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I gave the Duet a shot a week ago, and listening to the stock headphone amp (at least) I have to say I found it to be quite bright, and in a grating, fatiguing way.
Which is such a bummer! I really wanted the Duet to be the solution for me. I'm a recordist on a budget.
Anyone have any experience with a slightly hyped top end? Is there any value to burning in the unit? I'd end up using the Duet mainly for monitoring through PMC TB2s+ speakers.
Perhaps it was just the headphone amp of the Duet that was giving me problems in the high end. I didn't find it sparkly, but rather a bit shrill.
I was listening to Lossless files and CDs directly through well burned-in Ultrasone Proline 750s.
I really want to like the Duet. Any suggestions, experiences?
Muchas Gracias
David
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It was a dark and stormy night...
maybe I was just not used to what it "should" sound like after coming from a much lower quality device(?)
I do remember reading another person in this thread found ringing in the 7k-8k range... I experienced it as being higher. The 7-8k range didn't bother me.
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It was a dark and stormy night...
I've had mine for a couple of months now and to be honest, I rarely use the headphone amp section. I use it as an interface between my iMac and my preamp. I've only really used the headphone amp while doing needledrops. I certainly wouldn't describe it is bright in the high end. I find it to be quite transparent with a flat response across the spectrum. I've only heard in using Beyerdynamic headphones, so I'm not sure if that has something to do with it. The sound quality of the needledrops is very good in my opinion. I am quite happy with it.
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Benz REF 3->VPI Scout->Linn Linto->Millett Max->Beyer DT880/250/2005
I think mostly if you're hearing problems out of the duet, the problems will be from the transducers . Now I'll say there's a possibility that some really power hungry headphones might have trouble.
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mac mini -> apogee duet -> tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp -> luxman lv-113 -> home theater direct level 3 bookshelf speakers
mac mini -> apogee duet -> tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp -> grado/headphile zebra hf1s
tooleaudio denon dvd2900 -> tooleaudio balanced mosfet amp -> grado/headphile zebra hf1s
1st gen ipod shuffle 1gb -> Altec Lansing iM616
"And so that's how a silly joke turned into one of the seminal rock songs of all time"
I've been reading newer reviews by HeadFiers of the 750s and it seems they are indeed power hungry, and also harsh in the highs.
perhaps I was just experiencing the signature of the 750s through the Duet.
I wonder... should I get a headphone amp, a different set of closed cans that'd be great for classical (neutral presentation) and easy on the wallet (used is fine). Any suggestions? Also, something that could potentially be driven by the Duet w/o external amplification.
Hmmm....
Thank U!!
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It was a dark and stormy night...
Headphoneus Supremus aka JP-nums or JP-numbers Lead Organizer for Can Jam '09
Originally Posted by flitflint
Wow, OK.
I've been reading newer reviews of HeadFiers of the 750s and it seems they are indeed power hungry, and also harsh in the highs.
perhaps I was just experiencing the signature of the 750s through the Duet.
I wonder... should I get a headphone amp, a different set of closed cans that'd be great for classical (neutral presentation) and easy on the wallet (used is fine). Any suggestions? Also, something that could potentially be driven by the Duet w/o external amplification.
Hmmm....
Thank U!!
in short the headphone amp in the duet is not bad and is good as a stop gap while you find an amp but it is not a final destination for someone looking for top quality sound. In the end you are asking too much out of the fire wire power section for many headphones. I recommend the duet as a dac not as a dac/amp combo. If you are going dac amp combo go pico.
I am not an ultrasoniista to say the least, I did try though.
The ultrasones I did hear 750/2500 suffered from a weird tonal signature in the upper mids to low highs that I could not live with.
Here's something for anyone wishing for something (a lot!) more funky than the standard Duet breakout cable. It's the BREAK OUT. Feels like that logo needs a couple of exclamation points.
. Now I'll say there's a possibility that some really power hungry headphones might have trouble.
OS X on PC?
Linear Mode
