Did you end up getting the Forge? I have a Nautilus, which I love, and from what I’ve heard, the Forge has many of the same qualities as its bigger brother.
Would you mind summarizing what you’ve bought so far? I’ve never seen anyone go from nothing to fully fledged high end system so quickly (I mean that as a compliment), but I’ve lost track of what you’re actually buying vs what you were interested in.
Well, I have a SEVERE case of paralysis by analysis as a person (with all hobbies and personal choices), so there’s still lots on the “soon list” but haven’t pulled the trigger.
So far I have ordered (some not here yet for a variety of reasons):
)Currently in the crosshairs:
I want to build out the desktop high-quality headphone use set up first, as with a one-year-old, speakers will just simply get less use. Not none, but less.
Knowing nothing about your speakers or tastes, this is a complete shot in the dark, but Decware Taboo? Class A, tubes, and unusual all together. Plus dual volume controls. And you get another headphone amp to boot.
Of course, it only makes sense if you’re speakers are relatively efficient and have a fairly benign impedance profile.
Interested in what you decide to do,
Lou
My finger was on the button to buy a Zen Taboo MK IV…then Decware hit the mainstream and their shipping delays shot up to months and months. I bought a Bottlehead Crack kit instead. That build is in progress now. The speaker amp will follow.
Edit: If the Crack goes well enough I was thinking about an Amp Camp Amp kit. However, the specs and reviews indicate it’s not as good or as powerful as the Schiit Aegir.
Edit 2: Speakers…likely to be swapped too. Doesn’t matter.
The Taboo gives left and right volume control but the CSP 3 would adjust the left and right gain of the input tube, also the left and right output voltage. The CSP would be the cheaper option of the two but the Taboo would give you more precise left or right where the CSP are steps. Hard to explain without listening to them
I would go with the Aegir over the ACA without thinking about it, because I really don’t have much interest in building solid state.
I’m hoping to build something along the lines of this 6V6 amp next summer.
Best wishes on you Crack build.
Yes, building solid state is not my interest either. The ACA is very simple and likely requires just a few hours. I’d almost certainly go with the Aegir instead.
I haven’t soldered in ages and my Crack build is now stalled because of soldering practice. I bought a couple micro-sized school kid soldering projects to rebuild my skills. They may be technically harder than the Crack’s wiring too.
The 6V6 (and website) looks good, but I’m not qualified for electronics builds beyond kits. I suppose a Bottlehead speaker amp kit may be an option, but soldering has never been my passion.
Do you refer to the drop at higher frequencies?
Thank you for your response and sorry for replying so late. I was unable to continue my search last few weeks.
As for the amplifier - no, I don’t have one. Buying both headphones (possibly along with an amp) and IEM is an option. I have to admit that I’m lost, because the market is so vast and there are lots of great products.
My primary use seem to match headphones more - sitting at my desk in a quite environment - it’s were I’d like most of my budget to go. But if I can get good sounding IEMs, then why not buy them instead and enjoy a good sound in every situation? What bogs me is that I don’t know what to expect from good IEMs as I never owned ones. How do they compare with headphones?
I still do most of my listening on an old pair of AKG K99 headphones that I bought more than 10 years ago. They’re certainly not perfect and have many flaws, but also have the sound characteristic that I like. I had a chance to compare them with other headphones, few times more their price and I liked how my K99 sounded better. But it might be that I’m just used to them…
That you for your detailed response, much appreciated! And sorry for a late reply!
I’m aware that it might be difficult to give me any advice as I’m not someone who tested many headphones so I cannot really help by listing those I liked.
As for the headphones I use, it’s been more than 10 years now that I use a pair AKG K99. Those really are not high-end headphones by any means, they have flaws. But I like their overall sound characteristic. I had a chance to compare them with headphones few times more expensive and I still preferred how the K99 sounded. But it might be because I’m so used to them.
As for the IEMs, I’ve never really used them. That’s why is so hard for me to imagine how moderns IEMs compare to modern headphones. I once bought Snab OverTone EP-101M, but they were so uncomfortable for me (especially in bed) that I ended up not using them.
I’ve never heard neither Sundaras nor Shure’s IEMs. I picked those brands/models solely by watching and reading reviews.
In music that I listed to I mostly concentrate on the instrumental part. I like jazz, rock, metal (and also genres that combine jazz with heavy sounds - one would call “technical”), blues, classical music, audiotracks from movies/games etc. I rather don’t listen to pop, rap, hip-hop, techno etc.
Making calls is not that important, anything would be enough. But I like to listen to music in bed (Shure’s IEMs seem like they won’t push against my ear too much) and sometimes on the go. My primary use seems to match headphones more - sitting at my desk in a quite environment - it’s were I’d like most of my budget to go. But if I can get good sounding IEMs, then why not buying them instead and enjoy a good sound in every situation? What bogs me is that I don’t know what to expect from good IEMs as I never owned ones. How do they compare with headphones?
Thank you for all the recommendations. I’m still looking into the IEMs models you’ve listed. I must admit is a tougher nut to crack for me.
I did also consider (I still am) HiFiMAN Anandas and Focal Clear. Seems like if I decide to go for good headphones then picking the “right” model will be a blind shot - unless I find a way to listen to them before buying.
Thank you very much again!
I agree to all you’ve said. Headphones and IEMs have their unique strengths - both sound- and function-wise. While it’s not possible to tell what is better in general, it is possible the tell on a per person case. It’s a matter of knowing what you want and what to expect from them.
Thank you for replying, @prfallon69! This is also what others are saying. The 846s have been around a good few years now and they’re not the best bang for the back currently. Seems like I should try to find them on sale/used or aim for something different.
I would most definately pick them up used. In a very crowded market they are too expensive new. Good luck.
This is not a well balanced sound. It is bass heavy because of the high bass emphasis on the left and overall downward slope. The highs will be muted and recessed because of the multiple dips on the right. This chart is almost the exact opposite of what you’re looking for
Yup, me again. So I have made the decision (for now) to hold off on a massive ampsandsound tube and instead start with a solid state amplifier to really hone in on sound before going into the tube world, which I do find alluring. As such, two things on the “immediate” list. I would like separate amp and dac for future use case, such as using the Dac with a speaker amp, etc. Open to thoughts but budget for the amp is about $2k.
Contenders in my mind currently, many of which fall well below budget and cover an array of price points.
AMPS
DACS
As always, appreciate feedback.
I’d couple a Bifrost 2 with a Asgard 3.
Consider I recently bought an A3 because I wanted a more open, warmer amp and avoid to buy a tube amp.
Then bought an ampsandsound Mogwai OG and the A3 sits at my desk for casual uses with a Raspberry 4.
If you’re looking into tubes, go with tubes.
Buying an ampsandsound or other brands makes such a great difference in comparison to solid state.
Just my opinion obviously.
I agree - I’m a relatively newbie and am so glad I jumped into tubes (ultimately an ampsandsound Kenzie Ovation) rather than put in my time with solid state. SS is fine - a good baseline against which to compare tube sound - but in and of itself it’s just not as interesting to me.
Not to say anyone must go tubes, but if you wanna go there, go there.
Do you have powered desktop monitors too? If you do, then make sure that whatever amp you buy has the right pre-amp outs for your monitors/sub. For instance, as much as I love the Burson Soloist, it only has balanced XLR pre-outs and my sub only has RCA inputs. This forced me to use a Schiit Jot 2 to feed my monitors and sub, although the upside is that the Jot 2 gives me a second solid state headphone amp with a slightly different flavor than the Burson.