Novice Upgrading Current Setup

[Hello]

Hello,

My budget is about $500. My current setup is M-Audio Sonica -> Total Airhead Amp 2004 -> ETY ER-4S. My sources are CDs.

Normally, when I listen to music, the volume control knob on the airhead is turned so low, it is almost in the 'off position'. Otherwise, the music is too loud. Just for kicks, I plugged in the ETY's directly into the Sonica. I guess somewhat stupidly, I did not lower the volume and so the ETY's were ridiculously loud. (Thank god they were not in my ear). I lowered the volume, and the music sounded much, much clearer but way too bright. There is no contest that the ETY's sound better with the airhead than without, but I think that the airhead limits the potential of the sonica.

For me, it seems kind of strange, because I need the amplifier more to lower the volume, than to raise it. Of course, the amplifier does give the music a certain 'fullness'.

With that in mind, if I replaced the airhead with a Gillmore v2, would this make a huge difference? Would the Sonica be a major bottleneck in sound quality? I heard that the headphone out on the Digi96/8 PAD is powered well. Am I better off getting a RME Digi96/8 PAD and plugging in the earphones directly?

Thanks.

 

[gpalmer]

I'm not sure about the quality of the M-Audio Sonica, but the Gilmore V2 will destroy an AirHead in terms of sound quality. It isn't even close, though you might want to save a few bucks and try a Gilmore Lite, last I knew there was a preorder on and it was only $250.00 for the new model.

 

[cosmopragma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hello For me, it seems kind of strange, because I need the amplifier more to lower the volume, than to raise it. Of course, the amplifier does give the music a certain 'fullness'.

I believe that in your situation you are better off doing the attenuation in the digital realm.That means using the volume control of your software player( or even a good equalizer in the -dB range).
In theory you are loosing a tiny bit of sound quality by digital attenuation, but in practice the inevitable flaws of your analog gear are much greater.
In my experience with high sensitive cans like Shure canalphones or Grados I usually got better SQ by using digital attenuation and listening through an amp at 12:00 instead of lowering the analog signal by the volume pot of the amp and afterwards amplifying the weak signal.
An amp with different gain settings for different cans is ideal.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hello With that in mind, if I replaced the airhead with a Gillmore v2, would this make a huge difference? Would the Sonica be a major bottleneck in sound quality? I heard that the headphone out on the Digi96/8 PAD is powered well. Am I better off getting a RME Digi96/8 PAD and plugging in the earphones directly? Thanks.

No, IMO.
I have a RME at hand, it feeds my external Benchmark DAC (Toslink).
The built- in amp doesn't sound good to my ears.
And, regardless of the amp, an unmodded RME isn't such a great source.
There is a lot of rant about modding the RME into a much better sounding source, but that means soldering (bye bye warranty) and AFAIK the modded RME isn't longer capable to work without an external amp.
I don't know exactly, ask the specialists in the "Computers-as-Source Components" section.

 

[Hello]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for my late response. I've been reading and searching the forums.

I like the TAH for portable use with mp3 players. But, for home use with cd's, I am not as happy because there is a soft hiss (even with batteries) that interferes with my enjoyment of quieter sections of classical music. Also, next year I will be living in a much quieter apartment; so, I'm also thinking of getting away from the ear canal headphones.

Consequently, I'm thinking of upgrading everything!

I will be listening to 80% classical, and 15% industrial, 5% miscellaneous.

So, I have this as a tentative idea for a new setup.

M-Audio Sonica -> Glass TOSlink -> Benchmark Dac1 -> HD 650 (stock cable initially)

The Sonica has bit perfect digital out, which is supposedly all I need for the jitter correcting Benchmark Dac1.

This setup would cost about 1400.

Is this a good value? Or would I be paying for marginal improvements over other setups that cost much less?

Would this setup be 'fun'? In other words, can I simply sit back and enjoy the music? Or is the detail going to force me to analyze the music (something that I find the ETY's are prone to do).

Sometimes I like listening to the music softly while I do reading. I find this difficult to do with many headphones; it seems like either the music is too soft for me to enjoy it or the music is too distracting to read. (I can read and enjoy soft music with pretty much all speakers and even my 10 dollar sony earbuds!) Can this setup provide good reading music?

 

[Wmcmanus]

Is it just me, or did anyone else find it funny that Hello started this thread with "Hello..." as though he was talking to himself?!?!

What a cool moniker by the way, Hello.

Hello, Hello. Welcome to head-fi and sorry about your wallet. (This is our standard greeting, and by the looks of your most recent post, you most certainly need it... you're already upgrading your entire system?!?!)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hello Consequently, I'm thinking of upgrading everything!

I can give my 2 cents on a couple of your quesitons with regard to the Ety's versus the HD650's. The Ety's definitely have a 'in your head' presentation and this combined with their very precise, analytical nature is what makes it so difficult to do anything else except listen to the music, no matter how low you set the volume. The HD650's have a wider and deeper soundstage than the Ety's and tend to have a more soothing presentation. On the one hand, they are less precise than the Ety's (i.e., less 'clinical') yet they are not as laid back as the HD600's. The HD650's have a nice, natural, and even tonal balance that does not over (or under) emphasize any particular frequency. IMO, even without investing in one of the Senn replacement cables, the HD650's provide an overall better listening experience than the Ety's. Since you're a classical lover, you'll enjoy their deep, extended bass (especially since the lack thereof is one of the primary dawnfalls of the Ety's). And it is possible to do more than 'just listen' while the HD650's are on your head.

 

[cosmopragma]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hello Consequently, I'm thinking of upgrading everything! I will be listening to 80% classical, and 15% industrial, 5% miscellaneous. So, I have this as a tentative idea for a new setup. M-Audio Sonica -> Glass TOSlink -> Benchmark Dac1 -> HD 650 (stock cable initially) The Sonica has bit perfect digital out, which is supposedly all I need for the jitter correcting Benchmark Dac1. This setup would cost about 1400. Is this a good value? Or would I be paying for marginal improvements over other setups that cost much less?

Either you are very good at filtering information or you took a maybe ideal combo for your needs by chance.
The Benchmark and the HD 6xx family show a very enjoyable synergy.
There are some complaints about the Sennheiser "veil", and all I can say is that the Benchmark lifts the veil without sacrificing the Senn's merits.
To my ears there's a pre Benchmark Senn, boring, unused, collecting dust.
The post Benchmark Senn is getting much use, not only for classical and Jazz, but sometimes even for Rock (though I still prefer Grados for Rock music).

 

[sacd lover]

The new gilmore lite is excellent. I like it better than the gilmore v2 myself. The amp is midrange forward and really good with rock. The size is quite small and with the wallwart power supply the lite will fit anywhere. I would recommend you investigate the lite first.

 

[john_jcb]

One suggestion, before you buy any amp is to talk to owners and have them try it for you at extremely low volumes. Some amps are better than others at very low volumes, some are really poor. This a general comment as I have not heard the gear you are contemplating or the Gilmore amps that were suggested.

I have Ety's however and to my ears they faithfully reproduce the bass especially with classical music. What you do not get is the impact that you would with speakers and to some extent conventional headphones. This is apparent with the big bass drums or similar instruments. I found the cello and bass for instance to be faithfully reproduced. Relating it to live listening I think the Ety's put you further back where you hear everything but do not really feel the bass notes. The HD-600's move you a bit closer and with good speakers you are right up front.