[Rednamalas1]

I would just like a quick opinion on building a future rig (~1 yr away) and I would like to have a rough idea which cans should be avoided and which cans should be recommended.

I'm thinking of going balanced (or at least excellent tubes, such as Zana Deux) and I heard great things about using Grado RS-1, HD650 to use with vinyl rig.

I'm trying to devise an dynamic rig to match my upcoming Stax rig (possibly 717-OII mk1 combo).

help please!

thank you for your inputs

p.s. I am aware of using better cartridge, tonearm, record cleaner etc will reduce surface noise So I guess this could be about which headphones should be recommended with vinyl. etc

 

[nikongod]

Use whatever cans with analog you like with digital. Simple and true.

If you have the o2's now, I would get the TT, arm, and cart (and cleaning system!) sorted out before looking at new cans. Putting together an analog front-end is about as much work and thought as picking a set of headphones. the rewards are awesome, but 1 change at a time....

 

[Pangaea]

More than the phones, a good tube amp will help round out the surface noise.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikongod /img/forum/go_quote.gif Use whatever cans with analog you like with digital. Simple and true. If you have the o2's now, I would get the TT, arm, and cart (and cleaning system!) sorted out before looking at new cans. Putting together an analog front-end is about as much work and thought as picking a set of headphones. the rewards are awesome, but 1 change at a time....

ahh. don't worry about that

I have my vinyl set up at least half-decently. I'll be getting staxs around december.
Currently I can't appreciate the full benefit of my vinyl rig because of my amp is only half-decent

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pangaea /img/forum/go_quote.gif More than the phones, a good tube amp will help round out the surface noise.

I was thinking about that too, any good tubes you can recommend?

thanks guys!

 

[edstrelow]

The Stax 007 is a superb general phone but has a bit of a peak at about 8KHz which will pull up the surface hiss noise. The Stax Sigmas (low bias, pro or 404 mod) however have a very euphonic sound for vinyl. They were of course originally built when vinyl was king.

 

[Rednamalas1]

^ for 007, O2, and O2 mk2? - all three?

 

[Tiemen]

The DT150 covers LP surface noise better than K601.
Maybe because they are slightly darker sounding.
It seems to me, the brighter the headphone, the more surface noise you hear.
The MDR-1700 and DT770 consumer edition were bad with vinyl regarding noise.

 

[fuzydice]

You want something with veiled/recessed highs.. If I break out headphones with my vinyl setup I reach for the Sennheiser HD580.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fuzydice /img/forum/go_quote.gif You want something with veiled/recessed highs.. If I break out headphones with my vinyl setup I reach for the Sennheiser HD580.

why would I want recession/veil of any kind?

 

[AudioDwebe]

I don't get it. If you get a headphone geared specifically at reducing surface noise, wouldn't that also reduce the same frequencies in the music, itself?

If you've got a decent rig, and clean records in good shape, there really shouldn't be much surface noise, at least not while the music is playing.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudioDwebe /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't get it. If you get a headphone geared specifically at reducing surface noise, wouldn't that also reduce the same frequencies in the music, itself? If you've got a decent rig, and clean records in good shape, there really shouldn't be much surface noise, at least not while the music is playing.

I guess I'm looking for more forgiving amp/headphone setup for my dynamic such as grado RS1. When I do get my stax rig, later on, surface noise might be little too much - that's what I'm afraid of. I'll know soon enough, but if that surface noise becomes unbearable, I might use O2s with SACD instead, while using more "forgiving" dynamic rig. And I do love the sound of vinyl

It's all speculative for now, but this rig is still a year away.

My OP didn't make a lot of sense, I apologize

 

[Uncle Erik]

Get the headphones you want and invest in record cleaning. Or at least learn how to give them a good cleaning in the sink. A clean record will have very little to no surface noise.

If you decide to go balanced, be sure to do your homework on balanced phono stages. That's part of the reason I've chosen to stay single-ended.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif Get the headphones you want and invest in record cleaning. Or at least learn how to give them a good cleaning in the sink. A clean record will have very little to no surface noise.

done, and done

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uncle Erik /img/forum/go_quote.gif If you decide to go balanced, be sure to do your homework on balanced phono stages. That's part of the reason I've chosen to stay single-ended.

yup, I've been reading upon that a bit too.

thanks!

 

[tongson]

Based on needledrops I heard from a Music Hall MMF 5.1 Turntable. I prefer my HD600 over my SR225.

No matter how clean (even mint) I can still hear some surface noise and pops. Sure is annoying. Hiss, crackle, surface noise and pops ain't musical afterall.

 

[AudioDwebe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tongson /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hiss, crackle, surface noise and pops ain't musical afterall.

Whhaaat?!?!?

That's just the heartbeat of the record.

Actually, on a decent rig, records in good shape (and washed) will have very little of the above noises.