Datacide
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2015
- Posts
- 9
- Likes
- 10
Hello, Head-fi community.
I thought I would introduce myself, and ask for a recommendation. I've been lurking for a good 6 to 8 months, doing purchase research via the forums. I live in a rural area, so auditioning gear in person is at least a 3.5 hour drive for me.
I am a huge music nerd, and mainly listen to MP3 / FLAC via a desktop computer with a stock sound card. I love the tube sound, and generally like richness/warmth in music. In roughly descending order, I enjoy many sub-genres of electronica (ambient, drone, psydub, mainly), dub, psych rock, classic rock, reggae & jazz. Not into much from most other genres.
I have owned the following:
Grado SR-80
Grado SR-125
Mini review time! I really liked the overall driven and lively sound of the 80's. They played nice with rock music and female vocals, as well as ambient music. There was some nice spatial quality that really makes ambient get more ethereal & dreamy. It may have just been my individual sets, but the SR-80's seemed to have a much higher build quality than the SR-120's. Comfort level of both were not high at all. I swear the 80s dented my head from wearing them so much. Cords for both sets kept shorting out at the Y connector due to wire twist. Replaced cords on each a few times before moving on.
I currently own the following:
Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro 250 ohm
These are good quality headphones, but as of now, they aren't quite the sound I was hoping for. Keep in mind, I was running these without a DAC/amp, so I am withholding judgment until I can drive them properly.
The following items have been ordered, and are on the way:
DAC: Schiit Modi 2 Uber (http://schiit.com/products/modi-2)
Bottlehead Crack with Speedball upgrade (http://bottlehead.com/?product=crack-otl-headphone-amplifier-kit)
These items will also be my setup for Sennheiser HD650's, once I (eventually) get a set.
On a low impedance path, I am strongly considering purchasing the Fostex TH-X00 ebony on Massdrop (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-fostex-th-x00-ebony-headphones), as they seem tuned to most of the music genres I enjoy. I could use the Schiit Modi 2 uber as DAC for these, but I would need a different amp, as they won't play nice with the Bottlehead Crack. What are some good budget amp recommendations to pair with the TH-X00 and Modi 2 uber? I prefer the tube sound, but either tubes or solid state would be fine, as long as it suits the Fostex TH-X00 headphones well. I really would like to keep my cost under $200. I have been considering the Magni 2, but I've also read that it sounds somewhat thin & can make the treble a bit shrill, and both of those are big turnoffs for me. On a related note, would a Bottlehead Crack and Schiit Vali 2 be redundant purchases? (I have generally been shying away from budget tube amp purchases, due to power supply and general quality control issues.) Any help in these matters would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any pointers. Also, please say hi if you're a fellow ambient / drone nerd & have some good recommendations!
TL
R: Hi. I like tubes and weird music. What amp pairs with Fostex TH-X00 and Modi 2 uber? I'm looking at Schiit Magni 2 and Vali 2 so far.
I thought I would introduce myself, and ask for a recommendation. I've been lurking for a good 6 to 8 months, doing purchase research via the forums. I live in a rural area, so auditioning gear in person is at least a 3.5 hour drive for me.
I am a huge music nerd, and mainly listen to MP3 / FLAC via a desktop computer with a stock sound card. I love the tube sound, and generally like richness/warmth in music. In roughly descending order, I enjoy many sub-genres of electronica (ambient, drone, psydub, mainly), dub, psych rock, classic rock, reggae & jazz. Not into much from most other genres.
I have owned the following:
Grado SR-80
Grado SR-125
Mini review time! I really liked the overall driven and lively sound of the 80's. They played nice with rock music and female vocals, as well as ambient music. There was some nice spatial quality that really makes ambient get more ethereal & dreamy. It may have just been my individual sets, but the SR-80's seemed to have a much higher build quality than the SR-120's. Comfort level of both were not high at all. I swear the 80s dented my head from wearing them so much. Cords for both sets kept shorting out at the Y connector due to wire twist. Replaced cords on each a few times before moving on.
I currently own the following:
Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro 250 ohm
These are good quality headphones, but as of now, they aren't quite the sound I was hoping for. Keep in mind, I was running these without a DAC/amp, so I am withholding judgment until I can drive them properly.
The following items have been ordered, and are on the way:
DAC: Schiit Modi 2 Uber (http://schiit.com/products/modi-2)
Bottlehead Crack with Speedball upgrade (http://bottlehead.com/?product=crack-otl-headphone-amplifier-kit)
These items will also be my setup for Sennheiser HD650's, once I (eventually) get a set.
On a low impedance path, I am strongly considering purchasing the Fostex TH-X00 ebony on Massdrop (https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-fostex-th-x00-ebony-headphones), as they seem tuned to most of the music genres I enjoy. I could use the Schiit Modi 2 uber as DAC for these, but I would need a different amp, as they won't play nice with the Bottlehead Crack. What are some good budget amp recommendations to pair with the TH-X00 and Modi 2 uber? I prefer the tube sound, but either tubes or solid state would be fine, as long as it suits the Fostex TH-X00 headphones well. I really would like to keep my cost under $200. I have been considering the Magni 2, but I've also read that it sounds somewhat thin & can make the treble a bit shrill, and both of those are big turnoffs for me. On a related note, would a Bottlehead Crack and Schiit Vali 2 be redundant purchases? (I have generally been shying away from budget tube amp purchases, due to power supply and general quality control issues.) Any help in these matters would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance for any pointers. Also, please say hi if you're a fellow ambient / drone nerd & have some good recommendations!
TL
R: Hi. I like tubes and weird music. What amp pairs with Fostex TH-X00 and Modi 2 uber? I'm looking at Schiit Magni 2 and Vali 2 so far.