Jonio
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2009
- Posts
- 19
- Likes
- 0
Scenario: it's 9:30 pm and finally the two babies (1 and 3 years old) are sleeping.
My spouse and I are in a room closer to the babies' bedroom,
and we want to enjoy some of our favorite music.
Before the babies arrival, music listening in the evening was one of our ritual.
I would like to get back to that by using headphones.
Perusing head-fi, I made up my mind and I bought an AKG 701.
For what I read, it should be a synergic choice with our music preferences
(latin jazz, world, bossa nova).
I just bought one pair of K701 in order to evaluate it before committing to buy a second pair.
However, it would also be nice to have a different pair of headphones
in order to try different sound signatures.
But this open up a set of really difficult to evaluate choices:
If we have two different headphones connected to an amplifier we would also need two separate volume controls, otherwise the loudness differences would be relevant and we will fight over the control (adios couple's synergy).
In my budget range (< 500 $ for both dac and amp) only the Pro-Ject Head Box SE II offers two independent volume controls.
But this amp doesn't get fantastic reviews from head-fi members:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/che...ox-mk2-314535/
If I cannot have separate volume controls, are there any headphones
that:
Do you think that the Sennheiser HD555 fits this requirement list?
If not, then I'll buy a second pair of k701.
Step2, Which amp:
If I want to amplify two hps, do I really need an amp with two hp outputs,
or a Y connector would be a viable fix?
If yes, do you have any suggestions for such connector?
If I really have to go with the two hp outputs the amp choices are diminished.
In my budget range there is the Musical Fidelity X-Can v8P.
However I would also be interested in dac-amp combos that have a single hp output, such as: audio-gd c2c, kingrex UD01 USB DAC + Shanling ph100, Symphony Mini DACPre, Meier Cantate.2.
I did my best in searching the archive, but it seems to me that these issues have not been discussed so far.
I apologize for the bad English (this is only my third language), and thanks in advance for any comments.
Update 2009-10-31
I ordered an Audio-GD C2C.
While the standard C2C has only one hp output,
Mr. Kingwa offered to add another output (+15USD and 1 week more for dispatching due to the built-to-order process).
I my opinion this is worth because it avoids messing with connectors.
Here is a photo of how it looks (photo sent by Mr. Kingwa).
I have also inquired Mr. Kingwa about loudness level when putting in parallel a K701
with another hp such as Senn HD650.
He told me that with these two hps the loudness level should be similar.
Does someone else have similar experience in pairing two hps?
Any idea about how it would be with a k701 and a Beyer DT880 (the other candidate as a second hp)?
Few notes about this decision process.
I was tempted about the Music Fidelity X-Can V8P, which seems a very nice dac-amp combo.
However, reading the forums I got interested in tube amps.
A tube amp would have been ideal for the stated scenario (couple listening with tube glowing in the night...).
However, having babies around the house can be tough for such a device.
Imagine a baby discovering, when unattended, the power switch of the amp.
He will play at rapidly turning it on and off!
Therefore, I decided to go solid state for the home amp.
I plan to buy another amp for the office, and that one will surely be with tubes.
Under these conditions, the MF, being an hybrid, lost interests to my eyes.
My spouse and I are in a room closer to the babies' bedroom,
and we want to enjoy some of our favorite music.
Before the babies arrival, music listening in the evening was one of our ritual.
I would like to get back to that by using headphones.
Perusing head-fi, I made up my mind and I bought an AKG 701.
For what I read, it should be a synergic choice with our music preferences
(latin jazz, world, bossa nova).
I just bought one pair of K701 in order to evaluate it before committing to buy a second pair.
However, it would also be nice to have a different pair of headphones
in order to try different sound signatures.
But this open up a set of really difficult to evaluate choices:
If we have two different headphones connected to an amplifier we would also need two separate volume controls, otherwise the loudness differences would be relevant and we will fight over the control (adios couple's synergy).
In my budget range (< 500 $ for both dac and amp) only the Pro-Ject Head Box SE II offers two independent volume controls.
But this amp doesn't get fantastic reviews from head-fi members:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/che...ox-mk2-314535/
If I cannot have separate volume controls, are there any headphones
that:
- when amplified in parallel with a k701 end up with similar loudness level,
- suits our music genres,
- are sufficiently different than a k701 to make a try interesting?
Do you think that the Sennheiser HD555 fits this requirement list?
If not, then I'll buy a second pair of k701.
Step2, Which amp:
If I want to amplify two hps, do I really need an amp with two hp outputs,
or a Y connector would be a viable fix?
If yes, do you have any suggestions for such connector?
If I really have to go with the two hp outputs the amp choices are diminished.
In my budget range there is the Musical Fidelity X-Can v8P.
However I would also be interested in dac-amp combos that have a single hp output, such as: audio-gd c2c, kingrex UD01 USB DAC + Shanling ph100, Symphony Mini DACPre, Meier Cantate.2.
I did my best in searching the archive, but it seems to me that these issues have not been discussed so far.
I apologize for the bad English (this is only my third language), and thanks in advance for any comments.
Update 2009-10-31
I ordered an Audio-GD C2C.
While the standard C2C has only one hp output,
Mr. Kingwa offered to add another output (+15USD and 1 week more for dispatching due to the built-to-order process).
I my opinion this is worth because it avoids messing with connectors.
Here is a photo of how it looks (photo sent by Mr. Kingwa).
I have also inquired Mr. Kingwa about loudness level when putting in parallel a K701
with another hp such as Senn HD650.
He told me that with these two hps the loudness level should be similar.
Does someone else have similar experience in pairing two hps?
Any idea about how it would be with a k701 and a Beyer DT880 (the other candidate as a second hp)?
Few notes about this decision process.
I was tempted about the Music Fidelity X-Can V8P, which seems a very nice dac-amp combo.
However, reading the forums I got interested in tube amps.
A tube amp would have been ideal for the stated scenario (couple listening with tube glowing in the night...).
However, having babies around the house can be tough for such a device.
Imagine a baby discovering, when unattended, the power switch of the amp.
He will play at rapidly turning it on and off!
Therefore, I decided to go solid state for the home amp.
I plan to buy another amp for the office, and that one will surely be with tubes.
Under these conditions, the MF, being an hybrid, lost interests to my eyes.
