Hi Fi on the cheap...
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So, I've never been an audiophile, but I know what I like, as the saying goes.
I've had a decent pair of Sennheiser HD580 headphones for about 10 years, but never really felt the love. I also have some JBL powered monitors I use with the computer and guitar.
For Christmas I treated myself to a Topping headphone amp and DAC - not expensive ($300), but what is commonly referred to by men-with-beards as Chi-Fi (i.e made in China).
Holy crap but it sounds great! I'm just streaming Apple Music into the DAC, and listening on headphones or the monitors, and the sound is completely transformed.
I may be spending some more money shortly on a similarly produced power amp to hook up to my passive speakers.
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@mark said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
Welcome! muhaha!
Yes, I thought of you when I started. I came really close to spending $1000 on a DAC, thankfully common sense prevailed. But for how long?
The moment when the bass kicked in with the new headphone amp really did take me by surprise.
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Topping is the real deal. They are about the best deal out there. I have their D90SE/D90A combo and their new D900A headphone amplifier. It's a great way to listen to music - gorgeous sound. You have to spend a lot more money on a main system to rival the quality of sound you get through a decent set of headphones and decent headphone amp/DAC.
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Topping is the real deal. They are about the best deal out there. I have their D90SE/D90A combo and their new D900A headphone amplifier. It's a great way to listen to music - gorgeous sound. You have to spend a lot more money on a main system to rival the quality of sound you get through a decent set of headphones and decent headphone amp/DAC.
@kluurs said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
Topping is the real deal. They are about the best deal out there. I have their D90SE/D90A combo and their new D900A headphone amplifier. It's a great way to listen to music - gorgeous sound. You have to spend a lot more money on a main system to rival the quality of sound you get through a decent set of headphones and decent headphone amp/DAC.
Yes, my YouTube "research" convinced me to try, and I was really blown away by how good the DX5 II sounded.
Sadly, after a lifetime of avoidance I now appear to be circling the rabbit-hole, but at least there are reasonably affordable options.
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@89th said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
Send links to what you got?
It's on Amazon - DX5 II
Reviews are all over YouTube - e.g. at
Link to video -
Topping is the real deal. They are about the best deal out there. I have their D90SE/D90A combo and their new D900A headphone amplifier. It's a great way to listen to music - gorgeous sound. You have to spend a lot more money on a main system to rival the quality of sound you get through a decent set of headphones and decent headphone amp/DAC.
@kluurs said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
Topping is the real deal. They are about the best deal out there. I have their D90SE/D90A combo and their new D900A headphone amplifier. It's a great way to listen to music - gorgeous sound. You have to spend a lot more money on a main system to rival the quality of sound you get through a decent set of headphones and decent headphone amp/DAC.
@kluurs could I ask what headphones you use? I have strange compulsion to spend a lot of money, and I'm looking at options....
@mark feel free to chime in too....
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@kluurs said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
Topping is the real deal. They are about the best deal out there. I have their D90SE/D90A combo and their new D900A headphone amplifier. It's a great way to listen to music - gorgeous sound. You have to spend a lot more money on a main system to rival the quality of sound you get through a decent set of headphones and decent headphone amp/DAC.
@kluurs could I ask what headphones you use? I have strange compulsion to spend a lot of money, and I'm looking at options....
@mark feel free to chime in too....
@Doctor-Phibes said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
@kluurs could I ask what headphones you use? I have strange compulsion to spend a lot of money, and I'm looking at options....
That sounds totally
unreasonable to me. I have a few headphones - but pertinent to this discussion are the Sennheiser 800 - now somewhat superseded by the 800s and a pair of HiFiMan HE1000SE. Both are considered some of the best for natural music - classical music. I also have a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones - that really sparkle - but that's a rabbit hole you don't want to consider unless bank fraud, lottery wins or spouse inheritances are considered.If I were to choose a single pair - I might try the Sennheiser 800S or the HD600. They're well made - decent quality and great sound. The HiFiMan HE1000SE is a great one for classical music. Check out your local Facebook Marketplace for a deal if you're not in a rush. Sometimes, one can find a great deal on a new or nearly new set. There are crazier people out there.
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@Doctor-Phibes said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
@kluurs could I ask what headphones you use? I have strange compulsion to spend a lot of money, and I'm looking at options....
That sounds totally
unreasonable to me. I have a few headphones - but pertinent to this discussion are the Sennheiser 800 - now somewhat superseded by the 800s and a pair of HiFiMan HE1000SE. Both are considered some of the best for natural music - classical music. I also have a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones - that really sparkle - but that's a rabbit hole you don't want to consider unless bank fraud, lottery wins or spouse inheritances are considered.If I were to choose a single pair - I might try the Sennheiser 800S or the HD600. They're well made - decent quality and great sound. The HiFiMan HE1000SE is a great one for classical music. Check out your local Facebook Marketplace for a deal if you're not in a rush. Sometimes, one can find a great deal on a new or nearly new set. There are crazier people out there.
@kluurs said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
@Doctor-Phibes said in Hi Fi on the cheap...:
@kluurs could I ask what headphones you use? I have strange compulsion to spend a lot of money, and I'm looking at options....
That sounds totally
unreasonable to me. I have a few headphones - but pertinent to this discussion are the Sennheiser 800 - now somewhat superseded by the 800s and a pair of HiFiMan HE1000SE. Both are considered some of the best for natural music - classical music. I also have a pair of Stax electrostatic headphones - that really sparkle - but that's a rabbit hole you don't want to consider unless bank fraud, lottery wins or spouse inheritances are considered.If I were to choose a single pair - I might try the Sennheiser 800S or the HD600. They're well made - decent quality and great sound. The HiFiMan HE1000SE is a great one for classical music. Check out your local Facebook Marketplace for a deal if you're not in a rush. Sometimes, one can find a great deal on a new or nearly new set. There are crazier people out there.
Thank you! I'm in no rush. My Sennheiser HD 580 are supposedly quite similar to the HD600, but they're about 20 years old, and I've replaced quite few bits over the years, but they still sound reasonable to me at least. However, there's always a bigger fish, or something.
