[Bass_Luvr]

Hey people I need help with my first setup, I plan to go all out on my first one so I need experienced audiophiles to help me in my purchases. The setups I have made are below but I don't know much about DAC's or non-portable Amps, mind reccomending me some?

At Home
-------
Hp's - Sennheiser HD650 with Cardas cable upgrade
Amp - reccomend me one
Source - Desktop, Foobar with ASIO or KS
DAC - Micro DAC with quality USB cable



I plan to be using FLAC, WAV, or LAME 320 CBR files from tracks that were ripped with EAC with this setup.

I'm looking for a solid state amp that will fit great with this setup, the budget for the Amp is around $300.

 

[HIPPOhifi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif For the home setup is it better to use SPDIF, Coaxial, or USB?

As a DAC/AMP manufacturer, I would recommend using USB. There are a number of things that differentiate between the three mechanisms you mention but it usually comes down to two things, interference and jitter. In nearly all cases USB audio devices will have the USB receiver, DAC and amp on the same board and sometimes on the same chip. The communication mechanism between the components will be design to reduce jitter, interference and the alike. In some cases USB audio devices will use an I2S interface between the receiver and DAC, removing jitter completely from that end of the circuit.

 

[Bass_Luvr]

Alright, but doesn't the usb produce more jitter because the usb bus and the cpu can't work that fast or something?

Oh and does an iPod's line-out beat every other output in a portable player?

I was looking at Headroom's Micro DAC and I was wondering if the Hornet would be a superior amp to the Micro AMP with this DAC, can anybody tell me which works better with a Micro DAC?

 

[Whitebread]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright, but doesn't the usb produce more jitter because the usb bus and the cpu can't work that fast or something? Oh and does an iPod's line-out beat every other output in a portable player? I was looking at Headroom's Micro DAC and I was wondering if the Hornet would be a superior amp to the Micro AMP with this DAC, can anybody tell me which works better with a Micro DAC?

CPU's these days opperate in the gigahertz range, most audio is sampled at 44.1khz, orders of magnitude lower than the operational frequency of a CPU.

The Universal Serial Bus can send data at a theoretical maximum of about 60MB/sec, again far in excess of the minimum required to send CD audio. I doubt frequency is a problem here.

 

[22906]

Since you can use your av-710 to get digital output, get a Lavry DA 10. You can either use its headphone amp or get some sort of discrete amp, probably have someone build you a beta22 or CKKIII. Thats what I would do for my home system if I had the money for a Lavry DA 10.

Another solid option is the Stello DA100/HP100 combo, which is reported to have good synergy. This would connect using USB though.

IMHO its extremely difficult to discern a difference in sound between optical/coax/USB to connect from computer to a DAC.

 

[rb67]

I can vouch for the CKKIII. I recently finished mine and it really is a very nice amp. However, if price is no concern to you might I suggest a Mapletree Ear+ or a Dynahi or an Aikido amp. These are reasonably priced (~$500) and will give you plenty of headroom should you upgrade even more.

In terms of DAC, I would recommend a USB DAC for the same reasons mentioned previously.

 

[HIPPOhifi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Alright, but doesn't the usb produce more jitter because the usb bus and the cpu can't work that fast or something?

It is more likely there will be less jitter using USB, this obviously depends on what device you purchase and what interface that device uses between the USB receiver and DAC ICs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh and does an iPod's line-out beat every other output in a portable player?:

No a few players offer digital out and this would be more superior than a line out. Players such as the Iriver H120/H140 have optical out.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was looking at Headroom's Micro DAC and I was wondering if the Hornet would be a superior amp to the Micro AMP with this DAC, can anybody tell me which works better with a Micro DAC?

What is your budget?

 

[Bass_Luvr]

For the Amp itself I'm willing to spend $250-$300, but if there's an Amp that's better that's lower than this range I'll still buy it. Oh and I have my heart set on the Micro DAC, so something which works best with this DAC. Garr I hope I get this setup ready soon, can't wait to be hearing what true music sounds like

Oh and I'm giving up on my portable rig. I'll just buy the iPod and use the ER6 phones I already have. I'll stick to the audiophile-grade music at the house, and the not so good quality outside.

 

[Bass_Luvr]

Err yeah the 650 just arrived

..... I'm kinda dissapointed at the sq. I'm guessing the reason they don't sound as good as I thought they would is because they're connected to the analog out of my stock soundcard and don't have an amp or dac or anything

. Is my hypothesis right or did I get a bad unit?

 

[Thelonious Monk]

they're a fairly high impedence headphone, there's no way stock sound will drive them properly. plus, pretty much everything sounds like crap with stock soundcards.

if i were in your situation, i'd buy a PreSonus Central Station, which is a professional studio product with a great DAC and headamp section. i'm planning on buying one, since i can use it in my home studio AND for a headamp.

there's no USB on it, so go for optical.

another good combo to consider would be the Gilmore Lite + EMU 0404 USB

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Err yeah the 650 just arrived ..... I'm kinda dissapointed at the sq. I'm guessing the reason they don't sound as good as I thought they would is because they're connected to the analog out of my stock soundcard and don't have an amp or dac or anything . Is my hypothesis right or did I get a bad unit?

You need a DAC and an amp. You have two options. One, get an external DAC and a separate amp, either tube or solid state, depending on your preference. There are so many options here. Too many to list. Need to know your budget for each or total budget. That would help to narrow the field. Two, get a combination DAC/headphone amp. The ones that come to mind are the amps from Headroom (the Micro Stack, for example), or from Meier Audio (the Aria or Opera), or the PS Audio GCHA.

Hope this helps.

 

[Bass_Luvr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by vcoheda /img/forum/go_quote.gif You need a DAC and an amp. You have two options. One, get an external DAC and a separate amp, either tube or solid state, depending on your preference. There are so many options here. Too many to list. Need to know your budget for each or total budget. That would help to narrow the field. Two, get a combination DAC/headphone amp. The ones that come to mind are the amps from Headroom (the Micro Stack, for example), or from Meier Audio (the Aria or Opera), or the PS Audio GCHA. Hope this helps.

Well I already bought the Sennheiser, and I got my heart set on the Micro DAC through the USB from my computer since I won't have to buy a soundcard. And for the AMP I'm willing to spend around $300.

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well I already bought the Sennheiser, and I got my heart set on the Micro DAC through the USB from my computer since I won't have to buy a soundcard. And for the AMP I'm willing to spend around $300.

There are a lot of DACs that have a USB connection. The only thing I don't like about the HR Micro DAC is that it does not accept a standard power cord. You have to use the AC adapter. And there are no RCA jacks. You have to use a 1/8 plug to connect to the amp. It is a perfect fit for the Micro DAC and has a really small foot print, but I think it you don't require the portable aspect or need a pretty small DAC or intend to get the Micro Amp as well, you should at least consider other products in that price range.

These vendors sell some DACs with USB ports in the same price range:

http://pacificvalve.us/DACS.html

http://www.diykits.com.hk/dac.html

As far as amps in the $300 range, I think the first question you need to ask is whether you want a solid state, hybrid, or pure tube amp. I don't think there are that many choices for hybrids. Definitely more for solid state or tube.

 

[Bass_Luvr]

I heard that Tube's are more warmer and Solid's are more revealing and neutral. But I really don't care since anything would be an improvement over the crappy SQ I've been listening to

. Oh and I remember hearing that the Zhaolu 2.5 has the same hardware as the Micro DAC or that they are of equal SQ, and since I have no need for RCA I still have my mind set on the Micro DAC

. So in summary:

1) I'm going to buy the Micro DAC and I need an amp (tube or solid), which would work well with the M-Dac at a price limit of around $300?

2) Is the CKKIII a superior amp to any amp priced around $300?

3) If the CKKIII is better, Who can build me one and at what price?

 

[vcoheda]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bass_Luvr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm going to buy the Micro DAC and I need an amp (tube or solid), which would work well with the M-Dac at a price limit of around $300?

You should run some searches in the Headphone Amp Forum and/or ask your question there.