[kaizer]

My first venture into the world of headphone amps was with the Little Dot Micro+. To say the least.. I find it lacking. Originally I had planned on using the amp with my Zune only.. but lately the sound in my pc is lacking the real oomph to push my DT770 headphones. Im partially deaf.. so that has something to do with it.. but still, I dont think I should be having to turn the thing nearly all the way up to get acceptable sound levels(in the good ear). My onboard sound card alone can pretty much match the volume of the LDM+

My main source at home is my PC.. which unfortunately still has the onboard sound. Realtek® ALC850 is the chipset.. it has Coaxial / Optical S/PDIF out on the back if that helps at all.

Basically.. I need something with volume. Lots of it. I was looking possibly into getting the e-mu 0404 as an all in one solution, but im not sure how well this can drive headphones. Other thoughts were getting a separate DAC/AMP. Id like to keep what ever I get below the 300 mark.

 

[Uncle Erik]

Why not try the Gilmore Lite? It has plenty of power for my DT880 and even drives the K-501 well. They run $299, so it fits your budget.

If you're willing to pick up a soldering iron, your options will expand considerably. The Dynalo is the DIY version of the Gilmore Lite and an excellent choice. So are the M^3 and the CK2III. All are good choices.

 

[kaizer]

Hrm looks nice.. but theres no DAC / USB interface on that. Im thinking I want to avoid the onboard sound in my pc.

 

[mADmAN]

if thats the case u could try the Total Bithead or the Headphonia (both with USB DAC). not sure if it has enough power to drive ur cans to ur desired colume level.

if portability is not an issue, other options would be..

1/ Firestone Audio Fubar II USB DAC ($120) + Cute Beyond/ Cute Battery Amp ($170)
* Im using the Cute Battery (see sig) for my 250ohm DT990 and at 11 o'clock it gets plenty loud.. at least to everyone else in the office.
* prices taken from their website (see sponsors). inclusive of shipping this might be over the $300 mark (not sure by how much)...but there has yet to be a bad review of this combo or any of firestone products that ive seen to date. else u can always opt for used in the for sales forum.

2/ save up a little more and get the Corda Aria for around $400. once again...u can also opt for used in the for sales forum.

 

[kaizer]

300 was a ballpark figure. That gives me a couple of things to look at.

I dont mind buying used if its from a seller thats been around a few

I must say the Corda Aria is one nice looking unit. The fubar + amp combo look pretty nice too, with perhaps a slightly smaller foot print.

Other than the obvious, is there really any sound quality difference between the Cute Battery II, and the one without the battery? I see they are the same price.. I wont need any portability with this unit as it will be with my pc only.

Any DIY builders that make something like what im looking for interested in a sale?

My soldering skills lack.. but if this Head-fi curse takes hold of me for much longer I may have to do some practicing

 

[souperman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaizer /img/forum/go_quote.gif 300 was a ballpark figure. That gives me a couple of things to look at. I dont mind buying used if its from a seller thats been around a few I must say the Corda Aria is one nice looking unit. The fubar + amp combo look pretty nice too, with perhaps a slightly smaller foot print. Other than the obvious, is there really any sound quality difference between the Cute Battery II, and the one without the battery? I see they are the same price.. I wont need any portability with this unit as it will be with my pc only. Any DIY builders that make something like what im looking for interested in a sale? My soldering skills lack.. but if this Head-fi curse takes hold of me for much longer I may have to do some practicing

if you are interested i bought a new fubar II USB DAC that i'm selling off right away because i'm in a financial bind (geez its too easy to point and click away hundreds of dollars

). it will be mint and completely new and i'm selling it for a lower price than you have to pay with shipping (price negotiable). but i won't be able to obtain it in the mail until about april 2nd, since i will be away on vacation, but if you'd like to, you can make a reservation on it

. It's in the For Sale forum. Just leave a message there and i'll get back to it as soon as i get it.

 

[kramer5150]

I've been very happy with my PPA. You should be able to get a V02, with discreate buffers or a diamond buffered V01 and ELPAC for around $300 (give or take a little). If you want a Steps thats about a $400 amp though. IMHO an extra $100 for a steps might not be a bad thing with the power hungry DT770 and your hearing condition.

With porta-amps getting all the attention, the M^3, PPA and Millet hybrid are not getting much attention. Heck for ~$225 you can get a gilmore lite thats IMHO a much better amp than many of the portable ones $ for $.

heres some eye candy for you...

Good Luck!!

 

[kaizer]

Hrm a PPA amp would probabbly be a bad first time project for me

But damn that looks nice.

Thanks for the offer of your fubar..but. red sucks

 

[SonicArmada]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kaizer /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hrm a PPA amp would probabbly be a bad first time project for me But damn that looks nice. Thanks for the offer of your fubar..but. red sucks

I believe there is also a gray version. Don't look for the prettiest amp, look for one that sounds good. If it sounds good, and also looks good, thats just an extra bonus.

EDIT: I see now that you were offered a red fubar, so you didn't have a color choice. The rest still applies.

 

[kaizer]

hehe I know about the color. I dont really care THAT much how it looks, as long as the sound is good. But in this case.. if I have a choice.. Red wouldnt be it

Pretty much everything at my desk is black / grey, including the desk itself. My clothes may not match.. but by god my electronic goodies will

 

[jmmtn4aj]

If only HeadAmp made a DAC too

I'd love a HeadAmp stack

 

[mADmAN]

the Fubar/ Beyond/ Battery comes in grey as well...matches the rest of its chassis....

my Battery is grey

 

[kaizer]

Yea I know about all the color differences. I was trying to determine what the real difference other than the battery, was between the standard amp, and the battery one. From what I can see its a different amp class? AB for the battery.. A for the non. Is there really any sonic differences?

 

[mADmAN]

no idea about sonic differences between the 2.... ive never even seen the beyond up close and personal, much less heard it.

perhaps a search in sgheadphones.net might yield better results as they are quite popular and highly regarded there.

FYI, judging by the number of users, it seems the beyond is the preferred amp between the 2, over here and over in sgheadphones.net. i think so far im the only one using the battery that i know if

 

[socrates63]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kramer5150 /img/forum/go_quote.gif heres some eye candy for you...

Wow, that PPA looks awesome.