Audio Random DAC/Amp Thread!!

Just a thought! If you are going to buy better headphones, especially power hungry ones, it's better that you decide on the headphone first and choose an amp that can fine tune your headphone's signature. Amp's driving power is just one part of the equation. The other major portion has to do with how you want your headphone to sound. If you prefer a warmer sound, you might do better with a tube amp. But a tube amp may or may not go well with all headphones.

If you have shortlisted any good headphones, it may be better for you to approach this as an Amp + Headphone issue than separates. Of course, once you decide on the combination, you can buy the amp first and headphone later. As you have mentioned, none of your current headphones need an amp right now.

No! I have not read much about V-Can.
 
I've only heard the MS2 with brendon's ehha amp built by titana. You could either ask him to sell his or titana to build another one if you ask nicely ;)
It is a really really sweeet DIY amp from what brendon tells me.
 
DIY amps are far better than branded and chinese amps and they give you a performance of amps twice the price of it. Also there is the fun part in building it yourself.

The bottlehead Crack seems be getting some really rave reviews

Crack OTL Headphone Amplifier Kit

Crack;Bottlehead OTL

And the best part is that Doc B from bottlehead is himself there to assist you with the build. The guide looks a bit simple as he has explained everything step by step. Some basic soldering skills is required though.
 
Nopes! I use Wharf 10.6 as fronts, so no need for stand. But, yes! That's what I think could be the reason behind sand filling the stands.

I think it's a question better left to experienced people in the speaker domain like Chaos & cranky :)
 
Wait a second, rubber feet on speakers and rubber feet on amps are two different things. Sound signature of an amp shouldn't be affected with the surface its kept on or the kind of feet between the amp and the surface. Speakers I can understand as full range towers are prone to vibrations when they are playing. But amps, really? I din't think so.
 
Actually most of the audiophile worries are more theoretical than practical. I am not really sure how much of these translate into audible differences, yet many people 'hear' differences enough to make them a 'fact'. Then, confirmation bias forces many others to accept that the differences.

Hell! I could even worry that something could happen between the time I hit Submit button and this message reaches the TE server. The more you understand, the more you start worrying. This message has no value other than adding one more post to my count. However, when it comes to something that can be felt by the senses, everything suddenly appears more important. I think that an audiophile needs to worry. He is not just content extracting the best SQ out of his system, because he runs out of excuses to spend and worries to have. So, many things get 'invented' to fulfill that worry / exaggerated fear. Some of them make sense, some of them won't.

I'll just present both sides and leave it to you guys to decide :)

Speaker Spikes and Cones

Vibration: Origins, Effects, Solutions

Oh! And then there's this :O - The Audio Beat - Silent Running Audio Scuttle Equipment Rack

Use a rack like that and magically ....

After living with my Craz Rack for 2 months, I am confident to report that the answer is happiness and total satisfaction. The Craz rack cleans up the entire musical picture from front to back and top to bottom, with the only apparent limits imposed by your acoustics and equipment quality. There now is more depth and dimension to each musical note. The effects on piano recordings are truly phenomenal. This goes well beyond just recreating the physical presence of a piano in the room. I can now sense a distance perspective from the fingers traveling from the far left hand corner of the piano to the right hand side. There is a strong sense of silence between the notes even during very fast passages. The clarity arising from fortissimo passages is another shock. I can listen to the development of the bass notes from the attack through the development all the way to the decay trail without loss of weight. The switching of one note to another is rendered with more elasticity which improves the overall flow of the music otherwise often achieved by smoothing out small musical details. The Craz Rack will reveal an immense amount of hitherto unheard minute details that may seem negligible but are in fact the missing links that make the music tick.
Click to expand...
 
Just came across two headphone amplifiers at ebay.in via a US seller shipped free to India. Looks too vfm for the price, and killer looks.

Behringer AMP800 Four Channel Headphone Amp @ 6k : http://www.ebay.in/itm/150633329147?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2104wt_905

Pyle-Pro PHA80 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp @ 5.6k: http://www.ebay.in/itm/150633333247?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_1766wt_905

Are they any good? are they better than FiiO E9 atleast which retails for around same price.
 
Just came across two headphone amplifiers at ebay.in via a US seller shipped free to India. Looks too vfm for the price, and killer looks.

Behringer AMP800 Four Channel Headphone Amp @ 6k : http://www.ebay.in/itm/150633329147?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_2104wt_905

Pyle-Pro PHA80 4-Channel Stereo Headphone Amp @ 5.6k: http://www.ebay.in/itm/150633333247?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_1766wt_905

Are they any good? are they better than FiiO E9 atleast which retails for around same price.
 
No idea about those amps. Came across a very old review on head-fi about Behringer - Behringer MINIAMP AMP800 - a short review, which was very negative and disputed by another poster. I am guessing those should be decent for $50 price level, but can't be sure.

Kiteki is all over the AK4396 DAC chip - same reason I've been eying the DacMini CX for a long time now :)
 
None else - if you meant proper headphone amps. I have Essence STX or HRT MSII (not the Plus) feeding the Burson from PC.

If you meant everything including portable, Leckerton UHA-6S with OPA209AID opamp is my primary DAC/Amp (fed by QLS QA350 Mod V2 as a DAC / iPod Video 5G via awwan LOD as an amp). I also have a Arrow 3G. I used to own FiiO E5 and iBasso T3, which are now sold.

Don't think ZO2 is a DAC as it's more of an analog sound processor + amp, but my fixed ZO2 is on the way.
 
esantosh, any DAC/Amp that works well with the following

Am a bass heavy person though I prefer tighter bass than trembly bass which irritates me.

Laptop+ATH AD900

Sansa Fuze+ +ATH AD900

Lets keep an open budget for now as I will invest if I get good returns.
 
You need something with a bass boost? I am going to suggest something different from the FiiO products - Practical Devices XM6. It is costly and not exactly portable, but it has every feature - bass boost, treble boost, cross feed and even a LED flashlight :p. It has a good DAC section with WM8740 (with an upgrade option to WM8741). I have come across it's name a few times, but have not researched much into it. But, you can use this thread as a starting point - New Practical Devices XM6 Amp/DAC (The Complete Review). But as with everything "head-fi", try to read more into the complaints past page #20.

If you prefer something very (trans)portable, but don't need the bass boost, there are a few DAC/Amp combos to consider - iBasso D12, Leckerton UHA-4/6S. Of course, FiiO E7 + E9 can be considered, but I think they have already announced upgrades to the line-up.
 
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