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Set Ups: Set Ups: One for the ages!

post #1 of 19
5/14/09 at 3:29am
Thread Starter 
Ok, as a fairly new member of Head-fi I have spent some hours over the last few months trying to devise a setup for myself. To put it bluntly I am not one to go out and buy the first thing I see, I would like to create myself a setup and keep it. Not have to tweak it or worry about it. I would like to build it as a project (assembling various components) over a period of time and then *gasp* listen to it! Devote many hours to listening to it that is.
As a college student, thus on a tight budget, I would like to assemble a respectable setup and keep it. Basically I am asking for your advice on a headphone and amp, cables, etc. That would give me a great! Bang for the buck system. One that I could be happy and content with for a very long time.
I look to headphones for, yes, their great bang for the buck as opposed to a speaker hi-fi system that would be very unaffordable.

Some details:
I would use it for home listening (forget portability - if it comes as a bonus that’s great - if not - that’s dandy)
I want a good bang for the buck system
I want a headphone amp and cables that are a "match made in heaven" and a good value too.
As a source I am using my computer (HP) with an option as an optical out (so you may need to throw in a DAC recommendation) though it has a sound codec that seems to be able to support hi-res flac files so I am not sure that is nessa.
I have all my good albums burned to flac on my HP but I would consider a CD or SACD player as an option.
Important: Music I listen to most: Classical - Rap/Hip-hop - Jazz - Country (wilco, ryan adams, etc) - Electronic Indy Rock (Minus the Bear, etc)
Used is cool
Emphasis goes on clarity - great sound scope - strong but not overpowering detail - I want to be able to hear separate timbres by the stroking of the instrument and the reverberation of the sound - but not the things that will distract from the performance.


To sum it up I present to you a great problem give me a setup to cherish as a good price I am setting the budget to ($1500-2500) Go wild everyone.

I sort of feel I set up the impossible. I hope I can get great knowledgeable help on this maybe your favorite setups would be a good start?


EDIT: It turns out it is NOT impossible to please me! This discussion has moved to discussing what I settled on and what people think makes their setup an ideal one!
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post #2 of 19
5/14/09 at 3:56am
Um, you can get a pretty decent speaker setup for $1,500-$2,500. Have you looked around Audiogon? Planars might be a great match for you. A pair o Magnepan 1.6QRs used runs around $1,000. You can also find used Quad ESL-63 speakers for $1,000-$1,500. I got my Quads for $650. There are other bargains, too. You can even get a new pair of Magnepan MMGs for $600. Used amps are plentiful and affordable, too. So if you can do speakers, you might want to go that route. You do have enough money.

As for headphones... your options are pretty wide open. I like the Sennheiser HD-600 as an all-around headphone. They're in your budget. Amps can go many ways, but look at used ones here. Your money will go a lot further.

Skip the cables. I can't hear a difference. Just look for good construction and spend your money elsewhere.

You might also want to look at some of the less expensive vinyl rigs. You'll find a lot of music you listen to and they're a terrific source.
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post #3 of 19
5/14/09 at 4:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Erik View Post
You might also want to look at some of the less expensive vinyl rigs. You'll find a lot of music you listen to and they're a terrific source.
^^ words of wisdom.
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post #4 of 19
5/14/09 at 4:12am
Woah, $2,500 and you call that a "tight budget"? I can get my dream gear for $2,500 (well, for a college student anyways)!

If I have $1,500 to spend on a set-up, I'd go for the Audio-gd Compass (with all three opamps to roll with) and a pair or two reference grade headphones, like Grado's RS-1 (or a pair of used GS-1000), AKG K701 or the Sennheiser HD650 and call it a day.
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post #5 of 19
5/14/09 at 2:13pm
Sam, only you can decide what is the best rig for what you want.

Different people prefer different presentations of the music, which I'm sure you know. What I consider to be perfect for me you may find boring, or flat out awful sounding.

Because of this, I will not directly recommend a system FOR YOU, but I will state the system that kept me VERY happy through college.

It was a Sennheiser HD650, ~350$
HeadAmp GS-1 headphone amplifier, ~900$, or less used.
MHDT labs NOS DAC, such as the Paradisea+ or Havana (with a good WE396A vintage tube). ~550 - 800$, depending on which one. Tube ~20-30$.
Cables were nothing special, just ones that were built good.

That setup sounded wonderful to me. Smooth as butter. All of the other headphones (~350-700$) I tried were merely different presentations, not what I would call an upgrade. That kept me happy for a couple of years, which was shocking. I finally upgraded to the HE60, and that was a very impressive upgrade (showed me just how good the amp and dac really were!).

This is in your budget, so I say consider it. It sure had it's unique sound signature, with the most luscious mids I've yet to hear.

Heck, 350+700(used)+550 is just 1600$, which could leave you 900$ for a nice little speaker setup since you will already have a DAC.
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post #6 of 19
1/29/10 at 10:23pm
Thread Starter 

Setup for the ages follow up!

Not to dig up an old thread but I think this deserves an update.

Having first purchased a pair of SR60is and absolutely falling short in my eyes for critical listening. I began my search for the phones for me and I must say I think I have found my setup for the ages!
Having heard such setups as HD650 Cradas - HD600 - K701 - etc. Diving into IEMs for a short time. In 8 months I have come a long way and settled on a setup I know I will be happy with for years.

Currently running a Grace m902 with the Mark Lawton LA2000 cans.

This is simply and amazing setup and one for the ages. It's not crazy "hi-fi" but organic and detailed. This is my type of sound. It's musical presentation is sweet!

I will post my initial impressions in a couple days. I just needed to shout my amazement at finally having what I set out looking for.
MAD props to MarkL here for putting in the hard work for these truely amazing phones.
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post #7 of 19
1/29/10 at 10:58pm

FLAC files > uDAC > Indeed hybrid(7308 rolled) > k702

like in the title... FLAC music files to a NuForce uDAC then to a Indeed Hybrid amp with a sylvania 7308 tube inline with the k702 is where i call my quest for audiophilia perfection done! It is all i can afford and really sounds great, ive got many hours (400 +) on the 702s and 100ish on the rest of the rig(actual listening time, not burn in). All together my rig costs $450!!! and hits way above the price i think. For someone with a better budget than myn seriously consider giving this a try and upgrading to fit your needs from here. The quick and dirty sound sig is very analytical with tightly controled bass that has impact when the music calls for it. vocals sound live and highs make me reconsider feelings(for the better) i had for songs long ago. hope this helps and good luck with your hi-fi journey, ive been at it for 5ish years now. Never dreamed id be where im at when i bought that first pair of senn. 201s haha happy listening everybody!
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post #8 of 19
1/30/10 at 3:16am
That's not even close to a tight budget, I WISH I could spend $2500 on audio gear.

You listen to a really broad variety of music, and for that I'd probably recommend Sennheiser's or Beyerdynamics. At $2500, you could get a VERY respectable setup with either the HD800 or the T1 (T1 saves you some money and initial impressions from other people make me think that'd be better for you).

I'm a bit of an Audio-GD fanboy, so my amp/DAC recommendations (you do need a DAC by the way, just because your PC supports FLAC codecs does not mean it is converting them to analog very well) are somewhat biased, there may be better in your budget but it'd be hard to find something as good with the money you have leftover after buying high end cans.

So here are my recommendations:

Headphones - Beyerdynamic T1 ($1000) or Sennheiser HD800 ($1400), both are top tier cans and reading peoples' initial impressions leads me to believe the T1 would suit you more.

Amp - Audio-GD C2 ($350)

DAC - Audio-GD DAC19 ($480 or $630 depending on version, might as well go for the better one though at your budget)

With the HD800, shipping in that'll take you to a little below or a little above your $2500 budget, with the T1 you'll be quite a bit under, and that is a really fantastic setup you would be happy with for years.

Some people may recommend a tube amp over SS to go with the above headphones, but that's just my recommendation. For amp/DAC recommendations you may want to go to that forum as I'm no expert.
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post #9 of 19
1/30/10 at 6:20am
With a $2500 budget and your musical tastes, I'd say go for the HD800. They're top of the line 'phones that will serve you well even after your college days. They actually sync pretty well with a wide range of DACs/amps that you could pick up for $1000.

The key to setting up a personal rig is good quality cans that bring out the best in your preferred music. You can then build your rig around it. As your available funds increase over the years, you can upgrade the DAC and amp to better complement the HD800.

There's a lot of info on Head-fi on a wide range of DACs/amps for the HD800. You should be able to zero in on some that will fit your present budget and tastes.
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post #10 of 19
1/30/10 at 9:08am
You are sure you aren´t looking for speakers if you don´t need portability?

my 300$ XTZ 89 speakers which aren´t really "high end" speakers beat any of my headphones in audio fidelity by not a small margin. Took a while to get the accoustics right though. That means they are not all that "fun" for modern pop music but great for classical or jazz if you want things to sound real. You never catch them doing anything really wrong anyway.

I do love the intimacy headphones gives you and the extra layer of detail though. And I have managed to find headphones while technically inferior just as rewarding to listen to.

For me it´s currently the Pro 900... But they aren´t "strong". Weak but with oh so much nuances and detail instead. Most detailed headphone I ever listened to after KeeS modding them. I don´t know but so far with the headphones that sound "strong" HD 650, ED 8, DX 1000 they seem to sacrifice detail in the process even at lower volumes. Dunno if you can eat the cake and still have it.

I am planning a trio... my speakers for maximum fidelity, Pro 900 because they do have a speed advantage and just something magical about them. Also the most detailed headphone I ever heard.

And ED 8 or DX 1000. May end up with both if I am unlucky ... They do sound big. Takes you to a better world though not the last say in term of transparency. But there is where my Pro 900 or if that is not enough my speakers kicks in when I need that

Anyway if you go by headphones don´t bet it all on one headphone since you are unlikely to find something that really does it all the way a good speaker setup can.
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post #11 of 19
1/30/10 at 10:22am
If you go with cd player you should consider Burson Audio 160 and akg k702 !
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post #12 of 19
1/30/10 at 10:33am
If I were a college student with a $2500 budget, this is what I would get:

Get a Benchmark DAC1 PRE and either HD650 or D7000 (since it is closed this is probably a good choice for a college student) or both. The DAC1 PRE is very flexible for future expansion if you get into speakers in the future. It has a lot of digital inputs and a very good USB input. It can serve as an excellent preamp in a speaker based system. Also it is very compact so it won't take up a lot of space. I think the DAC1 PRE is a little better than the earlier versions as well. Another plus is that you won't have to buy interconnects.

An alternative to the DAC1 PRE is the Grace M902. I like the Benchmark better because I think its USB input is better and it has a better DAC. You can get the D7000 for about $600 through J&R (currently out of stock) or the HD650 for about $310 on ebay. The DAC1 PRE is about $1600 new. Another good thing about the Benchmark is that you can find them on Audiogon and they are easy to buy or sell and it retains a good portion of its MSRP if you buy new. They usually don't last long on Audiogon.
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post #13 of 19
1/30/10 at 12:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam-Fi View Post
Not to dig up an old thread but I think this deserves an update.

Having first purchased a pair of SR60is and absolutely falling short in my eyes for critical listening. I began my search for the phones for me and I must say I think I have found my setup for the ages!
Having heard such setups as HD650 Cradas - HD600 - K701 - etc. Diving into IEMs for a short time. In 8 months I have come a long way and settled on a setup I know I will be happy with for years.

Currently running a Grace m902 with the Mark Lawton LA2000 cans.

This is simply and amazing setup and one for the ages. It's not crazy "hi-fi" but organic and detailed. This is my type of sound. It's musical presentation is sweet!

I will post my initial impressions in a couple days. I just needed to shout my amazement at finally having what I set out looking for.
MAD props to MarkL here for putting in the hard work for these truely amazing phones.
Let's see if you keep this setup for more than a year.
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post #14 of 19
1/30/10 at 12:24pm
PS: I love how people are still responding to the origional post. Gotta love it when people don't read the full thread. ^_^
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post #15 of 19
1/30/10 at 4:03pm
Thread Starter 
haha, true and one of them even recommended something similar to what I have now. Dac Pre (aka grace) and Denon D7000 (la2000)

I would like to some day hear a pair of top electrostats -

You seem so skeptical that I will have this setup for long!
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