jasonwc
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 15, 2010
- Posts
- 47
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- 0
Hello everyone. As you may have noticed, I just joined head-fi. So, I'll give a bit of background about myself and what I'm looking for.
I am a lover of baroque classical music and I'm looking to upgrade from my Grado SR-60's. While the Grado's have been a wonderful step-up in clarity and presentation from my past headphones, I think the Sennheisers would be better for what I want. First, the Grado seems a bit too aggressive and thus, I seem to miss out on the imaging and soundstage others say the 580/600 offer. In addition, despite having bent the headband on the Grado's, it's just not that comfortable for long listening sessions. Unfortunately, I have tinnitus due to a viral ear infection I had when I was young, and the pressure and discomfort of the headphones exacerbates the problem. I've worn Sennheisers in the past and found them extremely comfortable. So, I've decided to purchase a new or used Sennheiser HD-580 (or 600, if I find a good price). I've been told they're pretty much identical but for the metal grill on the 600.
Now for the problem. I don't want to spend a mint to enjoy my new headphones, and due to my hearing problems (tinnitus and some high-pitch hearing loss), I really don't know if it's worth it to buy expensive equipment. So, I'm looking for an AMP/DAC for under $200.
I have taken the time to read the massive threads on several options but without many direct comparisons, I thought I would post here, and ask if anyone could give their recommendations. It seems much of the info is old.
In, no particular order, here are the options I'm considering, with the pros and cons as I have seen them presented:
1) Zero 2009 version w/ OPA627 + USB:
Pros: Supposedly good to very good DAC
Read good things about the OPA627 opamp, but is it real?
USB, coaxial, and optical SPDIF support
Price - $176 shipped to US with 1-year warranty from seller
Cons: Prior models had very serious QC issues. While people still malign the 2009 Zero's, after reading the VERY LONG thread on the 2009 Zero, I only saw a few issues. Are the QC issues solved, or at least redressed?
If I did go with this option, I would buy from coolfungadget. He comes highly recommended on head-fi, and provides a 1-year warranty himself, so I won't have to go through the manufacturer.
2) Aune HIFIDIY.NET Mini USB DAC MK2 SE
Pros: Much better reliability and QC than the Zero
$170 shipped with 1-year warranty from seller
Cons: Apparently the Zero has a better opamap (OPA627 vs. OPA2134). Some also said the DAC on the Zero is better. Unclear on this point.
I was really unclear from the postings about this product. Buyers seemed very pleased, but when they compared with the Zero and other products, they seemed to think the default opamp and DAC just wasn't that good. Clarification would be helpful.
3) Head-Direct HiFiMAN EF2
Pros: Very good amp compared to similarly priced competitors; nice warm sound (good for what I want)
Good price ($189 shipped from reputable dealer)
Tube amp
Cons: Mediocre DAC
Less powerful than other Amps - Powerful enough for the 300 ohm HD-580/600?
4) Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 DAC (and Amp)
Pros: Very interesting product that does a lot.
Very beautiful design
Good build quality
Seller (Ryan) active on head-fi, and quickly answers questions and problems
Very good DAC for price
Cons: Didn't see much about headphone amp. Seems more geared for use as a tube opamp. How is this for driving a HD-580/600? Only saw one or two posts about such use. Seems fine, but not sure it compares to the others.
Definitely the best looking of the bunch, and probably has the most power - but it seems to have more than I need. Also, there's a bug with USB bit-perfect output. Apparently it shows as only supporting 16/48, so all other streams are up or downsampled to 16/48. Not an issue on SPDIF, and I think there's a driver fix.
5) nUforce uDAC
Pros: Amazing DAC
Amazing value at only $99!
Cons: Weak amp. Not sure if it can comfortably power the HD-580/600.
So, as you can see, I've already done research on the available products. However, I was hoping someone who has used these devices might be able to provide a more direct comparison. I'm especially interested in the headphone amp quality on the Maverick, the continuing QC issues with the 2009 Zero, and the DAC/AMP qualtiy of the Aune compared to the others. Thanks, and sorry for the long post!
I am a lover of baroque classical music and I'm looking to upgrade from my Grado SR-60's. While the Grado's have been a wonderful step-up in clarity and presentation from my past headphones, I think the Sennheisers would be better for what I want. First, the Grado seems a bit too aggressive and thus, I seem to miss out on the imaging and soundstage others say the 580/600 offer. In addition, despite having bent the headband on the Grado's, it's just not that comfortable for long listening sessions. Unfortunately, I have tinnitus due to a viral ear infection I had when I was young, and the pressure and discomfort of the headphones exacerbates the problem. I've worn Sennheisers in the past and found them extremely comfortable. So, I've decided to purchase a new or used Sennheiser HD-580 (or 600, if I find a good price). I've been told they're pretty much identical but for the metal grill on the 600.
Now for the problem. I don't want to spend a mint to enjoy my new headphones, and due to my hearing problems (tinnitus and some high-pitch hearing loss), I really don't know if it's worth it to buy expensive equipment. So, I'm looking for an AMP/DAC for under $200.
I have taken the time to read the massive threads on several options but without many direct comparisons, I thought I would post here, and ask if anyone could give their recommendations. It seems much of the info is old.
In, no particular order, here are the options I'm considering, with the pros and cons as I have seen them presented:
1) Zero 2009 version w/ OPA627 + USB:
Pros: Supposedly good to very good DAC
Read good things about the OPA627 opamp, but is it real?
USB, coaxial, and optical SPDIF support
Price - $176 shipped to US with 1-year warranty from seller
Cons: Prior models had very serious QC issues. While people still malign the 2009 Zero's, after reading the VERY LONG thread on the 2009 Zero, I only saw a few issues. Are the QC issues solved, or at least redressed?
If I did go with this option, I would buy from coolfungadget. He comes highly recommended on head-fi, and provides a 1-year warranty himself, so I won't have to go through the manufacturer.
2) Aune HIFIDIY.NET Mini USB DAC MK2 SE
Pros: Much better reliability and QC than the Zero
$170 shipped with 1-year warranty from seller
Cons: Apparently the Zero has a better opamap (OPA627 vs. OPA2134). Some also said the DAC on the Zero is better. Unclear on this point.
I was really unclear from the postings about this product. Buyers seemed very pleased, but when they compared with the Zero and other products, they seemed to think the default opamp and DAC just wasn't that good. Clarification would be helpful.
3) Head-Direct HiFiMAN EF2
Pros: Very good amp compared to similarly priced competitors; nice warm sound (good for what I want)
Good price ($189 shipped from reputable dealer)
Tube amp
Cons: Mediocre DAC
Less powerful than other Amps - Powerful enough for the 300 ohm HD-580/600?
4) Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 DAC (and Amp)
Pros: Very interesting product that does a lot.
Very beautiful design
Good build quality
Seller (Ryan) active on head-fi, and quickly answers questions and problems
Very good DAC for price
Cons: Didn't see much about headphone amp. Seems more geared for use as a tube opamp. How is this for driving a HD-580/600? Only saw one or two posts about such use. Seems fine, but not sure it compares to the others.
Definitely the best looking of the bunch, and probably has the most power - but it seems to have more than I need. Also, there's a bug with USB bit-perfect output. Apparently it shows as only supporting 16/48, so all other streams are up or downsampled to 16/48. Not an issue on SPDIF, and I think there's a driver fix.
5) nUforce uDAC
Pros: Amazing DAC
Amazing value at only $99!
Cons: Weak amp. Not sure if it can comfortably power the HD-580/600.
So, as you can see, I've already done research on the available products. However, I was hoping someone who has used these devices might be able to provide a more direct comparison. I'm especially interested in the headphone amp quality on the Maverick, the continuing QC issues with the 2009 Zero, and the DAC/AMP qualtiy of the Aune compared to the others. Thanks, and sorry for the long post!
