[Cloudtastrophe]

I believe the Soundblaster X7 and E5 have the same amp, but the X7 has a better dac.

I'm definitely looking for some recommendations as well.

Does the Grace M9XX have enough power for the Primes?

The M9xx has a 1 full watt output. in comparison the E5 has only 109 milliwatt output

 

[shuto77]

The M9xx has a 1 full watt output. in comparison the E5 has only 109 milliwatt output

Good to know. If you get a hold of an M9XX, please do report back. It looks to be a really nice piece of kit.

 

[CFGamescape]

The M9xx has a 1 full watt output. in comparison the E5 has only 109 milliwatt output

That's at 20 ohms. At 50 ohms, the output is 650 mW. Not saying it's bad. Actually, seems plenty. If you want more, maybe look into Schiit Asgard or Lyr. I have the latter and does well, but your wallet will be hurting because you'll inevitably sink money into various tubes.

I use my FiiO E09K at work and I'd say the limiting factor with the AP isn't necessarily the amp but the E17 DAC that's docked with it. I say this comparing it to my Schiit stack at home, which has more things complementing it (e.g., audio-optimized PC, bit-perfect music, etc.) vs. iPad jerry-rigged into FiiO at work.

That said, I also want to upgrade my work setup to squeeze out more from the AP when funds allow. I' struggling to find a combo that's reasonably priced but still a (supposed) marked improvement over my FiiO stack.

 

[joeq70]

  I am glad you came along! I was hoping for a good comparison between the Omni (any wood variant) and the primes! There arent very many documented reviews of the two against each other, and the most in depth one I could find was between the Blackwood and the Primes. Would you be able to provide this? Vocals are important to me and if the lcd-2s cant do vocals I guess ill reconsider the Omnis as a substitute The slightyly increased bass response of the Omnis (Zack's new stock tuning) was a bit of a turn off for me though.

Here are some various notes that I can give you about the relevant headphones:
 
1. I own the Omni, and it isn't going anywhere. I absolutely love it. Headphone taste, as you surely know, is subjective and you will find plenty of people who will disagree as to whether the Omni, LCD-2, or Alpha Prime is the best of the three. There is no obvious choice without listening to them first.
 
2. The Alpha Prime is a very good sounding headphone. It has that nice planar bass extension. The thing that makes the Alpha Prime different from both the LCD line and the Omni is that the AP have what I guess can best be described as an airier, thinner sounding presentation. That is not to say that the AP sound cold, necessarily, (depends on what you are comparing it to) but they lean away from the rich, full, textured presentation that you will get with the LCD-2 and Omni in favor of more of a clean, detailed presentation. Even though the Alpha Prime uses the same drivers as the Omni you would not guess it at all by listening to them side by side. It's pretty amazing how implementation affects performance. 
 
3. The LCD-2 is a headphone that I used to loathe. I actually used to really dislike all of the Audeze headphones because I felt like vocals sounded compressed, like they were being sung into a tin can. I don't know what changed exactly--I really think it has something to do with how my taste evolved over time, and I gradually began to appreciate how planar drivers sound, but the last time I listened to the LCD-2 it sounded quite good. I thought it sounded like it had a little bit of a mid bass emphasis and vocals were still a bit constrained sounding to me. Overall, though I feel like this headphone is as popular as it is for good reason. I will caution you, however, that there appears to be some really serious issues with drivers failing in the LCD line of headphones and other quality control issues. I've seen myself the wood in a pair of LCD-3s crack for no apparent reason. Also, I've read that current new LCD-2s sound and measure better than older ones--so just a heads up since you mentioned buying them on sale which makes sense in light of this (I'm not talking about Fazor vs pre-Fazor--I guess there was some kind of recent tuning change or something).
 
4. There are lots of good descriptions of how the Omni sounds out there but I'll give you my brief characterization of it. The Omni has something of a big, rich, and smooth sound. Vocals are intimate and clear and it has precise imaging. Soundstage is surprisingly spacious, and I find one of the best aspects of it is that it has extremely satisfying, speaker-like bass. To sum it it up it has the richest and fullest sound out of the three without being congested sounding.
 
5. All three of these headphones need amplifiers with power to spare if you are to do them justice. I'm just basing this on your profile page--I seriously doubt the Soundblaster E5 will be adequate for the Alpha Prime or the Omni. I can't say definitely for the LCD-2 but I'd be surprised if the E5 could handle it, either. (I haven't listened to the E5 but looked up some info on it).

 

[shuto77]

Here are some various notes that I can give you about the relevant headphones:

1. I own the Omni, and it isn't going anywhere. I absolutely love it. Headphone taste, as you surely know, is subjective and you will find plenty of people who will disagree as to whether the Omni, LCD-2, or Alpha Prime is the best of the three. There is no obvious choice without listening to them first.

2. The Alpha Prime is a very good sounding headphone. It has that nice planar bass extension. The thing that makes the Alpha Prime different from both the LCD line and the Omni is that the AP have what I guess can best be described as an airier, thinner sounding presentation. That is not to say that the AP sound cold, necessarily, (depends on what you are comparing it to) but they lean away from the rich, full, textured presentation that you will get with the LCD-2 and Omni in favor of more of a clean, detailed presentation. Even though the Alpha Prime uses the same drivers as the Omni you would not guess it at all by listening to them side by side. It's pretty amazing how implementation affects performance. 

3. The LCD-2 is a headphone that I used to loathe. I actually used to really dislike all of the Audeze headphones because I felt like vocals sounded compressed, like they were being sung into a tin can. I don't know what changed exactly--I really think it has something to do with how my taste evolved over time, and I gradually began to appreciate how planar drivers sound, but the last time I listened to the LCD-2 it sounded quite good. I thought it sounded like it had a little bit of a mid bass emphasis and vocals were still a bit constrained sounding to me. Overall, though I feel like this headphone is as popular as it is for good reason. I will caution you, however, that there appears to be some really serious issues with drivers failing in the LCD line of headphones and other quality control issues. I've seen myself the wood in a pair of LCD-3s crack for no apparent reason. Also, I've read that current new LCD-2s sound and measure better than older ones--so just a heads up since you mentioned buying them on sale which makes sense in light of this (I'm not talking about Fazor vs pre-Fazor--I guess there was some kind of recent tuning change or something).

4. There are lots of good descriptions of how the Omni sounds out there but I'll give you my brief characterization of it. The Omni has something of a big, rich, and smooth sound. Vocals are intimate and clear and it has precise imaging. Soundstage is surprisingly spacious, and I find one of the best aspects of it is that it has extremely satisfying, speaker-like bass. To sum it it up it has the richest and fullest sound out of the three without being congested sounding.

5. All three of these headphones need amplifiers with power to spare if you are to do them justice. I'm just basing this on your profile page--I seriously doubt the Soundblaster E5 will be adequate for the Alpha Prime or the Omni. I can't say definitely for the LCD-2 but I'd be surprised if the E5 could handle it, either. (I haven't listened to the E5 but looked up some info on it).

Which amps do you recommend for the Primes in the $400-ish range? I prefer solid state amps.

 

[Cloudtastrophe]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Quote:

  Here are some various notes that I can give you about the relevant headphones:
 
1. I own the Omni, and it isn't going anywhere. I absolutely love it. Headphone taste, as you surely know, is subjective and you will find plenty of people who will disagree as to whether the Omni, LCD-2, or Alpha Prime is the best of the three. There is no obvious choice without listening to them first.
 
2. The Alpha Prime is a very good sounding headphone. It has that nice planar bass extension. The thing that makes the Alpha Prime different from both the LCD line and the Omni is that the AP have what I guess can best be described as an airier, thinner sounding presentation. That is not to say that the AP sound cold, necessarily, (depends on what you are comparing it to) but they lean away from the rich, full, textured presentation that you will get with the LCD-2 and Omni in favor of more of a clean, detailed presentation. Even though the Alpha Prime uses the same drivers as the Omni you would not guess it at all by listening to them side by side. It's pretty amazing how implementation affects performance. 
 
3. The LCD-2 is a headphone that I used to loathe. I actually used to really dislike all of the Audeze headphones because I felt like vocals sounded compressed, like they were being sung into a tin can. I don't know what changed exactly--I really think it has something to do with how my taste evolved over time, and I gradually began to appreciate how planar drivers sound, but the last time I listened to the LCD-2 it sounded quite good. I thought it sounded like it had a little bit of a mid bass emphasis and vocals were still a bit constrained sounding to me. Overall, though I feel like this headphone is as popular as it is for good reason. I will caution you, however, that there appears to be some really serious issues with drivers failing in the LCD line of headphones and other quality control issues. I've seen myself the wood in a pair of LCD-3s crack for no apparent reason. Also, I've read that current new LCD-2s sound and measure better than older ones--so just a heads up since you mentioned buying them on sale which makes sense in light of this (I'm not talking about Fazor vs pre-Fazor--I guess there was some kind of recent tuning change or something).
 
4. There are lots of good descriptions of how the Omni sounds out there but I'll give you my brief characterization of it. The Omni has something of a big, rich, and smooth sound. Vocals are intimate and clear and it has precise imaging. Soundstage is surprisingly spacious, and I find one of the best aspects of it is that it has extremely satisfying, speaker-like bass. To sum it it up it has the richest and fullest sound out of the three without being congested sounding.
 
5. All three of these headphones need amplifiers with power to spare if you are to do them justice. I'm just basing this on your profile page--I seriously doubt the Soundblaster E5 will be adequate for the Alpha Prime or the Omni. I can't say definitely for the LCD-2 but I'd be surprised if the E5 could handle it, either. (I haven't listened to the E5 but looked up some info on it).

Originally Posted by joeq70

Thank you for taking the time to write this! This is exactly what I have been looking for. It sounds like the Omnis are tuned to closely follow the Harmon Curve. One thing, are they pretty goofy looking to wear in public? the Primes look fantastic in pictures but on my head they would certainly be a magnet for stares.

 

[joeq70]

Thank you for taking the time to write this! This is exactly what I have been looking for. It sounds like the Omnis are tuned to closely follow the Harmon Curve. One thing, are they pretty goofy looking to wear in public? the Primes look fantastic in pictures but on my head they would certainly be a magnet for stares.

I mean, it is difficult to imagine using either can portably. But if you are talking public like at a cafe or an office, let's just say...none of the mentioned headphones are subtle.

 

[joeq70]

Which amps do you recommend for the Primes in the $400-ish range? I prefer solid state amps.

I've heard the Primes on a Headroom BUDA and that sounded very good. It is discontinued, though, so that doesn't help. I got my Mjolnir used for around $400 but I haven't heard the AP on it. I can tell you the Mjolnir has plenty of power and sounds great with my Omni, though. If I were looking for an amp right now in that price range I'd buy the Mjolnir again or if I needed to spend a little less I'd look at the Gustard H10 since it supposedly is similar/identical to the Violectric V200 which I have heard and do like just fine.

 

[shuto77]

I've heard the Primes on a Headroom BUDA and that sounded very good. It is discontinued, though, so that doesn't help. I got my Mjolnir used for around $400 but I haven't heard the AP on it. I can tell you the Mjolnir has plenty of power and sounds great with my Omni, though. If I were looking for an amp right now in that price range I'd buy the Mjolnir again or if I needed to spend a little less I'd look at the Gustard H10 since it supposedly is similar/identical to the Violectric V200 which I have heard and do like just fine.

Thanks, I'll check those out.

I'm currently considering a trade for a Burson Conductor. Has anyone heard the Primes with the Conductor? Sounds like it could be a good match.

 

[MrSpeakersPeter]

Thanks, I'll check those out.

I'm currently considering a trade for a Burson Conductor. Has anyone heard the Primes with the Conductor? Sounds like it could be a good match.

That is what I test every pair of primes and ETHERs on before they leave the factory.

 

[shuto77]

That is what I test every pair of primes and ETHERs on before they leave the factory.

What?!?

So, what you're saying is that it's the perfect amp for the Primes?

I think I need to make this happen.

Oh, and thanks for popping in and sharing that bit of information!

 

[Mentis]

Something I'd like to share for AP and X7 owners,  I personally find this equalizer setting makes AP sound better (some may find this too bright though...).  The default sounded rather dark IMO.  Add some bass boost if you want.  Please share your thoughts.  Thanks!
 

 

[shuto77]

Something I'd like to share for AP and X7 owners,  I personally find this equalizer setting makes AP sound better (some may find this too bright though...).  The default sounded rather dark IMO.  Add some bass boost if you want.  Please share your thoughts.  Thanks!

Thanks for sharing. Have you compared the X7 performance vs any other amps? I have the X7, but am seriously considering picking up sometime nicer.

 

[Mentis]

Thanks for sharing. Have you compared the X7 performance vs any other amps? I have the X7, but am seriously considering picking up sometime nicer.

Had my Audioengine D1 and it wasn't powerful enough.  I'm happy with the X7's now, with the OPA827 opamps.  I'm not planning to change something nicer cuz I only use my PC.  Unless one day Creative decides to get their X7 to use as DAC only and plug a separate amp into it.

 

[shuto77]

If anyone has any experience rolling op amps, and would like to help out a noob, please pm me.