SAWEEEET!! - List your cans & amps!

[wgb113]

Let's try to keep it somewhere between Head-Fi and Head-Case and this should turn out to be a great forum.

 

AKG K701

Sennheiser HD580 (converted to HD600)

Audio Technica MT-50S

Schiit Valhalla

Benchmark DAC1 USB

TEC TC-7510

 

I'm thinking of selling the Audio Technicas for something a little more portable...maybe a pair of Etys with their Custom-Fit plugs.

 

Thanks again for the new forum Chris!

 

Bill

 

 

[crapperdapper]

My can and amp ->

 

But I do need a cheap headphones for monitoring when backup vinyl...

 

[khollister]

All of my "high end" listening is exclusively on headphones these days

 

Cans:

Sennheiser HD 600 with Stefan Audio Arts Equinox cable

Sennheiser HD 650 (incoming)

 

Amps:

Woo Audio WA2 (tube)

Ray Samuels HR-2 (solid state)

 

[diogenis]

cans:

Clipsch image x10i

Etymotic ER4 p/s

 

amp:

Lehmann black cube linear

 

dacs:

Chordette peach + halide bridge

 

[KingStyles]

My main headphone setup is in my signature.

 

[Mister Wednesday]

Greetings all,

 

My headphone set-up is Sennheiser HD600 driven by a Creek OBH-11 amplifier with the Creek OBH-2 fully regulated "black brick" power supply.

 

Regards,

 

Mister Wednesday

 

[wgscott]

I bought the Bowers and Wilkins P5 headphones and have used them a few times with the headphone amp in the Nova.

 

I can't seem to get into it. Maybe I should take them to work or something.

 

[blueheronhollow]

I was really hoping to like them, but I listened to them in the Apple store with my iPhone and found them a bit 'muddy'. Not the best setup/environment for sure!

 

What are your thoughts on their sound quality?

 

[wdt]

First Post!

 

DAC: Ayre QB9

Kimber Cable KCAG silver w/WBT

Amp: Ray Samuals Audio: Emmeline II "The Raptor"

Cans:Sennheiser HD650, stock cable

 

Currently running Itunes through PC. Weeding through all of the possibilities to get to higher res capabilities of DAC Not sure of best way to go for me, a non Mac user with limited computer knowledge. The setup above sounds fantastic, can't imagine it better but know 24/96 and beyond will be.

 

Any feedback welcome.

 

wdt

 

[wgscott]

They are very flat and neutral. The claim is you have to "burn them in" before they sound decent. Frankly, I think they are overpriced by about a factor of 2.

 

I think AKG makes them IIRC.

 

[Mr.C]

Stax Srm-1/mkII A series driving either normal bias lambdas or lambda professionals.

 

Went through the grado lineup excepting the PS 1000 before settling (well so far) on electrostats.

 

[audiojunky]

I recently acquired a Burson HA160D (amp and DAC in one box) and a pair of Shure SRH840 cans. So far I have only fed this set up with music ripped from CDs (XLD --> AIFF) played through iTunes but I have to say that it sounds wonderful to my ears (warm, detailed, tight and tuneful bass, nice decay on cymbals). When I get the time, I'll try through another player (PM or AyreWave).

 

AJ

 

[jivers]

Sennheiser HD-600/HD-800, Audeze LCD-2, Denon AHD-7000, Beyer T-50p,

Grado 325-i, JH-13, Etymotics ER-4P, Shure SE530.

 

Woo WA-22, Ray Samuels Raptor and P-51, ALO Rx

 

I also tried the B & W at the Apple store and couldn't like it, but wonder how much better they'd be with a better source and amplifier.

 

[Olive Empithrie]

Nice collection jivers, what's your favorite? I've read great things about your Audeze and those Denons as well.

 

I have Sennheiser HD800, HD650 (damaged), HD270 (damaged, anyone notice a pattern here?), Sony MDR-CD570, B&W P5.

 

The HD270 seem to be universally hated but at the time 10 years ago they were for me the best sounding cans in the shop (in Akihabara) at any price. Bass is too muddy now, not sure whether they have changed or I have.

 

The HD650 are the best vfm for me, polite cans and more forgiving of worse recordings than the HD800 (with stock cable) which can be a bit clinical.

 

The HD800 benefits (a lot) from a good aftermarket cable but that pushes these already expensive cans up to a near-silly price. Still the sound after all that is worth it and a good investment as long as the dog doesn't eat them. They are insanely comfortable which is very important to me.

 

The B&W P5 is for traveling. Good passive noise reduction, in built microphone which is handy for VoIP, well made but the on-ear design is a bit uncomfortable for me over an extended period.

 

[jivers]

The Audeze is at the top of the heap right now, in balanced mode with the ALO cable. The HD-800 (also with ALO balanced cable) would be next, but very close. Both of these through the Woo WA-22 are pretty spectacular, as they should be for that price.

 

The Denon is more than a little bass heavy, but for rock I find them enjoyable. The Grado 325i is very nice for the money, but just plain uncomfortable after a short time. The HD-600 is a great headphone, my standard for years until I stepped up to the 800 and Audeze. Still use them as my favorite in single ended. For portable use and on an airplane the JH-13's are truly wonderful. Used with the Hi-Fi Man 801 and 24/96 FLAC they deliver audiophile sound wherever you are. I enjoy the little Beyer T-50p outside as well, though they're not in the same league as the Jerry Harvey's. I'd like to hear the Tesla one of these days.

 

I keep trying the Stax because of all the discussion on Head-Fi and elsewhere, but to me the lack of weight on the bottom end isn't compensated for by the sweet mids and highs. Maybe I just haven't heard the right combination of headphone and amp. At those prices, people must be getting something great.

 

Jeff

 

[ramagochi]

Stax Sigma

Stax Sigma Pro

Stax Lambda

Stax T2

 

My other cans:

 

Sennheiser HD580

Sennheiser HD25-1

Sennheiser HD25SP

Bechmark DAC1

 

[dsnyder]

Hello,

 

I have dabbled in focused listening with headphones from time to time, but I have never been able to wrap my brain around the soundstage the way that I can with a pair of loudspeakers in a properly setup room. Stereo is just an illusion anyway--real sounds are always mono, right?

 

That said, I use Sennheiser HD600's with an old Headroom Little "More Power" amp and new HD650 OEM cable. I also have an old pair of Grado SR-60's that I use when the HD600's are too bulky to carry around. Finally, I use Shure SE310 in-ears on the bus/train and for monitoring live recordings that I make with my E-MU 0404 USB audio interface.

 

At the office, I have a Behringer MON800 that I use along with a Behringer UCA202 audio interface and native ASIO driver for background music. The MON800 drives both the HD600's and a pair of Yamaha MSP3 studio monitors that sit on make-shift stands which place them at ear level. Not the most revealing system that I've ever heard, but impressive sonics for what it is and perfect for my use. LOL.

 

-- David

 

 

[Raym87]

Senn HD650

Meier Corda Arietta Amp.

 

[AudioDoctor]

Amp is my Cary SLI 80 F1 Triode Only into my Sennheiser HD800's

 

Sources are my iMac into either a Wavelength Cosecant v3 24/96 via USB or an RME Fireface 400 via firewire and an SL1200 MK2 from KAB.

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

I have a pair of Etymotic ER-4P earphones sitting at a UPS warehouse in Kentucky. They've been there for 3 days because of the severe weather :~(

 

At least Ray Samuels was able to ship my SR-71A headphone amp from Illinois in a couple days.

 

[jhwalker]

Have had these in-ear monitors for a few years now:

 

Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10

 

They sound great, but I'm itching to buy some full-sized, on-ear phones and a decent amp for them. My source is usually my iPod Touch (1st gen) or my MacBook Pro (headphone jack out), and I have a FiiO 7 that works either via USB or via the iPod digital docking port. Nice, but I'm sure there are better DAC / headphone amps out there.

 

[slippytoad]

Sennheiser HD-570 into Music Fidelity X-Can v3. Thinking about upgrading the headphones, love the amp.

 

[Vade_Forrester]

Headphones: AKG K 701, Sennheiser HD 650

Amps: Schiit Valhalla, Stello HP100, Benchmark DAC1 Pre

 

[xsajohn]

Headphone Inventory

 

HD800, UE Triple Fi 10 (travel), Hifiman HE-6, Denon D7000, ATH-ES10 (travel), ATH-A700, DT880 (250 ohm).

 

Headphone Amp Inventory

 

Ibasso D12 (travel), Audio-gd Phoenix + Ref 1 dac, PS Audio DL3 (Lvl3 mods), PS Audio Perfectwave Dac, LD MK IV SE, Ming Da 84C (drives HE-6 from speaker terminals).

 

Happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

[Dewey2]

I'm using Grado RS2 cans with a Luxman SQ n100 tube amp, Wavelength Proton DAC and Mac Book Pro (10.6.6) with Amarra and Decible.

 

The upper end is a little distorted playing my lossless files and it's driving me crazy. This is all well regarded gear and yet I get a cleaner sound playing CD's through a cheap Bluray player.

 

Any thoughts?