Just picked up the WS55 for use on my portable gear while commuting, out and about, etc. I paid about AU$90 shipped and plan to use them directly out of an iPhone and iPod, unamped. I'm super satisfied with them for their sound quality vs size and price. The bass is really tight and punchy, and...

Quote: This is exactly what I bought, but from eBay instead. The mic looks exactly the same. It works okay, but the sound is a bit crackly. Might be the cheapo cable, though, I'll have to investigate. Even so, AU$2.50 ain't bad, and it works great with the Mixamp. The only downside of...

Anyone know how well a Zhaolu D2.5 with discrete headphone amp would drive the DT880 600 ohm version? Would the 250 or 32 be better, even considering I will be upgrading my headphone amp in the future?

Quote: I went for the 80 ohm version just to be on the safe side with the Mixamp, and so I could drive it comfortably with my Zhaolu's headphone amp. I'm glad I did, too; comfortable listening volume is 12 o'clock to 2 o'clock on the Zhaolu. I reckon it's a good choice for a good...

  Thanks Mad Lust Envy and everyone who contributed to this thread for all the helpful info. Very, very useful stuff.   I just picked up an Astro Mixamp + DT 770 Pro /80. I've been wanting to get into surround sound headphone gaming (and movies!) for a loooong time, and the Mixamp fit the...

Quote: Originally Posted by Ori Read my post with pics on page 130 of this thread. Thanks a bunch.

Ori: Fair enough. Maybe I'll look into it, after I've tried rolling opamps and burning in a little more. Where can I find more info about the mod? Bleemv1: The info I got from Coem when I asked what mods they do with the Zhaolu was: Quote: There are upgraded capacitors and Op-Amps...

Quote: Originally Posted by WarriorAnt At first my teen age daughter made fun of the 700's and their size but now I can't get them away from her! I may have to buy another pair. Haha I think the comfort and great sound of the AD700's completely overrides any self consciousness...

Cheers Ori. I read somewhere that it was more the CS DAC that needed bass improving with bypassing the coupling caps, and that the AD was pretty good? Either way, I'm not a DIY person, so that's not something I'll be doing myself. Fair enough about the opamps. I'll pop in the LM4562's when...

I received my Zhaolu D2.5A with discrete headphone amp upgrade a couple of days ago. It's also been modded a bit, straight from Coem Audio in Australia. I've been listening to it and just letting it burn-in for most of that time. Overall, I'm very happy with the sound compared to my previous...

Even if you do manage to output the lossy files and get them onto your MacBook, how do you propose keeping them in sync with your master iTunes library, without constantly going through the entire process, or - even worse - manually converting and copying over any new files? If you just...

This is becoming a pretty hardcore discussion. I took the original question from the viewpoint of building a new setup. Why? Because, beyond that, the original question of "which is more important" becomes null and void. If you've got some really hard to drive head phones and a high quality...

I find 320kbps AAC to be a good compromise between SQ and file size. What I notice most in the differences between lossy and lossless is the soundstage becoming a little narrower and the music to not have as much air or space. At 320, those differences become minimal to non-existant for me with...

I agree with obobskivich. Around $250, you can get a significant increase in performance, and buying an external DAC/amp combo is a good money-saving option for the budget conscious, without really sacrificing a lot of sound quality. There's actually a whole lot of DAC/amp options out there now...

Quote: Originally Posted by m0ofassa If i recall correctly (from a friends' problems), itunes also likes to lump music all into one folder on default settings. to me it's like the skullcandy of media players... Can't say I can second that statement about iTunes behaviour. It's...

Quote: Originally Posted by DefectiveAudioComponent (that's what's software for now isn't it? to take care of boring housekeeping tasks so that I don't have to.) Right on the money.

Quote: Originally Posted by jonathanjong Only thing with the iTunes thing is that it deals with compilation albums oddly. Is there a way to rectify this? It depends what you mean by 'oddly' and what you mean by 'rectify'. I let iTunes organise my library automatically, which...

If money was no constraint, and if I had the space and never had to consider others when listening, then definitely speakers. Unfortunately, all of these apply and are a fact of life. Thus, listening whenever the hell I want on the ultimate headphones setup vs listening only sometimes on the...

I don't think I will ever stray from thinking this way: Headphones -> Source -> Amp Good headphones make a considerable difference, generally noticeable by even non-audiophiles, and will usually result in making a crappy to average source tolerable. Then, when you upgrade your source, you...

It's just something that falls under personal preference. I use iTunes and set it to organise my library automatically, so it's: Artist -> Album -> song titles Which is how I would do it manually anyway. I think that's a pretty common way to organise. If you prefer just going by tags...

I've used nothing but a computer for my audio, really. Never experienced a good CD player, so I know no different. Currently I use an iMac running iTunes, playing ALAC files. It's bit perfect and works completely hassle-free. Also had a play around with Canz3D, running via Audio Hijack...

The Musiland MD10 was also on my list (a few posts from #1) but I wasn't sure if it had variable output and the digital volume control turned me off. It's also more expensive than the modded Zhaolu, so figured there wasn't much point pursuing it further.

Haha, you're kidding? ..... Even so, I'd be pretty surprised if it reached the sound quality of an upgraded Zhaolu. But thanks for the info; I'll ask him about it since someone I know is interested in purchasing the Beresford MK6 soon.

I'm pretty much set on a Zhaolu D2.5 and will probably order within the next few days. It will have the AD1852 DAC chip and head amp upgrade, and I'm not sure if Coem Audio also ship the unit with cap mods. I have a feeling they do, but will have to ask to confirm, and find out exactly which...

Well that's my natural reaction, yes. In the meantime, I might settle on another DAC/amp. Don't really want to wait too long, and don't want to go too over budget. Does AU$420 seems too high for Zhaolu D2.5 + headphone amp upgrade? If it beats the stock Beresford in DAC quality and is a huge...