[Nandro]

Well, I have a Meir Aria on its way, should be here on Tues so I'll let you guys know how that works with the built in DAC. Supposidly its a remarkable sounding amp, regardless of the DAC and i am hoping it makes my PC into a good source. This will be in my review. If there is anything specific i should do reviewing it I am all ears. I also have a Trends UD-10 that should be here at the same time, so I should be able to use it to compare my LD II and the Total Bithead as well. My PC and iPod are my main sources and will be for the foreseen future if I can get them to sound good.

 

[Gladcow]

i think i understand what a DAC is... i was planning on getting one solely connectable via usb port but i was thinking of getting one with the option of some kind of digitcal in. in case i decide to buy a new soundcard i can bypass it and run it into the external DAC(from what i understand the external DAC is naturally better quality but im not sure where the exceptions lay)

nandro, im interested to see what you think about the aria. let me know as soon as you get it

btw do you know if the actual amp part is supposed to be significantly better than the headfive or the arietta. is the gain factor a significant measurement by how "strong" the amp is, because it has an equal gain factor to the arietta and the headfive. just curious cause im still learning about some of this terminology.

i hate to drag my own thread even more off topic but for those of you who have bought or sold equipment through this site can you explain the process to me? im planning on buying a used headfive from templeofear but being this is my first time buying anything im a little too catious. basically what i understand is if paying by paypal i send him the funds and then he ships the item to me and if i get screwed i can report as fraud to paypal and receive my money back right?

 

[Nandro]

Thats why I have been trying to get a decent DAC amp, I suppose its more important to me because my PC is my primary source

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thats why I have been trying to get a decent DAC amp, I suppose its more important to me because my PC is my primary source

dont know if its more important to you, i just dont think im as concerned as i should be

once i get a headphone and amp then ill probably be concerned more. your right though the aria looks like a good deal for the dac combo. especially with the option of the digital in or usb connectivity. if wasnt for the fact im planning on getting a used headfive i probably would have waited and saved up for one. im excited for you so let me know how it compares to your ldII. BTW does anyone know if you can use an external DAC with the 360? i have a feeling the driver installation will be a problem.

so trying to get back on topic, does anyone else have an opinion on the dt880 vs k701? i should have made it a poll but oh well...

 

[Nandro]

The PC should pick up a DAC as a basic audio driver and let it do its thing. I will do a full review on the Aria as soon as I get it and get a chance to run it through its paces. I have never done a review myself so any input would be taken under advisement. Should be here tomorrow by its shipping date. I plan to compare it using it on the PC and also against my Sony CD player which is really not a good model. I do have an Oppo up converting DVD for my HD tv which I have read has much better components so I may use that.

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif The PC should pick up a DAC as a basic audio driver and let it do its thing. I will do a full review on the Aria as soon as I get it and get a chance to run it through its paces. I have never done a review myself so any input would be taken under advisement. Should be here tomorrow by its shipping date. I plan to compare it using it on the PC and also against my Sony CD player which is really not a good model. I do have an Oppo up converting DVD for my HD tv which I have read has much better components so I may use that.

wow this thread is just going to keep getting more off topic. hows the quality of your dvd up-converter? i've had an hdtv for a while (friend at best buy marked-down a display model so i had like 80% off, it was the only way i could have afforded one). i can really see the lack in quality when using a standard dvd player or even my xbox360. i could always get the hd-dvd adaptor for the 360 but i question the quality of the player plus that means spending more on the dvds. add on top of that i personally think blu-ray is going to beat out hd-dvd and it sounds like a good idea.

 

[illy2k]

well first of all both can's the DT880's and the 701's are of the same value, they are both great cans. Like anything in this world though neither of them are perfect nor are they the same. The choice comes down to what you prefer in the type of sound you are looking for and the music you listen to. DT-880's are great for non-bass heavy music in which airy passages can come out with ease. They are a very rich headphone in that sense, with a somewhat deep soundstage. The 701's are similar in the respect but their soundstage is a bit more neutral and they are great throught the whole range of the frequency spectrum not only mid's and high's but bass too. It all depends on the flavor you like.

gl deciding

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by illy2k /img/forum/go_quote.gif well first of all both can's the DT880's and the 701's are of the same value, they are both great cans. Like anything in this world though neither of them are perfect nor are they the same. The choice comes down to what you prefer in the type of sound you are looking for and the music you listen to. DT-880's are great for non-bass heavy music in which airy passages can come out with ease. They are a very rich headphone in that sense, somewhat deep soundstage. The 701's are similar in the respect but they are great throught the whole range of the frequency spectrum not only mid's and high's but bass too. It all depends on the flavor you like.

its starting to sound like the k701 is more of what im looking for. i dont want to leave myself with a can that specializes with only one genre of music or sound. it seems like with the k701 ill have the most balanced sound that will work well with anything i throw at it. plus when beyer comes out with a new model it might make the dt880 more affordable and a better way to spend my money.

 

[Nandro]

And odd that the 880's 2005 series seem to be more money than the 990's. Are the 990's a better sounding can?

As far as upconverting dvd, the Oppo isnt the best out there, but is great for the money and can be modified heavily by places like RAM http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Me...oduct_Count=39

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif And odd that the 880's 2005 series seem to be more money than the 990's. Are the 990's a better sounding can? As far as upconverting dvd, the Oppo isnt the best out there, but is great for the money and can be modified heavily by places like RAM http://www.referenceaudiomods.com/Me...oduct_Count=39

yea im suprised more people havent piped in about the new dt990s being cheaper than the dt880s.

The oppo's seem interesting. Im gonna wait and hear how you think the dac on the aria sounds in comparison to the dvd player. my birthday is coming up march 5 so if a good upconverter can double over as a good DAC then i think i just found what i want for my birthday

 

[Nandro]

I've had people say they had better up converters, but the price of the oppo is unbelievable for what it does, not to mention it plays divx, avi, mpeg and all audio formats minus the windows and apple, also I don't think it plays flac either, but when the Aria gets here I will do a small write up on it as a source as well. I can say that as I sit here jamming out to the Who on my LD II through the Bithead as a dac (the bit head cannot get enough volume to the 701's thru the pc) that they are sounding better and better. The 701's seemed allot more analytical, but it seems they are loosening up a bit and widening their range as well. Wish I had some Beyers to compare.

 

[Gladcow]

yea that was what caught my eye was the price. might be a good investment, especially with those upgrade options.

a quick question for you about the bithead. can it be used solely as a DAC or did you just turn the volume down on it and basically reamp the signal with your LDII.

 

[Nandro]

I just reamped the signal. There are cheap Dac's out there which I could have gone with, but after talking to Todd and reading about it, the Aria is supposedly in a class by itself as far as sound and features in its price range....we shall see...

 

[Gladcow]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nandro /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just reamped the signal. There are cheap Dac's out there which I could have gone with, but after talking to Todd and reading about it, the Aria is supposedly in a class by itself as far as sound and features in its price range....we shall see...

ooh im gonna start getting jealous once you actually start talking about your experience with it. but for less than half the price im gonna have to live with the headfive and find a good source another way.

that would have been great if the bithead had the option of only being a DAC. i would have bought that as my DAC and then use it with my portable rig also. oh well looks like i have something else to read about.

 

[Nandro]

Nothing wrong with getting the headfive, and believe me I know financial constraints of the worst sort. I lost my entire house due to injury. The ony reason I am even getting this is due to the generosity of my family and Christmas. I have lived with an RA-1 clone and X-Cans's v1 which I am looking to sell soon or now if I find a buyer. Anyhow, The Amp will make a world of difference, much more than a dac will IMHO. Get your amp and enjoy it.