[Eamou]

Thanks for your reply!
 
I don't currently have a sound card and will mainly be listening to 320kbps MP3s, but I always try to get FLACs where I can (this is usually when I buy from bandcamp instead of streaming from spotify). Let's say my MP3:FLAC ratio is around 10 mp3's for every flac.
 
I'm also thinking of getting a Tidal subscription along with my new equipment to enjoy higher-quality recordings.
 
Based on this, is it worth me getting a DAC?
 
Many thanks.

 

[thatguyuphigh]

It really depends what Dac you currently have in your computer. If you don't know what one you have then buying an external one could definitely make a difference in the sound quality of your music. Although it would probably be better to put that money towards buying a better amplifier.

 

[nhasian]

Hello Everyone,
 
I've been a part of the Linux & Free Open Source Software community for almost a decade now, and I've always been enthusiastic about music. (I'm always on IRC Freenode as nhasian too) I got a pair of Sennheiser HD598 about two years ago during an Amazon flash sale and that is what started my journey down this rabbit hole. Now I have a Schiit Bifrost MB DAC, and Bottlehead Crack w/Speedball amp to power my HD650s. I frequently lurk on /r/headphones and I stumbled upon this site from there. There are quite a bit of new things to learn about the forum so I just wanted to say hello real quick for my first post.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Hello Everyone,

I've been a part of the Linux & Free Open Source Software community for almost a decade now, and I've always been enthusiastic about music. (I'm always on IRC Freenode as nhasian too) I got a pair of Sennheiser HD598 about two years ago during an Amazon flash sale and that is what started my journey down this rabbit hole. Now I have a Schiit Bifrost MB DAC, and Bottlehead Crack w/Speedball amp to power my HD650s. I frequently lurk on /r/headphones and I stumbled upon this site from there. There are quite a bit of new things to learn about the forum so I just wanted to say hello real quick for my first post.

Do you happen to use the "audiophile" Linux program? Someone at a meet was telling me about it. How it basically turns off everything in the computer that could disrupt the audio signal. Was thinking about giving it a chance

 

[nhasian]

  I've read that the Senn HD650s sound great with tube amps, 

 
Hello Eamou,
 
I've read that for your first amp you should not get a tube amp because it colors the audio.  With that being said, I also have a pair of HD650's and just dove straight into tube amp territory with the Bottlehead Crack w/Speedball. It does sound fantastic, and I've read many reviews saying it is a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, I've never heard my HD650's on a solid state amp, so I can't comment on the difference. 
 
BTW, congrats on your new Sennheisers. hope you don't have to wait too long for them.

 

[nhasian]

Do you happen to use the "audiophile" Linux program? Someone at a meet was telling me about it. How it basically turns off everything in the computer that could disrupt the audio signal. Was thinking about giving it a chance

 
Hello bunnynamedfrank,
 
There are a LOT of ways to playback audio in Linux. I think you are talking about Bit Perfect audio. To achieve this you need to ensure that your music player of choice is using alsa to output the audio as opposed to puleaudio with is a lossy mixer. Actually the guide here helped me out quite a bit:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/700447/guide-newb-guide-to-bit-perfect-linux-audio
 
Personally I like to use either mpv or Ncmpcpp for music playback. Ncmpcpp is run in a terminal but it is very powerful and has various plugins. For example I can press one key and view my local audio files, and press a different key to browse and playback spotify tracks.

 

[chaitanya reddy]

Hi everyone,16 years old, new here so i dont know how to start a new thread, new to audio too.....hope this can help me with my purchase decisions
Gear soo far-
1) klipsch image s3
2) beyerdynamic dx120
3) sure se215
4) rha t10

 

[Eamou]

No DAC currently, using onboard audio from the motherboard. I can't hear any artifacts or anything though, unless my ears have just been desensitized to sounds like that.
 
The only problem is that I'm spending the remainder of my budget on the amp, so I'll have to get a fairly cheap DAC if I do get one, maybe a used Modi 2 or something. Maybe its better to leave it for now and save up to get a quality one later on?
 
Many thanks.

 

[Eamou]

   
Hello Eamou,
 
I've read that for your first amp you should not get a tube amp because it colors the audio.  With that being said, I also have a pair of HD650's and just dove straight into tube amp territory with the Bottlehead Crack w/Speedball. It does sound fantastic, and I've read many reviews saying it is a match made in heaven. Unfortunately, I've never heard my HD650's on a solid state amp, so I can't comment on the difference. 
 
BTW, congrats on your new Sennheisers. hope you don't have to wait too long for them.

Hi nhasian!
 
Thanks for your advice, and yes I hope so too, can't wait to join the rest of you in the world of hi-fi! While I do love the look of the crack+speedball, it's unfortunately out of my budget which is a shame as the idea of a DIY amp really appeals to me, physics and engineering is one of my passions!
 
This current set up I get will ideally last me the next 3-4 years through uni, so I'll most likely upgrade in quite a few years time, hopefully when I've got a bit more money to spend too.
 
Many thanks.

 

[LuGr]

I've been lurking for a long time and just joining now.
I've done a lot of experimenting and am looking forward to learning more and participating!

 

[Bernhard]

Living in Holland and having a Sennheiser HDR120 wireless but using this sometimes.
It is connected to my Minix NEO 8H mediaplayer or my ONKYO TX-NR818.
But i want more sound and just ordered a Headphone amp and wooden headphones on Aliexpress at the 11-11 festival.
the Amp is the Little Dot MKII and the Headphone the (what's in a name) NAOI B7
 

 

[nhasian]

  This current set up I get will ideally last me the next 3-4 years through
 

 
Yeah... that's what everyone says. there are plenty of Schiit stacks that popup used for sale. Keep your eyes open. I haven't tried Tidal but I've been  using Spotify premium for some time now and really like the convenience of it. I don't have a very large local music collection. 

 

[nhasian]

I've been lurking for a long time and just joining now.
I've done a lot of experimenting and am looking forward to learning more and participating!

 
Welcome aboard LuGr,
 
Tell us a bit about yourself. What kind of music do you like, how did you get into headphones? What kind of headphones do you like and why?

 

[alexthe74]

Hello i am a new member from italy:current setup
At home rockboxed ipod video+sennheiser momentum in-ear
On the go Lg g4+viper4android+xiaomi hybrid

 

[rwarederek]

Hey all
 
New member here - wife and I moved into a new home with a lot more room.  My existing audio setup isn't good enough to fill the space so we're looking to upgrade basically everything!  
 
Derek