The All Purpose Advice Thread

Most of the plugs will have their own clamps on the end, so you don't need the heat shrink to fit over the whole plug itself, just the wire/sleeving. Actually, you don't even really need the heat shrink; the clamp should be enough.

 

I actually want one for cosmetic reasons. Anyone know the proper size?

 

This might be heresy and piss people off, but with good transducers, a Mojo into a ZDS will just let you hear how underwhelming the Mojo is as a desktop DAC. Mojo sounds poor even compared to a Modi Multibit, through even a modestly good desktop amp. I'd worry about using a ZDS with the Mojo, though god knows I'm uncomfortable with telling someone to delay snagging such a much-loved amp.

Could you stretch to a Modi Multibit to feed a ZDS in the short term? They are very popular, so you should be able to resell it pretty much at will for a reasonable price. That would give you a much nicer-sounding chain including a putative ZDS while you get the funds together for the Yggdrasil.

 

Good feedback. Given that the Zana Deux Super has a several week lead-time and Black Widows are hard to find, I'm wondering if it makes more sense to purchase the Yggdrasil and Vali 2 to tide me over until I find a Black Widow. Is pairing a Vali 2 with the Yggdrasil equally ridiculous?

 

Given that the Vali 2 and the ZDS are both amps, yes

I'm guessing you meant to write "pairing a Vali 2 with the Yggdrasil"- and while it's quite silly, I'm sure it'd be an enjoyable listen. The Vali 2 is a delightful little amp- you could stick an EH6CG7 tube in it, and get quite a nice sound. Obviously it'd be a bottleneck to the resolving power of the chain, but not in an unpleasant way that would make you claw at your ears- a nice easygoing sound.

A Yggdrasil feeding a Vali 2 wouldn't spring to mind as a natural pairing, but I am sure you could live with it for a couple of months quite happily. Take pictures, if you do it, as it will look quite comical. If the issue isn't affording them all at once, then I suppose you should just go for it- grab the Yggdrasil and order a ZDS, if you think it'll make you happy.

At the risk of sounding like Columbo- one last question. Are you happy with your transducers?

 

Yes that was a typo. I am happy with my headphones, which are the HD800S, HD650 and ER4SR and I own the Chord Mojo and DAVE. I want to build a second setup in another room in my home but I just haven't decided on an amp. I'm thinking to pull the trigger on the black Yggdrasil and then just use a Vali 2.

 

I am also looking into getting ZDS. Does anyone here know how it sounds with an Ether-C Flow? I'm aware of the alleged synergy with the HD650, which I also have, but I don't think I will be able to lose the closed cans for when I need them. If it sounds good enough I could get rid of the Liquid Carbon afterward.

 

Interesting. Well, a decent tube amp might just prove a revelation if you're used to using DAVE as a headphone amp. Better buckle up!

 

With that money you could get a nice matching stack of Gungnir Multibit and Mjolnir 2 too.

 

I handnt thought about that. I suppose a Zana Deux Super + Gunginir Multibit at $3,638 is a lot of bang for the buck. I was thinking a Black Widow + black Yggdrasil would be the smarter money since it would be about $3588.

 

Also, money aside, I've noticed that people who have A/Bed both tend to have opinions about the slight sound signature differences. I'm parroting hearsay here, but they often talk about the Yggdrasil being slightly clearer/more clinical, and the Gungnir Multibit being a shade smoother and possibly even warmer. While the differences are doubtless miniscule, maybe it's worth considering, and looking into, if it has any bearing on your personal preferences.

(I assumed you'd settled on the Yggdrasil for Reasons and didn't look too far into it, that's my bad.)

 

Real big words.
There are others, so what that diy.

 

Guys,

If I switch from a Windows PC to a Macbook Pro then I can use SPDIF directly to my Modi Multibit?

So Mac users don't need USB to SPDIF converters?

Is there a discernible difference between USB and SPDIF if my chain is Laptop>Mimy>Jot>HD650?

Thanks!

 

What year is your macbook from? Cuz Apple dropped SPDIF output from this year onwards.

 

I might be mis-remembering, but wasn't the SPDIF in some Macbooks supposed to be terribly jittery?

 

I'm thinking of getting the 2015 Pro.

 

You can go directly from the optical output on a MacBook Pro (see below) to a Modi MB. You'll almost certainly hear a difference; whether it will be an improvement or not is another matter, because:

You remember correctly ... there's a bit more detail on the what/why some Macs aren't a good choice for direct optical output here.

As long as it's a "MacBookPro12,1" or earlier it should be fine, functionally, though I would not switch just to get optical output for music-listening purposes (on account of the not-great optical output on said machines). If you want a Mac for other reasons, and the optical-output is just a bonus, then that's another matter.

Modi MB, in your chain, will benefit from a better source, but I wouldn't go too far with it.

 

Thanks guys. Im going to wait to see what Schiit have in store in this area anyway....they must be working on something (I hope)

 

I've been very intrigued by tube amps for a while now and I'm beginning to save up for one. I'm looking to budget for a purchase of around $1500 at the max. It'll be a good while before I hit that mark, so I'm looking to get some ideas of what may be best for me in the meantime. I've been eyeing a Bottlehead Mainline since I really love the DIY aspect of a kit amp, although I'm not necessarily limiting my prospects to something DIY. My primary headphone is the HD650 with a few of the mods from the mod thread, and I don't see myself giving it up. Maybe one day I'll toss around the idea of getting an HD800, but the HD650 is never going to leave my collection, so I definitely want an amp that goes great with it. My music collection is mostly comprised of hard rock and metal though I do venture into classical and pop. I'd love to hear any suggestions!

 

Start here if you haven't already. Some overlap with amps just for the HD800 here.