[Evan748]

Hi,
 
This is what I am thinking of buying...
 
1. Sennheiser HD 800 S Headphones
2. Sennheiser HDVD 800 Amp/DAC
3. MSI GS43VR Phantom Pro Gaming Notebook (mostly to play music but gaming when im away from home).
 
I dont know much about high end audio but really love listening to music on headphones. That setup i listed will set me back around $4300aud + Notebook. I dont care too much what the setup looks like aesthetically I'd just like the best(reliable) sound i can afford on my budget which is in the $4000 - $7000 range + Notebook.
 
-Please advise me on my product choice and/or recommend an alternate setup.
 
-I was thinking of going through Addicted To Audio which has stores in Mel/Syd but none up here where I live in Brisbane, they reputable?
 
-What cable do i need to go from the NOTEBOOK to the Amp/DAC?
 
-I'm almost certain I dont want to spend the extra money that tube amps cost but am curious are they that much better?
 
I would really appreciate some advice!
Thanks.
- Evan -

 

[Dulalala]

Well if you use a laptop you will pretty much be forced to use USB to connect to the DAC/Amp. As for tube amps its really a preference. I love tube amps, just my personal taste but I can assure you that you can get a good tube amp for less or equally as much as the HDVD 800. It's $2000 isn't it? It's not exactly cheap either. The Mjolnir 2 may be a good solution if you want to be able to interchange between a tube amp and solid state but keep in mind it isn't a full tube amp it is a hybrid. Getting the Mjolnir 2 and Gungnir as you're DAC/Amp will cost around the same as the HDVD 800 (~$1800). If you want a full tube amp I highly recommend the WA8 Eclipse. It is quite small and compact for a tube amp too so it'll work well if you want to bring it around. It also has a built in DAC and is $1800.

 

[Evan748]

That WA8 Eclipse does look like a possible option for me, its only slightly more expensive then the HDVD 800 where i live and being portable makes sense for me also.
 
What about maintenance for tube amps? Do you need to do anything special to look after them? (i really am a noob at this stuff)

 

[Dulalala]

Not at all the only maintenance you would need to do is replacing the tubes when they die but Woo Audio has made it relatively easy to replace them. Also the tubes life span on are 5000 hours so it will be quite a while till you have to replace them. They are however still tube amps and it should be noted that they will heat up quite a bit when in use.

 

[Evan748]

Thanks for the advice.
 
I did go with the Woo Audio WA-8 Eclipse and Sennheiser HD 800 S run off a new laptop. I'm very happy with the setup =)
 
If I copy my sisters iTunes Library to a External Hard Drive then to my laptop will there be a drop in sound quality over downloading songs directly from iTunes? (I'm aware iTunes isn't the highest quality source of music)

 

[Dulalala]

It should be fine but if you want to be cautious for any corrupt files being transfered then downloading it again will work too.

 

[nephilim32]

You have done very well with regards to getting a great amp and headphone sound chain. I would look into getting some 24bit/96k or 24/192k sources to give that setup of yours the right food.
7 digital, sound liaison, HD tracks and native DSD are great sites to procure some beautiful recordings.
Those HD 800's devour detail, so even 16bit/48k WAV will sound good but not great. Trust me. I've experimented greatly.