Audio Random IEM / Headphone Rants

Ahem, my post was for Faheem because I bought it from him, sorry if it confused everybody.

And thanks to you too Santhosh :) you had suggested the NE7.

Anyways corrected my first post.
 
Contemplating getting a headphone amp or dac/amp combo , to boost the rubbish output from my laptop :p tentatively looking at the Audinst from PN, can faheem or anyone who has it let me know how it affects the sound ? my preference is towards slightly darker sound and emphasis on mids over lows and highs
 
^ The Audinst HUD-MX-1 is probably one of the best DAC+ amp Ive tried under 10k . Very very neutral .No signs of coloration at all .Garbage in , garbage out . More than enough power to drive my D5000. Should easily handle anything upto 300 Ohms ,IMO .

If you prefer a sightly darker sound , you could get that with some op-amp rolling experiments. I tried out BB-OPA2111KP,BB-OPA2032P and few others . Of which the 2111 was slightly darker but had a little more bass as well so I went back to the stock one .

It was Chaos' feedback to Gautam @ PN which made me try out the MX1 and buy it :p You could maybe audition his MX1 if you are in the same city ;).
 
^Thanks, I was looking around and couldn't find anything at this price point either, with both you and Chaos recommending it, I guess I'll pick it up sometime soon :p
 
Related topic: Is there a headphone amp which accepts 2 or 3 RCA inputs? I found that Matrix M-Stage accepts two RCA inputs (goes for around $260). Is there any other good amp?
 
Hi Achal....gud to hear from u after such a long time

They both have diff sound, but 272 brings a more satisfying musical experience. It has balance that 262 lacks....

but primarily to fund the purchase
 
After nearly two years of sleeping in the closet (without even burn-in, mind you), my main headphones (Fostex T20V2-SFI, AD700 and MS1i) are seeing some use thanks to QLS QA350. My evil mind is plotting things like moving to HD600, SR225 and so on :devil2:. I need to sell more things first to cleanup space first though.

While usability is not exactly it's strength, I don't find QA350 that hard to carry within the house - it still weighs less than the portable HDD though it is not exactly Clip+ either. I doubt if I can use it while traveling because of it needs a separate three piece charger to be carried along with it. And the damn QLS thing needs to prove to me that it can work 4 hours straight without causing any trouble first. Every time when I am about to place my seal of approval, it does something weird :mad: (Update: I just re-converted the problematic files into WAV again and seems that there's no issue - at least so far. May be I can be at peace with it now :)).

No input on my headphone amp query?
 
Thanks. It's all a bit confusing for me right now - whether to go for DAC/Amp or just a desktop headphone amp. Actually, something simple like a Matrix M-Stage could fulfill my requirement except that I don't know if it has enough power to drive everything I throw at it.

Audio-GD's line-up is a bit confusing. Everything seems similar, but they are different :S. Wouldn't NFB-5/12 or even C-2.1 be somewhat better than Fun? The requirement is simple: I have PC -> HRT MSII, Tape Deck and CDP. Two of them are RCA outs and only CDP has Coax and Optical out. I would like the headphone amp to be setup there. If it has 2 or 3 RCA Ins and a headphone out with plenty of power, it should suffice.

For a transportable setup with QA350, I have other ideas - a slightly higher budget. Also, any idea about Meier StepDance / 2SD? I've read about people driving LCD-2 with it. Is LCD-2 easier to drive?
 
any recommendations for sub 2k earphones from abroad . the bass response should be good . I have Meelectronics M9p+ in my mind . i switched from ep630 to jvc marshmallow and i am not very satisfied with the bass production
 
FaH33m said:
^ The Audinst HUD-MX-1 is probably one of the best DAC+ amp Ive tried under 10k . Very very neutral .No signs of coloration at all .Garbage in , garbage out . More than enough power to drive my D5000. Should easily handle anything upto 300 Ohms ,IMO .

If you prefer a sightly darker sound , you could get that with some op-amp rolling experiments. I tried out BB-OPA2111KP,BB-OPA2032P and few others . Of which the 2111 was slightly darker but had a little more bass as well so I went back to the stock one .

It was Chaos' feedback to Gautam @ PN which made me try out the MX1 and buy it :p You could maybe audition his MX1 if you are in the same city ;).
Click to expand...

Yup its a very very good source. For the price you pay, it can't be beaten - its in a different class compared to the Xonar STX which sells around the same price.

I was planning to review it but then I'm holding off until I get my hands on an Ayon Cd1-s that i've ordered. It should arrive next week. I'll then have then chance to compare it with a reference level source.
 
Will Audinst HUD-MX-1 be a good match for say, a Senn HD600? Or for that matter, BD 880? I have been eying for an upgrade to something better than my AD700. Thought that a DAC would be the starting point... Any other recommendations?
 
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