2. headphones
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“Never thought I’d use headphones”

I never thought I would ever use headphones as part of my system , I could never get use to the dramatic difference’s between using headphones and for one glaring example a speaker system that projects  a deep and wide layered sound stage with the illusion of instruments hanging in mid air is absolutely thrilling .

Well things changed as we downsized our home two years ago going from a dedicated room above a large double car garage where I didn’t have to worry about disturbing anyone listening then to a smaller home as we prepare to retire .
So a couple years ago I thought to give headphone listening another try mainly to keep peace in our home especially during late night listening which I do often . I brought home various dedicated amplifiers and dynamic headphones seamanly popular among headphone enthusiasts.

The large Amps&Sound tube amp and Mjolnir Audio Pure Bipolar along with various headphones from upper end Sennheiser , focal and recently a pair of Audeze Z headphones I borrowed .

Then came along the digital stack from AudioByte the Hydra Vox dac with a dedicated headphone section and a yet to be released streamer.
After a year or so of looking and listening with no real satisfaction I’m bold over how enjoyable my headphone experience is now not to mention what a fabulous dac AudioByte has which is a sister company to Rockna .

128x128in_shore
12 responses Add your response
rego
378 posts
 
Hello in_shore, with your taste in Amplifiers based upon the list it seems that you jumped right into the deep end.
I think that I can recommend a discussion that you might like / appreciate!
https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/mhdt-orchid-or-lampizator-amber-3
The Hydra Vox DAC appears to be of substance.
Recently the Hugo TT2 / DAVE (both FPGA type) has captured my attention.
How do you like the 'Zs' and which cans do you use ... ?
Think of Head Gear as being right in the middle of a recording session with the musicians ...
in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
I’m a fan of the Dave , it’s dac anyway however I’m going to borrow the Dave once again I think the Vox’s headphone section truly has better performance, there’s something about it. The big Ampsandsound tube amplifier was thrown out of the evaluation early , it just didn’t mesh with all the fan fare about it and I gave every opportunity with tube rolling ,different sources including different brands of headphone’s..
The Audeze 4Z belong to the fellow that owns the Dave and like me switch to headphone listening for those late nights.
Im not sold on the Audeze there is something about the sound I would need more time to pin point it, they were thrilling at first listen however there’s something buggy with them during long session with them.
Currently I’m using a slightly modified Fostex 900 that I find quite good .
The purchase of the Hydra Vox was out of pure curiosity already using a Rockna dac I liked the idea of a digital stack better that also includes a purpose built headphone section , however it goes beyond that with its one bit FPGA design it comes from a guy in the industry whom other manufacturers commission to help with their own designs.

This AudioByte stack hasn’t really launched into the market place yet , there’s a streamer that is yet to be released and there’s no reviews or even much talk about it.
i like it a lot .




oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,462 posts
 
I never thought I would use phones , and use them so often.   I'm recently divorced....   right before I moved out I purchased a pair of Grado RS2e and an Objective 2 amp.     Great portable combo, I knew my gear would be boxed up for months so it was money well spent.  

Then I bought a Rupert Neve RNHP amp.... awesome amp by the way.     This combo served me well for the past 18 months and honestly it is pretty damn good for the money.     

About a month ago I purchased a pair of Klipsch HP 3 headphones.   If you like Klipsch Heritage speakers you will probably like them... if you hate Klipsch you should still check them out because they sound great....  so today I pulled the trigger on the Quicksilver Headphone Amp .    I own a pair of Quicksilver Mid Mono amps so I know it will be awesome like everything they build.
in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
Oddiofyl I’ve just become aware myself of the enormous popularity of headphone use.
Lots of options that’s for sure..

in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
Rego thanks for the link ,it’s nice to read through a long thread that’s down to earth with civil exchanges .  I also liked the focus wasn’t on any single brand ,  
I tend to ignore long topics highlighting praises of any single component that generates a enthusiastic fan base .



oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,462 posts
 
The great thing about headphones is there's nothing wrong with owning a few pairs....   they all have different sound signatures so it's like swapping out speakers but they take up a lot less space.  I now have 3 pair including a pair of 600 Ohm Beyers so it should be interesting to see how the QS handles the low imp and high imp loads.

I was getting tired of bringing my Grados back and forth to my girlfriend's place.  That's what prompted me to pick up the HP 3.   They are more suited for home use, whereas the Grado are much smaller and lighter so I just keep them at my girl's place .  
big_greg
6,560 posts
 
Headphones are a great way to enjoy music!  I have a lot of headphone amps and about 12 sets of headphones.  These range from a few in the $150 - $200 range like the Massdrop AKG 7XX, Sennheiser HD 6XX, and Fostex T-X0 to "flagship" headphones like Audeze LCD-4, Sony HD-800 and Sony MDR-Z1R and a number in-between.

In general, I listen through speakers much more often, but I often wear them to bed and fall asleep listening to music and there are times where I either don't want to disturb anyone or want to really get into the music's details.  

As someone else said, it's like having a lot of different speakers at your disposal.  They all have their unique sound signatures and equally important, comfort levels.
in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
Big Greg I realized very quickly how the performance of my speakers dropped off in their new room no matter how I positioned them in their new downsized room using headphones of course nobody has to worry of the enormous effect a room has .
Though I’m on the hunt for much smaller more room friendly speaker’s I’m enjoying using headphones more so however I don’t have a choice my Magnapan’s and subs are gone to a happy home .
big_greg
6,560 posts
 
I picked up a nice copy of a MFSL Dark Side of the Moon and am enjoying that through headphones now.  Not sure how small your room is, but consider some Harbeth P3ESR speakers if you're going small.
in_shore's avatar
in_shore OP
596 posts
 
Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of The Moon tour was the very first concert I attended and after all these years have gone by I still vividly remember that concert ,I haven’t heard the MFSL the live recording of Pulse is an exceptional recording also.
The big Magnapan’s need lots of room to breath my ocd just won’t stand for it so it’s time to move on to something else, it’s going to be something to getting use to now I no longer have my very own space . Anyway I’m not stuck with my current headphones I’ll have a look and listen of other brands.

big_greg
6,560 posts
 
The MFSL was nice but my recent 180 gram reissue sounded better. It's a bit of a collector's item though, so there's that. 
f208frank's avatar
f208frank
68 posts
 
No room correction needed.
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