[Pibborando]

I'm fairly certain I will be sticking with these guys for a long time. Out of the "holy trinity" I am confident that the HD 650 is not the can for me after listening to the 600s. The K701 is the only other I'm interested in listening to but after reading many threads and reviews comparing the Beyers to the AKGs, I think the Beyer sound is more to my liking. The highs are SO sweet and airy, the mids intimate and detailed, the bass textured and deep and the sound stage huge and eerily realistic.

That's not to say I wouldn't want to adjust a few things about their character. Most of all, I would like to warm them up slightly. The HD 600s were TOO warm for me, but I wish I could make the low end on the Beyers just a bit richer and add some more weight to my music. The highs are pretty perfect to me, so umm... maybe making the mids even more sultry and intimate would be nice.

I am using the HeadAmp AE-1 to power them currently. It's very nice. Good impact and detail, not harsh at all and exceedingly transparent, but as I said above I'm looking for something even more capable and hefty.

This is kind of "wish list" post, so I won't impart a budget. But if the options could be broken down into price category that would help. I won't have the money to make this purchase for a while, but I will start saving up now.

I'm not sure if what I'm looking for is tubes or whether solid states can give me what I want. I know both the Corda Aria and WooAudio 6 are VERY attractive to me. The Darkvoices look nice too, but what's going to give me what I'm after?

Help me put some soul into my Beyers. Thanks!

 

[Morph201]

Pardon, my ignorance... I'm not sure what your total setup is like, but since you have a 'transparent' amp, why not look for a nice source? You'd be surprise how much of a difference a source makes in the chain, more so than an amp....

 

[Negatron]

Your consideration of the Aria is probably a wise one. I think it moves into a league above the mainstream, addressing serious high fidelity conventions in it's design. It seems when you get to that level of design, price does not determine the amp, The amp determines the price.

You indicate a secondary consideration for the 701's. You may seek out and listen to, with a good source and amp, a pair of K501's. I lost a pair to an EX last year and recently borrowed another pair and have just purchased a set. I prefer them to the 701's. Though they are no longer made they are still available new or as new.

I wouldn't begin to try and explain the sound, just that they engage me more than there successors.

 

[wakeride74]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morph201 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Pardon, my ignorance... I'm not sure what your total setup is like, but since you have a 'transparent' amp, why not look for a nice source? You'd be surprise how much of a difference a source makes in the chain, more so than an amp....

x2 add a nice DAC to your rig and upgrade the amp later

 

[Pibborando]

Wouldn't the Aria be killing two birds with one stone since it has a USB connection and built-in DAC?

And I'm mainly using my X5 as a source, but sometimes my computer with the AV-710. I'm assuming the DAC in the Aria would beat both of those sources. How high end would I have to go to get a significant improvement over the Aria's DAC?

Oh, and just to experiment, I messed with the graphic equalizer in Rockbox. I set it to 60Hz: 0dB, 200Hz: -0.5dB, 800Hz: -1.5dB, 4000: -2.5dB, 12,000Hz: -3dB. I turned up the volume on the AE-1 slightly to compensate. I think I like this a bit better. So, yeah, warmer = yay.

 

[Negatron]

Pibborando,
Since you are considering the Aria and are familier with and using Foobar2000, the Aria has an USB DAC built in. 192bit and above LAME is not that bad providing the issue of Jitter is addressed which I've heard the Aria does a credible job of dealing with. Also there are some very good deals on Audiogon and ebay for older, very high quality (& cheap) DACs for added digital source.
(I still prefer vinyl)

 

[ManAtWork]

You can consider the new Corda amp. like Opera, Move and the latest Cantate if you have DT880. While these models have "new Corda sound" which more warmer and deeper bass. This new sound characteristic is proven be well synergy with Beyer's DT series headphones.

 

[stevenkelby]

What's your budget?

 

[warsurferX]

I think the synergy btw the Meiers and the Beyers is undeniable... just like the MAD's with Grado and Lehmann with Senns.

You mentioned that you're comparing the Woo6 with the Aria. One's a tube amp and the other SS. which sound sig are you looking for?

 

[SubDiv]

an Eddie current EC/SS or LunchBox II would warm things up with some kick

some more recent comments(post 4) about the DT880 and the LBII synergy

 

[itsborken]

FYI, Aria is on sale now that Cantante is slated to ship out this Monday.

 

[tbonner1]

Quote:

Cantante is slated to ship out this Monday

I can't wait for reviews of this amp. I hope it has enough power for the AKG 701.

If it has similar balance to the Opera, this would be a good amp to give the Beyer 880 some extra bass fullness.

 

[Bozz_Keren]

what about DT880 with Firestone iCute Beyond, anybody tried this combination?

 

[Pibborando]

I'm thinking of going for the Little Dot MkIII when I get some funds. The lunch box looks nice but I love the LD aesthetics. Compared with that, how would the Darkvoice 336i or Woo3 stack up?

 

[Bozz_Keren]

i think headphonesrock has review for DT880 combined with Darkvoice 336i, he said it was great combination, adds more punch in low and smooth the highs