Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice

Hollywood said:
What makes it even harder is not being able to audition some of these components whether it be a turntable or preamplifier because of the current climate and lack of actually brick and mortar stores in my area. All I have to base my decision on is online reviews and N&G's recommendations
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the closest hifi shop in my area is in atlanta


thats an hour to an hour and a half drive JUST TO GET THERE, and then the same amount just to get back...


i basically have to figure out ortofon or nagaoka on my own and what headphones would work better than these sennheisers to have a less... relaxed and blended in sound (its like the mids and bass are not separated enough), maybe grado headphones are the answer, maybe the schiit magni 3 is the answer, maybe its just getting a cartridge.. i dunno and i dont have the 500 dollars for all of those
 
duke86fan said:
the closest hifi shop in my area is in atlanta


thats an hour to an hour and a half drive JUST TO GET THERE, and then the same amount just to get back...


i basically have to figure out ortofon or nagaoka on my own and what headphones would work better than these sennheisers to have a less... relaxed and blended in sound (its like the mids and bass are not separated enough), maybe grado headphones are the answer, maybe the schiit magni 3 is the answer, maybe its just getting a cartridge.. i dunno and i dont have the 500 dollars for all of those
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Which Senn's do you have? I have both Sennheiser HD599's and Grado SR225's that I both enjoy but for different purposes.
 
Turbo said:
Which Senn's do you have? I have both Sennheiser HD599's and Grado SR225's that I both enjoy but for different purposes.
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the massdrop 58X.. i have been noticing on my monolith dongle dac and my powered speaker plugged into my turntables set up (grado black and schiit mani) that its way too relaxed, not enough of an impact or power to it and it doesn't have the brightened sonics that the M50s had, it all sounds super subdued and i kinda fall asleep with them on sometimes
 
Joe Mac said:
Yeah and even what you’ve just mentioned is way way too far for me. It would feel like an imposition on my style. I want family photos and art that I like on the wall. I don’t want a carpet floor or a rug. I want a sofa that is comfortable and looks good. I want that log burner for the winter even if it’s a dust factory. I want gorgeous big windows that let in loads of light and let me see out to my surroundings.

Honestly the more things trend audiophile rather than “huge music fan who wants his tunes to sound as good as possible” the less interested I become and room treatments are the point where I begin to think that the shark has been well and truly jumped.
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And knowing this is what will keep you loving the audio hobby for years to come my friend. You've found your happy place. Sure, you might make changes down the road because that can be fun, but you aren't stuck in the loop of chasing the mythical dragon of "better" sound. You know where you feel you need to draw your lines, and you know your financial limits.

This whole discussion started because we were discussing someone who was stuck frustrated with the hobby, wanting it to "sound better" without knowing what that means, or what that requires. They are setting themselves up to hate audio forever, even if they stay in the hobby for 20+ years chasing an "end" when there never is an end in this hobby. Only a journey. A lot of people lose sight of that looking for the "best."

dropsonde said:
This has been an interesting discussion—I appreciate the comments and perspectives. It got me thinking about my listening space, gear and the decisions/compromises that have brought me here.

I have a fairly modest rig right now compared to most on this thread. I aspire to slowly upgrading when/if I have the budget but I’m also limited by my current space. I live in an older, smaller house (<2,000 square feet) and I’m lucky to have a dedicated room for listening. It’s not an ideal shape for audiophile sonics and nowhere close.

That said, my wife has reasonably asked that it be cozy, comfortable and somewhere she is interested in hanging out at (when I’m not playing my drone and experimental records 🙂). So having a lot of qualities @Joe Mac has described.

I was a full-time performing musician many years ago (at the low end of the spectrum) so come from a DIY-sound-in-a-dive-bar-space aesthetic. I love and appreciate good sound because it was a unicorn to me for many years. But I also learned that a listening experience can be more than what goes in your ears.

As I said, I aspire to good sound but acceptance of limitations have become part of my DNA. I will never be an audiophile to the level of the enthusiasts on this thread. Which is why I appreciate this thread and the non-judgemental, generous and no-strings-attached guidance/advice that is exchanged here.

My space is a good balance right now. My wife is happy to hang out with me here and houseguests are drawn to the room. There is natural light. It’s got good lighting for a cozy ambiance after dark. There are spots for family photographs and personal knickknacks. The room is rectangular and the sonics could be better. I would love better gear but what I have doesn’t suck and gets the job done. Zu Souls someday, baby.

Here’s my space.

View attachment 66721
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The space looks great! Well thought out, plenty cozy, and records for days. I'd happy spend plenty of time in there.
 
duke86fan said:
the massdrop 58X.. i have been noticing on my monolith dongle dac and my powered speaker plugged into my turntables set up (grado black and schiit mani) that its way too relaxed, not enough of an impact or power to it and it doesn't have the brightened sonics that the M50s had, it all sounds super subdued and i kinda fall asleep with them on sometimes
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The M50's are definitely more bright and impactful. I used those only briefly because I tend to want closed headphones for long listening sessions and those were too tiring for that. The Senn's are more mellow and comfy for that purpose. The Grado's are fantastic and definitely worth a try if you get a chance - those are my everyday go-to headphones - open, balanced, just the right level of bass - I've been using Grado's for almost 20 years. They do end up being a little hard to wear after an hour or so though (I use the doughnut style foams on them).
 
Turbo said:
The M50's are definitely more bright and impactful. I used those only briefly because I tend to want closed headphones for long listening sessions and those were too tiring for that. The Senn's are more mellow and comfy for that purpose. The Grado's are fantastic and definitely worth a try if you get a change - those are my everyday go-to headphones - open, balanced, just the right level of bass - I've been using Grado's for almost 20 years. They do end up being a little hard to wear after an hour or so though (I use the doughnut style foams on them).
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which grado do you recommend, i mean i hear the sr 80 are great especially with a pad swap, i just wear headphones like all the time so it might be hard when they get uncomfy.. and i just want the M50s but slightly less bright and slightly more detailed and textured, which is why i also thought of the hifiman sundaras (i kinda like it bright)
 
duke86fan said:
which grado do you recommend, i mean i hear the sr 80 are great especially with a pad swap, i just wear headphones like all the time so it might be hard when they get uncomfy.. and i just want the M50s but slightly less bright and slightly more detailed and textured, which is why i also thought of the hifiman sundaras
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I owned both SR125's and SR225's. Both are excellent with the SR225's being slightly more detailed in the mid and high range. They're open so not necessarily good if you plan on using them with a portable device out of the house. I think the SR125's are now sold with pads (they used to come with the doughnut foams) - either way, you should be able to swap to whichever you prefer. I'd expect the pads to be more quickly uncomfortable than the doughnuts. I think the large doughnut foams also fit on both but I never tried them.

I never tried the hifiman's so I can't help there. I'd love to ear them though.
 
Turbo said:
I owned both SR125's and SR225's. Both are excellent with the SR225's being slightly more detailed in the mid and high range. They're open so not necessarily good if you plan on using them with a portable device out of the house. I think the SR125's are now sold with pads (they used to come with the doughnut foams) - either way, you should be able to swap to whichever you prefer. I'd expect the pads to be more quickly uncomfortable than the doughnuts. I think the large doughnut foams also fit on both but I never tried them.
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I've only been unsure about grado because I wear headphones for very long. And I feel like the grado might be a downgrade because they are cheaper compared to sennheisers 170 dollars. Also the stigma of being joke headphones in audiophile world where its about sennheisers and hifimans and fostexs and audezes
 
duke86fan said:
I've only been unsure about grado because I wear headphones for very long. And I feel like the grado might be a downgrade because they are cheaper compared to sennheisers 170 dollars. Also the stigma of being joke headphones
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I agree, they are probably not a good choice for lengthy sessions. That's what I use my Senn's for after all. But they are amazing sound-wise, despite the, let's say "basic", look.

I think I went through the exact same dilemma as you before landing on the 599s. Looking for something comfortable for long sessions that I also like the sound of.
 
Turbo said:
I think I went through the exact same dilemma as you before landing on the 599s. Looking for something comfortable for long sessions that I also like the sound of
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The driver on the 58X is based on the 580 series but is tuned to be more like the 660S.. the sound is incredibly relaxed, doesn't feel like the bass is that heavy (though when I tested 100 gecs with it the song sounded like a few hz lower), and it's definitely more of a mid focused shape. But I kinda prefer a more v shape so that bass can bang and have impact but also I like trebel (but it can sometimes be too much and hurt my ears). I just want to not feel sleepy while listening (maybe these are TOO comfy.
 
Hollywood said:
As in the maple-bodied phono cartridge? Hmmm yeah no! 😆
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in all seriousness, that’s what I have and it’s the most beautiful sound I’ve heard. I would accept that you might not want a non user replaceable stylus but that cartridge, man is it on the side of the angels....
 
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