[fossuser]

I have this:
Headroom Total Airhead - Headphone Amplifier | HeadRoom Audio

I think I could benefit from a DAC since I do all my listening from my laptop and all of my files are encoded in FLAC. The airhead is okay, but there is a lot of static in the background. Would a DAC fix this? I was also shown the headamp pico below. Is it good? I can get the amp/dac combo which is nice, but headroom also has one for $150 instead of $500.

HeadAmp Audio Electronics (pico DACs & Amps)
Headroom Total Bithead - Headphone Amplifier | HeadRoom Audio

Oh and I'm new here, was recommended to the site by friends who said it's a great place to learn more. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

 

[classakg]

A USB dac would lower the background noise generated by your laptop. ALO's Trend UD DAC is another good choice.

ALO Audio

 

[fossuser]

Thanks.
Do you know why the prices are so different? Are there big differences in quality or is it just nonsense? Why would one be preferred to other out of the three up so far?

 

[jh4db536]

save your money and do more research. the 650's deserve reference class amplification.

as for the static, that shows the computer's noisy powersupply is affecting your signal. opto-isolation aka optical isnt such a bad idea for computer based sources, it's cheap and standard. people may argue about jitter, but i think the advantages outweigh the benefits plus toslink solutions are cheap if not already built in on most motherboards. toslink cables are also cheap (i cant tell the difference between a cheap plastic one vs a glass cable that i have). you definitely wont be having any ground loop or switching PSU issues.

The pico is sounds good (i reviewed it when it first came out), however, the price is high and you could spend that money and get a far more powerful desktop setup. DAC technology progresses at a very fast rate compared to other components. What you buy today could be obsolete in a year. These are also very prone to flavor of the month symptom. The current flavors lately must have a WM8741 or a ESS9xxx series chip or else it sucks. You could look at things that have been around, tried and tested, and stood up to prolonged critical review ie DAC1, DA10/11. Yeah theyre expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Price. Well there's the cost of brand. people like bling bling and it costs a lot to make an amp look pretty. You want good sound? Good looks? Both? Or you want something that says headamp, Gucci, or Rsa engraved into it? Buying good used equipment may be a good way to get more bang for the buck.

 

[fossuser]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jh4db536 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The pico is sounds good (i reviewed it when it first came out), however, the price is high and you could spend that money and get a far more powerful desktop setup.

What would you suggest for such a setup? That's the main reason I'm writing this post is to find out what is good to get.

 

[jh4db536]

what is your expectation?
how much are you willing to pay for good sound?
are you willing 'to learn to' build your own?

as you can tell by my signature, maybe. i have spent more than the average person on this forum (by no means the most, but i am neck deep in) i have gone beyond the realm of commercial products and into the DIY side whether it was a source or amp (desktop or portable).

If i could do it all over again. i would be very happy with the DAC1 as the first purchase. The Lavry unit is good option, but hasnt been out as long as the DAC1. It has some very nice features...the remote control and an upgraded attenuator. They are a stereo DAC mainly, they both have a headphone amp built in (which compare to probably a $300-400 desktop amp in itself). They take multiple inputs formats (usb, optical, coax, AES), they output standard analog and fully balanced signal. They can be used for high end headphone use or even home/speaker system use. Very versatile one box solution which is why i recommend it. The downside is they cost around 1000. You will be able to it cheaper on the used market. They have very strong resale value, and their manufacturers are highly supportive. If you're serious, this is the way to go i think. You may be able to get a used older DAC1 (non usb) between 500-1000. That is what i have.

If you dont want to pay to play, try going to a meet up and listen to the equipment before you buy. Chances are if you dont like what these units have to offer you may not like any unit at any price. Or if you dont hear any differences maybe the airhead is all you need.

 

[fossuser]

Thank you for all the information,
I guess I'll have to go to a meet up somewhere to try things out. I don't really have thousands of dollars to spend (maximum $500), but I agree that it is a good idea to try things out first. The airhead is kind of cheap, but does work for amplifying sounds. The static I hear is annoying though and I was hoping one of the amp/DACs I chose would be a good replacement. I love the HD650s and appreciate when things sound good .

 

[shabta]

If your budget is under $500, you might try going for a used audio-gd compass or a new audio-gd fun. They are both well under $500. They have a very good entry level DAC and decent enough amp. I have a compass and it pairs with the 650s pretty ok for the price. You will likely really enjoy listening to music this way, especially if you never listen to the Benchmark or the Lavry.

Once you do that you may want to upgrade, so u can save up and sell your FUN or Compass for more than half what you paid.

In the meantime life is too short to go with the equipment you have. Buy the audio-gd and you will hear satisfying sound as you save up for and gain experience to decide what the next step will be...

 

[jh4db536]

if you dont want to spend as much you can always make your own source.

A Twistedpearaudio, TPA, Buffalo2 based on the latest ESS9xxx series would probably cost around 400-500. I have never heard the actual unit itself, but i have heard a commercially available model (a RAM mod oppo SE Bluray player) and it sounded really good. The mods essentially isolate a early generation ESS9xxx chip where as the buffalo is already designed without an output stage as an experimentation platform.

My adventures with DIY sources got me a TPA Dual Mono Opus DAC which is based on the Wolfsen WM874x chip.

There's a lot of options. You dont always have to pay a lot for 'summit fi' lol

 

[Spike8585]

I have a pair of HD650's as well, and just bought a Headroom Portable Micro Amp.
I am stuck using the crapty headphone output from my iPhone 3G at the moment, until my S:Flo2 ships.

Even using the poor output from the HO, I hear no static or hiss at all. Never.

Maybe it is your amp?

I hear lots of people raving about the Purity Audio K.I.C.A.S. Caliente. Supposed to be awesome match for the HD650's.

If you want portable, check out the headstage arrow 12HE, with USB DAC.
Or check out the Headroom Portable Micro+DAC (expensive). I am impressed with this amp, but I was hard to find any consumer reviews. I think from what I gathered, is that it is just really expensive for what it is.
The battery lasts a long time though. I am going on a week now, at 3-4 hours a day (on high gain setting). I find that confusing as on their website, they say only 15hrs.
I went without the DAC, as I am using the Asus Xonar Essence sound card on my PC which has a very nice analog output.
Headstage has a new DAC cable, that goes from USB to analog 1/8" headphone jack for $60.00.

Basically you need to do some troubleshooting to find the source of the static. The HD650's are high impedance and you should hear any. If my iphone doesnt have any.... ya know?

 

[fossuser]

I think the static is because of the computer, when the sound volume is up I can hear static without any music playing. The amp has also had issues, the original AC adapter died so I'm using a universal one. I think I'd have a better time with a small DAC/amp combo. I'm new to a lot of this so some of the more advanced stuff I don't know about yet, I don't think I'd currently have the ability to build my own that would be any good since I don't know that much. I'll do some research about all of the recommendations here, if anyone has others please list them. I'll also let you know what I go with and how it ends up.

 

[aristos_achaion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jh4db536 /img/forum/go_quote.gif save your money and do more research. the 650's deserve reference class amplification.

They do need some power, but I don't know if I'd say they require "reference-class" amps...midrange tube amps do just fine for the HD580/HD600/HD650 family. I run my work HD580 out of a Starving Student Millett, and it does quite nicely.

Quote:

as for the static, that shows the computer's noisy powersupply is affecting your signal. opto-isolation aka optical isnt such a bad idea for computer based sources, it's cheap and standard. people may argue about jitter, but i think the advantages outweigh the benefits plus toslink solutions are cheap if not already built in on most motherboards. toslink cables are also cheap (i cant tell the difference between a cheap plastic one vs a glass cable that i have). you definitely wont be having any ground loop or switching PSU issues.

Yup, he definitely needs a DAC. Maybe something like an Alien or a uDAC would suffice? USB is probably the way to go, unless he's got an optical or coaxial out already.
Quote:

Buying good used equipment may be a good way to get more bang for the buck.

AMEN!

 

[carledwards]

The 650 will get better and better as the amplification gets better. It won't reveal its best the way you are currently using it, IMO. I personally believe that a Woo Audio WA3 (or equivalent tube/ss amp) is about the minimum that will do justice to the 650 but that's absolutely just my own subjective take on it based on my personal preferences, style of music I listen to, gear history, etc. For bargain prices, I liked the Little Dot MkIV OK with the 650...until I tried something better! I do subscribe to the common belief that OTL tube amps do a good job with high-impedance cans.

 

[lordsegan]

Little Dot makes a lot of amps and sources that are at least close to your budget.

A Musiland DAC with a little dot amp won't sound *as good* as the $2000 setups that some people have, but it will also cost $1500 less.

 

[gordonshowers]

Quote:

Originally Posted by classakg /img/forum/go_quote.gif A USB dac would lower the background noise generated by your laptop.

I haven't necessarily found this statement to be true.

Specifically, my Total Bithead connected via USB sends through all background noise in full, whereas my MF V-DAC eleiminates the background noise completely.

I heard that an externally powered USB DAC would eliminate noise, but a DAC powered through the USB would not. My findings fully support this idea.