Recommendations for my first setup | Looked at it...

Jan 25, 2020

Budget, music preferences?

Jan 25, 2020

rastusI appreciate the interest. For all components, DAC, amp, headphones, and speakers/monitors I'd like to stay under $1000, but lower would be better. From what I've read so far, it seems like the value to price curve levels out, but at a different price point for every component. I have no idea where that mark is for any of the items I need, but I'd like to find it. This is going to be my work office setup since that is the only place I'm sitting in one place, by my self, for long enough to use good gear. All of my other listening is done on the go, or with the family. Most of what I listen to is rock, from TOOL to Ray LaMontagne, from Pink Floyd to The Cure, the Decembrists to Nick Cave. I do occasionally listen to electronic/pop. such as The Bestie Boys, Gorillaz, Broken Bells and some electronic DJ mixed stuff. Tiesto, and Okenfold are a couple favorites. Thank you for any input. Cheers, -J

Jan 27, 2020

JAZONGLooked at it three ways. One, contains perceived risk, has R-2R in it, some torch this due to poor performance in noise,, me,,, I hear life... Skip ahead through two levels of headphones, actually save money & time, and get the Elex. Caveat, skip the monitors for now, go for long, non-fatiguing, euphoric listening. Audio g-d R2R 11 http://www.audio-gd.com/R2R/R2R11/R2R11EN.htm Just got a quote to east coast USA $381.90 The Elex here on drop, you can read my review; https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-focal-elex-headphones/reviews/2225726 $600.00 A decent USB cable, my rant;) https://drop.com/talk/2212/lets-see-yalls-rigs/2141950 Pangea SE (amazon) $24.95 Total: $1,006.85 Two, drop centric w/monitors, puts some tube 2nd harmonic, in your harmony;) CTH + SDAC DAC/AMP, no,, have not heard - though I compare to the Aune T1, rebuilt three, doing two more. $320.00 Upgrade the Tube, necessary, many options, very nice example, $120.75 https://www.ebay.com/itm/Amperex-USN-6922-E88CC-D-Getter-USA-Gold-Pin-Mil-Spec-Tube-in-Original-Box-1960/113830207694 The drop Sennheiser HD6XX, can't go wrong. $195.00 A decent USB cable, https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Forest-Micro-USB-Cable-Black/dp/B00GHIV5T4/ $49.95 Decent Monitors, example, https://www.amazon.com/JBL-306P-Studio-Monitoring-Speakers/dp/B07C5L7NKV $249.00 Power cable for Monitors, https://www.amazon.com/10-Computer-Power-Cord-Splitter/dp/B01IBNXE6Y $14.12 Patch cable for Monitors, https://www.amazon.com/Mogami-GOLD-3-5-2XLRM-06-Y-Adapter-Connectors/dp/B01N5T8YLM $68.95 Total: $1,017.77 Three, puts the drop THX AAA™ 789 into the mix, engineering to a need, at a price point, exemplified. The DROP + THX AAA™ 789 LINEAR AMPLIFIER $400.00 The drop Sennheiser HD6XX, can't go wrong. $195.00 The DAC, one up from CTH, still a future upgrade point. https://jdslabs.com/product/ol-dac/ $99.00 A decent USB cable, https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Forest-Micro-USB-Cable-Black/dp/B00GHIV5T4/ $49.95 Decent Monitors, example, https://www.amazon.com/JBL-306P-Studio-Monitoring-Speakers/dp/B07C5L7NKV $249.00 Power cable for Monitors, https://www.amazon.com/10-Computer-Power-Cord-Splitter/dp/B01IBNXE6Y $14.12 Patch cable for Monitors, https://www.amazon.com/TISINO-Stereo-Breakout-Double-Cords/dp/B07K58L9MW $16.99 RCA interconnect THX/ol-dac https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect-Connectors/dp/B01ALHTVMO $31.95 Total: $1,056.01 Well, there you go with suggestions for a $1K budget, curious as to where you go. More stuff (money;) You will need a player, Audivarna is a good choice, https://audirvana.com/ Nice white paper, to show you, and your wallet, the path to the rabbit hole you are seeking, worth it though:) Actually the Marantz HD-DAC1 all-in-one is another choice... https://www.marantz.co.uk/DocumentMaster/master/White%20Paper_Marantz_DAC_150316new.pdf Get quality files, this is actually the hard part, 24-96/192 or DSD: https://store.acousticsounds.com/cat/365/Digital_Download A cable upgrade for the HD6XX would be good for the CTH and THX, go balanced for some extra juice esp. for CTH. Clean AC power, don't have it? Not to fret, no home AC is... Get it... Don't plug into same the UPS/'cleaner'/protection as your PC. Anything pretty-much besides the wall outlet... will offer some filtering while serving as a basic level of protection for your new audio rig... Double-conversion UPS best choice, deal: https://www.ebay.com/itm/DURABLE-DS1000B-1000VA-700W-Online-Double-Conversion-Sinewave-UPS-6-Outlets/361564263268?hash=item542ee8d364:g:DicAAOSwXBFXPlN3

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Jan 27, 2020

rastusWow. Thanks for the advice. So much to go over. I know I'm going to learn a ton just checking out the links you shared, and digging further into said items on my own. The tips on power cables, patch cables, USB cables, and the upgrade for the 6xx were exactly the kinds of pointers I knew I needed, but didn't know to ask about. I watched a couple videos on the Elex last night. Very different views from a couple different YouTubers. I'll go read your take on them now. What do you think about streaming from Amazon's new Music HD service? Since I don't have great files yet, I'd like to get started however I can. Streaming services, and re burning my CDs to a higher quality format seem like a couple good places to start. Thanks for getting me off to a good start.

Jan 27, 2020

JAZONGNow that "The Amazon" is going for high quality streaming, I would go there now, they will likely steamroll the others... I have Tidal HiFi now, likely going to switch. Only downside is that you will get everything possible in advertising,, now gendered to your music listening preferences, as humanly... or AI... possible...

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Jan 28, 2020

rastusPurchased: "The DROP + THX AAA™ 789 LINEAR AMPLIFIER $400.00 "The drop Sennheiser HD6XX, can't go wrong. $195.00 "The DAC, one up from CTH, still a future upgrade point. https://jdslabs.com/product/ol-dac/ $99.00 "A decent USB cable, https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-Forest-Micro-USB-Cable-Black/dp/B00GHIV5T4/ $49.95" Type A version of ^^ USB cable. "RCA interconnect THX/ol-dac https://www.amazon.com/Foot-Directional-High-Definition-Interconnect- Connectors/dp/B01ALHTVMO $31.95" Still considering Monitors. Space on my Versa (up/down) desk is limited. I'll be getting a dual monitor tree to help with this situation, but the smaller the better nonetheless. My office, though not a cubicle, does not have a door. Thinking of something like this https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075QVMBT9/?coliid=I3I3T9UBBRSB3L&colid=18M62RNUM4I8A&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

Jan 28, 2020

JAZONGOh Scheisse... just saw that I copied the wrong USB for the ol-dac, had the micro connector for the drop SDAC. The JDS "version" has a type A connection on the DAC side. Cancel and get something like the Pangea SE, whatever length you need: https://www.amazon.com/Pangea-Audio-Premier-Cable-Meter/dp/B06Y1VCRRC?th=1 Sorry...:(

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Jan 28, 2020

rastusOh, no worries. The audio equipment connectors in this digital age are one of the most confusing parts to the puzzle. I made sure I understood how the path from PC to eardrums was going to work before I ordered anything. I grabbed this USB https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00415AHFS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Jan 29, 2020

rastusForgot to mention that I did grab the balanced cables with the HD6XX. I was clueless on the ear pads so I went with the velour.

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Jan 29, 2020

JAZONGWhich balanced? The Dekoni velour?

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Jan 29, 2020

rastusI added the optional TRRS cable offerd with the 6XX. Not sure about the velour. It was the basic one offered as an add on.

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Jan 29, 2020

JAZONGThe THX 2.5mm jack, I don’t see that it is balanced. You will want the adapter to make use of balanced with the drop cable. https://drop.com/buy/drop-4-pin-xlr-to-trrs-adapter

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Jan 29, 2020

rastusGood catch. Thank you. Order placed. This reminds me of my homebrewing days. I had to pay lots of attention to the type, size and thread, and gender of every piece and part as I built several small breweries over a decade. I also just picked up the headphone stand that just dropped https://drop.com/buy/beveled-edge-headphone-stands?utm_placement=4&referer=VPM7FX&mode=guest_open&utm_campaign=Automated%20Daily%20Promotional%202020-01-29&utm_source=SparkPost&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Daily%20Promotional&utm_content=1580284829186.485970423128017685586339 Got the Audio Station version. Lucky day . So often I see drops just after making a purchase on a similar item. Since quality audio equipment is a new thing for me, I'll have to remember to keep an eye out. I'm sure there will be plenty of useful drop coming up for a guy in my spot. Most items should be here Monday. Not sure on the DAC, but it has shipped. Cheers, and thanks again for the extremely helpful info. I'm certain the direction you provided cut a little bit off of the learning curve versus me figuring it out with no help. Still so much to learn though. I'm sure it's never ending.

Jan 30, 2020

JAZONGSo, if this will be your first foray into HiFi headphones,, it will be quite fun... doing retakes on favorites, you will finally hear, what the artist(s) intended you to hear.

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Jan 30, 2020

JAZONGTo rip your existing CD's, you are best to use something such as EAC free(donate)ware, http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/en/ , and use it's multi-sampling features to extract the best copy you can from your CD library as 16/44.1 FLAC. Then you would use the software in a player like Audivarna to "oversample" upstream in the PC, using it's SoX, https://audirvana.com/technology/ , to 24/96 for your ol-dac, or higher when you upgrade to another DAC;)

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Jan 30, 2020

rastusAwesome. Thank you. I guess I have some work to do and some apps to acquire. To get started, I'm going to start the Amazon 90 day high resolution music streaming service on Tuesday when I get me gear installed.

Jan 31, 2020

rastusDAC from JDS came today. One foot RCA cables did as well.

Feb 6, 2020

JAZONGPushing music into the HD6XX's yet?

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Feb 6, 2020

rastusYeah, pushing now. Everything arrived on Tuesday, and I just happened to be home while an HVAC crew did some vent work on the return air, so once they were done, I was able to go back to work and get everything set up. I was really stressed out after that first afternoon of listening. I streamed some of my favorite stuff from Amazon HD and it did not sound great at all. I get better sound out of my KZ AS06 IEMs. The next day I realized that HD is not supported through a browser, so I downloaded the desktop app. MUCH better. They are, surprisingly, very close to the sound I get from the aforementioned IEMs. I did some A/B testing through the AAA 789 yesterday, and I prefer the 6XX, but only by a small margin. The IEMs sound a little tinny, but they are WAY better with detail on the high end, cymbal strikes get lot on the 6XX. I've not tried any kind of EQ, but I will soon. Overall I feel like they are very good for most of what I've listened to. My gut tells me that they miss a little on the high end when they are pushing a wide range of sound at once, as is often the case when listening to bands like TOOL. Honestly though, I've only just begun to evaluate them, and I have a lot to learn about music files and streaming rates. For the time being, I'm streaming off of Amazon in the Ultra HD category to get a good sense of what they have to offer.

Feb 6, 2020

JAZONGStreaming right now I use Tidal, will be trying Amazon soon... Are you using UHD with the "Amazon"? If you have a poor connection, these streamers go lower... best to download the file to your PC, as in Tidal, then play. To see, what your are hearing, click on the yellow button: "Click on the bright yellow HD or Ultra HD logos that accompany each track (on either app) and you’re shown the sample rate of what you’re playing together with the playback capabilities of your machine. The desktop app will even prompt you to change the audio settings on your computer to take advantage of the improved audio quality. It’s a clever and thoughtful touch, especially if you want to connect an external DAC that can handle all the available sample rates natively and make the most of Amazon’s high-res library." https://www.whathifi.com/us/reviews/amazon-music-hd

Repetitive I know... If you want to see what a true baseline is of your rig, trial https://audirvana.com/try/ and get some FLAC or DSD, it will down-sample, of your favorites from the likes of: https://store.acousticsounds.com/cat/365/Digital_Download Did you get the Forest USB cable?

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Feb 6, 2020

rastusHmmm. I see what you're saying. The current track is 24 bit / 96kHz. My device capability is 24 bit / 44.1 kHz. the track is playing at 16 bit / 44.1 kHz. Codec is FLAC. The OL DAC is capable of 16 / 44.1kHz thru 24 / 192kHz, so I'm not sure why the full capability is not reflected in the desktop player. The reason for a lower current play rate could be the network here in the office, or the speed of the internet. I can download from amazon, but I am pretty sure I have to play through the Amazon player. I might check out Tidal. Is that a final transaction? Or is it like iTunes, they own it, and you get to play it how they say? I did get the Forest cable.

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Feb 7, 2020

JAZONGTidal downloads are resident within the app during subscription. There is a way to capture them, but have not done... I use Tidal to cruise around sampling and for Bluetooth with the kitchen & deck systems for convenience. Something I really want to ‘hear’, I get a quality file and play on the wired rig. Yes, of course I sample there too in Tidal, even MQA, some do sound great, but many fall into the loudness war category, re-mastered for mass-consumption. You will soon see/hear that the quality of the recordings is another limiting ceiling. A direct result of the MP3 dark age period for music. At 24/96 USB you are in a sweet spot. Beyond this I say look at DSD. R-2R was a successful experiment for me; happy with the Denafrips Ares for present. If drop re-releases the Airist R-2R,, esp. in a dual mono or “balanced” version with native DSD, something to consider. Tubes... I completely ignored as cultism, hand warmers my Dad made in his early career. Until I read enough to start to wonder, now I have heard how they can assist in the recreation of a human voice, a vibrating reed, or a plucked string.... life. last weekend I was at a jazz club in the village, NYC, closed my eyes and tried to compare to what I can reproduce at home,, no, it will never be the same,, but this midfi stuff we can get to play with today is damn good:) The Amazon player app should recognize the ol-dac as 24/96 USB version... app setup? Try finding the ‘download’ button... I will be trying Amazon UHD this weekend, then I may be more helpful here;) I think gain II on the THX should be sweeter, I see you are at III, but have never heard, only read.

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Feb 11, 2020

rastusI've done a lot of thinking and reading over the weekend, and I'm considering buying the Elex or the HIFIMAN XX, but I know less about magnetic planar than I do about amps and DACs, which is already nothing. I'm sure the 6XX are good for many things, but I don't think they're up for the task I've set them to. Everytime I listen to them I find another shortcoming. I'm going to test every set I get against my favorite music, and it's a serious test. Post Modern Jukebox. Sounds great, as does Leonard Cohen, but those sounds don't push every capability of the 6XX to the limit.

Feb 11, 2020

JAZONGWell,, remember my first choice which was Elex/R-2R 11 gd... elsewhere you will see me say the Elex is the best starter headphone... Hard to say for someone else where it gets "good enough", I am currently happy at the "Elex level". Did not mean to mislead, tough to see what others hear...

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Feb 11, 2020

rastusIt's been very clear since the beginning of my search for a quality setup that opinions are all over the place, regarding headphones especially. I'm pretty sure most of it is listening preference, which is often left out of reviews, making it hard to judge the subjectivity of the supplies reviews. I think I'm a fairly practice guy so I see 6XX as part of my education. I appreciate the help, and am considering the Elex because it's the first set of cans you recommend. I like the Drop stuff because it narrowes the field to a very manageable window of good options. Also, Drop attracts people like you, and there must be a reason for that. If audiophiles and music lovers alike dig the gear on Drop, I'll follow the lead. Feels like insider info in a way. 😎

JAZONGfyi: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Audio-GD-R2R-11-Discrete-DAC-single-ended-headphone-and-preamplifier/402120905453?hash=item5da04612ed:g:7NUAAOSw73xeVga4

Feb 28, 2020

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Feb 29, 2020

rastusOh, cool. I'm really interested in hearing the difference in components. Seems like the next step in the quality audio appreciation journey. I've been so busy at work, I haven't even been listening to music, or anything but my keyboard and my boss, lol. Huge project went out at the end of last week, so I'm sure I'll have some time to listen to music and decide what will be next. I really need to put the time in and re-burn my CDs already. I like the idea of owning my files. I haven't gotten used to the resident inside the app thing. With that said, I like to jump around a bit, and I can't own, heck even download, everything. First world problems. Cheers, and thanks for the tip. I think I'll end up with this DAC eventually. I'm interested in R2R and the idea of the value to price of this unit is compelling.