HeaDphone Discussions. (Audiophile and Gaming)

[naughty]

i'm not a huge cable believer BUT having said that there is one belief that i do have when it comes to cables is that they will have subtle differences and whether those differences are better or worth the money you spend is up to you to decide for yourself

one thing i can tell you with utter conviction though is do not use the cheapie cables that come with your shiny new component - ifi really throws in the kitchen sink with their DAC and i was making the mistake of initially using their supplied cable with the DAC to connect to the PC - so when i basically just used their USB adapter they provide one with a 10 CM cable between the female USB A plug and the Female USB B plug and also the identical setup without a cable inbetween - so i used the one without the cable inbetween and then connected to the PC via my so-called "Snake Oil" Prolink cinema series USB cable - then i tried the PC sound again and all i can say is that it is now more "right" than "wrong" because the brightness i was complaining about somewhere up above more-or-less disappeared

 

[naughty]

heres a pic or two of the iDSD micro black label

the box

the actual unit

for now im using it with this headphones which is a toy compared to some of the stuff discussed on here but i will eventually catch up with you guys when my finances stabilize and when i sell my large Home theatre and stereo stuff that won't fit in the new flat i'm going to move into

 

[Deviation]

Anyone knows a "friend" selling an R2R 11?
Or someone going to China where they can arrange a pick up?
☕

 

[naughty]

the current price at C-Plan isn't too bad IMHO - is it worth doing a self import to save a couple of bucks? because what happens if something goes wrong with the device .... who do you hold accountable if it does go wrong

i actually would have maybe went for one of these if i did not get the ifi ...... this is cheaper than the iDSD too anyway to purchase new

Audio-gd R2R 11 - 2019 Version - Single Ended Discrete Ladder Headphone amp / DAC (DSD native / DXD / PCM) (Ships Next Day) (R2R11)

 

[Deviation]

When the few bucks is like R2500 I can save, yeah, having someone bring it in for me is better.

My mother is visiting Korea end May. China and Korea has free trade agreement so I could bring it in for R5300. But that's around May-June.

 

[Ninja_Theory]

Anyone knows a "friend" selling an R2R 11?
Or someone going to China where they can arrange a pick up?
[emoji477]

I can put you in touch with someone selling one for R5500. Not sure if he sold it yet though, I don't think so as he wasn’t actively looking to sell.

 

[Ninja_Theory]

the current price at C-Plan isn't too bad IMHO - is it worth doing a self import to save a couple of bucks? because what happens if something goes wrong with the device .... who do you hold accountable if it does go wrong

i actually would have maybe went for one of these if i did not get the ifi ...... this is cheaper than the iDSD too anyway to purchase new

Audio-gd R2R 11 - 2019 Version - Single Ended Discrete Ladder Headphone amp / DAC (DSD native / DXD / PCM) (Ships Next Day) (R2R11)

Agreed. C-Plan’s price is decent. But the R2R’s do pop up every now and then. I'd rather save the R2-R2500 and buy used. I see Kingwa is advertising the 2019 model. I don't know the difference between the 2018 (which I have) and the 2019 model.

 

[Deviation]

Agreed. C-Plan’s price is decent. But the R2R’s do pop up every now and then. I'd rather save the R2-R2500 and buy used. I see Kingwa is advertising the 2019 model. I don't know the difference between the 2018 (which I have) and the 2019 model.

Oh. If you could get in touch with him for me, that would be swell.

Also if is price negotiable, all the better. [emoji39]

 

[Ninja_Theory]

Oh. If you could get in touch with him for me, that would be swell.

Also if is price negotiable, all the better. [emoji39]

Will Whatsapp you. He's definitely not negotiable. I know because that was the R2R11 that I was going to buy, then at the last minute I found one for R5k so I bought that one because it was also mint.

 

[naughty]

When the few bucks is like R2500 I can save, yeah, having someone bring it in for me is better.

My mother is visiting Korea end May. China and Korea has free trade agreement so I could bring it in for R5300. But that's around May-June.

sure .... that is well and good until something goes wrong with the unit .... and then you have to spend more than R2500 to have it fixed or you have to send it back to China or Hong Kong to have it fixed under warranty for R1000 upward in shipping and have to wait a couple of months while this is being done .... stranger things have happened

also with someone bringing it in from China - if they are stopped at customs who knows what additional amounts you will have to pay because the govt wants their VAT firstly and who knows exactly what else they will slap on you

all of these things terrify me personally .... especially the thought of being stopped at an airport and having having bags searched etc, etc

so yeah @Ninja_Theory's second hand one seems like a good idea if you don't want to buy new

EDIT - i purchased my Pocophone from an unofficial local importer so that i dont have to take the personal risk of importing and they carry a warranty ... and it minimized the risk toward me a lot .... I personally prefer that method rather than carrying the risk myself so when something goes wrong then i don't lose all my money that i'm wanting to spend ie for example if it got "lost in the delivery system" while being sent then its the importer who has to get me another one ie i paid him in advance and all i lose is time ..... so just an example - if you like ot live with the risk then sure self importing is the way to save some money ...... though i would personally happily spend the R2500 for new local stock and avoid any risk

 

[Ninja_Theory]

sure .... that is well and good until something goes wrong with the unit .... and then you have to spend more than R2500 to have it fixed or you have to send it back to China or Hong Kong to have it fixed under warranty for R1000 upward in shipping and have to wait one or two months while this is being done

also with someone bringing it in from China - if they are stopped at customs who knows what additional amounts you will have to pay because the govt wants their VAT firstly and who knows exactly what else they will slap on you

all of these things terrify me personally .... especially the thought of being stopped at an airport and having having bags searched etc, etc

so yeah @Ninja_Theory's second hand one seems like a good idea if you don't want to buy new

I do agree. At this stage I prefer to buy mint second hand. I've been lucky with my audiophilia kit to date.

 

[naughty]

I do agree. At this stage I prefer to buy mint second hand. I've been lucky with my audiophilia kit to date.

No problem with this .... its the bringing in via the airport or doing the self import via dodgy sources in China that terrifies me - buying second hand is an acceptable risk and is a normal thing to do - the other way is just too full of risk for me ie they don't send and you lose the entire purchase price ..... or someone gets stopped at an airport and possibly lands up in trouble ...... neither is a very appealing situation

when i have the cash i don't mind buying a second hand headphones that is higher up the food chain .... and it is probably what i will land up doing - there's many floating around between here and AVForums

 

[Ninja_Theory]

No problem with this .... its the bringing in via the airport or doing the self import via dodgy sources in China that terrifies me - buying second hand is an acceptable risk and is a normal thing to do - the other way is just too full of risk for me ie they don't send and you lose the entire purchase price ..... or someone gets stopped at an airport and possibly lands up in trouble ...... neither is a very appealing situation

As long as you pay via PayPal you're kinda protected. I've had a PayPal claim in the past, 2 actually, they were excellent and refunded me in full after investigation. Both were Ebay purchases.

 

[Deviation]

Been watching audio gd reviews:

There is a guy there named Diablo. He will never stop fucking talking. He's the kind of guy that writes like
five four three lines there's 30 in a row. No one's responding to him. He just keeps talking. But he's like 'oh man
if he could have his dick surgically removed and replaced with an audio god NFB11 he would do it. And he would
just walk around hanging out all the time.

 

[SCHUMI4EVER]

K so it's been 2 weeks or thereabouts

Still love the X2. Although the GSX is having to work hard because I like them distorted with 7.1, audio from the front and 1 level of reverb.

I have to say though I think my journey into audiophile land will be far shorter than I was expecting. Before getting the X2 I'd been creating a dac and amp roadmap I might want to follow over the next few years. Something like a Schiit stack with a Magni 3 -> Audio-GD R2R-11 -> THX AAA 789, although I had a couple of options on how I wanted to start. But it seems like they're all irrelevant because I like 7.1 DSP too much and to be honest in power at the moment as well the GSX is completely coping, running it at 28 most of the time with lots of headroom so I don't need something with more juice. The X2 seems like all I needed and will ever need, almost.

So I think all the future holds will be a headphone that's either much more neutral that still gives the bass a little love, or something that perhaps more heavily emphasizes the mids, almost reverse V-shape. Whatever that may be.

Because whilst the X2 is letting me hear more than before on the odd occasion it feels like it's a little less as well. Now that's not purely the X2's fault because sometimes it's from the GSX creating a more "conal" sound but sometimes it also feels like it may be due to the recessed signature of the X2.



I raided a friend's music collection, with no care for what I like or dislike, giving everything a fair shot.

And I'm noticing on the male side, the boybands and more rocky and metal stuff does perhaps sound a little better but I'm still not a fan of anything I wasn't a fan of before, which is very very little
On the female side though the X2 seems to love Pop tartlets, it adds a lot more variance to their songs that wasn't there before to the point I'm almost finding myself liking more of them.

And the X2 loves "naked" guitars. Rodrigo Y Gabriella always sounded great to me even on the Strix and others I had previously but on the X2 their tracks are simply delicious. I've always been a fan of Country but I only really liked a select few performers, now I'm finding myself enjoying just about everything in the genre.
Jazz also seems to be improved but regrettably I have very little of it since I only like the more lively tracks and I've got no clue what to look for to get them and keep ending up with slower cheesy "sensual" stuff whenever I try to expand my collection with some hit CDs.

But some things also sound harsher, like Dubstep and some things in the DJ/Funk arena or heavility electronically messed with, like to the point I pull a face as if I ate something really bitter at certain parts of the track. I never liked all that anyways but before it was ignorable noise whereas now it's like someone is grating my face with an electric guitar. Have to lower the volume when something like that comes on to reduce the effect.



Sigh, still no net though to really let rip in games and truly break them in.

 

[Ninja_Theory]

@Mast3rBlast3r good to hear. If you're happy with what you have, you'll save yourself thousands of bucks. My audio enthusiast spend has far overtaken my gaming spend.

 

[SCHUMI4EVER]

@Mast3rBlast3r good to hear. If you're happy with what you have, you'll save yourself thousands of bucks. My audio enthusiast spend has far overtaken my gaming spend.

Yeah. I'm quite relieved. After being told I was doing it wrong the likelihood I'd try to go all-in and start looking at HD800s, LCDs and reference gear was quite high, I tend to try to climb to the top of the pile since joining the site. But I've got zero desire to keep climbing, much.


Might still want to try 812s as sort of cream of the crop option after I've found a counterpart for the X2 that covers its flaws.
But all that is way off and I may even forget all about it.

I do need an Antlion though if what is always on my head is gonna have no mic.

 

[Ninja_Theory]

Might still want to try 812s as sort of cream of the crop option after I've found a counterpart for the X2 that covers its flaws.
But all that is way off and I may even forget all about it.

I do think this is something you may enjoy... down the line.

 

[Death the Kid]

So, took about a month but i finally got my headphones back, had the little connector added on so I could add the boom-pro mic to the DT770 set i procured from mr Ninja_Theory . Now the issue im facing is that the cable from the boom pro mic to the mic/headphone splitter thingy is a bit short, I have tried extending this with a normal 3.5mm female to female extension cable but either the mic and audio doesn't work. any solutions ?

 

[dash09]

K so it's been 2 weeks or thereabouts

Still love the X2. Although the GSX is having to work hard because I like them distorted with 7.1, audio from the front and 1 level of reverb.

I have to say though I think my journey into audiophile land will be far shorter than I was expecting. Before getting the X2 I'd been creating a dac and amp roadmap I might want to follow over the next few years. Something like a Schiit stack with a Magni 3 -> Audio-GD R2R-11 -> THX AAA 789, although I had a couple of options on how I wanted to start. But it seems like they're all irrelevant because I like 7.1 DSP too much and to be honest in power at the moment as well the GSX is completely coping, running it at 28 most of the time with lots of headroom so I don't need something with more juice. The X2 seems like all I needed and will ever need, almost.

So I think all the future holds will be a headphone that's either much more neutral that still gives the bass a little love, or something that perhaps more heavily emphasizes the mids, almost reverse V-shape. Whatever that may be.

Because whilst the X2 is letting me hear more than before on the odd occasion it feels like it's a little less as well. Now that's not purely the X2's fault because sometimes it's from the GSX creating a more "conal" sound but sometimes it also feels like it may be due to the recessed signature of the X2.



I raided a friend's music collection, with no care for what I like or dislike, giving everything a fair shot.

And I'm noticing on the male side, the boybands and more rocky and metal stuff does perhaps sound a little better but I'm still not a fan of anything I wasn't a fan of before, which is very very little
On the female side though the X2 seems to love Pop tartlets, it adds a lot more variance to their songs that wasn't there before to the point I'm almost finding myself liking more of them.

And the X2 loves "naked" guitars. Rodrigo Y Gabriella always sounded great to me even on the Strix and others I had previously but on the X2 their tracks are simply delicious. I've always been a fan of Country but I only really liked a select few performers, now I'm finding myself enjoying just about everything in the genre.
Jazz also seems to be improved but regrettably I have very little of it since I only like the more lively tracks and I've got no clue what to look for to get them and keep ending up with slower cheesy "sensual" stuff whenever I try to expand my collection with some hit CDs.

But some things also sound harsher, like Dubstep and some things in the DJ/Funk arena or heavility electronically messed with, like to the point I pull a face as if I ate something really bitter at certain parts of the track. I never liked all that anyways but before it was ignorable noise whereas now it's like someone is grating my face with an electric guitar. Have to lower the volume when something like that comes on to reduce the effect.



Sigh, still no net though to really let rip in games and truly break them in.

Try out the 58x, has a good low end, bass guitar sounds great on it (iron maiden, rhcp, sabbath etc). Old school santana also sounds awesome with all the details from the various instruments (jing go lo ba).
For female vocals you really cant go wrong with florence and the machine and, surprisingly, ellie golding (this chick goes high sometimes).
Male vocals, sam smith, thats all you need

Or you could just put on the dark side of the moon and drift far away

 

[naughty]

i posted some extra pics over at AVForums of the iDSD black label if anyone wants to see them (with a small first impression writeup) rather link it than repeat all that stuff here

my serious start

 

[Ninja_Theory]

i posted some extra pics over at AVForums of the iDSD black label if anyone wants to see them (with a small first impression writeup) rather link it than repeat all that stuff here

my serious start

Nice write up. Thanks for sharing. How much did it cost you? I assume you bought it new from what I read.

 

[SCHUMI4EVER]

Try out the 58x, has a good low end, bass guitar sounds great on it (iron maiden, rhcp, sabbath etc). Old school santana also sounds awesome with all the details from the various instruments (jing go lo ba).
For female vocals you really cant go wrong with florence and the machine and, surprisingly, ellie golding (this chick goes high sometimes).
Male vocals, sam smith, thats all you need

Or you could just put on the dark side of the moon and drift far away

Hmm so you think the 58x should be next? Maybe, out of all the 500-600 series Sennies I do like them best so perhaps.

Haha I don't have any of those.
Wasn't really looking for suggestions though (aside from lively Jazz I guess), more just still sharing my experiences.
Once I can again though I'll see if I can track them down and try them out.

 

[dash09]

Hmm so you think the 58x should be next? Maybe, out of all the 500-600 series Sennies I do like them best so perhaps.

Haha I don't have any of those.
Wasn't really looking for suggestions though (aside from lively Jazz I guess), more just still sharing my experiences.
Once I can again though I'll see if I can track them down and try them out.

Well if you want more low end I can recommend the 58x, based on my own experience with it.
Then again, based on your use case of gaming mixed with music and I assume the occasional movie, a good retail offering would work nicely, like a b & w px/7, sony xm, etc. Those would be good upgrades.
I thoroughly enjoy using my hd1 as a wireless gaming set, in fact I rarely use the 58x for gaming anymore. These types of headphones work good for solo gaming

Also, I WILL ALWAYS SUGGEST PEOPLE LISTEN TO PINK FLOYD DAMMIT

 

[Ninja_Theory]

Also, I WILL ALWAYS SUGGEST PEOPLE LISTEN TO PINK FLOYD DAMMIT

Can’t really argue this at all [emoji41]

 

[SCHUMI4EVER]

Well if you want more low end I can recommend the 58x, based on my own experience with it.
Then again, based on your use case of gaming mixed with music and I assume the occasional movie, a good retail offering would work nicely, like a b & w px/7, sony xm, etc. Those would be good upgrades.
I thoroughly enjoy using my hd1 as a wireless gaming set, in fact I rarely use the 58x for gaming anymore. These types of headphones work good for solo gaming

Also, I WILL ALWAYS SUGGEST PEOPLE LISTEN TO PINK FLOYD DAMMIT

Haha yeah no my use is basically tons of gaming (mostly solo), tons of series and movies, little bit of music.
Whatever I use will definitely be an all-rounder that spends the least amount of time listening to music. I've never seen music as an activity by itself, just as an addon to boring tasks to make them less so.

 

[naughty]

Nice write up. Thanks for sharing. How much did it cost you? I assume you bought it new from what I read.

well it was a long story but it was listed at R8300 at Audio Exchanges website but upon speaking to them it was determined that due to the exchange rate differences between current time and the time at which they compiled the website it was more like R8600 now, so they gave it to me at R8600 with free shipping to compensate for the website price error ...... which i thought was mighty fair of them

shipping though would normally not be too much ie via the Courier Guy it was landing up under R150 but since nobody just walks up to you and hands you over the sum of R150 for nothing, the discount was very much appreciated

Edit - and just forgot to mention that yeppers it was purchased brand new - when it arrived it was still in that plastic wrapping around the packaging ..... I dont mind second hand but you don't find too many of these floating around second hand because Audio exchange usually brings in limited numbers of these at a given time

 

[Ninja_Theory]

VERY good deal on a hybrid balanced tube amp. AliExpress Loxjie P20 - I recommend reading this Headphone thread, it's great reading, especially if you're on the fence.

Here's what I did. Create new account on AliExpress, claim $5 coupon for new account, claim the additional $2 coupon that is offered, place order. Paid $78 (R1176), normal retail is $99. It's China mail, so anywhere up to 60 days delivery, although the guys I know who have ordered from AliExpress, reckon delivery is usually around 6 weeks.

@dash09 this is definitely worth considering dude - nice amp and won't break the bank. Word on the street seems to be that this little puppy punches way above it's weight. I ordered today, and another 4 or 5 audiophile buddies also ordered.

 

[dash09]

VERY good deal on a hybrid balanced tube amp. AliExpress Loxjie P20 - I recommend reading this Headphone thread, it's great reading, especially if you're on the fence.

Here's what I did. Create new account on AliExpress, claim $5 coupon for new account, claim the additional $2 coupon that is offered, place order. Paid $78 (R1176), normal retail is $99. It's China mail, so anywhere up to 60 days delivery, although the guys I know who have ordered from AliExpress, reckon delivery is usually around 6 weeks.

@dash09 this is definitely worth considering dude - nice amp and won't break the bank. Word on the street seems to be that this little puppy punches way above it's weight. I ordered today, and another 4 or 5 audiophile buddies also ordered.

It does look good, I'll wait for your verdict on it once it arrives, though that may be next year some time

 

[Ninja_Theory]

It does look good, I'll wait for your verdict on it once it arrives, though that may be next year some time

I also ordered 2 extra tubes, so will share findings in the next year or so