DAC and Amp Help

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, WereCat said:

Depends on where he lives. I got the HD650 new from Amazon for less when the HD6xx were on Massdrop. The shipping cost + tax + fees from US would be almost another +$200.

Last I checked they were completely out of stock for good. I'm surprised to see they still have them available. 

[Max_Settings]

Just now, NCIX Lampy said:

Last I checked they were completely out of stock for good. I'm surprised to see they still have them available. 

They have another 7000 pairs available

https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-sennheiser-hd6xx

[WereCat]

Just now, NCIX Lampy said:

Last I checked they were completely out of stock for good. I'm surprised to see they still have them available. 

Which ones do you mean? HD6xx or HD650?

[Max_Settings]

But we are all still waiting for this budget that we all requested but you refuse to give for some reason

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, WereCat said:

Which ones do you mean? HD6xx or HD650?

The HD6XX, I thought those were a one time thing limited edition or whatever 

[Max_Settings]

Just now, NCIX Lampy said:

The HD6XX, I thought those were a one time thing limited edition or whatever 

They were, but not anymore. I just linked them to you

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

But we are all still waiting for this budget that we all requested but you refuse to give for some reason

you*

 

I seem to have moved forward a bit without having to provide that information. 

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

 I just linked them to you

I'm not blind lol 

[Max_Settings]

1 minute ago, NCIX Lampy said:

you*

 

I seem to have moved forward a bit without having to provide that information. 

You apparently have not read the responses because others have requested that. And you have yet to give a reason for not giving a budget

[loculus]

If you listen to music/stuff very loudly or classical/jazz/some other stuff that might be mastered quietly (peaks much higher than average volume), you may want to make sure the amp (or combined DAC/amp) is capable of more than 2V rms, maybe more like 5V or more to be really sure for headroom.

 

Beyond that, whatever you think looks nice, is functional, and isn't shoddily made. If you like the tube life, warming tubes up, swapping, occasional maintenance, etc., then go for that. Otherwise, don't.

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

You apparently have not read the responses because others have requested that.

Feel free to quote them as a source. Again, you seem to be the only one. 

3 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

And you have yet to give a reason for not giving a budget

I like to collect information first before I make important decisions. 

[Volbet]

13 minutes ago, NCIX Lampy said:

Do you have a recommended place for where to shop for amps and DACs? I'm thinking Amazon over things like Newegg just because of stock choices and larger market and inventory choices etc... 

Depends on what DAC and amp you're intersted in. 

I would just shop where they have the selection you want. 

 

You could also check out Schiit Audio. Their stuff is generally recommended and that is for good reasons. 

 

13 minutes ago, NCIX Lampy said:

Pretty sure I know what tubes are, but could you explain what you mean by "solid state"? 

It just referes to how the circuitry is build. A solid state amplifier will use solid state components (diods, transistors, etc), while a tube amp will use vacuum tubes.

Tube amps tend to have much higher distortion than solid state amps, which is what can be beneficially in certain applications.

 

13 minutes ago, NCIX Lampy said:

Can you go into detail a bit by what you mean by that? 

Just a colourful way to say that the HD 600-series is a bit boring to listen to on their own and a tube amp will help breath some life into it. 

[Jade]

9 hours ago, NCIX Lampy said:

I did, did I miss something in particular? 

 

This thread's first post has amp and DAC recommendations on the lower half of it.

Edited July 17, 2017 by wkdpaul
cleaned up

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, Jade said:

This thread's first post has amp and DAC recommendations on the lower half of it.

Oh holy shit they go up to higher end Xeon prices... yikes... 

 

I thought they would cost something like $500 at most. 

I kind of wish I knew the differences in them so I could be a lot more precise of what to look for. 

[BestPCBuilder2017]

 

3 hours ago, Volbet said:

Tube amps tend to have much higher distortion than solid state amps, which is what can be beneficially in certain applications.

Really?... I thought distortion was something to avoid. I don't see how that would be beneficial. 

 

[Dackzy]

1 hour ago, NCIX Lampy said:

Oh holy shit they go up to higher end Xeon prices... yikes... 

 

I thought they would cost something like $500 at most. 

I kind of wish I knew the differences in them so I could be a lot more precise of what to look for. 

The general differences between them is that basically the higher end you go on the list, the cleaner the DAC is going to be. The higher end DAC will have more detail and with some it will give your sound a wider soundstage.

And you also gain different types of inputs and outputs. The amp improvements are generally cleaner power, more detail and so on, but these improvements are often very subtle.

 

For most people a combo like the NFB 11.28 is more than enough, but ofc that is a solid state DAC and amp. Yes you can get tube DACs.

As Volbet said, they do like tubes, so it might be an idea to look into the darkvoice tube amp and maybe a modi 2.

 

Also you can get gear that cost 5 times as much as the most expensive DAC I recommend

[BestPCBuilder2017]

4 hours ago, Dackzy said:

The general differences between them is that basically the higher end you go on the list, the cleaner the DAC is going to be. The higher end DAC will have more detail and with some it will give your sound a wider soundstage.

And you also gain different types of inputs and outputs. The amp improvements are generally cleaner power, more detail and so on, but these improvements are often very subtle.

 

For most people a combo like the NFB 11.28 is more than enough, but ofc that is a solid state DAC and amp. Yes you can get tube DACs.

As Volbet said, they do like tubes, so it might be an idea to look into the darkvoice tube amp and maybe a modi 2.

 

Also you can get gear that cost 5 times as much as the most expensive DAC I recommend

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.......................

 

I'm thinking about a modi2, but I don't know what to get for a tube amp then. The DarkVoice you stated seems to be sold out/discontinued 

[BestPCBuilder2017]

6 hours ago, Volbet said:

Just a colourful way to say that the HD 600-series is a bit boring to listen to on their own and a tube amp will help breath some life into it. 

@Dackzy If you could help on this if you're available

 

So if I wanted a "transparent" sound, I would avoid the tube amps, right? I'm not interested in adding anything extra. I just want clarity and purity. I'm not the type of person to add extras afterwards. 

[Dackzy]

12 minutes ago, NCIX Lampy said:

Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.......................

 

I'm thinking about a modi2, but I don't know what to get for a tube amp then. The DarkVoice you stated seems to be sold out/discontinued 

it comes on massdrop from time to time for 200$ https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00CF9JON8/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1500285663&sr=8-1&keywords=darkvoice&condition=new There you have it for 310$

2 minutes ago, NCIX Lampy said:

@Dackzy If you could help on this if you're available

 

So if I wanted a "transparent" sound, I would avoid the tube amps, right? I'm not interested in adding anything extra. I just want clarity and purity. I'm not the type of person to add extras afterwards. 

sure. If you want the headphone to be as transparent as they can get you want to go with solid state since they don't color the audio to the same degree.

If you go solid state, then I personally think it is worth spending the extra cash on the NFB 11.28 vs a schiit modi 2 + Magni 2, it is just an amazing combo for the price and it gives you three ways to connect your PC to it, plus a preamp for speakers, so you can control your active speakers' volume with it. You can also do that with the Magni 2 uber, but it is simply not as good of an amp as the one the nfb 11.28 has built in.

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, Dackzy said:

it comes on massdrop from time to time for 200$ https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B00CF9JON8/ref=sr_1_1_olp?ie=UTF8&qid=1500285663&sr=8-1&keywords=darkvoice&condition=new There you have it for 310$

sure.

Okay 

3 hours ago, Dackzy said:

If you want the headphone to be as transparent as they can get you want to go with solid state since they don't color the audio to the same degree.

Thank you!!!!!

3 hours ago, Dackzy said:

If you go solid state, then I personally think it is worth spending the extra cash on the NFB 11.28 vs a schiit modi 2 + Magni 2, it is just an amazing combo for the price and it gives you three ways to connect your PC to it, plus a preamp for speakers, so you can control your active speakers' volume with it. You can also do that with the Magni 2 uber, but it is simply not as good of an amp as the one the nfb 11.28 has built in.

 

[BestPCBuilder2017]

3 hours ago, Dackzy said:

If you go solid state, then I personally think it is worth spending the extra cash on the NFB 11.28 vs a schiit modi 2 + Magni 2, it is just an amazing combo for the price and it gives you three ways to connect your PC to it, plus a preamp for speakers, so you can control your active speakers' volume with it. You can also do that with the Magni 2 uber, but it is simply not as good of an amp as the one the nfb 11.28 has built in.

I don't really need many connectors though. The most I can see for my future audio experience would be adding bookshelf speakers to complete the set. I don't know how many connectors I would need for something like that. 

[Dackzy]

Just now, NCIX Lampy said:

I don't really need many connectors though. The most I can see for my future audio experience would be adding bookshelf speakers to complete the set. I don't know how many connectors I would need for something like that. 

just the higher quality would IMO be worth the extra cash. It would only really work as a preamp for active speakers, you know the ones that plug into the wall.

[seduce_me]

Eh the DarkVoice can go up in flames from what I've seen. The Vali 2 seems to be more recommended more often elsewhere. 

[Max_Settings]

5 hours ago, NCIX Lampy said:

Okay 

Thank you!!!!!

 

Just note that the tubes on the Darkvoice reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit, so you have to be very careful with it and be sure not to touch it or leave it on when you aren't using it. 

[BestPCBuilder2017]

8 hours ago, Max_Settings said:

Just note that the tubes on the Darkvoice reach 300 degrees Fahrenheit, so you have to be very careful with it and be sure not to touch it or leave it on when you aren't using it. 

I won't be using the Darkvoice, or any tubes.