O2 AMP + ODAC

[Solrighal]

Life is great right now. End of the month will be a different story... Ye cannae' tak it wi' ye

Cable wise I'm thinking of buying a 1.5m length of the Noir along with a further 3m as an extension for the other side of the room. Would 4.5m cause any problems do you think?

The Sennheiser HD 650 I'm using right now is the highest hi-fi I've ever heard before. This is uncharted territory for me. There's so much more depth than the AKG Q701. It only does width. I much prefer this denser, more focused delivery. And yet they still manage to relax. Bloody brilliant!

 

[MaciekN]

Thank you very much, I'm looking for something pretty right now. Why is aluminium the deciding factor, if you don't mind my asking?

Aluminium has better conductivity to weight ratio, so a 300 Ohm voice coil made out of copper would be considerably heavier, since we are talking about dozens of meters of wire here. Weight translates into higher inertia of the driver, and ideally there should be none (or as low as possible). The only loss with aluminium is in efficiency, the same logic applies to aftermarket cables, it's a controversial topic to say the least (cables making audible difference). But if you simply want to get something pretty then it's a different story of course

 

[adydula]

Before you spend your dollars on tubes....listen to a tube amp and compare before!!
 
A;

 

[Solrighal]

 

[Xenophon]

Life is great right now. End of the month will be a different story... Ye cannae' tak it wi' ye

Cable wise I'm thinking of buying a 1.5m length of the Noir along with a further 3m as an extension for the other side of the room. Would 4.5m cause any problems do you think?

The Sennheiser HD 650 I'm using right now is the highest hi-fi I've ever heard before. This is uncharted territory for me. There's so much more depth than the AKG Q701. It only does width. I much prefer this denser, more focused delivery. And yet they still manage to relax. Bloody brilliant!

Nah, 4.5 meter won't be a problem, don't worry.  The drop is negligible over that distance.  As long as you don't run cable around the block you're good.  BTW, I was curious about this but forgot to ask:  what type(s) of music do you listen to?  HD-650 should be great with jazz/blues I think.
 
About tube amps:  I agree that you should definitely listen before purchasing, depending on the topology and tubes they can sound very different, from 'lush' and 'laid-back' (maybe not a good combo with the HD-650) to relatively neutral such as my DV 337.  But a good second hand one can be had for relatively little money.  I purchased my DV 337 for a song and it's the best investment of the past year.  Only, if you're prone to upgrade-itis it might not be a good idea, tubes can become expensive even if you stick to something like 6AS7/6SJ7.  Enjoying my HE-500 with O2 now, back in Delhi.  Got 36 CD's with Scarlatti keyboard sonatas to rip.

 

[Solrighal]

That's good to hear about the cable length not being a problem. I'm not buying yet though because last night I noticed my headphones are improving themselves every day. Or my brain is. How bad can the original Sennheiser cable be after all?

Auditioning amps is going to be nigh-on impossible where I live. I've yet to meet a real person who doesn't think that even just upgrading the bundled phone buds is a bout of esoteric madness. That's true by the way. Nah, I'll just need to do a lot of research around here and make sure I'm going in the right direction. Dark Voice is another in the mix I guess. Too much choice!

 

[Solrighal]

Is there an ethical reason why the O2 couldn't do crossfeed? I searched the blog but couldn't find a reference.

It's quiet tonight

 

[miceblue]

Is there an ethical reason why the O2 couldn't do crossfeed? I searched the blog but couldn't find a reference.

It's quiet tonight

I didn't know ethics was a subject discussed in audio. XD

 

[Solrighal]

I'll hold you to that

 

[Solrighal]

I'm loving this combo with my new HD650's. So much detail from the ODAC.

 

[miceblue]

Speaking of the ODAC....
I am much preferring the Audio GD NFB-2 with the K 701 and O2. It sounds far more transparent than the ODAC to me: more spacious-sounding, greater dynamics, deeper-bass, better instrument separation, less grainy treble, and is just overall much more smooth-sounding. I had the same impressions with the HiFiMan HE-4.



*prepares body for crusade of ODAC fanboys

 

[Solrighal]

I could probably switch my ODAC for one of those. I'm sure my wife would never notice

I'm torn. I've been looking at getting a valve amp for recreational purposes but I do wonder if the money's better spent on a DAC. Hmm...

Sorry, O/T.

 

[pearljam50000]

delete

 

[miceblue]

I could probably switch my ODAC for one of those. I'm sure my wife would never notice

I'm torn. I've been looking at getting a valve amp for recreational purposes but I do wonder if the money's better spent on a DAC. Hmm...

Sorry, O/T.

That's a good question. I've been really into DAC technologies recently.

 

[Solrighal]

I think DAC's are too often taken for granted. I understand why a linear, transparent amp might be desirable but can you even get transparency from a DAC?