@mulveling don’t agree. I’ve had the 600s and the 800’s, and the 600’s sounded slow, thick and constrained whereas the 800s sounded open and delicate (although a bit bass shy). To each their own though!
4K headphone + headphone amp/dac system recommendations please
I have 4K to spend on a better headphone system and have no expertise in the headphone zone.
Currently using old Grado SR 225 cans with Schiit Jotunheim 2 amp (single ended connection). Source is Jay's CDT2 transport and I'm using the internal DAC in my Hegel H390.
While the Hegel's onboard DAC is pretty good, it is a bit thin in the mids. I'd prefer something a bit more fleshed out in that frequency range.
I'm not finding many headphone amp/DAC combos. I am not interested in Chord or import brands that cannot be serviced in US.
The Teac UD 507 looks like a possibility. Moon Audio sells it and recommends HiFiMan HE100 V4 Stealth Magnet currently on sale for $949 to pair with the Teac.
Please Note: This budget will also need to accomodate a power cable and an AES/EBU cable to connect to transport.
In terms of sonics, I favor musicality over detail. I'm very sensitive to fatiguing highs. At the same time, I prize tight bass.
I listen to 3 types of music: acoustic Jazz, non-classical acoustic (NewGrass, Singer-Songwriter, Folk, etc) and some Classic Rock.
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@abenavraham to me, headphone amplifier on the benchmark is somewhat of an afterthought. It is not a great amplifier. I have had better success with two amplification with the HD800s using both 2A3 and 800b amps. everyone here is so confident about their perspectives, but they differ significantly. So yes, it would be a good idea to go to a headphone meet and check them out. At least half the people there will be introverts anyhow… So no problem! |
Thanks for that link. Will be sure to check it out. Thanks but I’ve done quite a bit of research into DACs and everything I’ve watched/read has inclined me to believe Benchmark is not a good fit for me. I had tubed guitar amps for decades. I also had some inexpensive Jolida tube gear way back when (integrated and CD player). For me, the pros are not worth the cons. _______________________________________________________ The headphone world seems even more subjective than the speaker world. There appears to be more consensus overall regarding speakers than headphones. Until I began watching headphone.com videos, I didn’t realize that, for instance, the size and shape of one’s head could be an important factor affecting sonics. Accordingly, my general takeaway is that headphone reviews are minimally useful for predicting whether I might like the SONICS of brand XYZ. And, by extension, I’m now comprehending why so many here have recommended attending CanJam. |
I totally understand you have experience with tube gear with guitar amps and inexpensive tube gear back in the day. However, the sonic characteristics you seek would seem to possibly be best served with some sort of tube in your chain. Whether that's tube in the preamp, part of the DAC stage, or amplifier. And there's a big difference in tube gear when you go up price tiers. Just food for thought do what you think is best. Best advice for headphones would be to try is Meze Empyrean and Audeze, whichever you think suits you (LCD-X probably my favorite headphones because of the very realistic and natural sounding mid range). They just have a musicality to them with great bass extension. Otherwise some sennheiser 6xx with some super good front end gear (probably with a tube somewhere in there) would fit your preferences. As long as you also have the ability to EQ them (this is probably the most important thing I have said in this rant) - this goes for any pair of headphones. Can take your rig from ok to outstanding. Best of luck in your journey |
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