[Jazic]

  What DAC/amp do you guys use with the Primes?

Someone I know is trying to convince me to invest in a Benchmark DAC2 HCG, is it worth it or overkill? I'm not sure most of the music sources I will listen to will always be of very high quality.
 
Definitely lovely sound so far.

 
 
I can't say how other setups sound but I know the Lyr 2/ Uberfrost stack is insane with mine. I wouldn't mind tube rolling soon but for now it sounds incredible. Very good resolution. Smooth, punchy, meaty and sparkly. Love this stack so much! Makes all of my cans sing. 

 

[Tony1110]

What DAC/amp do you guys use with the Primes?


Someone I know is trying to convince me to invest in a Benchmark DAC2 HCG, is it worth it or overkill? I'm not sure most of the music sources I will listen to will always be of very high quality.

Definitely lovely sound so far.

Do you already have an amp or are you planning to use the Benchmark's headphone out?

 

[Becomelikeyou]

Do you already have an amp or are you planning to use the Benchmark's headphone out?

 
I have a very basic and inexpensive one, the Fiio Andes E07K. I just wanted something simple to begin that would work with my portable, and invest in something more expensive when I have more spare money.
 
I was just wondering if something like the Benchmark would be worth it for me to get the extra fidelity over a DAC/amp that would cost 3-4 times less.

 

[Maelob]

If you can get a used Benchmark DAC 1, I think it is a great match for Alphas. Great Headphone amp. However it depends on your source, for the old DAC 1 I had to use an USB/SPDIF converter. I sold my old DAC 1 for under 500 and a great USB/SPIDIF for around 100. So you could get great stuff on the used market. Also IFI and Schiit makes great affordable products.

 

[Tony1110]

I have a very basic and inexpensive one, the Fiio Andes E07K. I just wanted something simple to begin that would work with my portable, and invest in something more expensive when I have more spare money.

I was just wondering if something like the Benchmark would be worth it for me to get the extra fidelity over a DAC/amp that would cost 3-4 times less.

As an all-in-one headphone system, and by Head-Fi standards, the DAC2 isn't necessarily overkill. Whether there are other units better suited to your purpose is another question - how good is the amp in the DAC2? If you'd been planning to invest in a DAC of that calibre to stack with an expensive amplifier then I might have said that it was overkill.

You might get the extra fidelity but it's unlikely to be 3-4 times as much as what you'd get with a competent setup like, say, the Lyr 2 and Bifrost. As you read all the time on here, chasing that last 5% can prove to be pretty costly. Depends how important it is to you.

Personally, I would invest most of my budget in a good amp and a competent DAC.

 

[Jazic]

As an all-in-one headphone system, and by Head-Fi standards, the DAC2 isn't necessarily overkill. Whether there are other units better suited to your purpose is another question - how good is the amp in the DAC2? If you'd been planning to invest in a DAC of that calibre to stack with an expensive amplifier then I might have said that it was overkill.

You might get the extra fidelity but it's unlikely to be 3-4 times as much as what you'd get with a competent setup like, say, the Lyr 2 and Bifrost. As you read all the time on here, chasing that last 5% can prove to be pretty costly. Depends how important it is to you.

Personally, I would invest most of my budget in a good amp and a competent DAC.

 
That's the price... that last 5% is what kills the wallet. 
 
I'm a schiit fanboy and I'd suggest either Magni/Modi, Asgard/Bifrost, Lyr2/Uberfrost will do you well. Each step goes up just a little along with the price. Each is good enough for most headphones with the Lyr2/Uberfrost being closer to the top until you go balanced. Like I say I have a schiit preference so take mine with a grain of salt. 

 

[Tony1110]

Some headphones sound great out of relatively cheap gear, others - Audezes, HE-6, HD800 - need a little extra. I have a feeling the Alpha Prime will be like the LCD-2: doesn't necessarily need the very best equipment, but good enough to show you the difference if you do have it at your disposal.

And mine just keep getting better and better. I love electronic music out of them.

 

[mikemoo]

This is an initial impression going from Alpha Dog to Prime. I was one of the lucky ones that got on the upgrade list.

I got my Prime on Monday after spending a whole month going through Dog withdrawal and hearing all the great things about the Prime while waiting in anticipation.

I tried it out after 3 hours of burn in because I couldn't wait. Even before the full 10 hours of burn in was set in, all I can say is: WOW!

The first thing that I noticed was the AMAZING imaging of these cans. The Dog had good imaging but it only WOWed me from time to time depending on the song it's playing. With the Prime, the musical instruments are distinctively 3D. Which as lead to me discuss instrument separation. It's definitely a noticeable enhancement. The treble was also extended giving strings great texture and sparkle (aka micro details.) This is a huge improvement over the AD.

After 10 hours of burn in, the sound settled in. I have to say the the Prime took care of all the things I wanted on my wish list when I upgraded from the AP.

I ran my test first with an Onkyo receiver, then after burn in, I took it back to its place of use (my office) which is hook up to a Nuforce ICON DAC. This DAC/AMP combo has a 1.3W @50ohm Class A amp. That’s what I used for the AD. I played all of my song on android Note 4.

I listened to mostly 16 bit FLAC with some 24/96 FLAC and 320kps mp3s. The genre includes: pop, classical, EDM.

Impression: (I’ve only spent a day with the Prime, so I will update as I listen further)

Treble:
It has great texture and extension over the AD. This is a much desired upgrade when I signed up for the Prime, very happy to get it. I also notice that the treble is not giving me much fatigue. I had this thing on playing in my ears for the past 7 hours in the name of testing. =)

Mid:
It’s very smooth. I listened to vocal focused music, and it’s tonality is super smooth. Piano is very natural sounding as well. Vocal is still kept in front while instrument is always far away, contributed to the 3D sound. I don’t know how Dan does this, but it’s cool. My Hifiman HE-400 has big sound stage but the AP has better image. AP also doesn’t have the mid harshness that the Hifiman has, but at three times the price, I don’t expect it to have it.

Bass:

It has the same great bass that I remember from the AD. I didn’t hear a big difference because I always love this part about the AD. The AD set the bass delivery benchmark so high that improvement is hard to pick up at initial impression. I’ve also spent a lot of time with Hsu research ULS-15 Subwoofer as part of my Kef LS-50 2.1 studio setup so my hears have adjusted to hearing 15hz -28Khz linear sound. The Prime bass is very linear and great extension.


Imaging:

The Prime is very similar to my KEF LS-50 monitor speakers in imaging. Its holographic 3D sound is just that amazing!!!

I’m surprise that a driver tweak can do so much. I guess Dan just has the magic touch.

 

[john57]

I understand that the driver tweak is very labor intensive to do and not easy to perform with a low rejection rate.   What impressed me was that making the cups, the preparation need to make the cups ready for primer and painting and the clear coats. The time involved waiting for the 3D printers and adding the double wall and the individual tuning of the final product. Dan at MrSpeakers can complete with the so called low labor cost of other counties. You need to have great love to do this kind of business.    

 

[swspiers]

 

Some headphones sound great out of relatively cheap gear, others - Audezes, HE-6, HD800 - need a little extra. I have a feeling the Alpha Prime will be like the LCD-2: doesn't necessarily need the very best equipment, but good enough to show you the difference if you do have it at your disposal.

And mine just keep getting better and better. I love electronic music out of them.

+1, and I have to admit, I've agreed with virtually everything you've written so far.  Yes, the Primes 'scale' so to speak, and the Benchmark I got has taken them to a new level- way beyond what I was shooting for, to be honest.  I fully intended to stay in the upper-scale, at the most, of mid-fi.  The Primes kinda ruined that plan for me, which I will go into more detail about in my review.
 
That being the case, the Primes still sound fantastic with the analog out of my Oppo, and even the Schiit Magni. They play nicely with lower-end gear, and unlike other TOTL cans I've heard, they don't make anything sound terrible, unless it inherently is terrible.

This is an initial impression going from Alpha Dog to Prime. I was one of the lucky ones that got on the upgrade list.


Bass:

It has the same great bass that I remember from the AD. I didn’t hear a big difference because I always love this part about the AD. The AD set the bass delivery benchmark so high that improvement is hard to pick up at initial impression. I’ve also spent a lot of time with Hsu research ULS-15 Subwoofer as part of my Kef LS-50 2.1 studio setup so my hears have adjusted to hearing 15hz -28Khz linear sound. The Prime bass is very linear and great extension.


Imaging:

The Prime is very similar to my KEF LS-50 monitor speakers in imaging. Its holographic 3D sound is just that amazing!!!

I’m surprise that a driver tweak can do so much. I guess Dan just has the magic touch.

I was lucky, or fast enough, to get on the list as well.
 
Interesting, I was just checking that sub out today.  Way beyond my needs right now.  But I get what ass you're writing, and the bass on the Primes are very reminiscent of really good sealed subs.  Which I don't have at the moment, but will in the next month or so (I'm using an Emotiva Ultra-10, which bottoms-out around 30 Hz)

 

[mrspeakers]

I am pleased to announce that as of tomorrow Alpha Prime's in black are in stock, and Claret will ship within 1 business day.  Several orders in queue are on hold as we had a batch of problem 3.5mm cables, but the corrected cables will be here tomorrow and any remaining orders that have not been processed will ship tomorrow night.  

 

[john57]

That Hsu research ULS-15 18" cube in Rosenut finish is one of the nicest subwoofer I ever seen.

 

[tepet08]

Mine is on the way across the ocean.THE prime will be home waiting for me when i get off this boat..yeayy

 

[john57]

Mine is on the way across the ocean.THE prime will be home waiting for me when i get off this boat..yeayy

You must be excited to finish your current tour as a Saturation Diver. All kinds of people are getting the Prime's!

 

[Tony1110]

Thx, I'm really delighted with the NFB15, I can't really listen much past 12 o'clock on the volume pot, but the power really gives impact and opens the soundstage at lower listening levels. I was "this" close to buying JDS O2+ODAC, but I plumped for the Audio-Gd just to give me headroom so I'd not need upgrade my power unit anytime soon.

I'm a month into ownership and I'm already considering upgrading from Mad Dogs to Alpha Primes asap so I'm fully sorted for a good few years.  Just need the Alpha Primes to drop by 90 euros & I'll be hitting the "buy" button.

There are a couple of pairs up for sale in the classifieds.