[osmoldo]

Hey guys, looking for advice for a decent desktop setup for use with some HD595s with potential future HD600/650s or K701s. Posted a month back for thoughts on the HD595 to K701 move, but funds became tight and i've started to favor the sennheisers due to my love of my 595s and IE8s and having an audition of the 600s (but only from a Walkman). I can afford them now, but I would like to invest in a nice enough amp/DAC to see how my 595s improve before making an upgrade (unless amped 595s blow me away).
 
Ive been searching a fair amound and i'm liking the though of either a Fiio e7/e9 combo or a basic tube like a little dot 1+. I'm hearing sennheisers sounds orgasmic with tubes due to their warm colouration.
 
So basic questions are:
 

1. If I should get a little dot tube, is the mkll a worthwhile upgrade from the 1+? Little dots site suggests the 1+ is suitible for low impedance cans (which i suppose the HD595s are, but not the HD600s).
2. Is it best to order these direct from the site? As I can't find anywhere in UK that sells them.
3. Is it worth getting the tubes upgraded? Do they provide an across the board improvement, or only improvements for certain types of headphone? Are there certain sites in the UK for getting of tubes in the future? Even ebay seems to have very few.
4. Is the E7 suitible for providing a decent DAC for a Little dot from PC? I've read the DAC is great, but are there problems connecting it to amps (other than the E9)?.
5. Considering I love how my 595s sound from a Walkman A828 which I guess classes as a solid state amp, would a E7/E9 combo provide a solid upgrade from the Walkman (which I would use LOD with E7 for portable use)? TBH I'm liking the thought of a Little dot tube with an E7 as DAC (providing they play well together).

 
Sorry if these are silly noob questions that have been answered too many times, but this forum has soooo much info its hard to develop a straight forward opinion without just taking the plunge and buying random stuff.
 
Thx!

 

[osmoldo]

Sorry to dig out an old thread, talking to myself by the looks of things.
 
Have ended up with HD600s and a little dot mklll on its way from David. Guess I will still get a E7 to use as a DAC to the mklll, or will a LOD from my walkman be more effective. Surely LOD still isnt as good as USB out from PC as the 3.5mm jack carries an analogue signal which would require a slight amplification, correct?

 

[kboe]

 
 
Correct, the mini out would be already amped from the portable device.  I would personally prefer the walkman to the Filo but thats just me. You'll have to wait for someone else to post about their impressions of it. (I personally don't like the Filo sound)
 
Congrats on the Senns and Little Dot.  Enjoy.

 

[osmoldo]

Crap! Now i'm all paranoid about getting a decent DAC to make the most out of the LD mklll. I have a Creative USB X-FI card that is pretty much a USB/Optical DAC/amp that I could play around with as a start. I'd have to connect it through the 3.5mm to rca into the back of the mklll, right? But surely the overall quality from the mklll will be dependent on the inital output from the DAC. The overall aim of a good DAC would be to feed a neutral as possible signal to the main amp am I right? And thats why someone would get a high end DAC such as the Little Dot DAC_1. Please tell me I dont need to spend more than I have on this DAC than I did on the actual amp! And that my Creative (or a uDAC or E7 or LOD for WM) would do the trick. I guess my best bet would be to experiment when it arrives.
 
And i've seen others in forum say that the actual digital to analogue process done by a DAC isnt significant between models of DAC (wolfson etc), and its much more important to get an ample amplification for high impendance cans. Sooooo many niggling queries!

 

[amandela77]

"High, I'm Joe and I'm a can-aholic.."
 
Welcome to the never-ending world of audio-nervosa and upgrade-itis!!!!
 
LOL

 

[kboe]

 
 
The uDac is a wonderful DAC.  It should keep you content for some time.  Does it get better than a uDac... absolutely, but not until you spend twice as much.  So enjoy it, learn its sound, and then... 

 

[amandela77]

Osmoldo:
 
You may also want to check out the lovely and very affordable HRT USB DACs. They sound great, are easy to use and won't break the bank.

 

[kboe]

Quote:

Osmoldo:
 
You may also want to check out the lovely and very affordable HRT USB DACs. They sound great, are easy to use and won't break the bank.

If you were set on replacing your uDAC, this is where I would go.  You can still use your current cables, and not have to invest in a quality powercable, (or a generic one for you non believers.) 

 

[osmoldo]

Thx for the advice guys, put my mind at rest a little. I'll mess around will what ive got then pickup a uDAC or similar if i feel its justified. My housemates think I've got a screw loose the amount i've spent on gear in the last couple of weeks. Non-believers!

 

[kboe]

 
 
CONVERT THE NON BELIEVERS... Gods wills it!

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The only problem the Fiio E7 has connecting to other amps is that it doesn't have the line out feature until sometime in these coming months when Fiio releases the Line out connector. Other than that, it's stuck to being a Line out device only with the E9 (which IMHO is a deadly one-two punch, awesome combo).

 

[upstateguy]

double post

 

[upstateguy]

 
Quote:

Hey guys, looking for advice for a decent desktop setup for use with some HD595s with potential future HD600/650s or K701s. Posted a month back for thoughts on the HD595 to K701 move, but funds became tight and i've started to favor the sennheisers due to my love of my 595s and IE8s and having an audition of the 600s (but only from a Walkman). I can afford them now, but I would like to invest in a nice enough amp/DAC to see how my 595s improve before making an upgrade (unless amped 595s blow me away).
 
Ive been searching a fair amound and i'm liking the though of either a Fiio e7/e9 combo or a basic tube like a little dot 1+. I'm hearing sennheisers sounds orgasmic with tubes due to their warm colouration.
 
So basic questions are:
 

1. If I should get a little dot tube, is the mkll a worthwhile upgrade from the 1+? Little dots site suggests the 1+ is suitible for low impedance cans (which i suppose the HD595s are, but not the HD600s).
2. Is it best to order these direct from the site? As I can't find anywhere in UK that sells them.
3. Is it worth getting the tubes upgraded? Do they provide an across the board improvement, or only improvements for certain types of headphone? Are there certain sites in the UK for getting of tubes in the future? Even ebay seems to have very few.
4. Is the E7 suitible for providing a decent DAC for a Little dot from PC? I've read the DAC is great, but are there problems connecting it to amps (other than the E9)?.
5. Considering I love how my 595s sound from a Walkman A828 which I guess classes as a solid state amp, would a E7/E9 combo provide a solid upgrade from the Walkman (which I would use LOD with E7 for portable use)? TBH I'm liking the thought of a Little dot tube with an E7 as DAC (providing they play well together).

 
Sorry if these are silly noob questions that have been answered too many times, but this forum has soooo much info its hard to develop a straight forward opinion without just taking the plunge and buying random stuff.
 
Thx!

I have a few dead ones collecting dust.... so unless you like to mail things back and forth to China, skip the Little Dot (as in sell it)  and get an M^3 solid state.  You'll be much happier and the performance will be at a much higher level than anything around it's price point.
 
Pass on the DAC/amp combos.  Get separates.
 
Pass on the built in USB on DACs.  Get a transport like the Blue Circle Thingee.  (my Constantine and Stello DACs have built in USB and it sucks)
 
My next recommendation is to spend more than you want to.
 
If you absolutely need a DAC/amp combo, get the Pico.  I know it's a portable, but it's very high quality, gets digital from an ipad without an external power source and won't break down. (and, of course, it will power your Sennheisers.
 
If you absolutely need a tube amp, get a Woo.
 
Some Chinese junk that died and just collects dust:
 

 

 

 

[kboe]

 
 
Quite the Chinese graveyard.

 

[osmoldo]

To upstateguy: If you have a DAC without USB, i'm guessing theres not much chance connecting it to a PC. It would be from a dedicated CD player, right? which is great if ALL your music is on CD, but about 50% of mine isnt (CDs borrowed from friends mostly, odd MP3 from download (very few from P2P)). PC connectivity is very convenient for me.
And I'm getting a LD tube as they seem to be great value for a starting amp, and I guess its partly luck if it should die a couple of years down the line through failure. Hard to say if a Woo wouldnt too! If I dislike the tube sound I can sell it I guess, but I'll live with it for a bit untill my ears become accustomed to its signiture. And I've read about many who are satisfied with the Mklll even after hearing/owning more expensive amps, am I right?