[technocrat]

Hello Head-fi members
Im new to the joys of hi-fi so I built a budget system.
To date it consists of
Grado Sr 125i $140.00
Hlly mkIII $198.00
What look like somewhat quality rca cables (directional, braided jacket) $0
Muse audio mini tda 1543x4 dac $39.00
audioquest optilink g $28.00
sound blaster xfi optical out (0 enhancement of course) $49.00 I think
I use itunes to play wav files all levels full
$454.00 as of yet
And to my ear it sounds bright and lacks in low end, but sound stage is huge and on the right tracks sounds amazing.

Any tips or advice on set up would be greatly appreciated.
Also I will so post pics of the inside of the hlly mk III soon (im scared to break it). See you all at can jam

 

[audiofil]

OK, here goes: your system is absolutely no good and should be replaced immediately! ...............
That's as far as my critique goes (I was joking of course)

On a more serious register - the brightness and lack of bass can be attributed to the Grados for most part.
If that bothers you, then the choice is obvious - replace them. A pair of Shure SRH840 may provide a better and more pleasing sound. But this is just one opinion.

Quote:

Muse audio mini tda 1543x4 dac $39.00

This looks like a (very) questionable design and I assume the sound quality of it is lacking in some ways.
You may want to look for a better source as well.

 

[GuyDebord]

Ditch the Grado's and the amp, save ~$150 and buy a Stax 2050 system.
Move from wav to flac, it will save you space!

 

[Head Injury]

With $200 invested in an amp, you need to get better headphones and a better DAC. No reason why the amp should cost as much as both the headphones and DAC, at least not with Grados.

If you think the Grado has a huge sound stage, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with another brand. Since it seems you don't want bright sound, a different brand will help that too.

Also, why use WAV? I'd switch to a player like Foobar or Winamp (if you're on PC and I'm assuming you are), use FLAC, and get bit-perfect playback set up with ASIO, kernel streaming, or WASAPI.

What's your preferred genres, with those people can give you suggestions.

 

[ihrm]

There really isn't a need to get a soundcard if you're buying an external dac, unless you're getting it for the digital out. If so there is no reason to spend $30 on a digital cable. Its only 0s and 1s, it either works or it doesn't. Maybe try something like this. And for the amp, if you're gonna go with the grados, try the little dot I+. It gets great reviews with the grados and its $100 cheaper. So then you can put that extra $120 towards upgrades elsewhere like a better DAC.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by technocrat /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello Head-fi members Im new to the joys of hi-fi so I built a budget system. To date it consists of Grado Sr 125i $140.00 Hlly mkIII $198.00 What look like somewhat quality rca cables (directional, braided jacket) $0 Muse audio mini tda 1543x4 dac $39.00 audioquest optilink g $28.00 sound blaster xfi optical out (0 enhancement of course) $49.00 I think I use itunes to play wav files all levels full $454.00 as of yet And to my ear it sounds bright and lacks in low end, but sound stage is huge and on the right tracks sounds amazing. Any tips or advice on set up would be greatly appreciated. Also I will so post pics of the inside of the hlly mk III soon (im scared to break it). See you all at can jam

If you like what you hear, change nothing..

 

[robm321]

^ What he said

 

[Ypoknons]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you like what you hear, change nothing..

Quote:

Originally Posted by technocrat And to my ear it sounds bright and lacks in low end, but sound stage is huge and on the right tracks sounds amazing.

That's interesting. I don't know Grados, but aren't they supposed to be bright and have a smaller soundstage?

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ypoknons /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's interesting. I don't know Grados, but aren't they supposed to be bright and have a smaller soundstage?

Its frame of reference. They can do quite well on the right music.

Anyways, I would look at the headphones if you think your system is bright. Although in my experience with other OTL gear grados don't get brighter on OTL amps, the 2 are often a sub-par pair in general. Perhaps try a Senn HD580,600,650 or maybe a Beyer DT880/250. Your going to have to throw a bit more money into the pot to make the trade, but it should not be too bad.

 

[technocrat]

Thanks for the advice! I really enjoy my system and was trying to be critical at the brightness and somewhat lack of bass. I really am looking forward to trying some new gear at can jam ( I live 2 blocks from the venue). I mostly listen to classic and 90's rock, electronic music dosent do as well. I can say the same for classical. Head-fi members are the best.

 

[kunalraiker]

I would recommend upgrading the headphones to something as the D5000's

 

[plonter]

definitely change/upgrade the headphones. afterwards,you can think about upgrading the rest of your system. but see how you like it first with another cans plugged in. the grados are the brightest headphones in the industry from what i know...hence the problem of your system sounds bright.

also remember,if you like what you have it is a good thing, but you also can't know something better until you hear it for yourself. after you audition other gear (you are so lucky to be close to canjam...

) you can relise that your system is not up to the task.

 

[technocrat]

Cans were my first hi fi purchase (actually my wonderful wife bought them for me). That seems like the most logical upgrade. I dont think I will purchase any new gear untill can jam. Just some used cd shopping. Thanks again!

 

[technocrat]

OK I owe Head injury one!
I had no idea itunes sounded so bad. Went to Foobar2000 with aiso drivers huge. Also replace rca cable with 1m blue jet. Now I just have to figure out how to organize and rename everything. Thanks again Head-fi

 

[plonter]