Gijo1977 Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 Hi, I am currently trying to learn about HeadFi due to a new arrival into our household. Their room is right next to my listening space, and as such I may be forced to use a more personal method for enjoying my vinyl records. So given this possible requirement, I am looking for advice... information or just plain old opinion about how to get the equivalent type of sound I have now, just in headphones? The Headphone out on my Amp is spec'd as follows: THD (20hz-20khz) - <0,005% at 1V out SNR - >110dB (32ohms loads; A-WTD, ref. 2V out, unity gain Frequency response - +/-0.3dB (20hz-20khz) Channel separation - >60dB at 1kHz Output impedance - 6 ohms So I am not sure what this means, but the manual suggests it will drive any headphones..... but me thinks this is not quite true based? Anyway, I am running a NAD C388 and paradigm signature S2, that are currently sounding pretty good, particularly with a GS Accession Phono Pre. The REL T9 has fixed the bass What headphone options would give me a good start into this space? Thanks Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasherhalo Posted August 20, 2017 Share Posted August 20, 2017 New arrival, eh? Congratulations if it's baby. Commiserations if it's the mother in law. Got a budget in mind? What sort of music do you listen to? Sent from my SM-G925I using Tapatalk 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted August 21, 2017 Author Share Posted August 21, 2017 Hahaha, I hadn't even considered the addition coming at the later age bracket. Fortunately it's the smaller [emoji3]As for budget.... the current Amp speaker and cable setup is a 5-6k sort of system. I would love to maintain this level of quality when adding headphones. As for the headfi budget, I suspect I will have to be maxing out around $1k.Music. Hmm eclectic describes it, but artists currently include Fleetwood Mac, Sam smith, joe cocker, foo fighters, Simon and garfungle, just Simon, Adele, some classical and some jazz. Pretty much trying all types at the moment Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregWormald Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Just play your music as normal. The baby will got used to it really quickly unless it's at the damage level. What makes people think the womb is quiet? Greg 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ophool Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I have and have used many pairs of headphones, none of them provide a listening experience equivalent to my speaker system. Headphones are, if anything, even more idiosyncratic than speakers and personal preferences regarding presentation very much come into play in choosing a headphone. The ability of your amplifier headphone socket to drive a particular headphone may also be limited vis a vis a dedicated headphone amplifier, particularly in the case of the harder to drive headphones. Relatively inexpensive and quite easy to drive are the Grado SR60, the ATH-M50X and the Shure SRH-940 although the latter is getting somewhat dearer @ $300. The Shure, IME, will work quite happily from a smartphone - the other two I have no direct experience of, but they are often recommended. It would definitely be best if you could try a few pairs of headphones for yourself before committing. Finally, I do concur that often a baby will sleep better with music playing although some genres are less helpful 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoggieHowser Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 As with stereo systems - choose the headphones first. Different brands have their own unique house sound or Signature. Much like speakers. I've owned Sennheisers from the HD650 to the HD800 along with some Grado made Alessandro MS Pro and then gradually moved to planar, ribbon designs. On the entry level, the Oppo PM3s are hard to beat. It retains the speed of planar drivers but is closed back - so sound is contained - great if you don't want to disturb someone else in the same room and doesn't require too much oomph to drive. The soundstage and feel isn't as good as the open back ones. Going to open back headphones the PM2 is one that punches above its price point. It is so close to the PM1 that I often have a hard time justifying to myself or others to step up their budget. My experience with Audeze is that QC can be a little hit and miss. Because it is handmade. And because the frequency plots have a pretty large variance between batches. Had to send my LCD3 back to US and the replacement was different. And because they are always changing the specs. May not be great for resale. Imho. My absolute favorite has to be the Hifiman. I have the HE6 and it's a great sound. But it is a beast to drive. So it will need a gutsy amp. Ideally you want a dedicated headphone amp - not something that is added as an after thought in marketing literature and is just a few op amps to the circuits. If you are looking for one that can be used for yr speakers, I suggest looking at the PrimaLuna Dialogue Premium HP. A flick of the switch sends all that Tube power (not an opamp) to the headphone jack. Or the PS Audio BHK Signature preamp which has a headphone amp that shares the same designer as Audeze's King headphone amp. Or wait a bit longer and get the Chord Poly/Mojo combo. I can't reveal too much yet but that pricing is going to be sooo good you will be glad you waited. That combines an excellent headphone amp and portable DAC along with a Roon compatible streamer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 @DoggieHowser obviously knows his headphones. I've been fascinated with headphones, headphones amps and dacs for almost 3 years now. I've owned beyer dt880 & T1, Sennheiser hd650 & hd800, Audeze lcd-2f and will be getting ZMF Eikon and Atticus soon. As Doggie stated, most of these headphones sounds best with dedicated headphone amps. I use a tube amp and a solid state. Gear are in my signature. The last point Doggie made has my interest. I have just pick up a Chord Mojo and boy, was I surprised that it drove my planar magnetic LCD-2f really well. Sounds really good too. I'm also keen on the Poly and intend to attend the launch at MiniDisc on the 21st Sep 2017 from 6pm to 8pm. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jensway Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 What kind of sound signature do you enjoy? Warmer sound with a bit more bass? Or something a bit more analytical/neutral? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I don't think he will be able to tell you that because sometimes preferences change over time. For me, I can deal with both extremes. Really depends on my mood and the type of music I listen to. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 It's true, I am unsure how to describe my sound preference, but balanced sound is important, clear highs and mids, on the slightly warmer side of the gauge, and enough bass to round out the bottom, but not EDM style if you know what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaynin Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 I have twin new arrivals in the home and, like @GregWombald said, just play music like normal through your speakers - unless it's late at night, which is when I do my head-fi listening. Usually after 10 P.M. One of the first decisions you'll have to make is closed or open backs. If the bub is in a different room then you should be able to get open backs, which I did because there's no comparison in sound stage, I much prefer open backs. At $1000 I'd keep that for your headphones and then work towards a dedicated headphone amp. I first decided upon a set of headphones and used an AVR, then moved to an entry level headphone amp and now run my dream amp (WA22 with upgraded tubes). Some people who are into their stereo system don't actually like the headphone experience, even good quality head-fi. At $1000 it's good to dip the toe and see if it's for you. Personally, I love them both, so long as the quality in the gear is there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 When I was auditioning Violectric v281 and Ragnarok, I also listen to the Woo Audio Wa22. I was quite impressed with the short listening session I had with it on a HD800. Nice tube amp Kaynin. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaynin Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 Yeah, it hasnt disappointed me. I tried a couple of other amps, but settled on the Woo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted August 22, 2017 Author Share Posted August 22, 2017 Thanks for all the input so far I should have also pointed out , that I have a set of Bose QC over ears for travel, so better than that is key I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted August 22, 2017 Share Posted August 22, 2017 9 hours ago, Gijo1977 said: It's true, I am unsure how to describe my sound preference, but balanced sound is important, clear highs and mids, on the slightly warmer side of the gauge, and enough bass to round out the bottom, but not EDM style if you know what I mean. I think LCD-2f will suit you. A Chord Mojo as dac/amp driving LCD-2f has captivated me for 2 days straight. However you need to up your budget. LCD-2f is selling at Addicted To Audio for $1399. I just pick up a 'new' Mojo on this classified for $525. This is all you need ..... for now. :-) A good bass track is 'Rock You Gently' by Jennifer Warnes of 'The Hunter' album. Sounds really good on this setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted August 23, 2017 Author Share Posted August 23, 2017 Thanks for the recommendation. I am wondering though, can the mojo amplify an analogue signal? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoggieHowser Posted August 23, 2017 Share Posted August 23, 2017 No. But why? Do you want to listen to an LP? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted August 24, 2017 Author Share Posted August 24, 2017 Yep. So I can listen to my records, when my new baby is sleeping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted August 25, 2017 Share Posted August 25, 2017 This was my humble setup until I got Yggdrasil and Ragnarok with HD800 and LCD-2f. Here I have my humble Denon DP300F, Feliks Audio Elise OTL tube amp and HD650. I really love it for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted September 2, 2017 Author Share Posted September 2, 2017 So I managed to pick up some HD650 from the classifieds.... now to get some time up on the built in socket on the Amp, before testing the headphone Amp waters [emoji106] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaynin Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 Great to hear @Gijo1977 , an excellent move to head-fi to keep the love of music going... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieMick Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 Yep. So I can listen to my records, when my new baby is sleeping. [emoji4] How's the new bub? Tolerating your headphones? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gijo1977 Posted September 2, 2017 Author Share Posted September 2, 2017 Well the new bub has decided to wait in the comfort of her mums tummy for a little while longer... any day now I suspect. I have only managed to have 1 listen to the headphones as yet, so hopefully Father's Day includes some alone time [emoji3] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieMick Posted September 2, 2017 Share Posted September 2, 2017 Good luck!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwi.kelvin Posted September 3, 2017 Share Posted September 3, 2017 I've been playing around with headphones and amplification for a year or too and have had a few sets come into and out of my head-fi chain during that time. I've just settled on a pair of Sony MDR Z7 after some experimentation and I love them. They're closed back so I can listen without disturbing others in the house, have a sound signature I particularly like and the build quality is very high as they are made in Japan, which is becoming rare. I also had a pair of AKG K702 until recently (sold them on SNA) which I liked but found the presentation to be a little bright for my taste. For me they were a great place to start though as my taste in cans has developed a lot over the past year or so. For amplification I'm using a Schiit Vali 2 with a GE tube and it's great. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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