[Pepper606]

I've saved and saved and now I'm going to upgrade, I really need advice because I won't be able to do this again for a long time. I've saved £2,000 which was a real struggle!

I have Astell&Kern Sr25, Hifiman Edition XS (for home) and Moondrop variations for going out.
What would you suggest I upgrade first?
I was thinking the DAP and that maybe my phones would be ok for a while. I just don't have the experience to make a judgement call.
If I got an SE300 would i get a real boost in quality?
Any advice would be really appreciated!

 

[msing539]

I'd always suggest spending the money on new headphones first.

 

[Rackhour]

I second the suggestion about spending on new headphones/earphones first.

 

[Pepper606]

That's sensible advice, thank you.
So now I'm thinking £1,000 on IEMs, which i'm now going to research like mad. I use IEMs more than headphones.
Would it be crazy to consider the Astell&Kern Zero 2? I really can't waste my money and I've been very impressed by the quality of my DAP. So it doesn't feel like a leap of faith so much.
I think my greatest concern is in buying IEMs and the SR25 just not being good enough.

 

[BS5711]

Can you audition the gear before buying, please be very careful about blind buying based on reviews in general and Head Fi threads.

Be aware that the guys that review a lot of gear here are often given that gear to review and often to keep. They have ongoing gear supplies to gain by talking positively about what they are reviewing, that is just common sense. I am not saying they say something is good when it isn’t but I do believe it is appropriate to remember the situation behind them having the gear to review and temper your interpretation of the review on that basis.

Do also consider that with IEM in particular, but all audio gear, sound quality is nowhere near proportional to cost.

I don’t own any of the gear that you have but based on my understanding all the gear you have is good and “better” is going to be hugely subjective.

The Variations you currently have are quite highly regarded, I believe seen as near the top of the price range before diminishing returns kicks in really hard, and you could potentially find that “upgrading” by spending half or even all of your budget on one set of IEM alone is not an upgrade at all. You could potentially prefer the Variations over something costing all your budget.

My experience has been that DAPs, DACs and amplifiers do not make anywhere near the difference that reviewers and forum members discussion and comments would indicate. I have spent more than your budget on DACs, amps and combination DAC/amps that have essentially gained me nothing in terms of really tangible sound quality improvements. I sold a bunch off at significant loss and kept a few that suit my use cases not because of sound quality considerations.

Make a point of trying before you buy, don’t believe the descriptions like “far better” or “night and day improvement” etc when it comes to the electronics because in the real world, outside of the degree of importance that a subtle improvement means to some people at more or less any cost, those descriptions are simply not true. You can buy extremely competent equipment for really quite low cost these days and you generally gain very little for a lot more money.

I agree in general that the greatest improvement is going to come from the IEM and headphones but they are also the items that “improvement” in sound quality is the most subjective.

Your gear is already good. I would suggest you take very little from specific advice here and give very careful consideration to what you are not happy with in your current set up and what you want to improve then think about how to go about that to best effect remembering that the degree if sound quality and cost are hugely disproportionate.

I wonder if you want to spend the money just because you have it after all your hard saving, not because you actually feel something is lack in your current gear.

Think through want you want to improve, research that, don’t believe the flowery words and try before you buy.

Good luck.

 

[BS5711]

One specific thing that I would suggest is an amplifier to better drive the Edition XS and would offer another option to driving the Variations at home.

I recently bought an Astell and Kern PA10 that does a great job with my Dan Clark Aeon Noire which are quite similar impedance and sensitivity to the XS.

It would be one of my very best audio purchases.

Put a 4.4mm to 4.4mm ddhifi interconnect cable between the SR25 and the PA10 and use a 4.4mm cable with the Edition XS and that would make a great set up at home that you can easily move to any listening situation.

The current adjustment makes an audible difference with current hungry headphones like the Noire and your Edition XS and to my ear the PA10 provides a really nice listening experience. I find it hard to pinpoint what the differences are but in a long listening session I find it very pleasing and nicer than my iFi Diablo that cost twice as much.

But, as I said above, try if you can and temper your expectations to something less than a “wow” moment because that might never happen for you with any gear within a realistic budget.

 

[WorksUnit]

I've saved £2,000 which was a real struggle!

Take your time with that.
Go and spend time with as many systems as you can, and that includes 2-channel in a trad hi-fi shop.

 

[Pepper606]

I feel a huge sense of relief, I'm thinking clearly (today). I really do enjoy what I currently have and it's curiosity/money burning my pocket driving this.
I have an illness that means I stay where I am, so testing isn't really an option. I absolutely appreciate that buying blind is too great a risk, especially for something so subjective. I just have to resist the temptation.
So I'm leaving the money where it is.
Awesome advice, I can't thank you enough!