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Thanks for an excellent and informative thread! I'm currently listening on and very happy with a pair of Sennheiser 598s. I have to admit that I do just have the itch to upgrade. That and some pirated episode of VEEP started off with the loudest loving white noise I ever heard in my life (imagine HBO intro as loud as your headphones could play). My current headphones then had a very loud, high pitched constant tone coming out of them for more than 10 minutes or so when I would try them after unplugging, restarting everything, etc. Things seems to be back to normal but I could swear I am hearing some background noise now during isolated parts of pieces in the higher ranges. Budget - ~$800 Source - I've been wondering about my source (ASUS Xonar Essence STX). The shielding is excellent so I never notice any interference from being in a PC and I've always kept the power settings at default (0 to 64 ohms). Even at default I barely ever go over the halfway mark for volume when I am using 7.1 virtual surround (which the STX does amazingly well imo). Frankly, I've never driven a pair of headphones and don't know if the STX is considered a good amp. Isolation Requirements - Nope. Preferred Type of Headphone - Open ear. Preferred Tonal Balance - I'm hoping for a balanced sound across all frequencies. Not looking for specific vocal, etc. enhancements Past Headphones - Besides the 598s that I have now, I've had some previous Sennheiser "PC" focused headphones (with a mic, etc). I have a great separate microphone set up these days and am not interested in microphones or other attachments. Past headphones always had an emphasis on bass that I never enjoyed. I like the clarity of the 598s and really fell in love with them when demoing them off of some Aretha Franklin tunes and that Endless Summer collection of Beach Boys hits ("In My Room" especially). A lot of reviews and the great guide put together by the OP mention a warm or laid back sound and that seems to go well with the classics. As a plus, my ears just never seem to get tired or uncomfortable wearing them and that is great for when I am putting together a radio show or listening to a large body of work for a few hours. Preferred Music - I listen to mostly old R&B, Jazz, Classical, classic rock/prog rock & country, etc. Not big on electronic. I specifically mentioned balance earlier because I listen to a lot of choral works, organ pieces, etc. that have multiple voices and counterpoint. I want to be able to listen to Bach and not have anything overshadowed in the overall texture of the pieces. I'm one of those guys that has their entire music collection in .flac for no reason 
Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 18:16 on Oct 15, 2013 |
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Oct 15, 2013 18:12
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eddiewalker posted:That's not a failure mode of passive headphones. Don't throw them away. Hah, good to hear. I would want to sell them cheap on SA Mart but would never sell anything that may be damaged. Honestly, like most audio worries it probably had to do with me being really high. Didn't help that I listened to all of that new Daft Punk album a few days later. That closing track...
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Oct 15, 2013 19:57
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:Sounds more like your ears were broken, not the headphones. =( Acht, that's a horrifying thought. I think I'm lucky that I always listen at reasonable volumes. Either way, if anyone has any thoughts on my amp/headphone recommendations I'm stoked for them!
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Oct 16, 2013 15:54
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seravid posted:Seconding this because I'm curious to know what's out there for a 800$ budget. Lower or higher I could help you, but at that range I have no idea. Maybe the Senns HD650? No personal experience with them but they should work nicely with your musical preferences; they're not what you'd call balanced, though. I only say balanced because I listen to so many classical pieces where you tend to hear important voicing across a wide range of frequencies. One of my favorite programs is Pipedreams, which travels around the world for performances on tons of different organs and venues. I'd hate to spend a decent amount of money and not have as good of a representation of the hellish low end of a massive organ compared to the ghostly high end stuff. If I was spending more than $800 I'd probably just wait and get the Sennheiser HD 800. Hell, I could get it now but I'm not so convinced that I will really hear a difference. So many buzzwords and I don't understand enough about the actual engineering to make an informed decision.
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Oct 17, 2013 16:26
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Welp, I sold some crap I hadn't gotten around to getting rid of and found a deal on like-new HD 800s from a trusted seller for about a grand. I love a good impulse buy so let's see what the trip report looks like!
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Oct 24, 2013 17:57
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Thanks  . Audiophile forums seem to agree that the TPA6120A2 amp chip will drive even high impedance phones like the HD 800 fine. I'll worry about tube flavorings or whatever whenever I lose part of my brain in an industrial accident.
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Oct 24, 2013 23:31
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So they came in today. I listened to Bach's St. John Passion (a choral and orchestral work with tons of texture) off of my Hanssler edition and these are exactly what I've been looking for. I can just close my eyes and imagine I've paid a lot of money to be at an amazing performance. I can hear the loving echo and vibrations off of the walls when the tenor has a solo part in the hall they recorded this piece at! I'm putting my HD 598s up for $180.53 ($175 after paypal fees) in SA Mart if anyone is interested. vvv Oh god....the sibilance on this track!!!! Better get my wallet Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 18:23 on Oct 26, 2013 |
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Oct 26, 2013 17:44
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I went on a vacation to the USVI for two weeks, so I set my buddy up with my Xonar Essence in his PC and lent him the HD 800s. When I came back he was unshaven and had dark circles around his eyes and talked for two hours about all of the music he stayed up to listen to, hah. I don't have any amps besides my media center stuff to compare these on but the Xonar Essence easily drives them and excels at a faithful reproduction of the sound. Combined with the HD 800s, you just get a really excellent representation of the mix. It would be interesting to go to a Head FI meet up and see how the amp Sennheiser made for the HD 800s stacks up, though...
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Nov 22, 2013 16:33
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Forgot to bump that one SA Mart thread with the headphones, so I've got them in a new thread with some other stuff. If you're looking for a great pair of Sennheiser HD 598s for $175 shipped check em out at http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3593231.
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Dec 10, 2013 15:43
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Shogunner posted:I'd say Sennheiser 598s but feel free to disagree with me Subtle reminder that I have a like new pair of these with the adapter and original packaging selling for $175 shipped at http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3593231! Keep in mind that these are not bass headphones, though. They are often described as "warm" and you'll notice more of a bump in the vocal range. Definitely a more balanced pair that isn't going to rumble off of your head.
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Dec 16, 2013 08:16
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Reposting from Coupons but Amazon had a pair of new HD 800s for $889 yesterday. Price is back up at $1349 (still $150 cheaper than you'd see normally) but maybe worth keeping an eye on if you've been looking.
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Dec 20, 2013 16:44
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Xik posted:I think this is something similar too right? Is there a name for this style? Those are the Sennheiser 598s. Keep in mind that they have no real isolation since they are open, but are comfortable as hell and have great audio quality. Those headphones are also known for "warm" tones which basically just means vocals, mid range stuff, etc. sound pretty great and you shouldn't expect to feel fatigued just from listening to them for a few hours. No real edge to the higher frequencies in my experience. I listen to a ton of classical so I was really delighted to find that I could listen to tons of harpsichord concertos without getting sick of them after the second one like with cheaper headpones, hah. Expect an open soundstage with no special focus on bass, so don't get these if you are a bass head or are looking for a boom. If you love classical, imagine listening to Bach's St. Matthew Passion and having great clarity and positioning on a lot of the choral stuff. I had these for over a year before moving on to a much more expensive pair of headphones and I can say that I found these to be a quality choice at the price point. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Feb 17, 2014 |
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Feb 17, 2014 16:51
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The original Yeti is a great mic for the price. Can't believe you can get them for under $100 these days. I use the Pro, but afaik the only real difference is 24/192 recording. However, if you aren't going to be podcasting or something I'd say just go with a normal desktop mic. I've got my yeti (with shock mount/filter) on a swivel boom arm attached to the desk, myself.
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Feb 18, 2014 23:00
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Touchfuzzy posted:I apologize if this isn't really the right place to be asking or carrying this conversation on, but could I ask what shock mount and swivel arm you use? I've been looking at some, and would like a little insight. Especially for the Yeti, which seems to be bigger than most other mics. No problem - the voice over megathread is the only place I could really see answering anyway. It took a while for Blue to actually come out with a shockmount that fit the Yeti, but you can finally buy one that fits perfectly. Got mine off Amazon. I use the RODE PSA1 for my boom arm and I am very happy with it. It easily holds the weight of the Yeti, shockmount and the pop filter, allowing you to smoothly move it basically wherever you would reasonably need it around your desk within seconds. You also don't need to drill a hole to secure it since there's a clamp that you can easily set up, though it comes with the necessary attachments if you will be drilling.
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Feb 19, 2014 16:01
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I actually used to have that same mic mount from back when I had a Samson C1OU and I feel my current setup is just way better (if you don't mind looking like a techno nerd). I'll post a picture of my setup when I get home and then I'll stop derailing the thread Edit: here ya go  Seems to be a good four inches of adjustable clamp height. Just make sure there's space underneath the edge to fit the clamp. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 23:41 on Feb 19, 2014 |
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Feb 19, 2014 22:25
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That Tom Hardware article is excellent and really has me just happy with the Xonar STX altogether. The only real audio purchase I am looking to make now would be a super portable DAC that can drive the HD 800s from any PC. I have my own office at work and an hour or two of downtime daily that I'd love to use for music time. However, I don't want to have a DAC sitting on my desk. I wouldn't really need any features beyond a quarter inch output and a USB input. Obviously I am looking for great audio quality but that seems easily obtained for cheap these days!
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Mar 6, 2014 19:09
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Opinions on a Schiit Vali / Modi stack for HD 800s? I love my Essence STX, but don't want to open the PC just to use my cans with another PC.
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Mar 12, 2014 21:13
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Looked like Goatse in the thumb :0
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Apr 1, 2014 02:37
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Storage is so cheap that I just obtain all my music in flac and then convert to MP3 for my phone, etc. Never know what will come around the corner for listening in the future and my collection is so big I would never go through the trouble of getting it all twice.
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Apr 25, 2014 22:55
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I upgraded directly from one of those "HD PC" Sennheiser sets with the built in mics to 598s a few years ago and the difference really was night and day. I'm real into music but the soundstage of the 598s helps with footsteps and directional audio in games like CS and TF2. Don't know how close the mod gets you to that so I can't comment.
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Apr 28, 2014 19:44
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Yeah, I have a pair of beats earphones for my workouts and they are ridiculous loving bassy. To the point where the song is clearly distorted and loses all instrument separation. Got them as a gift though, so screw it.
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Apr 29, 2014 23:58
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If you want to try your luck on the waiting list, the HD 598s are a lightning deal on Amazon today for $150 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042A8CW2
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May 20, 2014 18:28
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Just a quick weigh in - I use the STX with a pair of HD 800s and I've found it to be fantastic. I am looking around for a dac/amp stack for portability (once I recover from buying a big rear end TV) but I've used the STX for years without a hitch and zero noise interference while right next to a graphics card. My motherboard and power supply are pretty solid, though. I don't know if you might run into trouble with cheaper boards, etc.
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Jun 2, 2014 16:07
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There's an article over at Tom's Hardware that basically states there is little difference between DACs ranging from $2 to $2000. That's a bit of a simplification but read there for their methodology and conclusions. The DAC included on your motherboard should basically be fine if it is a board made in the last few years (I believe anything with built in Realtek HD audio etc), but they provide information on the chip you can use to check. You buy an STX for the amp (swappable chips!), sound processing (dolby, etc) and output functionality if that is your thing. It drives my HD 800s perfectly well and I rarely raise volume above 40% on the highest gain setting. I do have to say that until I got these, I used a pair of 598s and loved the virtual 7.1. It really is a fantastic solution for headphones that don't prominently feature a great soundstage. When I got these cans, I moved it all over to stock since the processing was painfully obvious on them.
Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 21:26 on Jun 3, 2014 |
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Jun 3, 2014 21:22
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Holyyyy poo poo. If you are using a Essence STX please check this link immediately and just do what it says: http://www.head-fi.org/products/asus-xonar-essence-stx#wiki Also grab the community unified drivers and be sure to totally disable your onboard audio in the bios. I do not joke when I say that I am finally hearing these HD 800s properly. I had no idea there was a 44.1 khz bug with the default asus drivers. Bass is so well defined now and the soundstage is somehow even better... it is like a night and day difference. So glad I randomly decided to check for new drivers and stumbled on the HeadFi thread for the soundcard.
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Jun 17, 2014 05:29
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Haha, while I share the annoyance at ASUS for the 44.1 noisefloor issue I'd say 80% of it was just me not realizing I could set up foobar to use ASIO and resample to 48 khz. Can't blame anyone but myself for not doing the research until now! However, I am considering picking up a Schiit Valhalla 2 just to have some tube flavoring.
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Jun 17, 2014 07:31
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It is worth noting that the Essence STX uses swappable op amps that fully drive the HD 800s at great volume. The card is completely shielded as well so there is no interference and even has it's own separate power connection. Tom's Hardware double blind DAC tests held it up against a $2000 DAC with a coin flip doing a better job of telling the difference.
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Jun 19, 2014 18:14
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Looking at the new V220, huh? Awesome. The HD 800s especially are an amazing deal at the price you have there and I imagine they will sell immediately.
Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 16:06 on Jul 7, 2014 |
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Jul 7, 2014 15:48
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I've got a Schiit Valhalla 2 scheduled for a Friday delivery! Looking forward to stacking it up against the STX. Schiit allows returns with a 5% restocking fee for 15 days so that should be plenty of time to see whether or not a tube amp will make for a good pairing with the HD 800s. Their customer service is also pretty spot on! I just moved and forgot to include my unit number with the shipping address. Sent a message right after placing and had a representative email me back within the hour informing me that, though the order had already shipped (!), they would set it up with Fedex today to change the address. Already got my confirmation from them that it is all good to go.
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Jul 8, 2014 18:32
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halokiller posted:drat, HD800 for $725 is loving tempting. Won't be surprised if someone bites by the end of the day. Would get them myself, but I recently bought an AD2000X and my girlfriend will get pissy at me again for spending another couple hundred on headphones Yeah, what a crazy deal. I spent over a grand for used and I am incredibly happy with these cans. Couldn't see myself with another pair of headphones.
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Jul 9, 2014 19:25
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I went from a pair of 598s to 800s and it really is just a huge jump up. You'll find the sound stage and instrument separation become prominent in recordings. The source of your recordings becomes very important as well. For example, I absolutely loved my collection of Chopin nocturnes by Arthur Rubenstein. When I moved to the 800s, the limitations of those older recordings became apparent and sort of distracting (keep in mind this is all lossless). Lots of background hiss from old recordings. They are pretty ruthless about revealing details in a recording. Even the windows sounds for 8.1 have noticeable background noise in error messages, lol. The point of them is to be as neutral and close to the recording as possible, so don't go in expecting heavy bass or anything. The low end is tight and satisfying but never exagerrated. As for amps, find an amp that can easily drive 300 ohms and you are good. Read some reviews and see if you want a neutral amp or tube flavorings, etc. I've used the Xonar Essence STX for quite some time which easily drive them with no issues re: noise floor or component interference. Excellent DAC and amp at a great price point. Many people praise the JDS O2 dac or their ODAC dac/amp combo for being an excellent neutral amp if you would rather go external. Opinions vary on whether or not they "easily" drive the 800s but they are also an awesome price point and headphones discussions are full of crazy horseshit so ymmv. As for playing your music - get Foobar 2000, the asio and sacd plugins and set output in asio to whatever your dac ends up being. Grab a copy of the SACD for Thriller from your favorite music source if you really want to be blown away by how good headphones treat amazing production. When I get home from work I will have a brand new Valhalla 2 on my doorstep so I will absolutely put it head to head against the STX using my SACD collection and report back! Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 20:00
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I totally forgot to post my trip report with the Valhalla 2, using my Essence STX as DAC and the HD 800s as headphones. The Valhalla 2 has been described as basically a tube amp that is still very neutral and I'd agree. What I really noticed was that I was able to have the same sound stage and separation that the Essence STX provided but all around the volume knob. On the STX I had to really crank it up (around 80% total output volume) on the highest gain levels and be in ASIO mode only to have the sound properly wrap around my head, while using the Valhalla as an amp in hi-gain mode lets me achieve the same thing with just normal "DS" output in Foobar with more of a range of volume. In fact, I've been hovering from 20-30% (modern "louder" music) to 50-60% (old school jazz, classical etc.). I couldn't see going louder than that for any extended period and not having your ears hurt after a while. The bass definitely has more weight to it but never steps on anything, so I am pretty pleased. Sound overall is extremely clean and I don't notice any unpleasant "treble spikes" which some people have complained about when listening on the HD 800s. As for the tubes themselves, you'll only hear that "tube hum" in the background if you are playing no audio and turn the volume up to around 75-80% or more using the hi-gain toggle. I find it strange that ASIO makes a huge difference on the STX when it is acting as an amp and absolutely none when it is only acting as a DAC. It may have to do with some ASUS setting on the card's control panel that is being bypassed in ASIO mode when it is acting as an amp. I ran it in "Hi-Fi" mode, which turns off all processing, EQ and effects, so your guess is as good as mine. Side note about Schiit customer service - I stupidly forgot my apartment number (recently moved out into a condo) and they responded within an hour to my query even though it was the end of the day. Though the amp had already shipped, they contacted Fedex the next day, had them change the address and emailed me along the way with status updates about the situation. It was a big relief for me. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Jul 24, 2014 |
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Jul 24, 2014 17:33
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Last day for the Massdrop on HD 700s and they are almost at the lowest price of $550 with free shipping! I won't be buying but a pretty great deal if you are looking at headphones right now. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/sennheiser-hd700-headphones
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Aug 28, 2014 15:27
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priznat posted:For the price how are the HD598s? I am thinking about getting a new set of opens for my home listening (computer/ipad/etc) and had a set of Sennheisers I liked back in the day. They are seriously fantastic headphones for the price. Due to the open design, you'll find a nicer soundstage and instrument separation. You probably know what you are looking for if you are searching for open cans. They are described as "warm" headphones that I found to work best with vocals, jazz, classical, etc. Definitely not for bass lovers as the bass is not emphasized at all in my experience. Due to the excellent instrument separation you'll always register it but don't expect to have your cans rattle. I went from the 598s straight to 800s and imo you are getting a nice chunk of the sound quality of the 800s at a fraction of the price. In other news, I am planning on checking out the Schiit Bitfrost (with upgrades) stacked with the Valhalla 2 and putting it up directly against the Essence STX. I'm having some noise issues develop and I am unsure as to whether it is the sound card finally having some issues or the Valhalla. Basically, when opening some programs (or running Shadowplay which I do constantly for my Twitch followers) I can hear background noise that changes with mouse movements, etc. Very strange. I can't hear when music is playing or gaming but for just normal usage it is always lurking softly in the background at my normal listening volume. This started a few weeks after I began using the line out on the STX instead of the headphone out. I can return the Bitfrost within 30 days with a 5% restocking fee if I don't notice a difference which I think is fair for a small business to charge. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 16:34 on Sep 22, 2014 |
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Sep 22, 2014 16:29
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Electric Bugaloo posted:Is the Schiit Valhalla 2 a good option for trying tubes out? I've been so happy with my Valhalla 2 (paired with HD 800s) that I just ordered their Bitfrost Uber DAC. Should be here the 11th! I noticed an expanded soundstage and better bass response moving from the Asus Xonar Essence STX, but I pin that solely on the amp being able to really drive the 800s well (I keep it on hi gain at 35-50% depending on how modern the music source is). I don't think that the Valhalla adds the sort of distortion you might be looking for from tubes. It has a reputation as a neutral amp and looks cool as poo poo.
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Dec 3, 2014 00:41
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Bitfrost Uber came in today and I can now verify that my STX was the cause of the noise issue I was having lately. Every time I would load a game there would be a low electronic squealing that was directly tied to system actions or mouse movements, which drove me nuts. I now finally have a totally external setup! I decided to pick Ziggy Stardust as my SACD to break this setup in. I'm not going to go crazy with a bunch of audiophile nonsense but I'll say that the record just sounds great and that I feel like I'm hearing the mix just as presented. I could clearly hear the pitch differences on the drums panning in on the beginning of Five Years from their reverb. Awesome. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Dec 6, 2014 |
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Dec 6, 2014 20:57
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It's a Blue Yeti Pro. I use it to record me and my friends when we jam for fun. It transmits crystal clear in games with decent voice codecs (that is a comment I hear a lot in games I play). I also used to run a weekly radio show on the goon radio station, Ghettoradio.us. For less than 200 bucks I've been seriously impressed with this mic's capabilities. I just hang it in the middle of a room while we jam and it basically captures the sound exactly as is (here's an example with zero mixing, editing beyond trim audio and fade in/out, etc).
Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 22:29 on Dec 6, 2014 |
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Dec 6, 2014 22:27
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Midorka posted:So I'm really trying to like the HD650. I really am. Unfortunately they kind of loving suck. The highs are completely lacking, if you can enjoy Pink Floyd's "Great Gig in the Sky" then I'm very confused. The sub-bass offers nothing really, presence but no texture or rumble. I say this plugged into a WA7 and an HA-1. Funnily enough, someone just shared on /r/headphones that they hated the HD 650s at first and then shortly started enjoying them. They said that Electro Harmonix tubes in their WA7 made the difference. I've always heard the 650s described as the "fun" alternative to the 700/800s so I'm surprised to read this post.
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Dec 18, 2014 20:47
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ntan1 posted:What Amp/Dac combinations do people recommend for the Sennheiser HD800? I know that the range of electronics people suggest can be from $200 to $5000 for these headphones, but I'm all ears. I am super happy with my current combo of the Valhalla 2 (Amp) and Bifrost Uber (DAC). Less than a grand for the two of them and I get the power I want combined with zero noise issues. Total blackness when not playing sound and that's just what I want. Keep in mind that I was looking for a reference sound and not an amp to distort anything to make up for what some see as flaws in the 800s. I can't pretend to know too much about the electrical engineering behind the reasoning but the Valhalla has been getting a lot of love on audiophile forums as a pairing with the 800 because it is an tube amp that is known to be neutral due to the fact that it does not have an output transformer. My light reading taught me that an output transformer is a big part of why a tube amp might distort the sound you hear. Beyond that, I'm not an audio engineer so someone more knowledgeable here can probably go into detail. I recently went to a LAN party and actually brought my audio gear for some of my buddies who are into jazz. When I moved things back up here at home I must have lightly shifted the tubes around so that they properly settled in. Before at high volume on the amp I could hear some background noise from the tubes but now 100% sounds the exact same as 0%! That's a happy accident. Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 08:29 on Dec 19, 2014 |
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Dec 19, 2014 08:15
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If you are buying these just for the "discount", make sure to check out CamelCamelCamel (if Amazon) or other popular marketplaces to make sure the lower price is actually real. No reason to feel compelled to buy them if the discount is fake. As an Amazon seller for years now, I can tell you that almost every single listing discount you see is made up. You are really just shopping at this store: If you love classical like I do, you might want to just save up and get a pair of used 800s for ~$1.2k on Amazon (which is what I did) or $1k-1.1k on Head-Fi, etc.
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Jan 8, 2015 18:59
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