[eobet]

So I just got my first DAC/amp and plugged it in.

Using a pair of Denon AH-D2000? World of difference. My god, blew my socks off!

Using a pair of Ultrasone Pro 900? Nothing. Nada. Same sound, no difference, and on top of that, there's a high pitched "whine" when no music is playing.

What's going on? Anyone have any ideas?

EDIT: Using a pair of Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro, the "whine" is still present. As to the sound, it's always been perfect (this is my reference gear).

But I want this thread to be about the Pro 900, which some has said "needs" a DAC/amp...

 

[haloxt]

It would help if you told the dac/amp

. I do think pro 900 scales with dac/amp, but so long as the sound you have is NEUTRAL, it is not really necessary. It sounds very detailed with an mp3 player, and imo the stock cable will, to a moderate degree, hold it back it from showing the benefits of a really good dac/amp.

 

[tisb0b]

So what amp/dac did you get and the whine sounds like its coming from your source equipment. I will personally vouch for the Pro900 requiring amping as I noticed an immediate improvement going from unamped to amped.

 

[eobet]

Well, I'm reluctant to say the make and model of the DAC/amp, because some people on this forum seems very prejudiced against them, and they've been modified with higher quality components anyway.

As for the cable of the Pro 900... they're from Neutrik. That's a name brand, isn't it? Are you really telling me that I should get a different cable? I'm not really buying that, unless I hardwire two cables to each speaker, because there's still an internal cable running between them, and doesn't the Pro 900 have a small circuit board in them as well?

 

[haloxt]

Not a circuit board, older ultrasones had one, but pro 900 has a 10 ohm diode on each driver. You're right about the internal cable, it is not perfect but imo it does contribute to sound quality even if you keep the internal wiring because it isn't as thin as the stock cable, but dual-entry to get rid of the internal wiring would certainly be best. I don't really recommend modding your pro 900 or getting an expensive cable, just letting you know my belief that you can't get the full benefit of a really good dac/amp with the stock cable.

Imo, if your dac/amp has more high extension than what you used to have, it will be turned reedy with the stock cable. And if your dac/amp has a lot of lows it may sound choked and scattered. A good cure is the Kees mod if you've never tried, makes the pro 900 more musical and absorbs broken highs and lows, but imo should not be used in conjunction with a cable upgrade.