[RazorJack]

Thought I'd create a new thread, since "the" PH100 thread has been deleted (wouldn't have thought you guys would go that far...)

Anyway, I've had my Shanling PCD300 and PH100 for about a month now, and I'm very happy. Just got a couple more n00b questions.

- Is it a bad idea to place the amp on the cd player? It is pretty heavy but then again, both units are built solid like tanks.
- Which line should I use, CD, or AUX? I've been using CD for a couple of weeks, and re-wired the cables and changed the switch to AUX recently, but haven't noticed any difference.
- I would like to keep the amp and cd player completely dust-free by covering it with a thin piece of cloth (not on photo). Is it bad to fully cover the top surfaces? The amp gets pretty hot, even after a short amount of time, and then the temperature stays constant.

And what I'm most concerned about:
- Sometimes, during bass-heavy music (which I listen to alot), the left side of my headphone (Sony MDR-V6) makes a very slight crackling sound. I don't really know how to describe this, it's a weird scratching sound and it's awful. I read somewhere that this might be caused by a hair in the earcup, but I checked and cleaned it out completely but the problem persists. When I hook my gaming headset (Razer Carcharias) to the amp, the bass sounds a lot less deep and powerful, but there is no crackling sound. Is the PH100 not driving my MDR-V6 correctly?? The really weird thing is that this doesn't happen always, but it's more noticable at higher volume levels.

Thanks and greets,
aaf

 

[HiFlight]

Aaf...
To answer some of your questions..I would leave the pair uncovered when playing, but you can certainly cover them when not in use. You should have no problems stacking the 2 pieces. They are certainly strong enough to handle the weight. I also have a PCD300 and have been very pleased with it.

CD and Aux inputs are virtually the same, so that is why you noticed no difference. They just put multiple inputs so that you don't need to swap cables when using different sources.

What you are hearing in your V6 is clipping, or driving the phones beyond their voltage limits. You might try turning down the volume on your CD player with the remote a bit so that the input to the amp is at a lower level. Perhaps this will help. It is also possible that one of the drivers in your V6 is defective.

Heavy bass and high volume is a very challenging scenario for any headphone to handle gracefully!

Hope this all is of some help to you..

Ron
(HiFlight)

 

[feifan]

I have these, too, and I really like them.

Re the CD or AUX question -- I don't think it matters. It's simply a way to differentiate the two.

Re stacking. No, not a problem. This is the only stacking option since the PCD300 is longer.

The piece of cloth should be OK, but be sure to remove it when the equipment is running. This allows for circulation.

Re the crackling scratching sound -- it does sound like there's something in the earcup that's coming up against the diaphragm.

 

[angle_sh00ter]

Nice setup you got there. I've got the PH100 myself and it's certainly well built. Darn good sound for the price too. Your problem seem like it is with your headphone. As others said the aux/cd is just so you can have the amp connected to two sources at once and switch between them easily.

 

[userlander]

Did that entire thread get deleted? Lol - I can't say I'm surprised.

There *were* a lot of people in there who didn't own the PH100 and who had never even heard it slinging out advice like they *had* heard it, and attacking people who own it, so maybe it's for the best.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Actually, you SHOULD put your amp on the CDP. That helps dampen the vibrations. Don't worry about hte weight because they're quite close in size and weight, meaning, not only do you have similar tolerances in the chassis, but the feet will land right on top of where the feet on the bottom are. You should worry when you try to stack a NAD C272 on top of a C515BEE. I did before with a cheapo DVD player and NAD 304 and the amp dented the front panel.

Or if you want a purely aesthetic example...stacking anything on top of a gloss-paneled Meridian CDP.

 

[userlander]

^^^ what he said about stacking them. They also look really good together.

Do you think your headphones might be damaged? It kind of sounds like something is blown. The PH100 has plenty of very clean power and is a relatively lean-sounding amp, so I doubt that could have caused it. Is it possible that whatever you were using before might have blown the driver?

I would avoid putting a cloth over the top unless it had been sitting for quite a while after shutting it off. The shanling gets really warm, and it seems to linger for a pretty long time. Heat is the worst enemy for longevity of electronics - arguably even worse than dust in some cases, so you wouldn't want to impede it from cooling off. If it was totally cooled off or you knew you weren't going to be using it for a few days, okay, but otherwise, just use your best judgment and try not to cover it when it's still warm, imho.

 

[RazorJack]

Thanks guys!

The first three questions were pretty obvious indeed. I already suspected it's not a good idea to leave it covered when playing because then the heat could build up inside. The ventilation holes are pretty big though, so I should not forget to cover it again after it has cooled off, otherwise to much dust might get inside.

Nice to see you again userlander, you have been very helpful to me when I still had many questions before making the purchase of my first amp ever, and now I'm able to enjoy my music more than I ever knew was possible. The thought that you were perm-banned because of the discusstion that got way out of hand and was instigated by my (first) post here, kept creeping through my head.. I think more people need to read that blog post of yours.

About the bass issue in my headphones:
HiFlight: if that's true but how come there is no crackling sound in my gaming headset?
feifan: that's what I thought. Maybe I should take a look inside even closer.
angle_sh00ter and userlander: I think so too, the problem is definitely with the headphone. Still curious though, why the gaming headset doesn't make the crackling sound. I had expected the MDR-V6 would be able to take those extreme low frequencies at high volume levels. Probably just got a flawed unit and the cd player and amp exposed it. It's definitely not suitable for listening to dubstep or IDM now

 

[MomijiTMO]

Glad to see things are nicer in this thread

. I'm hoping more owners can help out with any questions potential buyers may have.

 

[userlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RazorJack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks guys! The first three questions were pretty obvious indeed. I already suspected it's not a good idea to leave it covered when playing because then the heat could build up inside. The ventilation holes are pretty big though, so I should not forget to cover it again after it has cooled off, otherwise to much dust might get inside. Nice to see you again userlander, you have been very helpful to me when I still had many questions before making the purchase of my first amp ever, and now I'm able to enjoy my music more than I ever knew was possible. The thought that you were perm-banned because of the discusstion that got way out of hand and was instigated by my (first) post here, kept creeping through my head.. I think more people need to read that blog post of yours. About the bass issue in my headphones: HiFlight: if that's true but how come there is no crackling sound in my gaming headset? feifan: that's what I thought. Maybe I should take a look inside even closer. angle_sh00ter and userlander: I think so too, the problem is definitely with the headphone. Still curious though, why the gaming headset doesn't make the crackling sound. I had expected the MDR-V6 would be able to take those extreme low frequencies at high volume levels. Probably just got a flawed unit and the cd player and amp exposed it. It's definitely not suitable for listening to dubstep or IDM now

It will be interesting to know what the problem ultimately turns out to be, so I hope you report back when you figure it out.

I've heard of people having problems with other amps with certain headphones, where the problem doesn't exist when they use the headphone on another amp, and it also doesn't exist with other headphones on the 'problem' amp. So maybe it's just a case of particular headphones not being a good match for certain amps, maybe some kind of resonant frequency or something like that causing a problem only when matched with a particular pair of headphones. Although that's just a pure theoretical speculation, because I've never heard of it happening before your case and this other one someone told me about recently.

Are you sure it just wasn't too loud?

 

[RazorJack]

Yes I'm sure it's not too loud. When I set the cd player to 40/100 of its volume, and the amp to 5-6/12, the volume for most cd's is just right. So I really doubt it's too loud, also because like I said, the gaming headset sounds crystal clear at the same volume level.

Could I be right about what I said earlier, that I may just have a faulty MDR-V6 and the amp exposed it? But the funny thing about that is, when I use the headphone on my computer (plugged in some old Creative soundcard) I also hear the "clipping" noise, but I I'm sure it was fine before I had the Shanlings.

 

[userlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RazorJack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes I'm sure it's not too loud. When I set the cd player to 40/100 of its volume, and the amp to 5-6/12, the volume for most cd's is just right. So I really doubt it's too loud, also because like I said, the gaming headset sounds crystal clear at the same volume level. Could I be right about what I said earlier, that I may just have a faulty MDR-V6 and the amp exposed it? But the funny thing about that is, when I use the headphone on my computer (plugged in some old Creative soundcard) I also hear the "clipping" noise, but I I'm sure it was fine before I had the Shanlings.

Maybe the driver was on the way out, and the increased power of the PH100 just finished it off.

Is getting new phones an option? I'm getting used to the MS-1s with it more, although I still think the SS/class-A clarity of the amp leaves them a little thin sounding at times. I bet Denons would sound fantastic with this amp, to fill out the low end a little more. I'm tempted to get a pair of D1001 just to see how they sound with this - low impedance, strong low end - they might be the perfect match for the shanling. If anyone has impressions of Denon + PH100, please post them.

 

[RazorJack]

Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm actually already starting to think about saying farewell to my v6. Had a lot of fun while they were functioning normally, and hoped they would last forever, hearing stories from people who have had one for many years and still going strong. But listening to my favorite music genres with a continuous scratching sound in my left ear is far worse than listening to music through lower quality equipment but at least that sounds right.

Don't know about Denon, also curious if someone has heard it through the PH100. I'm looking for something very bassy, maybe it's a good idea if I just go ahead and admit right now I'm sort of a basshead. So for that reason I was actually considering the Beyerdynamic DT770.
80Ω is probably the best choice for the PH100, I suppose?

 

[userlander]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RazorJack /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, as a matter of fact, I'm actually already starting to think about saying farewell to my v6. Had a lot of fun while they were functioning normally, and hoped they would last forever, hearing stories from people who have had one for many years and still going strong. But listening to my favorite music genres with a continuous scratching sound in my left ear is far worse than listening to music through lower quality equipment but at least that sounds right. Don't know about Denon, also curious if someone has heard it through the PH100. I'm looking for something very bassy, maybe it's a good idea if I just go ahead and admit right now I'm sort of a basshead. So for that reason I was actually considering the Beyerdynamic DT770. 80Ω is probably the best choice for the PH100, I suppose?

Don't those come in 32ohm? I would go as low with the impedance as possible with the Shanling. My 250ohm DT880s sound like crud with this amp, as I mentioned before. Maybe 80 ohm would be okay, not sure (edit: what's the output impedance of the shanling? can't find that info anywhere).

Denons are known to have monster bass, though. D2000 might be just the thing - 25ohm! I just don't know for sure if they synergize with this amp at all. Maybe you could demo a pair somewhere, or order from a place that gives a 30-day trial. You'd be sacrificing some midrange over something like Grado, but you would definitely get the bass.

 

[angle_sh00ter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RazorJack /img/forum/go_quote.gif maybe it's a good idea if I just go ahead and admit right now I'm sort of a basshead. So for that reason I was actually considering the Beyerdynamic DT770. 80Ω is probably the best choice for the PH100, I suppose?

I have the 32 ohm DT880 and the PH100 drives it really well. But if you are looking for a bassy phone then I'd really suggest the Ultrasone Pro 550. It's 64 ohms and it is an absoluter bass monster, however the bass is well controlled and surprisingly it doesn't drown out vocals at all.