Cliff-Samuels
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2011
- Posts
- 63
- Likes
- 18
I am now getting back into the HiFi world after having to sell all my equipment for financial reasons which I will spare you the boring details, but here is my story on my quest to rebuild my entire system from scratch.
Just in case you are interested my original system consisted of the following gear:
Headphones: Sennheiser HD800, HD650, Beyer DT880/250ohm, Grado SR325i
Amplifier: Burson HA-160, before that a Musical Fidelity vcan v8p
Source: NAD CD player
Misc: IXOS & QED interconnects & some CD's of course
I am now in a financial position to acquire a new system, starting a fresh has been more fun than I thought it would be as it has given me the chance to do it all again but in a different way based on my past experience with my original system
.
My choice of headphones:
I have just got a new pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones, you may ask why those again?, well simply because I really did enjoy the sound of those on the Burson HA-160 & was sad to see them go, I found they always sounded good whatever music I played, while I adored the HD800 headphones (also more comfortable than the HD650's) I found them to be a little too cold sounding on some of my tracks so I have decided this time to stay with the HD650's (at least for the time being), I might get a pair of Beyer T1's in the future since those are warmer over the HD800's but its early days & the HD650's are still highly regarded & are very enjoyable given a decent amp & source since they scale very well.
I do not think I will be getting another pair of DT880's, the pair I sold were the 250ohm model & while I thought about getting the better 600ohm version if I end up buying the T1's the DT880's might become redundant, I will not be getting the Grado's again this time around, I recently had the chance to audition a pair of AKG 702 headphones, they lacked the punchy bass of the Sennheiser HD650's & may run the risk of sounding thin & cold but I found that they sounded very nice in a different way so I may get a pair of those as they are quite affordable considering they are AKG's flagship model, I can always sell them on if I am not happy but it might be a good contrast with the HD650's which are very warm without spending too much (aka HD800 again), I also want to get a pair of thunderpants
but it depends on how long it would take as Smeggy is no doubt a busy chap, I might get the plain vanilla Fostex & perform some of the mods that I have seen on this forum since they look very simple to carry out which is just as well since I am not very good with all that kind of stuff, I can always get the full works by Smeggy later on.
My choice of Amp & DAC:
So now having the headphones covered (at least for the time being), I then turned my attention to amping these babies properly, I also wanted a really nice DAC to go with whatever amp I chose since as we all know a good source is perhaps the most important part of a HiFi system, I was thinking about playing it safe & getting what I had before with some sort of CD player like the NAD but this time I am mixing it up a little & doing things differently, I no longer desire a CD player like the NAD as I decided on getting a really good quality external DAC with a simple digital transport which could even be a DVD player, that way it does not matter if it has a rubbish analog out as I would only be using it as a transport, I liked the NAD CD but the drive mechanism failed twice & so I do not want to spend so much on a CD player this time around
, the digital transport seemed a good approach & perhaps more the modern way of doing things.
After doing a lot of research on amps, looking at op amp, discrete & tube based amps from musical fidelity, Slee, little dot to name but a few & also the new HA160DS (although it lacked an optical input which I need) & as much as I enjoyed the Burson HA-160 I decided against getting another (doing things differently this time), then while chatting about this with a fellow HiFi enthusiast while at work the name NJC Audio was mentioned & recommended, so after hearing very good things about the NJC audio products I looked into these & the more I looked the more I liked what I was seeing, so I recently ordered their flagship monitor 2 headphone amp which had some nice features & would have plenty of juice for any future headphone I decide to use since it has an impressive power output that is not quite but almost as much as the Beta22 amp!
you can see more about this amp on their website which for those who do not know is http://www.njc-audio.co.uk
Since I was also searching for a really good DAC it was a toss up between the CI Audio VD2 (http://www.ciaudio.com/products/VDA2) which was recommended to me by a friend or the NJC Audio Reference DAC which I noticed when looking at the monitor II amp, with the NJC winning me over on its better features, price & quality internals, the CI with the power supply came in at just over £500 + any import duties, with the NJC DAC already having what looks like a very good quality PSU all with top grade parts, I also really liked the design in that its advertised as using an external transformer the same as the monitor II amp, which I think is a great design IMO as it makes the amp & DAC smaller so takes up less space & keeps all the buzzy electrical side of things far away from the amp parts, it would also be a nice match visually for the amp so it seemed an obvious choice, so ordered this at the same time, it took about 14 days or so I guess from ordering to me having the products on my desk here as unlike other production run amps or DAC's the NJC Audio products are all hand built to order in the UK, I think its like a cottage industry type thing from what I have been reading on their about us page but after a few emails to the guy who builds these (Nick) I found out that he had a previous history of working on tube stuff for a make of yesteryear before setting up his own audio company, which I found reassuring & was confident this was no fly by night company cashing in on the whole headphone amp boom with no past experience, the time it took to build these was also fine with me as the wait has proved to be well worth it.
I know it may have been a little risky as my original system may have been hard to improve upon but first impressions is that my collection of music seems more listenable than ever, by that I mean I can listen for much longer periods than I ever could, which many say is a sign of a great system (no fatigue except for the clamping pressure of the HD650's)
, any of my initial concerns that it may be a step down have simply faded away, I will not make any silly claims that I can remember with any accuracy how my original system sounded nor can I make any direct comparisons since I no longer have any of the original equipment here, but one thing I can say is that I am finding the entire system extremely pleasing to my ears & if anything its more of a step up than a step down (certainly far better than my original MF v8 amp), all the songs I used to listen to are extremely impressive now, how much of that is the amp or the DAC or just the fact they pair so well together I dont know, but I am liking what I am hearing & everything feels well made & great quality so the recommendations for the NJC Audio products certainly seem to have paid off.
It might be too early to tell how reliability is with these but I see some other reviews online of previous models still going strong so I dont think reliability is anything of a concern, I also think if anything it would be higher what with these being made by a person rather than an assembly line in some factory aboard, I like the extra power of this amp too which may explain the excellent seperation, detail & dynamics I am hearing, one aspect I can say with some certainty is that it improves upon my original Burson amp because this amp is also a pre amplifier with adjustable gain, the pre out is something im eager to try out & the switchable gain I can tell is going to come in real useful & has been preset to nice levels, the soft start is also something that adds to the whole refinement, there is also something very comforting knowing that if I ever have any problems or need advice I can email NJC Audio & like it states on the web site you speak to the person who builds these (which I have never had before, very rare, very cool!)
throughout my purchasing Nick contacted me several times letting me know the progress & was very curtious & helpful, I also valued the honesty I got on a lot of my questions to him never got the whole sales blurb which I see straight through, so my hat off to the impecable service there.
Here is a photo of the new amp & DAC with my Sennheiser HD650 headphones, this is the start of my new hifi system & I have a feeling that this is turning into something very special, I just cant wait to add extra headphones & get everything on proper shelving, the whole package of amp & DAC has certainly impressed me & keeps on doing so, the Sennheiser headphones are wonderful sounding now, part of me still wishes I had the Sennheiser HD800's just to try again on this gear as I saw another review online with the HD800's on the Monitor II amp & was said to sound really great, but if there is one thing I have learnt from over the years is that this is NOT the end, I have no desire to change the NJC amp or DAC since they have proved themselves to me but I do know that more headphones will be coming along soon as one pair is never enough is it?
so if anyone has any suggestions for a second & third pair of headphones please post away giving me your thoughts on what is a good pair to buy, I would love to hear from you.
(As you can see I really need a proper hifi shelf, at the moment its on the table next to the TV, no room for CD's let alone another few pairs of headphones, just a lava lamp!
I love snapping away photos so took another one from a slightly different view, I have always loved the grills on the HD650's, seeing into the works like that just looks so cool.
When I received an email from Nick at NJC Audio letting me know the amp & DAC was sent out it also said at the bottom that they do not advertise as they rely on customer feedback, so I thought since I have a few weeks off work at the moment I would spend it listening to music & doing something creative by posting something here on Headfi, this is not really a review so if anyone is interested in a more detailed review I can put together something, I cant do any direct comparisons as I said to my original system which probably would be pointless as each system has its own uniqueness anyway, but I can shed some insight into what its like owning this fine equipment & how it sounds on various albums as I have quite a few.
Thanks for reading & like I said I would love to hear from you as I would like some input on what second & third pair of headphones to buy next.
Just in case you are interested my original system consisted of the following gear:
Headphones: Sennheiser HD800, HD650, Beyer DT880/250ohm, Grado SR325i
Amplifier: Burson HA-160, before that a Musical Fidelity vcan v8p
Source: NAD CD player
Misc: IXOS & QED interconnects & some CD's of course
I am now in a financial position to acquire a new system, starting a fresh has been more fun than I thought it would be as it has given me the chance to do it all again but in a different way based on my past experience with my original system
My choice of headphones:
I have just got a new pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones, you may ask why those again?, well simply because I really did enjoy the sound of those on the Burson HA-160 & was sad to see them go, I found they always sounded good whatever music I played, while I adored the HD800 headphones (also more comfortable than the HD650's) I found them to be a little too cold sounding on some of my tracks so I have decided this time to stay with the HD650's (at least for the time being), I might get a pair of Beyer T1's in the future since those are warmer over the HD800's but its early days & the HD650's are still highly regarded & are very enjoyable given a decent amp & source since they scale very well.
I do not think I will be getting another pair of DT880's, the pair I sold were the 250ohm model & while I thought about getting the better 600ohm version if I end up buying the T1's the DT880's might become redundant, I will not be getting the Grado's again this time around, I recently had the chance to audition a pair of AKG 702 headphones, they lacked the punchy bass of the Sennheiser HD650's & may run the risk of sounding thin & cold but I found that they sounded very nice in a different way so I may get a pair of those as they are quite affordable considering they are AKG's flagship model, I can always sell them on if I am not happy but it might be a good contrast with the HD650's which are very warm without spending too much (aka HD800 again), I also want to get a pair of thunderpants
My choice of Amp & DAC:
So now having the headphones covered (at least for the time being), I then turned my attention to amping these babies properly, I also wanted a really nice DAC to go with whatever amp I chose since as we all know a good source is perhaps the most important part of a HiFi system, I was thinking about playing it safe & getting what I had before with some sort of CD player like the NAD but this time I am mixing it up a little & doing things differently, I no longer desire a CD player like the NAD as I decided on getting a really good quality external DAC with a simple digital transport which could even be a DVD player, that way it does not matter if it has a rubbish analog out as I would only be using it as a transport, I liked the NAD CD but the drive mechanism failed twice & so I do not want to spend so much on a CD player this time around
After doing a lot of research on amps, looking at op amp, discrete & tube based amps from musical fidelity, Slee, little dot to name but a few & also the new HA160DS (although it lacked an optical input which I need) & as much as I enjoyed the Burson HA-160 I decided against getting another (doing things differently this time), then while chatting about this with a fellow HiFi enthusiast while at work the name NJC Audio was mentioned & recommended, so after hearing very good things about the NJC audio products I looked into these & the more I looked the more I liked what I was seeing, so I recently ordered their flagship monitor 2 headphone amp which had some nice features & would have plenty of juice for any future headphone I decide to use since it has an impressive power output that is not quite but almost as much as the Beta22 amp!
Since I was also searching for a really good DAC it was a toss up between the CI Audio VD2 (http://www.ciaudio.com/products/VDA2) which was recommended to me by a friend or the NJC Audio Reference DAC which I noticed when looking at the monitor II amp, with the NJC winning me over on its better features, price & quality internals, the CI with the power supply came in at just over £500 + any import duties, with the NJC DAC already having what looks like a very good quality PSU all with top grade parts, I also really liked the design in that its advertised as using an external transformer the same as the monitor II amp, which I think is a great design IMO as it makes the amp & DAC smaller so takes up less space & keeps all the buzzy electrical side of things far away from the amp parts, it would also be a nice match visually for the amp so it seemed an obvious choice, so ordered this at the same time, it took about 14 days or so I guess from ordering to me having the products on my desk here as unlike other production run amps or DAC's the NJC Audio products are all hand built to order in the UK, I think its like a cottage industry type thing from what I have been reading on their about us page but after a few emails to the guy who builds these (Nick) I found out that he had a previous history of working on tube stuff for a make of yesteryear before setting up his own audio company, which I found reassuring & was confident this was no fly by night company cashing in on the whole headphone amp boom with no past experience, the time it took to build these was also fine with me as the wait has proved to be well worth it.
I know it may have been a little risky as my original system may have been hard to improve upon but first impressions is that my collection of music seems more listenable than ever, by that I mean I can listen for much longer periods than I ever could, which many say is a sign of a great system (no fatigue except for the clamping pressure of the HD650's)
It might be too early to tell how reliability is with these but I see some other reviews online of previous models still going strong so I dont think reliability is anything of a concern, I also think if anything it would be higher what with these being made by a person rather than an assembly line in some factory aboard, I like the extra power of this amp too which may explain the excellent seperation, detail & dynamics I am hearing, one aspect I can say with some certainty is that it improves upon my original Burson amp because this amp is also a pre amplifier with adjustable gain, the pre out is something im eager to try out & the switchable gain I can tell is going to come in real useful & has been preset to nice levels, the soft start is also something that adds to the whole refinement, there is also something very comforting knowing that if I ever have any problems or need advice I can email NJC Audio & like it states on the web site you speak to the person who builds these (which I have never had before, very rare, very cool!)
Here is a photo of the new amp & DAC with my Sennheiser HD650 headphones, this is the start of my new hifi system & I have a feeling that this is turning into something very special, I just cant wait to add extra headphones & get everything on proper shelving, the whole package of amp & DAC has certainly impressed me & keeps on doing so, the Sennheiser headphones are wonderful sounding now, part of me still wishes I had the Sennheiser HD800's just to try again on this gear as I saw another review online with the HD800's on the Monitor II amp & was said to sound really great, but if there is one thing I have learnt from over the years is that this is NOT the end, I have no desire to change the NJC amp or DAC since they have proved themselves to me but I do know that more headphones will be coming along soon as one pair is never enough is it?
(As you can see I really need a proper hifi shelf, at the moment its on the table next to the TV, no room for CD's let alone another few pairs of headphones, just a lava lamp!
I love snapping away photos so took another one from a slightly different view, I have always loved the grills on the HD650's, seeing into the works like that just looks so cool.
When I received an email from Nick at NJC Audio letting me know the amp & DAC was sent out it also said at the bottom that they do not advertise as they rely on customer feedback, so I thought since I have a few weeks off work at the moment I would spend it listening to music & doing something creative by posting something here on Headfi, this is not really a review so if anyone is interested in a more detailed review I can put together something, I cant do any direct comparisons as I said to my original system which probably would be pointless as each system has its own uniqueness anyway, but I can shed some insight into what its like owning this fine equipment & how it sounds on various albums as I have quite a few.
Thanks for reading & like I said I would love to hear from you as I would like some input on what second & third pair of headphones to buy next.