[Jazzyjohn]

Hi,
I`ve read a lot here and other places about headphones, amps and dac`s but cant decide. So please help a bit?

In past years i was a keen hifi-nerd, and had a a special love for good book-shelf like speakers like B&W 805, Sonus Faber and Audio Physic etc.
This means that soundstage, depth, and three-dimensionality is important, and the mids and highs are more important than bass.

I listen to jazz and trio jazz like Keith Jarrett, Tord Gustavsen Trio and that sorts of music. I love pianos, drums, acoustic bass, organs and vocals. And sometimes i listen to rock and classical.

I have all my music on the computer as lossless *.flac.

I know this is a tight budget, but it will get me started

Initially i thought of a route like this; a combined dac/amp solution? I know DAC1 is good, but too expencive right now, so what about the Zero Dac?
I can soldering too, so diy maybe?
My eyes gets wet reading about these tube amps

And the important question: Whitch cans? I live in a part of the world where you just cant go out and try the stuff...
My initially thoughts was about akg k501, k701/2 og senn hd600/650. I see it this way; get proper cans now and upgrade the electronics later...

Any thougts?

Regards
John
Norway

 

[paulllaser]

Your computer to Head Amp Pico to AKG K701s. Amazing sound stage and detail. I use this setup for similar music while at work.

 

[vo_obgyn]

I listen to a lot of jazz trios and my current EAC (FLAC) > Foobar 2000 > ASIO4ALL > RSA Predator > Sennheiser HD-600 computer set up sounds great.

It doesn't sound as good as my bedside rig which is: NAD C542 > RSA HR-2 > Sennheiser HD-600's. The latter rig sounds close to my home Thiel Audio CS1.5 loudspeaker setup.

I am listening to the Holly Cole Trio a lot these days. The "Temptation" CD is great. I also listen to Sheila Eikhard who is great. I first heard her live trio at the Jazz Fest in Vancouver B.C. a while back. She is great! Also, I am listening to Cassandra Wilson much these days. Happy Jazz listening.

 

[wpfloridian]

My setup up for $535.00

Zero DAC w/ Opamp Mods ($200)+Grado 125's($150.00)+AudioQuest Copperhead RCA's($100)+Optical Cable($10)+Sony DVD($100.00)

You will be very satisfied!

 

[skeptic]

Does your computer have spdif out? I assume so if you're looking at the zero...but as a preliminary matter, I thought we should establish whether you need a USB input on any DAC you may be considering as a source.

With respect to the comment on the pico - it is, without doubt, an excellent portable solution, but if you don't need to it be compact, many of us will assuredly advocate desktop/full sized components instead with respect to sound quality per dollar spent. [For example, one user has repeatedly commented that his $250 keces 151 usb dac outperformed his pico dac, despite the fact that you will see many head-fiers recommending the pico as a standalone dac, even though it has no dedicated lineout.]

I should leave it to true jazz trio fans to comment in detail on amps and phones with great synergy with that particular genre.

But I will mention that my Beyer dt880 + Woo 3 + keces 131 setup does quite well with popular jazz vocalists like Norah Jones and Ingrid Michaelson (see "The Way I Am"), and most of the dixieland I have in flac format. The woo definitely has good soundstage and depth if you decide to go with high impedance phones. Vocals are full and warm (choral music in particular is fabulous via the 880's) and acoustic bass sounds right on.

With respect to shortcomings in my setup - to my ears, brass instruments don't always come alive. The 880's are often described as bright, but I would say that on mediocre recordings, muted brass in particular is lacking in its natural brightness/harshness, sometimes sounding overly smooth and artificial instead (then again, I was a horn player for about 10 years as an adolescent, so I may have some particular sensitivity here.)

Cost totals for me, in case any of the above interests you, were:
-DT880's $300 (can be had for $200 on sale, I just didn't know any better)
-Used Woo 3 $320 (I had the good fortune to receive good tubes from the seller. If faced with stock tubes, you would probably want another $75 or so to dedicate to NOS tubes)
-Keces 131 $330 + shipping

Good luck on your search!

 

[panda]

build the following:
scott nixon dac
gilmore dynalo
and either beyerdynamic dt931 or akg k501

 

[MONVMENTVM]

Nah... definately RS-1 for Jazz and Rock!

ECSS would be a nice fit for the RS-1 and probably the Zero DAC? Or just the Zero DAC and RS-1 at the beginning.

Swapping the opamps of the Zero should give you decent quality anyway so you can wait and spend some more money when it is available on a nice tube amp

.

But... just get those RS-1 for Jazz and Rock.

 

[Navyblue]

I listened to mainly acoustic based jazz and bossanova, not exactly trio, but by far the majority of them has only a handful of instruments.

Personally, my favorite headphones are the K501 (airy and spacious) and HD650 (thick and rich), both IMO has a great midrange.

Can't comment on amp yet as I haven't got one. but am looking forward to DIY a Beta22 or a Bijou, or both (which I hope not

) when finances allow.

As for source, I haven't heard a lot of them too, but I like Marantz line of CDPs. And their headphone out drives many demanding headphones very well too, which is a plus for me so that I can put all my money in the best source I can afford and worry about amp later on.

 

[hew]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazzyjohn /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, And the important question: Whitch cans? I live in a part of the world where you just cant go out and try the stuff... My initially thoughts was about akg k501, k701/2 og senn hd600/650. I see it this way; get proper cans now and upgrade the electronics later... Any thougts? Regards John Norway

I would spend bulk of money on the phones since thats where you will get most benefit and the remainder on a dac amp, which can be upgraded later.

 

[bonkon]

Before buying the whole setup in one go, try to audition the headphones first or buy from a place with a return possibility. You can also buy second hand here and sell it again with little loss if you don't like it. Headphones are the most important, no amp or dac can make you love the sound if you don't like it in the beginning. If you don't need portability, you will get better value in home amps and dacs.

Also by buying the components piece by piece, you will appreciate more each components contribution to the overall sound quality. It will also help your budget since your craving for upgrades will be satisfied.

Well these are my personal advice for starting a new setup, everything else is a question of preferences, subjectivity and synergy.