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Upgrade map for your headphone system - Page 6

post #76 of 91
1/23/12 at 2:09am

Can't go wrong with either :)

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post #77 of 91
1/23/12 at 11:58am

Get both.  Keep one and send me the one you don't want.  biggrin.gif

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post #78 of 91
1/28/12 at 11:06pm

Alright, I'm going to put out my current thought for the headphone system I'd consider getting around a year from now, and then I can look back at that point and see if my thoughts have shifted, refined, or whether I already have it by then.  My idea is the Stax Lambda SR-507 / SRM-006tS and an Ultrasone Edition 8.  Source/DAC/amp still unknown.

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post #79 of 91
2/24/12 at 11:30am
Thread Starter 

I made a huge unscheduled upgrade about a month ago. This mainly due to great synergy between two components that were in house during no-strings-attached auditions. Basically how can one pass on such a rare no-risk opportunity?

 

At this point I still hope to keep things static until at least summer. The next major upgrade will be the source.

 

- Off Ramp 5 or...

- Antelope Gold/Voltikus 

 

The Off Ramp I expect will play on the strengths of my current DAC, the Neko D100 MK2--which is a huge plus. The Antelope has a promising concept with encouraging reviews, but I will probably need an in house audition to pull the trigger.

 

In terms of amplification, maybe in a year, and there are not many choices. The TTVJ/Millet 6SN7 based Peak would be a seamless choice. Finding a used TTVJ/Millet 307A might probably be an end-of-the-line upgrade for dynamic headphones.

 

For dynamic headphones I'll look no further than the HD800. Its likely I'll pick up another near the end of the year. 

 

 

 

 

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post #80 of 91
2/24/12 at 6:42pm

I borrowed a pair of $15 Coby headphones from my cousin. Sounded awful. So it began...

 

1. K701 and EMU-0404 USB. I won the Schiit Asgard in a raffle. I still have to finish my M^3 amp, o11 psu, and y1/y2 DAC, and a couple small AMB projects.

2. Denon D2000 and Senn HD600.

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post #81 of 91
2/24/12 at 11:14pm

All right, after a brief session with the SR-202 and SRM-212, then passing those on when I found that the sound signature wasn't necessarily for the better and the higher clamping force wasn't easy to get used to, I know what my headphone upgrade plan is.

 

-Stax SR-Lambda, Normal bias, stock drivers (as opposed to my current set with rebuilt drivers) and in perfect working order.

 

That's it. I might consider picking up an SRM-1/Mk2 or building an ExStatA or something along those lines, but it's not high on my priority list. What I've found is that the vintage Lambda offers both the sound and the comfort I'm looking for, and it's not nearly as bank-busting as most Stax offerings.

 

The only other thing I might do, if the pads need to be replaced, is to apply some genuine leather pads.

 

Aside from those, I'm stopping all headphone-related expenditures for my primary desktop setup before this place takes financial damage to extremes.

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post #82 of 91
3/1/12 at 1:35pm

"This place" is just addictive. Started out here with a simple 007t/SR-007MK1 set 18 months ago, now I've got a BHSE, a Aristaeus, a T2 under construction, and a SR-009 as well as a HE60, running on a Ayre QB-9. So - never believe that there will be an end to it biggrin.gif

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post #83 of 91
3/2/12 at 12:54am

Next Tuesday, I will be receiving a UPS delivery for a like new mint condition pair of Sennheiser HD-650 headphones along with the stock cable and Moon Audio Blue Dragon cable from another Head-Fi member. She shipped it via UPS yesterday and she tested everything to make sure that it all works right out of the box.

 

Otherwise, I was thinking about buying a new pair of Grado SR-60i to go with my HeadRoom TotalBitHead.

 

I placed a pre-order for the new Madonna M.D.N.A. deluxe album.

 

I am considering to place another Amazon order for these CDs:

 

Joshua Bell French Impressions

Cranberries Roses

Lana Del Ray Born to Die

Hilary Hahn Spectacular

Bruce Springsteen Wrecking Ball Special Edition

 

I would place my order next Tuesday after a PayPal transaction is directly deposited into my bank account.

 

I am not sure which to choose yet. I will think about it for the next couple of days to see what I want to do.

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post #84 of 91
3/2/12 at 10:28am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pachku View Post

"This place" is just addictive. Started out here with a simple 007t/SR-007MK1 set 18 months ago, now I've got a BHSE, a Aristaeus, a T2 under construction, and a SR-009 as well as a HE60, running on a Ayre QB-9. So - never believe that there will be an end to it biggrin.gif

 

Lucky you, looks like all you have now are downgrades. smily_headphones1.gif


 

 

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhoebeFairchild View Post

 

I am considering to place another Amazon order for these CDs:

 

Hilary Hahn Spectacular

 


Do it! I have all of those pieces except the Barber, and the Brahms, Shostakovich, Stravinsky are exceptional. The Beethoven and Mendelssohn are great as well. 

 

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------

 

My jkenny SPDIF MK3 is going to a new home, and an Audiophilleo 2 is on the way a I type. I consider this as less of an upgrade, than an exploration of current technology leading to an upgrade proper.  blink.gif

 

 

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post #85 of 91
3/2/12 at 10:35am

I decided to forgo the rest of the CDs except I will definitely get the Hilary Hahn Spectacular three CD album. This is a rare import three CD album so it is difficult to obtain because quantities are always limited. I will place my Amazon order next Wednesday for certain.

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post #86 of 91
4/27/12 at 8:06pm

So.... It all started with a Audio Technica M50 I got for my birthday about 8 months ago. 
Now I have Senn Hd598, Hd600, Beyer Dt880 with a Denon 2000 and Grado 325i on the way.

Im happy! beyersmile.png  I basically got to try all the headphones ive wanted to (mid-tier)! except the ultrasone 900 but im perfectly content at the moment. 

Sell everything and get the HD800? haha we'll see about that.

 

yay!

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post #87 of 91
4/28/12 at 12:03pm

My First Tier Set was

 

ZUNE HD 32gb Fiio E6 Sony XB700[Modded]

          This will be my Mp3 (320k) Slave till the end of time

 

Tier 2 [Will be]

Byerdynamic DT880 Pro Cowon C2 (16g[32(g) SD Card]) Fiio E11

      At this stage I plan to only listen to .FLAC or Loseless on this source

 

 

                                    Tier 2a

                                          Sony XB 1000 HifiMan 620 (8g[32(g) SD Card]) Fiio E17

 

And that's all I have so far, I'd like to get Hifi Man HE-500 or Azude LCD-2 at some point in my life, sadly though I need to get more aquainted with amplification and Audio Playback before I invest that high, plus I need a GOOD job... as I'm mega broke >.>

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post #88 of 91
4/28/12 at 2:13pm
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by johnman1116 View Post

 

Sell everything and get the HD800? haha we'll see about that.

 

yay!

 

 

I'm not here to recommend it, but that's what I did. smily_headphones1.gif The good news is there are no other dynamic phones that I'm interested in at this point. 

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post #89 of 91
5/1/12 at 10:25pm

It's hard to believe I've added over $1K of things since my last post in this thread 3 months ago.  Since then I've picked up a custom amp and HD800s.  The good news is I've pretty much exhausted all avenues of upgrades and have turned my focus back to music recently.  I know this because instead of gear, I bought about 15-20 CDs in the last month.  A friend also gave me 350gb of FLAC albums.  (Best thing I've gotten so far this year or last).  I'll keep from predicting anymore upgrade paths.

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post #90 of 91
5/2/12 at 4:58am

I recently added Denon D5000 headphones, Millett MiniMAX amp, and a GrubDAC. I'm now in the planning stages of a Beta 22/Sigma 22 build, probably this fall/winter. I'd also like to build a Buffalo DAC, and I'd like a good, not-too-expensive set of closed headphones for work. I had resisted upgraditis for a number of years, but suffered a relapse last year when I picked up some HD580's, an iMod, and a Goldpoint amp.

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