Greetings Head-Fi!

 

Ive been lurking the forums for quite some days now, soaking up the info that is spread out in the page, hoping to get some clues towards the purchase of a Head-Fi Rig. I think I have reached a nice setup but then again this is the reason I am making this thread, to see what you guys think.

 

So here it is:

 

Headphones - Beyerdynamic DT 880 Edition (600 Ohms)

 

DAC - Cambridge Audio Dacmagic

 

Amplifier - WooAudio 3

 

Cabling - Cambridge Audio AUD900

 

 

I would only play lossless audio on this Setup. The music I listen to is very varied, I can be Rock, Metal, Blues, Opera, Classical, Electronic, Folk.... Its all around the park, that is the main reason I chose the DT 880, Ive read many people saying that they are good neutral Headphones.

 

My budget is 1000 Pounds (1629 Dollars), I am open to suggestions and feedback as id like to have the best experience possible for what I am spending.

 

 

Thank you Head-Fi Community!

LCD 2 or the other high end headphones.

Just to Clarify, the 1000 Pounds (1629 Dollars) budget is including everything, not only for the Headphones. Although they sure seem nice in the reviews it a little out of my league at the moment.
 
Any thoughts guys?

Looks like you did your research -- that's a nice setup plan you've got there!  I haven't had any personal experience with the Cambridge DAC or cables, but I have read good things about the Dacmagic.
 
The DT880/600 is my personal choice for best headphone under $500.  I find them to be more neutral than the K701 and the HD650, and therefore more versatile.  The HD650 and K701 both have strengths and excel at certain, specific types of music, but overall I think the DT880/600 sounds best with the widest variety of genres.  Based on the description of the varied music you like, I think the DT880 will be an excellent choice for you.
 
For the 600-ohm Beyerdynamics, I have to say that an OTL tube amp is a must to get their best performance -- so the WA3 is probably a good choice.  As an alternative, you might also consider the Schiit Valhalla.  I've never heard the WA3, so unfortunately I can't compare the two, but I can say that the Valhalla is a very well-built, great-sounding amp, and it pairs very well with the DT880/600.

Thanks for the heads up on the Schiit Valhalla man, it looks really nice!
 
Quote:

sophonax said:

Looks like you did your research -- that's a nice setup plan you've got there!  I haven't had any personal experience with the Cambridge DAC or cables, but I have read good things about the Dacmagic.
 
The DT880/600 is my personal choice for best headphone under $500.  I find them to be more neutral than the K701 and the HD650, and therefore more versatile.  The HD650 and K701 both have strengths and excel at certain, specific types of music, but overall I think the DT880/600 sounds best with the widest variety of genres.  Based on the description of the varied music you like, I think the DT880 will be an excellent choice for you.
 
For the 600-ohm Beyerdynamics, I have to say that an OTL tube amp is a must to get their best performance -- so the WA3 is probably a good choice.  As an alternative, you might also consider the Schiit Valhalla.  I've never heard the WA3, so unfortunately I can't compare the two, but I can say that the Valhalla is a very well-built, great-sounding amp, and it pairs very well with the DT880/600.

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Beyerdynamic T1
 
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-T1-Headphones-Tesla-Technology/dp/B0031RD3YY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302195115&sr=8-1
 
I know the £1000 is for the whole rig, but you'll get more return from SQ increase per £££ from upgrading your headphone rather than getting a new Amp/Dac.  Otherwise, I would increase my headphones collection to fit specific genres like a Grado for rock/metal and Ultrasone Pro 900 for electronic music or in your case both of them.

Very nice setup! I've heard the pricier headphones and come back to the DT880, in my opinion the above suggestion of headphones are sidesteps, not upgrades. The only thing I would change in your setup is the DAC; the Dacmagic isn't very detail oriented, in fact I preferred a $100 ZERO DAC to it. I would suggest buying the cheapest op-amp based DAC or raising your budget somewhat and going discrete.

Buy multiple cheaper headphones that compliment eachother to satisfy different listening moods, and get a versatile amp and dac. Listening to the same headphones gets boring after awhile. Change is good. Just my opinion.

This sounds like a great rig, especially if descriptions of the DT880 sound like they are your cup of tea. You're on track to have a really solid rig made up of really well-respected components from end-to-end, and if you're ready to take the leap, I'd say go for it.
 
The only thing that I might consider is - although the Woo3 I'm sure will sound great with high-ohm DT880s, it's not going to be a great amplifier for low-impedance headphones. It might be worthwhile considering something more versatile (likely a hybrid or a solid-state amplifier) in case you think you'll continue experimenting with your headphone selection in the future (e.g., the K701, LCD-2, any of the HifiMans would all be better served with a more powerful amplifier). This also doesn't necessarily have to be a more expensive route, as I think there are many excellent options out there.
 
But again, this is just one thing to think about - if you feel good about the DT880s (or think that at some point you will experiment with the HD600/650, HD800, or T1), you'll be in great shape with that rig. Enjoy!

Thank you very much for the feedback guys! Its great to hear I am on the right path!
 
Ive made it a must to get a Valve Amp not only because of the sound quality but also because of the trip down memory lane.
 
 
Ive been looking at the Woo6 and it must be because I am quite new to this but I am having a hard time spotting the differences between them and the Woo3, does anyone know what justifies the price hike?

 
Quote:

stignos said:

Thank you very much for the feedback guys! Its great to hear I am on the right path!
 
Ive made it a must to get a Valve Amp not only because of the sound quality but also because of the trip down memory lane.
 
 
Ive been looking at the Woo6 and it must be because I am quite new to this but I am having a hard time spotting the differences between them and the Woo3, does anyone know what justifies the price hike?

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The WA6 is an output transformer-coupled (OTC) amp, whereas the WA3 is an output transformer-less (OTL) amp.  Basically this means that the WA6 will be suitable for headphones of just about all impedances, whereas the WA3 will likely only be a good match for headphones with a higher impedance (say, maybe 100 ohms or higher).  The WA3 might work okay for lower impedance headphones, but it would probably be noticeably sub-optimal.
 
So basically, the WA6 will be more versatile if you plan on experimenting with other headphones, like AmanGeorge suggested.  However, if you're definitely set on the DT880/600, I'd suspect that the WA3 would probably be the better match.  Not to say that the WA6 wouldn't be a good match for the DT880/600, but I think the WA3 would probably be better.  I don't have any actual listening experience with either, so that's just a guess based on the amp architectures.
 
 

I would skimp on the cables and use the money towards a WA6. But if you think the cables make a noticeable difference, go ahead.

The  DT880/600 are pretty much solid now, also for the DAC since I can get it here in shops and will save me shipping costs.
 
I dont reject the idea of buying some T1´s or GS1000i in the future when I am making more money, but for now ill stick to the  DT880/600.
 
I am having a hard time looking away from the WA6 with the Sophia Tube.... its just so sexy! Plus from what I read it is a great amp too.
 

 
I could stare at that for hours!
 
I guess everything has been narrowed down quite a bit now!

how about the burson 160D and the DT880/600?

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arabstreet said:

how about the burson 160D and the DT880/600?

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Granted, it's up to the OP's discretion, but I don't think now is the time for new recommendations. I don't see anything wrong with the DacMagic, WA6 and DT880 - actually that sounds like a great setup.