Nope! I had some DT770s and these aren't as good. A bud made me an off I couldn't refuse. I also wanted to move to the 990's but just kept on buying other stuff and procrastinating when it came to getting better cans. I don't use headphones as much so they're aren't high on my list.
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Post your HeadPhones!
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Nope! I had some DT770s and these aren't as good. A bud made me an off I couldn't refuse. I also wanted to move to the 990's but just kept on buying other stuff and procrastinating when it came to getting better cans. I don't use headphones as much so they're aren't high on my list.
Youri Carma
Gawd
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[A]MD-Fan;1030611510 said:Wow I haven't logged into H in a while.
Anyway my break is over, back in my apartment, pics of my setup, back to the books, blah, blah:
Are that two SATA Cables in frozen form LOL?
Haha, no, but now that you mention that, they do look a little like SATA cables.
^_^
odoe
[H]F Junkie
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Well thanks to all you guys who have now got me seriously researching some entry level audiophile headphones and amp. My wallet appreciates it. Thanks. I'm actually looking to try and build my own cmoy as a starter project. I've never soldered a damn thing before, but hey, looks like fun. My HD497's have been great for gaming, but are wearing down.
Welcome to the club, your ears will thank you.
For once I have to agree with you.
The HD497s are a pretty nice pair of entry level cans but their comfort leaves quit a bit to be desired.
Viper87227
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For once I have to agree with you.
The HD497s are a pretty nice pair of entry level cans but their comfort leaves quit a bit to be desired.
They are indeed. They were my first decent can. I still use em today. Infact, today I just finished recabeling mine... just to say I did
.
m3ta1head
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I'm having a hard time driving my A900s. It sounds like they're starving for power. The little dinky LDM+ does absolutely nothing for them.
Advice? Is it time to start looking into DACs?
edit: oh yeah, forgot to mention-I plugged the a900s into my home theater receiver (yamaha HTR-5540) and was greeted with the sweetest sound I've ever heard out of a headphone. They sound full and fantastic, the soundstage is wide as ever, and the bass impact makes me want to cry
Advice? Is it time to start looking into DACs?
edit: oh yeah, forgot to mention-I plugged the a900s into my home theater receiver (yamaha HTR-5540) and was greeted with the sweetest sound I've ever heard out of a headphone. They sound full and fantastic, the soundstage is wide as ever, and the bass impact makes me want to cry
Viper87227
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I'm having a hard time driving my A900s. It sounds like they're starving for power. The little dinky LDM+ does absolutely nothing for them.
Advice? Is it time to start looking into DACs?
edit: oh yeah, forgot to mention-I plugged the a900s into my home theater receiver (yamaha HTR-5540) and was greeted with the sweetest sound I've ever heard out of a headphone. They sound full and fantastic, the soundstage is wide as ever, and the bass impact makes me want to cry
I'd say its DAC time. The A900 don't really need an amp at all, which is why your LDM+ isn't making any difference... they just don't need it. I notice almost no difference driving my A700 from my X-Fi vs my Headfive.
m3ta1head
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Reccomendations on a DAC?
I'm honestly have no idea about dedicated sources and such....from what I can tell, it's basically a high quality external sound card through USB, right? What about drivers and such? Does it just cooperate with your sound card?
I see AlienDACs for sale on headfi all the time-would that be right for me?
I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that the LDM+ has less output power then your typical soundcard does.
Budget?
No, that would be a USB DAC.. or a DAC that has a USB input.
Most DAC's only have optical or coaxial SPDIF inputs.
In most cases you don't need drivers for a USB audio device.
What is you current source?
If you are planning on using the alien DAC without an amp I would say no because they suck for driving headphones directly.
m3ta1head
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Budget...as little as possible. However, I have no idea what DACs usually go for, so hmpph. Under $70 would be nice, lets say $100 tops?
For the time being, there are going to be driven from *cringe* onboard sound. I'm building a proper gaming rig sometime in the distant future that'll have a decent sound card, but for now, I'm stuck with onboard on my fileserver. The motherboard is an Asus A7N8X-E deluxe....onboard sound chipset is the nVidia "soundstorm" Dolby 5.1 stuff...junk, I'm sure.
http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=13&l3=56&model=217&modelmenu=1
For the time being, there are going to be driven from *cringe* onboard sound. I'm building a proper gaming rig sometime in the distant future that'll have a decent sound card, but for now, I'm stuck with onboard on my fileserver. The motherboard is an Asus A7N8X-E deluxe....onboard sound chipset is the nVidia "soundstorm" Dolby 5.1 stuff...junk, I'm sure.
http://www.asus.com/products4.aspx?l1=3&l2=13&l3=56&model=217&modelmenu=1
Viper87227
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As it were, soundstorm is about the best onboard audio you can get IMHO. Way back when, soundstorm was the shit... and if I had to guess it still holds it own.
As far as what to reccomend, at $100 tops, I don't know. I have been looking into a lot of dacs lately, but have been looking at $300 to $600 for a DAC (yeesh!).
I know it is out of your budget, but you may want to concider a Zhalou. It is rather popular at head-fi for its upgradability. Also, it has a built in amp. I am not sure how good the amp is, but i'll wager its a fair bit better than your LDM+. If you cruise the FS forums, you might be able to pick up a used one around $200.
m3ta1head
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My 5.1 setup does sound pretty good, but I didn't know that soundstorm was any good. Ok, so that's taken care of, I guess.
Integrated amp+dac, eh? That's interesting. I'm not sure I can stretch my budget up that far, however :\
Ok....I'm looking into it now. Thanks for the recommendations guys.
Viper87227
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Fresh off the chopping board, a socket recabled A700. They still need some work, but they are done, and functional... after a lot of mishaps. As it were though, the female jacks I chose apparently suck... and are very loose, so as the jacks move around, audio keeps cutting out. I am gunna get new jacks to replace them. Also... you can't tell from the pics, but one side of the cable is shorter than the other. Whoops . I'll fix that too in due time, but its not a huge issue. Parts used...
Canare Stereo 1/4
Canare Mono 3.5mm x2
Generic Suckage Female jacks
Canare Starquad
Techfelx Nylon Multifilament
Despite the mishaps, I am damn happy with how these came out. They look great (and will look better when I am totally done), and sound great. They are noticeably brighter and more detailed. I can also explicitly tell in the song I am listening to that cymbals and the tambourines sound much better. They have a deliciously clear and crisp twang to them. I know they aren't perfect, but I am still learning . It's only my second recable, and I have only made a couple of IC's. Each time I do a project, I come up with a list of things to do different. These certainly came out better than my last recable. In due time, I am gunna get different female jacks, and drill out the cans so they get all the way up in there... and then I am going to shorten the one oddball cable. Still, it was a pretty ambitious project IMO, and the mere fact that it works pleases me.
. I'll fix that too in due time, but its not a huge issue. Parts used...Canare Stereo 1/4
Canare Mono 3.5mm x2
Generic Suckage Female jacks
Canare Starquad
Techfelx Nylon Multifilament
Despite the mishaps, I am damn happy with how these came out. They look great (and will look better when I am totally done), and sound great. They are noticeably brighter and more detailed
. I can also explicitly tell in the song I am listening to that cymbals and the tambourines sound much better. They have a deliciously clear and crisp twang to them. I know they aren't perfect, but I am still learning . It's only my second recable, and I have only made a couple of IC's. Each time I do a project, I come up with a list of things to do different. These certainly came out better than my last recable. In due time, I am gunna get different female jacks, and drill out the cans so they get all the way up in there... and then I am going to shorten the one oddball cable. Still, it was a pretty ambitious project IMO, and the mere fact that it works pleases me.FlowGaming
Limp Gawd
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damn dude ;P
very nice
very nice
Viper87227
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Because thats how everyone else does it
Honestly... I don't know. I like the detachable cable. Easier to fix if it breaks I suppose? I don't have much of an answer other than I like how it looks, and I wanted to try it to see if I could do it. It will likely be the only time I do it that way.... but I am happy with it.
Fresh off the chopping board, a socket recabled A700. They still need some work, but they are done, and functional... after a lot of mishaps. As it were though, the female jacks I chose apparently suck... and are very loose, so as the jacks move around, audio keeps cutting out. I am gunna get new jacks to replace them. Also... you can't tell from the pics, but one side of the cable is shorter than the other. Whoops
Canare Stereo 1/4
Canare Mono 3.5mm x2
Generic Suckage Female jacks
Canare Starquad
Techfelx Nylon Multifilament
Those Canare plugs are rather huge for your application but their durability is unquestionable so....
How big is the hole in the housing that the female jacks fit into?
If it is larger then a 1/4" Mouser # 161-7300-EX would be a good choice because they really latch onto the plug hard.
Problem is the nut that you secure them with mounts on the backside and that is a PITA sometimes.
If the holes are smaller then 1/4" # 090-317 from partSEXpress would be a good choice.
(both parts are stereo jacks but that is not a problem because you simply short the ring to sleeve and poof, you got a mono jack. )
I know they aren't perfect, but I am still learning
Not bad at all for a noob.
How microphonic is the cable?
Same here.... in fact figuring out new/better/different ways to do everything is what makes it fun.
Problem for me is I got to the point were nothing makes making anything with cables fun anymore.
Viper87227
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Those Canare plugs are rather huge for your application but their durability is unquestionable so....
How big is the hole in the housing that the female jacks fit into?
If it is larger then a 1/4" Mouser # 161-7300-EX would be a good choice because they really latch onto the plug hard.
Problem is the nut that you secure them with mounts on the backside and that is a PITA sometimes.
If the holes are smaller then 1/4" # 090-317 from partSEXpress would be a good choice.
(both parts are stereo jacks but that is not a problem because you simply short the ring to sleeve and poof, you got a mono jack. )
The holes can be made whatever size I want
. On the one side, the hole was to small and had to be drilled out, and the other side had no whole before this all started. Just as easily as I made them, I could make them wider if need be. As far as shorting the ring, is that necessary? With the female jacks I have now, I just used the left channel on both since left = tip, I figured it would work find for the mono plugs. Not bad at all for a noob.
How microphonic is the cable?
Speaking of noob... I am not sure quite what you mean by microphonic.
Same here.... in fact figuring out new/better/different ways to do everything is what makes it fun.
Problem for me is I got to the point were nothing makes making anything with cables fun anymore.
Something tells me, that for me, amps are a looong way off. Infact, I doubt I will ever DIY my own amp.
Actually though, I do have a question that I bet you'd be able to answer easily. The solder I am using now is crappy radioshack clear flux... and it doesn't stick for shit. Is there anything that partsexpress sells that you can reccomend that would work better? I have an order I am about to place with them, might as well add that to it eh?
I realize the holes are as wide as you can make them.
But the jacks won't exactly fit if said holes are already to big.
Right?
Microphonics describes the phenomenon where certain components in electronic devices transform mechanical vibrations into an undesired electrical signal (noise).
Put the cans on and do not plug them into anything.
Rub the cable across an object, if you can hear it, it's microphonic.
(the cool thing about having the mini plugs and jacks in each ear cup is those will help reduce the microphonics caused by the covering)
That is pretty crappy solder to work with.
Plus it smells like crap.
You could prolly get buy with just buying some paste flux but I think you may be better off buying some new solder.
The WBT 4% solder they offer is very nice to work with but the price is just stoopid, try # 370-074 or maybe pick up some cardas Quadeutectic solder from another vendor?
If memory serves Head-fi member Todd R was offering free samples of the Cardas solder.
(IMO the cardas solder is one of those "once you try it you will never go back" kind of products)
Edit: here is the link to the offer:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1301466&postcount=22
But the jacks won't exactly fit if said holes are already to big.
Right?
No but it won't hurt.
From wikipedia:
Microphonics describes the phenomenon where certain components in electronic devices transform mechanical vibrations into an undesired electrical signal (noise).
Put the cans on and do not plug them into anything.
Rub the cable across an object, if you can hear it, it's microphonic.
(the cool thing about having the mini plugs and jacks in each ear cup is those will help reduce the microphonics caused by the covering)
That is pretty crappy solder to work with.
Plus it smells like crap.
You could prolly get buy with just buying some paste flux but I think you may be better off buying some new solder.
The WBT 4% solder they offer is very nice to work with but the price is just stoopid, try # 370-074 or maybe pick up some cardas Quadeutectic solder from another vendor?
If memory serves Head-fi member Todd R was offering free samples of the Cardas solder.
(IMO the cardas solder is one of those "once you try it you will never go back" kind of products)
Edit: here is the link to the offer:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1301466&postcount=22
Viper87227
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Well, I could make it work if I had to.
Interesting. I have noticed that before, just never knew it was called that. The old cable had that problem quite noticeably and it bothered me. With this cable. I do not notice it at all
. That is pretty crappy solder to work with.
Plus it smells like crap.
You could prolly get buy with just buying some paste flux but I think you may be better off buying some new solder.
The WBT 4% solder they offer is very nice to work with but the price is just stoopid, try # 370-074 or maybe pick up some cardas Quadeutectic solder from another vendor?
If memory serves Head-fi member Todd R was offering free samples of the Cardas solder.
(IMO the cardas solder is one of those "once you try it you will never go back" kind of products)
Edit: here is the link to the offer:
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showpost.php?p=1301466&postcount=22
Hah, your telling me... I hate this stuff. I just got it because it was cheap and I remember reading that I should get flux... and having never done any soldering... i figured it must be good.
I have looked at the Cardas stuff in the past. I shot Todd R an email, and if I like it that, I'll buy some more when that runs out.
Viper87227
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[A]MD-Fan;1030677683 said:I've heard shoelaces work for non-microphonic cable sleeving.
I don't mind working with Cardas Quadeutectic, it's actually cheap by Cardas standards
They do, the problem is finding the right kind of shoelaces. Most arent hollow.
The nylon multifilament is great though. I bought 100ft of it... and will put it to good use for sure.
The_Engineer
Gawd
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Might I enquire what size shoes that 100ft shoelace is for
Sorry, Couldn't resist... But I really am rather curious where one finds 100ft of shoelace...
Viper87227
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Might I enquire what size shoes that 100ft shoelace is for
Sorry, Couldn't resist... But I really am rather curious where one finds 100ft of shoelace...
LOL... its not a shoelace. Techflex makes a sleaving called nylon multifilment. It a a tightly woven, cloth like sleave. It is similar in feel and appearance to a shoelace, but it is not a shoelace at all...
beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro's with Plantronics mic; ball and socket joint allow great flexibility.
Bravo!!!!!!!!!!!!
Carnecerro
Gawd
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Just getting into headphones and thought I would post mine. Missing from the pic are my Grado SR-80's which are my work 'phones.
Pretty portable. =]
Indeed! Quite nice, wish I had some sweet IEM's.
m3ta1head
777
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mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....e500.
yummy.
yummy.
Pretty portable. =]
What player is that?
Ahriman4891
Gawd
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It's a Meizu M6. Go to miniplayer.info if you are interested.
Youri Carma
Gawd
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Cool stuff!
Has somebody a good idea of nowadays bootlegging?
Digital Stereo Recording in MP3 Full 320Kb/s in a pocketsmall device.
Has somebody a good idea of nowadays bootlegging?
Digital Stereo Recording in MP3 Full 320Kb/s in a pocketsmall device.
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