[Bill-P]

Oh no, why would you apologize? It was just a misunderstanding. To be honest, I think Ken could have worded that sentence better so as to avoid confusion, or at least elaborate a little more on what he meant.
 
As for whether the Cambridge would be better... I think you really would have to get both and compare. Either that or just choose one that you think would fit your needs best and forget about the other one. I have found more often than not that there really is no true "clear winner" when it comes to amp and source gears. Your ears and the sort of music would dictate that more than the headphone or the gear itself.

 

[Tequilasunriser]

   
Please elucidate! What is the scoop on this guy Ken Rockwell? He is of course not the only source of my information, but I am beginning to respect the guy. 

Simply put, he'll say anything for a dollar.

 

[r010159]

I looked at some test measurements on the Apogee. The Apogee salesman did say the headphones out would by 'just about" as good as the line outs. The measurements did show a difference that appeared it would be noticeable. I am not going to purchase something for the quality of its line outs when I will be using it primarily as a headphone amp. When I get the money together, I will order the Cambridge Audio DACMagic. Some say the optical is better than the USB part. We shall see. Some say the higher frequencies are accented. So I will see if this is a good pairing with my DT880s,


Bob

 

[Chris J]

I looked at some test measurements on the Apogee. The Apogee salesman did say the headphones out would by 'just about" as good as the line outs. The measurements did show a difference that appeared it would be noticeable. I am not going to purchase something for the quality of its line outs when I will be using it primarily as a headphone amp. When I get the money together, I will order the Cambridge Audio DACMagic. Some say the optical is better than the USB part. We shall see. Some say the higher frequencies are accented. So I will see if this is a good pairing with my DT880s,


Bob

If you want my expert, professional opinion, everyone has an opinion.
If it sounds good to you, then it probably is good.

I have heard some argue that optical is superior because you get better electrical isolation between components.
And others argue differently.

 

[pp312]

 

   
Please elucidate! What is the scoop on this guy Ken Rockwell? He is of course not the only source of my information, but I am beginning to respect the guy. 

Simply put, he'll say anything for a dollar.

 
Er...is there some proof of that? I have no connection to Ken, but I find that remark extremely ungenerous, not to say slightly vindictive. Personally I find his reviews reflreshingly candid. He doesn't say that Headphone A is much better than B simply because it costs 3 times as much; he describes the differences as they'd be heard by the average, non-Golden-Eared person--ie, slight. I thought his review of the Beyer T1 put it in perspective for me re the DT880, and I was grateful to find a reviewer not tripping over himself with superlatives.
 
Of course, if you actually have some proof that the man has been selling his soul for a dollar, that's a different matter.

 

[TrollDragon]

Rockwell...

Here is a good place to start.
http://www.anthonyhereld.com/buyer-beware-ken-rockwell/

 

[Chris J]

Rockwell...

Here is a good place to start.
http://www.anthonyhereld.com/buyer-beware-ken-rockwell/

Yep, not a lot of love for Ken in the world of real pros.
Personally, he's just another guy with an opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

[HeretixAevum]

Just had a DT880 experience to share.
 
I'm playing Dungeons & Dragons online with friends, and out GM was playing Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell as a battle theme through the juke box, and when it first started playing, for a solid minute or two, I honestly thought it was coming from my room-mate's computer speakers from across the room. A testament to the DT880's spacial capabilities. 

 

[r010159]

Rockwell...

Here is a good place to start.
http://www.anthonyhereld.com/buyer-beware-ken-rockwell/

Unbelievable!

What impressed me was the measurements section of his evaluation of audio gear. I did notice some glaring invonsistencies in the subjective part of his reviews, but I overlooked them. Fortunately, I use multiple sources of info before making my decision. And then there is that Amazon return policy.

Thank you for that link!

Bob

PS: it has been obvious to me he has been doing well financially. He owns allot of expensive gear, according to his own admissions. And is "golden ears" claim I was a bit dubious about.

 

[TrollDragon]

Your most welcome!

The evening listening session with my humble portable rig.

beyerdynamic DT880 Pro's, FiiO E12 & the FiiO X3. Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare" album rocks the beyer's like a dream.

 

[genclaymore]

Til you mistakenly knock the hot coco all over your DT880 and  your Fiio X3, how is the X3 I seen it a couple of times on amazon and wondered about it.

 

[TrollDragon]

Til you mistakenly knock the hot coco all over your DT880 and  your Fiio X3, how is the X3 I seen it a couple of times on amazon and wondered about it.

The X3 is a great little player with an amazing sound, supposedly better that the DX50 but not as refined as the X5, or so I've gathered from those who own both. The default firmware has a raft full of issues which we are patiently waiting for FiiO and there collection of simian programmers to fix.

If I had my choice again, I'd pick up the DX50 as RockBox is available for it, but all the players have some sort of issues.

Hey I come from a Colorfly C3 which I still use regularly, so I am Battle Hardened on Chinese UI's and quirks.

 

[r010159]

Your most welcome!

The evening listening session with my humble portable rig.

beyerdynamic DT880 Pro's, FiiO E12 & the FiiO X3. Avenged Sevenfold's "Nightmare" album rocks the beyer's like a dream.

[photo deleted]

 
So I think I will take everything as his opinion despite the facts of his that he claims are irrefutable.  ALL of it is opinion. Every little so called "factoid", except what he gets from specification sheets. He does have good taste in orthos by claiming the DT880s are very good. Still, I wonder where he gets his measurement data from? 
 
Bob

 

[pp312]

 
So I think I will take everything as his opinion despite the facts of his that he claims are irrefutable.  ALL of it is opinion.

 
 
Well, of course--that's a given. Anyone who's ever read a magazine review--try What Hi-Fi--knows that not only is it just opinion, it's often illogical bunkum, like the claims that every new model of amp is just a little better than the last despite an absence of changes within.
 
Putting aside Ken's camera reviews, I found his hi-fi reviews refreshingly straightforward. Whatever he's up to in the world of photography, he seems to have no reason to mess with people's minds in the hi-fi area. His preference for the DT880 over the HD800 is not inconsistent with other opinions. He clearly prefers the better electrostatics over both and that's pretty consistent with received wisdom. The following remarks on the DT990 review are pretty much par for the course: "These are tough, well-built, inexpensive and great-sounding headphones. I prefer the Beyer DT880 for more natural sound, while many people will prefer the boosted bass and treble of these DT 990."
 
I really can't see that there's anything not to trust in these reviews, so long as one takes it purely as one man's opinion, which is all any review is. Indeed I'd be less inclined to trust the reviews in a magazine packed with manufacturer advertising.

 

[r010159]

I will ask this question here.
 
I did get the DACMagic Plus today in the mail on loan from Amazon.

 The headphone output has an impedance of about 30 ohms. This means I would need at least a 240 ohm headset. I have the 250 ohm DT880s. This should work. But with the DACMagic, I am finding the midrange to be a bit emphasized and the high frequencies to be a bit muted. This may be my imagination. But it sounds different compared to the O2 amp that has a single digit output impedance and flat frequency response.
 
Can this be due to my headphones? Maybe the 600 ohm headphones would of suited me better with the DACMagic? Or maybe music through the DACMagic headphone out is made to be more "natural" sounding than the O2?
 
What do you think?
 
I suspect I may need to get a separate headphone amp if I decide to keep this DAC.
 
Bob