Looking at your post history, there are no FOR SALE posts started. Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but like @Torq explained, you’re new here, and any items you posted would get more interest if you participated in the community. No inference intended, but there are a lot scams on the interwebs.
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Those are completely understandable reasons. Thank you very much for showing me this perspective.
I had not considered these positions.
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By all means put your item up for sale, but offer adequate protections like paypal (for buyer protection), and insured shipping. Pictures, original packaging, and an offer of proof of ownership are helpful as well.
EDIT: Saw your ad. Good luck with your sale. Beautiful headphones.
Welcome to the forum.
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Thanks very much. I really appreciate the advice. Cheers!
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You might want to hold off to do more research.
For $10 more than the Dragonfly Black you can get a Qudelix 5k which has it’s own battery, more power, bluetooth and usb connections, built-in eq and microphone for phone calls.
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Yes that’s a nice alternative. Eugenio, the point is that you just need to try something. We’re showing very very small portable DAC/AMP combos. If you don’t need tiny, there are even more choices. But you can always sell what you buy for about 80% of what you paid for it if you get quality stuff.
There are things that the Qudelix does that the Dragonfly does not, and vice-versa. You will make several choices before you find what you want. I wanted the Dragonfly because at the time I was using the Tidal service and the Dragonfly was a good match for it. Now I don’t use Tidal. The reasons can be searched on this forum.
Point is, just take the plunge to get started. Sera un poco mas deficil in Panama. I know. Neither choice will get you in trouble.
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It sounds as though there are several issues to be considered re. your query about finding the right amp for your Vérité or trying out different headphones. I don’t have a Vérité yet so these are just a couple of quick thoughts and suggestions - hopefully others with experience of these headphones might chime in with more specific advice.
Have you heard the Vérité out of a high-end system? I ask because you have a top-of-the-line pair of headphones but an entry-level DAC and amp driving them. This might be like having a Ferrari with a Fiat’s drivetrain.
Because I’m interested in getting the Vérité, I have been reading the forums and have seen people using the Echo with their Vérité. If memory serves, I think I’ve seen people report that Zach recommends it as an amp in its price range. I could be wrong, though.
In your case, it might be that the Echo provides a boost to the sound of your setup but that the DAC is holding back both the amp and the headphones. That raises the question of what would be a good DAC upgrade. The Bifrost 2 would be one option EDIT: but you should be mindful of the overall system synergy: the warm sound of headphones like the Vérité might, with a warm DAC like the Bifrost 2, and potentially, a warm amp, make for too much of a good thing; you might want to find an appropriate balance between warm amp/neutral DAC or neutral DAC/warm amp. This will depend on how the components all work together.
You might find it best to experiment with some used gear and to sell of those items that don’t work well together, at as little a loss as possible.
Torq speaks highly of the Hugo 2 with the Vérité, which would provide you with both a DAC and an amp:
Do you intend to keep the Vérité regardless, then, or do you intend to replace it with an LCD-X or HD 800 S? To help others give you better advice, it might help if you clarified some of these issues and provided a budget.
If you plan on having the Vérité and another pair of headphones, then your choice of amps might become more complicated, especially if you want one amp to do duty for two different headphones. It might also be worth noting that the HD 800 S and the Vérité are both commonly understood to benefit from tube amps. I can’t speak for the LCD-X.
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Starting with the last question as to whether or not I’ll keep it, I’d say that if I found something else that I liked better, I’d be inclined to take the slight downgrade (or sidegrade, depending on one’s perspective) and put the rest of the money into a better DAC and amp or just back into my pocket. The Modius/Asgard stack would be quite easy to move to offset cost, especially based on Schiit’s delivery timelines right now.
DACs are a tough subject because I don’t know enough about them to have a strong opinion. I end up seeing discussion around them often enough that I question their true impact past a certain dollar amount. Based on my reading, the Bifrost seems to be a good example of where the diminishing returns can start to kick in hard soon after.
Budget-wise I would say that I’d probably not want the DAC/amp combo to have to exceed $750-1000 total at this time, including what I get back if I sold my current pairing for around the $400 I paid. I don’t feel I should need to spend more than that to get more or less to 100% of headphone’s capabilities. In the end I could still just be overthinking things when everything right now is very well and fine with the feeling of needing more kicking in.
Thanks for replying, though. I appreciate it.
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Yes, there’s nothing wrong with being content with your current setup and keeping it as it is. There can be too much temptation in this hobby, especially when reading the forums and seeing people being excited by their upgrades!
It sounds as though it would fine for you to stay where you are if you’re happy, all the more so if you don’t have a clear sense of either what’s missing or wrong with your setup, or if you’re not entirely sure what it is you’re looking for. Experimenting without having identified your preferences or without having established well-defined goals can end up being disappointing and expensive, over the long run. The good thing is that it seems as though you’re able to audition gear where you are, which puts you in the advantageous position of being able to test the waters again the future or see if other headphones better suit your preferences.
Yes, absolutely. The law of diminishing returns is a real thing. It is commonly suggested that upgrading a DAC will make less of an overall improvement to your system than, first, the transducers, and, second, the amp. (Eventually, I’ve been told, at a certain high-level threshold sources can become more important).
Yes, again, agreed! I recently upgraded to the Bifrost 2 from an Airist RDAC. The improvement was significant but not earth-shatteringly amazing; it was worth the investment, for me, especially given my long-term goals and budget. My understanding is that, to get another meaningful upgrade, I’d have to fork out a lot more cash. I’d rather invest that, for the time being, in a pair of Vérité!
Good luck!
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@pennstac @NickZ , thanks for the replys and suggestion. really appreciate you’re help a lot.
That’s what i was thinking, but them there’s a little problem… i’m from Panamá, and here are 0 hifi stores so there’s no place for me to go and try something to see if that’s what i need or want, so there’s like a misspoint on researching 'cause i can’t try or get an idea of what i’m knowing. Someone toll me to just “get my feet wet” and i think that’s what i’m going to do, i can still do research after i get something to begin.
Gracias, agradezco la respuesta en español :'). But yeap that’s the thing, i’ll begin with the meze 99 and the dragonfly black, just to get started with something, but with all you’re recommendations i’ve made a list with some other devices i’ll wanna try.
So thanks again for the help, i hope when i come back i have some good experience to share with the equipment i get.
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Excellent advice as always @pennstac.
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If you’re intrested in the Qudelix 5k then @Dynamic has a lot of experience with it. It might be intrseting to get his take on it. I know he rates it highly.
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The qudelix 5k is the best $109 I have spent in audio. I tried about a dozen dongles and portable amps including one of the dragonflys. One I haven’t tried but I think may be worth it if not on iphone is the w2 from luxury and precision (I think)
I have a comparison on here to the btr5 which was my previous best unit.
The only other thing that makes me want to move away from the qudelix is the ifi idsd micro signature. That, however, isn’t practical for my use case. (Which is primarily portable) it is great sound though.
Qudelix can be used wired or wireless. It also has the lowest noise floor BT implementation I have heard. That was a problem on things like the fiio q5s with my sensitive iems.
It has all the feature. From parametric EQ with the full auto eq library to crossfeed to mic passthrough to make calls with iems easier. I use this with webex with any of my headphones.
Their support is responsive, and bugs get fixed sometimes the same day I find them. The firmware updates are easy and continuously offer more features.
Great product.
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Hey everyone, thought I’d post here first instead of making a new thread.
The type of headphone/amp/DAC I am looking for is (Closed-back, open-back, in-ear, wireless, etc): Closed-back
My price range is: ~$1000
I like to listen to: pop, jazz, oldies, asian music, alternative, vocal centric music
I will be using them for: (Travel, commuting, home, gym, etc…): The office
I’m basically looking for something to use in the office all day. Currently I have my Sony CD900st which I really enjoy but I’m looking for suggestions because some days the Sony is comfortable, and some days not as much. I’ve tried using IEMs for the longest time but they just hurt my ears over time. I used to use the Denon D2000 and was able to wear those for long stretches but I’ve given those to my dad. Anyways, I’m basically looking for a comfortable, step up over the Sonys. Appreciate any help!
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With this budget the Focal Celestee seem like an obvious consideration.
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Focal Celestee is definitely a nice looking pair of headphone. I had some comfort issues with the utopia so I’m a little hesitant to try another Focal but I’ll keep it on the list of contenders. Thanks for the suggestion!
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+1 on the Celestees. I find them comfortable for long listens and the SQ for the money is superb.
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I will harp on the LSA HP-2 Ultra as always. I have not heard focal or ZMF. But I would assume both those companies products in the price range should be on the table. My next favorites are drop ether cx and lcd-xc (above price point). All good. All very different. Love them all for different reasons.
Can’t wait to hear ZMF or Focal myself.
Open-box Radiance available at the moment…for the price of the Celestee. Haven’t tried the Celestee but I do have the Radiance and its very comfortable to me.
Edit: It’s not giving me the right link…just search Radiance and you’ll see the open box @ $990
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Which IEMs have you tried? I had comfort issues when I first delved into the IEM world, and I found most of my issues were because I refused to spend over $100 and I refused to tip roll; both were grave mistakes. There are a LOT of comfortable, great sounding IEMs in your price range, and also lots of tip manufacturers. If commuting and gym usage are key, I’d give IEMs another shot; they’re also the best choice for the office in my experience.
Also, I should note that I’m in the camp of IEMS > Closed Backs. I haven’t heard a truly great closed back headphone yet (haven’t heard the VC yet, though); all have been disappointing or compromised the sound to my ears. YMMV.
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