Proper source components and cables for end-game kit.

This is my first post in the Head-Fi forums :) I was just curious what the community thinks about DACs and Phono amps to be paired with LCD-3 / HD 800 / PS1000 grade headphones with amps to match as well as Stax. I have yet to attend a proper meet but I soon hope to. In the meantime I'd like to gather more information on the subject and see what a full summit-fi heaphone system is comprised of. People seem to be most impressed by the BHSE, but what would be the best source option at such a high level of clarity output? Thanks for your time!

The reason why I'd like to know is because I'd be interested in purchasing a high quality source to bring to a meet I'd like to attend. I'd like to see what people would most appreciate so I would then be able to learn more from the audiophile community. I recently found HDTracks and the recordings are amazing. I've been going to record shops around my area and I would love to take advantage of the real fidelity that can be presented using such quality recordings. What is the best way to experience the music? What should I be playing these files back through? I need some help making a wise investment since there are so many options to sort through and for a novice it can be sort of daunting.

First, to answer your questions, I don't believe I'd need SACD playback as I don't have any SACDs, although it might be a nice feature to look into for the future. I think I've honestly decided to skip the BHSE and Stax electrostatics because the price is a just a little steep for the two components, not to mention the wait time is somewhat of a factor. I think the honor of owning such a fine amp should be reserved for seasoned audiophiles, and I'm very much a novice. This system I'm building now should last a long time and if having a balanced chain makes all the difference then I should definitely look into balanced components just in-case I decide to re-terminate whatever headphones I choose at a later time. I've been trying to imagine what my ideal listening room will look like. I've exhausted my Logitech 5.1 desktop system and Sony headphones from Best Buy so an upgrade is definitely necessary. I have a small CD collection that I'd like to play through a dedicated CD Player. I've got two large moving boxes full of vinyl but my turntable and solid state amp by Pioneer are rather ancient and sound worn and mishandled, I got these passed down as second hand so it would be nice to replace them rather than have them serviced. I DJ so I have a vast collection of MP3 / WAV / FLAC files on my PC so a DAC is necessary. I auditioned the full line of AX speakers by Adam Audio and I was VERY impressed. I produce electronic music with various DAWs so having a nice set of speakers to do studio monitoring would be great. Two A8X speakers and a Sub8 subwoofer I imagine would be ideal and those would likely be hooked up to my PC via my PCI X-Fi Titanium Edition sound card, if I'm not mistaken (please suggest a different setup for this if I'm totally off-base, or if it would be possible to upgrade to something else) I'm also wondering if power conditioning for all this is a factor, as well as cables. I've been doing a bunch of forum browsing and reading guides so here are some products I think I'd be most interested in to be configured with each other. Like I said I'm very much a novice so any advice on this configuration or if something wouldn't sound well together please mention it and I would appreciate it! I can't wait to hear my huge music collection in full fidelity and bring some of this kit to a meet! Audez'e LCD-3, Apex Peak and Volcano amp, M-DAC by Audiolab, Silver Circle Audio Pure Power One 3.0, Leema Acoustics Elements Phono Amp, Rega RP1 Turntable, Goldring 2100 Cartridge, Marantz CD6004 CD Player, Quadrasphere Bamboo racks to store and house everything, and I seem to like Chord Company / QED interconnects because the price isn't outrageous but there seems to be some significant quality based on reviews I've read. Any additional pieces of kit I should look at? Thanks for your help and time to look this over!

Edited by DieNamic - 2/8/12 at 11:13pm

A long time ago I used to work at Best Buy and I loved hearing the Martin Logan Summit X system we had on display in a listening room. I couldn't get enough of how that sounded and would love to re-create that experience with headphones. I've looked high and low for a hi-fi store in Houston where I'm from to try and demo some kit but there honestly aren't any that I'm aware of. I've searched on Yelp, google, asked around and even checked a phone book and the only store featuring anything somewhat high fidelity is Bang and Olufsen which isn't at all what I'm looking for. You said it is important that I understand why the PS1000 shouldn't be on my list, why is that? I've heard great things about that headphone.

I know man! I was surprised also. I'm kinda' aggravated that there isn't a single Hi-Fi shop in the entire city or anywhere for that matter in Texas. I'll have to keep looking, I keep thinking that there is bound to be one but I haven't had any luck in finding one yet. I think everyone thinks I'm picky, but to be honest I've been living with super crap headphones for the longest time now, ANYTHING would be nice over these cans that are held together by tape. How could you NOT like headphones like the LCD-3s or etc? I understand some recordings might be TOO clear, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Too much realism is a whole lot better than the blatant hissing when I try to watch a movie or instruments being totally void in some recordings where I can distinctly hear them when I route the audio through my flat screen TV. I love music, and would appreciate a hi-fi rig too much to not have one. The reason why I gravitate to the Audez'e LCD-3s is because, and this might be as gimmicky a reason as ever, but they are endorsed by artists that I listen to on a daily basis. Nero, Downlink, Reid Speed, Chase & Status, Excision, Sub Focus, Vaski, etc... Downlink, an artists I have some respect for, commented that it was the best he's ever heard bass before so that means a lot to me. At least enough to be interested enough to demo them. If anybody knows a shop near The Woodlands, Houston, or surrounding areas please let me know!

customcoco, I definitely realize that headphones won't re-create speakers but I actually prefer headphones to speakers. Not to mention building a rig with loudspeakers would be much more expensive than putting together a solid rig meant for headphones. I prefer headphones anyway, actually. When I want to listen to music I naturally reach for my cans. Thank you for that explanation though. I won't even miss the thump of my subwoofer because the agility I would get through a nice set of cans would definitely, definitely make up for that. The headphones I have makes up for it, I can only imagine what real headphones would be like.

Alright! :D That's what's up! Much appreciated :) The only problem is, I have nothing to contribute!!! That was kind of the whole root point of this post, was for me to get something to bring to that meet in particular! What do you want to hear?? Can you bring your own music??

bahaha alright that sounds do-able on the cables, I'll buy some beer instead then. I guess I'll just bring some of my old vinyl or see if I can't pick up anything new from a shop around here somewhere beforehand. I see the thread starter for the meet, Morbid Toaster, has BT as his profile pic; that's badass. I'll flip my **** if I can hear Feed Me's Big Adventure on vinyl or a dedicated CD player through some high grade headphones and a DIY amp engineered for bass or something ridiculous like that. I'm pretty amped about this event!