[jterp7]

I'm currently using a TBAAM as a stand-in until I decide which amp to use for the HD650s, but I noticed some increased warmth almost muddiness when using the laptop>TBAAM>UE 5pros...it doesn't seem as crisp as it did straight from the somewhat noisy headphone out..though now there is a steady hiss (strangely independent of volume setting). Does anyone use their TBAAM as a DAC and pass through to an amp?

But back to the question at hand--I've seen a few people with amps straight from the headphone out w/o using a DAC since the amp usually cleaned up the noise.

First and foremost I'd like the best bang for the buck, and something that isn't too big or fragile (see the little guy on the left), so tubes are probably out for that reason + my limited desk space.

I had been looking at the Ibasso D1, with the next version (or revision) coming out soon...also considered the move naturally, though reviews state that as a DAC it is considerably worse than the D1. Then there's the Leckerton that was reviewed by skylabs as the best bang for the buck dac/amp (assuming stock).

On the more expensive side there's the Pico(w/ DAC) at 500, and the Predator (price, specs unknown). In this range there is also the Cantate, which I've heard great things about and from a quick search on the FS forums is rarely sold.

Budget wise I could splurge if needed be (500ish) but would prefer to keep it in the 200-300 range. Portability/small size is not required since this would be for home use only.

 

[nkoulban]

Hi,

I have an ASUS M6A notebook and I use this as my source to listen to my HD650 cans. I use the ASUS optical out (3.5mm mini jack Optical to Toslink/Optical) set to 96K. I connect via optical to a DAC and headphone Amp. I also run Foobar and ASIO4ALL. Currently I Kernal Stream to the notebook's sound card with the resampling DSP set to 96K.

I connect to 2 rigs:

Rig 1 - Musiland MD10 -> LD II++ Amp (tube rolled)-> HD650s (Single Ended)
Rig 2 - Headroom Balanced Desktop -> Equinox Balanced Cables -> HD650s

The results with both rigs are outstanding.

If you did not want to spend a lot of money I'd stick with good Chinese gear like the Musiland MD10 and LD II++ Tube Amp / Original Master for solid state.

Good luck.

 

[makasin]

I used to have an Asus V6V when I got the HD650s and I had the ol' TBAAM as well. I upgraded to the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite and its treating me amazingly well. The sound is so clean and everything is tight and crisp. Since the TBAAM has a builtin amp that sucks (relatively to a real dedicated amp), id suggest turning the TBAAM volume to the lowest setting (or low enough until the amp starts changing the sound too much) when you plug it into a future amp. Garbage in, garbage out.

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jterp7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm currently using a TBAAM as a stand-in until I decide which amp to use for the HD650s, but I noticed some increased warmth almost muddiness when using the laptop>TBAAM>UE 5pros...it doesn't seem as crisp as it did straight from the somewhat noisy headphone out..though now there is a steady hiss (strangely independent of volume setting). Does anyone use their TBAAM as a DAC and pass through to an amp? But back to the question at hand--I've seen a few people with amps straight from the headphone out w/o using a DAC since the amp usually cleaned up the noise. First and foremost I'd like the best bang for the buck, and something that isn't too big or fragile (see the little guy on the left), so tubes are probably out for that reason + my limited desk space. I had been looking at the Ibasso D1, with the next version (or revision) coming out soon...also considered the move naturally, though reviews state that as a DAC it is considerably worse than the D1. Then there's the Leckerton that was reviewed by skylabs as the best bang for the buck dac/amp (assuming stock). On the more expensive side there's the Pico(w/ DAC) at 500, and the Predator (price, specs unknown). In this range there is also the Cantate, which I've heard great things about and from a quick search on the FS forums is rarely sold. Budget wise I could splurge if needed be (500ish) but would prefer to keep it in the 200-300 range. Portability/small size is not required since this would be for home use only.

I have an ASUS A8JS with HD audio chip on board. I seem to be in a similar situation to yours. I have the HD650s and use them on another setup. I would like to have a DAC/AMP (portable) so I can use the notebook and HD650s where ever I wish. I have been doing a lot of research and here is what I have found. The notebook will be a decent enough source using optical out. Whatever DAC/AMP I buy, must drive the HD650s without distorting, so the winner in this situation seems to be the iBasso D1 v2 coming out soon. I believe that using the notebook/iBasso/HD650s will be great for portable use. For desktop use, I plan to use my LDII++ tube amp. This means using the D1 just as a DAC and not amp. I'm fairly sure the results will be very nice. For your situation, assuming you purchase the iBasso D1 v2, I believe you could optical out of notebook to D1 and drive your HD650s with the D1 as an interim solution. Later, after saving up a little, you could purchase a desktop tube amp and do like I plan to do. I would even go as far as to recommend the LD MKIII instead of LDII++. It is more powerful and a newer design.
What do you think?

Dave McLaughlin

 

[Capunk]

I experience similar condition like this before,
but right now I prefer to use iBasso D1 as the primary source for almost everything. And I plan to get a desktop amp later on, either Darkvoice, LD MK4, Corda Cantate, or Green solo.

And I'm beginning to wondering, Do I need to get separate DAC? or I just use my existing iBasso D1, since the thing it self a "Portable DAC" with a built-in amp. And people keep mentioning, D1 DAC is very good and comparable to Desktop DAC and I agree with that - D1 sound nice, beside that, D1 also accept multiple input which makes this thing is very versatile.

So I could safely assure, D1 is pretty future proof.
Get it today or future, doesn't matter - since you can opamp rolling to tailor the sound that match your musical taste. I highly recommend it.

 

[jterp7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by makasin /img/forum/go_quote.gif I used to have an Asus V6V when I got the HD650s and I had the ol' TBAAM as well. I upgraded to the HeadAmp Gilmore Lite and its treating me amazingly well. The sound is so clean and everything is tight and crisp. Since the TBAAM has a builtin amp that sucks (relatively to a real dedicated amp), id suggest turning the TBAAM volume to the lowest setting (or low enough until the amp starts changing the sound too much) when you plug it into a future amp. Garbage in, garbage out.

I didn't install the drivers for the TBAAM, so my only adjustable options are the Master Volume Control and the Wave Volume, i notice differences in raising the Master compared to the Wave but they're both set very low at the moment being connected to my 5pros (650s are stuck somewhere in NY ATM

)

Also what's the deal with the "Loudness" option?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penchum /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have an ASUS A8JS with HD audio chip on board. I seem to be in a similar situation to yours. I have the HD650s and use them on another setup. I would like to have a DAC/AMP (portable) so I can use the notebook and HD650s where ever I wish. I have been doing a lot of research and here is what I have found. The notebook will be a decent enough source using optical out. Whatever DAC/AMP I buy, must drive the HD650s without distorting, so the winner in this situation seems to be the iBasso D1 v2 coming out soon. I believe that using the notebook/iBasso/HD650s will be great for portable use. For desktop use, I plan to use my LDII++ tube amp. This means using the D1 just as a DAC and not amp. I'm fairly sure the results will be very nice. For your situation, assuming you purchase the iBasso D1 v2, I believe you could optical out of notebook to D1 and drive your HD650s with the D1 as an interim solution. Later, after saving up a little, you could purchase a desktop tube amp and do like I plan to do. I would even go as far as to recommend the LD MKIII instead of LDII++. It is more powerful and a newer design. What do you think? Dave McLaughlin

I did not know that Asus had optical outs..or are you referring to using the TBAAM as a pass through? AFAIK, the W3J was supposed to have SPDIF but there is no red light coming through the port so its just a regular headphone out.

I guess the jury is still out on the amp..i'd rather just buy once than having to sell and rebuy..the pico is allegedly on par with desktop/home sized amps so I'm still waiting to see on that, otherwise I may just straight up buy the cantate and just stop there

(if possible)

 

[jterp7]

^

 

[kanamin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nkoulban /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I have an ASUS M6A notebook and I use this as my source to listen to my HD650 cans. I use the ASUS optical out (3.5mm mini jack Optical to Toslink/Optical) set to 96K. ...

So THAT'S why there's a red light coming out of my laptop's headphone jack whenever I boot up! No software allowing me to specify output though, strangely enough. BTW I don't even have an ASUS laptop, it's an MSI

 

[Bazile]

Hi Folks;

I have an A8Js laptop also and it works fine with the optical out driving my home gear. I took it to a meet in San Jose and when hooked to an Apogee mini dac would only connect at 48k according to the dac. I was using the asio4all driver and mediamonkey software. We never could get it connected at 44.1k, but I admit I'm no software guru. The Meier gear is very popular here. I have not heard it or the iBasso so I can't offer an opinion.

Bazile

 

[jterp7]

Thanks for the replies guys

 

[CMasten]

I just received my new Leckerton UHA-3 today for use with an HP DV-9030 laptop and right out of the box its amazing, almost as small as my Hornet, very punchy as SkyLab reported, which I like with Senns, Im using the HD600s but so far on high gain I am very impressed, and for the price its a great value.

Very responsive customer service, and build quality it on par with the best I own. I need to let it burn on some music now for a few hundred hours and let the caps settle in, but if it gets better, I will be a strong advocate for Leckerton.

 

[jterp7]

Wow a revival from the dead lol

I still cannot decide honestly:

1) Leckerton UHA-3 (looks like they have it in black now) out of stock at the moment $199 shipped

2) Ibasso D1 (new version) about $273 shipped

3) Pico (w/ DAC) or Predator ~$510 shipped or $439 (based on his current rates)

4) Aria/Cantate 400 or 550ish respectively

I have a feeling I may stick with the lower end as my wallet was drained with the 4066f I picked up on friday. I guess I forgot to mention the new revision of the move but thats still really in the concept stages right now I believe.

 

[Jaunty]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jterp7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif 3) Pico (w/ DAC) or Predator ~$510 shipped (predator price still unknown at the moment)

FYI Predator will be $475 plus shipping or $425 to first 200 head-fiers, per an RSA post

 

[boomana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jterp7 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Wow a revival from the dead lol I still cannot decide honestly: 1) Leckerton UHA-3 (looks like they have it in black now) out of stock at the moment $199 shipped 2) Ibasso D1 (new version) about $273 shipped 3) Pico (w/ DAC) or Predator ~$510 shipped (predator price still unknown at the moment) 4) Aria/Cantate 400 or 550ish respectively I have a feeling I may stick with the lower end as my wallet was drained with the 4066f I picked up on friday. I guess I forgot to mention the new revision of the move but thats still really in the concept stages right now I believe.

MWALK seems to be reviving threads and posting in others to promote his sale, while offering little information about the topic at hand. It's pretty sleazy.

EDIT: CHECK OUT MWALK'S RECENT POSTS. HE HAS SOME 15 CUT AND PASTE JOBS OF THE SAME POST. SLEAZE!

As to your decision, I'd do a little more research before opting for a lesser amp for the HD650s. In my experience, these headphones don't work well with most budget options. Other headphones aren't as needy.

 

[jterp7]

As much as I'd like to budget 1k for an amp, aka Opera territory, I think at the moment I can't budget more than 4-500 for the amp. What do u recommend with this in mind?