Pay Attention To The System

[Rameish 0]

I have received quite a few PMs asking me to comment about how this headphone or that amplifier sounds, This question is usually asked by inexperienced members but somtimes I get the same question from people who really should know better.

 

The first thing to do when you are in this hobby is to stop hunting for the best bargains and then try and build a system based on that. In the long run you end up spending more cos you'll keep changing your components. The second thing to do is find a good dealer who doesnt mind when you bring in a rival's component to compare.

 

The third most important thing to remember is you are at any point in time listening to a system consisting of source, amp and headphones. By mearly switching the headphone (with the amp and source unchanged) you cant come to a conclusion. Your amp and headphones need to be matched more carefully becaused low impedence cans tend to sound better with high current amps (solid state) while high impedence cans tend to sound better with high voltage amps (tube). Of course life is not that simple and I have heard high impedence cans (like the Senn HD-600) sound quite nice with a solid state amp (like the Grado RA-1 or the original Corde Pre-Head). While the low impedence Grado RS-1 sounded quite nice with a tube amp called the Micro-Zolt http://www.davidberning.com/microzotl.htm or the Cayin Ha-1A (I still prefered this amp with high Z cans).

 

Now throw in a dash of interconnects, power cords etc and you can see how I am unable to say for sure if somthing will suit you. I know what I want, but frankly, you should be listening to music and making your own choices.

 

In a nutshell:

 

1) Trust your ears

2) Bring your own music to audition (and please dont bring MP3 files ya)

3) If buying just one component remember that you are listening to a system.

4) hi-fi reviewers have different ears, listen to different music, have deadlines and magazine advertising pays their salary ;-)

5) Owner reviews are 1) biased 2) may not have enough exposure to other products 3) overhyped because it's their new toy.

 

I hope this helps a little in guiding you out of the hi-fi jungle. Maybe is does and maybe it doesn't :-)

 

Face the music and enjoy it for once. Ta

 

 

[Stereo_Electronics 0]

Should we put this thread as a sticky?

[Singapura 0]

Very good advice Rameish. I agree to a point but I have a few personal remarks:

 

 

The first thing to do when you are in this hobby is to stop hunting for the best bargains and then try and build a system based on that.

A lot of the fun is in the hunt, not in the catch. This may differ from person to person but I dread the day that I have to conclude that my system is perfect and doesn't need any upgrading. Sure it costs more money but what hobby doesn't?

 

By mearly switching the headphone (with the amp and source unchanged) you cant come to a conclusion.

When auditioning a new headphone, interconnect, source or any other part in the audiochain it is most important that you listen to upgrades that fit what you already have. If you don't, you'll find yourself switching multiple parts in your system at once, which can give quite a strain on the old wallet. So switching a headphone/cable/amp/source alone does give you a conclusion: it sounds, better, worse or the same with the system you own at that moment.

 

When auditioning upgrades I try to keep the rest of the audiochain as consistent as possible, otherwise there's no point in comparing. For instance when I bought my interlink (Ultimate Link Affinity) I used my LDM+, even though Stereo has much better amps, which they would let me use. The cable I bought might not neccesarily sound as good with any other combination than my iPod, LDM+ and UE Superfi.5 EB.

 

I also use the same set of tunes, each time I try out a new IEM, amp, headphone or whatever. IMHO you CAN use MP3's, if that's what you are listening to normally. What's the point of buying a system that only sounds good with flaw- and lossless audio? Sometimes it's good to have a pair of forgiving IEM's so you will only hear the music and not the errors in the recording. I even went as far as listening to my iPod with lots of noise outside, to see if I would still enjoy the music while on the MRT or bus.

 

My point is that you're not buying the best system available in the market unless you're a multi-millionaire. You're buying the best system available to you for the money you want to pay for it. There will always be better components and more money to spend but isn't that the fun of it?

 

The best rules of all:

 

Trust your ears.

 

Listen to music and not to other people.

 

Buy only components that increase your enjoyment of the music you like at a pricelevel that you can afford.

 

Be happy with what you have (at least for a while )

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rameish 0]

Singapura,

 

Building a system on "best buys" is what I meant. Let me clarify further, if there are 3 headphones that you are considering dont buy the one that is the cheapest in Singapore. Take note of the system you have, audition if possible and then buy.Sure if you like a particular component try and get the best deal for it. I do that too :-)

 

Unless what you are buying is solely for MP3 playback I wouldnt recommend bringing it along to audition anything. The reason is simply this, MP3 recordings tend to sound "thin" (ie lacking in weight) you might end up getting a headphone that sounds nice with MP3 recordings but terrible with your regular CD. If I was listening to MP3 recordings I would get a pair headphones that would enhance the bass and roll-off the top end - obviously not a good candidate for a home based system where regular CDs are used. Remember I posted this in the home equipment section and as such it is meant for people building a headphone system for home use.

 

Thirdly upgrading is fine, and yes it's a hobby, but it's not a equipment hobby, it's a music hobby. If you select your components carefully with auditions etc, chances are when you do make a change it will be an upgrade and it would be somtime before you make that upgrade. Never get the "flavour of the month" product just because it's on some introductory offer.

 

In a nutshell what I am advocating is that when you audition keep in mind the system because it very well maybe that the component you intend to buy is not what you should be gettin. (eg. you may be auditioning CD Players but the component that you actually need is a better headphone or amplifier.) In other words keep an open mind about what you should be getting.

 

Hope that clarifies what I'm advocating.

 

Once more thing, it's nice to have a reference system (either a friend's or a system at a dealer's place) but be mindfull not to listen to it too often as you will become increasingly dissatisfied with what you have.

[Singapura 0]

Rameish.

 

Again, I agree with you that price may never be a deciding factor when buying audio equipment (or wine or cars for that matter ) I think we mean the same but express it differently.

 

Your point of view is that of a music lover looking for the best way to enjoy his music.

 

My point of view is that of a tech-lover who enjoys music. Music is very important to me but it's the equipment itself and the discussions connected to it that are a major fix.

 

If I audition a headphone for my iPod, I would use MP3's on purpose because that's what I listen to on the go. If I needed a headphone for my home system I would use CD's or FLAC files because that's what I listen to at home.

 

This is the reason why I use UE Super.fi EB's for my MP3's and I'm still looking for a pair of good cans for my homesystem (any suggestions?).

 

Your last sentence says it all: be satisfied with what you have and don't look or listen to much to what your neighbour has.

Edited February 23, 2007 by Singapura

[Rameish 0]

Singapura,

 

That's the Coada Aria you have there right? Well if it's anything like the other Corda's that I have heard (HA-1 MkI, HA-2 and Prehead) then you will be well served with either one of the following (depending on taste/genre of music etc): Beyer DT-931 (Jan Meier's favourite cans although it's now discontinued), Beyer DT-990 (try and get the higher impedence version), Beyer DT-150 (a bit dry sounding and it's a closed headphone), Senn HD-600 (lush presentation but lousy for rock IMO), Grado SR-225 (fantastic for rock not so good with classical), AKG-501 (if budget is tight and again a discontinued model but it's one of AKG's longest running model. Again it's a bit dry sounding. Let's see Sony MDR7056 (aka V6) - a bit harsh sounding but good at it's price point. One caveat if you have a big noggin the DT-990 Pro will be a tight fit. Get the non-pro version. And if you ever have the opportunity to get a Grado HP-1 (of the HP-1000 series) grab it (anything under S$1300 is a seal for this pair of cans). If you want to go up the current Grado range audition the RS-1 and the GS-1000 (they are a lot cheaper here then in the UK :-)

 

Stereo,

 

Thanks but if and when I decide to write a proper article on it I may make it a sticky - they way it's written now no way:-) Writing something well takes time, time that I do not have right now.

[Absolute0 0]

I would have stickied this thread for its useful discussions but since Rameish can do it himself, I will leave it to him to decide when the time is ripe.

 

With regards to can recommendations, Singapura, you might also want to consider the AKG K701 which goes pretty well with the Aria.

[Rameish 0]

Absolute0,

 

I think I'll need to write a much better piece first. But I'm feeling a bit lazy.