[theitchybeard]

OK, so I'm thinking of treating myself to a pair of edition 9's, this website's killing me. To get the most out of them I am thinking about pairing them with a Woo Audio 6 headphone amp.

My question is, if my player is an Iaudio 7, would I be losing sound quality due to its lack of a dedicated line out, will the amp and headphones reach their full potential coming from a headphone out socket or would I need an upgrade to make it worth my while.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated
James

 

[jamato8]

Where do they have the edition ? I haven't seen any more production of them.

Ok, I just checked with Ultrasone and they do have some of the 9's, though as I said for almost a year, well maybe less, they are limited and it appears no longer made but some stock still exists with Northern Sound and Light and RMC having them. No idea of the next big hitter.

Back to your question. I don't know.

 

[Pricklely Peete]

Give all your money to the wife and quit while your ahead

IMHO a good source is critical. I have no idea what quality the Iaudio7 is capable of. Certainly a combo worth considering is a DAC/Amp head phone combination...if the Iaudio7 has a dock feature (like an IPod or others along the same lines) you may be able to skip the DAC. The WA6 is a well liked good/great sounding amp around here. I'd like to get an SE version some day....

As far as cans are concerned I'm only familiar with some AKG types and more recently HD650's. There should be lots of info available in the full size headphone forum to get you started with the Ed 9's.....

Another popular combination is a top notch CDP direct to your Can amp then to your headphones....that can be excellent, of course it depends on the quality of the CDP first and foremost. Decent CDP's can be had for a fair amount these days IMO.

I've most likely made things even more confusing .....sorry about that...there are loads of ways to kick that same can so to speak

Ask lots of questions...there are tons of super people here with mountains of experience...

Hope this helped a little.

Peete.

 

[theitchybeard]

Luckily I don't have a wife to give my money to, but I'm sure my girlfriend would appreciate it.

Thanks for the opinions, yeah, it's a tough decision, with the amount of money at stake I would really want to make sure it's a worthwhile investment, so if the Iaudio 7 won't provide a good enough signal, then I'd have to think of something different, although as far as MP3 players go I'm under the impression it's one of the best for SQ, and I do listen mainly to FLAC files, just lacks the line-out.

Maybe a CDP, but I have a severe lack of space on my desk for too many more gadgets, and the fact that it's actually my girlfriends desk wouldn't make her too happy either.

If anyone uses a headphone-out from an MP3 player to power a tube amp I'd love to hear your thoughts on it's sound quality, I have this set-up with my XXS and it sounds great, but obviously a tube amp is on a different level to a portable amp (from what I've read), so maybe the better source is the only way to go.

Cheers

 

[cAsE sEnSiTiVe]

Not sure of your budget, but I am now using a Modwright Transporter with my WA6 & ED9's. It replaced both a modded Wadia 861se, and a Marantz SA8001.

The X-porter was at least as good as the Wadia, and absolutely embarrassed the Marantz.

It runs about $3500+, but I can tell you in no uncertain terms, that I am done seeking any more sources.

That said, there are quite a few players out there that would be a good match. Any of the Wadia's or Esoteric's would be magic with that combo.

Whatever you decide on, look for a source that is fairly neutral in it's presentation.

 

[Spareribs]

IMO, for a good amp like the Woo, it deserves a good source. Something in the $1000 or more range is appropriate. If it's great and less than $1000, that could be fine too.

 

[theitchybeard]

Thanks very much for the help guys,

I think you've made it clear to me now, that trying to run such a quality amplifier and headphone combo from a sub $200 mp3 player just won't be doing it any justice.

I guess I'll have to give up on the idea, for now at least

I just can't justify spending around $3000 on a headphone set-up, I'm still in my 20's so haven't got an abundance of cash at my disposal, especially seeing that all the equipment in my signature has been purchased within the last year

I think, as many people have thought before me, my wallet needs a rest from my new found addiction, I just really want to experience the sounds of a tube amp as soon as possible.

Cheers

 

[Spareribs]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theitchybeard /img/forum/go_quote.gif I guess I'll have to give up on the idea, for now at least I just can't justify spending around $3000 on a headphone set-up, I'm still in my 20's so haven't got an abundance of cash at my disposal, especially seeing that all the equipment in my signature has been purchased within the last year I think, as many people have thought before me, my wallet needs a rest from my new found addiction, I just really want to experience the sounds of a tube amp as soon as possible. Cheers

You don't need to spend that much money. You can get a good tube amp for a couple hundred dollars used like a Little Dot or Dark Voice. And get a good CD player like a Marantz for a couple hundred dollars. Or perhaps a good Chinese DAC for a couple hundred dollars.

The total amount will be around $500 at the most, not including the headphone. If this seems like a lot of money, just save up for 2 years and put aside some money each week. This is what I have done in the past.
For a few hundred dollars, you can get a very impressive sounding amp and source. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars to get great sound.

 

[theitchybeard]

Well that sort of price sounds a lot more reasonable, I don't know why I always get it in my head that I have to spend so much for good sound.

I'm going to have to ask this question due to my lack of experience, but how does a DAC fit into a system? Is it for if you play music from a line-out of an mp3 player or PC?

 

[Luminette]

Yes, with ed 9s and a woo audio 6 you are really shortchanging all of that by only giving it such a poo source

It will all come full circle putting a good source in there. get some decent interconnects, too! and for powe cords at least get some entry-level power cables - nothing too expensive - just enough to go from stock crud to something decent. I picked up a bunch of hospital grade power cables for 6 bucks each from a head-fier a few months ago

I'm sure you'll end up curious as to playing with tube combinations, upgrading your WA6, interconnect combos and maybe a recable on the Ed 9s, but all of that can, and, I think should wait until you've got your core setup to see how you feel about it

 

[theitchybeard]

Yeah, the upgrade bug is pretty annoying, I can never stay content with what I have got for too long