$10K, what should I get?

[earwicker7]

Odd, a liquid cooled system is quieter than a fan-cooled one. By quite a margin in many cases.

Ah, it seems you are not aquainted with the Voodoo Omen

It's loud. Not sort of loud, but LOUD. But it's up there with Falcon NW as one of the fastest rigs on the planet. I pretty much got it using the same logic as I am here... I gave myself a $10K budget and shot for the best gaming computer possilble. It looks like a hotrod, and purrs like one too. Unfortunately, once the initial "Holy Shit, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen" effect wears off, it's too much in the volume department. Right now I'm using my laptop as my CD player because it's not as loud.

[mirumu]

You may also want to go electrostatic. The Orpheus headphones with something like a KGSS or a Blue Hawaii (as built by Justin) should be pretty good.

I don't think you could build a complete Orpheus based system for $10K. It might get you the headphones and a KGSS but wouldn't leave any money left for the source. Equally if we changed the headphones and threw in a Singlepower ES-1 we'd probably be blowing the budget again.

As far as electrostatics go I'd look at some Omega IIs (some say this has a similar character to the HD650 although I wouldn't know myself) with a Blue Hawaii and some nice cabling which would leave about half the budget left for the source. Alternatively some baby Orpheus headphones and a KGSS would be in the same price ballpark although I've never heard or seen comments on such a pairing.

[Dusty Chalk]

I don't think you could build a complete Orpheus based system for $10K. It might get you the headphones and a KGSS but wouldn't leave any money left for the source. Equally if we changed the headphones and threw in a Singlepower ES-1 we'd probably be blowing the budget again.

As far as electrostatics go I'd look at some Omega IIs (some say this has a similar character to the HD650 although I wouldn't know myself) with a Blue Hawaii and some nice cabling which would leave about half the budget left for the source. Alternatively some baby Orpheus headphones and a KGSS would be in the same price ballpark although I've never heard or seen comments on such a pairing.

Agreed, I forgot about budget when I wrote that. And since both the Orpheus and Baby Orpheus are both "out of print", I'd second the Omega II or 4070 (depending whether or not you want open or closed), or the Koss ESP950 (with a new amp), which at least one person here likened to the Baby O as being on the order of as good ("...as long as you replace the amp"). I haven't heard it myself, but most of these things are the sort of thing you'll have to hear for yourself anyway, I'm just suggesting things to put on your short list.

[mirumu]

Agreed, I forgot about budget when I wrote that. And since both the Orpheus and Baby Orpheus are both "out of print", I'd second the Omega II or 4070 (depending whether or not you want open or closed), or the Koss ESP950 (with a new amp), which at least one person here likened to the Baby O as being on the order of as good ("...as long as you replace the amp"). I haven't heard it myself, but most of these things are the sort of thing you'll have to hear for yourself anyway, I'm just suggesting things to put on your short list.

Oh? I think Carl owns a recabled ESP950 so I might have to scrounge a listen off him sometime. He has a Baby O too, I think I'll ask his opinion on the comparison.

[tiberian]

instead of blowing your budget in a big bang, i think it's a good idea to purchase a balanced headroom max amp (which can run a bit expensive), add a pair of balanced beyer DT880, and see how you like the sound...

[saint.panda]

If you live in the states, try to fly to one of the meets and hear for yourself. There's just too much good stuff out there.

[earwicker7]

instead of blowing your budget in a big bang, i think it's a good idea to purchase a balanced headroom max amp (which can run a bit expensive), add a pair of balanced beyer DT880, and see how you like the sound...

Well, I'm definitely impressed with my balanced desktop amp. Two thumbs WAY up.

That being said, I want to diversify somewhat... two headrooms in one house may be too much.

On that subject, here's a newbie question... do I need to worry about balanced vs unbalanced on the source stuff, or is it something you just worry about on the amplifier-->headphone stage?

[earwicker7]

Anyone tried the Great Northern Sound reference mod on the Opus 21? I'm very geeky, so anything that is modded is SWEET.

[Thelonious Monk]

recstar... what the fuck? you forgot the imod.

Awesome!! Its just like musicdirect said!

also to the OP, don't get sucked in by team computer-as-source. computers are for gamin' and internetin', not for listenin'. and if anyone tells you different smack 'em a good one right in the mouth, ya here me boy? good smack right to the teeth'll teach 'em good... you want a world class transport, not a $90 external western digital mybook.

what is the problem with a silent computer with bitperfect output? and a hard disk is probably a better medium than an optical disk. just because it assists you in beating off doesn't invalidate its usefulness in audio. infact that might help when you get bored of the music.

[postjack]

what is the problem with a silent computer with bitperfect output? and a hard disk is probably a better medium than an optical disk. just because it assists you in beating off doesn't invalidate its usefulness in audio. infact that might help when you get bored of the music.

i dunno. i don't understand kmixer, asio, or whatever. i was computer as source with my stello da100. sounded great, i used foobar and asio4all. but I was relieved when i got my modwright and was free to just drop in the disc and hit play, without having to stress over whether or not my tunes were bitperfect. windows just doesn't strike me as audiophile-friendly software for a transport.

i've definitely regressed (or progressed, whichever way you choose to look at it) from digital. most of my time and energy is currently going into a new analog rig. i've definitely got the vinyl bug, bad. so I'm not the guy to trust on computer-as-source matters!

[Tyll Hertsens]

That being said, I want to diversify somewhat... two headrooms in one house may be too much.

Yeah, that would just be silly; get something different. BTW, I'm so glad you're digging your amp.

I thought about the electrostatic route, and the mentions of Justins e-stats amps is a good one. But if I were in your position (and I'm not...$10K to blow? Nice!) I think I'd be looking for a sweet tube rig for dynamic cans. And since you're into computers and such, it'd be a shame not to be able to integrate a Squeezebox in somewhere along the line. These guys around here would be able to tell you better than I about what tube amps rock, but me, I'd go for some sweet 300b amp as a first reaction.

I understand the killer source comments, but I think I'd be looking at a sexy digital pre-amp. Then hook up a simple digital transport of some type for the CDs, and still have room for a Squeezebox and maybe a computer as an alternative. I assume you have a TV and a DVD player in the bedroom, maybe you can just get a digital signal out of the for cds. The guys here can tell you what DACs and/or digital pramp might work with a killer tube amp.

Another good reason for doing this is that you can put adaptors on balance wired cans and se them on a single ended amp as well. I'd buy both rewired for balance AKG K701 and Beyer DT880s. THan you'd have three differently flavoured cans the could be used on both systems.

If you are going to look for a good source, I'd be looking at Meridian and Wadia --- not that there aren't other good players out there, I just like Meridian and Wadia. My experience is that the killer CD players are at $10k and up. Under that you can do just as well with a cheaper player digital out to a good DAC.

[hungrych]

Definitely try out some Grados (RS-1, HP-1/2/3, PS-1) and the Audio-Technica ATH-L3000. Any of those could end up being your dream cans, though so could the HD650. I agree with all the people saying you should get a nice source and amp, and then try out as many top headphones as you can.

[Dusty Chalk]

On that subject, here's a newbie question... do I need to worry about balanced vs unbalanced on the source stuff, or is it something you just worry about on the amplifier-->headphone stage?

The entirety of what follows is MHO:

There's balanced, and there's balanced. Personally, I think the bigger leap is to just separate the channels. I never understood why so many headphones share the return (3 wires instead of 4) -- it's probably the main reason that electrostatics and the K1000's are so clearly superior, they have separated channels from the get-go. So doing that alone (recabling dynamic headphones with separate returns and amplifying them that way) would be A Good Thing. But in today's market, it's almost the same as going all the way and doing fully balanced, in which case I'd highly recommend going the full balanced route (source -> amp -> headphones [with admittedly faux-balanced cabling]).

[deepak]

I know if I wanted the ultimate dynamic amp I'd get a SinglePower, not so sure anymore now that custom build times take so long.

A maxxed out Extreme in a Maestro chassis is my dream.

[postjack]

I know if I wanted the ultimate dynamic amp I'd get a SinglePower, not so sure anymore now that custom build times take so long.

"It takes forever to cook a baked potato in a conventional oven. Sometimes I'll just throw one in there, even if I don't want one. By the time it's done, who knows?"

"It takes forever to get a custom Singlepower. Sometimes I'll just call Mikhail, even if I don't want one. By the time it's done, who knows?"

hedberg, r.i.p.

[earwicker7]

I assume you have a TV and a DVD player in the bedroom

No, there's no room for one. I'm in a weird situation; I'm one of those people who you'd think is dirt-shit poor until you walk in my front door, and even then you'd think I'm poor if you didn't have an eye for electronics. I live in an apartment complex where a good portion of the people are on food stamps, I drive a beat up Ford Focus, and I look like Sid Vicious if he had lived a bit longer. I live in a VERY small 2 bedroom rat-hole apartment. I can only afford to buy nice electronic stuff because I skimp on EVERYTHING else.

Long story short... no, there isn't a TV and DVD in the bedroom

[earwicker7]

The entirety of what follows is MHO:

There's balanced, and there's balanced. Personally, I think the bigger leap is to just separate the channels. I never understood why so many headphones share the return (3 wires instead of 4) -- it's probably the main reason that electrostatics and the K1000's are so clearly superior, they have separated channels from the get-go. So doing that alone (recabling dynamic headphones with separate returns and amplifying them that way) would be A Good Thing. But in today's market, it's almost the same as going all the way and doing fully balanced, in which case I'd highly recommend going the full balanced route (source -> amp -> headphones [with admittedly faux-balanced cabling]).

So the electrostatics are balanced to begin with? SO... CONFUSED

Does anyone know of a Headphone for Idiots FAQ page? I was extremely educated about audiophile stuff back in the 80s, but I've taken a break until I heard the HD650s. Now I'm hooked again! But still confused.

[tkam]

Anyone tried the Great Northern Sound reference mod on the Opus 21? I'm very geeky, so anything that is modded is SWEET.

Yep I had the GNSC Reference Mods done to my Opus 21 and it really is an amazing player. You'd be hard pressed to beat it for less than $10K.

[Thelonious Monk]

i dunno. i don't understand kmixer, asio, or whatever. i was computer as source with my stello da100. sounded great, i used foobar and asio4all. but I was relieved when i got my modwright and was free to just drop in the disc and hit play, without having to stress over whether or not my tunes were bitperfect. windows just doesn't strike me as audiophile-friendly software for a transport.

i've definitely regressed (or progressed, whichever way you choose to look at it) from digital. most of my time and energy is currently going into a new analog rig. i've definitely got the vinyl bug, bad. so I'm not the guy to trust on computer-as-source matters!

more power to ya; i'm just a lazy fuck who can't choose his own music. i need the ability to shuffle songs/albums.

[mirumu]

So the electrostatics are balanced to begin with? SO... CONFUSED

Yes, electrostatic drivers have to be driven balanced given the way the technology works. That doesn't mean you have to provide a balanced signal from the source in order to use them, most electrostatic amps have RCA inputs as well, but it is definitely preferable to use balanced connections where you can.

[earwicker7]

Yep I had the GNSC Reference Mods done to my Opus 21 and it really is an amazing player. You'd be hard pressed to beat it for less than $10K.

Cool. This is what I'm leaning towards. Anyone out there have any reasons why I wouldn't want this model? I'm not expecting anything, but you never know.

[grawk]

Cool. This is what I'm leaning towards. Anyone out there have any reasons why I wouldn't want this model? I'm not expecting anything, but you never know.

The #1 reason: you don't want to be like todd

[tkam]

But everyone wants to be like me

[earwicker7]

What do you guys think about this setup? Modded Opus 21 CD player and the Stax Omega II cans with the SRM-007T amp.

If this setup sounds good, what kind of interconnects should I use? The description on the website says it has "RCAx2 and XLR1" inputs. I'm assuming the XLR is better, right? Also, newbie question here... I know on my HD650s, it has two XLR inputs, one for each channel. Does this amp only have one XLR connection? Is that all that is needed for balanced sound?

[thrice]

If you're referring to the 007t then you cannot run your HD650 off that amp. It's for electrostatic headphones only and would fry your HD650 pretty quick.

Also, newbie question here... I know on my HD650s, it has two XLR inputs, one for each channel. Does this amp only have one XLR connection? Is that all that is needed for balanced sound?