If anyone is looking for an album to showcase these cans, listen to Massive Attack - Mezzanine. Not only one of the best produced and recorded albums ever, but it really shows what the X00's are capable of. Awesome!
sirrenJust go with the m9xx if u want bang for the buck, Massdrop themselves said the m9xx + thx00 was a killer combo. I have the bifrost multibit / Asgard 2 and it is Excellent as well. The normal bifrost comes with the exact same dac chip that the m9xx has, so basically it's 100$ more if u would prefer to have class A amp performance and dac seperated.
DenonFanboyI do not expect to be moving the dac/amp much, so I much prefer the aesthetics of the schiit combo and am leaning more towards it rather than m9xx. What are some of the other major upsides to separate bifrost / asgard compared to m9xx? I am not confident I will be able to hear the difference between these two.
sirrenBe glad to share some rec's. Not sure where your musical tastes lie but here are a few from different genera.
Earl Klugh - Earl Klugh Trio Volume One
Annie Lennox - Annie Lennox Collection
Jesse Cook - The Rumba Foundation, Vertigo (really anything by Jesse Cook)
Mark Knopfler - Golden Heart
Diana Krall - Live in Paris, The Girl In The Other Room
Eagles - Hell Freezes Over
Basia - Time and Tide
Hugh Laurie - Let Them Talk, Didn't It Rain
Michael Jackson - Thriller
Muddy Waters - Folk Singer
Tommy Emmanuel - Center Stage
Ottmar Liebert and Luna Negra - The Hours Between Night and Day
Miles Davis - Kinda Blue
Peter Gabriel - The Secret World Live
John Hyatt - Bring The Family
Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Friends
Little Village - Little Village
Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Soundtrack
Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler - Neck and Neck
Rodrigo Y Gabriella - Rodrigo Y Gabriella
Sting - All This Time Live (everything from Sting)
I could go on but the truth is, these headphones make pretty much everything I throw at them really shine. I do, however, prefer the HD600's for classical.
ibbilboThanks a lot! Looks like our tastes are quite similar. Happen to have about half of that in my collection. Will get TH-X00's only on Monday/Tuesday though. Kinda Blue would probably be one of the first ones in my list.
sirrenNo problem! Since we seem to have similar tastes, perhaps you could recommend some from your collection? Always looking to expand my horizons!
Oh, and so far as amp/dacs, I don't own any high end stuff (yet) but own several low-fi/ mid-fi. Of the SMSL M3, Micca OriGen+, M-Stage Matrix HPA-1, Aune T1, Bravo Audio Ocean (with JJ Electronics long plate gold pin 12au7 tube), and O2/ODAC, I like the O2/ODAC the best. Prices range from $80 to about $300.
I also own AKG K7XX, AKG Q701, Sony MDR MA900, Audio technica AD900x, Sennheiser HD600, Sennheiser HD555, Phillips SHP9500, Phillips X2 and several others and I can say, without a doubt, the X00's put them all to shame.
And yes...I do have a problem.
Is there a 12 step program for headphones??? :)
sirrenSeems like u just made up your mind, Schiit combo is pretty nice. I can't tell u if there even is a difference because I don't have both. Upside is the bifrost is upgradable / future proof and 5 year warranty.
ibbilboYou seem to know your way around blues and rock'n'roll, so I am going to try and not point you TOO MUCH towards artists that you probably have heard enough of already.
Throughout my years of music school these were two of my most listened to jazz albums probably:
Charles Mingus - Ah Um
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out
Cowboy Bebop OST
Dave Van Ronk - Folksinger
The Heavy - The House That Dirt Built
Dr. Dog - Fate
The Silent Comedy - Common Faults
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Hall & Oates - H2O
Eric Clapton - Orchestra Night (Live) [Quite fond of this particular live session with the National Philarmonic Orchestra]
Now from a completely different end of spectrum:
Aphex Twin - Selected Ambient Works 85-92 [I imagine this in particular would sound great with X00s]
Infected Mushroom - B.P. Empire [Have not listened to this in a long while, but I imagine X00s would make me appreciate it in a new way]
Tricky - Maxinquaye [If you enjoy Massive Attack, I believe you are probably going to be familiar with Tricky as well]
Transistor OST [Decent amount of bass in this one as well]
Summoning - Let Mortal Heroes Sing Your Fame [LotR-inspired folk-metal band]
sirrenThanks for some new direction. Haven't heard quite a few on your list so I have work to do. You also blew some of the dust and cobwebs away and reminded me of some tunes I had all but forgotten.
Wow...Dave Van Ronk and King Crimson...that brings back some memories!
Time Out has continuously been in my collection since my older brother introduced me to it in 1968.
I even had it on eight track once! It's my favorite jazz album of all time.
sirrenShould you want to swap amps you're able to at a later time, as well. I may switch from an Asgard to <whatever else> and I'm able to. The upgrabability of the Bifrost also allows you to start with the "lower" one to save a couple bucks, then upgrade as your cash flow allows. Take it for what it's worth, that's the reason I went this route (and it looks really pretty).
Yes. They are very different beasts. I have yet to find the "perfect" headphone that excels with every type of music. (although these X00's are pretty close) They each have unique qualities and depending on the genera of music and even your mood the right headphone can really heighten your listening experience. When asked why I have so many headphones I liken it to wine and food pairings. Some meals require a dark, robust Petite Syrah while with other dishes I prefer a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
Life is too short to only have one pair. :)
YOLO!
O2/Odac on low gain. But I have paired them with several different amp/dacs. Check out my previous posts for the list. The SMSL and the Micca OriGen+ are adequate but due to the voltage limitation (being USB powered) they seem to me to be a bit underpowered.