My upcoming system.

Minor point, but MPC isn't lossless. Monkey and FLAC are though. Otherwise, a little jealous of your upgrades.

nice.

i'd say swap out one component at a time and see if you can hear the differences or each upgrade.

well IMO - the source needs to go first .
save up and buy a decent one next year . dont start upgrading other stuff until you get a new source.

well you can also get another headphone. IMO your system deserves a better pair of cans .dont gte me wrong as i know the sr200 are decent but get a top notch pair of cans after you get a source.

You won't find a computer soundcard capable of matching the performance the HP-1s can offer. The HP-1 is according to its owners (and I am not one btw) quite amp-source-combo finnicky. Do take some careful time to consider what you're getting into by purchasing these cans, even if all I am offering is ancedotal advice.

If you get HP1s you'd be looking at a standalone CDP in the $2,000 range perhaps and a really nice amp in the $1,000 range.

Stick with at most HD580s, DT250-250s, or something in this class.

Just my humble advice.

Cheers,
Geek

Your system will be bitchin', Mag!

I'd say that's a fine setup right there although I'd recommend getting a standalone CDP sometime. The revo is probably better than my TBSC, but still, the source is important.

As for the SR200's not being good enough, I've heard nothing but good things about them. Better than RS-1's and comparable to HP-1's according to some. Certainly a step above the modern Grado prestige series.

In summary: w00t. I hope my system will look something like this in the future

i disagree with the statement that the hp-1 is "amp-source-combo finnicky." i think the hp-1 is an incredible headphone and just needs incredible stuff behind it to sound good. it's like a crystal clear lake in the audio stream, and it only shows what's at the bottom. i do agree with what you're trying to say though andi find it odd that so many people (reguardless of experience and equipment) want a pair of hp-1000's when their current system is far from being able to drive them well and properly. when i got my pair, one of the first things i did was start clearing out my amps and sources, so that i could save up and get high-end stuff. i do agree with your second statement though, that sort of thing should be some kind of rule. just my opinion though.

magus, you sound like you really have a decent route planned ahead of yourself. i find that although a computer may not be "high-end enough" for the best of systems, they can work really well for most. i currently use my computer as a transport into the digital input of my cary 306/200 and it definitely sounds great. not as nice as when i play a cd in the player, but damn good anyway. ape files sound great. in my opinion, a dac will be quite a vast upgrade for you and i strongly feel that this is what can make or break a computer-based headphone system. i feel pretty strongly that one can't be very serious about audio when using any soundcard as a source (unless it's being used as a transport).

kudos on the sr200's and i hope that you enjoy them. i've found they scale fairly well and they do sound very impressive with the v2. they're also really comfortable as they are light and the driver chambers aren't as wide as the higher-end grados (325, rs-1/2, hp-1/2).

[edit]: an attempt to save face.

Good plan. Where have I seen it before?

*Does the little SR-200 finger diddle*

NGF

A computer makes an excellent transport for an outboard DAC. Get yourself a DI/O or something similar as fast as you can; you'll be amazed at the improvement in sound quality.

I'll be testing the modded Mensa DI/O in September, so in a few months I'll be able to give my opinion as to how the highest-level DI/O levels up. Someone ought to loan me a high-end CD player so I can compare the Mensa and the CD player, too... grinch, what do you say?

While a computer/DAC-based setup might not be able to rival the highest of the high end CD players (think the $3,000 list Cary players), I bet it's pretty damn close. And the convenience that a computer-based setup offers (hard drives stuffed with lossless audio files as opposed to repeatedly swapping, losing, and scratching CDs [which happens to me all the time unless I store them somewhere permanently]) is a very large plus for me. So you're better off than you think; just get a good DAC.

The Gilmore is a splendid amplifier, and it pairs quite well with the Grado RS-1s I'm currently auditioning (and sending off tomorrow ) as well as my usual cans, the Audio-Technica ATH-W1000s. That's pretty similar to the setup I have now.

Now start working on the music. No matter what your system consists of, that's the most important part.

- Chris