I have been eyeing an MHDT Labs DAC for some time. Out of their line up I think there are two under the thousand dollar mark. But desk space is at a premium so I may have to build a shelf to house it.
That is very true. If you’re only listening at low volume then your requirements are very different to someone who wants to listen to louder music and on occasion really loud music - health considerations nonwithstanding. A headphone like Atticus really comes in to its own at higher volume, so you’ll need a good amp and decently mastered files to get it there optimally.
I’d say about the same (closer to 83 than 78, which I consider quite low), but I have been known to go as high as 90-95 for really good songs. Not for full albums though. Once in a while I’d go over 100 for very short bursts, just because the R2R with the Atticus (and LCD) make it so easy to go there. I’d say 12 o’clock in high gain on the Atticus is already 100+ with modern (compressed) music.
I too find the R2R-11 not the best solution for the Atticus.Of the three amping options I currently have on my desk the R2R-11 has the least amount of slam and aggression.To my ears its just too warm when im listening to older recordings e.g. blues,classic rock,NWOBHM...pretty much 90% of what I listen to.
In my attempt to find a great amp for the Atticus I ended up ordering a Monster Eleven Glenn amp(AKA M.E.G.A.) I will have Hansotek on speed dial so he can try and prevent me from blowing up my house.
Strange how we hear it completely differently. It’s almost as if we’re talking about totally different gear. The R2R takes my Atticus as close to Fostex TH-X00!slam as I can recall. In fact until I got the R2R I was really starting to regret selling my Fostex and getting the Atticus, but no longer. I’ve got my slam back, asking with all the other amazing clarity, detail and warmth the Atticus does better than almost any other closed headphone I’ve heard. I’m almost preferring the Atticus on the R2R than through the Woo WA3, which I specifically bought for it. If I want slam, I go straight to the R2R; if I want smooth, I hook up the Woo.
Only for very short bursts and not very often, but both Atticus and LCD can go much higher than that without breaking a sweat or even hinting at distortion. You have to have the right sources to get them there however, including well mastered files.
I have, with the Woo, but it’s the R2R-11 amp that gives it the slam, not the dac. The Woo is still as smooth and mellow with the R2R as a dac as it is with my ifi as a dac.
