[joseph69]

 I'd put money into trying other headphones instead. 

+1
 
Quote:

  +1 on the tube suggestions.  Other than tubes, I don't see how you can make an obviously noticeable change to your kit's sound without saying goodbye to a lot of money.
 
 

Thank you!
 
Quote:

  Schiit.  It's called Schiit.

LOL!!!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 
I just want to add that simply having angled drivers will not simulate speakers in any way....

 
When I said "simulate" I did not mean that the entire physics of a speaker system is completely simulated, I just meant that at least it minimizes the number one problem for the stereotypical headphone sound, which is the relative position to the ear canal. They're still on your head, but the angle is more "approximate" (there, that's better than "simulate" I suppose) to where speakers are going to be, unlike where the red boxes in the diagram below, which is where the speakers would "approximately" be if your headphones are firing straight into your ear canal, and honestly not even cars have their speakers set-up that way (they're at least more forward, but you're sitting closer to one side - in any case proper installation and time alignment DSP in a car is another discussion altogether).
 

 

[Redcarmoose]

Great thread, just read the whole thing.


I'm kind of the same way with EQ in that I'm never happy with the results. I will only use EQ with portable listening. There is a belief here that both headphones and amps have an intrinsic quality that they only respond how they respond. You can add treble to dark headphones but you still have the qualities of the base headphone in the end. IMO Every piece of gear is adding a small EQ to the chain, that is why synergy is so important.

Adding a different DAC is where your going and that is great. Still if you are like many of us you will not stop.


It's almost like you have to spend time with gear to start to hear differences after a while. All amps sound different to me, some more some less. Remember the amp is creating something from nothing so there will always be sonic tool marks, even though many are dead flat.

One of the misleading things is listening to a DAC that is warm and has a wow factor, pleasant at first but after a month that treble clear DAC sounds like it has more info. With your Asgard and HD 600s you will maybe hear divergences in color from power cables and/or interconnects once your new DAC is in play.

I always like to read how some members spent 3k trying the FOTM just to go back to their HD600s.


And when your all done playing with computer audio throw a basic CD player in the mix just as a reference point and listen to it for two weeks.

 

[xaval]

Great thread, just read the whole thing.


I'm kind of the same way with EQ in that I'm never happy with the results. I will only use EQ with portable listening. There is a belief here that both headphones and amps have an intrinsic quality that they only respond how they respond. You can add treble to dark headphones but you still have the qualities of the base headphone in the end. IMO Every piece of gear is adding a small EQ to the chain, that is why synergy is so important.

Adding a different DAC is where your going and that is great. Still if you are like many of us you will not stop.


It's almost like you have to spend time with gear to start to hear differences after a while. All amps sound different to me, some more some less. Remember the amp is creating something from nothing so there will always be sonic tool marks, even though many are dead flat.

One of the misleading things is listening to a DAC that is warm and has a wow factor, pleasant at first but after a month that treble clear DAC sounds like it has more info. With your Asgard and HD 600s you will maybe hear divergences in color from power cables and/or interconnects once your new DAC is in play.

I always like to read how some members spent 3k trying the FOTM just to go back to their HD600s.


And when your all done playing with computer audio throw a basic CD player in the mix just as a reference point and listen to it for two weeks.

So true! About 15 years with them and only replaced foam stuff...
 
EQing requires hard work and effort. These days it's all one click stuff and if it doesn't work get something else... I keep practicing with it and I think I'm getting better at it as time goes by: Ozone 5 FTW 

 
As for the OP I have no idea where he's coming from but a few years of critical listening under your belt will make a difference that cannot be underestimated. My non audiophile friends hardly can tell a difference with my gear also. So yeah, gear makes a difference on any part of the audio chain IF you're ready to appreciate it. That's a good thing and why it makes sense to start from the bottom of audio tier components. 

 

[money4me247]

So true! About 15 years with them and only replaced foam stuff...

EQing requires hard work and effort. These days it's all one click stuff and if it doesn't work get something else... I keep practicing with it and I think I'm getting better at it as time goes by: Ozone 5 FTW 

As for the OP I have no idea where he's coming from but a few years of critical listening under your belt will make a difference that cannot be underestimated. My non audiophile friends hardly can tell a difference with my gear also. So yeah, gear makes a difference on any part of the audio chain IF you're ready to appreciate it. That's a good thing and why it makes sense to start from the bottom of audio tier components. 

lol! prob means there not rly tat much of a difference. =P

 

[ProtegeManiac]

lol! prob means there not rly tat much of a difference. =P

 
Some people are really just tone deaf. I have friends who can't tell the difference between their earbuds and the HD600 despite the obvious tonal differences, but hand them a Grado and that eye-popping impact gets their attention all the time. Even my own friends who actually play instruments pay attention to Grados very easily, they think the HD600 is "sleepy," and it took a while before they understood imaging, much less to scale. I had to sit them down in front of Stella Utopias, after that they noticed why Mr.Fantastic was hitting cymbals waaaay out to the flanks and front on the older Grados worn the usual way (the e series I notice have a lot less of that when worn forward of the earcups).

 

[Cobaltius]

BUMP

 

[Cobaltius]

I actually changed my mind recently. I'm going to save up for the Gungnir and upgrade from the Modi to it.
Then soon upgrade to the Mjolnir for my amp.
 
I read everywhere how people hear major improvments when upgrading dacs and so on. I just don't notice a difference between my phone's built in DAC, other computers DAC's (Some actually sound muffled) and both my Schiit Modi and FiiO E07K

 

[money4me247]

  I actually changed my mind recently. I'm going to save up for the Gungnir and upgrade from the Modi to it.
Then soon upgrade to the Mjolnir for my amp.
 
I read everywhere how people hear major improvments when upgrading dacs and so on. I just don't notice a difference between my phone's built in DAC, other computers DAC's (Some actually sound muffled) and both my Schiit Modi and FiiO E07K

if you don't notice a difference from the jump of an onboard dac to budget entry dacs, I don't think that jumping to flagship dacs will really make that much of a difference. There are larger diminishing sonic returns as you move up the ladder.
 
ymmv. gl

 

[Cobaltius]

  if you don't notice a difference from the jump of an onboard dac to budget entry dacs, I don't think that jumping to flagship dacs will really make that much of a difference. There are larger diminishing sonic returns as you move up the ladder.
 
ymmv. gl

God that really pisses me off... Do you know anyone who is experiencing the same thing as me, because It really makes me feel frustrated when I just see others describing how different DAC's and Amps open up their cans...

 

[money4me247]

  God that really pisses me off... Do you know anyone who is experiencing the same thing as me, because It really makes me feel frustrated when I just see others describing how different DAC's and Amps open up their cans...

hahah... a lot of people don't do proper blind testing, so it cld just be placebo. don't worry abt it if you dont hear any upgrade! you are saving a hell of a lot of $$$

 

[timind]

  I actually changed my mind recently. I'm going to save up for the Gungnir and upgrade from the Modi to it.
Then soon upgrade to the Mjolnir for my amp.
 
I read everywhere how people hear major improvments when upgrading dacs and so on. I just don't notice a difference between my phone's built in DAC, other computers DAC's (Some actually sound muffled) and both my Schiit Modi and FiiO E07K

First off, u know Schiit offers a 15 day trial, right? If u notice no difference send it back.
 
Second, and I don't believe this has been established, what exactly are u listening to? MP3? ALAC? AIFF? If ur listening to crappy MP3s, you may never hear a difference.
If ur listening to MP3s u should download a couple higher rez files and listen.

 

[Cobaltius]

 
First off, u know Schiit offers a 15 day trial, right? If u notice no difference send it back.
 
Second, and I don't believe this has been established, what exactly are u listening to? MP3? ALAC? AIFF? If ur listening to crappy MP3s, you may never hear a difference.
If ur listening to MP3s u should download a couple higher rez files and listen.

FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, and AAC for portable

 

[Mr Rick]

  God that really pisses me off... Do you know anyone who is experiencing the same thing as me, because It really makes me feel frustrated when I just see others describing how different DAC's and Amps open up their cans...

I've recently purchased the Schiit Vali, Magni 1, Valhalla 2 and Asgard 2.  And, honestly I can not hear a great deal of difference between them. That is not to say that I will not notice some sonic differences in the future.
 
However the differences between my HD 598s and HD 650s are noticeable depending on the musical content. That is the direction that I will be taking for sonic differences / improvements in the future. That said, an upgrade to the Schiit Mjolnir may be necessary to facilitate an improvement in headphones.
 
Don't you just love this hobby??

 

 

[Cobaltius]

  I've recently purchased the Schiit Vali, Magni 1, Valhalla 2 and Asgard 2.  And, honestly I can not hear a great deal of difference between them. That is not to say that I will not notice some sonic differences in the future.
 
However the differences between my HD 598s and HD 650s are noticeable depending on the musical content. That is the direction that I will be taking for sonic differences / improvements in the future. That said, an upgrade to the Schiit Mjolnir may be necessary to facilitate an improvement in headphones.
 
Don't you just love this hobby??

 

Yes unfortunatly