Iron_Dreamer

Dear god!

Of the USB DAC's I've tried at length, none showed significant sonic differences between their USB and SPDIF inputs. On those which have had AES/EBU input, I've noticed it to have a small yet positive effect on flow and PRaT. Is it worth using an expensive interface just to get AES/EBU? Probably not. If one is just playing back music, I don't see much need to use a sophisticated pro-audio soundcard if your DAC has USB. If you actually need features like word clock, AES/EBU, low-latency, multi-channel mixing, etc, perhaps such a soundcard would be a worthwhile addition.

I've settled on the Apogee Mini-DAC. Until I can afford a $10k+, I think it does the job admirably. Its' DAC section is up to the class, the headphone output is quite worthwhile (better than the Lavry and Benchmark's), and the sound signature is to my liking (not so much the case with the Aqvox, it's a bit too laid-back). BTW it's the MkII Aqvox that has the good headphone amp (albeit a bit voltage-limited, in terms of maximum loudness). The Apogee and Lavry are quite similar partswise and soundwise, but the Apogee is a lot more versatile, and I found the clicky volume know of the Lavry a bit irritating (esp. compared to the Apogee's smooth pot). I've used the M902 a lot in the past, and it's got a very nice headphone amp, but the DAC section is very unimpressive (I actually prefer the output of my RME card). It does have great ergonomics, features, usability and build quality though. But you do pay dearly for it compared to the others. I found the Opera very satisfying soundwise, but the features just weren't there. The lack of digital inputs (optical and AES, my two most commonly used), as well as the awkward switch, and annoying clicking relay were issues that put me off of it. I've never much liked the current headroom amps, they've always sounded somewhat dark and Sennheiser-esque (or was that just the Wadia player they're always hooked up to). But being that I've only listened at meets here and there, it's hardly a definitive opinion. I do think the ergonomics are a bit lackluster compared to some of the others here (though better than the Opera).

I have the same case. I use it for the AT W11JPN's, which is a tight fit (for depth anyway), but in the end it's just snug, and works fine. I found the foam in mine to be pretty stinky though, it needed to air out a few weeks before I could store the cans in it.

I guess I make three

I completely agree with the advice to spent at least half you budget on a source. A system so expensive without a true high-end source is a shame.

There was once a time when I really liked them, but I heard them again a few months ago and went "what was I thinking" and "these things have no bass." Go figure.

My favorite metal test disc is Zero Hour's The Towers of Avarice, which is both an HDCD and not overly compressed, for a metal album. It's very clean and dynamic sounding, and has some very fast double bass that is easy to blur over. I love putting the first track on and waiting for the drums and bass to just explode out from the speakers or headphones. For sheer bass power I like the track "Noise Maker" by Infected Mushroom, from B.P. Empire. It has some extremely low bass like the famed Massive Attack "Angel", but a much faster tempo. IM the Supervisor is another favorite 'shroom tune for torturing gear. Luca Turilli's Prophet of the Last Eclipse has a gazillion layers of different sound effects, all at a warp-speed pace, and it's sure to congest all but the speediest systems. I also like Fear Factory, but I prefer to use "Self Bias Resistor" from Demanufacture as a test track since the overall production sounds better to me than that of their other albums, the drums have a great snap and bite to them. Finally, I like to use Overkill's The Years of Decay to make sure that a grungy, rough sounding thrash record sounds as it should.

Why couldn't you just keep your big yap shut?

HD580/used HD600 (cheapest potential high-end sound) used DT831 (needs a 120ohm adapter, but unexpectedly good sound for a cheaper closed headphone, and nice comfort) A900 (great comfort, easy to drive, good all-around sound for a closed can) KSC35/KSC75 (best sound for the buck, period) I certainly agree about the PIMETA, it's a great value as a headphone amp, and only worth upgrading to $400+ amps like the ECSS or GL+DPS. I'll fourth the anti-SR225 sentiment, it sounds more like a $100 headphone than a $200 one. I'll add the EMU 0404 as a cheap source, especially with a few quick mods, it's all you really need until an upgrade to the $600+ DAC level (unless you're an anti-computer-playback facist)

From my experience with them at meets, the Rudi amps generally sound more colored than I'd want (upper-midrange emphasis on the RP010 for instance), and the interior pics really leave me scratching my head sometimes, particularly when it come to how he heatsinks output transistors. Also, his amps seem to be "sell the sizzle, not the steak" sort of efforts. Example: the RP010 has massive heatsinks on either side that would be suitable for cooling a dynahi or dynamite, but on the inside there is only one small transistor on either heatsink, which never puts out enough heat to make the heatsink anything beyond room temperature. So not only do you have to pay for and lug around uselessly giant heatsinks, they give the impression that the amp is much more class-A or powerful than it really is. As much as I'm not a fan of the somewhat Sennheiser-esque coloration of Headroom amps, I'd MUCH rather have one than one of Rudi's blatantly colored, questionably built, questionably-supported products.

I'm not even going to bother downloading the leak, since the album comes out in a couple weeks. I think I will get the special edition just for the better cover art, although the documentary should be fun (the one on "A Matter of Life and Death" sure was!) I am looking forward to this album a lot. I though Octavarium was a pretty boring album, likely because a lot of Petrucci's best stuff at the time wound up on his solo CD instead. The only song I really liked on it was Panic Attack. Sacrified Sons is without a doubt my least favorite song of theirs since a couple of the bombs from FII. At least that album had quite a few classic tracks to balance them out. I really liked what they had done on Six Degrees and Train, so 8varium was their biggest stumble in a long time for me. Hopefully the new one will do better.

Yep, that's a nice price for sure. Too bad it's not the Lavry I really want

As I said in the HF thread, I think your issue of roundedness might be due to using the high output impedance jack, which really isn't the best idea for either HD650's or (especially not) K701's. I really think it has to have something to do with that, because you and I tend to hear things pretty similarly, and I'm not much a fan of a rounded sound.

LOL, Jude scary looking?

Which pictures are you talking about? I can certainly help, since I was there

ROTFL

Yeah, I did listen to it for a nice while. I thought it performed quite close to the Gilmore Lite, the only deviation I noticed was a slight rise in the upper midrange. However, I might have been overly sensitive to this, since the W5000 is a bit more pronounced in that area than many other headphones. Overall the AE-2 had the most impressive sound I've heard from a portable amp (granted I've not heard the LaRocco, which seems to be quite highly thought of). There was no hiss, hum, or otherwise. Extension to both ends, detail, and smoothness were all very good. Of course the casework, fit, and finish of the AE2 is top-notch, as if I'd expect any less from Justin. The trade-off of the AE2 is that it isn't super-tiny, but it sounds better and has much better usability (large volume knob, RCA inputs, loop-out, etc.)

I was at a meet in San Jose well over a year ago, just before all the Zhaolu baloney started, and Ori at one point insisted that I listen to the R10's from "his system." I didn't recognize the components, one of which was a rather hazardous looking, open-chassis tube amp, and the other turned out to be the Zhaolu. All I knew was that this "system" made the R10 sound like complete and total shit: no bass, muddy midrange, and piercingly sharp highs. And yet there he was telling me it was the "best sound he'd ever heard." At this point I think I told him I had to go to the bathroom, and made a beeline away from there! He seems to be a nice enough guy, but he must have the strangest sense of hearing around, based on the stuff he puts out.

LOL, I never knew you had a beef with me (although with whom don't you?)

I'm with you there, I really don't get the fuss about the K701 in general. Hell, I think the K601 sounds more engaging. Granted, the most serious comparisons I did with the Opera, I did with my W5000, as it is my only balanced headphone. However, in the time I listened with my high-impedance Beyers, I did occationally notice the lack of headroom, but so long as the sound was loud enough, it did not sound lacking in dynamics. I can see how in a meet setting with even less efficient headphones the low gain could become a real nuisance.

I didn't have a chance to compare them directly, or hear a balanced B22. My listening consisted of comparing AMB's B22 and Dynahi, sourced from a DAC1. I was using my W5000. The B22 had a bit more force and directness to the bass, which made the bass sound more prominent. As far as detail and transparency in the upper end, they were indistinguishable in this test. My guess is that the bass difference could have been due to the additional dampening provided by the B22's ground channel. So perhaps with both in 2-channel, they would sound the same. Given all that, both sound a bit bassier/warmer than my amp, more or less the same old Dynalo vs. Dynahi difference. The B22 definitely sounds more like the Dynahi than the Dynalo. My amp did a good job showing me what an $8000 source is capable of, but I did wonder if the B22 wouldn't do just a touch more. If I had a top class source like that, I would tolerate all that class-A heat to be sure I was getting everything my source had to offer. But with a "regular" source my "mere" dynalo does a good enough job, without making my room into a BBQ pit

Sick! That will be one hot mutha (in more ways than one!) The B22 is perhaps the supreme SS headphone amp, but you'll need to have one hell of a source to really see what it's capable of.

I noticed the "lack of power" problem a couple of times when I demoed it. It was only a problem for me with very quiet classical track when using the most inefficient cans I have (DT531). It seems to me that Meier has set the gain too low, as the default gains are 0.6 and 2.5. I can understand having a unity gain setting for low-level listening, IEM's, etc. But why have a high gain setting that's only 2.5? I would have made it at least 5, so that the amp could drive K1000's. That said, I wonder if people aren't letting this issue cloud their judgment about the sound quality, or if it prevents them from being able to properly evaluate the sound quality. I ran the darn thing through the ringer as best I could, and yet was still only able to detect very minor deviations from the sound of my normal rig. I was especially surprised, considering my bias against monolithic parts, Alps Blue vs. DACT, etc. I do agree with the comment about the Opera being mid-fi. After hearing what the top-end sources can do, any system without one is now mid-fi in my mind. Of course that means I won't have a hi-fi system for some time...