[Armaegis]

I think even "native DSD" is just more buzzwords, right up there with balanced and class-A. The processing and filtering of dsd vs pcm are very different, and implementing both in a dac will compromise the other. So it's either have a completely standalone dsd dac (which only does dsd) with it's own filters on a separate board, or have suboptimal both. So virtually all dac chips, even the new ones, do an adhoc conversion to pcm so at least that side of the equation can be optimized.
 
Not that it matters, since there are incredibly few recordings done in dsd, and even fewer that were processed within dsd architecture (which is nearly impossible anyways).

 

[-iKa-]

I think even "native DSD" is just more buzzwords, right up there with balanced and class-A. The processing and filtering of dsd vs pcm are very different, and implementing both in a dac will compromise the other. So it's either have a completely standalone dsd dac (which only does dsd) with it's own filters on a separate board, or have suboptimal both. So virtually all dac chips, even the new ones, do an adhoc conversion to pcm so at least that side of the equation can be optimized.

Not that it matters, since there are incredibly few recordings done in dsd, and even fewer that were processed within dsd architecture (which is nearly impossible anyways).

I would say that it's arguable that ripping records to DSD sounds better, but I do agree with you that there simply isn't enough material to warrant an only DSD DAC. Hmmm... XMOS chips have specific pinouts for DSD so maybe you could do isolated PCM and DSD DACs that lead to the same outputs (ideally XLR or Coaxial)

EDIT: So not entirely related to my previous statement, but as it turns out the ESS Audiophile grade DAC Chips use DoP (DSD over PCM) Which is exactly what @Armaegis was saying. However, the AKM 449X series seems to be going directly from DSD to soft mute, meaning that they aren't doing a conversion to PCM prior. Hmmm... This is making me reconsider any and all DACs that use the ESS chips for DSD compatability.

EDIT: I'm wrong about DoP, jumped to conclusions because of the name. It is pure DSD Data just using a PCM interface to transport said data

 

[SennheiserMiser]

Haven't chimed in for a while, the next meet sounds like it's going to be quite a good get together was hoping to get a chance to pop by. I do have a lot of questions about the new setups and tech.
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by -iKa- /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Also, if anyone has any of the Ultrasone stuff I want to give it a try to see if it's really as bad as people say it is...

 
A bit disappointed though, it was my buddy that has the Ultrasones who I brought to a few meets (see Nathan's comments below). His main cans which he still swears by. Not much incentive to bring gear down when the goal appears to be to trash it. On the fence about making the trip now.
 

 
There were a couple guys from way back in the early days that had some Ultrasones, but I haven't seen them in years. You really aren't missing much.

 

[Armaegis]

   
A bit disappointed though, it was my buddy that has the Ultrasones who I brought to a few meets (see Nathan's comments below). His main cans which he still swears by. Not much incentive to bring gear down when the goal appears to be to trash it. On the fence about making the trip now.
 

 
Holy moly, long time no see!
 
There was no disrespect meant man... but headphones have come a long way the past few years. Even the flagships from years past are getting left behind these days. The Senn HD600/650 is still holding ground, but the Beyerdynamics and AKG's have fallen behind to "mid fi" status and have been surpassed by new competitors.
 
Ultrasones have always had a really strange presentation to them via that S-Logic which is very polarizing for listeners. I used to have the Pro750 which was a fun head thumper, but not very clean at it. I had some Ortofon DJ cans which were oem's of the Ultrasone's that had a similar feel to them. The Ultrasone HFi series was a bit better, but had similar treble resonance issues as Beyerdynamic cans on top of the S-Logic effect.
 
But of course, this is just one singular opinion on matters. I'm sure others would love the chance to hear them and form their own opinions.

 

[-iKa-]

A bit disappointed though, it was my buddy that has the Ultrasones who I brought to a few meets (see Nathan's comments below). His main cans which he still swears by. Not much incentive to bring gear down when the goal appears to be to trash it. On the fence about making the trip now.

I honestly meant no harm, and as ears and hearing are all subjective, there's a chance that I might actually like them. I think the thing that many people agree on with them is that they have incredible imaging, and in that case there are many songs I would love to test on them (At least that's what I've heard).

Also a little edit: The Yulong U200, although it does support DSD128, had an issue where it would produce a loud pop at the start of all DSD128 songs, and they were worried about the potential loss of headphones due to their amp, so they disabled DSD128 Compatibility.

 

[-iKa-]

Just got my DT990 600 Ohm... Anyone got any tube amps they wanna sell?

 

[Leftbehind]

Dark voice 668

 

[Armaegis]

Just got my DT990 600 Ohm... Anyone got any tube amps they wanna sell?

 
If you're handy with a soldering iron, build yourself a Bottlehead Crack + Speedball. It's a great amp for high impedance cans.

 

[SennheiserMiser]

<snip>   I honestly meant no harm, and as ears and hearing are all subjective, there's a chance that I might actually like them.........

 

  <snip>    Holy moly, long time no see!
There was no disrespect meant man... but headphones have come a long way the past few years. Even the flagships from years past are getting left behind these days.........

 
Thanks Guys, sorry to have read too much between the lines. I hope to be able to make it on the 19th and put some new faces to their forum signatures. Nathan, are you still looking for a receiver? I've got an old Luxman that I could let go. Pots (volume and balance mostly) need a little cleaning, but other that that it's in fine shape. Also, one of the things I was hoping to pick members brains about at the meet was, is anyone using a DAC setup from a iOS device's lightning cable to a traditional headphone amp? I was heavy into DIYing my own cables back in the 30 pin days, but was hoping that a practical solution for lightning was available so I could use my ALO amps with my new iPhone.

 

[q2klepto]

   
If you're handy with a soldering iron, build yourself a Bottlehead Crack + Speedball. It's a great amp for high impedance cans.

 
It seems to be pretty good for my HD800, although i havent blinded tested it level matched against my audio-gd 15
 
Then again its tube vs ss..

 

[-iKa-]

Yeah, the reason that I'm looking for a tube amp is because I want to tame the highs a bit on the DT990s. I'm aware that I could always do the felt in front of the driver mod but I'm sort of a "purist" per se and I feel like that would ruin the DT990s strengths (as a V shaped headphone). That said, it's quite ironic of me to say that, considering I'm currently designing wooden cups for my shp9500 :/

 

[Armaegis]

  Yeah, the reason that I'm looking for a tube amp is because I want to tame the highs a bit on the DT990s. I'm aware that I could always do the felt in front of the driver mod but I'm sort of a "purist" per se and I feel like that would ruin the DT990s strengths (as a V shaped headphone). That said, it's quite ironic of me to say that, considering I'm currently designing wooden cups for my shp9500 :/

 
If you're looking to "tame" parts of the sound, a new amp will not do it. A simple felt pad is easy and cheap, so doesn't hurt to try at least. Also toss some filler material into the cup; much of the peakiness in the highs is due to the cup resonance that most Beyers exhibit.
 
 
 

   
 
Thanks Guys, sorry to have read too much between the lines. I hope to be able to make it on the 19th and put some new faces to their forum signatures. Nathan, are you still looking for a receiver? I've got an old Luxman that I could let go. Pots (volume and balance mostly) need a little cleaning, but other that that it's in fine shape. Also, one of the things I was hoping to pick members brains about at the meet was, is anyone using a DAC setup from a iOS device's lightning cable to a traditional headphone amp? I was heavy into DIYing my own cables back in the 30 pin days, but was hoping that a practical solution for lightning was available so I could use my ALO amps with my new iPhone.

 
I actually scrapped together a half-broken amp that sorta does the job, but I may still be interested. I'll send you a pm.
 
Lightning cables are a tricky matter. Part of the reason Apple switched to the lightning connector was to maintain control over aftermarket cables and prevent non-authorized cable makers. I know in the beginning it was practically impossible due to actual IC's in the hardware... but I'm not sure if anyone has cracked it in recent times.

 

[-iKa-]

If you're looking to "tame" parts of the sound, a new amp will not do it. A simple felt pad is easy and cheap, so doesn't hurt to try at least. Also toss some filler material into the cup; much of the peakiness in the highs is due to the cup resonance that most Beyers exhibit.

Oh, I already tried it, and liked it, but I guess it was just the massive change from neutral to bright-V that got me. On the other hand, I just got the MSUR N650 in the mail (ordered both headphones around the same time) and they're fantastic. Think the DT990's bass performance (or maybe even better, I still need to get some mental burn-in on these) with smoother and way less peaky treble and fantastic imaging all while looking nicer and being more comfortable. I'll be bringing them to the meet.
 
EDIT: Did A/B comparisons in between the two, disregard my previous comparisons, they're nothing like the DT990s. I don't exactly know how to explain them. I guess you could say a darker W shape.

 

[Armaegis]

For those interested, my two most recent amp reviews:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/830987/review-neurochrome-hp-1-making-sweet-love-to-your-hd650-or-what-the-o2-wishes-it-could-be/
http://www.head-fi.org/t/834149/review-wolf-ear-makoyi-canadian-tubey-goodness

 

[-iKa-]

  For those interested, my two most recent amp reviews:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/830987/review-neurochrome-hp-1-making-sweet-love-to-your-hd650-or-what-the-o2-wishes-it-could-be/
http://www.head-fi.org/t/834149/review-wolf-ear-makoyi-canadian-tubey-goodness

I remember reading the neurochrome HP-1 review a while back, I really wanna try it now. (Also I found the review quite a good read!)
 
Also, I was wondering what kind of electrostats and planars are being brought to the meet? I'm debating in between my next headphone being a planar or an electrostat.