[Sean Android]

Hi guys, I am new to these forums and new to the studio headphone world. The reason I am crossing into the headphone world is because I moved into a 2nd floor apartment and have a new job where my shift takes most of my daytime... therefor during my time at night, I can't do proper mix downs and production work due to obvious reasons.

I have done a lot of research and have decided on either the Ultrasone Pro 750 or Ultrasone Pro 900 due to the S-Logic Technology and stellar reviews I have been reading.

As for an Amp, I am not so certain on what to get. I have looked and the RSA Predator looks very promising but I dont really need something portable.

I was wondering if you guys could give me any good recommendations for a good USB DAC/AMP combo under $500 that has a good signal to noise ratio, Low noise floor where I cant hear the noise at the lowest of Dbs, doesn't add color to the sound and can produce accurate results as I will be using these headphones for mixing and mastering most of the time.


Thank you for the time and help! I am in love with this site, it has helped me IMMENSELY in gathering information on what I was looking for in headphones.

Peace and Love

-Sean Android

 

[rosgr63]

Nice to see you here.

If you were after a dedicated amp I would recommend a RudiStor amp, they have models specially tuned for Ultrasones and there is one in the FS forum, highly recomended.
I am using a RudiStor and Ultrasones.

Since you are looking for a DAC/Amp I would suggest you read slim.a's review of the recently released FUN http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...preamp-468522/

There are a lot more options, hopefully others who own or have listened to the kind of gear you are after will post their opinions.

Good Luck and look after your wallet, Head-Fi is Very Addictive!

 

[angle_sh00ter]

I use musiland monitor 02 and thunderbolt max with my ultrasones and it is a perfect match. very clean sound and instrument weight and seperation is very nice. Bass is nice and tight with good slam.

 

[Sean Android]

Thanks for the responses guys.

Rosgr, The rudistor amps are a little out of my price range right now but that Audio-GD FUN looks promising, do you have any personal experience with it? And how would you compare it to say the RSA Predator if you have experience with that amp?

Angle_Sh00ter, Could you elaborate a little bit more on the sound of that combo? It sounds awesome but how accurate is the sound. I am looking for something that has the most neutral sound possible for <$500 because I need it to translate well to other systems.

Any more input would be greatly helpful.

Thanks again guys for the help and thank you for the welcome rosg!

 

[angle_sh00ter]

I would say it is quite transparent neutral sound with perhaps an ever so slight emphasis on bass and midrange - but that could be due to the headphones which are proline 550 and are known to be on the bass heavy side. The thunderbolt max is perfectly suited to low impedance phones. It is made by a guy here named hotaudio, I was skeptical at first because it is so small and cheap and there are very few reviews about it but this guy seems to know what he is doing and in his thread I haven't seen any1 say anything bad about his DACs or amps.

 

[watusi]

I have some ultrasone Pro 750's and am also looking for a decent reasonably priced amp. As I understand it a Hybrid or Solid state amp would be preferable for ultrasone as they are quite bassy.

I've been looking at either the little dot i+ or the maverick D1 as they are reasonably priced. Bit concerned that the latter might be a bit gain heavy for low impedence phones though. And no real idea of how good a match they wouold be!

 

[rosgr63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Android /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the responses guys. Rosgr, The rudistor amps are a little out of my price range right now but that Audio-GD FUN looks promising, do you have any personal experience with it? And how would you compare it to say the RSA Predator if you have experience with that amp? Angle_Sh00ter, Could you elaborate a little bit more on the sound of that combo? It sounds awesome but how accurate is the sound. I am looking for something that has the most neutral sound possible for <$500 because I need it to translate well to other systems. Any more input would be greatly helpful. Thanks again guys for the help and thank you for the welcome rosg!

The RudiStor I am talking about is the NX-02 (120V) selling for $475, which is not bad if you ask me.
I am afraid I have no experience with the RSA Predator, only the RSA Hornet.

 

[Sean Android]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rosgr63 /img/forum/go_quote.gif The RudiStor I am talking about is the NX-02 (120V) selling for $475, which is not bad if you ask me. I am afraid I have no experience with the RSA Predator, only the RSA Hornet.

Cool, what did you think of the Hornet? And I will check the NX-02 out... but my DAC right now is an M-Audio Fast track pro... so the quality probably wouldnt shine through, thats why I wanna get a dac/usb combo... until I have the money saved up in the future for my MOTU Traveler.


Also, Id like to say thanks to everyone for being so helpful thus far. I can see why the Head-Fi community is known for its knowledge and helpfulness.

 

[bastogne]

I'm in a similar spot. just ordered the pro 900's (receiving them tommorow) and looking for a good dac/amp combo. I'm pretty set on getting the matrix mini-i, however there doesnt seem to be a lot of people who have listened to the numerous models in the $200-$400 range. So it is quite tough to make comparisons.

I'm mostly interested in hearing comparisons between the maverick d-1, audio-gd fun, matrix mini-i and hlly one skylab reviewed.

 

[rosgr63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sean Android /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cool, what did you think of the Hornet? And I will check the NX-02 out... but my DAC right now is an M-Audio Fast track pro... so the quality probably wouldnt shine through, thats why I wanna get a dac/usb combo... until I have the money saved up in the future for my MOTU Traveler. Also, Id like to say thanks to everyone for being so helpful thus far. I can see why the Head-Fi community is known for its knowledge and helpfulness.

I love my little Hornet. I use it daily with my Denon IEMs.
RSA products are First Class.

IMHO get the best gear you can afford from the outset.
Best to get by with a low end system, save money and then go for the better gear. Buying second hand from a reliable seller is also a good choise.

Good Luck!

 

[paquiem]

I really like my Pro 900 + Predator combo. Very smooth with lots of impact. I like them for laid back, fun listening and wouldn't personally want to master/mix anything with them. That is because of the bass emphasis that they have IMO.

If I were the OP I would be looking in the Audio-GD FUN also. You could tune it to your liking with the different modules. Just my opinions..