[BrucYSN]

The fun is a combo unite?

 

[muad]

yeah, it can act as a dac, preamp, headphone amp or a combination of the 3. It can be switched from headphone to preamp via a switch on the front... really handy for switching between speakers and headphones. It's incredibly versatile!

 

[grimzz R]

I am pretty sure I am getting the HD650.
 
But I am still not sure what DAC/AMP.
 
 
I am trying to decide between:
 
Audio-GD Sparrow $140
 
E9+E7 $230
 
Audio-GD Fun $345
 
Is there anything else I should consider?
 
I do not care for the portable usage the E7 haves to offer, is there something better in that price range?

 

[muad]

Perhaps the audio-gd NFB12? Supposedly the sparrow and NFB12 sounds identical to the Fun version A with the opa Earth installed. You're only sacrificing the preamp functionality with the nfb12 and the ability to use it as a headphone amp alone.. In other words if you don't need to use the fun as a preamp (headamp only without dac) then you may as well get the NFB12. The only difference between the models is functionality and the fun has swappable components.
 
the fun is $311 on sale and can be used as a dac, a dac with volume control, a preamp, a headphone amp only, a dac with headphone amp
the sparrow is 145 and can only be used as a dac with headamp (not as dac alone or preamp for speakers)
the NFB12 is 200 and can be used as a dac alone with or without volume control, or as a dac with headphone amp
 

 

[grimzz R]

Ok I think I am going for the HD650 and the Fun.
 
The fact that you could use the FUN for speakers sounds like something useful in the future.
 
Later on I think I may get a pair of Grado's such as the SR225i, I hear Grado's are insane for Rock music but a super massive fail for everything else.
 
Thanks guys, you've all been a big help.

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

I have the audio-gd fun with earth opa, and just bought a hd650.... and I highly recommend it. I was after a nice balanced sound with just a bit of bass and not too much treble. The details are all there without being shoved in your face like some brighter headphones I won't mention. Quite euphoric...
 
BTW I was really worried that people with the HD650 and the Fun were overly enthusiastic about the synergy between them. I kept reading that with a bad amp the hd650's sound dark and muddy etc. and people were often recommending expensive amps (much more than the FUN). I'm definitely not worried anymore. The Fun can handle the hd650's no problem. It definitely does the hd650 justice.
 
BTW the Fun is on sale for 10% off and it comes with the opa earth free (first time Ive seen it one sale), get version A. Also I bought the HD650 from razordog deals on ebay for $330, awesome deal. With both of those you will be fairly under budget.

Lol. I've been quite vocal about the Fun's capabilities and its synergy with the HD650, but I've also been conscious of it being labelled as hyperbole. It's no surprise though that people who've actually spent time with this setup think very highly of it, even if they've moved on to "better" things.
 
With the Earth hdam you'll get a nicely balanced presentation. I'd recommend getting the Moon hdam as well for a different perspective. It presents a warmer sound that to me accentuates the HD650's textured and lush signature.
 
Here's some more "hyperbole" to sway your decision.

 

 

[Chris_Himself]

Quote:

Ok I think I am going for the HD650 and the Fun.
 
The fact that you could use the FUN for speakers sounds like something useful in the future.
 
Later on I think I may get a pair of Grado's such as the SR225i, I hear Grado's are insane for Rock music but a super massive fail for everything else.
 
Thanks guys, you've all been a big help.

 
 
Don't buy the SR225 as your first Grado, just buy the SR-80, its' like 80 percent of the 225 and the sound is all there, it's just more of this and that with the higher models. These days I think you're better off buying Grados as a supplemental purchase, and not your primary if you aren't a HUGE fan. The HD650 is a very well rounded headphone and it's honestly your safebet. If you want to save money, you can get the HD600 and an SR-80 and both will absolutely SCREAM through that dac/amp! I'm a fan of Audio-Gd. The HD600 will scale just as high, it's just not as silky smooth haha.
 
Also consider the Matrix Mini-I DAC/AMP, it's a much more attractive looking unit in my opinion with a usable and informative basic LCD screen. Both are built with very high quality internals though and are more or less the same thing as far as I know. I think the power supply in the audio-gd is better from the last time I saw it.
 
 

 

[BrucYSN]

Not sure if you wanna go down that road lol , I'm not a big fun of Grado.....on the other hand, you can try to save a bit and get the Cambridge DAC Magic, that one is a keeper!!!
Quote:

Ok I think I am going for the HD650 and the Fun.
 
The fact that you could use the FUN for speakers sounds like something useful in the future.
 
Later on I think I may get a pair of Grado's such as the SR225i, I hear Grado's are insane for Rock music but a super massive fail for everything else.
 
Thanks guys, you've all been a big help.