Thread: Headphones & Speakers...

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

I had home studio and well yeah I had all kinds of stuff like many Korg synths and I measured loss and things and it was all for nothing. Euro bitch stole it all

Just a reminder how pointless it all can be. Better luck next life

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

But I'm setting up new home studio, life is beautiful again.
After all this time I can't decide on sequencer software, always used cubase

My God, what a great attitude: life is about getting it all and losing it all, and all with equanimity.

In Buddhism, equanimity (upekkhā, upekṣhā) is one of the four sublime attitudes and is considered: Neither a thought nor an emotion, it is rather the steady conscious realization of reality's transience. It is the ground for wisdom and freedom and the protector of compassion and love.

Maybe I am a bad Buddhist but I am much worse Christian

So, eh, did you have any advice regarding sequencers then?

I'm a Bowers and Wilkins fan.
For computer speakers,the MM1s are brilliant. The USB connection is fed to an "audiophile" quality digital-to-analog converter.

For headphones I use P7s. The only problem I had with them is that the soft leather ear pads are prone to mould if stored in high humidity, so I just have to make sure I keep them in an air cond room, or in their pouch with the desiccant.

Neither of these was cheap, but I expect them to last for quite a few years.

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

Maybe I am a bad Buddhist but I am much worse Christian

Like my new sig, EH?

Originally Posted by Exit Strategy

So, eh, did you have any advice regarding sequencers then?

I haven't the faintest clue what they are. As Baldrick said:

Originally Posted by baldrick

I think Troy or Hazz are our resident electronics engineering gurus

You can include baldrick in that list. 555

Originally Posted by bsnub

I just got a new DAC and tube headphone amp.

Congrats! What's the rest of your setup (player, music files or CDs, vinyl)?

Snubbles, r u in LOS? Where did you buy the DAC?

On Friday, I just got my Headstage Arrow 5TX headphone amp that I paid for back in Aug., hahaha.



Headstage is a one-man show and he wanted to service his first-time customers first. Since I was a reorder customer and still had my 4g model, I could survive with that for 8 months. And I got $100 off.

So my amp has a builtin DAC and my computer does too and there's a switch on the 5TX that lets me toggle between the two. And my music library is made up of flac files on my external HDD and I use JRiver Media Center to play my music, movies, etc. on my computer. Oh, and my headphones are Marshall Monitors.

my question is, should I go for an external DAC on top of all this and how I should go about it here in TH?

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Congrats! What's the rest of your setup (player, music files or CDs, vinyl)?

Right now I mainly play music off my PC. Mainly FLAC and MP3's@320. I have some vinyl as well but I need to get a new receiver which is why I decided to get the new DAC. I use Foobar and have it completely custom configured. For headphones I have a pair of Audio Technica AD700's, Phillips SPH9500's and several IEM's.

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Snubbles, r u in LOS? Where did you buy the DAC?

I am in the US right now. I got the DAC off amazon. A great deal for $100. Here is a review;



I like your setup. I will look into Headstage. I almost went with a Mayflower DAC. That is also a one man show.

Originally Posted by bsnub

I am in the US right now. I got the DAC off amazon. A great deal for $100. Here is a review;

Amazon won't ship to Thailand.

I'm more interested in your testing than a review. How has your testing gone? You know, the sound using your tube DAC vs straight into PC. Are you using Windows? What version? It has had a builtin DAC for a long time: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/231943

Also, does your amp have a builtin DAC? If so, you can use that in your testing. What are you looking for the DAC to produce for you? My main interest in a DAC would be increased volume with no loss of clarity. Robert is so good, I kinda think it would be a waste of my money unless I went into a high-end model DAC. Then we're talking even more money.

Last question, what player are you using on your PC to play your flac and MP3 files?

Originally Posted by bsnub

I like your setup. I will look into Headstage. I almost went with a Mayflower DAC. That is also a one man show.

I don't know if you've heard of HEAD-FI.org. If not, it's a forum dedicated to musical gear. If you want to see how popular the Arrow is, check out the 252 page thread dedicated strictly to the Arrow amp. You'll find a couple of my posts on the last page: Headstage Arrow HE: Reviews, Impressions, Perceptions & Sensations - Page 252

I'm sure you'll find a thread dedicated to DACs, if not to each one specifically, including yours. Quite a forum for real, I mean real music gear techies. I feel this stupid.

Appologies.

This one.

Originally Posted by wjblaney

I'm more interested in your testing than a review. How has your testing gone? You know, the sound using your tube DAC vs straight into PC.

I do not have a tube dac. I have a tube amp that I plug into my DAC. The sound coming from either the DAC or the tube amp is vastly superior then the sound that comes off the pc.

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Also, does your amp have a builtin DAC?

No and you must not of followed the link I posted showing the review of my tube amp on headfi.

Originally Posted by wjblaney

What are you looking for the DAC to produce for you?

Simple to produce clean neutral sound for my tube amp.

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Last question, what player are you using on your PC to play your flac and MP3 files?

Foobar

Originally Posted by wjblaney

I don't know if you've heard of HEAD-FI.org.

Yes I linked to it in my older post.

Originally Posted by bsnub

I do not have a tube dac. I have a tube amp that I plug into my DAC. The sound coming from either the DAC or the tube amp is vastly superior then the sound that comes off the pc.

Does the sound from both together vastly surpass the sound from one or the other alone?

Originally Posted by wjblaney

Originally Posted by bsnub

I do not have a tube dac. I have a tube amp that I plug into my DAC. The sound coming from either the DAC or the tube amp is vastly superior then the sound that comes off the pc.

Does the sound from both together vastly surpass the sound from one or the other alone?

Well I need the DAC to convert the signal from the PC so I can not use the tube amp without it. The DAC also has an amp so I can use it alone. The sound is very nice and clean. It also has a gain switch to get more volume if needed.

When I plug the tube amp into it the sound get more rich and detailed. It really warms the sound up. Well worth it in my opinion.

That Blaney would send a glass eye to sleep

Originally Posted by bsnub

Well I need the DAC to convert the signal from the PC so I can not use the tube amp without it. The DAC also has an amp so I can use it alone. The sound is very nice and clean. It also has a gain switch to get more volume if needed.

When I plug the tube amp into it the sound get more rich and detailed. It really warms the sound up. Well worth it in my opinion.

It's the gain and volume switches that interest me the most. The gain on the 5TX has three settings O (off) I (intermediate) H (high). It also has a digital volume control with 65-steps and mute function. It costs $399 USD.

Originally Posted by Dillinger

That Blaney would send a glass eye to sleep