Upgrading to a decent setup within modest budget.

[Palartemis]

My current listening setup consists of :-

Nokia 7 plus phone as music player
SMSL M6 DAC
SMSL T2 TUBE HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER WITH UPRATED MULLARD TUBES
SENNHEISER MOMENTUM 2 ON EARS
SENNHEISER HD280
SONY MDR1A
BOSE QC25
SOUNDMAGIC HP200
VARIOUS BUDGET IEMS , FAVOURITES ARE 1MORE TRIPLE DRIVER

My planned setup has a budget of around €2,000 and my current ideas following investigations are :-

Current hifi order list

€292 Hiby R5 Sabre DAP
€331 Xduoo TA-20 Balanced tube headphone amplifier
€200 Sennheiser HD6XX headphones
€350 Koss ESP/95X headphones
€375 Shure SRH1540 headphones
€117 Hilidac Audirect Beam2 DAC
€100 Massdrop x Noble X Universal IEMs
€40 Massdrop x Noble Luxe In-Ear Monitors
———-
€1,805

Other things I will add as funds allow are possibly:-

Bottlehead Crack
Darkvoice 336se
Little dot mkiii

I would welcome advice from members who have experience of the above planned items, please,

Regards,

Phil

P.s. I have ordered the hiby R5 sabre

 

[312elements]

Interesting list.one of the many things I like about the 6XX is that it’s often used as a point of reference. XYZ has more bass or wider soundstage than 6XX. An understanding of that sound can help in the decision making process.

in this price range the modius/Magnius stack is a great launching pad.

as far as tube amps go... I think you probably only need one, so maybe hold off on that purchase and figure out where you want to end up as opposed to having a variety of entry level tube amps that you’ll probably want to tube roll. That said, for some people I could totally see an upgraded crack being someone’s endgame tube amp as long as you’re not pushing something like a Planar.

 

[Palartemis]

The headphone amp is my sticking point, can’t decide, I want tube, but also balanced, only 2 decent ones in my price range are the Xduoo TA-20 and the monolith liquid platinum, I suspect however the the bottlehead crack, whilst single ended may well sound better from reviews?

 

[Deolum]

Reading that list hurts.

 

[Palartemis]

Reading that list hurts.

That’s helpful? Explanation would be useful please.

 

[312elements]

The headphone amp is my sticking point, can’t decide, I want tube, but also balanced, only 2 decent ones in my price range are the Xduoo TA-20 and the monolith liquid platinum, I suspect however the the bottlehead crack, whilst single ended may well sound better from reviews?

for what it’s worth, unless you have hard to control ground loop problems I think balanced is over rated. If the ground loop thing isn’t an issue for you the upside of balanced is really just more volume on the dial which depending on your chosen amp or headphones could offer little to no real world value.

 

[Deolum]

That’s helpful? Explanation would be useful please.

You list a bunch of low-midrange parts who have absolutely nothing to do with one another. What do you want with two low budget tube amps? Which headphone do you want to drive with what?
Why do you even want tubes and why do you want balanced?

 

[RONJA MESCO]

You list a bunch of low-midrange parts who have absolutely nothing to do with one another. What do you want with two low budget tube amps? Which headphone do you want to drive with what?
Why do you even want tubes and why do you want balanced?

Bruh, chill. He's new, and all of us have bought a ton of gear for different purposes and then try to figure out a way forward with more coherent set ups (as budgets and better knowledge increase). That's why he is here...so keep that in mind.

 

[Deolum]

Bruh, chill. He's new, and all of us have bought a ton of gear for different purposes and then try to figure out a way forward with more coherent set ups (as budgets and better knowledge increase). That's why he is here...so keep that in mind.

Yes that's why i ask him those questions to prevent him from spending 2k on crap.

 

[Palartemis]

You list a bunch of low-midrange parts who have absolutely nothing to do with one another. What do you want with two low budget tube amps? Which headphone do you want to drive with what?
Why do you even want tubes and why do you want balanced?

I am looking for a good sounding open backed headphone, my current Soundmagic hp200’s are supposed to be pretty close sounding to the hd650/hd6xx headphones, but I have no reference point atm. I am also interested in a good closed back headphone so I don’t disturb the wife and her tv is isolated from my listening. I was very impressed with some quad esl’s years ago and another pair of electrostatic speakers I never got to know the brand of, so I want to try the Koss esp/95x to see if they are as impressive as speakers.

As for balanced, not convinced, but from reading, many say better separation , again I have no knowledge or experience to know, I do like and can hear the difference from direct or through my SMSL T2 which I prefer, so wanted a better tube amp.

I appreciate your questions and am interested in any advice more experienced audiophiles have to best invest my money.

 

[Deolum]

For 2k you can get a lot of good setups.

Some inspirations:

Hiby R6 Pro/Shanling M6/ Fiio M11 Pro + Denon AH-D7200/9200 + Hifiman Ananda + Moondrop Blessing 2

or

good OTL amp + Vintage Senns (HD600/HD650/HD6XX/HD540/HD250)

or

Hifiman Jade II setup

All those three setups should be lightyears ahead of anything you can build together with the ingredients mentioned in your first post.

With the first setting you should have everything you need. A good open headphone + a good closed + IEMs.

 

[Palartemis]

For 2k you can get a lot of good setups.

Some inspirations:

Hiby R6 Pro/Shanling M6/ Fiio M11 Pro + Denon AH-D7200/9200 + Hifiman Ananda + Moondrop Blessing 2

or

good OTL amp + Vintage Senns (HD600/HD650/HD6XX/HD540/HD250)

or

Hifiman Jade II setup

All those three setups should be lightyears ahead of anything you can build together with the ingredients mentioned in your first post.

With the first setting you should have everything you need. A good open headphone + a good closed + IEMs.

YOur first selection looks good, just out of budget unless I can find good used versions, my current thinking had changed to the mass drop 177x go , drop’ equivalent of the Beyerdynamic dt1770 pro and just pair that with the hiby R5 sabre I have already ordered, skip balanced for now or just buy cable for headphones and use R5 balanced out for comparison, save the rest for future trials. Might go for darkvoice sometime soon though,

Thanks.

 

[gimmeheadroom]

YOur first selection looks good, just out of budget unless I can find good used versions, my current thinking had changed to the mass drop 177x go , drop’ equivalent of the Beyerdynamic dt1770 pro and just pair that with the hiby R5 sabre I have already ordered, skip balanced for now or just buy cable for headphones and use R5 balanced out for comparison, save the rest for future trials. Might go for darkvoice sometime soon though,

Thanks.

The 177X GO is not the equivalent of the DT1770. The GO is low impedance and has a different tuning.

In cheap OTL amps look for a used Valhalla 2, if you have more money to spend go speedball crack. Cans that go well with OTL amps included the first three on @Deolum list, I haven't heard the other three and probably no reason to get one, as cheap as the 6XX is.

 

[Deolum]

The 177X GO is not the equivalent of the DT1770. The GO is low impedance and has a different tuning.

In cheap OTL amps look for a used Valhalla 2, if you have more money to spend go speedball crack. Cans that go well with OTL amps included the first three on @Deolum list, I haven't heard the other three and probably no reason to get one, as cheap as the 6XX is.

Try the 250. Best OTL synergy i've heard so far.

 

[Palartemis]

Try the 250. Best OTL synergy i've heard so far.

Yes, might go for dt1770pro 250ohm with darkvoice, better invest in less kit but better quality as you suggested. The Hifiman Ananda gone on my wishlist for the future.