Advice on new headphone system please
I'm buying a new headphone system. I have a few combos I'm throwing at the community that are being contemplated. These units will be new except for the Cambridge Audio CXU universal disc player I already own. The system will be primarily used for red book listening. I will be streaming with the Cambridge and a computer also along with copying a relatively large cd collection to high quality file. A discreet streamer is in the near future. Pre-owned systems are also an option. This would save money which is always a plus. These are the few systems I'm looking at.
1) Bryston BHA 1 headphone amp, Sennheiser HDV 820 headphones and either the Bryston BDA 2 DAC or the Cambridge Audio Dac Magic 200. The Bryston DAC is on sale here.
2) The same system with the Rogue Audio RH5 headphone amp.
3) I'm also looking at the Burson Conductor 3 Reference headphone amp, dac preamp. I like seperates better though.
I take care of my mother, so closed back headphones are necessary. I'm open to headphone suggestions. I'm not crazy about planars yet will consider all suggestions. Planars may be better with the tube Rogue.
Interconnects are also needed. The few I have are low quality. I'm not into exotic cables. Please advise on a set of decent RCA, Coaxial and balanced interconnects. A coaxial cable will be used from the cd player to the DAC, A decent set of balanced cables will be used from the DAC to the headphone amp. A decent RCA is needed in order to use the DAC in the CXU. I'd like to use this option too. I'm using the cables that come with the headphones for now as the headphones are expensive enough. Still suggestions for balanced headphone cables are appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Open headphones tend to have a much less confined sound and are less fatiguing from a heat and humidity point of view… I can’t wear closed backs for long periods of time.
But, open backs do little to isolate you from surrounding sounds and visa versa. If noise is a problem either way then closed back are necessary. Then, typically there will be times when you don’t need isolation… most of us end up with both.
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@ghdprentice. I suffer from a form of tinnitus. Wondering if any other audiogon members can comment on whether open or closed back are better with such a condition. There’s no way I’ll stop listening to music. Music actually helps with this as I music/meditate the ringing out, yet I am unable to go very long periods with headphones. The ringing comes back after some time. It’s not a ringing caused by music or made worse by music. I’m hoping this can be resolved through surgery. I definitely need comfortable as possible headphones. I would think open back don’t resonate as much as there are openings where the music/sound waves escape/ventilate to some degree. Then there’s the fact as you mentioned of outside sound getting in. Sound waves are a big part of music and a lot of thought goes into headphones/speakers/magnates/cabinets/material used for headphones/speakers etc, in order to reproduce the music as close to the original recording as possible. There’s also a reason they make both open and closed back headphones. Maybe members can comment on which they prefer and why. Thanks again. |
Merry Christmas fellow Agon members. I am narrowing down selections for a headphone system. Again my source will be primarily red book cds via my Cambridge Audio CXU. I would like to know if anyone has experience with the Rogue Audio RH 5 headphone amp? I would use the dac from the Cambridge and possibly buy the Dac magic 200 by Cambridge Audio as dedicated dac. I would like to know if anyone has experience with this particular dac too. Do you think I should wait on a higher end dac and just go with the universal disc players dac? Headphone wise I am looking at Sennheiser HD 820. Please advise if you think this amp is a bad idea. I’m open to suggestions and appreciate your thoughts and advice. Happy holidays. |
Merry Christmas Paul. I am not sure I remember all your requirements. I don’t think your choice of The Rouge is wrong or bad in any way. But given some of your requirements you might look at the Woo WA22. Woo amps have a real natural, organic and detailed tone that it sounds like you are looking for. Although the Rougue would probably be OK. |
I’m now looking at an amp advertised here. It’s the Simaudio Moon Neo 430 HAD with built in dac. Headphonewise the Focal Stellias would be a good combo. Not having to buy a separate dac would open up room for the Stellias. Otherwise I really like the Woo Wa 22 2nd edition. A dac would be necessary for this. I would have to buy s used one here which I don’t mind at all. Sennheiser 820’s look good for the tube amplifier . I know I’m comparing a tube amp with solid state yet the Simaudio really caught my attention. Otherwise I’m going Woo/tubes. I feel the Sennheiser’s would complement the tube amp and the Focal’s would only be affordable with the used Simaudio. I do like the Focals. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. |
