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Author Topic: The All Purpose Advice Thread  (Read 139949 times)

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maverickronin

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1250 on: July 29, 2015, 03:42:06 PM »

This is what I mean about the spike: http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=7&graphID[]=573&scale=30 (link is bugged copy last bit)
Unless I'm reading this graph wrong I gonna need a amp that can drive headphones upto 600ohms to be safe.

Thank you.
 :)p7

You're not misinterpreting the graph's data but you are misunderstanding what it means.

All else equal, higher impedances are easier to drive well because they draw less current from the amplifier which results in less distortion.  In the real world all else is rarely equal though, and higher impedance headphones tend to have lower sensitivity than lower impedance models so you need to look at the efficiency specs to determine what amplifiers will be suitable for your needs.

Based on Tyll's measurements, the HD600s have a sensitivity of around 103dB/V (which is quite a bit higher than the 97dB/V that Senn themselves specify...) so, for example an output of 7.3 volts RMS (pretty much the O2's max on AC into higher impedance loads) will give you around 120db peaks which is plenty of head room.  I like the O2 just fine with my HD650s but other people around here will have different suggestions.  Pretty much anything they recommend is going to have enough voltage swing though.

That peak in the HD600's impedance become important when it's combined with the output impedance of the amplifier.  The higher the amp's output impedance, the more the peaks in the impedance will turn into EQ curves on the headphone's frequency response.  Something with a low output impedance like the O2 will make so noticeable change to the HD600's FR.  Something like a Bottlehead Crack with ~120 ohms of output impedance will give a few db of boot around 100Hz with the HD600.
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Armaegis

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1251 on: July 30, 2015, 06:54:37 AM »

In a recent binge of buying PA gear to set up various studios, I find myself with surplus of amps. An old Yorkville, a Carver, and a Bryston 2B, 3B and 4B. Then just today I noticed a local guy selling a Behringer DCX2496 for $300 CAD.

So now my brain is having silly thoughts of picking up the DCX2496 and then somehow building a 3 way active system with the Brystons (because it's a matching set, sort of). Should I build something? If so, any directions you guys would recommend? Or sell it all and avoid temptation  ::)

(was kinda thinking a CBT36k plus subs, but cheaper options would be nice)
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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1252 on: July 30, 2015, 07:06:18 AM »

Merv probably has some ideas. He luvs dicking around with his Behringer.
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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1253 on: July 31, 2015, 07:54:44 PM »

Looking for a second portable amp or amp/dac.

Given the long out of stock status of Leckerton and the historical low of Canadian dollar, I assume both Leck and Geek Out V2+ is out of my reach. How's pyrates' take on Piccolo amp and Oppo HA2?
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Xen

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1254 on: August 03, 2015, 07:11:15 AM »

So in the intro thread I mentioned I like a brighter sound. I also game a lot (not so much multiplayer though). After reading many impressions, reviews, and measurements, I think I would like to base a system around the HE-560. The 560 is not set in stone, though. Here is my plan:

Source - Games and movies through SPDIF AND FLAC through USB into a DAC/Pre
Dac/Pre - Unknown...Bifrost?
Amp - Preordered Cavalli Liquid Carbon.
Total budget: under $2k

So, I think the HE-560 can be an all-rounder. I'm going to build some DIY cables to make the HE-560 balanced. Depending on the DAC, I might build those interconnects, too.

Suggestions? Only thing "purchased" is the Amp.

Also, the plan is for this to be near end-game for me. At least I sure hope it is near endgame. Shopping for cables was very very scary.

Thanks
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Eric_C

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1255 on: August 04, 2015, 06:55:24 AM »

Xen: I have a 560 + Ember + Uberfrost setup, although I tend to use it for music, less for gaming. What kind of games do you play? I could run a few similar ones on my setup, if that'll help you have a better idea of what to expect. (Oh and my 560 uses stock cables)

To everyone else: how hifi is the music you listen to? I'm re-evaluating my setup in light of the fact that I'm content with 16/44.1, and may just want to stay with a HD600. Is upgrading my DAC or amp pointless?
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Xen

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1256 on: August 04, 2015, 07:14:03 AM »

Xen: I have a 560 + Ember + Uberfrost setup, although I tend to use it for music, less for gaming. What kind of games do you play? I could run a few similar ones on my setup, if that'll help you have a better idea of what to expect. (Oh and my 560 uses stock cables)
GTA, Far Cry 3, Saints Row 4, Skyrim, The Witcher, XCom: Enemy Unknown, Borderlands 2, etc. Yeah, a wide variety of single player. How do find the UberFrost? I keep seeing <redacted> and <redacted>^2 so I'm guessing Schiit has 2 DACs coming on August 15th.

To everyone else: how hifi is the music you listen to? I'm re-evaluating my setup in light of the fact that I'm content with 16/44.1, and may just want to stay with a HD600. Is upgrading my DAC or amp pointless?
I would suggest buying a track you know well in a higher resolution digital format and seeing if it makes a difference. My suggestion would be to try a modern track as sound quality begins with the original recording and mastering. Old stuff is probably not going to sound better unless they do some reprocessing on the mastering side, which is my fear even for stuff from the 80's. Unfortunately, I am quite incredulous about remastering of pieces older then the 1960s as the original recording equipment would have been shit compared to today. Film was pretty advanced and had very high resolution, especially at 70mm so the visual remastering is stunning because the information was already there. I do not think audio was anywhere close and so *magic* is probably being used to "create" the missing bits of information.
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Eric_C

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1257 on: August 04, 2015, 12:01:37 PM »

Ok I tried out Witcher and Borderlands 2 (but new games, because I don't/haven't touched either for a while). Separation is really good, so individual sfx and instruments on bgm are easy to make out. I'm not sure about space and directionality--seems decent, but I'm quite crap at hearing this sort of thing.
Bass is great. Explosions, low hum, etc. are all well represented.
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Xen

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1258 on: August 04, 2015, 01:25:05 PM »

Ok I tried out Witcher and Borderlands 2 (but new games, because I don't/haven't touched either for a while). Separation is really good, so individual sfx and instruments on bgm are easy to make out. I'm not sure about space and directionality--seems decent, but I'm quite crap at hearing this sort of thing.
Bass is great. Explosions, low hum, etc. are all well represented.
Thanks for testing them out in a gaming for me! Sounds very promising to me and its not usually mentioned in impressions/reviews/etc. Unless there is some major short coming that pops up, I going to go with the HE560s.

Have you ever had the static discharge problem with the HE560's? Seems to affect a small number of people.

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Eric_C

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Re: The All Purpose Advice Thread
« Reply #1259 on: August 04, 2015, 03:23:37 PM »

Nope, this is the first time I'm even hearing about such a problem.
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