Click to view our Accessibility Statement or contact us with accessibility-related questions
Showing 1 of 149 conversations about:
nicdre
2
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
sorry I am quite new to the topic. some say that tube dac/amp do not work well with planar headphones. I joint the drop for the hifiman 4xx. now I am looking for some dac/amp setup for about 300 USD. will this tube work? how about the xduoo ta-10?
May 13, 2018
mindhead1
599
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
nicdreDo you already have a good solid state amp? If not, I would get one before buying a tube amp especially if you are going to pair it with the 4xx. Some planars don’t do well with high output impedance amps.
A good neutral solid state amp, IMO, is the best starting place if you are new to the hobby. Something like the O2 or Magni 3 would be an affordable starting place at around $100.
May 13, 2018
nicdre
2
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
mindhead1as far as i understand the t1 combines a tube dac with a solide state amp right?
May 13, 2018
mindhead1
599
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
nicdreYes. I believe thats true. I think the tube DAC will still work to color the sound which may or may not do well with the 4xx. Hopefully someone with direct experience with this pairing will chime in. My experience was with the 400i and I found them to be very sensitive the DAC/Amp combo I used them with. In particular, I didn’t like them with the Aune X1S. To my ears, the 400i became a muddy mess with the X1S. YMMV.
May 13, 2018
sucram65
52
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
mindhead1What did you end up with?
May 13, 2018
sucram65
52
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
nicdreMy interest exactly.
May 13, 2018
mindhead1
599
May 13, 2018
bookmark_border
sucram65My current setups: - Google Play Music and Plex for MP3 and FLAC.
Desktop: - Macbook Pro (USB) or Chromecast Audio (Optical) -> Aune X1S -> DarkVoice 336SE -> 6xx Portable: - iPad Pro or Pixel 2 -> Topping NX4 -> 6xx/m100/SR80/X11i Mobile: - Pixel 2 -> Aukey Latitude BT/Jabra Move Wireless
I’m very happy with the desktop setup. I have had the DarkVoice for a couple of months and upgraded from the stock tubes. It’s the best I have ever heard and dont have an itch to climb. Yet. I still look forward to getting home from work and listening to music. I have gone so far as to move the DV out of my office when I work from home because listening to it and trying to work becomes to big of a distraction.
Prior to discovering Massdrop and going down the hole, I was using an AudioEngine D1 and Grado SR80 for about 5 years. I had no idea what I was missing. I have a set of 4xx on order from Massdrop. They’ll replace the 400i I returned after the yolk broke.
edit: To clarity. I think the X1S is a very good DAC. I’m not as impressed with its Amp capabilities.
May 13, 2018
jm090
281
May 14, 2018
bookmark_border
mindhead1you werent exactly missing out on THAT much tbh, Grado sr80s are fantastic fwiw.
May 14, 2018
mindhead1
599
May 14, 2018
bookmark_border
jm090Agreed on the SR80. Great sounding headphones for the money. That said, for my tastes they are a little to bright and fatiguing. That's what got me looking for new headphones in the first place. They are also uncomfortable to wear for more than 45 minutes.
May 14, 2018
jm090
281
May 14, 2018
bookmark_border
mindhead1I know exactly what you are talking about lol.. i used modded sr60i's for years before i got my 598se's. It was a big step back in sound quality IMO, but i needed more comfort as i often where them for long periods. My current dailies check every box for me though, MK2 t50rp Argons.
May 14, 2018
Calaverasgrande
1486
Aug 1, 2018
bookmark_border
nicdreit is not a tube DAC technically speaking. It's a solid state DAC with a tube buffer/line driver. I did know one guy with tube ADC and DAC. He used to use them to record the San Francisco Symphony and master the recordings. Leo De Gar Kulka (rip), also the producer of the song 'Tequila!' and former president of the Audio Engineering Society.
Aug 1, 2018
View Full Discussion
Related Products