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Audiophile GAF

DGrayson

DGrayson

Mod Team and Bat Team
Staff Member
Desk setup:
- PC Source (Tidal OR Mediamonkey FLACs I ripped myself playing from my headless home server which is connected by ethernet)
- Bonus Alternative Source - Chromecast Audio under the desk connected to the DAC via opical in case I ever want to listen to music without turning on my computer
- DAC - Topping D30
- Powered Speakers - AudioEngine A2s
- Headphone Amp - Topping A30
- Open Phones - Senneiser HD660S
- Closed Phones - Beyerdynamic DT1770 Pros




Living room setup:
- Source: Tidal through Chromecast audio OR Vinyl OR AV receiver directly playing FLACs from my headless home server which is connected by ethernet
- DAC/AMP - Denon x3300w
- Speakers - Wharfdale Diamond 225s (http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/wharfedale-diamond-225/)



Bathroom/Kitchen setup:
- JBL Link 20 waterproof speaker with built in Chromecast Audio. Source would be TIdial usually streamed via Chromecast audio, or podcasts streamed via Stitcher via CC audio :)


Balcony setup:
- Chromecast Audio and portable power supply via 3.5mm output to a JBL Xtreme 2 (only drawback about this setup is you lose the waterproof functionality of the Xtreme 2 when using 3.5mm in but its worth it not to use bluetooth)


Bedroom setup:
- Source - FLACs from my home server fed wirelessly to Raspberry PI with a optical hat which then feeds an optical signal to an AudioEngine D1 DAC/Headphone Amp, Raspberry pi runs Volumio controlled from my phone.
- Closed Phones - Fischer audio FA-003tis (my first piece of "Audiophile" gear about 7 years ago!
 
Last edited:
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Long-form article from the son of a San Francisco store owner. More about small business than high-end audio, but still an interesting read nonetheless:
www.theatlantic.com

What My Dad Gave His Shop

“I’m more than just my store,” my father told me. And yet, for nearly his entire adult life, all of his decisions had argued the opposite.
www.theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com
 
T

TheHighFlyingBirds

Member
Maiden Voyage said:
Long-form article from the son of a San Francisco store owner. More about small business than high-end audio, but still an interesting read nonetheless:
www.theatlantic.com

What My Dad Gave His Shop

“I’m more than just my store,” my father told me. And yet, for nearly his entire adult life, all of his decisions had argued the opposite.
www.theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com
Click to expand...
Thanks for the read, was a good one. Its nice to see people support their local independent stores, otherwise they will go and will not return. I just wish my local hifi store sold some more lower end gear or had a wider range so I could buy more from them.
 
rykomatsu

rykomatsu

Member
So...11 years in the making...
  • Limited-to-no US distribution
  • Financial situation not working out
  • Boutique audio equipment manufacturer going under
  • Losing out on used classifieds
  • etc...
With any luck, new dead stock I found in the UK of a pair of John Blue Audio Arts JB3 wideband speakers should be arriving today care of Brown Santa (UPS) :messenger_beaming:

jb3.jpg
Click to expand...
 
regawdless

regawdless

Banned
I'm currently rocking:

Khadas Tone Board with aluminum housing
JDS Atom
Focal Elear with Red Focal Clear pads - so basically the Elex


2LQ2gtt.jpg


I love the sound. Then recently I've listened to their big brother, the Focal Clear. Which spoiled me a bit, so today I ordered the Clears. Whatchu gonna do. They'll arrive in one week.
Bought the Elear very cheap and will most likely sell them for more.

For mobile use I have an A&K Norma SR15 with ISN H40 in ear buds. They are incredible, so enjoyable to listen to. Very well balanced, laid back but detailed. They sound better than IEs that cost double.

I've previously owned:
multiple cheaper IEs up to 100bucks

Audio Technica ATH 50x DG limited edition. They are classics, but I found them to be uncomfortable after a while.

Shure SRH1840 - really liked them, so light and comfortable. Great mids and seperation. Just lacking sub bass. Overall recommended for the price.

Ultrasound Signature Pro - closed headphones, great for travel as they are extremely sturdy, can be folded and simply don't break. Also very clean and analytical sound. One of the best closed headphones I've ever heard.
 
regawdless

regawdless

Banned
Look what just arrived today. I'm using the red pads from the Clear Pro.

DQtxSkh.jpg


Extremely well controlled bass, so nuanced. Amazingly clear mids and highs, while the highs are not too sharp in any way. These are, as the other Focals, rather intimate headphones. Meaning there isn't a huge spacious stage. But it has a great sense of position and direction of the different sounds and where they come from.

On the negative side though.... They are so resolving and transparent that badly mixed or badly recorded tracks are very easily identified. You can hear everything. I already had a couple tracks now where I directly heard some recording issues.

Compared to the Focal Elex / Elear with Clear pads, I'd say the Clear are like 20% better. All of them are great and these 20% more cost a lot more. But I sold my Elear for more than I actually bought them, making it not as bad.
 
Ballthyrm

Ballthyrm

Member
Desk setup:

- PC Source (FLACs I ripped myself) or Spotify
- Bonus Alternative Source - Chromecast Audio under the desk
- Control console - Mackie Big Knob passive to switch between my Headphone and power Speaker, and between my PC line in and Chromecast
- DAC - Sabaj Da3 that I can also use on my phone
- Powered Speakers - Mackie 624 on Stands
- Headphone Amp - Sabaj PHA2
- Open Phones - HE4XX with Custom leather pads , custom headband
- Closed Phones - Sony 1000XM4
 
Last edited:
Woffls

Woffls

Member
desk:
PC running tidal, local flac, spotify when lazy
optical to Denon DRA-N5 hifi thing
Dali Zensor 1 2ch
RHA T20i earphones

lounge:
Denon 4700 tidal, spotify etc
some Marantz CD player
Dali Opticon 8/2/Vokal 5ch
BK Gemini 2 sub

PC will eventually move into lounge for gaming, at which point i will have to figure out laptop output to hifi. Really need a dock for that thing.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Nice video from Josh Valour on his recommendation for a $6k headphone build. He's got other price points on his channel. Worth a watch if you're interested:
 
Woffls

Woffls

Member
i have a Roon trial at the moment so will give this a watch - i set one up on my laptop but it ended up losing quality over wireless. Might have to move PC into lounge sooner than expected.

Really good software overall. Glad i had my amp volume limited though 🙄
 
rofif

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Think I am getting old.
I think sony pulse 3d sounds better wirelessly with dongle on pc rather than koss porta pro and tasktar pro82 on fiio e10k... I threw em in the drawer and I will get rid of fiio too probably. Keeping presonus e3.5 connected of course.. The wireless convenience is to much and the sound quality is honestly just fantastic. Don't hear any distortion, bass spilling to mids or harshness. It sounds about as good as porta pro but clearer... which is nuts and probably not true as I swear by porta pro :p
Still - If there is a negative difference, I am willing to take it and I dont hear it.
Maybe that's why I never could hear why flac is superior to 320kbps audio too. I even had brainwavz hm5 and there was never a difference. Above 192kbps mp3, it all sounds the same. 128kb is the moment I start to hear compression.

Guess I am just an audio noob. You can remove me from the community :(
 
Last edited:
T

TheHighFlyingBirds

Member
Recently added a ifi zen DAC and a pair of Philips fidelio x2hr for desk based listening, and just added a pair of Dali fazon sats for surround sound duties, just need to decide what to do with my qacoustic 3020s which were supposed to be my rears (wifey put her foot down to stop me using them as rears, so have been using them at the front in virtual surround setup). Tempted to hook them to my stereo amp to flick between them and my floorstanders, as think they are slightly more detailed than the floorstanders.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
rofif said:
Think I am getting old.
I think sony pulse 3d sounds better wirelessly with dongle on pc rather than koss porta pro and tasktar pro82 on fiio e10k... I threw em in the drawer and I will get rid of fiio too probably. Keeping presonus e3.5 connected of course.. The wireless convenience is to much and the sound quality is honestly just fantastic. Don't hear any distortion, bass spilling to mids or harshness. It sounds about as good as porta pro but clearer... which is nuts and probably not true as I swear by porta pro :p
Still - If there is a negative difference, I am willing to take it and I dont hear it.
Maybe that's why I never could hear why flac is superior to 320kbps audio too. I even had brainwavz hm5 and there was never a difference. Above 192kbps mp3, it all sounds the same. 128kb is the moment I start to hear compression.

Guess I am just an audio noob. You can remove me from the community :(
Click to expand...
Dunno what it is about the Fiios E10k but it’s not for me. Never understood the love for the porta pros either. 🤷‍♂️
 
Korranator

Korranator

Member
On the fence here. Using a set of HD6XX I mainly use for gaming, but do enjoy music. Mostly metal music, some jazz, blues, or rock.

My question: Modi/Magni stack, Hel, Sound BlasterX G6, or keep using my Yamaha RX700?
 
Last edited:
Korranator

Korranator

Member
Been watching and reading lots of reviews. Still on the fence here, but will probably windup buying a couple different units to demo and keeping the ones I like the best. To be honest the choices are bit overwhelming.
 
regawdless

regawdless

Banned
New Focal Clear Pro "MG" have been announced. They look beautiful. New cones and coils, also new grill pattern. Curious about how much I proved they are. My Focal Clear sound insanely good, let's see if these will be a worthy successor.

www.gearnews.com

Focal Clear Mg Professional: A new standard for studio headphones?

Focal has updated its high-end reference headphones. The Clear Mg Professional improves on its predecessor with magnesium cones and an updated design.
www.gearnews.com www.gearnews.com
 
D

Durask

Member
rykomatsu said:
So...11 years in the making...
  • Limited-to-no US distribution
  • Financial situation not working out
  • Boutique audio equipment manufacturer going under
  • Losing out on used classifieds
  • etc...
With any luck, new dead stock I found in the UK of a pair of John Blue Audio Arts JB3 wideband speakers should be arriving today care of Brown Santa (UPS) :messenger_beaming:
Click to expand...

These look interesting, what's your take on them, I assume you got them?
 
regawdless

regawdless

Banned
Korranator

Korranator

Member
Well I went with a modi multi /magni stack. Still playing with it and trying different sources, games, etc. I'm really enjoying how the multibit opens up and extents the sound stage.

For gaming, even though this stack is not targeted for gaming. Monster Train, and Total War: Warhammer sound better than ever.

More later.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Cyberpunkd said:
I was thinking about Rega Planar 1, which as I understand doesn’t have a build-in preamp.
Click to expand...

That TT is so good looking. I have the AT LP120 and I want to remove the built in phono pre-amp stage. My Marantz receiver has a phono stage that I use over the one in the LP120. But, I read that there is some coloration of the sound still in the bypass of the phono stage in the TT. Here's an entirely too long vid on the topic.

If you're looking at powered speakers, the Schiit Mani or one of Rega's own phono stages would be my go to first choices.
 
Mistershine.

Mistershine.

Banned
Cyberpunkd said:
I was thinking about Rega Planar 1, which as I understand doesn’t have a build-in preamp.
Click to expand...
The P1 Plus has a built in phono stage, which is slightly different to a pre amp but still a type of pre amp. Turntables output below line level so the phono stage brings it up to snuff and allows the pre amp to do its thing, outputting variable line to a power amp or active speakers.
 
Cyberpunkd

Cyberpunkd

Member
Mistershine. said:
The P1 Plus has a built in phono stage, which is slightly different to a pre amp but still a type of pre amp. Turntables output below line level so the phono stage brings it up to snuff and allows the pre amp to do its thing, outputting variable line to a power amp or active speakers.
Click to expand...
I am still new at this so I didn't want to overdo it with each piece being separate but I thought it is a good idea to split the turntable and the pre-amp in order to avoid the electrical distortion. I am not against even making it a 4 piece turntable-preamp-receiver-passive speakers setup, but I think as my first setup it might be a bit overkill?
 
K

kevm3

Member
regawdless said:
I'm currently rocking:

Khadas Tone Board with aluminum housing
JDS Atom
Focal Elear with Red Focal Clear pads - so basically the Elex


2LQ2gtt.jpg


I love the sound. Then recently I've listened to their big brother, the Focal Clear. Which spoiled me a bit, so today I ordered the Clears. Whatchu gonna do. They'll arrive in one week.
Bought the Elear very cheap and will most likely sell them for more.

For mobile use I have an A&K Norma SR15 with ISN H40 in ear buds. They are incredible, so enjoyable to listen to. Very well balanced, laid back but detailed. They sound better than IEs that cost double.

I've previously owned:
multiple cheaper IEs up to 100bucks

Audio Technica ATH 50x DG limited edition. They are classics, but I found them to be uncomfortable after a while.

Shure SRH1840 - really liked them, so light and comfortable. Great mids and seperation. Just lacking sub bass. Overall recommended for the price.

Ultrasound Signature Pro - closed headphones, great for travel as they are extremely sturdy, can be folded and simply don't break. Also very clean and analytical sound. One of the best closed headphones I've ever heard.
Click to expand...
Clears are overall the best headphone I've heard. I like them even better than Utopia. Utopias have more detail, but I find that it's almost too detailed and a bit bright, so I can't listen for long. The Clears have better tone and balance.
 
T

TheHighFlyingBirds

Member
Cyberpunkd said:
I was thinking about Rega Planar 1, which as I understand doesn’t have a build-in preamp.
Click to expand...
Thats what I've got with an AT-VM95E cart, feeding into a yamaha AS501. Would love to upgrade to the planar 3 and add a dedicated phono stage, but can't justify the costs especially as I would want to then upgrade my speakers and amp as well to take advantage of the better table.
 
regawdless

regawdless

Banned
kevm3 said:
Clears are overall the best headphone I've heard. I like them even better than Utopia. Utopias have more detail, but I find that it's almost too detailed and a bit bright, so I can't listen for long. The Clears have better tone and balance.
Click to expand...

Completely agree. I don't feel like the Utopia are actually better, they sound just different. It's not like I can hear a real technical advantage. They sound a little too bright and dedicated to throw the details in your face rather aggressively.
These details are also there in the Clear, but in a way more balanced and enjoyable way. The details don't take center stage. So far, I think the Clear are the best Focal Headphones. Haven't had the chance to listen to the new ones though, the MG and Celestee.
 
Mistershine.

Mistershine.

Banned
Cyberpunkd said:
I am still new at this so I didn't want to overdo it with each piece being separate but I thought it is a good idea to split the turntable and the pre-amp in order to avoid the electrical distortion. I am not against even making it a 4 piece turntable-preamp-receiver-passive speakers setup, but I think as my first setup it might be a bit overkill?
Click to expand...
How much were you looking at spending?
 
Mistershine.

Mistershine.

Banned
Cyberpunkd said:
Around 1500€ for all.
Click to expand...
Rega P2 turntable - £449
Rega Brio amp - £599
Dali Spektor 6 speakers - £499
The only thing you need to add is speaker cable, your local dealer might throw in a pair as a sweetener. As always you'll want to demo the hardware before you buy it. Most dealers will have onsite facilities and some will bring the hardware to you for an in home demo.

It's always worth checking with your local dealers to see if they have any used hifi. It can save you a good chunk of cash.
 
Cyberpunkd

Cyberpunkd

Member
Mistershine. said:
Rega P2 turntable - £449
Rega Brio amp - £599
Dali Spektor 6 speakers - £499
The only thing you need to add is speaker cable, your local dealer might throw in a pair as a sweetener. As always you'll want to demo the hardware before you buy it. Most dealers will have onsite facilities and some will bring the hardware to you for an in home demo.

It's always worth checking with your local dealers to see if they have any used hifi. It can save you a good chunk of cash.
Click to expand...
Your prices are in GBP, not in EUR but I get the idea - I was thinking about Dali Oberon 5 speakers, I just need to find a decent store in Paris dealing with music setups.
 
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