IRdac/Help finding dac for tubeAMP Headphones

[Soulfire20]

Looking to get the Irdac from arcam but it cost $799 can anyone tell me if it is worth it, going to use it with a tube Amp. Any other suggestions For a dac paired up with Woo audio wa7? Looking for dac that has USB input. Just so you know I live in canada so some products are hard to get/more expensive then in USA.

[SSL]

Looking to get the Irdac from arcam but it cost $799 can anyone tell me if it is worth it, going to use it with a tube Amp. Any other suggestions For a dac paired up with Woo audio wa7? Looking for dac that has USB input.

 

Isn't the wa7 an amp/DAC combo unit? Or am I missing something?

[Soulfire20]

It is But i want to get more sound out of it by adding a better dac to it. What do you suggest? New dac or just get more Headphones? with a dac i can add it to another system. 

[TheGrapeEscape]

It is But i want to get more sound out of it by adding a better dac to it. What do you suggest? New dac or just get more Headphones? with a dac i can add it to another system. 

 

I'm curious about your reasoning. I may be wrong here, so someone please correct me if I am. I would like to think, that if you wanted to get the tube sound experience you would want a tube DAC, and a transparent solid state amp. My reasoning here, is that the DAC and vacuum tube in use is what should be colouring the sound in a tube system, and that the amp shouldn't be interfering. Additionally, SS amps (and please correct me here too) provide more power at a cheaper price point, for hard to drive headphones.

 

My 2 cents, but I hope it makes sense.

[creatip123]

I'm curious about your reasoning. I may be wrong here, so someone please correct me if I am. I would like to think, that if you wanted to get the tube sound experience you would want a tube DAC, and a transparent solid state amp. My reasoning here, is that the DAC and vacuum tube in use is what should be colouring the sound in a tube system, and that the amp shouldn't be interfering. Additionally, SS amps (and please correct me here too) provide more power at a cheaper price point, for hard to drive headphones.

 

My 2 cents, but I hope it makes sense.

 

I think the tube is actually part of the amp, so the one doing the 'tube flavor' coloring should be the amp, not the DAC. After all, we often heard of a 'tube amp', but I've never heard of a 'tube DAC'

 

To OP: I found that when discussing DACs, the difference between one and the others are often minuscule, so it's hard to say 'this DAC is better than that DAC' (unless maybe there's a $1000+ difference between the 2). Most of the times, they are just different, but not necessarily better. I compared the Fiio E10 and E07k's DACs head to head, and there are small differences, but neither is better than the other. So it comes down to personal preference really, best is to go to an audio store to audition various DACs yourself to find which one you like best. 

[Soulfire20]

SO to answer <removed> quest is that it has an dac in it and for the amping part it is tubes. They did just release a Tube Power supply for the unit called WA7TP so you can tube roll it and change the sound but it is expensive and it only works with the WA7.

 

 

 Creatip123 those are kinda low end products into the market. I have looked on other forums and people are saying some make the music come out better not sure if it is BS or not. I want to get a dac so i can use it in another system as well but ultimately I want to add it to the WA7.

Edited August 10, 2020 by SansVarnic

[ShearMe]

I think the tube is actually part of the amp, so the one doing the 'tube flavor' coloring should be the amp, not the DAC. After all, we often heard of a 'tube amp', but I've never heard of a 'tube DAC'

 

Most DACs have a small amp circuit (even if not designed to drive headphones) to get the signal to line-level, and it is in this stage where some do indeed have tubes. The Aune T1 is the best example I know of - it has a tube DAC and SS amp all in one little unit.

 

 

I have looked on other forums and people are saying some make the music come out better not sure if it is BS or not. I want to get a dac so i can use it in another system as well but ultimately I want to add it to the WA7.

 

The difference between individual headphones out-scales the differences between amps so much that I personally went from a $700+ DAC/Amp stack to a $40 OEM unit because there's simply so little a difference. If you want nice big audio components just for the sake of having nice things, more power to you, but don't expect some magical experience.

 

IMO, it makes little sense to pay for a DAC inside an amp that you're not even going to use. Get a standalone amp instead of the WA7 if you truly believe the integrated DAC is inferior.

[Soulfire20]

I actually own the WA7 all ready just wanting to change the sound up to more detail. I thought a dac can deliver more detail to the unit. If your saying it is not worth it then i guess i should just spend the money on headphone was looking to get the HE-500 but maybe the HE-560 instead. Still not sure what to do. Looking for headphone good for vocals/mid bump. I got the Q701 which are good but wanting something else now.

 

any headphone recommendations? that pairs well with that amp/dac combo? 

[ShearMe]

I actually own the WA7 all ready just wanting to change the sound up to more detail. I thought a dac can deliver more detail to the unit. If your saying it is not worth it then i guess i should just spend the money on headphone was looking to get the HE-500 but maybe the HE-560 instead. Still not sure what to do. Looking for headphone good for vocals/mid bump. I got the Q701 which are good but wanting something else now.

 

any headphone recommendations? that pairs well with that amp/dac combo? 

 

The Q701 is already pretty detailed, so if that's an issue I'd point my finger at the tube amp instead of the DAC. Have you tried them on a good SS amp?  If you think the amp might be the issue, the HD600 has the impedance to pair well with tube amps.

 

For better mids, I'd suggest looking at the ATH-AD1000X. They have a nice airy sound for the mids/lower highs, that's not quite as detailed as an AKG, but is more pretty (if that makes sense).

 

I would not suggest the HE-500 for what you're wanting - the upper mids/lower treble are lacking compared to the Q701. Haven't seen any graphs of the HE-560 yet.

[creatip123]

Most DACs have a small amp circuit (even if not designed to drive headphones) to get the signal to line-level, and it is in this stage where some do indeed have tubes. The Aune T1 is the best example I know of - it has a tube DAC and SS amp all in one little unit.

 

 

 

Never heard of it until now. So I guess there is such thing as a 'tube DAC' then...

 

To OP: From few planars I've tried (T50RP, HE400, LCD-2), they have similar sound signatures, which is warm sounds (good, stable lower mids) and good quality lows. For mids and high, though, I think dynamics are better. On the other hand, I think tubes also gives a somewhat warm sounds too (from what I gathered from references). If you love warm sounds, planars + good tubes are perfect. If you love brighter sounds, the combo don't work so much, like shearme said.

 

*I'm curious what the HD800 (super bright+clear) would sound when plugged to an extra warm tube amps. Should be perfect, but never tried it......

[Soulfire20]

so your going off the graphs? From what I have gathered on Head-fi.org the HE-500 is what i am looking for.... as in people are saying they are good for vocals. The hd800 I would like to buy but it is kinda out of price range for now.

 

I have seen Lachlan videos Not sure if that is a headphone for me... I got the AD900X and didn't like them as in something was missing from them compared to the Q701. O and when i pair my Q701 to the asus phoebus sound card the bass seems less bunchy/tight. Not sure how to describe it just lacking something their and it sounds better overall on the WA7.   

[creatip123]

so your going off the graphs? From what I have gathered on Head-fi.org the HE-500 is what i am looking for.... as in people are saying they are good for vocals. The hd800 I would like to buy but it is kinda out of price range for now.

 

I have seen Lachlan videos Not sure if that is a headphone for me... I got the AD900X and didn't like them as in something was missing from them compared to the Q701. O and when i pair my Q701 to the asus phoebus sound card the bass seems less bunchy/tight. Not sure how to describe it just lacking something their and it sounds better overall on the WA7.   

 

That's the hard thing, to describe abstracts with words. By no means the planars are bad for vocals. They're between good to very good. It's just they tend to sound warm. Problem is, I (or we) don't know what you'd like and how much you like it. 

 

I'm using HE400 as my main headphone, paired with E10. The vocals are very good, but tends to be warm and denser (which is what I like). The higher mids are a bit missing, but got clear again in the highs. Put it simple, just for the mid+high balance + clarity alone, I'd say my AD700 is better than the HE400. Of course for overall sound quality, the HE400 stomps AD700 right away.

 

Now I heard the HE500 got a bit balance-tweaked compared to the HE400, but by how much, I don't know, never audition for one. @Lays here use HE500+ODAC, try ask him. 

 

For mid+high clarity alone, nothing I've auditioned so far beat the HD800

[ShearMe]

so your going off the graphs?

 

 

Not completely - I have a fair bit of experience with other headphones which helps me correlate the graphs of headphones I haven't heard, alongside what's said in reviews.

 

From what I have gathered on Head-fi.org the HE-500 is what i am looking for.... as in people are saying they are good for vocals. 

 

Psh, people on Head-Fi say they're good for everything. They're really not a vocal-centric headphone.

 

I have seen Lachlan videos Not sure if that is a headphone for me... I got the AD900X and didn't like them as in something was missing from them compared to the Q701. O and when i pair my Q701 to the asus phoebus sound card the bass seems less bunchy/tight. Not sure how to describe it just lacking something their and it sounds better overall on the WA7.   

 

See, now what you're describing is a desire for more bass, not vocals. Do you even know what you want?

[Lays]

@Soulfire20 @creatip123

 

 

The he-500's are quite amazing, the bass is quite nuts, the mids are clear and great sounding.   If I was ever to think of a balanced headphone, that'd definitely be the one.   I've never heard a headphone besides the LCD lineup that compares with the bass, it goes ALL the way down, and stays extremely detailed and tight the entire way. It sounds so clear while having great presence in every range.

 

Personally, the highs were a bit fatiguing to me (I'm treble sensitive I think), using them with a tube amp may of fixed that, but at the time I didn't have a zillion dollars to go and spend on amps to figure out what I liked most.

 

If you can get them for ~450$ off ebay, or head-fi's classifieds, or even razordogaudio it's a great deal IMO and will blow almost any headphone in that price range away in terms of each category (mids, bass, highs)   The soundstage isn't quite as wide or seperated as other's in that price range though, from reviews I've seen the HD650 has a much bigger soundstage, and probably AKG's lineup does as well.

 

I returned them since then, and I'm waiting for someone to buy the item I'm selling in the classifieds so I can buy LCD-2 (What I wanted in the first place, but ended up settling for the he-500)

[TheGrapeEscape]

I think the tube is actually part of the amp, so the one doing the 'tube flavor' coloring should be the amp, not the DAC. After all, we often heard of a 'tube amp', but I've never heard of a 'tube DAC'

 

I was just thinking out loud really  I have an Aune T1 (tube dac/ss amp all-in-one) and it works amazingly well with the HE-500, and it only costs ~$160. It pumps a little under a watt into the 38 ohm impedance, which is pretty impressive for a $160 tube experience. If I wanted a tube amp that performed similarly I could be paying double or triple.

 

If OP is looking for a good headphone to pair with tubes, planar magnetics are excellent.

[creatip123]

I was just thinking out loud really  I have an Aune T1 (tube dac/ss amp all-in-one) and it works amazingly well with the HE-500, and it only costs ~$160. It pumps a little under a watt into the 38 ohm impedance, which is pretty impressive for a $160 tube experience. If I wanted a tube amp that performed similarly I could be paying double or triple.

 

If OP is looking for a good headphone to pair with tubes, planar magnetics are excellent.

 

Dangit....you got my consumerism sense tingling again.....

 

I noticed there's an option to get the T1 with 6N11 tube, or the 6922 tube. Any insights on those?

[TheGrapeEscape]

Dangit....you got my consumerism sense tingling again.....

 

I noticed there's an option to get the T1 with 6N11 tube, or the 6922 tube. Any insights on those?

 

From what I recall the 6N11 is the stock tube that the T1 comes with, and the 6922 been an upgraded tube for an additional cost. I would recommend you start with the 6299, or if you can the 7308 as it's considered one of the best pairings with the T1. 

 

I'm no audiophile so I'll let the guys at head-fi give you their impressions on tube rolling http://www.head-fi.org/t/633006/aune-t1-usb-tube-dac-amp-discussion-thread-see-first-post-for-faq , but I will say that the 7308 did sound better to me by a fair margin.

 

I'd give it a go if you're interested in testing the vacuum tube waters, it's a very competent dac/amp combo.

[Soulfire20]

SO it looks like I am not looking for a Vocal Headphone but a more well balanced and over all good at most music type of headphone. I want to see how Planer magnetic headphone sound so I will see how the HE-560 are when their is more people that tried them.

 

I like the bass on the AKG Q701 it is not to heavy on the bass and not to light when paired with the WA7. What I listen to the most is J-pop/anime/k-pop music, some jazz and then anything else that sounds good to me.

 

Not sure if I should get the HE-400 because sounds like the treble is not that good compared to the Q701. When I first put on the Q701 I noticed the Treble and it sounded amazing in some track and jazz music.   

[TheGrapeEscape]

SO it looks like I am not looking for a Vocal Headphone but a more well balanced and over all good at most music type of headphone. I want to see how Planer magnetic headphone sound so I will see how the HE-560 are when their is more people that tried them.

 

I like the bass on the AKG Q701 it is not to heavy on the bass and not to light when paired with the WA7. What I listen to the most is J-pop/anime/k-pop music, some jazz and then anything else that sounds good to me.

 

Not sure if I should get the HE-400 because sounds like the treble is not that good compared to the Q701. When I first put on the Q701 I noticed the Treble and it sounded amazing in some track and jazz music.   

 

I have a pair of HE-400s running of an ODAC/02 combo at work. I highly recommend them as well, but they do have issues with treble and can become fatiguing (at least to me). I listen to classical piano and violin and they are amazing (I would expect jazz to be similar), but put on anything modern that has constant frequency in the highs and it can get a bit too much after awhile. On a warmer dac/amp, as you would find in tubes, I expect them to behave more favourably. The HE-500s are the warmer sounding headphones compared to the HE-400, and are really nice to listen to on a tube dac (and I suppose in general). On a price to performance ratio, I would rate the HE-400s better.

[Soulfire20]

Thanks for all the replays APPRECIATE IT. Might try and LCD 2 and see how those are but not sure if it is worth that 1k price range. HIFIMAN produces are decently priced I think for what they offer. So I guess the DAC is out of the picture now.

 

 

while we are at it anyone know where to get headphone cable IN CANADA/VANCOUVER so I can make my own cable for the Q701 i got the connectors all ready.    

[creatip123]

From what I recall the 6N11 is the stock tube that the T1 comes with, and the 6922 been an upgraded tube for an additional cost. I would recommend you start with the 6299, or if you can the 7308 as it's considered one of the best pairings with the T1. 

 

I'm no audiophile so I'll let the guys at head-fi give you their impressions on tube rolling http://www.head-fi.org/t/633006/aune-t1-usb-tube-dac-amp-discussion-thread-see-first-post-for-faq , but I will say that the 7308 did sound better to me by a fair margin.

 

I'd give it a go if you're interested in testing the vacuum tube waters, it's a very competent dac/amp combo.

 

Thanx. Now I just have to find a store that carries Aune. It's not easy finding something like these in my country....

[Soulfire20]

For the Planer magnetic headphone are they good for MOVIES and movie like music where you need sub-woofer level/low end on the bass?  

[ShearMe]

For the Planer magnetic headphone are they good for MOVIES and movie like music where you need sub-woofer level/low end on the bass?

The best thing about them is their bass response.

[creatip123]

For the Planer magnetic headphone are they good for MOVIES and movie like music where you need sub-woofer level/low end on the bass?  

 

I'd say it's quantity vs quantity. My HE400 have tight, dense bass with short fall-off time. Speaking of quantity, it may not be as bassy as say M50, or M100 (but then again, never compared them head to head, just auditioned them one by one), but quality-wise, it's much better.

[TheGrapeEscape]

The best thing about them is their bass response.

 

Especially considering they're generally open headphones.