I thought I'd write this up as a reference for later. It's a summary of the different iterations of my headphone set-up over time, most of it recent. For each stage, changed items are in green.
In all cases, I was using a Van Den Hul Optocoupler optical cable (except with the Apogee Duet), and until mentioned later, Japanese SAEC 1903 interconnects.
Various Macs -> MB Quart QP 55X
I bought these headphones for AU$175 a great many years ago and was very happy with them until I discovered head-fi! The pads had warn out and I started looking at new headphones and then started contemplating the possibility of a good head-fi set-up while living in Japan instead of a hi-fi set-up, which would be considerably more expensive. I used to enjoy listening to these headphones from my parents' Luxman CD player or amp.
MacBook Pro -> (with or without a Corda Move as a DAC ->) Little Dot MKV -> ALO AKG K701s (22 AWG Jena)
I'd had a chance to listen to a few cans in Tokyo and felt that AKG were the most natural sounding to me. However, I should have taken a sample CD of a variety of music with me. I didn't then know that I'd prefer something with more bass. After a lot of reading, I figured that my source was the problem. The Corda Move made no difference to the SQ to my ears.
MacBook Pro -> Apogee Duet -> Little Dot MKV -> ALO AKG K701s (22 AWG Jena)
Here comes the soundstage! The K701s, either plugged directly into the Duet or with just the LD MKV from my MacBook Pro were seriously lacking soundstage. However, while one problem was fixed, the whole set-up just wasn't musical -- very sterile. I wasn't happy, despite all I'd just spent. The K701s also clamped my head in the most annoying way and the headband was uncomfortable In hindsight, I should have bought a STAX 4040 set as It would have cost the same, being that I live in Japan.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/OPA627s -> Little Dot MKV -> ALO AKG K701s (22 AWG Jena)
The sterile sound is gone and things are more musical, but not so exciting and I wasn't into jazz so much at that stage.
I'd tried a pair of Denon D5000s at a store using my iPod and Corda Move and felt that they had a lot of the good points of my K701s but also had more bass. I didn't think at the time Denon were a particularly reputable headphone brand. After reading about another head-fi'ers change to the Markl-modded D5000s from the K701 I pulled the trigger on a pair. After they arrived, going back to the K701s was impossible. It was as if the mids were shoved in my face in an unpleasant way. Off to sale they went.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/OPA627s -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s
Now I'm having fun, finally. Of course then the HDAMs were discovered and I just had to get one of these to try in place of the opamps.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/HDAM -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s
Quite a difference that made! Once I'd hooked up the Earth wire to the RCA jack's earth it all came together. Listening really became enjoyable and I could go back to appreciating my music, even music I'd become bored with. Comparing the set-up to my Apogee Duet, the Duet's sound, while not bad, just wasn't as detailed, lively and pleasant as the Zero + HDAM.
The Duet has a more sterile sound than the Zero if the latter is using OPA627 opamps. However the SQ is significantly better with the HDAM in the Zero. Looking at price, you're paying double roughly for the Duet, but you're also getting a pro recording device that powers out of a Mac's Firewire port.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/HDAM -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
After listening to Denons for months, the HD650, which I'd been wanting to try again for years, was just flat and dull. Pulling out my 55Xs again "reset" my ears and the Senns started to make more sense. In return, going to the Denons from the Senns the former seem sometimes to have very recessed mids, or maybe a stronger treble and bass, however music that has strong bass notes comes across in the Denons better. Playing orchestral or choral music that has little bass, the gorgeous mids and highs of the Denons shine strongly.
MacBook Pro -> Lavry Black DA-10 -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
Now everything is much clearer. Interestingly, the headphone amp in the Lavry is about on par with the LD MKV. I prefer the sound when using the MKV though.
MacBook Pro -> Lavry Black DA-10 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
Now we're talking! The base in the Denons, which I felt needed to be better controlled, is nice and tight with my new amp. Where the Denon's said "Lets party!" before, now they are saying "LETS PARTY!". The fantastic thing is, all the detail of the Lavry seems to be passed through with the C2C. The HD650s are now starting to show their abilities too. Even my UE10 Triple.fis shine with this amp, more so than they ever have.
MacBook Pro -> Northstar M192 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
The Northstar is more detailed, yet more mellow than the Lavry. It has been described as being a very "natural" sounding DAC, which is what I was looking for. Violins are now starting to sound like violins, and pianos, yes! However, sometimes I feel like it's TOO mellow. Using Van Den Hul's The First Ultimate MKII cables, the sound is way too mellow, so I had to switch back to the brighter SAEC copper cables, though the sound lacks a bit more separation that the VHD TFU brings.
MacBook Pro -> Northstar M192 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable
After disliking the lack of treble energy in the HD650s, I swapped them for HD600s, which are absolutely spot-on in EQ. The interesting thing is the rather nice EQ with the stock cable. In a way, the Zu cable, despite other obvious improvements, detracts from this a bit I feel. However, I now have a nice jazz 'phone.
MacBook Pro -> Northstar M192 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s with mulga cups + Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable + Ultrasone Edition 9s with Apuresound cable
Since the ED9s have been discontinued, I had to try these cans before the price of them goes insane. From descriptions of them, I was expecting a variation of the Denon's "Lets Party!" sound with strong, but tight bass. My Denons have been made more polite with mulga cups reigning in the treble and bass a fraction to allow the mids to come out and now don't sound so crazy. However, the upper-bass was out of control, requiring a bit of fibreloft in the cups to tune them. The ED9s don't have a crazy sound, but are more like my now "polite" Denons, but with a more vertical soundstage (headstage) caused by the S-Logic, where the Denons are more side-to-side.
MacBook Pro → Northstar M192 → Van Den Hul The Orchid → Audio-gd C2C → Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable
Jumping up from the SAEC 1903s, The Orchid from Van Den Hul results in another layer unveiled in the music. The sound as a result is simply less distorted, in a similar way that going from dynamic to electrostatic headphones is simply clearer, with less added to the sound.
From here on, my interconnects are Van Den Hul "The Orchid" RCAs.
MacBook Pro → Van Den Hul The Optocoupler → Northstar M192→ Audio-gd C2C → Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable + Audio-gd power cables.
For a while, I felt the M192 sounded a bit muddy, especially after trying the rare Nakamichi Dragon DAC (mentioned elsewhere). I asked Kingwa if I could try his power cables when I received the Compass review unit. This was the first time I have tried an "audiophile" power cable, and the results were good, the muddiness from the Northstar disappearing and the sound opening up. Conecting one of the power cables to the C2C as well, the result in my rig with the HD600s was magic, a most satisfying audio experience being the result.
Then, of course, LobsterSan offered to lend me some Stax. Oh dear. Here we go again...this will take me a while to write up.
In all cases, I was using a Van Den Hul Optocoupler optical cable (except with the Apogee Duet), and until mentioned later, Japanese SAEC 1903 interconnects.
Various Macs -> MB Quart QP 55X
I bought these headphones for AU$175 a great many years ago and was very happy with them until I discovered head-fi! The pads had warn out and I started looking at new headphones and then started contemplating the possibility of a good head-fi set-up while living in Japan instead of a hi-fi set-up, which would be considerably more expensive. I used to enjoy listening to these headphones from my parents' Luxman CD player or amp.
MacBook Pro -> (with or without a Corda Move as a DAC ->) Little Dot MKV -> ALO AKG K701s (22 AWG Jena)
I'd had a chance to listen to a few cans in Tokyo and felt that AKG were the most natural sounding to me. However, I should have taken a sample CD of a variety of music with me. I didn't then know that I'd prefer something with more bass. After a lot of reading, I figured that my source was the problem. The Corda Move made no difference to the SQ to my ears.
MacBook Pro -> Apogee Duet -> Little Dot MKV -> ALO AKG K701s (22 AWG Jena)
Here comes the soundstage! The K701s, either plugged directly into the Duet or with just the LD MKV from my MacBook Pro were seriously lacking soundstage. However, while one problem was fixed, the whole set-up just wasn't musical -- very sterile. I wasn't happy, despite all I'd just spent. The K701s also clamped my head in the most annoying way and the headband was uncomfortable In hindsight, I should have bought a STAX 4040 set as It would have cost the same, being that I live in Japan.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/OPA627s -> Little Dot MKV -> ALO AKG K701s (22 AWG Jena)
The sterile sound is gone and things are more musical, but not so exciting and I wasn't into jazz so much at that stage.
I'd tried a pair of Denon D5000s at a store using my iPod and Corda Move and felt that they had a lot of the good points of my K701s but also had more bass. I didn't think at the time Denon were a particularly reputable headphone brand. After reading about another head-fi'ers change to the Markl-modded D5000s from the K701 I pulled the trigger on a pair. After they arrived, going back to the K701s was impossible. It was as if the mids were shoved in my face in an unpleasant way. Off to sale they went.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/OPA627s -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s
Now I'm having fun, finally. Of course then the HDAMs were discovered and I just had to get one of these to try in place of the opamps.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/HDAM -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s
Quite a difference that made! Once I'd hooked up the Earth wire to the RCA jack's earth it all came together. Listening really became enjoyable and I could go back to appreciating my music, even music I'd become bored with. Comparing the set-up to my Apogee Duet, the Duet's sound, while not bad, just wasn't as detailed, lively and pleasant as the Zero + HDAM.
The Duet has a more sterile sound than the Zero if the latter is using OPA627 opamps. However the SQ is significantly better with the HDAM in the Zero. Looking at price, you're paying double roughly for the Duet, but you're also getting a pro recording device that powers out of a Mac's Firewire port.
MacBook Pro -> ZERO DAC w/HDAM -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
After listening to Denons for months, the HD650, which I'd been wanting to try again for years, was just flat and dull. Pulling out my 55Xs again "reset" my ears and the Senns started to make more sense. In return, going to the Denons from the Senns the former seem sometimes to have very recessed mids, or maybe a stronger treble and bass, however music that has strong bass notes comes across in the Denons better. Playing orchestral or choral music that has little bass, the gorgeous mids and highs of the Denons shine strongly.
MacBook Pro -> Lavry Black DA-10 -> Little Dot MKV -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
Now everything is much clearer. Interestingly, the headphone amp in the Lavry is about on par with the LD MKV. I prefer the sound when using the MKV though.
MacBook Pro -> Lavry Black DA-10 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
Now we're talking! The base in the Denons, which I felt needed to be better controlled, is nice and tight with my new amp. Where the Denon's said "Lets party!" before, now they are saying "LETS PARTY!". The fantastic thing is, all the detail of the Lavry seems to be passed through with the C2C. The HD650s are now starting to show their abilities too. Even my UE10 Triple.fis shine with this amp, more so than they ever have.
MacBook Pro -> Northstar M192 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD650s (older version) with Zu silver cable
The Northstar is more detailed, yet more mellow than the Lavry. It has been described as being a very "natural" sounding DAC, which is what I was looking for. Violins are now starting to sound like violins, and pianos, yes! However, sometimes I feel like it's TOO mellow. Using Van Den Hul's The First Ultimate MKII cables, the sound is way too mellow, so I had to switch back to the brighter SAEC copper cables, though the sound lacks a bit more separation that the VHD TFU brings.
MacBook Pro -> Northstar M192 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s + Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable
After disliking the lack of treble energy in the HD650s, I swapped them for HD600s, which are absolutely spot-on in EQ. The interesting thing is the rather nice EQ with the stock cable. In a way, the Zu cable, despite other obvious improvements, detracts from this a bit I feel. However, I now have a nice jazz 'phone.
MacBook Pro -> Northstar M192 -> Audio-gd C2C -> Markl-modded Denon D5000s with mulga cups + Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable + Ultrasone Edition 9s with Apuresound cable
Since the ED9s have been discontinued, I had to try these cans before the price of them goes insane. From descriptions of them, I was expecting a variation of the Denon's "Lets Party!" sound with strong, but tight bass. My Denons have been made more polite with mulga cups reigning in the treble and bass a fraction to allow the mids to come out and now don't sound so crazy. However, the upper-bass was out of control, requiring a bit of fibreloft in the cups to tune them. The ED9s don't have a crazy sound, but are more like my now "polite" Denons, but with a more vertical soundstage (headstage) caused by the S-Logic, where the Denons are more side-to-side.
MacBook Pro → Northstar M192 → Van Den Hul The Orchid → Audio-gd C2C → Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable
Jumping up from the SAEC 1903s, The Orchid from Van Den Hul results in another layer unveiled in the music. The sound as a result is simply less distorted, in a similar way that going from dynamic to electrostatic headphones is simply clearer, with less added to the sound.
From here on, my interconnects are Van Den Hul "The Orchid" RCAs.
MacBook Pro → Van Den Hul The Optocoupler → Northstar M192→ Audio-gd C2C → Sennheiser HD600s with Zu silver cable + Audio-gd power cables.
For a while, I felt the M192 sounded a bit muddy, especially after trying the rare Nakamichi Dragon DAC (mentioned elsewhere). I asked Kingwa if I could try his power cables when I received the Compass review unit. This was the first time I have tried an "audiophile" power cable, and the results were good, the muddiness from the Northstar disappearing and the sound opening up. Conecting one of the power cables to the C2C as well, the result in my rig with the HD600s was magic, a most satisfying audio experience being the result.
Then, of course, LobsterSan offered to lend me some Stax. Oh dear. Here we go again...this will take me a while to write up.
