[swspiers]

I'll give the dots a try in a month or so.  I'm really big on using things stock for a while, to get used to the presentation.  I avoided the Doggie Treats with the Dogs for a couple of months.

 

[swspiers]

DACs.
 
What DACs are you all using with your Primes?  I'm okay with the Burson Soloist for an amp at the moment, but these headphones are challenging a few cherished beliefs of mine, and I'm almost ready to start DAC flipping.
 
I might even try a cable. Or two...
 
Any feedback would be welcome, although the Berkeley and DCS stuff is way out of my league.  I'm thinking Musical Fidelity M1, Weis, Woo, and the like.

 

[NinjaHamster]

Maybe a combined DAC/Headphone amp like the Geek Pulse Fi-X which is balanced and can be ordered with femto clocks and other upgrades? They are having a big sale on "Black Friday", so may be worth checking out ...

 

[swspiers]

Maybe a combined DAC/Headphone amp like the Geek Pulse Fi-X which is balanced and can be ordered with femto clocks and other upgrades? They are having a big sale on "Black Friday", so may be worth checking out ...

Something about LH gives me the willies.  I might be totally wrong, but my years on this here planet have taught me to pay attention to my gut.
 
I'm leaning toward old-school Brit-sounding stuff.  The Musical Fidelity stuff has always intrigued me.

 

[Mullet]

@swspiers
 
I'm using a prototype version of this...
 
http://www.minidsp.com/products/minidspkits/curryman-i2s-dac
 
Love it. It's a very neutral sounding DAC with gobs of detail. It's currently paired with this...
 
http://www.cavalliaudio.com/diy/ehhaa/main.php?page=overview
 
This amp has gobs of power. No complaints as of yet.
 
You're going to get more benefit with a different DAC or amp than cables. It's your mula not mine.

 

[swspiers]

  @swspiers
 
I'm using a prototype version of this...
 
http://www.minidsp.com/products/minidspkits/curryman-i2s-dac
 
Love it. It's a very neutral sounding DAC with gobs of detail. It's currently paired with this...
 
http://www.cavalliaudio.com/diy/ehhaa/main.php?page=overview
 
This amp has gobs of power. No complaints as of yet.
 
You're going to get more benefit with a different DAC or amp than cables. It's your mula not mine.

Dude, we don't know each other, but one or two people who read my post are going to chuckle.  Not really an inside joke, but close enough. Even if cables change something sonically, I am not apt to try it out.  However, a custom length and stiffness is about the only reason I would try one (or my wife would cheat on me, now that I think of it)
 
Thanks for the DAC tip.

 

[musicman59]

  FYI, I'm working on a tuning guide using the dots in the configurations I think people will like most.  I hope to post this tonight and I bet people will find it very interesting.  

As everyone knows I've been suggesting people try the tuning dots.  This is not an idle recommendation, but not many people have given them a try so I clearly haven't made the case in a way that people are connecting with.
 
The tuning guide is short and includes measurements to show the relative change of dot configurations compared to our default "two dot" configuration so you'll be able to see just how much variation you can create in the sound.
 
It's important to mention that the relative changes in the tuning will vary slightly based on your ear geometry and size, but it's still a good general guide.  You can't tune the Alpha Dog this precisely, or get as much extension because the Alpha Driver has less extension and more peakiness in the highs.
 
The most important thing you'll see is that the dots are NOT filters in the sense you might expect, rather they modify ear/driver standing waves.  For example, adding a dot may reduce sibilance but increase top frequency output. The effect is significantly greater than any effect of a cable, up to 3-5dB.
 
It took a lot of work to put this together, so I do hope you'll find it both interesting and helpful.  

Thanks Dan. For sure I will check it out to see if there are configurations to the ones we already discussed.
Thanks a lot for your efforts!

 

[NinjaHamster]

Dude, we don't know each other, but one or two people who read my post are going to chuckle.  Not really an inside joke, but close enough. Even if cables change something sonically, I am not apt to try it out.  However, a custom length and stiffness is about the only reason I would try one (or my wife would cheat on me, now that I think of it)

Thanks for the DAC tip.

Hmmmn ... I have a custom length but not stiffness. Would you mind asking your wife if she might still be interested?

 

[Tony1110]

One DAC that really took me by surprise was the NuForce DAC-80. If you like high-octane rock then it has just the right kind of energetic signature to compliment that sort of music. I used it with my Soloist SL for a while and loved the combo with the Alpha Dog. There's a very thorough review on here by Project86.

I'm on the lookout for a DAC myself and am leaning towards the brands coming out of China as they seem to represent good value: one or two of the Audio-GD DACs, the Yulong DA8 and Matrix X-Sabre. There are literally hundreds of them on the market now and the choice can be somewhat overwhelming. If you use a computer for music, make sure the DAC you choose has a good USB implementation. The M1 does not.

DACs impact on the sound you're getting in a very big way. In some respects, even more so than your amp and definitely a lot more than cables.

 

[swspiers]

I run hdmi from the computer into the Oppo BDP-103, use its Dac into the Burson.

 

[Douger333]

Hi SWS, I am using the Musical Fidelity M1DAC very happily in my system, and for my AD and AP I have a 4ft length of Vanquish cable. As break-in progresses I realize that the stock cable
works quite well on both. Glad to have the Vanquish but that's my addiction talking!

 

[mrspeakers]

I'm unlikely to get the tuning info done tonight.  Hard work to make simple.  
 

 

[sugarshark]

  I'm unlikely to get the tuning info done tonight.  Hard work to make simple.  
 

 
Don't over simplify it .. more info better than not enough imho
 
Also, finding it pretty hard to keep these off my head. to be honest i'm unlikely to experiment with tuning it because stock they sound very very good. i feel like i'd be more likely to make the sound worse by messing with them

 

[Tony1110]

Don't over simplify it .. more info better than not enough imho

Also, finding it pretty hard to keep these off my head. to be honest i'm unlikely to experiment with tuning it because stock they sound very very good. i feel like i'd be more likely to make the sound worse by messing with them

I feel the same at the moment, but I know that, given time, I will nitpick and find things that I'd like to alter. It's a good idea to become accustomed to stock configuration first, but it'll be great to have a tuning guide in place setting out what works and what doesn't when the time comes to tailor them to my own preferences. To be honest, I hate the process of trial and error. In matters like this, I prefer having instructions to follow. And who better to give instruction than the maker of the headphones himself?

 

[Tony1110]

Double post