[wacomme]

I recently bought the Ety ER6 and 4.5 V Airhead from Headroom and I'm hooked on better sound, despite using a Creative MG MP3 player as my source. I recently tried an old Sony D-E301 PCDP with line out and I'm happy with that set-up as well.

I've read this forum up and down this past week with obsessive thoughts; it's been fun and informative. I'm not sure, however, if I have more insight into this Head-Fi field. I now wonder:

1) If I replace the ER6 with an ER4P, should I also trade in my 4.5V Airhead (not Total) and get a Porta Corda? How about a JMT? Yes. I know I'm talking more money. I'd like to keep the system portable for gym use as well as desk access.

4) At home, instead of using my computer's CD player (Mac G4 Tower), should I get a CDP like the NAD571? Will the Porta Corda or JMT work well with this player? Will there be a significant difference in sound quality? How does the Porta Corda or JMT compare to the bigger and more expensive amps? Does the price justify the improved sound?

I like all sorts of music. Until I put the Ety ER6 in my ears, I've been satisfied with the mediocre sounds I had. Now I know the difference. I'm a changed man. What to do? What to do?

Michael

 

[jerikl]

Welcome to a place where we all spend probably too much too quickly.

1) I can't speak for the Airhead or the Porta Corda as I've never heard them, but I really like the CHA47. You could also order some parts and build a CMoy or something... gets you more active into the whole process, which I'm doing currently. OR, you could just send JMT a PM and get yourself one from him.

2) At home, I prefer using my regular CD player (AMC CD8b) instead of a portable. The sound improves a lot really, but then again, I'm not sure how good my pcdp is (and old Sony D-141) as I've never compared it to one of the highly touted Panasonic or Sony players.

But anyway, I hope you're having fun with all of this and continue to do so!

 

[markjia]

I hear the ER4 line is quite a big improvement over the ER6. Since you have a headphone amp, you might want to get the ER4S instead of the ER4P (it would sound better, and costs the same).

The G4's sound output is horrible, and doesn't compare to a descent CDP. The Denon 370 is quite a popular entry level CDP, but I hear some NADs are pretty good too. Another option is to add a better sound card to your G4. The M-Audio Audiophile 2496 (~$150) is a good choice. It's analog output is much better than that built-in to the G4. You could also add an external DAC, like the ART DI/O (~$125) to improve the sound even more. This combo is quite popular (I'm actually using it), and will sound similar to that of CDPs at this price range. Plus, if you get a better source in the future, you could still use the Art DI/O in combination with it (assuming it has digital output). Being how you listen to MP3s, I guess it would be convenient to be able to listen to then directly with a higher sound quality. On the other hand, using a CDP would make listening to CDs directly a bit faster.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by markjia The G4's sound output is horrible, and doesn't compare to a descent CDP.

While I would agree that most dedicated CDPs would sound better than the headphone jack of a G4, the G4 actually has a pretty good output -- better than most portables (better than my Pana 570 portable CDP, for example).

Quote:

Another option is to add a better sound card to your G4.

If you're going to spend $150-$300 on upgrading your sound card, you may as well spend that money on a decent home CDP, which will offer MUCH better sound than any sound card or sound card/DAC combo in that price range. Plus they're so much more convenient than using the computer to play CDs.

 

[wacomme]

Thanks for the information.

Would an NAD 540 or 540i make a good CDP? Other choices? Also, what is the difference between the 540 and 540i?

Michael

 

[Walt Milliken]

I use the 4.5 Total Airhead with ER-4S and HD600s. It sounds very good with both, but the 4.5's quality definitely improves with a higher voltage wallwart. I like the sound best at 9 volts. This particularly enhances the bass for the ER-4S. So a trade off much longer battery life with the 4.5 v. potentially better sound with the 9 volt.

So far as sound out of a G4 goes. I find the sound out jack is worse than earlier Apple computers. I use a Stereo-Link USB converter (~$150 US) that takes the digital signal out and converts it to an analog signal. The Stereo-Link headphone jack is ok or you can use the RCA jacks into a headphone amp.

Walt

 

[markjia]

Quote:

Originally posted by Walt Milliken So far as sound out of a G4 goes. I find the sound out jack is worse than earlier Apple computers.

Agreed, the sound out of my G4 is not as good as that of my other macs (from the original PCI based line, eg. 7200, 7500, etc.). The mini jack is also annoying, really limitting the choice of cables (or the need for an adapter).

 

[Jeff Guidry]

Quote:

Originally posted by Walt Milliken I use the 4.5 Total Airhead with ER-4S and HD600s. It sounds very good with both, but the 4.5's quality definitely improves with a higher voltage wallwart. I like the sound best at 9 volts. This particularly enhances the bass for the ER-4S. So a trade off much longer battery life with the 4.5 v. potentially better sound with the 9 volt. So far as sound out of a G4 goes. I find the sound out jack is worse than earlier Apple computers. I use a Stereo-Link USB converter (~$150 US) that takes the digital signal out and converts it to an analog signal. The Stereo-Link headphone jack is ok or you can use the RCA jacks into a headphone amp. Walt

that's an interesting observation. I had suspected that the extra voltage would improve the sound of all headphones used with the amp. the only real advantage of the 4.5 v would be the extra battery life.