

As someone with with an untrained ear who mainly listens to alternative rock, post-grunge rock, rock ballads, not so much bassy stuff. Also who plays Counter-Strike:GO casual-competitive roughly 30% of the time. Would purchasing the M9XX at $500 USD / $715 AUD DAC/Amp be a good first step?

Thanks for your time.