Feel like I've been unplugged from the Matrix, now getting connected to "the real" of audio

[keelhaul]

Hi All,
 
There probably aren't many avatars like mine, as I've read through a number of posts here on head-fi searching for what people think of the House of Marley Destinys. But they're what I've got, so it's what I'm rolling with! Now for a brief backstory...
 
Been sucked away by the convenience of MP3s for years now and only just realized by way of a friend how much I've been missing in my music. We used to listen to CDs on rack systems with stereo speakers but it's evolved over the years to embrace MP3s strictly for convenience. I assumed all along the music quality was the same. And for the last two years it's been an iPhone driving a Jambox in our household. And for headphones, I sprung for the $300 House of Marley Destinys while I was at an airport (yes, I'm that guy).
 
Long story short, a friend introduced me to an equalizer app (TuneShell) and I couldn't believe my ears when I gained control over the sound. I'd never heard those Destinys sound that way before. The base was incredible, and the depth of the sound was unreal. Skip forward to weeks later and I've picked up an NAD CD player and amp and dug out our old Infinitys (now searching on Craigs List for a variety of other brands to upgrade to floor standing to get control of our sound again). But that brings me to headphones...
 
I don't have the budget to spring for another set of headphones because I want to spend it on an amp so I'm rolling with the House of Marley Destinys for now. But I'm using the equalizer apps (have tried Equalizer, TuneShell, Denon, Accudio and more) and want to take my headphone experience further. I've been exploring headphone amplifiers and reading the threads here. Now while I'm intrigued by the Rx MK3-B+, I'm struggling with paying top dollar so I'm considering going with the Arrow 4N/4T.
 
But before I go buy a headphone amp, my question to the community here is what other bits do I need to make sure I'm doing this right, given I'm working with the Destinys for now. I see so many cool photos in threads here with various cables, wiring, etc. So I'm worried if I just have my iPhone, my Destinys and my TuneShell app - is it enough to simply purchase one of these amps or do I need additional components such as specific cables, etc.?
 
Back to the Matrix analogy, I've been playing songs for friends and family with the TuneShell app and showing the difference using my Destinys. We're all average audio folks so everyone here is experiencing moments of "holy crap!!!" the minute they hear the difference. And so while I'm slowly unplugging people I know from the Matrix of MP3 and iTunes, I, myself am looking to take the experience further which brought me here.
 
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and tips y'all may have to offer on these components or feedback on my setup!
 
Keel

 

[DrSheep]

Getting the Rx MK3-B+ is good because you can go balance later.  However, since your HoMD is a low impedance headphone, the Rx MK3-B+ maybe an overkill.  I suggest you look into more technical all-in-one DAC/AMP package like the Sony PHA-1, V-MODA VERZA, and the new VentureCraft SounDroid Typhoon.  That way you can maximize it use for PC/iDevices/Portables before moving onto some serious gear and cans.  Also, changing your source format to FLAC may help too.

 

[keelhaul]

Wow, am I missing something? The PHA 1 is selling direct from Sony for $599 yet via Amazon's Japanese-direct sellers it's less than $400. I mean... buy from Amazon, right? Or is there something I'm missing that adds up to $200 when it's sold direct from Sony? Thanks for the tips!
 
Keel

 

[DrSheep]

Quote:

Wow, am I missing something? The PHA 1 is selling direct from Sony for $599 yet via Amazon's Japanese-direct sellers it's less than $400. I mean... buy from Amazon, right? Or is there something I'm missing that adds up to $200 when it's sold direct from Sony? Thanks for the tips!
 
Keel

You miss nothing.  In fact, I did that for my test unit, and you can get one for $350 with only $10 shipping.  The PHA-1 is a very solid with good sounding DAC like the AudioQuest DragonFly, which I reviewed earlier.  The AMP is good enough for low impedance IEMs/Headphones on high gain, and I think you will be happy with it.

 

[keelhaul]

Quote:

You miss nothing...

 
Awesome, Sony PHA-1 PURCHASED!

 

[davidsh]

That went fast. That EQ app of yours.. Do you just EQ the bass?

If you ever want to upgrade your listening experience at home (with headphones) you should think about getting something like the Hifiman HE-4 and throw it on your speaker amp (need custom cable for that), if it is a decent class A or AB amplifier/something like that.

 

[DrSheep]

Quote:

 
Awesome, Sony PHA-1 PURCHASED!

Nice, please report back and let me know how you like it.
Quote:

That went fast. That EQ app of yours.. Do you just EQ the bass?

If you ever want to upgrade your listening experience at home (with headphones) you should think about getting something like the Hifiman HE-4 and throw it on your speaker amp (need custom cable for that), if it is a decent class A or AB amplifier/something like that.

True, but I think that's more down the line for the OP.

 

[keelhaul]

Quote:

That went fast. That EQ app of yours.. Do you just EQ the bass?

 
I'm a bit of an enthusiast, impulse buyer in general. This could have been a thread about an exercise machine and I probably would have opted in quickly, ha (yeah I'm that guy as well). I kinda had my eye on the Sony from an industrial design standpoint anyway based on what I read in the 2013 guide and from other threads, so to be honest DrSheep's response was sortof a tipping point.
 
The EQ app I'm using the most, for sure at this point is TuneShell. I've tried EQ but it's just way too complicated for me. I love the simplicity of TuneShell and the default color spectrum visual for the graphic equalizer that plays during a song is pretty hip compared with a black screen using the iTunes player. But when I do use TuneShell, I EQ mostly the bass and treble. Not too much in the mid range. But I have created 4-6 of my own configurations for various music types. Case in point, Journey's "Separate Ways", I've upped the treble and the bass a bit and raised the entire bar higher across the board, then renamed the theme Rock of Ages, hahaha. YES! So not just base. I would say I'm looking for just more depth and intensity from the sound. Like Separate Ways's opening synthesizer is just epic but obviously not base heavy. But when the base does kick in, I don't want it to be weak and underpowered so I've been raising that up to remain on par with the treble.
 
Thanks for the tips on the home system as well. That's still in process. And I had no idea of these other hi-fi headphone brands out there. New world for me and going to check out for next Christmas!
 
Keel

 

[DrSheep]

Quote:

 
I'm a bit of an enthusiast, impulse buyer in general. This could have been a thread about an exercise machine and I probably would have opted in quickly, ha (yeah I'm that guy as well). I kinda had my eye on the Sony from an industrial design standpoint anyway based on what I read in the 2013 guide and from other threads, so to be honest DrSheep's response was sortof a tipping point.

LOL I am sort of the same, and if you got it from Amazon, then contacting the seller for return and refund generally is not an issue.  Too bad the Sony Store doesn't carry the PHA-1, or else you can toy with it there.

 

[davidsh]

See you back here around christmas when you are going for some planar magnetic's to throw on your speaker amp!
 
Besides, with your speaker rig.. What components/prices/quality are we talking?

 

[DrSheep]

Quote:

See you back here around christmas when you are going for some planar magnetic's to throw on your speaker amp!
 
Besides, with your speaker rig.. What components/prices/quality are we talking?

I am actually looking into getting the HD800 with the HDVD800 DAC/AMP from Sennheiser at the end of the year.

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

I am actually looking into getting the HD800 with the HDVD800 DAC/AMP from Sennheiser at the end of the year.

Pretty nice, that is gonna be quite a big step up! I guess you are aware my comment was more in relation to the OP...
 
Don't think I'll be able to burn that kind of money in, say.. the next 5-10 years (student here). So I'll just keep buying cheaper (who'd say 500-1k is cheap, lol) gear, and maybe eventually sell a lot of it to fund a summit-fi rig if I ever get that far down the rabbit hole (and ofc wanna go that route).
Until then, I'll just try and wait and buy my gear for good prices as it appears, and hope I am able to sell it later on without loosing too much on it. Also that is a great way to explore parts of the hobby you might not normally consider (eg. my Stax system atm 

).
 
Good luck to you!

 

[DrSheep]

Quote:

Pretty nice, that is gonna be quite a big step up! I guess you are aware my comment was more in relation to the OP...
 
Don't think I'll be able to burn that kind of money in, say.. the next 5-10 years (student here). So I'll just keep buying cheaper (who'd say 500-1k is cheap, lol) gear, and maybe eventually sell a lot of it to fund a summit-fi rig if I ever get that far down the rabbit hole (and ofc wanna go that route).
Until then, I'll just try and wait and buy my gear for good prices as it appears, and hope I am able to sell it later on without loosing too much on it. Also that is a great way to explore parts of the hobby you might not normally consider (eg. my Stax system atm 

).
 
Good luck to you!

I am aware of your comments were directed to the OP, but I just guess that this is something we might both do in the future.  Also, I did made a lot of mistakes when I was young wasting money on Sony IEMs and not knowing any better.  My advice to you is to stop buying now and start saving up, aim high, then buy the best when you have the money.  $3500 sounds like a lot of money, but if you plan ahead and work on it, then it is totally obtainable.

 

[davidsh]

Quote:

I am aware of your comments were directed to the OP, but I just guess that this is something we might both do in the future.  Also, I did made a lot of mistakes when I was young wasting money on Sony IEMs and not knowing any better.  My advice to you is to stop buying now and start saving up, aim high, then buy the best when you have the money.  $3500 sounds like a lot of money, but if you plan ahead and work on it, then it is totally obtainable.

I'd like to think I take it to the next step by buying used gear cheap/ with good value so that I can sell it later. Ohh well, not sure if that is so realistic, but I am positive it will prove to be more of a journey, hopefully towards a greater understanding of what qualities I would want in a summit-fi rig. Thanks for the advice 

 

[keelhaul]

Quote:

See you back here around christmas when you are going for some planar magnetic's to throw on your speaker amp!

 
 
Just imagine Ron Burgundy's suave voice for a moment and here's my reply: "I have no idea what you're talking about, but those words were IMPRESSIVE."
 
Quote:

Besides, with your speaker rig.. What components/prices/quality are we talking?
 

 
Speaker rig is a lengthy thought process, but in a nutshell a NAD CD player and NAD amp (2 separate components) that will have stereo speakers wired directly into the amp. Speakers, probably floor standing for the full sound, minimum 3 drivers - ideally four. I listened to some Cantons a few weeks ago that sounded really nice. Heard amazing things about Paradigms, Martin Logans, etc. So really at this point I think it's going to come down to the speakers, themselves and we'll probably shoot for after-market premium.