mepds9
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- May 29, 2012
- Posts
- 18
- Likes
- 10
Hi everyone! I just managed to get my hands on a pair of Shures srh840s, and heck, they're incredible! I really like how everything sounds "just right". Music feels well embodied and rounded, with no evident flaws. I am, however, starting to notice every imperfection about my music. I ripped my favorite albums in lossless and there certainly is a noticeable difference. However, I still manage to notice tiny imperfections that are definitely not due to music/encoding quality. If I could describe it, it would be as slight sibilance and "tiny white dots" in my music. I also notice some distortion with complex textures at midhigh-high frequencies. The headphones were undone by Sigur Ros's Dauðalagið (ALAC), one of my favorite songs (They DO have some burn-in time, aprox. 15 hours).
I've investigated, and it turns out that this is probably due to the cheap dac used in computer audio cards (I mainly listen to audio in my computer). I need help choosing a good amp, preferably under $200 that deals with these issues (slight distortions, "white dots" and hissing). Eventually, these are greatly reduced on my iPhone (sorta has a better dac). The other important part is, that I don't want an amp/dac that I will lose. I'm a student and usually don't have time to work. Right now on vacations I can, and I need to choose fast. I still have no plans to buy other headphones, but in due time (when I make my own money), I'm certain I'll be getting something in the range of the HD600, and want to be able to keep the dac/amp (can't afford a superdac). I know that my headphones and those have very different impedances, 44ohm (shure) vs 300ohm (senns), but I really don´t know about this impedance subject and cannot judge for myself. Is it possible? I heard something about the 1/8th rule but didn't quite grasp it...
I'm currently looking at the Audioengine D1. It really looks quite nice and is usb powered (perfect for computer).
Any explanations or suggestions?
Thanks.
Ps: I don't think I can afford a separate amp from a dac. And I'm no perfectionist (don't seek perfection, but I don't like evident imperfections).
I've investigated, and it turns out that this is probably due to the cheap dac used in computer audio cards (I mainly listen to audio in my computer). I need help choosing a good amp, preferably under $200 that deals with these issues (slight distortions, "white dots" and hissing). Eventually, these are greatly reduced on my iPhone (sorta has a better dac). The other important part is, that I don't want an amp/dac that I will lose. I'm a student and usually don't have time to work. Right now on vacations I can, and I need to choose fast. I still have no plans to buy other headphones, but in due time (when I make my own money), I'm certain I'll be getting something in the range of the HD600, and want to be able to keep the dac/amp (can't afford a superdac). I know that my headphones and those have very different impedances, 44ohm (shure) vs 300ohm (senns), but I really don´t know about this impedance subject and cannot judge for myself. Is it possible? I heard something about the 1/8th rule but didn't quite grasp it...
I'm currently looking at the Audioengine D1. It really looks quite nice and is usb powered (perfect for computer).
Any explanations or suggestions?
Thanks.
Ps: I don't think I can afford a separate amp from a dac. And I'm no perfectionist (don't seek perfection, but I don't like evident imperfections).