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Looking for a good high end setup

post #1 of 10
7/27/09 at 4:16pm
Thread Starter 
I am heading to university this fall for my first year of computer science and I will be living in residence, I am looking for a good high end set up as I have been out of the game for a while.

The headphones I am looking at getting are the HD800 and I want to run them balanced. I am going to feed my music from a Macbook Pro and a AudioNote CDT-Zero (I know not top of the line). So what I require are suggestions for a good balanced amp as well as a good DAC, I had a Benchmark DAC-1 (non-USB) but it isn't truly balanced. Any other suggestions are welcome as well.

Thanks,
Devin
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post #2 of 10
7/27/09 at 4:34pm
Just kinda curious but do you think it's wise to take an expensive setup to college? I have a pretty expensive one too and I am most likely going to leave it at home because all it would take is either one wild party or someone breaking in to steal your stuff for you to be screwed. If you're really determined then you need to give us a price range.
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post #3 of 10
7/27/09 at 5:16pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the reply, I understand your feelings worse come to worse I can either lock the set up away or if it becomes unmanagable I can take it home. I would be looking to spend between 4000-5000 cdn.
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post #4 of 10
7/27/09 at 5:35pm
Well first off I would contact Eddie Current to see if they are making more of the ZDT.
ZDT

You also need to look into a pair of headphone cables. For options you have APS, DHC, SAA, Lawton Audio, and Moon Audio. I'm personally getting a pair from DHC but that is something you should seriously look into.

As for the DAC you can possibly go for this:
AudiogoN ForSale: Wadia Model 27

However if you wanted something cheaper than maybe a Bel Canto 3?
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post #5 of 10
7/27/09 at 5:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by devin_mm View Post
Thanks for the reply, I understand your feelings worse come to worse I can either lock the set up away or if it becomes unmanagable I can take it home. I would be looking to spend between 4000-5000 cdn.
what part of Res are you living in? I hope it's not Lister!
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post #6 of 10
7/27/09 at 6:26pm
check this first, its a really really good dac, balanced and so much more, enough to get a computer scientist busy:

http://www.stereophile.com/mediaservers/207slim/
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post #7 of 10
7/27/09 at 6:36pm
Lavry DA11 DAC has USB and optical digital inputs (great for you Macbook) and also has balanced outs.
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post #8 of 10
7/27/09 at 7:15pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by ABathingApe View Post
what part of Res are you living in? I hope it's not Lister!
No No I've gone turncoat and am going to the University of Calgary.
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post #9 of 10
7/31/09 at 1:04am
I'll keep things light & simple if I were you. You'll likely be moving fairly frequently in college.

Something like a Pico or Lavry DA11 with both DAC & amp will be compact & convenient. Quality will not be too compromise with a pair of well matched phone.

A pair of good powered bookshelf speakers will also be easy to move around. You can stream music from your notebook with a Squeezebox or just connect direct to the Lavry or Pico as source.
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post #10 of 10
8/1/09 at 1:18pm
How about the new Isabellina HPA with variable out of the rca to be used as a pre-amp from Red Wine Audio, add one of their Signature 30.2 amps w/o the volume control and a couple of Omega speakers and voila!

Products > Isabellina HPA - Red Wine Audio

Products > Signature 30.2 - Red Wine Audio

Omega Speaker Systems - Products
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