[dmashta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by analogbox /img/forum/go_quote.gif I see. I missed the part about $100-$200. However, I don't understand where you got the idea of my fanboy-ism on the products I've mentioned which I don't even have. My comments were totally just a suggestion based on countless comments from head-fiers who are very happy with a similar setup. In case you haven't noticed, I've also posted another suggestion that stays within reasonable range of discussion so before you try to throw your ego on somebody for no reason, I'd suggest you learn how to read first, as well. In the mean time, I'll try to be careful as well.

given the original request, it's rather difficult to consider your previous suggestion as even remotely reasonable and not dismiss it as yet another knee-jerk fanboy comment. not even owning the product doesn't help either.

that said, i didn't mean to offend. it was more about the inappropriateness of the suggestion itself. your followup suggestion got in while i was typing mine so i never saw it beforehand. nothing to do with my ego.

 

[analogbox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmashta /img/forum/go_quote.gif given the original request, it's rather difficult to consider your previous suggestion as even remotely reasonable and not dismiss it as yet another knee-jerk fanboy comment. not even owning the product doesn't help either. that said, i didn't mean to offend. it was more about the inappropriateness of the suggestion itself. your followup suggestion got in while i was typing mine so i never saw it beforehand. nothing to do with my ego.

You seem to have a very weird sense of humor. You post a rather offensive statement calling somebody a fanboy without even knowing the meaning of fanboy and then say you didn't mean to offend. I'm sorry, but your distructive comments are even farther out of context of this thread and are ridiculing your own criticism.

 

[dmashta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by analogbox /img/forum/go_quote.gif You seem to have a very weird sense of humor. You post a rather offensive statement calling somebody a fanboy without even knowing the meaning of fanboy and then say you didn't mean to offend. I'm sorry, but your distructive comments are even farther out of context of this thread and are ridiculing your own criticism.

so be it. we can debate my choice of vocabulary or the meaning of 'fanboy' in another thread if you care, but as i originally said, i have no problem either way AS LONG as it's within reasonable range of the discussion. now let's allow the OP to get back to his quest for more appropriate recommendations, shall we?

 

[A Lemon Demon]

Dmashta, since you have expierence with the iBasso d3, would you personally recommend it (even though your brother was not a really a fan?) I have heard good things about it, too, but I am not sure since people say my model of handphones REALLY requires an amp (AKG K701).

Secondly, somebody suggested the sound card: Asus Xonar Essence STX. This sound card would be used just by itself, and not require a DAC and AMP? Or would it complement those pieces of hardware? Would it be a better solution than the iBasso or headroom models, if it was a replacement for a DAC/AMP?

 

[ROBSCIX]

The Essence STX has been gathering a very large following. The card has been hard to locate as they sell out very fast.
As for your other question, The STX has a very good built in headphone amplifier but you could always use the RCA outputs and run them to your own amplifier.

 

[dmashta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Lemon Demon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Dmashta, since you have expierence with the iBasso d3, would you personally recommend it (even though your brother was not a really a fan?) I have heard good things about it, too, but I am not sure since people say my model of handphones REALLY requires an amp (AKG K701). ...

for around $200, i think the d3 is an excellent choice for a dac+amp and i have no problem recommending it. it's portable and can also be used as a compact desktop solution. if you check out some reviews, you'll see that it's rated practically neck-and-neck with other top-rated portables like the predator and pico at double the price. having owned the predator in the past, i tend to agree and say it's a no-brainer.

that said, i don't own the k701 so i don't know how well the d3 can drive it. nor am i familiar with the creative audigy to tell you how much improvement you can expect. so take all this with a grain of salt. but any decent outboard dac should improve and clean up the sound vs the average sound card and the d3 is a very clean sounding dac.

you might also want to take a look at the millet starving student. it's relatively cheap ($180 or DIY) and supposedly have lots of juice to drive the k701 very well. but it's amp only and you'll still have to invest in a separate dac.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/5269255-post3.html

maybe a d3 as dac feeding the millet amp? it'll be over your budget but now you'll have a good dac and 2 solid amps, one for portable use as well.

hope this helps.

 

[analogbox]

In my experience, K701 was very power hungry and matched better with tube amps rather than solid state. Getting a portable amp with DAC is probably the most versatile way to go but you'll never get the full potential out of any cans with it unless you drive it with a rather high current. If you don't mind going stationary, you could get a cheap audigy card and run an analog out to something like Littlle Dot II which, in total, is within your budget.

 

[A Lemon Demon]

It does help. I am strongly considering the iBasso d3 now. I have been hearing excellent things about it, from around the forums. I'll also am going to see if I can find an STX or see how people compare that type of onboard sound with an offboard DAC. Thanks a lot for your help.

I am curious, what kind of headphones do you use? what kind of DAC and AMP?

 

[A Lemon Demon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by analogbox /img/forum/go_quote.gif In my experience, K701 was very power hungry and matched better with tube amps rather than solid state. Getting a portable amp with DAC is probably the most versatile way to go but you'll never get the full potential out of any cans with it unless you drive it with a rather high current. If you don't mind going stationary, you could get a cheap audigy card and run an analog out to something like Littlle Dot II which, in total, is within your budget.

Ahh, so you suggest an amp only. Interesting. If I were to go amp only, I would more than likely get a more expensive sound card, too, though. I think a DAC/AMP combo seems the way to go, especially since I can put it to use on my laptop and ipod, too - much more versatile.

 

[analogbox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Lemon Demon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ahh, so you suggest an amp only. Interesting. If I were to go amp only, I would more than likely get a more expensive sound card, too, though. I think a DAC/AMP combo seems the way to go, especially since I can put it to use on my laptop and ipod, too - much more versatile.

Actually, you'll be using soundcard's onboard DAC which is inferior than other standalone DACs but will get the job done using ASIO or Kmixer, and x-fi xtrememusic will do which is around $100. But, if you want versatility, definitely go for portable amps such as D3(or D2) or 2move (less than $200, used).

 

[A Lemon Demon]

Now I just need to find a comparison between headroom's bithead and iBasso's d3 (or d2). Do you guys know where I can find such reviews to help me decide which is the "better" product?

Thanks everyone for your help

 

[dmashta]

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Lemon Demon /img/forum/go_quote.gif Now I just need to find a comparison between headroom's bithead and iBasso's d3 (or d2). Do you guys know where I can find such reviews to help me decide which is the "better" product?

if the reviews are anything to go by, the HR portable micro, d3 and other top rated portables were all very close. but the HR portable micro is $599 and a step up in the HR lineup from the $159 total bithead. so all things considered, i don't see how the bithead can be at the same level as the d3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by A Lemon Demon /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... I am curious, what kind of headphones do you use? what kind of DAC and AMP?

my current setup consists of a bel canto dac3 going into a ps audio GCHA headphone amp driving hd650 and denon d7000. all fed from my laptop. but i must say, the d3 does a surprisingly good job driving those cans and i'm not at all unhappy with the sound. you lose a little and as analogbox said, you won't be getting full potential out of them but then again, i don't think you are aiming for full potential.

for my money, i'd probably go with the d3. later on when you're ready to upgrade or add more power, you can always add a millet SS (or any of the other recommended amps) and use the d3 as dac (and portable).

 

[spacemanspliff]

The entry level amp which will power the 701s with authority is the Shanling PH100. It is about $260 though.

Next best bet for you? Under $150?

Look no further, this Zero dac will work with usb, power your 701s much better than a sound card and even give you the option of adding a stereo amplifier for speakers later on.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs-zero-dac-399401/

I will personally vouch for the seller. I have perfect feedback on ebay, audiogon, head-fi, and heatware.

You can trust me that this is a very good and easy upgrade. It is kind of my hobby to help people enter the realm of audio. I believe in spreading the joy of toe-tapping.

 

[smrtby123]

Your choice of software makes a big difference as well as your hardware. If you know your way around your PC you can use Foobar as that is held as the top audio program. I use Winamp with a few plugins like Enhancer and Headplug crossfeed, and I stick with it because I like winamp's interface.

If your looking at hardware the Asus Xonars are the top in soundcards at this point. There are a few different versions, in both PCI and PCI-E. For your budget you could get the lower end model of the Xonar which I still hear is amazing for the $90 it costs. Turtle Beach is also a great brand if you are looking for something even cheaper. From your headphones I am sure that you will need an amp. If you are into that kind of thing, build one or pick up a custom DIY job or one of the amps that are recommended for your cans. I wouldn't go crazy and would build up over time.

Must be nice to have a friend hand you a pair of $400 high-end cans lol.

 

[A Lemon Demon]

He used them for a while, so I don't know their value. I have seen the k701s on amazon for like 250 - so it wasn't *that* much, but still a nice gift. I wish he had handed me his amp, though.

Is the Asus Xonar's amp strong enough to fully drive the k701s, or would you require an additional external amp?