Best headphone setup for Macs - Page 4

Like many here, I have a Mini + DAC-1 USB + HD 650. Something's perfect about that set-up, I guess.

Any reasonable firewire options?
i've been using Focusrite Saffire LE but sometime, once a week, it suddenly shuts down the connection with my mac... so annoying xp

Apogee Duet is well worth the money!

tdogzthmn,
I got one to replace my Presonus Firebox and I just love it! I am told the Duet is two channels of the Ensemble. I use iTunes with Apple Lossless encoding and the SRS iWow plugin with Etymotic ER4Ps and can't be more pleased.

imac setup: imac->twisted pear opus DAC->RWA signature 30->k1000

macbook: macbook->pico->sr60 (hoping to get some darth beyers)

First try: iTunes / VLC / etc > Mini > Fireface 800 > Elgar Plus > HEV/HE90


Unfortunately I found OS X too limiting in terms of the software available for this type of use. I've switched - to Windows.

Me:

iMac--->DAC1--->HeadRoom Millet Hybrid

OR

iMac--->HeadRoom Balanced Desktop with DAC (Home Versions)

The optical out makes all the difference.

If you're looking for an all-in-one solution, the Lavry DA-10 is awfully nice and flexible.

Not necessarily. Having the optical out broadens the universe of DACs one can use.

I'm only just gtting into headphone monitoring but a friend of mine had a wonderful souding setup which was



macbook(optical)>beresford(DACing)>Xcan2(withmods) >SeinhuserHG650s
-It was really sweet and open, bass was defined but controlled, treble calm and clear and mid range had a lot of 'texture; however those things were ugly!

I'd reccomend the beresford DAC, its got an OK headphone amp on it which you can upgrade when you feel the time is right. The DAC is pretty cheap considering that it sounds really very nice (though it take a while to burn-in). My instinct is to spend the money on the cans instead of compromising and buying a headphone amp as well.

my headphone rig is
imac(usb)>mbox>sony consumer cans
-urrgh -I'm getting a pair of Beyerdynamic dt250-80s when i can afford them/

and monitours
imac(usb)>mbox2(DACing)>azurg540r>kef coda's
-which sounds OK I guess

imac(optical)>azur540r>kef codas
-which I really like the sound of, the whole system seems to work nicely and have a nice character, nice for 5.1 Bjork

That's interesting what you say about VLC sounding better, could it be software upsampling? Does anyone know a upsampling plugin for itunes?

Hey Trance. How do you think it compares to your firebox? That's what Im using right now, but ive lately been having upgrade nightmares I dont have much to compare it to, but I feel it has a bright and slightly compressed sound signature. Ive had to turn the treble down on my mackies, and the headphone amp makes sennheisers sound slightly clinical to my ears...

any impressions would be really helpful, cause noone seems to have the firebox around here

whitney

That, and you avoid possible grounding issues, plus you save a USB-port.

Apogee Duet is really great all around. Much better than Firebox, which I replaced with Duet, so I did have a chance to compare. ADC and preamps for recording are much, much better on the Duet. And the DAC and headphone amp are also in another league. Very very good. I'm going to try running out of the Duet into my MAD Ear plus HD, then I can compare the 2 head amps.

Considering that just about every pro level audio interface and DAW made runs on a mac, not to mention that just about every album recorded in the last 10 years was either recorded, edited, mixed or mastered on a mac, you probably haven't exhausted all your software options.

I can't imagine what your listening needs are that would make you switch to another platform... what about bootcamp, vmware or parallels?

I'm hoping your post was just flame-bait! if so, just call me lake-trout...

Does the emu 0404 not compete with $300+ sources?

Nope, not flame-bait. It's an interesting post so let me give you a full response.


The problem is the applications... not for recording (which isn't relevant on this forum), but for playback. What are the options? You've got iTunes, iTunes and iTunes. A few other (very) also-rans. That's it. Do you listen to FLAC/ALAC tracks in Logic? Probably not. There's also the limitation of integrating into an HTPC setup. Front Row was great for me at first, because I was entranced by it's shininess and also because I hadn't used Windows Media Center. Once I did though it was game over for Apple. There's also the matter of hardware. I was really surprised once I surrounded myself with Macs (I've owned several examples of every single Mac in the Apple lineup in the last two years) how poor the quality was these days.


I'm also a little taken aback by the ignorant 'holier-than-thou' rabid defence of Apple by the community around it. For example, pointing out the above limitations and others assuming automatically it's flamebait. And apart from the fundamental limitations of the platform once you peel back the shiny presentation, that unbelievable fanboy aspect the thing that really, really got my goat and I felt a distinct antipathy towards a community that acted in such a sheeplike manner. Until I became an Apple owner, I really didn't square with the 'Apple sheep' derogatory statements by anti-iPodders... but now I own Apple hardware and am as familiar with it as I am with Windows, I have to say there does seem to be some grain of truth in it.


Boot Camp is not a panacea since it's an 'experience-breaking' feature by a necessary reboot. Neither are Parallels and VMWare (I have both installed on some of my machines) ideal solutions. An everyday app should run on the platform it's designed for.


I'm still up to date with my Macs; my roster at home includes a Pro, 2.8 iMac and several Macbook Pros and they have their uses. But their potential as my core home entertainment platform is over for now. Windows Vista does a far better job in actual terms these days. That is something I definitely didn't expect to say when I Switched.