[craig134]

At the moment I have a pair of audio technica ath-a700s, being driven by a yamaha rx-v661 receiver which is receiving optical input from an x-fi xtreme audio notebook sound card. I find the sound I receive through this combo to be fairly 'nice', though obviously room for improvement. I'm looking at an audio-gd-compass and akg k702 combo to upgrade, as my dvdo edge can send hdmi audio through its optical output into the compass, as I would also be feeding a ps3, xbox 360, xbox, hd-a2, and dreamcast, as well as the pc into the optical port.

Before I drop the $600 on both of these, should I see a significant improvement over my current setup with those?

 

[AmanGeorge]

In my experience, the Compass was not a good mate with the AKG - the combo was too bright and brought out the less fun qualities of the K701s.

I think there's definitely room to upgrade and hear significant improvements in sound from your setup, but it may be worth looking into other possible combos - based on what you read, do you think the K701/2 sound sig is up your alley?

 

[craig134]

From what I read I was considering retiring my a700s as my home cans, and making them my portable ones. Haha.

Then acquiring a pair of DT-770s for movies and games, as from what I've read they're quite 'fun' for that purpose.

And using the AKG K702 as reference headphones. From what I've read they sound reasonably up my alley. The A700s aren't supposed to be bass monsters from what I've read, and I find their extension enjoyable enough.

The only issue is that if the compass does not have good synergy with the k702s then my options are pretty limited, as my dvdo edge does not have an rca output for audio, while it can convert hdmi audio to the optical out. However, my television(panasonic 46-g10), is capable of accepting an HDMI input and converting that to(rca) analog output. I'm unsure if its conversion would be of acceptable quality for a headphone amp, which is why I was leaning towards optical. I mean it is a reasonably expensive television, but I don't know what the quality of the dac is. As I only really wanted to spend about $600 for the headphone(k702) and amp, as a new computer is also on the radar for me, and adding the cost of a dac is a little intimidating.

Is there say a $200 DAC with optical>RCA and $200 headphone amp that would work well with the K702? The head-direct EF2, perhaps for the amp? And are there any reasonable $200 DAC's?

 

[craig134]

Perhaps....the headroom $330 DAC for optical to line output. Then what amp would you recommend......


Or to save myself the hassle, would the Sennheiser HD-600 pair well with the compass? I would probably prefer to save the hassle and money of buying a separate amp and dac, though I will if necessary.

 

[AmanGeorge]

^This is a possibility, in which case the only thing you would need is an EF2 if you're budget conscious, although I'm not sure about the various options to convert optical to USB or how much they are.

Alternatively, the Valab NOS DAC is one of the best-received low-cost DACs out there, and accepts both optical and USB signals - from my experience, a NOS DAC sounds really good with the K701.

 

[craig134]

I've decided to go with the ibasso d10. As $300 total for the amp and dac seems like a good starting point, and the press seems to be positive. Any qualms with such a choice before I pull the trigger?

 

[Townyj]

Are you considering running a pair of K702's from this dac/amp..?? Hmmm after everything i have gone through i wouldnt just jump out there and buy something because you think you need it Although it is half the fun.... You may want to just save up some more pennies and go the whole hog.

 

[craig134]

I'm planning on getting a pair of DT-770-80s solid. Then the K702 and ibasso as I'll need a dac anyways to convert from optical, as my ht sources are routed through a dvdo edge and that can only output audio through hdmi, or optical so I need a DAC anyways. Then I can see how satisfied I am with the sound from the ibasso d10 as a dac and amp. And if later on I decide to get a better amp then I can just use the ibasso as a dac running to the amp. Sounds like a reasonable road map to me.

 

[calvinjai]

If you need an extra push, then this may help. I am running compass -> 701 and am not completely satisfied with what the sound that i'm getting. It has only left me wanting to upgrade more =@

 

[craig134]

Well.... are there any $500-$700 amp/dacs with optical in, that would be 'ideal'?

 

[Townyj]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig134 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm planning on getting a pair of DT-770-80s solid. Then the K702 and ibasso as I'll need a dac anyways to convert from optical, as my ht sources are routed through a dvdo edge and that can only output audio through hdmi, or optical so I need a DAC anyways. Then I can see how satisfied I am with the sound from the ibasso d10 as a dac and amp. And if later on I decide to get a better amp then I can just use the ibasso as a dac running to the amp. Sounds like a reasonable road map to me.

Im quite sure the D10 will sufficiently run your DT770 Pro's, however im not sure about the K701/2's. If you havent already looked into it, maybe move toward the HFI-780's... I have owned both and would take the 780's over the 770Pro's any day. You can then save up for something bigger and better for the 701/2's. Just something to think about.

 

[craig134]

Well I bought the ibasso d10. EDIT: Picked up a used pair of DT-770-80s as well for $99. I think I'll probably wait until sometime August before taking the next step which would be a little dot mk III and a sennheiser hd-600 to complete my setup.

Next step a high-end computer from ebay with an HD4870, then a wii. Then no purchases of sizable magnitude for a long time. And of course running as far and fast away from head-fi as I can so I'm not pulled into buying more high-end gear.

 

[craig134]

Well my will succumbed. In a day I bought:
Sennheiser HD-600
Beyer DT-770-80
Ibasso D10 as DAC
Little Dot MK-III as amp

Now I'm done with headphones, and saying goodbye to head-fi, my wallet beaten and bruised. Hopefully

within a week or so. I changed to the HD-600, as I've heard that they're preferable to the K-701 for movies, and a bit more upfront, which I think will be a better sound-sig for me.

Plans:
DT-770-80 for games
HD-600 for movies and music.

A700 for portable use. Though I don't really listen to music while on the go that much.