[Shane D]

the sony A10 series has a digital out using some special usb adapter(sony being sony). but compatibility with DACs can certainly be an issue so it might be worth asking if somebody tried the specific DAC on the dedicated topics.

Thanks. Just an amp it is.

Shane D

 

[DavidA]

Thanks. Just an amp it is.

Shane D

There was a Ember in the FS thread, I think the owner was asking $250, which is a pretty good deal, also has the metal housing versus the plastic.

 

[Shane D]

There was a Ember in the FS thread, I think the owner was asking $250, which is a pretty good deal, also has the metal housing versus the plastic.

Not sure about tubes. Really like to hear one live.

Shane D

 

[DavidA]

Not sure about tubes. Really like to hear one live.

Shane D

You only really need 2-3 tubes, warm, neutral and bright, and the standard tubes for the Ember run $10-20 for pretty good ones and they last quite long from my limited time with them. Only had one tube go bad/start to die after 3-4 years, it had 7000+ hours on it.

 

[JWolf]

At this point I don't use any Fiio products. I just have my iPod Classic and my Sony NWZ A17.
I am guessing I would use the charging cable of each DAP and connect to the rear of the amp via the USB in port?
If I am running this setup, is there any benefit of a DAC?

Thanks for the education!

Shane D

One thing to note, a FIIO X3II at a much more reasonable price will blow away your iPod Classic. It just sounds that much better. Plus, it doesn't use a hard drive so all you need do is buy another microSD card. The X3II has a combination line-out/digital output.

 

[JWolf]

One thing to note, a FIIO X3II at a much more reasonable price will blow away your iPod Classic. It just sounds that much better. Plus, it doesn't use a hard drive so all you need do is buy another microSD card.

Not sure about tubes. Really like to hear one live.

Shane D

Tubes are not all that portable. A FIIO K5 is much more portable.No risk of tube damage,

 

[Tuneslover]

One thing to note, a FIIO X3II at a much more reasonable price will blow away your iPod Classic. It just sounds that much better. Plus, it doesn't use a hard drive so all you need do is buy another microSD card. The X3II has a combination line-out/digital output.

I have the X5ii which has 2 microSD slots for double the capacity. The X5ii can be had for a very good price now due to the X5iii release.

Also, I started out with my 160G ipod Classic but eventually went the FiiO DAP route. The FiiO is much better sounding and comes with a coaxial connector which is handy if you want to use the FiiO DAP as your source into an external DAC, which I do.

 

[Shane D]

Thanks for the replies. I looked at Fiio a while ago and decided to buy the Sony, at the time. I might move the ipod and the speaker docks next year and try out the Fiio world.

For now, my focus is headphones first, amp second and a new DAP is a distant third.

Shane D

 

[chef8489]

Just got these in today and right off the bat the cord pisses me off. The gap between going from where they join together is too short. Removing them in my usual way it gets caught on my throat and pisses me off.

 

[Letmebefrank]

I prefer the shorter leads, I had a custom cable that had about 12" after the split and I really didn't like how uneven the weight of the cable felt.

 

[Chris1975]

Sooo tempted by the Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX.
Though I already have the AKG 7XX (which i love).
So can I get your advice: is the HD 6XX a serious enough upgrade from the AKG? Or should I splash out on something further up the scale (like the DT 1990)?

 

[cskippy]

HD 6XX is slightly warmer but has a more natural sound and timbre compared to the slightly cold and nasally sound of the AKG 7XX. The sound stage of 7XX is wider but not as well integrated with proper width to depth as the HD 6XX. I also find the HD6XX more comfortable.

 

[jimmers]

Sooo tempted by the Massdrop Sennheiser HD 6XX.
Though I already have the AKG 7XX (which i love).
So can I get your advice: is the HD 6XX a serious enough upgrade from the AKG? Or should I splash out on something further up the scale (like the DT 1990)?

I can't speak for the Massdrop XX versions, but I enjoy my HD650 Sennheisers every day, and my Q701 AKGs are locked away where they can't hurt me anymore.

 

[Chris1975]

HD 6XX is slightly warmer but has a more natural sound and timbre compared to the slightly cold and nasally sound of the AKG 7XX. The sound stage of 7XX is wider but not as well integrated with proper width to depth as the HD 6XX. I also find the HD6XX more comfortable.

Thanks for this. Doesn't sound like it is way better, then. Should I go for something else for a clear leap?

 

[RickB]

Thanks for this. Doesn't sound like it is way better, then. Should I go for something else for a clear leap?

From what I've read, everything above HD650 has some glaring flaw (usually involving it being too bright, or too expensive for the amount of improvement). One of the reasons I've stuck with the HD650 happily.