starting rig for hd600

[jinp6301]

I like the senn/GLite combo quite a bit. One of the better buys out there

[dreamwhisper]

hybrid amp,

millet minimax

i owned the 650's with a beta22 and it didnt scratch my itch

senn's need tube lovin

[atothex]

Why not just go for the Pico + GLite combo and stop wondering? Easy, easy choice...

[Asr]

Pico USB DAC & Gilmore Lite should be a winning combo. I'll find out for myself pretty soon just how winning the combo is, but I'm confident in saying that it'd be one of the best <$1K DAC/amp pairs that can be assembled.

[darthsilverice]

Thx for your replies. Pico + Glite would be good, but thats a lot of money out of my pocket at once. Maybe over a few paychecks it will be easier to swallow.

I have done some reading on millet minimax but I really want to do a DIY for it so that might have to wait.

Maybe I can find a used Glite somewhere and a used pico DAC, otherwise i'll just get a Glite and lurk around for a pico or until I have enough funds.

Again, I appreciate your help. I do apologize for being an annoying newbie, but hey, we all have to start somewhere rite?

P.S. I suck at SF4....

[atothex]

Dude, there's a Gilmore Lite on sale right here, right now. Cmon man.

[darthsilverice]

I thought you have to be reputable to buy here don't you?

[Currawong]

I'd pick a mid-range amp of your choice for HD-600s + a decent DAC, which is what people are suggesting here. While the Compass wouldn't have been a bad choice (specially at the intro rate) I didn't think it was so great with my HD-600s. While a hell of a lot better than onboard sound, compared to the C2C, which I consider a "mid-range" amp, the soundstage/headstage was rather narrow on some tracks.

Fair enough to start with a combo (eg: Pico, Compass) then use that as a DAC for a better amp down the track.

[dreamwhisper]

there's a minimax for sale on the other site too. and its cheaper than the g-lite

[Dusty Chalk]

I think the point about buying the Pico DAC from the dealer is that you're not going to find that good a deal used, hence buy it from the merchant. So I'd do it the other way around -- buy the DAC, then watch the used market for the amp while you save up a little.

Or, if you're happy with the price of one of the used ones that others have pointed out, then go ahead and buy that one, and then save up for the DAC, and you can see for yourself if it comes up on the used market while you're saving up by monitoring the used FS pages.

I thought you have to be reputable to buy here don't you?

That's up to the seller.

[darthsilverice]

Thats true, there are more gilmore lites for sale than the pico. If the one on sale here doesn't go through, I'll probably get a pico amp/dac from justin and pick up another gilmore lite when I have more cash.

Also, thank you for the millet suggestion. I am seriously considering it as I want to play with tubes too. However, since its possible for a DIY, I'll rather do it myself. If I fail, I'll learn something out of it right?

Thank you all again:)

[ktm]

Well, you generally don't want amps going up in flames and setting your house on fire and/or zapping you with a couple hundred volts.

There's at least one amp builder that didn't get that memo.....

[grawk]

Stop trying to stir the pot ktm.

[morphsci]

There's at least one amp builder that didn't get that memo.....

Stop trying to stir the pot ktm.

Looks like there is at least one noob that didn't read their memo

[donunus]

for an HD600 I'd say good chance it's significantly better. The gilmore lite is a great amp.

Pico USB DAC & Gilmore Lite should be a winning combo. I'll find out for myself pretty soon just how winning the combo is, but I'm confident in saying that it'd be one of the best <$1K DAC/amp pairs that can be assembled.

personal taste also plays a big part in choosing an amp because I think the Little Dot Mk2 using the Voshod 6zh1p-ev driver tubes sound better to me than the Gilmore Lite at a fraction of the cost. I am using the hd580s now and it is a great match for the ld mk2. My hd600 felt lacking to me with my Glite with dps.

[morphsci]

personal taste also plays a big part in choosing an amp because I think the Little Dot Mk2 using the Voshod 6zh1p-ev driver tubes sound better to me than the Gilmore Lite at a fraction of the cost. I am using the hd580s now and it is a great match for the ld mk2. My hd600 felt lacking to me with my Glite with dps.

What was your source with the glite? and the Little Dot? Just for full disclosure.

[Pars]

Thx for your replies. Pico + Glite would be good, but thats a lot of money out of my pocket at once. Maybe over a few paychecks it will be easier to swallow.

I have done some reading on millet minimax but I really want to do a DIY for it so that might have to wait.

Maybe I can find a used Glite somewhere and a used pico DAC, otherwise i'll just get a Glite and lurk around for a pico or until I have enough funds.

Again, I appreciate your help. I do apologize for being an annoying newbie, but hey, we all have to start somewhere rite?

P.S. I suck at SF4....

If you do go for the Gilmore Lite and you still want to DIY, you could then build yourself a Sigma22 to power it since headamp no longer sells the DPS PSU. I find PSUs to be critical; not to say that the Lite sounds bad with the stock Elpac (it is what I use at work, essentially), but the Sigma is an outstanding PSU and worth the time and effort IMHO. Roughly $110 plus an enclosure from GlassJarAudio, or source the parts yourself if you wish.

[darthsilverice]

personal taste also plays a big part in choosing an amp because I think the Little Dot Mk2 using the Voshod 6zh1p-ev driver tubes sound better to me than the Gilmore Lite at a fraction of the cost. I am using the hd580s now and it is a great match for the ld mk2. My hd600 felt lacking to me with my Glite with dps.

Thanks for your opinion. I think I will give SS amps a try to give me an idea of what an amp does to the sound. I am planning to DIY a millet max next year so that will give me a taste of tubes. Of course, if I don't like it, I will explore around but at least at that time, I can use Glite as a reference.

If you do go for the Gilmore Lite and you still want to DIY, you could then build yourself a Sigma22 to power it since headamp no longer sells the DPS PSU. I find PSUs to be critical; not to say that the Lite sounds bad with the stock Elpac (it is what I use at work, essentially), but the Sigma is an outstanding PSU and worth the time and effort IMHO. Roughly $110 plus an enclosure from GlassJarAudio, or source the parts yourself if you wish.

Thanks! I will probably put that on the top of my DIY list.

That is a lot of DIY stuff to do, I guess I will be sleeping in my university's lab next year.

[darthsilverice]

Its been a couple of weeks since I've received the Pico DAC/Amp and the Gilmore lite. Took me awhile to find time to write this because… well, I’ve been to too busy enjoying the music:). I know these impressions were probably given a thousand times and most member here could really care less about this setup, but I figured it might be helpful to newcomers and its probably one of my only way to give back to this forum in return for the tremendous amount of information I’ve been able to read and enjoy.

Before I had my first ever DAC and amp, I did a lot of reading over at HF regarding the difference a DAC and an amplifier makes. I basically thought that my music’s quality would greatly improve, and everything was going to be a step like going from my ipod earbuds to the Shure SCL3. This however, was certainly not the case. There is of course no night and day difference, not even close. Can I say I am disappointed with my purchase? Definitely not.

Before I start, my setup is Laptop->USB->Pico DAC/Amp as DAC->Gilmore Lite

Here is what I noticed that improved. Firstly, the bass quality definitely took a step up from my laptop jacks. Secondly, there is more detail at the same volume. If I crank up the volume on my laptop, I can hear the details at the cost of fatiguing very quickly. With the pico and the Gilmore lite, I’ve noticed no fatiguing at all. Even at higher volumes, I’m able to lose myself in my music for about an hour before I force myself to turn down the volume for the sake of my ears. The combination extended my normal listening sessions from about 30 minutes to well over 3-4 hours in one sitting. Thirdly, the sound also sounds less forced and the amplifier has slightly improved the soundstage. Overall, I do not think the sound quality greatly improved at all, but now my music is much more enjoyable.

I know I might get some flame for this but I’ll throw it in here anyways. I’ve heard of a lot of statements suggesting that while unamped, its better to go for the HD555/595. I think that is completely false as I believe the HD600 is quite a big step up from the HD555/595. Even unamped, the HD600 brings out more detail in the music, greatly improves the bass quality and slightly enhances the treble and midrange. If I had to pay $80 for a HD555, I might as well drop another $120 and buy an used HD600. This has also made me conclude that to me, headphones are definitely the most important part of the chain, ahead of DAC and amp.(Given that music is ripped at the lossless quality)

As everyone knows, its ever so tempting to upgrade very soon after reading up on information here or over at the other place. But I think Im done for awhile. I don’t know how much better my music can sound, but I am more than satisfied now. Hopefully this mentality will not change much after attending possible future meets.

To conclude, I think the best way to describe what a dedicated amplifier and DAC can do to your music is simply using one word. Better. Trying to describe it in greater detail will cause it to sound more and more untrue and false. Finally, I would like to thank members who have pointed me in this direction and I am happy with my decision. Thank you again to Vincent for the Glite and to Guillaume for the Pico. Thank you management for allowing me to purchase my gear here. Thank YOU for reading my worthless $0.02 and I apologize for any spelling or Asian grammar mistakes.

[HeadphoneAddict]

Glad you are happy with it. I also think the HD600 are a great phone.

[grawk]

I don't recall the last time I saw anyone at head-case recommend the HD555, certainly not over an HD600.

[Beefy]

Absolutely. The HD555 are awful.

[manaox2]

I think you came to some great conclusions, glad to hear that your enjoying it. If you ever do want to upgrade, find some budget staxes next.

[Beefy]

If you ever do want to upgrade, find some budget staxes next.

Not looking to de-rail too much...... but the potential of building myself an eXStata has me seriously looking at Stax, rather than moving to a balanced dynamic setup.

So where the hell do I start?!?

[grawk]

Not looking to de-rail too much...... but the potential of building myself an eXStata has me seriously looking at Stax, rather than moving to a balanced dynamic setup.

So where the hell do I start?!?

With O2s, Omegas, and ESP950s.

Edited October 21, 2009 by grawk