[ofty1995]

Hi all,

I’ve been enjoying the Audioquest Nightowl Carbon with the AQ Dragonfly Cobalt the past couple of years. Unfortunately the headband has been getting worse and will soon break down. Since it is discontinued there are no more headbands available and this gives me the excuse to look for an upgrade.

I am looking for a closed back headphone with a €1500 budget or a new dac/amp with a headphone if the DF Cobalt does not cut it.

So far I have been considering the Focal Radiance (€925 B-stock), Audeze LCD-XC (€1425) and the DCA aeon 2 noire (€999).

I’ve seen that the Focal headbands can break and are not easy to repair. This kind of scares me but from what I’ve read the sound signature would be what I like. Does the Radiance also have a headband that easily breaks?

The audezes are really heavy and I am not sure if the weight will bother me with long listening sessions, would love to hear opinions about that too.

The Aeon 2 noire’s wont run of my AQ DF cobalt i believe so if I went with those I would also purchase the Fiio k7 dac/amp


I will use my headphones to listen to music but also for movies and series. I use Windows and tidal. I like a bit of oomph in the lower ends. Most of the days I will be listening to the headphones for at least 6 hours a day. I would love to hear suggestions since this is the first time I plan to spend a lot on headphones. If there are any questions please let me know!

Thanks

 

[msing539]

The Denon D9200 plus a headband pad, since comfort can be hit or miss depending on the person. If you want a more slamming low end, the D7200, which should also be cheaper. Either should be fine running off the Cobalt.

 

[ofty1995]

The Denon D9200 plus a headband pad, since comfort can be hit or miss depending on the person. If you want a more slamming low end, the D7200, which should also be cheaper. Either should be fine running off the Cobalt.

Okay will look into that. No issues with breaking headbands?

 

[msing539]

Okay will look into that. No issues with breaking headbands?

Not for me but I didn't travel with them--they are plastic though, so I wouldn't be too rough with them.

 

[ofty1995]

Not for me but I didn't travel with them--they are plastic though, so I wouldn't be too rough with them.

Ah okay thanks. I like that DCA provides spare parts in case something breaks. I think thats a big pre.

 

[WorksUnit]

If you are considering the LCD XC, I wouldn't ignore the cheaper LCD 2 closed.
I think both used glued on pads as opposed to the DCA, which might be a negative for some.

The DCA is noticeably lighter for sure.

All of these will do lowend driven out of modest amps..if you just want one pair go with something with a good warranty, possible aftermarket mods, and spares available.

 

[ofty1995]

If you are considering the LCD XC, I wouldn't ignore the cheaper LCD 2 closed.
I think both used glued on pads as opposed to the DCA, which might be a negative for some.

The DCA is noticeably lighter for sure.

All of these will do lowend driven out of modest amps..if you just want one pair go with something with a good warranty, possible aftermarket mods, and spares available.

Yes I’m really considering the DCA noire with the Fiio k7. Thanks

 

[WorksUnit]

Yes I’m really considering the DCA noire with the Fiio k7. Thanks

They are lovely headphones. Feed them some solid power ( the more the merrier to some extent) from an amp.

 

[ofty1995]

They are lovely headphones. Feed them some solid power ( the more the merrier to some extent) from an amp.

What dac/amp would you suggest for around €300 for these then? I’m completely new to dac/amps beside my df dongle. Thanks.

 

[WorksUnit]

K7 looks fine, run it with a balanced cable to take advantage of that output.

 

[ofty1995]

K7 looks fine, run it with a balanced cable to take advantage of that output.

Thanks a lot, will do!

 

[ofty1995]

Okay since the Fiio K7 does not have XLR inputs i will need to use the following adapter to make use of the K7 4.4 balanced input, but will it work as i expect it to?
https://www.amazon.nl/Linsoul-DDHIFI-XLR44C-Balanced-Adapter/dp/B0BWNQTSFW

I want to put my balanced XLR cable into it so i can plug the adapter into the K7. Thanks!

 

[WorksUnit]

Yeah that will work.
You could also use a geekria 4.4 male to 3.5 female without the XLR.
Main point is to make the most of the output power with planars

 

[ofty1995]

Yeah that will work.
You could also use a geekria 4.4 male to 3.5 female without the XLR.
Main point is to make the most of the output power with planars

Is the 3.5 female from the K7 also balanced? I thought only the 4.4. Sorry I really am new to this

 

[WorksUnit]

Not the 3.5 output on the amp, that is single ended.
You can use a more traditional non xlr cable with an adapter like the the one I mentioned to go into the 4.4 balanced output though.
So non balanced 3.5/ 6.3 cable to 4.4 adapter into the amp.
Having said that, there is something reassuringly solid and tactile about XLR connections...