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HD650 upgrade

post #1 of 6
9/7/08 at 2:12am
Thread Starter 
I currently have an EMU-0404 + HD650s and have a few questions regarding upgrades.(I will be playing all my music from comp, lossless, flac, etc.)

1. I have been looking at amps and the Darkvoice 332 337 seem to be very popular. Are the 3322 and 337SE models worth the additional cost?

2. What are some good sources that can drive the Darkvoice/HD650 combo.(will be connecting to pc)

3. How would decent sources compare to the upcoming ASUS Xonar HDAV1.3 and Auzentech Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 sound cards?

4. I will almost definitely be buying one of those sound cards for my HTPC. Is it worth it to spend 500-1k more on a separate source for my HD650s?

5. What kind of sound quality increase should I expect over my current setup if I were to spend 1500-2000$ on a new source/amp. (looking for some sorta of figure, 10% 50% etc.)


My plan is to build a HTPC and have a decent sound system. I was considering, using one of those sound cards, with a denon 2809CI AVR receiver and some aperion speakers. Although I'm considering focusing more around me hd650's as I live in apartments and will not be able to turn the volume very loud.
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post #2 of 6
9/7/08 at 2:23am
I am all about quality from the source. I would get the amp first and upgrade the DAC afterwards to something dedicated for HP use, the Xonar and Prelude are fantastic sound cards but the dedicated DAC + quality amp should be able to best both.

As for SQ increase it's all subjective In my case I don't even bother with my soundcard's analog outputs for headphone use even though I run the Prelude.
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post #3 of 6
9/7/08 at 2:42am
Thread Starter 
How about a Zu Mobius cable, are those really worth 370$? I mean that's almost as much as the HD650's.

Also in what order should components be upgraded, I believe its.
Headphones > Amp > source > cables. Or is source before amp?

Also what is the significance of Balanced headphones?
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post #4 of 6
9/7/08 at 2:56am
Your order would be the path I choose, the DAC needs an amp as it just provides the line out so it's typically amp before DAC.

I would skip on the Mobius for now, you can def get it cheaper than $370 if you wait for a used cable.

Balanced is supposed to be amazing for the hd650; only problem is you will need a balanced amp and custom cable which can be fairly expensive.
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post #5 of 6
9/7/08 at 9:06pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for info.
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post #6 of 6
9/7/08 at 9:19pm
I'm not familiar with either soundcard, but I'd be surprised if an internal soundcard resulted in better sound quality than the emu 0404 usb, unless it has an external (powered) breakout box.
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