[ilovesocks]

Aww, no RS-1 ..

 

[mrarroyo]

RS-1 and Mapletree Ear Purist + HD. Total: $1,300

 

[Rockofeller]

I have to say I am a little afraid of the Bluehawaii amp...that kind of current will absolutely kill a person and it looks like a difficult (and $1000+) DIY project. It is still feasible with my friend who has an MS in electrical engineering from Stanford, depending on how much help he wants to give me. Eh, decisions, decisions!

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockofeller I have to say I am a little afraid of the Bluehawaii amp...that kind of current will absolutely kill a person and it looks like a difficult (and $1000+) DIY project. It is still feasible with my friend who has an MS in electrical engineering from Stanford, depending on how much help he wants to give me. Eh, decisions, decisions!

That is wise, IMHO. KG says that the KGSS / Blue Hawaii are not "beginner DIY" amp projects in his writeups of them - not impossible, but not "beginner".

If you can get him to help and he is handy around the iron and other specifics required, more power to ya! But if not then seek higher help.

 

[Rockofeller]

Well, since I have to buy a better source, I have to factor that into my total spending. I would say my absolute max is about $3200 for the whole system. That includes DAC, amp, cables, and cans.
As a result of this and my latest reading I am leaning toward:
e-mu sound card ($100?)-> zhaolu 2.0 DAC ($150) -> upgraded sex amp ($450) -> Audio Technica ATH-W5000 ($950) or L3000 (~2200 new, would proly go used).
But I want to keep this thread mostly headphone related, although I welcome any and all advice. I can't wait for the meet on Saturday so I can try lots of different phones!

EDIT: Found L3000 for ~1600
Found W5000 for around 650
Found Omega II for around ~1300

 

[jagorev]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rockofeller Well, since I have to buy a better source, I have to factor that into my total spending. I would say my absolute max is about $3200 for the whole system. That includes DAC, amp, cables, and cans. As a result of this and my latest reading I am leaning toward: e-mu sound card ($100?)-> zhaolu 2.0 DAC ($150) -> upgraded sex amp ($450) -> Audio Technica ATH-W5000 ($950) or L3000 (~2200 new, would proly go used).

As a general rule, it might be better to spend more on upstream components, if you want to get max performance out of your headphones. It seems normal on head-fi to have sources and amps that cost at least as much (if not several times more) than the headphone alone.

So, one example might be: a maxed out Headroom Desktop or Home amp (with USB DAC option) as your source/amp, feeding a K701 or HD650.

 

[Rockofeller]

Well, I really want to try DIY and the sex amp is supposed to be as good as just about anything (perhaps cant compete with singlepower supra etc), and I can always roll tubes (which would also be fun!). As far as cost of the DAC I listed goes, I read on here that people thought it was as good as MUCH more expensive ones...so why not save the money?

I'll keep your advice in mind when I'm looking in the other forums for the right DAC, sound card, and interconnects

 

[Rockofeller]

I'm surprised there hasnt been more discussion of the pros and cons of different phones with respect to how they perform in jazz (even if these opinions are totally subjective). I was really looking forward to first person accounts!
Did I mention I listen to acoustic blues (often horrible recording quality) a lot, too?

 

[a-LeXx]

I find W5000 especially nice with jazz, guess you won't be disappointed.

Btw. wherer did you manage to find a W5000 for $650? The cheapest I could find were for $800 incl. shipping...

 

[amartignano]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jagorev I am sure others will have high-end headphone recommendations, but I hope you're going to spend some of that on upgrading your source.

I second that.... I think it's better to upgrade the source first.
Thinking about hard disc source with external high-quality DAC it's good imho.

Andrew

 

[Rockofeller]

I will probably get an upgraded zhaolu DAC.

for audiotechnica headphones, check www.pricejapan.com