[hamyqueso]

hey guys so I actually received my headphones a couple of days ago but I've been really busy with school so I haven't been on the computer very much.  But I just finished my last midterm in my wave of midterms so now I have plenty of time to listen to my brand new headphones!
 
So I really really really reallyyyyyyyyyy like the ad-900s. They feel very nice (light and fluffy) and the build quality is solid. They look really badass too because they're all black and have a sweet honeycomb style vent on the outsides.
 
As for the sound they are wonderful. I would have to say that every aspect of the sound (bass, mids, and treble) are all very detailed and balanced.  According to the review some people found that the bass was lacking a bit in these headphones and I'd agree in the sense that the bass isn' t the strongest aspect of the phones, but I wouldn't say that they are lacking.  The mids and highs are so lovely to listen to; they're so smooth and sweet it's just a such a treat.  The soundstage is definitely there but I'm finding that it's not as big as the K400s but I place some of the blame on the fact that I don't have the greatest source (my little macbook) so I'll definitely have to upgrade that aspect of my setup next. Overall I'm definitely satisfied with my new new phones and I can't wait to let you guys try them! 

 

[hamyqueso]

do guys have any suggestions for a good amp/dac combo or a separate amp and dac for <$300?  I'm interested in the Audinst Mx-1 HUD but still not positive. any suggestions are appreciated!
 
thanks

 

[V3ng3anc3]

Quote:

do guys have any suggestions for a good amp/dac combo or a separate amp and dac for <$300?  I'm interested in the Audinst Mx-1 HUD but still not positive. any suggestions are appreciated!
 
thanks

 
You should try Violet's e7+e9 which I believe should be under 300 together, it's a portable dac/amp (e7) and desktrop amp (e9) which can be separate or connected together . Otherwise check out the Audio-gd NFB 11 or 12.

 

[Tinola]

Finished my Crack in 5 hrs. I'm so impatient. I can't review it yet since my tubes are NOS and I'm waiting for the caps to burn in. Initial impressions after listening to it for 5 minutes, the amp is warm, but not too much. I think it's a perfect match with my DT880's. There's more bass presence and the mids are just sweet, definitely an upgrade from the Gilmore Lite. I'll have a small impressionfor the K400 later on.\


I'd get an amp first, and save up for a dac later on.

 

[hamyqueso]

Oh the NFB-12 looks really nice and definitely in my price range. have you listened to it before?
 
and I think that having both will really improve the sound I get so i want to get both a dac and an amp

 

[V3ng3anc3]

Sorry, was at my club's rocket launch till today. I have not heard the NFB-12, but it does have the same dual WM8741 DAC chip as my NFB-2, just without being a dedicated DAC. Oh yeah, there's also the HRT streamer II that Tinola had, which would fit your price range as well.

 

[Tinola]

Sorry, was at my club's rocket launch till today. I have not heard the NFB-12, but it does have the same dual WM8741 DAC chip as my NFB-2, just without being a dedicated DAC. Oh yeah, there's also the HRT streamer II that Tinola had, which would fit your price range as well.

I consider my HRT MS2 as bright, so I might sell it to get another DAC, but this won't happen anytime soon. Idk how this happened, but suddenly all most of my music is sibilant. I guess the DAC makes my setup too revealing, but this has not happened to me yet until I built my Crack. I tried different driver tubes but the sibilance is still there. So I'm upgrading to a warmer DAC.

MS2 is great value, no doubt about it really. It just doesn't fit my setup. I am saving up for a Stello DA100 maybe

 

[hamyqueso]

Yeah I've read some good reviews on the MS2 but I'm looking for something with warmer signature so it'll warm up my setup. the nfb-12 looks superrrr and it's basically what im looking for in a dac/amp combo but im hearing stories that it'll take a couple months to ship 

  I'm kind of torn now on what to do haha. Maybe I'll order it and wait it out until the summer.. gahh that is such a long time 

 

[V3ng3anc3]

It took 2 months for me to get my stuff lol, but it was also due to the sale they had for pre-orders, there was such a large influx of orders...

 

[VioletConqueror]

Well I haven't heard any of the stuff you mentioned but I will say that my e7+e9 sounds really impressive. Going on memory alone I would say I like it better than that ibasso I heard at the meet (was that your's vengence?). Super good deal and if you don't like the dac in the e7 the e9 is an amazing amp of it's own accord and you can try different DAC's for it. I doubt you will though the e7 sounds great, I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that it uses the same DAC chip as the ibasso d12, too lazy to look right now but it is pretty awesome. It keeps catching me off guard, I'll be playing background music and not paying attention and suddenly it just jumps out at me how good this setup sounds. Can't wait to get started on some home-made ThunderPants.
 
Oh, and just in case you care, the e9 will go loud enough to blow up most headphones so volume is not an issue here.

 

[hamyqueso]

hmmm now its really a tough choice haha.  I feel like I'm going back and forth so many times in between products.  the e7+e9 combo looks like a really good choice as well.  Also it's only $200 on miccastore.com.. I'm not too worried about the volume but thanks for the heads up.  Lots of thinking to do 

 
I emailed audio-gd about their nfb-12 and they told me that b/c of the number of orders they estimate they'll ship it by june 5th lol

 

[Tinola]

I think it's worth the wait. Audio-GD produces quality products, and from what I read great price/performance ratio. It gets a lot of praises from a lot of people. I would take it over the e7/e9 combo, but that's just me. If you need a portable amp, then get the e7/e9, otherwise, the NFB-12

 

[hamyqueso]

yeah that's what I'm thinking too; everyone seems to really like audio-gd products. and a month isn't too bad (I hope haha). I don't need anything portable so I think I'm gonna go with the nfb-12
 
thanks for all the input everyone 

 
 

 

[V3ng3anc3]

As long as it stays a month, it's not too bad lol. It is completely worth the wait. :]

 

[hamyqueso]

I just ordered the NFB-12 today so it'll hopefully arrive early June sometime.  Are any of you guys staying in slo for the summer? I'll be here taking some classes so if you're here we can have a small meet haha.  Also are you any of you free to have a meet sometime soon?