Hi everyone. I am Dustin - newbie to the community. Although i haven't had any experience in audio field, just know a little bit about you guys are talking about such as specifications or quality sound, But i know that i love music. So that, I came here, to learn and hope I can contribute something to the community. Thank you
Hello Head-fi ! Thanks for the add. I have a lot of experience with repairing and building guitar tube amps and have been expanding my interest to the audiophile realm. Most is vintage stuff but I am interested in building a vacuum tube headphone amp. I just finished one with Korg's Nutube, interesting but not exceptional. I listen mostly with Grado Lab SR225e and AKG 701s. I'm looking forward to getting into all of this!
I've enjoyed reading threads on Head-Fi and appreciate this community and resource. I spend many hours each day listening to headphones and recently cancelled my Spotify account after trying Tidal. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to hear much of a difference having been used to Spotify for years... Oh my, I was so wrong. Experiencing uncompressed versions of some of my recent favorite albums was moving. Instruments have space, there is depth to the mix and imaging! I don't think I'll ever go back to streaming compressed music after this.
Thanks to Head-Fi I am now looking at new headphones to complement my current selection of HD600 and Grado 325e daily drivers. More than anything though I am really excited about listening to and enjoying recordings!
Hmmm it sounds like you are covering all bases pretty well with those cans. The HD600 is more chill then the 325e. One for intensive listening and the other one for when you want to lay back. You have any thoughts on which direction you will go?
Happy to be joining in here. I'm a few years into the audio hobby, and only about a year into headphones. I won't claim to have hearing as good as some, and I certainly don't have much experience with many dozens of cans -- but I'm finding what I like. I tend to go for soft but detailed that helps recreate realistic timbres of acoustic instruments -- that matches my music taste of Jazz and Classical. My preferences tend to be poor matches for electronica and pop, that need a fast, hard-hitting sound.
I've tried many dacs:
NAD M22 DAC - not ultra resolving but still detailed, smooth and very enjoyable. Most recent long-term DAC (now for sale).
PS Audio PerfectWave DAC - A current DAC of mine. The PS Audio dacs became tolerable with Torreys, and Red Cloud is good too
PS Audio DirectStream Jr. - Same as sr., but now for sale
Gungnir Multibit - This is really an excellent DAC, but I need a volume control and I haven't found an external preamp I like (thus far).
Benchmark DAC3 - Excellent, but missing some sound stage though and not quite as accurate on piano reproduction as the PS Audio.
Schiit Yggdrasil DAC - Unlike many, I found this DAC analytical and lifeless. Mine was an old version, and I had bad amps at the time - I'd like to try again.
Theta DS Pro Gen V R2R DAC - too unresolving
Mytek's original DAC - sandpaper on an open wound - Headaches!
Mark Levinson Model 39 DAC - outdated, unresolving
Schitt Modi Multibit DAC - not bad, crispy, has issues
NAD D1050 DAC/Amp - OK for a packaged kit. Warm presentation.
On headphone amps:
Headphone Amps:
EC Zana Deux Super (current favorite - great, except that in very loud passages I can hear soft clipping)
Dragon Inspire IHA-1 (noticeably less detailed, handles loud passages better)
Schiit Asgard2 Amp - was OK for a starter
AURALiC Taurus MkII Amp - eh? Too.. analytical? I was not able to enjoy this one. Probably good for pop/electronica.
Woo WA3 Amp - detail destroying. Enjoyable with HD660s when you're there just to float on a cloud, but lacks texture.
Pioneer M-22 (in repair at the time of writing)
On headphones:
HiFi Man HE1000 version 1 (my current favorite)
Sennheiser HD650 (no mods - these are for sale in favor of HE1000)
Focal Elear - Really didn't like these. Extremely uneven. Fine for pop, gives a totally fake presentation.
Hifiman HE-560 (tried w/Asgard2 only -- too long ago to remember why I disliked them)
HD660s - great on MidFi where I liked the warmth over the HD650s, but on better amps they did not scale and could not give me realistic detail)
Sennheiser HD800 SDR mod. These are my favorite for pop, but while they appear to have detail, I think they actually lack detail in the mids and mid bass. I also feel like they're scooped in low treble, despite measurements. There's an unnaturally resolving quality that ultimately I dislike except on electronica.
I started in this hobby with two-channel. Here are some amps I've tried.
Current NAD M22 (primary)
Current Ayre MX-R (secondary)
Benchmark AHB2 Amp - too harsh, too detailed, unforgiving.
B&O ICEpower 125ASX2 - not sufficiently resolving. Also warm.
Hey guys! I'm new here. Greetings froom Poland! Pozdro dla ludzi z Polski!
I'm a drummer, music producer, mechanical engineer. A Lot of important stuff here.
Hmmm it sounds like you are covering all bases pretty well with those cans. The HD600 is more chill then the 325e. One for intensive listening and the other one for when you want to lay back. You have any thoughts on which direction you will go?
Thanks for the welcome message. Indeed the 600s are my current chill listeners and the Grados demand more focus with their forward signature. I want something with better low bass response. I tried the DT 1990s, but found the treble to be unnatural and the signature a little V shaped for my liking. I'm going to try some Audeze next and see how I like the sound of darker planars.
Hello everyone,
Long time reader here. I actually forgot I made an account (this account) in 2013. Lol. Back then I was learning to DJ for fun. I have Technics RP-DJ1210, Technics RP-DH1200, ATH-PRO700MK2 and Shure SRH840. Last Christmas I decided to try and go a bit more serious, a bit more audiophile-ish so I bought a DAP(Pioneer XDP-300r) and balanced IEM(Pioneer SE-CH5BL) - And that is the start. I have another IEM on order (Pioneer SE-CH9T), I am also waiting on 3 different types of ear tips, and MMCX cables. This is addicting. Looking forward to learn more from all of you.
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