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Anyone who dismisses a better DAC as non-essential is incorrect.

TheAudiophile
On 24/05/2016 at 4:59 PM, TheAudiophile said:

Hi guys, I know you two don't care about my opinion, this is for everyone else.

I'm not an audiophile, i don't even care that much for audio quality as long as i can hear the bass and highs and it's decent i'm happy.

But i know that you have some real DAC issues as you seem to sleep with the 90AWG wires that are made of glass or something.

My wiires are made out of rubber bands and have zero interference because there is no sound that can go through them, i ultimately win this argument GG.

let us all remember now and today, computers do not like abuse, they will fight back!

Old Skool KILLBOX. XEON E5640 4.0ghz / ASUS P6X58D-E ~ Noctua NH-L12 ~ eVGA GTX 670 SC 2GB 1312/7000 ~ 4TB 7200 RPM RAID0 ~ CoolerMaster Haf 922 ~ DELL P214H 23" 1080 IPS 2ms ~ HP w2007v 1680x1050. Now Playing: Splinter Cell OG XBOX / CSGO PC

 

 

Original XBOX - Xecuter 2 4981.67 Bios. Playstation 2 Slim SCPH-70002. Sega Dreamcast. N64

 

 

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On 24/05/2016 at 7:32 PM, TheAudiophile said:

By getting as much as possible out of the signal path and stripping it down to the bare essentials using only high-quality components, I find that there is much more actual "sound information" coming through.

 

I don't mean "detail" like the treble or midrange is increased. In fact, there is no frequency response bump anywhere. The best way I can explain it is as if there is a magnifying glass on the sound itself, allowing one to hear further into the music, revealing new bits of sound information that was not audible with an inferior DAC. Things like texture of strings, auxilary noises on the piano, a more complete image of a snare drum hit, you're able to hear the recording environment more clearly, etc. Of course, the better the recording, the more new sound is revealed.

I once thought that my game was running faster even though it was capped at 100FPS every time i played it, turns out red bull gave me wings.

let us all remember now and today, computers do not like abuse, they will fight back!

Old Skool KILLBOX. XEON E5640 4.0ghz / ASUS P6X58D-E ~ Noctua NH-L12 ~ eVGA GTX 670 SC 2GB 1312/7000 ~ 4TB 7200 RPM RAID0 ~ CoolerMaster Haf 922 ~ DELL P214H 23" 1080 IPS 2ms ~ HP w2007v 1680x1050. Now Playing: Splinter Cell OG XBOX / CSGO PC

 

 

Original XBOX - Xecuter 2 4981.67 Bios. Playstation 2 Slim SCPH-70002. Sega Dreamcast. N64

 

 

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1 hour ago, WasThatDave said:

I'm an audio enthusiast. Getting a better DAC was something I did after I got a couple of nice pairs of headphones. Listened on my headphones on my old DAC (Bitfrost). I got a pair of V-Modas and a pair of Hifimans and decided to upgrade (Gungnir). DAC upgrading wasn't on my radar until I had the money and decided that I could put off upgrading my headphone collection for a bit. Its all preference. I had a pair of Yamaha HS8 studio monitors. I upgraded to a pair of Focal SM9s. A lot of people would say that me getting those wasn't essential or necessary. But to me it was. "Essential" depends on the person. Things I find essential you may not. Just like I find Macs are essential for working with audio. A million people could tell me otherwise and stay that they're not and give me all the reasons as to why they're not. So instead your statement could be "I find getting a better DAC to be essential, here are some things to watch out for" or something like that.

 

How does the GoonYear sound?

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1 minute ago, SSL said:

 

How does the GoonYear sound?

I defenently notice a difference in overall quality. Especially in the high end on the HE560s. But I also think that is partially due to the fact that I plugged the Bitfrost into a USB hub instead of directly into my computer. Won't be doing that again. It really helps because I use 192khz songs and the Bitfrost and Gungnir both supported them but my onboard audio didn't. I also had some warbling and jitter issues with the Bitfrost but those are gone now. Never could figure out what caused them. Slowly though I'll get more headphones to listen on. Then I'll get a better sense of it. (only had the Gungnir for 3 months)

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5 minutes ago, WasThatDave said:

I defenently notice a difference in overall quality. Especially in the high end on the HE560s. But I also think that is partially due to the fact that I plugged the Bitfrost into a USB hub instead of directly into my computer. Won't be doing that again. It really helps because I use 192khz songs and the Bitfrost and Gungnir both supported them but my onboard audio didn't. I also had some warbling and jitter issues with the Bitfrost but those are gone now. Never could figure out what caused them. Slowly though I'll get more headphones to listen on. Then I'll get a better sense of it. (only had the Gungnir for 3 months)

Hello fellow HE 560 user :D 

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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1 minute ago, Dackzy said:

Hello fellow HE 560 user :D 

I'm not alone! 

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Just now, WasThatDave said:

I'm not alone! 

They are amazing headphones, if you like their sound signature of course. I am kinda in the market for a tube amp that I can try them with, do you know a good one for them

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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6 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

They are amazing headphones, if you like their sound signature of course. I am kinda in the market for a tube amp that I can try them with, do you know a good one for them

Definitely the Schiit Lyr 2. Since the HE560s are low sensitivity and low impedance that makes them harder to drive so you need an amp with some power.

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2 minutes ago, WasThatDave said:

Definitely the Schist Lyr 2. Since the HE560s are low sensitivity and low impedance that makes them harder to drive so you need an amp with some power.

I can drive them with my onboard with no problem :D I was kinda looking into the vali 2 because well it is cheap :D I will give the lyr 2 a look.

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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Just now, Dackzy said:

I can drive them with my onboard with no problem :D I was kinda looking into the vali 2 because well it is cheap :D I will give the lyr 2 a look.

If you can drive them already then the Vali 2 is great! xD

 

(just found the emojis lol)

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Just now, WasThatDave said:

If you can drive them already then the Vali 2 is great! xD

 

(just found the emojis lol)

I don't really find them that hard to drive.. I use my O2 part of my O2/ODAC combo, but only really because it is a lot nicer to use that then onboard for volume control, I turn it up to 9 or 10 o'clock.

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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1 hour ago, hex4 said:

I'm not an audiophile, i don't even care that much for audio quality as long as i can hear the bass and highs and it's decent i'm happy.

But i know that you have some real DAC issues as you seem to sleep with the 90AWG wires that are made of glass or something.

My wiires are made out of rubber bands and have zero interference because there is no sound that can go through them, i ultimately win this argument GG.

Just like to point out, lower gauge is thicker, higher gauge is thinner.

n0ah1897, on 05 Mar 2014 - 2:08 PM, said:  "Computers are like girls. It's whats in the inside that matters.  I don't know about you, but I like my girls like I like my cases. Just as beautiful on the inside as the outside."

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4 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

I don't really find them that hard to drive.. I use my O2 part of my O2/ODAC combo, but only really because it is a lot nicer to use that then onboard for volume control, I turn it up to 9 or 10 o'clock.

Thats cool I always found mine hard to drive. But yeah the Vali 2 would do great.

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42 minutes ago, spwath said:

Just like to point out, lower gauge is thicker, higher gauge is thinner.

But OP get's all the ladies by going 90AWG.

let us all remember now and today, computers do not like abuse, they will fight back!

Old Skool KILLBOX. XEON E5640 4.0ghz / ASUS P6X58D-E ~ Noctua NH-L12 ~ eVGA GTX 670 SC 2GB 1312/7000 ~ 4TB 7200 RPM RAID0 ~ CoolerMaster Haf 922 ~ DELL P214H 23" 1080 IPS 2ms ~ HP w2007v 1680x1050. Now Playing: Splinter Cell OG XBOX / CSGO PC

 

 

Original XBOX - Xecuter 2 4981.67 Bios. Playstation 2 Slim SCPH-70002. Sega Dreamcast. N64

 

 

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2 hours ago, WasThatDave said:

I'm not alone! 

 

HE-560 club!

 

I want a Schiit Leer, Too.

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12 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

HE-560 club!

 

I want a Schiit Leer, Too.

Just buy one xD How much are they in the US.?

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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Just now, Dackzy said:

Just buy one xD How much are they in the US.?

 

$450. Gonna get a GTX 1070 first, and pay off my student loans.

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4 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

$450. Gonna get a GTX 1070 first, and pay off my student loans.

oh it's 450€(502$) in EU. Wait and see what AMD comes out with.

Before you buy amp and dac.  My thoughts on the M50x  Ultimate Ears Reference monitor review I might have a thing for audio...

My main Headphones and IEMs:  K612 pro, HD 25 and Ultimate Ears Reference Monitor, HD 580 with HD 600 grills

DAC and AMP: RME ADI 2 DAC

Speakers: Genelec 8040, System Audio SA205

Receiver: Denon AVR-1612

Desktop: R7 1700, GTX 1080  RX 580 8GB and other stuff

Laptop: ThinkPad P50: i7 6820HQ, M2000M. ThinkPad T420s: i7 2640M, NVS 4200M

Feel free to pm me if you have a question for me or quote me. If you want to hear what I have to say about something just tag me.

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10 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

oh it's 450€(502$) in EU. Wait and see what AMD comes out with.

 

Nah. My most played and most demanding game is Skyrim with ENB, which generally runs better on nVidia cards. Plus, EVGA.

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On 24-5-2016 at 5:23 PM, TheAudiophile said:

an eBay kit that cost me $35 shipped plus another $80 in quality passives and 2 output transformers.

and how much is the soldering job worth? out of the 585 members online right now i'd dare to bet less than 100 would even dare picking up a soldering iron let alone finish with a quality soldering job. PS, you just mentuoned $115 worth of parts, plus whatever the output transformers are. if you add in labour something like an o2 suddenly becomes a very approachable solution. (the skill is worth something as well.)

 

also, audio is VERY subjective, its about as subjective as a choice of music genres. i prefer the sound of my tube amp thats older than myself, i give zero shits about noise floor or high bitrate flacs, i just want to enjoy my music. theres a multitude of reasons why i prefer my tube amp over any modern solution, and truth is that when i'm on the go i "consume" my music with apple earpods and 128kbit ogg vorbis. with all the blind A/B testing i've done, i cannot find a reason why i'd need high bitrate flacsif i literally cant tell the difference between my ogg files and anything else, on any sound system i have set up between the toaster amp, my pioneer surround sound, and a variety of headphones.

 

if it really comes down to it, even if the $115 makes a difference, it can make a much bigger difference somewhere else if you consider that that's about what i paid for my smartphone, or will pay me 2 months of a BALLIN dedicated server in a datacenter, or a whopping year of a decent VPS. (not to mention that theres a lot of families that kinda have less than that for food on a weekly basis, most likely someone scrolling trough this thread is in that very situation.)

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7 minutes ago, manikyath said:

and how much is the soldering job worth? out of the 585 members online right now i'd dare to bet less than 100 would even dare picking up a soldering iron let alone finish with a quality soldering job. PS, you just mentuoned $115 worth of parts, plus whatever the output transformers are. if you add in labour something like an o2 suddenly becomes a very approachable solution. (the skill is worth something as well.)

Not to mention that you also need the soldering gear. I'd probably be comfortable with doing the whole soldering job, but I don't have the equipment. And then I'd also have to source something to keep it in, etc, etc.

 

8 minutes ago, manikyath said:

If it really comes down to it, even if the $115 makes a difference, it can make a much bigger difference somewhere else if you consider that that's about what i paid for my smartphone, or will pay me 2 months of a BALLIN dedicated server in a datacenter, or a whopping year of a decent VPS. (not to mention that theres a lot of families that kinda have less than that for food on a weekly basis, most likely someone scrolling trough this thread is in that very situation.)

Yeah, that's pretty much what I think as well. $100 is more than a week's worth of food for me. It's money I have to spend on gas, insurance, and all kind of other necessities.

 

"But it's only X amount of money!" Yeah, and that amount is more often than not better spent on other stuff.

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1 minute ago, GlassBomb said:

Not to mention that you also need the soldering gear. I'd probably be comfortable with doing the whole soldering job, but I don't have the equipment. And then I'd also have to source something to keep it in, etc, etc.

 

Yeah, that's pretty much what I think as well. $100 is more than a week's worth of food for me. It's money I have to spend on gas, insurance, and all kind of other necessities.

 

"But it's only X amount of money!" Yeah, and that amount is more often than not better spent on other stuff.

well, i'd generally consider the people who'd dare their hands on a kit for a high end device to have at least some kind of soldering iron they practisced with. (if ersa sees what i do with my soldering station they'd take it from me xD)

 

as for the money part, it kinda ties in with my concept of "stationary money":

 

in "stationary money" $100 isnt a lot, i can hand you a $100 bill, you'll notice its gone by the end of the week. but once you get into having to pay for food, rent, etc. thats no longer "stationary" and suddenly that $100 extra is worth much, much more since everything that comes in pretty much flows right back out to the basic necessities of life. you may have a spare $100 at the end of the month to put on your bank account of "stationary money". but theres so many other things you can do with this money, even within the audio world, that'll be a VASTLY better investment than that chinese DAC kit and a bunch of passives from your retailer of choice.

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55 minutes ago, manikyath said:

well, i'd generally consider the people who'd dare their hands on a kit for a high end device to have at least some kind of soldering iron they practisced with. (if ersa sees what i do with my soldering station they'd take it from me xD)

 

as for the money part, it kinda ties in with my concept of "stationary money":

 

in "stationary money" $100 isnt a lot, i can hand you a $100 bill, you'll notice its gone by the end of the week. but once you get into having to pay for food, rent, etc. thats no longer "stationary" and suddenly that $100 extra is worth much, much more since everything that comes in pretty much flows right back out to the basic necessities of life. you may have a spare $100 at the end of the month to put on your bank account of "stationary money". but theres so many other things you can do with this money, even within the audio world, that'll be a VASTLY better investment than that chinese DAC kit and a bunch of passives from your retailer of choice.

 

Well you see, the basic kit is about $30 so the OP has us there!!!

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4 minutes ago, SSL said:

 

Well you see, the basic kit is about $30 so the OP has us there!!!

but.. from my understanding you need $80 worth of passives on top of that?

 

and i'm nowhere near knowing my shit in the audio field, but "output transformers" doesnt sound cheap xD

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