The All Purpose Advice Thread

@Hotep303
do you already own the Hd800(s) if you do I might suggest you to look into the ifi Amps which have a bass boost and might be a good fit for you.

My general tipp in your case is: get the HD800, because it seems to be the headphone that you enjoy the most up until now and finetune them with an warm leaning amp to your liking



Edited for spelling errors and new information that's not worth an other post in my Opinion

 

If you like the HD800 then it would be wise to stick with it, and EQ if you want a little more bass.

If you didn’t like the LCD-2C bass then I wouldn’t bother with other planars, except maybe the Abyss 1266. I expect others would suggest the Hifiman HE-6 also. Planars do reproduce good quality well extended bass. But I still prefer dynamic bass. It feels more solid and punches harder, but that punch evaporates in the sub bass if it’s an open back.

If you still want something better than the HD800 and you want it to be the best then that leaves you with three options:

• There’s ZMF headphones like the Verite, which can punch fairly hard all the way down to the sub bass. But it has less bass quantity than others. If you found yourself having to increase the volume with the LCD-2C you will have to do the same here, unless you can EQ.
• There is of course the Utopia which is the best I have heard, and if you like the Clears you should like these. Baring in mind the timbre is very metallic, I modded mine with discs of open cell foam over the driver to help with this. But I think this is your best bet.
• Lastly there is the Fostex TH900 with earpads from the TH610. This one has the most impactful bass of any headphone, and lots of it, but the bass isn’t as “fast” as the other two, as the attack is a little rounded. The tonality is a little too low in the vocals, and high in treble. With lots and lots of bass. This one is really behind the others at almost everything else.

 

Can someone help me choose a dac amp. preferably an all in one. I have an xd 05 with ak4990 and it was good enough for me. I have a zmf Aeolus getting built and I want to upgrade because I dont think they will do well with 300ohms. I was looking at the jot but people say it has glare in the treble. also looked at the ifi dsd black label. Want to go ss because I dont like the idea of leaving tubes on all day. Budget is 500 usd for amp and dac.

 

Thanks for a great answer. I'm not sure how good the EQ on WM1A is relatively speaking although folks were saying that it is decent, through my experience with it and CFA Vega I've concluded that it's a much bigger loss than a gain so I definitely wouldn't want to EQ, but hopefully find the right solid state amp and DAC that would make the bass of HD800S well expressed and a bit more in quantity.

The planars I'm looking at as a complimentary headphone which would do many things that HD800S can't. For example I really love voices on planar headphones. Not necessarily excelling in bass although many people praise abyss for that and good things have been said about D8000. For now I'd like to get something that is great value for the price which is why I'm gravitating towards Aeon Flow and possibly HE-6. The only reason I had to let go of LCD-2C and why I had to increase the volume was actually a huge dip after 1k which peaks at around 3k. The Aeon flow may be the fixed LCD-2C which was otherwise pretty great.

Clears were ok to me, not many strong points that I could see in them besides tonal balance. The bass was nowhere close to HD800 in my experience. So I suppose I'm ok with metal or at least aluminum.

Thanks for bringing my attention to ZMF. It's likely I'll just have to find some European headphone exhibit and see if they have ZMF and Utopias for audition. Or decide that HD800S is a compliment even if I may own Utopias in the future and buy HD800S before comparing them to Utopia. Does owning Utopia and HD800S make any sense for someone uninitiated to the ways of the rich? Owning HD800 I would expect to have to spend more on the amp than with Utopia since Utopia isn't as amp-sensitive. Seeing as many people regard Utopia as a fair bit better overall headphone than HD800 it would be quite an easy choice if the bass has the same kind of "fastness" and authority. Well I guess I'm rambling at this point, should just a/b them and thus have the opportunity to make an informed decision especially when it comes to this kind of money. I may find that HD800 brings me most of the way there and instead of shelling out on Utopia save some money towards 009 which I assume would make an even better complimentary headphone than most/any planar. The voices I assume would be something else on 009.

Thanks for insight
Cheers

 

From what you’ve said here it sounds like the HD800 is definitely the way to go for you, and it will serve as a good point of reference to have spent time with if you later still wish to look at ultra expensive stuff.

There is a HD800 amplifier recommendation thread here that will be helpful to you. If bass is the focus I can personally vouch for the Schiit Mjolnir 2 from the balanced XLR output, as it slams like hell. You would have to find a used pair of LISST “tubes” to make it all solid state though, as they’re discontinued. But bare in mind that the HD800’s elevated treble will be more of an issue if you haven’t listened to it out of a high end amplifier before, and the Mjolnir 2 is additionally known for a treble presentation that may not synergize well in solid state mode, without the desire to roll vacuum tubes.

 

would KSC75/portapro benefit from Fulla 2?

 

In my case it did but my headphone output wasn't too good. If you generally like how your phone sounds then maybe a Fulla 2 won't be a huge improvement.

 

Can someone point me to the correct 4-pin XLR balanced cable for the HiFiMan Sundara?

 

What are the KSC75 and PortaPros plugged into now?

I didn't get anything different out of the Fulla 2 except for volume increase compared to my LGV30. YMMV.

I think a Fulla 2 is overkill. You can plug those two Koss into any headphone jack and get good sound. The PortaPros ain't gonna scale. No external amp or DAC required. Unless your headphone jack is fucked like crazychile's.

 

I used this when I had mine. Good build quality and far cheaper than Hifiman's official cable.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07HGP87F6?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Make sure you buy the 3.5mm connector version, and if you decide to go with a custom builder make sure there's aware that's the connection used. I learned that the hard way, Hifiman has changed the plug enough to cause confusion.

 

And to clarify which mystery phone has a fucked headphone out, it's a Moto Z2 Play.
In the past I would occasionally plug KSC75s into nicer amps like Lyr 2, Magni 3, MicroZotl2, etc and can confirm those particular headphones don't scale at all.

 

PC mobo

 

data: My Koss PortaPros sounds better from Fulla 2 than pc motherboard

 

Who makes a decent tuner these days? I'm looking for a modern AM/FM component tuner for about $400 max. If it did internet radio that's nice but not necessary.

 

I discovered this on ebay, they build KGSSHV and Carbons in China. Price is attractive. What sorts of questions should I be asking to make sure they know what they are doing?

https://www.ebay.fr/itm/Mini-KGSSHV...145468?hash=item340809967c:g:IFsAAOSwdOdch7iS

https://www.ebay.fr/itm/KGSSHV-CARB...702310?hash=item3408f6f766:g:oWoAAOSwtOZclKx2

 

I have two amps which I enjoy, but would really like one which combines their individual strengths. I don't know if it's possible, but if so, I'd like to hear what others think I ought to try to listen to?

Most of my listening is through a "maxed out" ECP Torpedo III with Mullard CV4024 tubes. I definitely prefer them to the stock tubes, and to some "International" (possibly renamed GE?) 12AZ7s. The rest is through a Ragnarok (1.5 FWIW).

The things that I find are really better with Rag are basically everything about bass: control, extension, definition of note decays... I also find the Rag to be ever so slightly "clearer" across the board. But I prefer the midrange and treble of the TIII in some way that I don't really know how to describe. One minor point is that the tone is slightly "richer" in a way. Another is instrument placement, where I have the impression of being able to locate instruments more precisely (that is, the instrument's sound comes from closer to a single point rather than a region, not that it is somehow more realistic) with TIII than Rag. There is just something about the TIII imaging (with the CV4024 tubes) that makes me want to lean back with eyes closed and sigh. There is also, depending on recording, sometimes a fatiguing aspect to Rag's treble. I don't think this is due to broad FR difference or similar, as my perception is that there is perhaps even slightly more treble energy with TIII, and it happens even if I EQ the treble down slightly with Rag. I'm tempted to say "glare" but that doesn't seem quite the right term. But perhaps the biggest point in the TIII's favor for me is maybe what goes under "microdynamics". What I notice is how, for example, a rapid series of cymbal hits can sound like they are all the same volume/force with Rag while with TIII I can hear that they are actually each slightly different. It's subtle, but seems to make a big difference to me in the overall listening experience.

So my question is basically if there is an amp that can keep these characteristics of the TIII while being a bit clearer and tightening up the bass. (Further bass extension would be nice, but I don't think I'd trade it off for anything else.) If it matters, I'm not pragmatically very fond of the idea and practice of tube rolling. For context, headphones are Utopia, and DAC is Gungnir Multibit (v1). I'm not sure what to say about my preferences in general, but some things that made me jump on Utopias are their speed and how sounds like the initial impact of a snare or cymbal are much more abruptly lifelike than e.g. with the HD650 or LCD-3 classic that they replaced. Likewise for the sharp crunch of heavily distorted guitars.

TIA

 

My initial thought was no. However, with Utopia, it can be a yes. Some of the big-boy tube amplifiers have enough power to provide a similar control as the Rag would have.

My personal solution - Aficionado. Have you read through some of the impressions in that thread?

 

Thanks for the reply Vtory.

I have a few ideas that I think might be affecting things.

1) I've spent nearly all of my time listening to my favorite recordings through headphones, so I'm used to the way they reproduce sound. Moving over to speakers is a completely different beast. I am simply not used to hearing music that isn't congested or muddy. Like there is clear separation between the higher, mid, and lower frequencies that stand apart, allowing the music to breathe, while still forming a cohesive whole. I initially confused that separation by thinking it had a lean character when instead I should refer it as clarity. So what that means are the recordings I have do sound rather different than headphones, sometimes the differences can be extreme. I get now why comparing speakers and headphones is apples and oranges.

It's something my brain is still adjusting to. However they've pretty much spoiled me that going back to cans is really unsatisfactory.

2) I have quite a few recordings that don't have very good dynamic range and no amount of volume increase is going to expand them to envelop me. Some old 80s R&B shit that was poorly recorded sounds like a tin can from the speakers. There's nothing I can do to make a poor recording into a good one. This might be the one area where I'll grab my Koss to listen to some lo-fi recording cause speakers are far too revealing.

3) Fine tuning my listening position. I'm almost at the sweet spot for imaging and everything else. I do have the speakers slightly toed-in but there might be just a few more adjustments I might make. Right now my listening position is a bit more right-ear dominant.

Some other observations: letting the Vidar warm-up for awhile, otherwise the bass can sound a bit flabby. Really curious how the speakers could change with another Vidar in monoblock configuration.

Overall, doing some more serious listening I am very happy I can keep some of that laid-back sound from my Elac's, but still have enough clarity without any painful sharpness. For some, they might lack the bite they want in aggressive rock and metal. Perhaps a touch too smooth and soft. Doesn't really bother me much since my music consumption is mostly teen pop and whatever garbage teenage girls are into (but seriously I listen to just about anything).

If I was to look in the future for an upgrade, I'd like to audition the Klipsch La Scala and Cornwall. If I like those, then hit up Bob Crites to build a Cornscala. It makes little sense in my living arrangement to have those kind of speakers.

But thanks again for the advice and help.

 

Hey Guys,

I've found an Esoteric D-07 for sale for what appears to be an ok price. I know the TEAC lower end stuff is not highly regarded, but have not found much in the way of comments about the higher end Esoteric pieces.

Has anyone heard this DAC? It is based on the AK4392, which I know nothing about.

My preferences in terms of sound are not too bright, decent detail retrieval, and decent sound stage.

I'm not looking to buy a world changing DAC right now. Just something that works, and doesn't completely suck.

Any help would be appreciated, thanks, and sorry for posting so much.