Best way to setup the D50s with the Geshelli archel2.5-pro

[eeeper]

My current now outgoing rig is the tp30mk2 dac/amp which has done well, and am pretty happy with it until I got bit by the upgrade bug. My wife and daughter pooled their resources together to get me D50s and Archel 2.5 (the amp is currently in transit) for father's day (I love my family) and now I'm left with the question of how do I set things up optimally.

I'm currently running the D50s through the tp30mk2 as an amp until my Geshelli gets here, which prompted my question of how to setup the D50s and Geshelli (when it gets here), control the volume through the D50s or set it to 0 db and use the Archel for volume control. If it helps at all I have the Fostex th-x00, hifiman 4xx, Sennheiser hd-525 for headphones, hidiz ms4 iem and Fiio f9pro.

On a side note, is it normal when upgrading or changing out gear to perceive a marked increase in what is now audible? Using usb audio player pro to stream tidal or even listening to Amazon Music HD through the d50s I'm hearing more distinct mid-bass and an overall clearer sound vs the mk2 dac.

Thanks in advanced.

 

[Jimbob54]

My current now outgoing rig is the tp30mk2 dac/amp which has done well, and am pretty happy with it until I got bit by the upgrade bug. My wife and daughter pooled their resources together to get me D50s and Archel 2.5 (the amp is currently in transit) for father's day (I love my family) and now I'm left with the question of how do I set things up optimally.

I'm currently running the D50s through the tp30mk2 as an amp until my Geshelli gets here, which prompted my question of how to setup the D50s and Geshelli (when it gets here), control the volume through the D50s or set it to 0 db and use the Archel for volume control. If it helps at all I have the Fostex th-x00, hifiman 4xx, Sennheiser hd-525 for headphones, hidiz ms4 iem and Fiio f9pro.

On a side note, is it normal when upgrading or changing out gear to perceive a marked increase in what is now audible? Using usb audio player pro to stream tidal or even listening to Amazon Music HD through the d50s I'm hearing more distinct mid-bass and an overall clearer sound vs the mk2 dac.

Thanks in advanced.

Personally, I use the DAC volume remotely where possible - set it to around 80% of full and amp to ideal volume at that 80% DAC volume . Then use dac remote to nudge it to taste per track/ mood etc.

Regarding swapping out DACs- depends what you are swapping out . If its a terrible DAC component in a DAC/AMP (See Amirs latest Schiit review) then yes, adding an external DAC can definitely improve things. BUT- notice in the same Schiit review, the DAC portion is only outputting 1.4v to the amp section. Your Topping will be 2v at full volume - so it might just be the level difference you are noticing!

 

[eeeper]

Personally, I use the DAC volume remotely where possible - set it to around 80% of full and amp to ideal volume at that 80% DAC volume . Then use dac remote to nudge it to taste per track/ mood etc.

Regarding swapping out DACs- depends what you are swapping out . If its a terrible DAC component in a DAC/AMP (See Amirs latest Schiit review) then yes, adding an external DAC can definitely improve things. BUT- notice in the same Schiit review, the DAC portion is only outputting 1.4v to the amp section. Your Topping will be 2v at full volume - so it might just be the level difference you are noticing!

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Thank you, I'll let you know how it works out tomorrow when the Archel gets here, so looking forward to being able to drive my hifiman properly. I didn't realize output voltage effected the sound that much, is it because the signal is cleaner or the higher voltage makes the overall signal easier to distinguish? In any case the music I'm playing sounds alive, and that was the reason for upgrading in the first place.

 

[Jimbob54]

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Thank you, I'll let you know how it works out tomorrow when the Archel gets here, so looking forward to being able to drive my hifiman properly. I didn't realize output voltage effected the sound that much, is it because the signal is cleaner or the higher voltage makes the overall signal easier to distinguish? In any case the music I'm playing sounds alive, and that was the reason for upgrading in the first place.

We perceive louder as better. So your amp at 12 o'clock with a higher powered dac will be louder than with a lower one. I don't know what the dac in your tp30 was or what it's output was. But that's one reason swapping dacs might be perceived as an "improvement" in sound that may not actually be.

 

[eeeper]

@Jimbob54 Thank you for your advice, my Archel came yesterday and I set it up as you described, it works beautifully. I'm amazed at the sound flowing into my ears, its like a relaxing in a warm pool as I stare at the stars on a clear night; mesmerizing as I'm immersed in wonder. It has enough power to make my hifiman's feel effortless in their sound reproduction and delicate enough that my IEM's feel alive without being overwhelmed. Stunning really. Any suggestions on more songs to add to my headphone testing playlist?

 

[3125b]

What kind music do you like?
Some artists, albums and songs I like (with good headphones or speakers only):

Dire Straits (everything really, but the often overlooked album Communique is really good)
Joan Baez (Donna Donna of course, but she has many good songs)
Macey Gray (Stripped, binaural recording by Chesky Records)
Amber Rubarth (especially Sessions from the 17th Ward, Chesky Records)
Pink Martini (especially Hang On Little Tomato stands out to me)
Natasha (their first album Natasha from '91)
Rebecca Pidgeon (albums Four Marys and The Raven)
Susanna McCorkle (From Bessie To Brazil)
Beth Heart and Joe Bonamassa (Don't Explain)
Loreena McKennitt (The Mummers' Dance and Tango To Evora stand out to me)
Simon & Garfunkel (The Sound Of Silence and The Boxer are my favorites)
Jim Morrison and The Doors (An American Prayer)
Pink Floyd (most of their work, but have a look at their first album from '67 wich is remarkable for its time)
Symphonic Queen - The Greatest Hits (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 2016, great adaptation)
Eagles (especially Live On MTV 1994)
Jethro Tull (especially their most famous album Aqualung)
Melody Gardot (Currency Of Man (Artists Cut))
Jennifer Warnes (Famous Blue Raincoat with Leonard Cohen)
Grace Jones (especially her later works)
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (their album Zim Zam Zim is quite interesting)

There is of course a lot more, but those would be some songs or albums that come to mind.

 

[eeeper]

What kind music do you like?
Some artists, albums and songs I like (with good headphones or speakers only):

Dire Straits (everything really, but the often overlooked album Communique is really good)
Joan Baez (Donna Donna of course, but she has many good songs)
Macey Gray (Stripped, binaural recording by Chesky Records)
Amber Rubarth (especially Sessions from the 17th Ward, Chesky Records)
Pink Martini (especially Hang On Little Tomato stands out to me)
Natasha (their first album Natasha from '91)
Rebecca Pidgeon (albums Four Marys and The Raven)
Susanna McCorkle (From Bessie To Brazil)
Beth Heart and Joe Bonamassa (Don't Explain)
Loreena McKennitt (The Mummers' Dance and Tango To Evora stand out to me)
Simon & Garfunkel (The Sound Of Silence and The Boxer are my favorites)
Jim Morrison and The Doors (An American Prayer)
Pink Floyd (most of their work, but have a look at their first album from '67 wich is remarkable for its time)
Symphonic Queen - The Greatest Hits (Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 2016, great adaptation)
Eagles (especially Live On MTV 1994)
Jethro Tull (especially their most famous album Aqualung)
Melody Gardot (Currency Of Man (Artists Cut))
Jennifer Warnes (Famous Blue Raincoat with Leonard Cohen)
Grace Jones (especially her later works)
The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown (their album Zim Zam Zim is quite interesting)

There is of course a lot more, but those would be some songs or albums that come to mind.

Love the diversity in your suggestions. It's hard to say what genre is my favorite, grew up listening to fifties and sixties musical with my mom and folk music (and Beatles) from my dad. I have most of Simon and Garfunkel's music, my dad is a huge fan in fact as birthday present I took him to Paul Simon's fair well tour when he came through Seattle.

Over the years I've collected a bunch of different artists ranging from Oak Ridge boys and Dolly Parton, to Metallica and Disturbed. Pipe Organ on occasion, love the soundtracks from Star Wars and marvel movies. Recently been rediscovering Arethra franklin, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sintra. Lately been listening to Norah Jones and similar artist. Love voices full of soul.

Pretty much I'll try anything once and end up liking most, with two exceptions, traditional opera like pavoratti and new country. Mostly due to opera's are usually in italian which I don't speak, and in my opinion new country suffers from the same issue new pop music suffers; it all sounds the same after a while, almost identical beats, lyrics, etc. I've try every couple days something from the Top 40 Pop, usually end up finding something else. However, I'm willing to give any suggestion a try, especially since it's how I've found most of my favorite songs.