[ruthieandjohn]

Nice! Do you hear a difference in sound?

 

[zabzaf]

Too early to tell. I can at least use them with my balanced amp now.

 

[zabzaf]

What I'm noticing of the balanced Grados is an expanded soundstage, extended bass and treble. This may be just me, but I think this happened at the sake of the usually smooth mids. They may be getting a bit lost or possibly muddled. 
 
My earliest impressions...

 

[timkwhite]

Hey all,
 
Just thought I would give a quick update to those that were at the meet up and to say 'thanks' for helping me spend some money.
 
My current setup and the one that I brought to the meet was a (large) PC with an Asus STX Essence sound card. This had a DAC and dedicated headphone amplifier that works best with higher impedance hp's, which my HD650's worked quite well with. I tried some other setups and I was particularly taken with the Beyerdynamic T1's and Audeez LCD-2's that were on display. I even liked the T1's on my little sound card.
 
Now, I spend most of my time listening later in the evenings working on images and videos (photography is the other, more expensive hobby for me). What I came away with was two fold; first I really did like the Asus sound card with the Senn's. It drives them well and with my collection of CD rips, it performs quite well. Not as well as with a tube amp however...
 
I was able to hook up an amp or two to my system and one thing was clear: solid state was out and tubes were in. But I was in no hurry as the difference was not such that I felt compelled to upgrade immediately. So I was going to do some more research, perhaps wait for the next meet and try some different amps at that time.
 
Well, I was perusing the interwebs the other day and low and behold Amazon had some b-stock Schiit gear for sale. And they happen to have a Valhalla 2 AMP and BiFrost DAC, both on b-stock for a pretty good savings. So I bit the bullet and pulled the trigger on them.
 
They will arrive later this week from California just in time for the weekend... I think the nights are about to get a bit longer...
 
Again, I wanted to say thanks to those at the meet for helping me send some money. Truly appreciated.
 
Now there are a pair of T1's on the used forum... hmmmmmm....
 
Tim

 

[zabzaf]

That's awesome! I can't wait to hear Valhalla at the next meet.

I too jumped in with both feet after the meet...I pulled the trigger on two items. I've been using the Schiit Gungnir for the past week and am blown away!

Which led me to my big splurge...I have some LCD-3s coming tomorrow. After that, I'm done (for now).

Good luck with the new gear.

 

[timkwhite]

That is some seriously deep water you jumped into. I will bet those fully balanced DAC, AMP and HP's are truly heavenly, especially given the quality of the components in the chain. Those LCD's should be fantastic. Do they come with a balanced cable of do you need to build your own? I was thinking of building a balanced cable for my HD650's just for a fun project. That and Sennheiser wants 240 dollars for their balanced cable for the 650's.
 
I started with just the base BiFrost and will add the Uber and USB upgrade later on. I have no need for either at the moment, but I can see the USB upgrade beneficial when I want to use something other then my PC with a coax s/pdif input to the bifrost, like my surface so that I can make the rig 'portable' for meet ups and the like. Toting that huge PC of mine was a one time deal.
 
Looking forward to your impressions of the LCD-3's and above all else, ENJOY!

 

[zabzaf]

  That is some seriously deep water you jumped into. I will bet those fully balanced DAC, AMP and HP's are truly heavenly, especially given the quality of the components in the chain. Those LCD's should be fantastic. Do they come with a balanced cable of do you need to build your own? I was thinking of building a balanced cable for my HD650's just for a fun project. That and Sennheiser wants 240 dollars for their balanced cable for the 650's.
 
I started with just the base BiFrost and will add the Uber and USB upgrade later on. I have no need for either at the moment, but I can see the USB upgrade beneficial when I want to use something other then my PC with a coax s/pdif input to the bifrost, like my surface so that I can make the rig 'portable' for meet ups and the like. Toting that huge PC of mine was a one time deal.
 
Looking forward to your impressions of the LCD-3's and above all else, ENJOY!

 
Balanced is the way to go IMO. It's a little bit of a hassle when you have SE phones you want to use. Mjolnir is balanced ONLY. The Audeze headphones come with both balanced and SE cables. As soon as I get them, I'm going to make a new set of cables for them. I'm expecting about $40 in supplies and an evening to build them.
 
You can do a balanced cable with a SE adapter for the HD650s for probably about $50 if you have the supplies (solder, heat shrink, helping hands, etc.) and you will have total control over cable, jacks, colors, etc. From what I understand, the HD650 jacks are easy to solder. $240 is just ridiculous.
 
If you need any help, let me know.

 

[timkwhite]

   
Balanced is the way to go IMO. It's a little bit of a hassle when you have SE phones you want to use. Mjolnir is balanced ONLY. The Audeze headphones come with both balanced and SE cables. As soon as I get them, I'm going to make a new set of cables for them. I'm expecting about $40 in supplies and an evening to build them.
 
You can do a balanced cable with a SE adapter for the HD650s for probably about $50 if you have the supplies (solder, heat shrink, helping hands, etc.) and you will have total control over cable, jacks, colors, etc. From what I understand, the HD650 jacks are easy to solder. $240 is just ridiculous.
 
If you need any help, let me know.

 
I thought that the Audeze HP's came with both SE and balanced cables (at least some of them anyway).
 
I have a small workbench in the basement with a soldering station, helping hands, etc. so I just need the cable components. I will definitely hit you up when I get around to it. I can foresee this being a great project over the Christmas holidays when I have about 2 weeks off. No need to rush as I do not own anything balanced, but making them will be fun, and I can listen to them on your setup . Afterall, we live very close to one another. Just sayin...
 
Can's wait for my Schiit stack to arrive...

 

[Audio Guy]

I am going to go balanced.. thinking Decware Taboo 3 and upgrading to LCD3.. cannot wait to hear yours, Zabzaf. congrats on the upgrades!

 

[zabzaf]

I thought that the Audeze HP's came with both SE and balanced cables (at least some of them anyway).

I have a small workbench in the basement with a soldering station, helping hands, etc. so I just need the cable components. I will definitely hit you up when I get around to it. I can foresee this being a great project over the Christmas holidays when I have about 2 weeks off. No need to rush as I do not own anything balanced, but making them will be fun, and I can listen to them on your setup . Afterall, we live very close to one another. Just sayin...

Can's wait for my Schiit stack to arrive...

Anytime you want to hear anything, let me know. JEspina456 and I will be getting together soon for a Schiit Shootout!

 

[zabzaf]

I am going to go balanced.. thinking Decware Taboo 3 and upgrading to LCD3.. cannot wait to hear yours, Zabzaf. congrats on the upgrades!

I was absolutely torn on the LCD-3 vs. LCD-X choice. I actually wrote Jason at Schiit and asked his opinion. He provided some good advice. Apparently, the two are very similar.

 

[timkwhite]

Anytime you want to hear anything, let me know. JEspina456 and I will be getting together soon for a Schiit Shootout!

 
Sounds good. Looks like I will need that USB upgrade sooner rather than later... Definitely interested in a mini-schiity-meetup... HA!

 

[zabzaf]

Sounds good. Looks like I will need that USB upgrade sooner rather than later... Definitely interested in a mini-schiity-meetup... HA!

I'll be sure to let you know when the Schiit Shootout takes place.

 

[zabzaf]

Late night listening session with new LCD-3s, Mjolnir and Gungnir and The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army"....
 
Let's just say it's thunderous...whoa.

 

[timkwhite]

Fed Ex delivered my Schiit gear a day early... spent all of last night listening to a range of music; Gorillaz, Moby, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, The White Stripes (and yes, 7 nation army is FANTASTIC!!), Led Zeppelin and best of all, Norah Jones. Coming from a Asus STX (which was pretty good on it's own) the Bifrost and Valhalla 2 paired with the HD650 is just freakin fantastic! The lows fill your senses, the midst are lush and the highs are secular but not bright. I am so very happy that I took the plunge. Norah Jones's voice can cover almost any range and the combo of the Schiit stack and the Senn's just make every note better. The sound is just full and ever present compared to the STX. At low to mid volumes, the STX holds it's own, but at higher volumes they bath you in the music, there is no comparison. Extremely pleased with the results. Highly recommended.