lydgate
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 1, 2008
- Posts
- 5
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- 0
Hi everyone,
So I'm a hifi newbie and just got a pair of Sennheiser HD 555s on the cheap so as not to bother my flatmates with music late at night. I'm trying to work out the best way to listen to my hifi, which has to do with the fact that I use a number of sources.
Note that I'm more interested in what's the best way with what I've got rather than buying new stuff to get a better sound.
The simplest case is listening to vinyl. My choices are:
1. Turntable -> phono stage of Audiolab 8000A amp -> headphone out on Audiolab -> HD 555.
2. Turntable -> phono stage -> pre-amp out on Audiolab -> RCA to 3.5mm converter -> HeadRoom BitHead -> HD 555.
I know this will depend on the quality of the Audiolab's headphone stage, it seems very powerful but at normal volumes with no input there is some hiss -- with the BitHead there isn't. But is it stupid to put it through two amps? I think the pre-amp means that the audiolab isn't amping it though, right?
Slightly more complicated is CD:
1. Technics CD SL-PS7 -> headphone out -> HD 555.
2. Technics CD SL-PS7 -> Audiolab 8000A -> headphone out -> HD 555.
3. Technics CD SL-PS7 -> Audiolab 8000A -> BitHead -> HD 555.
It seems to me that #1 is the best since I don't have a DAC -- so the DAC within the CD player is being used no matter what, may as well just output it straight from there. It does sound good. Or is the headphone amp in a CD player likely to be crap?
Also complicated is soundcard:
1. Audiophile 2496 -> RCA -> Audiolab 8000A -> HD 555
2. Audiophile 2496 -> RCA -> Audiolab -> BitHead -> HD 555
3. Audiophile 2496 -> USB input on Bithead -> HD 555
Certainly the Audiophile is a better soundcard than whatever is built into the bithead, but if the headphone stage is bad enough on the Audiolab, it seems like it would be the wrong output.
I suppose the ideal output would be:
Audiophile 2496 -> SPDIF -> External Dac -> Bithead (or better amp) -> HD 555
Is that right?
Have I just confused myself?
I know I should look for what sounds best, but I'd like some advice to know if what I'm doing with the signal is sensible...
Any help is much appreciated!
So I'm a hifi newbie and just got a pair of Sennheiser HD 555s on the cheap so as not to bother my flatmates with music late at night. I'm trying to work out the best way to listen to my hifi, which has to do with the fact that I use a number of sources.
Note that I'm more interested in what's the best way with what I've got rather than buying new stuff to get a better sound.
The simplest case is listening to vinyl. My choices are:
1. Turntable -> phono stage of Audiolab 8000A amp -> headphone out on Audiolab -> HD 555.
2. Turntable -> phono stage -> pre-amp out on Audiolab -> RCA to 3.5mm converter -> HeadRoom BitHead -> HD 555.
I know this will depend on the quality of the Audiolab's headphone stage, it seems very powerful but at normal volumes with no input there is some hiss -- with the BitHead there isn't. But is it stupid to put it through two amps? I think the pre-amp means that the audiolab isn't amping it though, right?
Slightly more complicated is CD:
1. Technics CD SL-PS7 -> headphone out -> HD 555.
2. Technics CD SL-PS7 -> Audiolab 8000A -> headphone out -> HD 555.
3. Technics CD SL-PS7 -> Audiolab 8000A -> BitHead -> HD 555.
It seems to me that #1 is the best since I don't have a DAC -- so the DAC within the CD player is being used no matter what, may as well just output it straight from there. It does sound good. Or is the headphone amp in a CD player likely to be crap?
Also complicated is soundcard:
1. Audiophile 2496 -> RCA -> Audiolab 8000A -> HD 555
2. Audiophile 2496 -> RCA -> Audiolab -> BitHead -> HD 555
3. Audiophile 2496 -> USB input on Bithead -> HD 555
Certainly the Audiophile is a better soundcard than whatever is built into the bithead, but if the headphone stage is bad enough on the Audiolab, it seems like it would be the wrong output.
I suppose the ideal output would be:
Audiophile 2496 -> SPDIF -> External Dac -> Bithead (or better amp) -> HD 555
Is that right?
Have I just confused myself?
I know I should look for what sounds best, but I'd like some advice to know if what I'm doing with the signal is sensible...
Any help is much appreciated!