[anasztasia]

Hi everyone this is my first post and english isn't even my first language so go easy on me!

So until 2 months ago all that i have was a pair of denon d7000 which i bought roughly 4 years back. That was the first plunge into the 'headfi' world.
I got to admit that eventhough i strictly listen to them directly from macbookpro/iphone/pc (i know right!) i really like them alot that i didnt bother to look for an amp nor a good player/source. I was satisfied with it and thats all that matters.
Man, i really wish things would stay that way!

I play badminton 3-4 nights a week and that with everything else usually doesnt give me much time to really sit down and listen to the d7000. The mcintosh in my car a cousin of mine handed to me was my main mean of listening to music, and i don't even know anything about it, heck even i can remember the name only because its similar to apple's.

All that began to change when my back started hurting after each badminton session. . It was so painful that one time i couldn't get out of my bed the day after! Turned out i was diagnosed with 2 herniated discs on the lower end of my back and doc prohibited me to play badminton until the pain go away.

Long story short i then had much more free time than i know what to do with it. That's when i went listening long hours with the denons and lurk around headfi forum.

BIG mistake. I repeat BIG BIG mistake!
As of now a pair of hd800 is found alternating with the denons clamping my head every night, while a certain WA5LE had departed from Maspeth, NY and predicted to reach my door on the 9th of july. Oh did i mention that the good guys at wooaudio are assembling my wds-1 and wtp-1 which are due to be shipped 'early to mid july'?

.......

And that's not even the end. Like a maniac i began to scour the forums for any bit of information for my tiny brain to absorb. About cables. About tubes. And sometimes about other headphones.

Now cables scared me. I dont want to be near them, ill just get some decent interconnects and be done with it, perhaps anyone can chime in for a decent brand IC?

Tubes.
I bought the 274b sophia princess from jack but i left the driver and power tubes to the stock ones, hence i need you guys who are much more experienced in this strange world to suggest me tubes that would go well with the rest of the system.
I read about takatsuki TA-300b over and over until i believe it's really the best tube out there bar WE300b which probably is at the same class but with different characteristics.
Is this true? Is it really worth the asking price of $1800?!

Headphones. I am getting greedy. I know it. I haven't even listened to the amped hd800 and d7000 and im already drooling over another headphones. Fostex TH900. It interests me so much because there are so many people are saying that they are basically everything that d7000 is, and more.

Now living in Indonesia i find it almost impossible to demo first hand audio gears but i managed to find a store that has TH900 for demo, yay! It's not until sunday though.

So now the big question is really should i get takatsuki TA-300b or TH900. I know i'll probably be able to decide after i auditioned th900 this coming sunday but i want to know you guys' opinions on the matter, please enlighten this puppy!

P.s. sorry for the long post, that is probably the sum of my audio journey (which has only began, apparently).

 

[longbowbbs]

anasztasia, Welcome to Head-Fi...as you have already discovered....Sorry about your wallet!
 
 

 

[Cante Ista]

Quote:

Hi everyone this is my first post and english isn't even my first language so go easy on me!

So until 2 months ago all that i have was a pair of denon d7000 which i bought roughly 4 years back. That was the first plunge into the 'headfi' world.
I got to admit that eventhough i strictly listen to them directly from macbookpro/iphone/pc (i know right!) i really like them alot that i didnt bother to look for an amp nor a good player/source. I was satisfied with it and thats all that matters.
Man, i really wish things would stay that way!

I play badminton 3-4 nights a week and that with everything else usually doesnt give me much time to really sit down and listen to the d7000. The mcintosh in my car a cousin of mine handed to me was my main mean of listening to music, and i don't even know anything about it, heck even i can remember the name only because its similar to apple's.

All that began to change when my back started hurting after each badminton session. . It was so painful that one time i couldn't get out of my bed the day after! Turned out i was diagnosed with 2 herniated discs on the lower end of my back and doc prohibited me to play badminton until the pain go away.

Long story short i then had much more free time than i know what to do with it. That's when i went listening long hours with the denons and lurk around headfi forum.

BIG mistake. I repeat BIG BIG mistake!
As of now a pair of hd800 is found alternating with the denons clamping my head every night, while a certain WA5LE had departed from Maspeth, NY and predicted to reach my door on the 9th of july. Oh did i mention that the good guys at wooaudio are assembling my wds-1 and wtp-1 which are due to be shipped 'early to mid july'?

.......

And that's not even the end. Like a maniac i began to scour the forums for any bit of information for my tiny brain to absorb. About cables. About tubes. And sometimes about other headphones.

Now cables scared me. I dont want to be near them, ill just get some decent interconnects and be done with it, perhaps anyone can chime in for a decent brand IC?

Tubes.
I bought the 274b sophia princess from jack but i left the driver and power tubes to the stock ones, hence i need you guys who are much more experienced in this strange world to suggest me tubes that would go well with the rest of the system.
I read about takatsuki TA-300b over and over until i believe it's really the best tube out there bar WE300b which probably is at the same class but with different characteristics.
Is this true? Is it really worth the asking price of $1800?!

Headphones. I am getting greedy. I know it. I haven't even listened to the amped hd800 and d7000 and im already drooling over another headphones. Fostex TH900. It interests me so much because there are so many people are saying that they are basically everything that d7000 is, and more.

Now living in Indonesia i find it almost impossible to demo first hand audio gears but i managed to find a store that has TH900 for demo, yay! It's not until sunday though.

So now the big question is really should i get takatsuki TA-300b or TH900. I know i'll probably be able to decide after i auditioned th900 this coming sunday but i want to know you guys' opinions on the matter, please enlighten this puppy!

P.s. sorry for the long post, that is probably the sum of my audio journey (which has only began, apparently).

get the columbia interconnects from Audioquest. Very nice!

 

[rudi0504]

Hi Anasztasia

Where do you live in Indonesia ?
If you live in Jakarta , please visit Jaben STC you can try TH 900 and other high end headphones

I saw you have bought already Woo Audio WA 6 LE

It is better you enjoy your WA 6 LE with your Denon 7000 D and your HD 800

You can buy TH 900 is excellent Close headphone to date .

Next step please buy :

High end CD player
High end DAC
RCA interconnect you can buy one from Shunyata USA
Coaxial cable from Shunyata USA

Than you have dream set up now

 

[anasztasia]

Thank you longbowbb!
 
 
Quote:

get the columbia interconnects from Audioquest. Very nice!

A quick check shows a pair of that costs $400! I was aiming low for cables as long as they're of acceptable quality, heck i might even go used cable route as im not sold (yet

) on cables and prefer to splurge on tubes / another pair of headphones. Well ideally i prefer not to splurge any further but you are all too familiar with how it goes when one is already knee deep on this hobby...

 

[anasztasia]

I live in surabaya, and the th900 that im auditioning on sunday is actually from jaben here. 
And btw its WA5LE instead of WA6SE. And i already purchased the dac and cd transport from woo audio aswell. 
 
All i need is a couple of decent ICs, power cables, and some delicious tubes. 
 
Those shunyatas are too expensive, trying not to spend more than $200 for cables if i can for the time being. Tubes and another pair of headphones however... Have mercy on my bank acc

 

[Tony1110]

Head-Fi is like that. 12 months ago I thought it didn't get any better than a pair of Shure IEMs plugged into an iPod. Since then I've spent roughly three grand on equipment.

 

[reeltime]

Welcome to Wooville.  I have the same amp.  
 
Here's my experiences-- The Sophia is decent, but not in my top three rectifiers.  It's not a true mesh tube, they stamp the mesh instead of weaving wire.  Currently the EML 5U4G Mesh is my favorite rectifier, but I have a pair of USAF 596s waiting adapters.  I hear they're special, but may suffer in the bass.  
 
300B-- well here's where you're going to spend.  There are no cheap solutions if you're pushing the sonic frontier to its limit.  The holy grail is the Western Electric 300B, but that will set you back more than the cost of your amp.  VIAC 300Bs are highly regarded, but they are out of production and are running around $2K on eBay.  The Takasuki is a big unknown-- I've read a few raves and a few meh reviews.  At $1500+ a pair, they'd better knock me out.  The Sophia Royal Princess 300B is a tube I intend to try at some point.  They run $1200, so it's an expensive experiment, but I hear the carbon filament produces exceptional bass.  I've actually heard NONE of these three tubes, by the way.  I opted for the EML 300B mesh.  Some prefer the EML 300B XLS, but I'm a mesh dude.  The soundstage is huge with mesh tubes.  There were production problems in the past with the 5U4G so keep that in mind-- they're not exactly cheap either-- $750ish a pair, but one reviewer puts this tube above all others.  The problem is tubes are a disposable commodity-- and one bad tube that dies early-- well-- you're out of luck.
 
Drivers- I struggled the most with drivers.  I've probably auditioned a dozen drivers in my WA5LE.  Everything from RCAs, to Tung Sols, PSVane 181's- I finally found a decent pair-- Sylvania 6SN7 brown base.  I still want to try the Sophia.
 
Interconnects-- I just don't buy the hype.  I've had everything from $1000 dollar interconnects to basic Radio Shackers.  The differences are so subtle, it's not worth the effort.  The below link offers high quality cables at a bargain basement price:
 
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10218&cs_id=1021814&p_id=5346&seq=1&format=2
 
I find cables to offer a .0000001% increase in sound.  Not worth the money, but YMMV and this subject starts wars around these parts.
 
Headphones-- Probably hard to beat the HD800 on the WA5LE.  Many like the Audeze and HifiMan cans-- It's definitely a different sound-- but I'm into presentation and while the othos are definitely darker, the soundstage on the HD800 just can't be topped.  And it's a great match for the WA5-- the weaknesses that get mentioned in HD800 reviews don't apply with this amp.
 
Michael

 

[wuwhere]

I use Blue Jeans cable, they're very well made and inexpensive.
 
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/

 

[Cante Ista]

Quote:

I use Blue Jeans cable, they're very well made and inexpensive.
 
http://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/

Thanks Wuwhere. I was always interested in those. Seeing an endorsement from someone who knows what they are talking about is nice. 

 

[Saraguie]

Quote:

I live in surabaya, and the th900 that im auditioning on sunday is actually from jaben here. 
And btw its WA5LE instead of WA6SE. And i already purchased the dac and cd transport from woo audio aswell. 
 
All i need is a couple of decent ICs, power cables, and some delicious tubes. 
 
Those shunyatas are too expensive, trying not to spend more than $200 for cables if i can for the time being. Tubes and another pair of headphones however... Have mercy on my bank acc

For interconnects I just got these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005FMFGMK/ref=oh_details_o08_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
And for headphones....... if the kind of money your spending is around 2,000 US ~ IMO for Rock/Blues/Hip Hop to name a few genres......the Audeze LCD3 is the best sounding. There is something magical about them. I have only listened to a few high ends and not the Fostex TH900......disclaimer.
As Longbowbbs so rightly put: Welcome aboard and sorry about your wallet~! 

 

[Cante Ista]

Quote:

Thank you longbowbb!
 
 
A quick check shows a pair of that costs $400! I was aiming low for cables as long as they're of acceptable quality, heck i might even go used cable route as im not sold (yet

) on cables and prefer to splurge on tubes / another pair of headphones. Well ideally i prefer not to splurge any further but you are all too familiar with how it goes when one is already knee deep on this hobby...

I was being facetious! Sorry that was stupid - I know. And I totally hear ya on spending on tubes vs. cables. I have bought some stupid expensive cables and ICs in the past, because I was in using solid state gear, but now I am done. Currently, I am gearing up for my first TOTL tube amp purchase, so tubes is what all my disposable income will go to. I also wonna improve my computer front end, but that's gonna have to wait. 

 

[wuwhere]

Quote:

Thanks Wuwhere. I was always interested in those. Seeing an endorsement from someone who knows what they are talking about is nice. 

 
Thanks for the compliment. I call them a poor man's Cardas because to me they remind me of Cardas cables without the Cardas price.

 

[mogour]

I use Cabledyne silver reference power cord and interconnect and made a big improvement to my Wa22 and lcds

 

[Da5Id]

Hey there, welcome aboard! I for one am a cable/interconnect believer as I have heard a huge difference with my setup. A source that many people in the US for cables is http://www.thecableco.com. You might be interested in checking out their fairly exhaustive list to get an idea about brands and prices. 
 
I use Wireworld and WyWires IC's. Wireworld has a wide range of IC's at all cost levels and a long track record. WyWires is a much newer company with a fairly unique approach to a simple but elegant all handmade construction. I'm using Wireworld Platinum Eclipse for analog and a WyWires Gold AES/EBU digital IC from source to DAC. Feel free to PM me if you're interested in further thoughts on this flame inducing topic. 
 
But, all else being said, as a member of Head-fi... sorry about your wallet.