[kreserb]

yes they are active. And I am willing to get rid of the sub, if it means that i can get by with only one amplifier and DAC. the main focus of this setup would of course be the headphones, I just want to be able to get sound out of a pair of speakers like the KRK RP 5 G3 (this is what I have and am quite pleased with them) 

 

[davidsh]

This should do all you want if I am not mistaken: http://www.dangerousmusic.com/products/source#specifications
 
It gets some praise around here AFAIK. It is mostly made for studio use and might have some features you don't need, but still the feature set is very nice.
 
I suppose it's from the US so importing will be a PITA.

 

[kreserb]

It appears that I can buy that from thomann.de, so that would be great news
 
from what i can see the built in amp is able to power up to 600 ohm headphones, so powering the HD800 should not be a problem? or will I still need a dedicated headphone amp?
I will need to read a few more reviews about it, but at first glance it looks like it would be my best option.
 
Many thanks

 

[davidsh]

In time you might want a nice tube amp for the hd800, which it seems you are settled on.
It might be worth waiting for the Hifiman he-560.
Where in Denmark do you live with regards to auditioning stuff?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

  yes they are active. And I am willing to get rid of the sub, if it means that i can get by with only one amplifier and DAC. the main focus of this setup would of course be the headphones, I just want to be able to get sound out of a pair of speakers like the KRK RP 5 G3 (this is what I have and am quite pleased with them) 

 
If you're fine with the bass on those then really just skip the sub, otherwise look into getting a studio monitor with 8" midwoofers and see if that helps the bass. Personally, unless I'm playing a song that is 50% "YEAHS!" on the lyrics and all bass lines are better for trying to blow out my car's windshield with a 1,000watt, 150db subwoofer, or if I'm sitting too far from standmount speakers, there's really not much need for a sub with many speakers. I can play house music on my Swans D1080MkII and I can hear the bass from the shower across the hall, with both doors closed.
 

  If I got the Violectric V200 to drive the HD800 would I be able to get by with a less expensive DAC for a while? Until I could afford  the V800.
And could the V200 drive two studio monitors? I see that it has a pair of unbalanced in/out in the back.

 
You can use the preamp outputs on the V200 as long as the active monitors also have the same kind of unbalanced inputs to receive the signal. Check if it has RCA sockets labelled as inputs.
 
 
Quote:

  Or would I have to buy a relatively inexpensive stereo amplifier to drive the 2.1?  

 
What for? The studio monitors already have an amp inside them - by definition "active" speakers means the amp is built into the enclosure (or the sub, as on PC speakers) and "passive" speakers require a separate amp.

 

[Jeff Y]

Graham Slee Solo Ultra-Linear is probably the best solid-state I've heard though it might not have enough power to make the HE6 go super loud. It has the best of the both tube and solid state sound. Great bass and treble energy yet that easy-to-listen tube sound.

 

[kreserb]

so I would be really happy if I could get away with only getting the Dangerous Music Source, since it appears to do everything I need it to do. 
 
I might choose to opt for some cheaper headphones, like the Hifiman HE-500, since it is on sale right now.
 
Are there any headphones in the 600-1000€ range that are leaps ahead of the HE-500, in regards to being a great allrounder?  

 

[davidsh]

  so I would be really happy if I could get away with only getting the Dangerous Music Source, since it appears to do everything I need it to do. 
 
I might choose to opt for some cheaper headphones, like the Hifiman HE-500, since it is on sale right now.
 
Are there any headphones in the 600-1000€ range that are leaps ahead of the HE-500, in regards to being a great allrounder?  

Depends... I like it quite a lot. But it needs a fairly powerful amp, actually. 
 
There's a meet in Esbjerg in the upcoming weekend. It will feature HE-500, 5le, t1, lcd2/3, some stax lambdas and I know there's an hd800 owner too, but don't think he's planning to bring it.

 

[TwoEars]

  so I would be really happy if I could get away with only getting the Dangerous Music Source, since it appears to do everything I need it to do. 
 
I might choose to opt for some cheaper headphones, like the Hifiman HE-500, since it is on sale right now.
 
Are there any headphones in the 600-1000€ range that are leaps ahead of the HE-500, in regards to being a great allrounder?  

 
I'm going to go out on limb here and say 'no'.
 
If you're only judging a headphone by it's sound quality the HE-500 is spectacular in it's price range. I liked the one I had a lot.
 
However... I couldn't get past the comfort and build quality issues.
 
The HD800 is at least equal in terms of texture and resolution, however it is much more comfortable, it is much better built and the soundstage is much better.
 
Second hand mint HD800 with schiit vali and good DAC... should make your jaw drop.
 
There is nothing a HD800 can't play.

 

[kreserb]

I would be wearing the headphones over 6 hours everyday, so comfort is very important. I think I will just save up for a month more than planned and get the HD800 along with the Source. 
 
I really appreciate all the help that you guys have provided  
 
 
 
I can't make it to the meet in Esbjerg, have to work the entire weekend.  But I have a cousin in Copenhagen that have the HD800. Will pay him a visit in the spring to check out the headphone. 

 

[davidsh]

Good luck
The hd800 is a spectacular headphone, a technical marvel. Measures extremely well and sounds amazing with the right synergi and perhaps a little EQ

 

[BigTerminator]

I will provide info on the monitor setup with subwoofer. For me I have an Asus Essence ST with an H6 card. This lets me have 2.1 with a crossover built into the card. Now you are looking at much better DAC's, and they usually just come with RCA or XLR only so just stereo (my card supports 7.1). You have to get a Studio Monitor Subwoofer. These subwoofers include inputs from both monitors and then outputs to the DAC. The subwoofer also have their own internal crossover. I have a 2.1 setup and nothing can beat having a dedicated subwoofer especially with smaller monitors. You usually buy a subwoofer from the makers of your monitors. M-Audio makes a subwoofer that will take input from my M-Audio Bx5 monitors, crossover the signal then output to my DAC. My current subwoofer does not have that so I must use the H6 add on card so I can use 2.1 (has a dedicated subwoofer input). Hope this helps.  
 
BTW what monitors do you have? I personally prefer 2.1 listening compared to headphones as bass and sound stage are unbeatable. Plus the sound is not in your head. But it is expensive. 

 

[kreserb]

  I will provide info on the monitor setup with subwoofer. For me I have an Asus Essence ST with an H6 card. This lets me have 2.1 with a crossover built into the card. Now you are looking at much better DAC's, and they usually just come with RCA or XLR only so just stereo (my card supports 7.1). You have to get a Studio Monitor Subwoofer. These subwoofers include inputs from both monitors and then outputs to the DAC. The subwoofer also have their own internal crossover. I have a 2.1 setup and nothing can beat having a dedicated subwoofer especially with smaller monitors. You usually buy a subwoofer from the makers of your monitors. M-Audio makes a subwoofer that will take input from my M-Audio Bx5 monitors, crossover the signal then output to my DAC. My current subwoofer does not have that so I must use the H6 add on card so I can use 2.1 (has a dedicated subwoofer input). Hope this helps.  
 
BTW what monitors do you have? I personally prefer 2.1 listening compared to headphones as bass and sound stage are unbeatable. Plus the sound is not in your head. But it is expensive. 

I have the krk rp 5 g3 which are awesome I really enjoy listening to them. But I don't often get to enjoy as I have neighbours that freak out over the smallest sound, so I really want some highend headphones so that I can enjoy my music all the time 

 

[davidsh]

Well, the dangerous source has 2 unbalanced outputs that are both active at the same time according to dangerous music.. So I suppose it should work fine, asumming the sub has RCA inputs. Generally, it seems to have som pretty nice features. Whether it sounds good... have got no idea.
 
How is it with dBu? They claim +26 dBu into 600 ohm, and that's like 15 volt RMS.. That's like 750 mW into the 300 ohm sennies which is quite massive. Well, manufacturers can claim a lot...