The All Purpose Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Sep 26, 2015.

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  1. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    It's a fulla 2 with a mic input, output stage is identical.

    If you need the mic you get the 3, otherwise the 2 is cheap used.
     
  2. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

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    I did not realize the Fulla 3 was only Fulla 2 + mic.

    Also just learned the ifi iDSD's SPDIF output also functions as an optical (and coax) input. This thing seems to check all the boxes so I will likely pick one up.
     
  3. itsikhefez

    itsikhefez Acquaintance

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    I need suggestions for a closed back headphone for work...
    I have Beyer Dynamic DT-1770 Pro with either HRT microStreamer or Grace m900 dac/amp combos. I find myself RARELY listening to them and when I do, I get a headache within half an hour or so. I also don't really enjoy what I'm listening to, its just there in the background.

    At home, I use HD650 or HD660S. I have both a tube amp and an accurate SS amp and with either one I can listen for hours non stop and really like what I'm hearing.

    Any closed backs that can get me close? I did hear ZMF Atticus in the past that I liked but I'm not going to spend that much for a work headphone.
    Thanks
     
  4. Lyander

    Lyander Official SBAF Equitable Empathizer

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    Fostex TH/TR-X00s aren't horrible, not perfectly sealed like DT1770 but good enough if you're more worried about isolation than leakage. Might also be better about reducing headache because it's not perfectly sealed.

    From demo memory and looking at FR measurements the Fostexes have more midrange than the Beyers, plus a bigger soundstage and better room cues. Bass on X00s was skewed towards sub which is to my preference but may not be to yours. Might be shouty in comparison until you adapt. I like the resolution on these but cup reverb kinda muddles low-level stuff, but that wasn't apparent to me until I moved to semi-open (HP-3) and open (HD600) headphones.

    Um... be careful of the joints on the Fostex hinges. They make me sad.

    I like the older Sennheiser Momentum supra-aurals, they aren't bad at all for sheer resolution but are a bit too dead in the treble for me. Store demo impressions only I'm afraid. But I nearly picked a set up because it was a nicely non-fatiguing listen. Kinda like an AQ Nighthawk in profile but with more apparent harmonic overtones?

    Meze 99 Classics are so weird in the upper midrange, very lacking in attack and crunch and kinda mushy-distant, but the treble is less immediately offensive than on the Fostexes without being completely dead so that's nice. Good resolution and moderate sized headstage, just a bit congested sounding in busy passages. BIG bass, kinda not my style that it's more midbass than sub but that's a preference thing. Might be a concern if the reason for your headaches is a pressure thing from excessive low end.

    I'm told pad swapping can help, haven't yet gotten around to buying new pads to try (sorry!). Or wear glasses, but that makes the treble more offensive if you break the seal too much.

    Focal Spirit Pro, I love the sound of but was put off purchasing after being warned about build quality issues. Nicely balanced FR with a moderate headstage, less than Mezes, very much smaller than the DT1770s IIRC. Haven't compared directly but might be better in texture and microdynamics than Mezes and Beyers— I remember really liking this about them while I'm just "okay" about it on the other two (plucked guitar strings, percussion, vocal texture). Only concern for me is it seemed lacking in big dynamic punch, like it was a bit stuffy and flat sounding? But my main headphones are weird so baselines could be off :p
     
  5. Riotvan

    Riotvan Snoofer in the Woofer

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    Beyer DT150 has everything going for it except looks and has been my reference for almost 10 years. No weird peaks or dips, neutral FR and great tonality. Can listen to them all day without fatigue and they can go deceptively loud.
    Only problem i see is it might give a hotspot on the top of your head before the padding wears in. Or just buy the DT100 padding.
    Beyers that don’t sound like Beyers and you can pas them on for generations since they are so durable.
    https://www.innerfidelity.com/images/BeyerdynamicDT150250Ohm.pdf
     
  6. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Budget?
     
  7. cskippy

    cskippy Creamy warmpoo

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    For myself, using Samsung Galaxy buds has been an invaluable tool at work. They give me the ability to freely move around, offer decent noise attenuation which is invaluable where I work, and have good sound quality to boot!

    I’m very interested in the Galaxy Buds + since I’m on iPhone and integration would be welcome.
     
  8. itsikhefez

    itsikhefez Acquaintance

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    Willing to spend up to $600... I'd probably also sell the DT1770 to fund part of that.
    Both the HD650/660S I enjoy home cost significantly less though.
    I have another restriction.... I won't buy it if it has any real leather in it... this was an issue with MrSpeakers Aeon as the headband is leather and there is no alternative.
     
  9. itsikhefez

    itsikhefez Acquaintance

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    Maybe IEM's is the answer? I have etymotic HF-5 for years that I use for riding the bus and running....
     
  10. Benjamin Fong

    Benjamin Fong New

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    Hello guys,

    I am currently facing some difficult choices for my new DNA STARLETT. I m looking for a decently good dac to pair with Starlett. But due to my budget , I can’t afford to make the wrong move cos my income can’t let me buy a second dac for quite awhile or start a collection of dacs or amps or other accessories.

    A friend recommend me Schiit Yggdrasil, holo spring 2 kite. Another friend recommend vision dac-1. Another recommend me Denefrips Pontus or Venus.

    I read so much reviews that I get headache. In the end , I m more incline to Venus ( thought very few reviews) n wildism holo spring 2 extreme.

    I hope audio friends here with much more experience then me can help me give me some advise. So I can find the most suitable dac that match with my new amp Starlett.

    Thanks.

    p.s.

    forget to mention I m looking for the match sound that is not too warm.
     
  11. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    The spring 2 in NOS mode will sound more warm than the others. The Denafrips has a better oversampling solution out of the box which will sound less warm (again, when not put to NOS mode).

    Have you considered Schiit Bifrost 2 ?
     
  12. Benjamin Fong

    Benjamin Fong New

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    no I didn’t..I thought Yggdrasil is better ?
     
  13. Benjamin Fong

    Benjamin Fong New

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    Btw anyone is familiar with audio tube 53ku and gz 53 ? How is the signature like ? Which is warmer? N better?
     
  14. Friday

    Friday Friend

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    All are bestestest.

    Dickery aside, we don't know your preferences, what kind of music you listen to, what you look out for in your music, or what headphones you use. We don't even know if you actually enjoy listening to music, or just want to know how it sounds like on expensive gear, and I'm guessing it's the latter because it's a Singaporean thing to do and because of the way you are asking questions. Your "not too warm" may be warmpoo to some and screeching bright to others. It'll be tough to make any sort of recommendations to you.

    The most serious advice I will give you: stop going through forums and reading, then you won't have a headache. Just trust your ears and listen. There are lots of audio shops in Singapore and some may even let you bring your Starlett in to audition. Just be sure to listen to your own ears and not what the shopowners and other customers tell you. And don't think about tube rolling even before you have started listening to the amp.

    Less serious advice i.e. answering your questions directly:
    If you enjoy listening to music but don't know your gear preferences yet, start slow and cheap. Some of the cheaper DACs today can be pretty good, and if you are just starting you will need time to find out what you like. Heck, go with a Modi first. You might find that you like it, and you save a few hundred to thousand dollars that could be spent on music or your family.

    If you just want to have expensive gear and not worry about whether there are better DACs out there, get a Chord DAVE or Rockna Wavedream DAC at MSRP, place it somewhere conspicuous in the hall, and never listen to it. That way you can always see that you have one of the best DACs in the world, and will never hear the imperfections in it, so you will never worry if it can be better.

    If none of this works, then just sell everything and find something else to do, cos it means you are in the wrong hobby. Hobbies are meant to be fun, not for you to agonise over.



    But magic 8 ball says you will get a Denafrips Venus with a $1k power cord and $3K interconnects, spend $5k on tubes and your whole weekend trying to identify the details in your obscure DSD cos that's what Singaporeans with too much time do.
     
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2020
  15. Thenewerguy009

    Thenewerguy009 Friend

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    Can someone help me understand frequency response specs?
    I'm browsing through some amps reviews & they all have different FR specs & I'm not sure what they mean in terms of translating sound.

    Like here is some frequency response of a few amps I wrote down:
    12Hz - 35kHz (-1.5dB)
    15Hz - 35kHz (-1.5dB)
    10Hz - 26kHz (-3dB)
    16Hz - 38kHz (-2dB)
    10Hz - 25kHz (-3dB)

    How can you determine which of that is better?
    Would the lowest to highest numbers be best, like say 10hz - 40khz? Would that mean it would have more detail in the lows & more detail in the highs?
     
  16. redrich2000

    redrich2000 Facebook Friend

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    So a three-pole 3.5mm connector is called TRS right? What is the two pole 3.5mm called? Are they interchangable for headphones like the Focal range that take dual 3.5mm plugs?
     
  17. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    TS iirc and while the electrical connector is standard, the housing can be semi-proprietary.

    I don't have strong memories of the connectors from my focal auditions, but there are some like the meze 99s that have deeply inset sockets that only accept very narrow jack housings.

    If that's not the case with the focals yeah any will work.
     
  18. ergopower

    ergopower Friend

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    My recollection is that way back, the 2 poles of manual switchboard plug systems were called tip and ring. When a 3rd pole was added for stereo or isolation, in between the original 2 poles, that became the ring and the base was then called the sleeve.
     
  19. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    Huh! TIL, thanks.

    That makes TRRRS all the more confusing :confused:
     
  20. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    All of the numbers indicate frequency response beyond the limits of human hearing, which is typical for modern amps (and most also have flat response). In summary, this isn't a useful metric for comparing between these amps. Power specs would be more helpful to determine if they might be a good match for your system.
     
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