Another where do I go next thread - help before I go insane

[Tidaliser]

I think also I'm after a better dynamic range which to my mind makes the sound more exciting and engaging as opposed something that sounds flat / boring, what's going to give me that if anything, headphone upgrade again ? I'm thinking vocals hitting some big high notes - I want them to blow my hair off

 

[soundwave76]

So the JDS Labs Atom is some how better than the magni 3 ? they are both about the same price, the Burson fun is 3 times the price, I'm not expecting 3 times the quality but surely the Burson is better in some way compared to the magni 3 ?

The price does NOT correlate with sound quality. Just look at the reviews and measurements here and you will see.

P.S. Forget Bursons and get the Atom if you really really want a new amp

 

[Shadrach]

Even on a subjective basis you really need to be able to define what you perceive as wrong with your current set up before you can assess what is better, rather than just different.

 

[Tidaliser]

But the Atom is a cheap amp - JDS make more expensive amps, are you saying the more expensive JDS amps aren't as good as the cheap Atom, JDS must have gone a bit mad if they're making more expensive amps that offer nothing more than a cheap one.

Yes I do know that silly expensive most of the time you're just paying for a name or a perceived improvement / a reputation. The THX AAA 788 has had rave reviews - are you saying that's not worth buying ?

 

[TimW]

You should really read some of Amir's reviews to get a better understanding of headphone amplifier performance.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ents-of-new-jds-labs-atom-headphone-amp.5262/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...g-a30-and-schiit-magni-3-headphone-amps.4024/

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...f-jds-the-element-dac-and-headphone-amp.4315/

 

[TimW]

Massdrop THX AAA 789 Amp:
https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...easurements-of-massdrop-thx-aaa-789-amp.5001/

 

[Tidaliser]

That's the point - I don't know what's wrong with my current setup because I have nothing to compare it to, that's why I'm here for advice from experts that have upgraded to 'something'.

I heard the difference when I went from Spotify to Tidal and every change since then (DAC, amp, headphones) I've heard a definite improvement in clarity, so I want another upgrade that's going to improve the clarity in all or some of the audible spectrum, better lows, mids, highs, punchier bass, better sound stage, better dynamic range etc (excuse some audiophile BS perhaps ?).

If there's nothing I can really upgrade to then I'll probably not bother

 

[Tidaliser]

Ok I'm sold on the Atom - at that price it's worth trying.

 

[Tircuit]

Like others have said, the noticable improvement will come from another set of headphones. I have the ATH-M50x headphones which are fine for a rugged pair of basic phones, but you should hear the next level!

I highly recommend a new pair of Hifiman HE-400i planars (open). I also am really impressed with the newish, underrated, and under-the-radar Monoprice m565c planars (closed).

Headphones will make a way way bigger difference to sound since you have a good enough stack. (Get the Atom anyway later, it rocks.)

 

[Tidaliser]

Thanks so much to everyone that has replied - you've all helped me loads !!

 

[M00ndancer]

Headphones will make a way way bigger difference to sound since you have a good enough stack. (Get the Atom anyway later, it rocks.)

I second that as well. Get another headphone. But try to test them first.

 

[garbulky]

hhhm I hear the HD600 have a kind of boring sound signature, I'm after some low bass punch and exciting / bright mids and highs, wound't a Beyerdynamic 'something' be better ?

I think I've got some good advice for ya but I gotta warn you that it is subjective with no dbt tests done. Anyway, I have listened to the ATH M50s. Also I have used the HD600's for over a decade. First they are right, it's not your amp that's going to be the biggest change. It's your headphones. The ATH does sound nice and reminds me a lot of the HD600s but with the right amp the HD600's sound superior to me. However, it's not a BIG upgrade.
If you are looking for a punch and slightly brighter sound with more detail, you could use my current setup which is the Sennheiser HD700. It is punchier, extends deeper and the soundstage is somewhat bigger and feels slightly outside of the head. Also if you crank it, it's a real gas. It's got the capability to swing bigger dynamics cleanly. I never realized my HD600's weren't capable of dynamics as it's pretty great, but compared to these, the hd700's stand out on dynamics. . The sound is a little brighter and feels very detailed.
It's definitely got bass. If you want more, the no-tools, completely reversible modhouse felt mod for $15 for the HD700 cranked up the bass more It has two parts - a felt ring, and thick add on pads. The add on pads give you more bass but it's not as bright. So you can check out the three options - stock, felt ring, felt ring + pad you like. All three are quite nice and they sound like different headphones.

So that's my suggestion. There's always better headphones, But in your price range, these are pretty nice imo and may deliver the sound you are looking for. Brighter, punchier, more dynamics, larger soundstage.

 

[bravomail]

To OP: your stack is solid. No need to upgrade anything. I would consider replacing M50x with something better. M50x is not audiophile grade in any sense - their freq response is V-shaped, they r closed, etc. Try Sennheiser 6xx, 58x, AKG K7xx from massdrop, AKG K553 (or K550 mkII) from harmanaudio

 

[bravomail]

Atom will not give you anything over Magni 3 - they r very close in performance.

 

[Tidaliser]

I've ordered some Beyerdynamic 250 ohm DT770 cans, they're coming today, they're from Amazon so if I don't like them I'll send them back. These are closed back headphones so hopefully won't annoy others in my household from external noise bleed. At the very least these will give me some sort of reference and comparison to my M50's i.e. same / better / worse. I know I've been advised about techtubbies but all the reviews including the Amazon reviews seem to be talking about what I'm looking for in the DT770 cans, the only thing I'm hesitant about if the price, these are not expensive, anyhow the proof will be in the pudding later today.

So yes I really do appreciate the strong message from all of you to focus on headphone upgrades as opposed to amp or DAC, if I do swap to the Atom at some future point I'll at least know what to expect - nothing that much different. The amp I'm really fixated on is the THX AAA 789, so if at some future date this becomes widely available then I'll definitely change to that.

Seeing as I've been focusing mainly on upgrading my amp I've not spent much time looking at headphone specs / reviews etc, so I'll definitely check out all the suggestions you've all made, whether I keep the DT770 cans or not I'm going to start looking at cans 2 or 3 times the price - which is funny because a while back I said to myself I'll never spend $300 to $400 on a set of cans because that's ridiculous for a bit of plastic, metal, two speakers and wire

I am also curious about balanced headphones and whether these will add any audible benefit including balanced amps and DACs, sharing a ground between two independent channels doesn't sound like a good idea electrically.

 

[daftcombo]

I'm in the UK, don't think Massdrop is a viable option due to import duties, delivery times etc.

No problem ordering on Massdrop from France. I ordered headphones there once and the package actually shipped from Germany.

I also think that you have a good setup and that you should search for new music instead of trying to hear more from the music you already know. But if you really want to spend your money (which could be useful for other things in the future, or even for butying a new headphones amp we don't know about at the moment), get another pair of headphones.

 

[wiggum]

I've ordered some Beyerdynamic 250 ohm DT770 cans, they're coming today, they're from Amazon so if I don't like them I'll send them back. These are closed back headphones so hopefully won't annoy others in my household from external noise bleed. At the very least these will give me some sort of reference and comparison to my M50's i.e. same / better / worse. I know I've been advised about techtubbies but all the reviews including the Amazon reviews seem to be talking about what I'm looking for in the DT770 cans, the only thing I'm hesitant about if the price, these are not expensive, anyhow the proof will be in the pudding later today.

You ended up ordering something that is similar to M50 with bright treble.
Take a look at this comparison here at https://www.rtings.com/headphones/1-2/graph#295/2031/440

I am also curious about balanced headphones and whether these will add any audible benefit including balanced amps and DACs, sharing a ground between two independent channels doesn't sound like a good idea electrically.

I didn't want to say this, but now you are a high fidelity audiophile. You are going down the wrong way.

 

[Tidaliser]

Yeah they sound awful, they're going back - what about the AKG 712 Pro cans

 

[flipflop]

If you haven't returned them yet, you can try these EQ settings: https://mega.nz/#!8tYiBY7J!2i7t3F7aYBSnzYu1rxIYFmH937pgRcW3AhpXXN1uskk
Install Equalizer APO + Peace GUI, place the file in X:\Program Files\EqualizerAPO\config and you will be able to load it directly from the window in the bottom left corner of Peace GUI.

 

[Tidaliser]

I've used Equalizer APO several; times and always end up going back to a pure sound. The problem with the DT770 cans is that I can't drive them loud enough and when I do the bass distorts so badly, the bass sounds like a flappy fart. I have a magni 3 so I was assuming this would do the job - I'm not sure if the amp is distorting at full or 3/4 volume or the cans.

These are 250 ohms so perhaps the 80 ohms would have been better but overall I'm not hearing anything exciting with these cans, I heard few tracks that I thought yeah that sounds good but overall the lack of loudness resulted in me going back to M50's within about 1 hour or so.