General Headphone Audio

Timber said:
Sorry! Didn't mean to send you down the testing rabbit hole as well. Interesting to see your results though.

One thought from your findings vs. mine, or the original OP on reddit is that you are using much more expensive headphones. That OP was mentioning Edition XS, DT 1990 and DT 880 600's on their Atom and X9 which are all in a similar price range to the HD 660S2 I used. Obviously as mentioned headphones do make a bigger differences and means you can notice the differences more. With the HD 6x0's the biggest way I've improved them was putting them on a tube amp, or the EQ on the iFi Zen Signature set (which you can also do with digital EQ).
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I still can't be bothered with a tube amp, the thought that after a year or 2 (with my kind of heavy usage) that the tubes should be replaced. At least tubes in the output buffer stage and being voltage starved will last at least twice as long on the Warmer :o
 
Raymond Lin said:
It is on Youtube Music and I do have the CD...actually been looking for a slot loading CD player like this that runs from just USB-C but this one doesn't work with anything else. I don't even need a player, just a transport. Then I can sit it on top of the DX5.
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I was looking at those cheap USB DVD drives as a means to then play CD's, or turn into FLAC files. They aren't super expensive and can be put away when not in use. Although that one from JL looks lovely. I do like the look of Fiio's DM13 and would match the R13 R2R in looks.

mrk said:
I still can't be bothered with a tube amp, the thought that after a year or 2 (with my kind of heavy usage) that the tubes should be replaced. At least tubes in the output buffer stage and being voltage starved will last at least twice as long on the Warmer :o
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I haven't heard Warmer of course, which I imagine does something similar, but certainly with the old fashioned high impedance headphones like the 6x0, or DT 880 the extra resistance and distortion plays lovely.

Personally because I don't use the TA-66 all the time the tubes will last ages. But also where you aren't buying matched tubes, or even more exotic tubes the prices for new tubes can be cheap. But I appreciate that isn't always true and where you get into this 'not-entry' level price range for tube amp things get expensive quickly. Mind you when the 6x0/880 sounds this good on a budget OTL I still wonder what it would sound like on something more premium.
 
Timber said:
I was looking at those cheap USB DVD drives as a means to then play CD's, or turn into FLAC files. They aren't super expensive and can be put away when not in use. Although that one from JL looks lovely. I do like the look of Fiio's DM13 and would match the R13 R2R in looks.



I haven't heard Warmer of course, which I imagine does something similar, but certainly with the old fashioned high impedance headphones like the 6x0, or DT 880 the extra resistance and distortion plays lovely.

Personally because I don't use the TA-66 all the time the tubes will last ages. But also where you aren't buying matched tubes, or even more exotic tubes the prices for new tubes can be cheap. But I appreciate that isn't always true and where you get into this 'not-entry' level price range for tube amp things get expensive quickly. Mind you when the 6x0/880 sounds this good on a budget OTL I still wonder what it would sound like on something more premium.
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I have an Apple SuperDrive, but that connects to the Mac, it doesn't work as a transport or a dedicated CD player. It also has a weird power requirement that it need Apple's own USB adaptor from USB-A to USB-C to work. I made a post about this in another thread.

Most of the units on sale now are top loading which doesn't work for me as it will sit under the monitor and there isn't enough space for it to flip open.

p.s. I found my CMF buds !!! (after the Soundpeats turned up).

I actually kinda prefer the CMF more mostly because the tips are deeper and more secure in my ear, might return the Soundpeats..I dunno, I don't need it so it will just be a waste.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
I have an Apple SuperDrive, but that connects to the Mac, it doesn't work as a transport or a dedicated CD player. It also has a weird power requirement that it need Apple's own USB adaptor from USB-A to USB-C to work. I made a post about this in another thread.

Most of the units on sale now are top loading which doesn't work for me as it will sit under the monitor and there isn't enough space for it to flip open.
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Ah OK, I see. I do see a lot of these USB ones are the flip-out laptop-style optical drives, but I appreciate you need something more specific.
 
Timber said:
Ah OK, I see. I do see a lot of these USB ones are the flip-out laptop-style optical drives, but I appreciate you need something more specific.
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That Ruark would have been perfect, despite its design aesthetic not matching everything else. I would have gone for it for the slot loading, single USB-C cable design.
 
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Raymond Lin said:
That Ruark would have been perfect, despite its design aesthetic not matching everything else. I would have gone for it for the slot loading, single USB-C cable design.
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Looks lovely, although it reads as if it needs to be used with their hi-fi systems only, rather than with a PC. I do see a untested/faulty one on ebay at £10.ish currently, but I don't know how difficult they are to repair. Does seem to hold it's value secondhand (I assume being a niche market).
 
Timber said:
Looks lovely, although it reads as if it needs to be used with their hi-fi systems only, rather than with a PC. I do see a untested/faulty one on ebay at £10.ish currently, but I don't know how difficult they are to repair. Does seem to hold it's value secondhand (I assume being a niche market).
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That's the problem, it doesn't talk to anything else.
 
can you even find out whose drive it is, I couldn't see for ruark, and they aren't interchangeable, I purchased several old philips cd players on ebay to replace a drive, plus a spare in my Meridian.
Personally would not want any kind of slot load drive that might scratch CD's, that's an artefact of car drives.

I can see cd market being rejuvinated , like vinyl, as people realise that the streamers tracks even if they are flac are not the best masters - I've not tried qoubuz&deezer but tidal&spotify do not clearly say what versions
are on there platforms/misrepresent them, need a checksum to verify genuine material like those you can use to validate your rips.

e: to wit. the releases of random access memories https://www.discogs.com/master/556257-Daft-Punk-Random-Access-Memories
 
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I was looking on Aliexpress for another pair of balanced cable until I remember I have that triplewin one....saved myself £40!
 
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