I don't post much but I have both the 650 and the K702... I know 650 is a "different" type of beast but I prefer the K702 to it by a mile. K702 are, for me, very "3D" phones... with the right amp it is very strong, very prideful. I don't understand why anyone would hate them.

There's about 20 other things you could do to significantly improve the sound of your system before you ought to ever play around with a fuse.

I'm looking for a 1/8 mini to 2x RCA cable. Is there any reason to spend more money through buying an IC made with pure silver rather than a copper cable that is silver plated? Who should I get such ICs from? Are there any DIY'ers here that can do a good job?

Quote: Originally Posted by ROBSCIX What about a DIY tube amplifier? There are many great units being talked about in the DIY thread. The headphone output on the Forte 7.1 is actually built using 12 discrete transistors. Would a Little Dot MK VII do? It's got very similar op...

Try the card on its own first. The "DAC" portion is probably just as good as any other standalone / combo DAC out there at any price point. I believe the Amp is very good as well but of course since it's on the card you have any knob to control it.

Can anyone recommend a decently priced amp that goes well with the Forte w/ K702? I'm loving how the Forte sounds but I would like to have more control over the volume through a seperate amp that lays on my desk. I'm just worried that at most prices I will not find an amp that is as good as...

Thanks guys for clarifying!

Okay I'm a bit confused here. I thought a discrete design wouldn't use opamps, yet I'm told it's in the latest GS-X. What applications are the opamps in the GS-X used for in this case?

So which opamps are used in the gs-x? 0.2hz? Is that audible?

Quote: Originally Posted by emmodad 1/ read the thread 2/ use the search function Okay buddy, why do you care? He said he does not recommend balanced headphone cables out of the dac1 or in general however I wanted to know if the sound is better out of a balanced AMP instead of...

Quote: Originally Posted by EliasGwinn It is not a good idea to drive headphones with balanced cables, no matter what source. It causes significant distortion. I can explain this in detail, or you can find my posts on the subject earlier in this thread (good luck). Don't confuse with...

Quote: Originally Posted by EliasGwinn It is not a good idea to drive headphones with balanced cables, no matter what source. It causes significant distortion. I can explain this in detail, or you can find my posts on the subject earlier in this thread (good luck). Don't confuse with...

Quote: Originally Posted by EliasGwinn I don't think you need to spend more then $100 per cable. If you are using balanced cabling, I recommend Starquad analog cabling. Several manufacturers make starquad cable - Canare, Mogami, etc. I also recommend Neutrik connectors. There are...

Thanks guys for all the insight. I hope I'm not being a hassle, I'm still a newb, trying to learn what I can in order to enjoy the best sound coming out of a pair of cans. I respect everyone's opinion and strive learn as much as I can so I'm not wasting money for nothing. So the headamp gs-x...

Quote: Originally Posted by n_maher I'm sure you can get one for less, you just have to ask yourself - are you willing to risk half that amount for something built by someone who could up and disappear a day after they deliver the amp to you? Don't get me wrong, there are some very...

Quote: Originally Posted by n_maher That's because there is no simple answer, at least not in my book. Each comes with some associated design requirements/compromises. Generally speaking I think that it is possible to get better performance out of a fully discrete design but that...

Quote: Originally Posted by n_maher Warning: DIY rant incoming... Not to nit-pick but this is somewhat of a pet peeve for me. You will have an extremely hard time building a balanced (4 board, single PS) beta22 for less than $1000. For starters you're not including shipping figures...

What's better? Discrete or opamps? I know it's a very generalized question but I'm not having much luck finding any answers.

I'm very interested in spending some money on a balanced amp setup. I already have balanced hd650 cables. However there are just so many choices out there in terms of balanced amps, none of which are accessable locally. The popular balanced amps out there have been out for quite some time so I'm...

Quote: Originally Posted by jh4db536 you could build a barebones Beta22 $340 for 4 amp board kits $105 for 1 Sigma22 powersupply kit $30 for a transformer $150 Joshua Tree Stepped Attenuator (Balanced) + Pot // or DACT $$$ the remainder is for the enclosure, misc hardware, neutrik...

I've been playing around with xlr cables for my hd650s going into the back of my dac1's balanced outputs. Sounds good but I can definately feel that it's missing some "umpf". I've been looking around for a good balanced amp that reasonably priced (no more than $1000). Seems like all the amps...

Quote: Originally Posted by kool bubba ice No.. Some are modified to be NOS dacs.. So upsampling is bad? Which DAC1s dont upsample? And why is upsampling bad, in simple terms? Does it "color" the presentation?

Is upsampling a good thing? Do all the DAC1s upsample?

I think when you use bit perfect mode in audio creation mode with the x-fi it maxes everything out anyhow. Plus when you transfer the DIGITAL signal through optical or coaxial, there really is no logical way for there to be distortion whether the soundcard is sending signals max'ed out or not (I...

I don't know much about cabling, I'm still a newbie. All I know is a "good" cable doesn't need to be outrageously expensive, all you need is the right mixture of materials. Silver is "faster" and "thinner", copper tends to be "warmer" and "fuller", so take your pick, get the right mixture of...