Any audio guys?

[josh_05]

This is just a taste, I have changed a few things....

 

Gorgeous! what type of speakers are they and is that a Classe amp?

[ShearMe]

I am not saying it won't drive the headphones, but will it drive them well? My best bet is to try to see if you can borrow some different headphone amps or read up on head amps on Head-fi, there are loads of people having tried various combos with AKG headphones.

 

I've heard good things: 

http://littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=395

http://www.head-fi.org/t/430984/akg-k702-impressions/120#post_7416847

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?36806-Recommendations-for-an-affordable-Headphone-Amp-for-AKG-701s&s=e133772d2f4c22c86e3f414cfb016e41&p=721275&viewfull=1#post721275

 

I've literally never heard someone recommend a solid state amp just because of the ohm rating for a pair of headphones....

[Cheesebaron]

I've heard good things: 

http://littledot.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=395

http://www.head-fi.org/t/430984/akg-k702-impressions/120#post_7416847

http://www.hifiwigwam.com/showthread.php?36806-Recommendations-for-an-affordable-Headphone-Amp-for-AKG-701s&s=e133772d2f4c22c86e3f414cfb016e41&p=721275&viewfull=1#post721275

 

I've literally never heard someone recommend a solid state amp just because of the ohm rating for a pair of headphones....

So you say you want to run a OTL tube amplifier with sensitive in ear monitors? Good luck with that :D

OTL amps are designed to drive high impedance headphones as they output more voltage and have a big voltage swing with increased "load", that is just how it is. Increasing gain is fine however it adds noise and grain to the sound, which is not desirable.

So a tube amp will work with the Q701 and it will play loud, but they probably will sound less good than on a better matching amp. EOD.

[josh_05]

So you say you want to run a OTL tube amplifier with sensitive in ear monitors? Good luck with that :D

OTL amps are designed to drive high impedance headphones as they output more voltage and have a big voltage swing with increased "load", that is just how it is. Increasing gain is fine however it adds noise and grain to the sound, which is not desirable.

So a tube amp will work with the Q701 and it will play loud, but they probably will sound less good than on a better matching amp. EOD.

Ok, i'm not that good with the technical side of things but understand basic specifications and what not. Are you saying that in a nutshell, tube amps are high voltage therefore add noise to low impedance high sensitivity cans? It's an interesting one cause for example a lot of people swear by Grado and tubes yet all Grado's even the PS1000s are only 32ohm...

[Guest]

This is just a taste, I have changed a few things....

 

-snip-

The comb filtering on that would be horrendous.. 

[josh_05]

The comb filtering on that would be horrendous..

Is that because of the positioning of the speakers? I was interested to see what comb filtering was so i had a look on wiki haha.

[Cheesebaron]

Ok, i'm not that good with the technical side of things but understand basic specifications and what not. Are you saying that in a nutshell, tube amps are high voltage therefore add noise to low impedance high sensitivity cans? It's an interesting one cause for example a lot of people swear by Grado and tubes yet all Grado's even the PS1000s are only 32ohm...

 

Notice the OTL I wrote. OTL = Output Transformer Less, these tube amps, just like the name implies, do not have any Output Transformers, which make them excellent for High Impedance headphones. There are amplifiers with OT, which are a lot better for headphones with low to medium Impedance. So I am not saying that tube amps in general are bad with sensitive headphones, just those without OT's.

[josh_05]

Notice the OTL I wrote. OTL = Output Transformer Less, these tube amps, just like the name implies, do not have any Output Transformers, which make them excellent for High Impedance headphones. There are amplifiers with OT, which are a lot better for headphones with low to medium Impedance. So I am not saying that tube amps in general are bad with sensitive headphones, just those without OT's.

I see, I did have a quick skim through the post you linked me to yesterday but between trying to rip my CD's as efficiently as possible (not getting side tracked when a cd was ready lol) and it being really late here, i didn't get the chance to give it a thorough read.

[Cheesebaron]

Don't worry :) Just make sure when you choose a tube amplifier you choose the right one for the application. So if you intend to drive low impedance headphones choose an amp with OT and if you intend to drive high impedance headphones pick one without OT. There is of course some overlap in the middle ground where you might be able to run 250-300 Ohm headphones on either, depending on the sensitivity.

[Guest]

Is that because of the positioning of the speakers? I was interested to see what comb filtering was so i had a look on wiki haha.

In very simple terms when two drivers cover the same dispersion area. The lower you go in frequency, the less this is noticed and hence why you see cardioid subwoofer arrays used in live sound. However the higher you go the worse it gets when you almost have a polarity issue where one sound wave is canceled out by the other.

[josh_05]

Don't worry :) Just make sure when you choose a tube amplifier you choose the right one for the application. So if you intend to drive low impedance headphones choose an amp with OT and if you intend to drive high impedance headphones pick one without OT. There is of course some overlap in the middle ground where you might be able to run 250-300 Ohm headphones on either, depending on the sensitivity.

Meh, at this point i have no idea what to choose, i was considering the O1+ODAC now i'm not so sure because i'm worried the highs might be a little shrill and the bass a little lean with the Q701s. I just want a tight bass that will have decent impact with drums and that will reproduce the sound of a bass guitar without being overly boomy like a lot of gear is. If the Q701s are capable of that i'll be happy but i worry because so many people say how bass light they are. 

[Cheesebaron]

I am currently borrowing the Aune T1. Pretty OK little tube DAC/AMP you get a lot of value for the money in this one.

 

[josh_05]

I am currently borrowing the Aune T1. Pretty OK little tube DAC/AMP you get a lot of value for the money in this one.

 

Sweet, ill check it out :)

[Cheesebaron]

To quickly sum up my findings of this DAC/AMP the top and the bottom is a bit rounded. The highs tend to be slightly elastic sounding and the punch in the bottom is a bit less than my Audio-gd 10.2. However the 10.2 is out of the Aune's league by far. The Aune is really enjoyable, especially with acoustic music and vocals. However everything else I have thrown at it, it is very capable of playing with great pleasure, it is only if you are going to listen to the music very analytically you will notice the differences. It is great. Around 200 USD you wont find many great DAC/AMP alternatives that sound this good.

[josh_05]

To quickly sum up my findings of this DAC/AMP the top and the bottom is a bit rounded. The highs tend to be slightly elastic sounding and the punch in the bottom is a bit less than my Audio-gd 10.2. However the 10.2 is out of the Aune's league by far. The Aune is really enjoyable, especially with acoustic music and vocals. However everything else I have thrown at it, it is very capable of playing with great pleasure, it is only if you are going to listen to the music very analytically you will notice the differences. It is great. Around 200 USD you wont find many great DAC/AMP alternatives that sound this good.

I do like plenty of detail and a lot of clarity, hence considering the O2/ODAC, dont suppose you have heard the O2/ODAC to compare?

[Cheesebaron]

I do like plenty of detail and a lot of clarity, hence considering the O2/ODAC, dont suppose you have heard the O2/ODAC to compare?

I have had an O2 and it is a great little amp, however I can't remember the sound of the top of my head, but it was very capable as well. Not rounded off in the top and the bottom like the T1 is. Can't remember the detail of the sound though, so very hard to compare.

[josh_05]

I have had an O2 and it is a great little amp, however I can't remember the sound of the top of my head, but it was very capable as well. Not rounded off in the top and the bottom like the T1 is. Can't remember the detail of the sound though, so very hard to compare.

Thanks, from what i read the O2 doesn't seem to have any major flaws apart from being to neutral for some peoples taste... oh and some claim its a little thin sounding in the mids. I think i might go for the O2 at this point, then sort of work out from there what i want. it really kills me that i cant get demo's of all this kit. When i brought my HIFI only 6 months after i had it i decided i dint like the bass of the NAD gear and sold my CD player and AMP for a Rega Brio-r and Rega DAC. Anyway, i'm pretty confident i will like the O2 and i wouldn't mind trying something that's really neutral to see if that's what i like or not.

[Cheesebaron]

This also sounds like a very nice combo for the Q701: http://noblehifi.blogspot.dk/2013/03/schiit-modi-magni-review.html

 

Edit:

Ooops sorry didn't read it thoroughly, that combo is not so great for the Q701 :D

[josh_05]

This also sounds like a very nice combo for the Q701: http://noblehifi.blogspot.dk/2013/03/schiit-modi-magni-review.html

 

Edit:

Ooops sorry didn't read it thoroughly, that combo is not so great for the Q701 :D

Another one I've been considering :) Thanks

[knight_40k]

The comb filtering on that would be horrendous.. 

 

I disagree, I don't notice any audible differences or changes to sound due to positioning or distance.

 

Curious though, what would you recommend I change?

[ShearMe]

So you say you want to run a OTL tube amplifier with sensitive in ear monitors? Good luck with that :D

OTL amps are designed to drive high impedance headphones as they output more voltage and have a big voltage swing with increased "load", that is just how it is. Increasing gain is fine however it adds noise and grain to the sound, which is not desirable.

So a tube amp will work with the Q701 and it will play loud, but they probably will sound less good than on a better matching amp. EOD.

 

The total amount of power the amp can provide has nothing to do with whether or not you should use lower impedance headphones. The gain DIP switches on the Little Dot activate resistors which lower the power going to the headphones - they don't "add gain" and degrade the quality of the signal.

 

It depends on your preference as to whether you like OTLs or OTs, but neither is completely inadvisable to use with a particular impedance headphone.

[Slinkey]

I don't have any 'proper' speakers. [Logitech Z2300]

But for Headphones I have a Denon AH-D7000 currently have no amp, but running it off my ASUS Xonar Essence ST.

[ShearMe]

I don't have any 'proper' speakers. [Logitech Z2300]

But for Headphones I have a Denon AH-D7000 currently have no amp, but running it off my ASUS Xonar Essence ST.

 

pics or it didnt happen :P

[Guest]

I disagree, I don't notice any audible differences or changes to sound due to positioning or distance.

 

Curious though, what would you recommend I change?

A better spacing and surround setup if the room permits it.

[knight_40k]

A better spacing and surround setup if the room permits it.

 

I don't know if you can see it in that photo but there is a 3.5 ft spacing between each speaker, I guess it could be better but the room does not permit it. Also I do have surround speakers mounted on the walls beside the listening positions but agan they don't appear in the picture. That is just my front pic, showing Audyssey DSX height+wide with a proper center channel speaker, not a compromise horizontal one.

 

I guess I should have posted more pics to see the full layout or better explained what you were looking at.