HD600 Upgrades

smogsy

smogsy

smogsy

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So i now have some HD600 & AKG K702s

Question 1.
i bought a new cable for my HD600 as 3m was far too long. i wanted 1M really but got 1.2M the cable i bought under the advice of someone here. it sounds pretty good but the thickness of the cables themselves are only slightly thicker than standard iPod headphones. does this matter in the slightest? will it be harder to get higher volumes?


Question 2. What would you recommended as a DAC upgrade from a epiphany Acoustics ehp-O2
 
I dont really want to set a budget.
I would you like you to give me a bunch of options at different price points & how much of an upgrade it would be.

But I would say <700

Thoughts? Over 700 seems silly for 200 phones in my eyes
 
TALON1973 said:
Personally i'm uaing an Arcam I-rdac with graham slee srg11 headphone amp . Which i'm using with my hd700's . I athough I had the same setup with my hd600 as well .... its that good :)
Click to expand...


i already have an arcam irdac & a Cambridge azur 650A, i could use that if my desk was closer?

hmm...
 
OK lets define some stuff

If i buy another arcam, what Amp would you suggest? still the schlists?

going back to your original list, is their any all in ones that do not have batteries? i wont be moving it about so pointless paying for stuff i do not use.

also if its a bonus if richer shop sells them as their close by :)

found this in the manual
Allows for the connection of headphones with a ¼" jack plug connector.
Headphones with an impedance of between 32 and 600 ohms are
recommended. When the headphones are connected, the output to the
loudspeakers is switched off (both speakers A and B)
Click to expand...
 
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Highely Considering the Deckard. Its nice looking & all in one & later on it looks like it could power the real Highend headphones. eg Hd700 HD800 & Others
 
rids57 said:
It is apparently an upgraded version of the Matrix M-Stage HPA-3U, a very well regarded DAC/Amp which only seems to be available in the US. The upgrades do seem to be quite extensive though, through board components instead of surface mount, uprated power supply and a truly stunning case designed by BMW (the thickness of the aluminium front and back is very reassuring).

Here is a review of the Matrix M-Stage HPA-3U and he uses it with HD650s, so whatever you get with this pairing will be even better with the Deckard.

http://www.headfonia.com/review-matrix-m-stage-hpa-3u/
Click to expand...

uim pretty sure on the deckard now, is their anything else before i take the plunge?
 
Ryanr1987 said:
Why don't you grab the Mojo. £599 is pretty expensive. The Mojo sounds very close to the Hugo quality wise.
Click to expand...

it is pretty expensive, but i don't want to be humming and aring after i get the mojo & thinking i could got something better later & spending even more money.

Mojo has a battery which is pointless for me & no offence llooks like a toy
the other idea i had was use my Arcam & just get a headphone amp.
but then i lose the ARCAM on my cinmea area.
or use my DACmagic & get a amp. but then my second entertainment room lose its DAC

or i could look at CAMBRIDGE AUDIO DACMAGIC PLUS, not sure on quality though.
 
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Right Atm its the following

AZUDEZE DECKARD
OR
Arcram IR-DAC (got) + A headphone amp
then later buy another arcam saving me moving it between my cinmea room + desk area

So are their any other separate headphone amp i should look into?
Schiit Valhalla 2 (£280) [review]
 
You are about to spend £599 on a dac without knowing anything about it! Seems a bit mad.
Why don't you work or what you want from the HD650 then go from there. You may find out that it ends up being cheaper.
Take your time and figure out what type of sound you want.
Click to expand...

i just want good sound, this whole "Audiophile" language i do not follow at all. (which makes reading reviews quite well hard... or impossible)
I Enjoy My sound but I do not follow it enough to the nth degree, personally do not have time. Just want a quality product that looks nice & will treat my current HD650 well & other headphones in the future.

My HD650 will be used for PC Gaming & music.
I listen to ALL types of music from Adele to Bob Marley,Black Sabbath to Pure garage.
personally enjoy female vocalists most though.


i read my EHP-02 is decent for my headphones. This to me is not good enough & after using the HD650s with it for a while its just no where as clear/Precise compared to the AKG K702
so im wanting to upgrade to see if i can improve things. as i said before atm the BASS just blows over the rest of the song. just like a bad brands headphone. also if i use the gain button distortion is really noticeable.

so maybe you can enlighten me what i am looking for? it would take years to learn the phile lingo.
 
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i looked at your amp suggestions Their pretty cool!,
Struggling to find a good UK seller though just yet for prices

i think tubeless would be the better for me unless their places that sell them pre-done,


regarding DAC i know theirs loads! i might try it with my arcam for now
 
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Ryanr1987 said:
Go onto eBay and type in Project Polaris and there's only one seller for the amps :) the seller is Garage 1217 there's a chance to buy it either as a pre assembled kit or an assembled one.
Click to expand...

cheers, for the help, however dont really want import from the US & use that site.

was looking at your other suggestions Little Dot's are on a forest. are they comparable? i can see MKI-IIII
 
i just thought i would test my HD650 with my Cinema setup

amp: https://www.cambridgeaudio.com/products/hifi-and-home-cinema/azur-651a

Arcam IRDAC

The sound was infinitely better, Much clear Not as much bass pounding my ears. it was a joy to listen to.

So, At the current moment I think I will Definitely be using Arcam for now for testing with the new amp. just time to decide on a good headphone amp!
 
trouble is now ive heard the difference i want to buy a headphone amp quickly but soooo much choice :(

Now with amps. If you go tube, I.e Schiit Valhalla or any other OTL you will be limited to high impedance headphones.
Click to expand...

downside to this is? wont work on low impedance sound crap etc?
 
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After reading up. I definatly don't want tubes cleaning changing etc

So I'm pretty certain on the following setup now
Little Dot MKV MK5 Solid State Mosfet Headphone Amplifier [Electronics]
Arcam IrDac

Is their anything I should be aware of about the littledot?

I know headphones below 64omhs can pop but my plan is to get hd700/800 or other high end phones in the future so doubt this would be an issue.

But please tell me anything technical that might be important

Today I'm moving my whole cinema out to my desk :)
 
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Ryanr1987 said:
I don't think many have heard the MK5 including myself. I'm not sure how it's signature is or how powerful it is. They are known for budget tube amps mainly.

Garage 1217 has a website

http://www.garage1217.com/garage1217_diy_tube_headphone_amplifiers_006.htm

The Project Polaris is a cracking option and will drive literally anything. It also has a lot of backing with the 5 year warranty and it's musical! You said you don't want to import from the US but buying the MK5 would mean it only gets a year warranty and you'd have to send it back to China for repair. Garage 1217 will cover you for repairs so no fees or rubbish like that and they are reputable.
Click to expand...

Question: How do i know if an amp can power my headphones well?

Im currently using the Azur 651A & my Arcam
25% Volume is quite loud, does that mean its enough?

im not to sure what im looking for in the headphone amp specs, so quite wary on my decisions. Also been looking at stereo amps.


Part of me is also tempted to keep This setup on my Desk & get new amp/Arcam for my cinmea room.

whats your thoughts on this?
 
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