Headphone/Hifi Thread

[msommers]

I think there are some audio enthusiasts on the board and well what better way to discuss than here! Chat about what you have or maybe what you're looking into getting.

My cheap 70 dollar NuForce NE-7Ms have died finally and well it seems to be an excuse to upgrade. I've heard really good things the Victor FX500 and even better things about the recently released FX700. Might have to wait until the price calms down a touch as 400 bucks doesn't sit too well with me. However I am impulsive and may do it anyways hahaha

My home setup isn't too extensive but it's enjoyable nonetheless. Try to get ALAC or FLAC whenever I can but 320kbs does the trick too. Typically on Foobar or iTunes. It's amazing how different they sound even at flat EQ. Going into a EMU0404 recording unit and out to a pair of Senn 595s. Open air is fantastic but I'd really like to try a solid pair of closed, such as the ALO modded Ultrasome hfi-780. But then I'd need a better dac and an amp...

[Mitsu3000gt]

I'm not into headphones at all really, but I am really into home theater. A great deal of my time is spent reading on related forums, etc.

Current home setup:

Fronts: Paradigm Studio 20v5
Center: Paradigm Studio CC590v5
Rears: Paradigm Atom Monitor v5
Sub: Paradigm SUB 12 w/PBK-1 room correction/equalization applied
Amp/Receiver: Pioneer Elite SC-05
Projector: Epson 6500 UB (custom calibrated)
Screen: 74" Carada (custom made)
BDP/DVD/CD: Pioneer Elite BDP 51FD

Monoprice cables/wires, of course.

I've got all this in a 10 foot by 8 room currently

I have a lot of experience with some other projectors, and most of the rest of the Paradigm speaker lineup (Parents have 2 separate full Paradigm setups as well w/projector). Spent over 6 months demoing everything available in Calgary before choosing my speakers.

Any movie I don't really care about I watch in 1080p via my netbook and in regular Dolby Digital/DTS. Any movie I care about I'll go out and rent the blu-ray for the lossless audio and such. HDTV and DVD's are upconverted to 1080p via the HQV Reon chip in the projector.

My music is all FLAC or just the original CD. My receiver is networked and can stream it from my computer so I don't listen to many actual CD's anymore.

Also as I previously mentioned I own the Paradigm PDK-1 subwoofer room correction device, so if anyone has a newer Paradigm sub, I wouldn't mind helping some fellow beyonders out with a calibration. Room equalization makes a world of difference with sub woofers, tightens everything right up, removes boomy spots, removes nulls, and significantly lessens resonant frequencies. It is typically very apparent to even a total newbie.

Also if anyone needs help calibrating their projector or display, I can offer some advice there as well as I've calibrated my own projector and have the equipment and software to do so.

When I move out of my condo and into a house where I can have a dedicated HT room in the basement, the plan is to do it right with Paradigm Studio/Signature's and Anthem equipment running it all. That's a ways away though .

So ya...I know there is a few more people at least on here who are interested in this sort of thing. Also I am more than happy to answer any questions I can for anyone just shopping for home theater equipment. One thing I can't stress enough is how important room correction for both speakers and sub woofer are - makes a world of difference and many people don't even know its available to them.

[Neil4Speed]

Mitsu3000gt. Love your setup! Paradigm makes some great HT speakers, and their Studio line wonderful. Once I get my proper HT setup shortly, Room correction is definitely something I will be looking into.

Two questions for you.

You mentioned that you have your amp networked, does the SC-05 have CAT5 Networking capabilities or are you running a streaming method though a PS3, or WDTV kind of system?

Also, any reason why you went for a projector setup in a smaller room or just to be badass? lol




Myself, I have been running Magnepan SMG's for some time now. I have been running them through a Elite Integrated receiver which really doesn't do them justice. Sometimes I take them upstairs and plug them into the PS Audio Power Amp and they really shine. I can't stay enough good things about Magnepan, they are just a wonderful sounding speaker. In the future I will probably go for a SMG setup for the fronts, with Paradigm Center/Rears.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed
Mitsu3000gt. Love your setup! Paradigm makes some great HT speakers, and their Studio line wonderful. Once I get my proper HT setup shortly, Room correction is definitely something I will be looking into.

Two questions for you.

You mentioned that you have your amp networked, does the SC-05 have CAT5 Networking capabilities or are you running a streaming method though a PS3, or WDTV kind of system?

Also, any reason why you went for a projector setup in a smaller room or just to be badass? lol

Thanks!

The SC-05 has a network port, and my condo has CAT5 running through the walls to every room, so all I need is a short CAT5 cable running from my router to the wall behind my computer, and a short cable from my SC-05 to the wall in my home theater room and viola. I can browse folders on my computer through my receiver, and the receiver is compatible with the FLAC lossless audio format.

The reason I went with a projector setup (other than it being badass ) is you can get the same or better picture than any current LCD/Plasma TV in any size of your choosing (limited by room size I suppose). Due to my ~7 foot throw distance, not every projector would work in my situation, but some projectors, particularly the higher end LCD ones, have really short throw distance capabilities. So, rather than spending ~$5000 on a top of the line 65" LCD/Plasma, I spent $3500 on an excellent projector & screen which gives me a larger picture of the same or better quality. Then, when I move out, I can easily use the projector for a 100-120" screen when I have more space. Thanks to 1080p, I can sit only 7' away from the 74" screen and feel as though my eyes couldn't possibly resolve any more detail out of the picture. That particular projector has an excellent video scaler in it as well for HDTV/DVD content.

I also feel that nothing immerses you better into a movie than a giant, crisp, picture. Good sound can be had from surprisingly cheap speakers set up properly, but a huge screen has that "wow" factor that makes a movie or even TV watching that much more enjoyable. There is no substitute for that.

I have all this set up in the second bedroom of my condo, so I just blacked out the one window in that room and I can make it completely dark to get the most out of my projector. I always recommend projectors to people providing they can control the light in the room well, as you can get excellent projectors for cheaper than the higher end TV's. Just talking to many different people, its surprising how many still have it in their heads that all projectors will look like it did in a school classroom with the lights on, so they don't even consider it for home theater and never know what their missing. 1080p projectors can be had for as little as $1,000 these days, and you can pick up an excellent screen for well under $1,000. Technology that cost $20,000+ not that long ago is now available to the masses in the form of many of today's HT projectors.

You can't go wrong if you're considering Paradigm in your future setups! One thing I really notice about mine that they have ZERO listening fatigue, and I am particularly sensitive to that. That was a big deal for me, and the icing on the cake is that they are pretty much best in class anyways. I am perhaps most impressed with the SUB12 though....what an amazing sub that is. They have finally outdone themselves since the SERVO-15. I spent a lot of time doing comparisons with the Ultracube-10, Servo-15, SUB-12, and an SVS PC-12 PLUS (had them all in the same room). The SUB 12 absolutely crushed the other subs, not just in visceral impact but quality of bass as well. The only one that came close was the Servo 15 but with paradigm's new offerings (SUB12, SUB15, SUB25, etc.) the Servo 15 is starting to show its age. The good news is that its still a hell of a sub and can be had for a good price used . The second thing that just blew me away was how much better it even sounded after the PBK-1 calibration, you look at the before & after room response graphs and its night and day. No more boomy spots, no more nulls, just perfect, smooth, bass. I also have some loose metal studs in my walls that used to rattle like hell, and they are dead quiet after my sub equalization as it eliminates resonant frequencies as well. The PBK-1 was one of my best home theater investments, hands down.

[r3ccOs]

I'm not into Home Theatre but still a traditionlist in the sence of Hi-Fi

I've owned just about everything for decent headphones from Sennheiser, AKG, Beyer Dynamic, Sony, Koss, etc..
Have had plenty of sources from My old NAD to several transport/dac combos

I've had many speakers from B&W, Theil, Paradigm, Dynaudio, Proac, Totem, Oscar Heil, Martin Logan

I've had plenty of speaker/power/interconnect cables from various companys and even custom made
Virtual Dyamics, Tara Labs, Nordost, Eichmann, Chord, Shunyata

Amps from well again just about everyone from Cambridge, Rega, Arcam, Mcintosh, Primaluna, Cary, etc...

@ the end of the day is it money well worth spent? maybe, but for non-critial listening, you just don't need to spend that much cash

I think the "best" reasonabily affordable arrangement I've heard are a set of Paradigm Studio V2 S40s, a Sunfire Sub and a Rega Mira w/ a cheapo NAD 542 CDP... w/ Naim cables

Now, by most people's standard, that is a nice setup... but its far from what I've blew in the past

Currently I'm using a Cary SLI-80 AMP, tweaked out Jolida JD100A CDP & Totem Arro's w/ a REL sub
all using Grant Fidelity power cables, Tara Labs RSC Prime 1000 speaker cables and Eichmann express series 2 ICs

I have plenty of secondary equpiment not setup that I probably should list, including my Martin Logan Aeon

My currently headphones are: Grado Labs RS-2, AKG 701, and a pair of Denon 751 IEMs

Amps: Audio Alchemy HPA-1, Luxman LV103 *real amp, but hybrid tube-pre for the headphone)

Source? Surpisingly enough... just a cheapo Sansa Clip+ 4gb w/ a 8gb card using flac
Sounds better than my squeezebox, as good as any source I've ever heard actuality... from some no-name chinese amp/dac combo off a solid state player for $60

Well not as good as my VPI scoutmaster 2 w/ a Stax tonearm w/ a Grado Platnium cartridge/headshell

[msommers]

r3ccOs - Were you able to audition any of your equipment before you bought it?

Also, why such a small source? I've considered getting the iTransport (seen here) coupled with an iPod. There is of course the Red Wine modification for 5th generation iPods that gets great reviews.

Mark - You love your Paradigms! And hell, I can't blame you. I nearly bought a pair of Studio 20's awhile back but the addition of a much needed subwoofer at the time was past my budget. Where did you pick yours up?

I have to admit I do like the ambiance a room full of beautiful sound gets rather than a set of headphones, which tend to confine you to one area. The sound quality per dollar seems to always drag me back to headphones though.

Also for those interested in getting into HiFi, don't forget about the used market. Canuck Audio Mart (here is fantastic and quite often I saw Calgary sellers.

[Neil4Speed]

Originally posted by r3ccOs

Source? Surpisingly enough... just a cheapo Sansa Clip+ 4gb w/ a 8gb card using flac
Sounds better than my squeezebox, as good as any source I've ever heard actuality... from some no-name chinese amp/dac combo off a solid state player for $60

Very nice gear man!! Funny at the end of it that you use a Sansa Clip as your source! To each their own, and proof that you should go with what sounds best to ear! I know some audiophiles use PlayStation 1's in their audio systems and swear by the quality on those.

Re. Your AKG 701's, they look wonderful, how do they perform? I have a pair of AKG 340's from the stone ages, they sound wonderful with a really "full" sound which is still "airy" if that makes any sense.

Mitsu, thanks for the post, definitely bookmarked for future reference.

I think one of the hardest things about being into Hi-Fi is being happy with what you have without letting your mind play on you. Ie. Guys who switch out their $200 cables for $1000 cables as they can hear the subtle nuance of difference.

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by msommers


Mark - You love your Paradigms! And hell, I can't blame you. I nearly bought a pair of Studio 20's awhile back but the addition of a much needed subwoofer at the time was past my budget. Where did you pick yours up?

Yes, yes I do. I recommend them to everyone and I know they will be happy with them. I got started on them 10 years ago when my parents put in their first true "home theater". No matter what speaker I audition, even blindly, I keep going back to the Paradigms unless the price difference is just ridiculous.

10 years ago, we bought from General Audio when they were still downtown and under different management. The service and prices were unbeatable at the time (at least when you bought a full package). Fast forward to the past couple years, and General Audio is now just East of McLeod trail on hot tub alley and under different management. The discounts are lower and I didn't find the staff as helpful. Its a small shop with super high end equipment for the most part, so I imagine they need to keep the margins fairly high. Two examples of things that really bothered me were first of all we were about to pull the trigger on about $10,000 of stuff from them, and they wouldn't discount a $300 HDMI cable they no doubt paid $10 for (this was before we knew about monoprice . Secondly, when the installer came to our house to do an installation estimate, he told us it was absolutely impossible to run the projector from where we wanted to. Not only did they lose our business, but we went ahead and installed the projector/screen by ourselves having zero prior experience in precisely the location we were told was absolutely impossible by their professional installer.

Since I have moved out, I deal exclusively with John (owner) @ Sounds of Music and even though they don't stock Paradigm anymore, they can get it, and he is good to me on pricing. He even called me up one day on my cell phone to tell me that a customer had returned a PBK-1 sub equalization unit, and asked if I wanted it at a wicked price. Unfortunately, I had already got one for Christmas but he remembered from several months back that I was looking for one and called me personally, so I was super impressed. For anything I need that Sounds of Music doesn't stock, I go to a place called BASE electronics. They are a custom install shop usually available by appointment, but if you call ahead someone is usually at the shop, and they seem willing to do cost + 10% cash & carry sales. I bought my projector from them. Another good place for projectors is www.complete-it.ca. That's where my parents got theirs from, and it was $3000 less than in the city .

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by Neil4Speed


Mitsu, thanks for the post, definitely bookmarked for future reference.

I think one of the hardest things about being into Hi-Fi is being happy with what you have without letting your mind play on you. Ie. Guys who switch out their $200 cables for $1000 cables as they can hear the subtle nuance of difference.

Glad I could help .

Also I agree with you on your second point there, and I truly believe that certain "upgrades" are all in the buyers head after a certain point. That said, it doesn't make them wrong, as long as they truly believe they are getting value from it, then it can be worth it if their pockets are deep enough.

Also, to your point, I think a lot of people would be surprised at how good a very low budget system can sound with some thought put into speaker placement, free/low cost room treatments (i.e. an area rug over your hardwood), and most importantly some form of room correction (systems like Audyssey and MCACC are finding their way into cheaper AVR's all the time). Same deal with subwoofers - things like placement and equalization can make it sound like a completely different piece of equipment.

With just the setup variable changing, you can get some pretty high end stuff to sound very unimpressive and vise versa.