[judomaniak57]

I was fine until I found out about this site. same set up for years, still have it . but now 3 amps and 10 different headphones later I am still looking at new gear. curse u headfi

 

[funkle II]

For many of us, there are no local resources with which to sample this kind of gear. For me, the nearest hifi store is likely a couple of hours away. So for me, and I assume many others, there is a LOT of trial and error involved. Buy this one, hmmm, not quite what I'm looking for. I'll buy this one to compare, then sell the one I don't want. Apply - Lather - Rinse - Repeat!!!!!

I'm on the same page as Preachy. For the past 10 years, I've been content with one amp (Burson Conductor) one headphone (Denon AH-D2000), and recently got the bug: an obsessive curiosity to experience the multitude of options that exist. Because it is difficult to audition most of this stuff (both because of availability & that I'm often unable to form a solid impression based on a demo outside of my home. And because no amount of external reviews can capture how the piece will actually sound to me), I take the approach of buy used>try>keep/sell. And I've been surprised at how different a lot of this seemingly similar stuff can sound. Of the 3-4 solid state amps I now have, they all sound quite different, and each bring something totally different out of each headphone. The small size/cost makes this approach much more feasible than with full sized speaker based gear.

 

[Shane D]

For many of us, there are no local resources with which to sample this kind of gear. For me, the nearest hifi store is likely a couple of hours away. So for me, and I assume many others, there is a LOT of trial and error involved. Buy this one, hmmm, not quite what I'm looking for. I'll buy this one to compare, then sell the one I don't want. Apply - Lather - Rinse - Repeat!!!!!

Apparently this is now my life mantra...

Shane D

 

[Preachy1]

I started out pretty small about 10 years ago, using a small portable amp with an older iPod (link to amp below, and well worth the guy's asking price!), and just a pair of Ultimate Ears EB IEMs. Not really sure when or where I got the itch, but I made the move to over the ear cans with a pair of BeyerDynamic DT770's. Then around 3 years ago, I fell under the Head-Fi spell, and it was all over. Bought the FiiO X5 III (don't even get me started), followed by the Audeze EL-8's, then the LCD-2's, then the 3's. Onwards and upwards to ZMF cans. The rest is history.

Link to the portable amp noted above:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Headphone-...952276?hash=item34194fb054:g:gPEAAOSwDYZd2M3z

 

[Pharmaboy]

I have been browsing this thread since joining to get a sense of what gear to consider. What I have noticed is there is quite a few set ups with multiple amps, some nearly identical in terms of solid state or tube. Forgive my ignorance as I am a recent convert to the world of head-fi, what is the differentiator for those of you that own multiple amps in the same set up? I understand different types of headphone require specific amps, such as electrostatics and similar. I am really curious as to the approach one should take in acquiring additional gear in the realm of head-fi.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

I have 5 SS amps, 1 tube amp, and 1 DAC/amp combo (a cheapie). I just purchased a 7th amp, my 1st tube/SS hybrid (Hafler HA75), soon to arrive.

Why so many amps? Well, some are balanced vs some being single-ended; some are moderate in power & others have much power; the tube amp is an OTL design that really brings high impedance headphones to life. None are huge & heavy; I switch them in and out of my 2 systems that sit on opposite ends of an L-shaped desk:

• Main system (headphones + studio monitors & sub): the DAC has 2 X RCA output pairs, so I have 2 headphone amps (or amp/preamps) connected at any given time. The Violectric V281 is typically the preamp (a superb, flexible preamp), and of course, #1 HP amp. The 2nd amp is usually the Woo WA3 OTL.
  • DAC is NOS/multibit, my favorite digital design
• Side system (headphones only): Often features my least expensive & powerful (yet very good sounding) SS amp, the M Stage Matrix HPA-1 (w/the 3rd & by far best opamps I rolled in)
  • DAC is multibit

Each amp brings something different to the party. Depending on the headphone/amp match (I have 8-9 headphones), I may get a synergistic experience on any given day (or sometimes a sonic "fail"). All these flavors interest me because different amps give different views/perspectives of each headphone.

 

[Preachy1]

Listen to him, he's pre-med!

But he's also on double secret probation.

 

[Pharmaboy]

Listen to him, he's pre-med!

But he's also on double secret probation.

"pre-medicated for public safety"

 

[kkrazik2008]

"pre-medicated for public safety"

I appreciate all the useful feedback from all that have responded. I am starting to better understand the phenomena, for many years I was content with a solid pair of Shure SE IEM's playing through my iPod in lossless. I think somewhere along the way, when streaming became convenient I lost my way. So I bought a new pair of Shure IEM's and a portable amp/DAC combo about 18 months ago:


I was able to buy the Shure SE846 for 1/2 off, and picked up the Chord Mojo. The other item is a Raspberry Pi running off a battery pack as a Roon end point, this was a more of an experiment in progress to find a solution to move around the house without having another separate system in each room. Hence the rubber bands and straps. About a year ago, I decided that I had spent enough money on average sounding over the ear headphones after borrowing my friends HifiMan HE560s over Thanksgiving break. This started the "Journey" and I bought a pair of Aeon Flow Closed after auditioning the more expensive Ether Flow Closed (The AV shop had just sold the AFC a few days before I came in). Then about a week or two later I realized I needed a proper sit down at home listening station with a dedicated headphone amp and such. I came across a great deal on Ebay for a Musical Fidelity system that matched my Musical Fidelity gear I purchased back in 2005:



I am perfectly content with this set up despite the age of the components. However in my browsing of this thread and reading some other posts within Head-Fi I have the itch to pick up an open back headphone, and maybe some more gear such an amp and/or DAC.

Anyway, that is my story and some background on my original question/observation.
Again, thanks for all the great responses.

 

[sennfan83261]

Listen to him, he's pre-med!

You are describing pretty much every bio major out there.

 

[funkle II]

I came across a great deal on Ebay for a Musical Fidelity system that matched my Musical Fidelity gear I purchased back in 2005:

I am perfectly content with this set up despite the age of the components. However in my browsing of this thread and reading some other posts within Head-Fi I have the itch to pick up an open back headphone, and maybe some more gear such an amp and/or DAC.

Anyway, that is my story and some background on my original question/observation.
Again, thanks for all the great responses.

I have been very interested in MF in the past. The x-can stuff was always intriguing. I'm a big advocate of new DAC technology. Amazing how good the new stuff is. $100-400 DACs are trouncing multi-thousand dollar DACs from 5+ years ago.

 

[Pro-Jules]

My rig at home

Hiby R6 Pro running Tidal - usb out to
Mutec MC3+USB re-clocker / AES out to
TC Finalizer 96K + - AES out to
Grace 903 DAC - out to
Adam Audio A5X speaker & sub

I use the Finalizer to lift high a frequency "smile curve " and mutiband compress / smooth over the sub bass. I also add a lick of TC's "harmonic generation"

It all sounds massive.

 

[funkle II]

My rig at home

Hiby R6 Pro running Tidal - usb out to
Mutec MC3+USB re-clocker / AES out to
TC Finalizer 96K + - AES out to
Grace 903 DAC - out to
Adam Audio A5X speaker & sub

I use the Finalizer to lift high a frequency "smile curve " and mutiband compress / smooth over the sub bass. I also add a lick of TC's "harmonic generation"

It all sounds massive.

So that TC Finalizer in a DSP unit? I've had a bunch of their stuff for guitar in the past. It's fascinating to see some of the variety of systems that people are using.

 

[Pro-Jules]

So that TC Finalizer in a DSP unit? I've had a bunch of their stuff for guitar in the past. It's fascinating to see some of the variety of systems that people are using.

Yeah, it's a leftover from my audio engineering days. It's a multi processor for DIY mastering. It's the little brother of the TC 5000's & TC6000's that were / are used in pro mastering studios.

Before computers were used to record bands we would use one of these to send the artist home with a CD to listen to their tracks ('rough mixes') work in progress - they would think (falsely) we were doing a terrible job if the cd we handed them sounded quieter than released albums - so we would run it through one of these to give it that mastered 'final' sound and be just as loud.

I just remembered I still had it in storage so busted it out last weekend. It didn't take me too long to remember how to use it. It's quite deep and has a lot of menus for fine tweaking.

I need a bit of high frequency lift due to my age and 30 years in the music biz.

PARDON ?

It's nice as all the processing occurs @96k (32 bit?). So in 96k - out 96k

 

[Preachy1]

You are describing pretty much every bio major out there.

I thought the reference to “double secret probation” gave it away as a quote from Animal House.

 

[Wes S]

I have been browsing this thread since joining to get a sense of what gear to consider. What I have noticed is there is quite a few set ups with multiple amps, some nearly identical in terms of solid state or tube. Forgive my ignorance as I am a recent convert to the world of head-fi, what is the differentiator for those of you that own multiple amps in the same set up? I understand different types of headphone require specific amps, such as electrostatics and similar. I am really curious as to the approach one should take in acquiring additional gear in the realm of head-fi.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

For me, it is all about synergy. Some headphones sound better with a certain system, depending on the type of music being listened to. It is all about fine tuning a specific sound I am after. It is also, nice to have a rotation of complimentary gear, as to keep things fresh and exciting. For me, with just 1 setup, it is sometimes possible to just get bored with it, no matter how good it is. Of course, I still have not heard lots of "Summit Fi" gear, and that might change things, but for now with my limited funds it is nice to have multiple mid level setups, to keep things exciting. Just my 2 cents.

Also, if it were me, I would figure out what kind of sound signature I like, and then search for gear that fits that description, and start chatting with people that have similar taste. This forum is full of great info, and you can really learn from others. I found a few members early on, that had the same preferences in sound and just followed their lead.