I am upgrading my entire system and have set up 2 headphone stations using Project S2 DACs/ and a Schiit Magni+ in my wife's main TV/computer room; and an all Schiit system with a Heretic DAC and a Modi+ which is bedside for sleepless nights. I just ordered an Asgard headphone amp for my main system and will mate that with a Aegir amp in about a week.
What brought all this about was a "pedestrian" receiver, I will not name, was really bothering me about feeling like something was wrong. A friend was looking to get into vinyl and did not know what to buy, so on a lark I bought an Audio Technica LPW30TK turntable that comes with a nice AT VM-95C cart for a total of $212 off Amazon. I wanted to see what $200 in a TT could buy. I used the receiver's phono stage and thought this can't be sounding right and was about to blame the turntable. I have my old Shure Test LPs and pulled out TTR-103 that starts with left and right channel bands of 1khz and 10khz at 5cm/sec which any cart should be able to track.
I recorded those tones into one of my Tascam SDHC card recorders at 2496, uploaded then into my compuuter, and then viewed the files in my DAW's FFT display. Through the receiver's phono stage you could see the 1khz tone, but the 10khz tone was totally missing from the display and not being passed by the receiver's phono stage at all. Very bad.
In another system I use a 2 box Vincent phono stage which is my main TT set up and it played both tones perfectly as shown on the FFT display. That table is an old Dual 502 ( I like the high torque AC motor) with a Rega RB 250 arm installed. I had purchased an AT-VM95E cart when they first came out to see what all the buzz was about. It sounds great and played the tones fine. On the test LP is a track with a long 1khz tone and it plays back at 1004-1006 hz on the Dual. The AT LPW30TK plays the 1khz tone at 996-998. For a $200 table I was impressed. I now have a Shure M97 HE on the AT table, but the AT VM 95C sounded fine.
My son had a ART DJ Pre II which I borrowed and used with the AT table. This is a $65 preamp!!!! It played both of the tones just like the Vincent pair did and they sound very similar in quality that I was shocked. I spent over 5 times that on the Vincent on a closeout sale. I like it when these kinds of things happen. It allows everyone to join in the hifi game for little money.
So, the receiver is on the living room floor about to be sold for a few bucks and the new main system will be the Asgard headphone/preamp station and then the Aegir Class A amp will drive some JBL 3-way monitors to what will be new heights for my audio enjoyment. I am just using a passive switch box for changing sources, No tone controls.
I listen on headphones about 75% of the time and rotate between my AKG K701's, my 2 pair of K271's, my 2 pair of Beyer DT 770's (high and low ohm), and a pair of AT-ATH 50X's. I gave to pair of Sony 7506's to my son to use in their audio room at church for FOH work. I had also given an old pair of Grado 80's to a friend who had none. I am thinking about adding a pair of Grado 325's or a pair of AKG models up from my K701s.
I do location recording and I find that headphone mastering is better for me now that I am 75.
What brought all this about was a "pedestrian" receiver, I will not name, was really bothering me about feeling like something was wrong. A friend was looking to get into vinyl and did not know what to buy, so on a lark I bought an Audio Technica LPW30TK turntable that comes with a nice AT VM-95C cart for a total of $212 off Amazon. I wanted to see what $200 in a TT could buy. I used the receiver's phono stage and thought this can't be sounding right and was about to blame the turntable. I have my old Shure Test LPs and pulled out TTR-103 that starts with left and right channel bands of 1khz and 10khz at 5cm/sec which any cart should be able to track.
I recorded those tones into one of my Tascam SDHC card recorders at 2496, uploaded then into my compuuter, and then viewed the files in my DAW's FFT display. Through the receiver's phono stage you could see the 1khz tone, but the 10khz tone was totally missing from the display and not being passed by the receiver's phono stage at all. Very bad.
In another system I use a 2 box Vincent phono stage which is my main TT set up and it played both tones perfectly as shown on the FFT display. That table is an old Dual 502 ( I like the high torque AC motor) with a Rega RB 250 arm installed. I had purchased an AT-VM95E cart when they first came out to see what all the buzz was about. It sounds great and played the tones fine. On the test LP is a track with a long 1khz tone and it plays back at 1004-1006 hz on the Dual. The AT LPW30TK plays the 1khz tone at 996-998. For a $200 table I was impressed. I now have a Shure M97 HE on the AT table, but the AT VM 95C sounded fine.
My son had a ART DJ Pre II which I borrowed and used with the AT table. This is a $65 preamp!!!! It played both of the tones just like the Vincent pair did and they sound very similar in quality that I was shocked. I spent over 5 times that on the Vincent on a closeout sale. I like it when these kinds of things happen. It allows everyone to join in the hifi game for little money.
So, the receiver is on the living room floor about to be sold for a few bucks and the new main system will be the Asgard headphone/preamp station and then the Aegir Class A amp will drive some JBL 3-way monitors to what will be new heights for my audio enjoyment. I am just using a passive switch box for changing sources, No tone controls.
I listen on headphones about 75% of the time and rotate between my AKG K701's, my 2 pair of K271's, my 2 pair of Beyer DT 770's (high and low ohm), and a pair of AT-ATH 50X's. I gave to pair of Sony 7506's to my son to use in their audio room at church for FOH work. I had also given an old pair of Grado 80's to a friend who had none. I am thinking about adding a pair of Grado 325's or a pair of AKG models up from my K701s.
I do location recording and I find that headphone mastering is better for me now that I am 75.
