Discussion What's your MOST favorite MUSIC GENRE ? **currently playing song on your device** ?

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For the price, it's difficult to top the ifi zen dac. Just make sure your firmware is up to date, and you're good to go. Soundcards will still suffer from dirty background noise, and someone with a discerning ear will most definitely notice!

Stay away from Schiit, which, while having decent products on the high end, is the apple of the audio world. Very cult-like with poor CS.
I might consider getting a dedicated dac/amp in the future, but they aren't cheap and I'm worried the difference will not be huge enough to justify it.

I did install the Sound Blaster Z since I already have it lying around in a drawer. It has probably 3-4 times the volume on tap with my DT770 pro 32ohms and seems to sound better than the ALC1220 but I haven't compared side by side.

I know about the noisy signal all too well, I removed the card from my last PC because the audible coil whine from my R9 NANO was amplified and broadcast through my headphones whenever I used it. However my current PC does not have audible coil whine and I was able to space the sound card a few slots down from the GPU. I do not hear any noise in the signal, even while playing games.

Time will tell if I notice any noise with the HD58x since the volume will need to be much higher.\
Pun intended? (please say yes, please say yes...)
Schiit is an American company. From what I understand the name is more or less a meme, which tells you all there is to know about their products.
 
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plusev

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I might consider getting a dedicated dac/amp in the future, but they aren't cheap and I'm worried the difference will not be huge enough to justify it.

I did install the Sound Blaster Z since I already have it lying around in a drawer. It has probably 3-4 times the volume on tap with my DT770 pro 32ohms and seems to sound better than the ALC1220 but I haven't compared side by side.

I know about the noisy signal all too well, I removed the card from my last PC because the audible coil whine from my R9 NANO was amplified and broadcast through my headphones whenever I used it. However my current PC does not have audible coil whine and I was able to space the sound card a few slots down from the GPU. I do not hear any noise in the signal, even while playing games.

Time will tell if I notice any noise with the HD58x since the volume will need to be much higher.\

Schiit is an American company. From what I understand the name is more or less a meme, which tells you all there is to know about their products.
I was skeptical at first too. My voyage into the audio world began a little more than a decade ago. This was when I was utilizing an HT Omega Claro Plus+ soundcard with an entry-level Fiio e9 desktop amp to supplement my beloved AKG-Q701s... then the soundcard failed, and then I purchased an audio-gd nfb 28. I was floored... yes, sometimes ignorance is bliss, and it's definitely something you will need to experience for yourself.

Just make sure your source/files are up to snuff. I ditched my personal library for Tidal several years ago and haven't looked back since.
 

Colif

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I have mainly had cheap headphones comparatively speaking until now. The Focal are the best I have gone to and really, these are the cheapest they make... the next up is $2000 here. I only got the ones I did because they had a $550 discount on them... thats hard to ignore, and every review said they were best sounding wireless BT headphone.

I didn't own a dac or anything prior to getting these so its handy it includes one. That is main reason I didn't look at wired headphones... I had originally been after a gaming headset but one thing led to another and I ended on the Bathys. I may still buy a pair of Audeze Maxwell as well. One friend thinks since I bought one set I need more now... no, I wanted a set for a reason... I have yet to use it for that but I will.
 
I was skeptical at first too. My voyage into the audio world began a little more than a decade ago. This was when I was utilizing an HT Omega Claro Plus+ soundcard with an entry-level Fiio e9 desktop amp to supplement my beloved AKG-Q701s... then the soundcard failed, and then I purchased an audio-gd nfb 28. I was floored... yes, sometimes ignorance is bliss, and it's definitely something you will need to experience for yourself.

Just make sure your source/files are up to snuff. I ditched my personal library for Tidal several years ago and haven't looked back since.
I use Tidal HiFi. Might consider HiFi plus but it is double the price.
 

plusev

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I use Tidal HiFi. Might consider HiFi plus but it is double the price.
It wouldn't be a deal-breaker with your current setup, and it's probably still not worth it unless you want to utilize MQA. Most of ifi's offerings are capable in that regard, so that's always a nice bonus as there aren't many entry-level DAC/amps out there with that feature, which is why I would recommend them over any similarly priced schiit or fiio alternative.
 
This conversation lead me to look at buying another set of headphones.

Drop has Sennheiser HD58x for $139, and when I saw that I just had to buy them. Since it's my first purchase on drop I got $10 off.

I didn't even look up reviews for these, I've always heard overwhelmingly good things about them and of course the HD600s.

Hoping I like them. I don't have a proper dac+amp, so it looks like it's time to shove my sound blaster back into my PC to actually power these.
After using for a little bit. I absolutely love these. They sound great, the soundstage and positioning of all the sounds around me is amazing. The DT770s are one of the better closed back sets in that regard but these hd58x just offer something those can't.

Bass is more punchy and full than I expected but not on the level of the DT770s.

Good buy, well worth the coinage.
 
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Colif

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In the last few weeks I got a portable DAC/AMP
https://www.fiio.com/btr7

And today I got a new set of IEM
https://www.dunu-topsound.com/vulkan

As IEM are only new I won't say what they sound like as it could change.
IOOj0MZ.jpg


Enough sound devices for a while I think.

 
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