[phantasmag0ria]

Hmm you could be right about the power supply and high gain mode. I got a custom power supply from AliExpress and it surprisingly made a big difference for my limited edition x7. Sparkos op amps are an easy upgrade, and a must have for the x7 imo. I also use my x7 for gaming and music simultaneously, so your use case may differ.

its pretty much my sound card connected to my pc. thats how i use it.

with the opamp upgrade, how is the cooling. do you keep the shroud closed or open.

 

[tmaxx123]

its pretty much my sound card connected to my pc. thats how i use it.

with the opamp upgrade, how is the cooling. do you keep the shroud closed or open.

Cooling is good! The shroud must be left off to make room for the opamps.

 

[phantasmag0ria]

It isn’t a popular opinion here but I would recommend putting a small part of your overall budget into the electronics and the majority of it into the headphones.

The vast majority of the sound you hear is created by the headphones and the DAC and amplification makes very little to no difference assuming competent equipment designed to reproduce sound without altering it.

I have messed around chasing the differences in sound quality with different electronics and the differences described by many are grossly overstated in my opinion.

A good DAC/amp combination like a Schiit Asgard, which I had, will do 99% of the job for a modest price.

I have tried most of my headphones and IEM powered by equipment costing between $50 and $1,500 and within normal volume levels where distortion from struggling low power amps isn’t a factor they all sound very much more alike than different.

Others have given advice on headphones, I just wanted to comment on the electronics. If you have a budget of $2,000 I would suggest the DAC and amp should take up $500 of that absolute maximum and frankly $250 would be sufficient, an Asgard with an ESS DAC module is less than $400.

Your current sound blaster might be all you need.

hello thank you. so i started out with a budget of 500 to 600 for headphones, but willing to go up to 1000 if i believe its worth it. as far as electronics, i have a sound blaster x7 dac and if i see i need a new one i will first get an amp and maybe dac as well down the line. and im thinking my budget for that will be 1 to 2 k. i will look into the electronics you listed though. im looking into upgrading my dac as well with some opamp swaps and psu upgrade as that gentlemen suggested above.

 

[earmonger]

It isn’t a popular opinion here but I would recommend putting a small part of your overall budget into the electronics and the majority of it into the headphones.

The vast majority of the sound you hear is created by the headphones and the DAC and amplification makes very little to no difference assuming competent equipment designed to reproduce sound without altering it.

Not an unpopular opinion at all. The headphones are crucial. The other stuff is incremental at best -- and I think a lot of the perceived improvements are placebo effects.

Yes, an amp will help if the headphones need the power. But at the moment you can get an amp with perfect measurements for $59 + shipping: the Schiit Heretic. https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-plus. Or for portability, a DAC/Amp like the VE Megatron or something smaller like the Tanchjim Space.

I have simply never understood the idea of $$$$ DACs. The $10 Apple dongle provides an accurate signal if you don't already trust the DAC built into your computer or player.

 

[BS5711]

Not an unpopular opinion at all. The headphones are crucial. The other stuff is incremental at best -- and I think a lot of the perceived improvements are placebo effects.

Yes, an amp will help if the headphones need the power. But at the moment you can get an amp with perfect measurements for $59 + shipping: the Schiit Heretic. https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-plus. Or for portability, a DAC/Amp like the VE Megatron or something smaller like the Tanchjim Space.

I have simply never understood the idea of $$$$ DACs. The $10 Apple dongle provides an accurate signal if you don't already trust the DAC built into your computer or player.

You make absolute sense but it doesn’t take much time reading different threads and audio related pages on social media to see that many people believe the DAC and amplification play a very significant role in the sound.

I have seen threads in FB pages where someone will ask for a proportional importance of electronics and headphones/IEM to overall sound to have people offer the opinion that the electronics form 50% of the sound.

Another occasion a chap argued that a cable was more important to sound on headphones than swapping pads was !!

I don’t claim to be any kind of expert but it seems that a huge number of people are entirely lead astray but another huge group that are in turn lead astray by marketing and what amount to professional reviews.

 

[earmonger]

There is a whole Sound Science section on this site where knowledgeable people try to deal with marketing hype -- and get a lot of pushback.

Mechanical, physical things -- headphone design, pads, eartips and also the loudness level of the music (because hearing responds differently in loud and softer situations) are going to make the biggest difference. By far. They are interacting directly with your ears, head and brain.

Electronic design has gotten so good that there are plenty of amps and DACs with humanly imperceptible noise levels and flat frequency response at reasonable prices. Sure, there is low-fi garbage out there at the very bottom end. But reputable companies using well-known components can deliver accurate reproduction without breaking the bank.

Some people prefer various kinds of coloration and go down the rabbit holes of tubes and EQs and fancy DACs and that's fine if that's what they want. And some people think electrons and digital signals can somehow distinguish the material of the cables they are traveling through, which is, well...

 

[phantasmag0ria]

There is a whole Sound Science section on this site where knowledgeable people try to deal with marketing hype -- and get a lot of pushback.

Mechanical, physical things -- headphone design, pads, eartips and also the loudness level of the music (because hearing responds differently in loud and softer situations) are going to make the biggest difference. By far. They are interacting directly with your ears, head and brain.

Electronic design has gotten so good that there are plenty of amps and DACs with humanly imperceptible noise levels and flat frequency response at reasonable prices. Sure, there is low-fi garbage out there at the very bottom end. But reputable companies using well-known components can deliver accurate reproduction without breaking the bank.

Some people prefer various kinds of coloration and go down the rabbit holes of tubes and EQs and fancy DACs and that's fine if that's what they want. And some people think electrons and digital signals can somehow distinguish the material of the cables they are traveling through, which is, well...

i like this philosophy. thus i want like a one and done type of thing. but like a nice one. like one nice headphones one nice dac one nice amp and one nice cable and im done. i don't want to fall in another rabbit hole. barely got out the last one.

 

[Thomasr]

I have simply never understood the idea of $$$$ DACs.

My recent perspective on this topic:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sta...ht-i-believed-about-dacs.972629/post-18096349

 

[uptogood]

The other option is to grab a great pair of headphones from the classified section of this site. I have seen some excellent equipment let go for less than 50% on products that were only a year or two old and in perfect condition. I picked up the Meze 99 classic as my first set, which should be coming in the next few days, and Ibasso DX 170, which I am stoked about. I still have Fisher audio headphones, but they crush my head like a vice if I wear them longer than 5 minutes.

 

[Death_Block]

My recent perspective on this topic:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sta...ht-i-believed-about-dacs.972629/post-18096349

What's your view with amps?

 

[Thomasr]

What's your view with amps?

I'm not going to claim to have enough experience to really comment much on amps.

 

[Death_Block]

I'm not going to claim to have enough experience to really comment much on amps.

I appreciate your honest reply.

 

[phantasmag0ria]

@Death_Block what do you think about IEMs. im thinking of getting the hype4 and sitting on that for a bit before i i get HPs

 

[phantasmag0ria]

i ended up purchasing the THIEAUDIO Hype 4s lets see what happens. thank you all for your input

 

[Death_Block]

i ended up purchasing the THIEAUDIO Hype 4s lets see what happens. thank you all for your input

Please post your impression when you've spent some time with them

@Death_Block what do you think about IEMs. im thinking of getting the hype4 and sitting on that for a bit before i i get HPs

Once you find a nice fitting one, I reckon they are fantastic. I have really small ears though so the z1r's whilst sound fantastic, I can only do for short listening. The ie800's feel invisible which ads a whole new listening experience. The LCDi4 is a mix of both, good fitting but the sound? Utter joy, and then some. Bed time easy listening goes to the senns. Everything else, the LCDi4. Z1r I ought to sell, I do love them but seems redundant in my use cycle. I tend to miss gear and get them again lol. If I'm in the mood for them I damn well better have them on standby I've yet to come across a different pair that would compliment with what I have. The Solaris are quite forgettable in my experience.

I will ad though the LCDi4 I eq'd. Quite flat sounding without it. But they really really respond well and come alive. Also best with an amp.