[duhokay]

Hi,
I have just started playing around with head-fi (thanks for all the info) and picked up a pair of hd650's for my pc. I am using a stock Auzentech Prelude. I play games as well as listen to lots of music. I have a pico on order which I felt would be my magical all in one savior for mobile and home, however I see that it is not ideal, so I will keep my order for the pico and put together a mobile setup with different cans later. For now I am looking for something for the desktop.

My first question is should I be looking for a dac/amp combo or stick with the dac in the prelude. Right now I would not want to spend much more than around $500 unless it was well worth it. I do need this amp immediately so availability is definitely a factor. Thanks for the help.

 

[king756]

I have just got my first headphone setup based on the info found on here.

99.9% of my listening is done at home while on my computer, the rest using my ipod. I brought some live wire custom mold earphones to use with the ipod when out on my motorcycle. The livewires sounded so good i tried them in my computer, unfortunately my computer had a lot of interference / noise.

Looking on here I decided to buy the Zero Dac / Amp to solve the problem, I also brought a pair of HD 650's of ebay. I connect my computer to the amp using a optical cable which eliminates all the noise generated by my computer.

After reading the big thread on here about the Zero I orderd some op amp upgrades (free samples from LineaTech). It was a case of take the cover off the amp, pull 3 chips out with some pliers and place the new ones in. I have no electrical knowledge but the job was done in 5 minutes with the case back on and music playing again.

My computer is set up for bit-perfect audio so the Zero dac does all the audio decoding. Playing back flac files the sound quality is quite astounding compared to what it was. No noise, can here parts of songs you never knew where their, big bass from the HD 650's when it kicks in etc. My listening has gone right up this past week since recieving the amp, apparently after 100 hours use their are major changes to the sound... for the better. So i'm chasing the 100 hour mark currently.

The Zero is well under your budget so leaves change for some beers while you sit back and enjoy your music.

 

[Penchum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by king756 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have just got my first headphone setup based on the info found on here. 99.9% of my listening is done at home while on my computer, the rest using my ipod. I brought some live wire custom mold earphones to use with the ipod when out on my motorcycle. The livewires sounded so good i tried them in my computer, unfortunately my computer had a lot of interference / noise. Looking on here I decided to buy the Zero Dac / Amp to solve the problem, I also brought a pair of HD 650's of ebay. I connect my computer to the amp using a optical cable which eliminates all the noise generated by my computer. After reading the big thread on here about the Zero I orderd some op amp upgrades (free samples from LineaTech). It was a case of take the cover off the amp, pull 3 chips out with some pliers and place the new ones in. I have no electrical knowledge but the job was done in 5 minutes with the case back on and music playing again. My computer is set up for bit-perfect audio so the Zero dac does all the audio decoding. Playing back flac files the sound quality is quite astounding compared to what it was. No noise, can here parts of songs you never knew where their, big bass from the HD 650's when it kicks in etc. My listening has gone right up this past week since recieving the amp, apparently after 100 hours use their are major changes to the sound... for the better. So i'm chasing the 100 hour mark currently. The Zero is well under your budget so leaves change for some beers while you sit back and enjoy your music.

X2 !!

 

[duhokay]

Am I mistaken in that its DAC function is its best use? If I were using the Prelude dac would I be better to spend that money on a higher quality amp?

 

[saint.panda]

Why is the Pico not ideal?

 

[FallenAngel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by saint.panda /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why is the Pico not ideal?

The Prelude is already a nice DAC so getting a Pico (AD8397-based portable amp like lots of others at 1/3 the cost) and not using the DAC (which I think is its main distinguishing factor) would be redundant.

 

[duhokay]

From what I can gather I have decided on looking for just an amp, the Prelude as FallenAngel said, has a good enough dac for me. Now comes the tough decision.

 

[Ricey20]

I actually have both the Prelude and Pico. All i can say is the Pico blows the prelude away in the DAC department. Also you can read Iron_Dreamer's impression of Pico VS Apogee MiniDAC
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/com...inidac-291801/

Still the Zero seems a really good buy too, been considering one myself since im too lazy to reconnect and disconnect my pico for desktop/portable use. If you are just looking for a amp, do you have a preference for solid state or tubes? I dont have any experience with tubes but for $500 and solid state you can get a Ray Samuel's XP-7, Meier Corda Cantate (has a built in usb dac but mostly a good amp, costs slightly more at 570), Head-amp Gilmore lite for 379, or Lisa III transportable for $550. I honestly dont know the build time for most of those so you would have to check with the builder/company.

 

[duhokay]

I am leaning towards using the Prelude at home because of gaming, I can just leave it in this config and listen to music/games. I am still keeping my order for the pico and plan to use it mobile with different cans, I have concerns with the ability of the pico to drive the hd650's. Otherwise it seems like it would do everything for me.

As for ss/tube amp, I immediately think ss. I dont have an ideal listening environment and would really like something I can just turn on as I am in and out of my pc and not worry about fussing with.

 

[Ricey20]

Meier Corda Cantate would probably be one of the most versatile then since it has a usb dac built in for PC use. As for sound quality, its pretty subjective and i've only read impressions so I dont feel right recommending something i havent heard.

 

[zipdisk]

I too suggest you look into the Meier amps.

 

[duhokay]

Is the best place to order directly from their site or is there a distributor in the states?

 

[Capunk]

Check out FS thread, sometimes good DAC/AMP appear there,
they're significantly better than buying it new (burned in, cheaper, extra peripherals & stuff)

 

[duhokay]

Tempted to look into an opera and get rid of my Prelude which would give room for budget however I am assuming that the prelude does much better than the opera dac for gaming esp w/ cmss.

 

[saint.panda]

Why don't you wait for the Pico first? You might be quite surprised by its DAC. If it's better than the Prelude, sell it and save some money for music.