[SirMarc]

My 7308 is warm in a good way, but not lacking detail, full mids and bass, with very slightly rolled off highs. Its my favorite tube. I think everyone should have a gold lion though, its a fun tube to pop in every now and then, and with certain overly warm albums, I actually prefer it

 

[SirMarc]

I was thinking about what hansotek wrote, and I'll preface this by saying he's a nice guy, and we've had a bunch private chats about vinyl and music, and he's not wrong here. I'm sure there are plenty of dacs with more detail and a bigger soundstage, but he also said it can be very euphonic and musical. Here's the thing. I've been a music lover and sometimes audiophile for around 40 years. I did the high end gear in the 90's and early 2000's. My amp and pre amp alone were close to ten grand, not to mention my dac, transport and ridiculous amount of money on mit cables. It was hyper detailed with a ridiculously good soundstage, but I found all I was doing was analyzing the sound quality, not really listening to the music. Fast forward 20 years and I'm using a Sansui 9090 and a tube dac. Why? Because its euphonic and musical, and I enjoy the music again. Just my 2 cents

 

[Baifern]

I was thinking about what hansotek wrote, and I'll preface this by saying he's a nice guy, and we've had a bunch private chats about vinyl and music, and he's not wrong here. I'm sure there are plenty of dacs with more detail and a big soundstage, but he also said it can be very euphonic and musical. Here's the thing. I've been a music lover and sometimes audiophile for around 40 years. I did the high end gear in the 90's and early 2000's. My amp and pre amp alone were close to ten grand, not to mention my dac, transport and ridiculous amount of money on mit cables. It was hyper detailed with a ridiculously good soundstage, but I found all I was doing was analyzing the sound quality, not really listening to the music. Fast forward 20 and I'm using a Sansui 9090 and a tube dac. Why? Because its euphonic and musical, and I enjoy the music again. Just my 2 cents

 
I strongly agree with this Marc.
 
Hansotek mentioned some good points, but no one can tell what's good for you or not. It also doesn't matter if you're using a five-digit worth of equipment. Spending more cannot guarantee that it'll make improvements to your system. What we read online are just guides and pointers. In the end, it's up to your own ears if the sound is good enough or not. And having good sound for a small amount of money is just amazing!

Back to the 7308, I am putting more hours into it right now. I don't know, I thought it was okay already, but when I received my 6N1P, it sounded better than the 7308.

Will post updates later on.

 

[Eurobeat]

I was thinking about what hansotek wrote, and I'll preface this by saying he's a nice guy, and we've had a bunch private chats about vinyl and music, and he's not wrong here. I'm sure there are plenty of dacs with more detail and a bigger soundstage, but he also said it can be very euphonic and musical. Here's the thing. I've been a music lover and sometimes audiophile for around 40 years. I did the high end gear in the 90's and early 2000's. My amp and pre amp alone were close to ten grand, not to mention my dac, transport and ridiculous amount of money on mit cables. It was hyper detailed with a ridiculously good soundstage, but I found all I was doing was analyzing the sound quality, not really listening to the music. Fast forward 20 years and I'm using a Sansui 9090 and a tube dac. Why? Because its euphonic and musical, and I enjoy the music again. Just my 2 cents

 
 

   
I strongly agree with this Marc.
 
Hansotek mentioned some good points, but no one can tell what's good for you or not. It also doesn't matter if you're using a five-digit worth of equipment. Spending more cannot guarantee that it'll make improvements to your system. What we read online are just guides and pointers. In the end, it's up to your own ears if the sound is good enough or not. And having good sound for a small amount of money is just amazing!

Back to the 7308, I am putting more hours into it right now. I don't know, I thought it was okay already, but when I received my 6N1P, it sounded better than the 7308.

Will post updates later on.

Thanks both of you.  The way he phrased it was more along the lines of the DAC sucking compared to others, and then following up with " you only listen to the OP, and you're going to buy this anyways, so why do I bother," type of post.  Which wasn't needed.

FWIW I don't think the X2's are what I want ((((

 

[SirMarc]

Have you tried Grados? From the very beginning I was thinking you'd like them. They're very polarizing headphones though, people usually either love them or hate them. I fall into the hate category lol, but hey, I'm a Sennheiser guy, I like warm and laid back...

 

[Eurobeat]

Have you tried Grados? From the very beginning I was thinking you'd like them. They're very polarizing headphones though, people usually either love them or hate them. I fall into the hate category lol, but hey, I'm a Sennheiser guy, I like warm and laid back...

The first pair I had was very harsh, and after having some grado dudes listen to my music, one or more said that it didn't seem I wanted grados, and that I want bass... I don't like that much bass so..... lol!


I should just try the 325e's....  But they might be too bright Idfk.....

 

[SirMarc]

What about Beyer's? And also, have you ever listened to Sennheisers? You may actually like them...

 

[Eurobeat]

What about Beyer's? And also, have you ever listened to Sennheisers? You may actually like them...

I'm a newbie... ..

I was goign to rent some stuff from "TheCableCo" still might.


I dont know if HPs are for me... I feel I might like speakers more Idk...  All I know is when I put on that pair of Logitech G35's I was amazed by the sound I was hearing....  Wish they didn't break .

 

[SirMarc]

If you're in the US, some bestbuys have the HD600's out to demo. I'd give them a try, you might be surprised. I find them to be more neutral than warm

 

[SirMarc]

The beauty of the HD6xx series is how non-fatiguing they are. You can literally listen to them all day with no discomfort

 

[Hansotek]

I was thinking about what hansotek wrote, and I'll preface this by saying he's a nice guy, and we've had a bunch private chats about vinyl and music, and he's not wrong here. I'm sure there are plenty of dacs with more detail and a bigger soundstage, but he also said it can be very euphonic and musical. Here's the thing. I've been a music lover and sometimes audiophile for around 40 years. I did the high end gear in the 90's and early 2000's. My amp and pre amp alone were close to ten grand, not to mention my dac, transport and ridiculous amount of money on mit cables. It was hyper detailed with a ridiculously good soundstage, but I found all I was doing was analyzing the sound quality, not really listening to the music. Fast forward 20 years and I'm using a Sansui 9090 and a tube dac. Why? Because its euphonic and musical, and I enjoy the music again. Just my 2 cents

 

I strongly agree with this Marc.

Hansotek mentioned some good points, but no one can tell what's good for you or not. It also doesn't matter if you're using a five-digit worth of equipment. Spending more cannot guarantee that it'll make improvements to your system. What we read online are just guides and pointers. In the end, it's up to your own ears if the sound is good enough or not. And having good sound for a small amount of money is just amazing!


Back to the 7308, I am putting more hours into it right now. I don't know, I thought it was okay already, but when I received my 6N1P, it sounded better than the 7308.


Will post updates later on.

Thanks both of you.  The way he phrased it was more along the lines of the DAC sucking compared to others, and then following up with " you only listen to the OP, and you're going to buy this anyways, so why do I bother," type of post.  Which wasn't needed.


FWIW I don't think the X2's are what I want ((((

My point was, if you are going to drop $150 on a T1, $70 on a tube and $250 on another amp, you should be considering what your best option is for $470, you know? If your budget is more like $200 and you're driving a high impedance headphone, the T1 and a half decent tube make a nice all-in-one choice.

On the other hand, if you're planning on using the T1 as a DAC only, know that it is nice and musical, but poor in terms of technicality. The soundstage is small, the background is noisy, the transient attack is blurry, it lacks dynamics, it doesn't extend very far in the treble or bass, I'm quite sure THD is quite poor and it lacks microdetail.

However, to Joe's point a couple pages back, the T1 does offer you the ability to customize the sound of your DAC, which is rare.

I'm just giving you the negatives so you can see the whole picture. The positives can be found on every page of this thread.

Here's the reality. You have to choose what you want:
On one side you can have super smooth and musical.
On the other side you get detailed and dynamic.

The reality is, unless you're willing to spend $600 or more on a DAC, you really only get to choose one.

I'm trying to give you a fair and unbiased picture here, based on my experiences at this current point in time. If you want to hear positive things I've said about the T1, search my username in this thread, you'll find several dozen posts, and nearly all of them are positive. Something you said the other night triggered a response in me relative to the lack of balance in opinion about this product. There is nothing wrong with owning it or liking it, but I felt there needed to be some sense of big picture counterbalance here.

I think your idea of renting equipment from the cable co is a good one. There is no better way to find out if you like something than to try it.

Honestly, I'm just trying to help you out man. I'm trying to give you the most current and unbiased opinions I can. I have absolutely no adgenda other than to help you find something that you like. I find it somewhat disrespectful of you to write posts like the one you did above like I can't just come into this thread and see it. Honestly, I give you a fair and well thought out answer and you just kinda smack me in the face for it. I'm sorry if I'm being too straightforward for you. The fact is, I've been there before. I'm just trying to help you connect the dots in a way that makes sense.

 

[Hixs]

Evening,
 
I know this a thread for the T1, but I'm going to ask here first. If I wanted to upgrade from my T1 (which I will keep solely for desktop/headphone use..for now) to something that would be able to power my Focal 726 speakers, what would you look at for say 300-500 quid? I've no real preference regarding tubes/solid state at this point in time.
 
I don't know where to start...
 
Source will be my laptop for now. I'm looking into going down the separates route eventually. Gotta start saving though!

 

[penmarker]

You could start looking for speaker amps or preamp+power amp combos. The T1 doesn't have a pre-out, only line out and the Focals are passive floorstanders.

 

[Hixs]

Sorry, I just realized I've worded that all wrong and basically confused myself.
 
I have an Marantz SR5010 AVR which powers the speakers. I'm looking for something that plays music that will connect into my current setup. Something that has a HDD so that I don't have to use my laptop as the source.

 

[penmarker]

Sorry, I just realized I've worded that all wrong and basically confused myself.


 


I have an Marantz SR5010 AVR which powers the speakers. I'm looking for something that plays music that will connect into my current setup. Something that has a HDD so that I don't have to use my laptop as the source.

 

Then the Aune S1 would be perfect for you!

http://www.hi-fiworld.co.uk/index.php/internet-audio/483-aune-s1-media-player.html