[iamthecheese]

So whats the weak link or area that could be improved most in my setup?

Setup right now is:

coax out from a diamond xs71 bitperfect
To

Zero dac with franken mod bought from here:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f43/fs...c-only-449075/
More info.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/fra...-heart-370985/
To

Little dot 1+ with mullard ef92 tubes and opa627(opa looks like this: http://cimarrontechnology.com/images...premount.1.jpg)
To
stock akg k601s.

Any comments?

 

[iamthecheese]

Maybe a new amp or headphone recable?

 

[stang]

I would say upgrade your amp. A headphone cable is really a last resort when you are really, really happy with your current rig but crave that tiny bit of extra detail. The DAC is fine, I own a Zero DAC too and if I upgrade it, it will probably be something expensive like the Benchmark DAC1, which wont be for a long time. How much cash are you willing to spend? Maybe you could upgrade to AKG K701 as well?

 

[iamthecheese]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would say upgrade your amp. A headphone cable is really a last resort when you are really, really happy with your current rig but crave that tiny bit of extra detail. The DAC is fine, I own a Zero DAC too and if I upgrade it, it will probably be something expensive like the Benchmark DAC1, which wont be for a long time. How much cash are you willing to spend? Maybe you could upgrade to AKG K701 as well?

I'm not quite sure about the money I would spend, I would say what I could get for the 1+, 10 extra tubes, and a couple extra op amps together + 100 bucks.

As for the k701 vs k601 I considered that when purchasing phones, and bought the k601s because of their more musical and less detailed presentation than the 701s. Overall I think the 601s are overlooked way to often since the k701s aren't much more money, but their different cans. More of a sidegrade than upgrade to me it would seem.

 

[stang]

I would recommend upgrading your amp completely. Like to a MKIV or something. Either that or do as you planned, buy some better tubes and op amps for your Little Dot 1+. What kind of an upgrade are you really looking for? Do you love your AKG K601 or would you like to try a different sound signature like Grado's or Ultrasone? Possibly Sennheiser HD 600?

 

[iamthecheese]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would recommend upgrading your amp completely. Like to a MKIV or something. Either that or do as you planned, buy some better tubes and op amps for your Little Dot 1+. What kind of an upgrade are you really looking for? Do you love your AKG K601 or would you like to try a different sound signature like Grado's or Ultrasone? Possibly Sennheiser HD 600?

I meant the money I could get for my LD1+, extra tubes and opamps(I would guess about 110-120 after shipping and such) and an additional 100 dollars of Christmas money. So around 200 give or take 20 bucks, most likely used from here.

When it comes to my k601s, I've never heard anything better, my previous cans were 280 pros(which I despise now) and I also have hd 201s and ATHm30s. I guess the 601s ended up a decent match since I listen to almost everything but screamo, country and newer Pop-type music. But I wouldn't be totally against a can change.

 

[stang]

Oh sorry, still waking up haha. Lol screamo, if you are referring to metal, it's not screamo at all, like 90% of metal bands never scream in their songs. Well if you really like your K601, I probably would recommend sticking with them, or going for something a bit different like sennheiser hd600/hd650. I would recommend a tube amp upgrade to something like the Little Dot MKIII or what I have, the Qinpu A-3. It is regarded as better than the Little Dot MKIII and is only $169, also cheaper than the MKIII. The HiFiMan EF2 is also great as it's also a DAC.

 

[dcpoor]

i wouldn't recommend a cheap/lowend otl amp for the k601 or k701. solidstate or hybrid is the way to go for those headphones imo.

 

[stang]

Well upgrading from the MK1+ that he has right now may be difficult, as he needs quite a bit of more money.

 

[iamthecheese]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stang /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well upgrading from the MK1+ that he has right now may be difficult, as he needs quite a bit of more money.

How much more money are we talking about here for an improvement over the 1+?

 

[stang]

Well you are looking at something of the minimum (to make your troubles worth while) a Little Dot MK IV (tube amp, IDK much about SS) which is about $345us new from ebay with shipping within the US. So yeah, you would be looking at something like $200 absolute minimum. The Little Dot MKV is also great and isn't a tube amp: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f42/fs...ka-mkv-370167/

That is an unbelievable price but make sure it's the same voltage as you require before buying any amp. Makes me want to buy it even though I have no need for it

. If i were you, a good idea would probably to get the MKV and a DAC with RCA output to connect to the MKV. Just an idea.

 

[iamthecheese]

Well since it seems a new amp is my target, I'm gunna ask the mods to move this to the desktop amps section, and further research k601 amps.

 

[iamthecheese]

Sorry for the double post but I thought I'd bump this in its new section and with some new info.

I've had an offer on my 1+ package, so that puts my budget at 225-250.
Now I'm debating tube vs SS vs hybrid. I've heard from a couple places that a SS or hybrid goes well, but I'm really clueless on what I want.

 

[stang]

Hybrid. See if you can pick up a used Millet Max (I think it is called) for around that price, shouldn't be too hard. I hate solid state, the sound is so cold, detailed but sounds lifeless to me and there is too much treble. I'd love to have a hybrid but need to find one that i love and has 1/4" headphone out instead of 1/8".

 

[iamthecheese]

I think after alot of searching around the forums and the web I'm capable of building a MiniMax, to make it easy so I don't have to pick out the parts I think I'm gunna pick up this kit:
Beezar.com