MrSpeakers Alpha Dog Revealed! - The World's First Production 3D-Printed Headphones | Page 348 | Headphone Reviews and Discussion - Head-Fi.org

hans030390 · Jan 20, 2014 at 10:23 AM

jeremyr said:
I have a $35 DAC as source to $600 headphones. You think I would be better served having a $600 DAC as source for $35 headphones?

Depending on the DAC, there's a slight possibility. You might actually be surprised what you can get with that backwards sounding combination! Lately, I've been listening a lot to a modded Tascam TH-02. So, technically more than $35 after mods are included...about $50. But the DACs I'm running cost from around $400 to $2500. I also like the Tascam a lot from the Vali, about double the cost of the headphone. Am I doing it wrong? Haha.

Perhaps kstuart didn't mean that quite as directly as it seemed, but rather that he has recently been surprised by how much of a difference a DAC and the chain behind it can make to what we hear and our overall enjoyment.

Now that I've started testing out different DACs and doing a bit of research on how they work and impact what we hear, and my experience and knowledge is still extremely limited, I'm finding that the DAC plays a noticeably larger role in what we hear that I initially expected. Of course, it's arguably one of the subtler aspects of audio in terms of what we hear. It won't dramatically transform a headphone into something it's not, but that's not to say a DAC can't leave it's own unique "footprint" on the sound that we find more or less favorable over another DAC.

ninjapirate9901 · Jan 20, 2014 at 10:31 AM

sunneebear said:
The LCD-2 is quite efficient for a ortho so the differences may not be as apparent as something like the TR50P or HE-6. I have not heard the Ember but from your view with the LCD-2, I would bet my money on the Mini-X.

Unless I'm missing something, I thought the T50RP and modded versions were still more effecient than the LCD-2. Based on Tyll's measurements, the LCD-2 requires ~0.87mW to reach 90dB SPL, whereas the Mad Dogs require 0.52mW to reach the same level.

On a side note, the best amp I have tried the Alpha Dogs (and most headphones including the HE-6) with is the Bryston BHA-1. That thing is a beast, I think I'll probably get rid of my Soloist for one sometime in the near future.

JeremyR · Jan 20, 2014 at 10:48 AM

hans030390 said:
Depending on the DAC, there's a slight possibility. You might actually be surprised what you can get with that backwards sounding combination! Lately, I've been listening a lot to a modded Tascam TH-02. So, technically more than $35 after mods are included...about $50. But the DACs I'm running cost from around $400 to $2500. I also like the Tascam a lot from the Vali, about double the cost of the headphone. Am I doing it wrong? Haha.

Perhaps kstuart didn't mean that quite as directly as it seemed, but rather that he has recently been surprised by how much of a difference a DAC and the chain behind it can make to what we hear and our overall enjoyment.

Now that I've started testing out different DACs and doing a bit of research on how they work and impact what we hear, and my experience and knowledge is still extremely limited, I'm finding that the DAC plays a noticeably larger role in what we hear that I initially expected. Of course, it's arguably one of the subtler aspects of audio in terms of what we hear. It won't dramatically transform a headphone into something it's not, but that's not to say a DAC can't leave it's own unique "footprint" on the sound that we find more or less favorable over another DAC.

All that I completely agree with. However that's a radically different answer then the most important piece of the chain is the DAC.

This leads me to a question that might be off topic, but I feel would be incredibly important to someone new looking at the AD's as an intro into better sound.

I love the AD's, and will by no means be replacing them. However I just have a quick sanity check on my setup. The goal was the best sound quality without spending a fortune, needed a closed back solution, and it needed to be portable. My final rig is:

Sansa Clip+ $35 w/rockbox
32gig micro SD $20
Fiio E12 $129
Alpha Dogs $600
1/4" to 3.5mm headphone adapter. $8

So my total cost was $792. If you had $800 dollars to spend and wanted the best sound quality you could get for that money, what would you have done?

sunneebear · Jan 20, 2014 at 10:52 AM

ninjapirate9901 said:
Unless I'm missing something, I thought the T50RP and modded versions were still more effecient than the LCD-2. Based on Tyll's measurements, the LCD-2 requires ~0.87mW to reach 90dB SPL, whereas the Mad Dogs require 0.52mW to reach the same level.

On a side note, the best amp I have tried the Alpha Dogs (and most headphones including the HE-6) with is the Bryston BHA-1. That thing is a beast, I think I'll probably get rid of my Soloist for one sometime in the near future.

I do not know why because the LCD-2 is 60 ohm and only 90 db while the T50RP is 50 ohm and 98 db. I think that means the Fostex is easier to drive and should play louder but the Audeze sounds louder and closer it's best sound quality out of weak portable devices while the Fostex is lower in volume and can sound quite flat, dead or downright boring.

LoveKnight · Jan 20, 2014 at 11:49 AM

Then it is very strange. I read a lot in Emotiva Mini X a-100 months ago and saw many people said that the Fostex T50rps, Mad Dogs and even Alpha Dogs are harder to drive than the Audeze LCD series, they seem to use the volume knob up when pairing with Dogs more than the Audeze.

mrspeakers · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:16 PM

Tomorrow we will ship orders through Dec 1.

mrspeakers · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:18 PM

sunneebear said:
I do not know why because the LCD-2 is 60 ohm and only 90 db while the T50RP is 50 ohm and 98 db.

The stock Fostex is 98 dB, the Mad Dog and Alpha Dog are closer to 90dB. I will say that the new iPhone 5S does a much better job with them than any other phone I've heard to date, and the AK 120 does a really nice job as a "one box" portable solution.

Hutnicks · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:24 PM

mrspeakers said:
The stock Fostex is 98 dB, the Mad Dog and Alpha Dog are closer to 90dB. I will say that the new iPhone 5S does a much better job with them than any other phone I've heard to date, and the AK 120 does a really nice job as a "one box" portable solution.

Any chance you'd be willing do do a review of the 120 with specific reference to your two headphones?

LoveKnight · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:33 PM

Nope, I do not think he can do a review of AK120 or other brands because ... you know some people could think he wants to advertise something ... My order is in January so keep waiting.

mrspeakers · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:35 PM

hutnicks said:
Any chance you'd be willing do do a review of the 120 with specific reference to your two headphones?

MOT precludes me from doing reviews, but I thought the 120 was a very nice unit. I use a 100 as a transport to drive my portable DAC/Amp setups.

Hutnicks · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:43 PM

mrspeakers said:
MOT precludes me from doing reviews, but I thought the 120 was a very nice unit. I use a 100 as a transport to drive my portable DAC/Amp setups.

Ah. Sorry I should have read through that. Not being involved in the trade anymore, it never occurred to me.

Would it be your recommended setup for a single source or are their other solutions that perform well with the dogs?

kstuart · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:43 PM

jeremyr said:
kstuart said:

The more I get into it, the more I find that it's the DAC that matters the most.

Click to expand...

I have a $35 DAC as source to $600 headphones. You think I would be better served having a $600 DAC as source for $35 headphones?

Rather than having this discussion over again, just read the first time through, starting with:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/604583/hifiman-he-400-impressions-and-discussion-thread/11925#post_9677207

It's worth noting that TMRaven, who was the most skeptical at the time, now largely agrees...

PS I am sure the mods would consider it off-topic to comment about that thread in this thread !

mrspeakers · Jan 20, 2014 at 7:54 PM

There are other players that are lower end, the X3 and e12, for example. I don't own them, and have only limited time listening, so it'd be better for someone else to comment.

Hutnicks · Jan 20, 2014 at 8:05 PM

mrspeakers said:
There are other players that are lower end, the X3 and e12, for example. I don't own them, and have only limited time listening, so it'd be better for someone else to comment.

e12 is an amp.

Not fond of X3. Love to hear opinions of X5 and dogs when the X5 becomes available though.

Anyone out there running a DAP alone with the Mr. Speakers phones, feel free to post up.

MattTCG · Jan 20, 2014 at 8:20 PM

I didn't find the x3 a good match for the AD. It just didn't have enough pop to offer good dynamics.

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