[amimemeami]

I have just started to get my toes wet in this wonderful new world of Sound done right, and learning what that means for me. I have small children and a small house, so headphones are my only real option at this point. I have recently purchased SPH9500's, and I am not happy with the sound floor I am getting from my PC, and the separation could be better.  

 
I have a bachelors in electronics and enjoy tinkering, but from the looks of it, for entry level, it is less expensive to simply buy a premade item. From what I have found, it is only when you get into the mid to higher end scene that it starts to become worth the extra time and effort to build your own kit. Is this correct?
 
As I currently do not have a DAC, would it be best to get something like the SMSL M3 for $65 on massdrop or some other sub $100 DAC/AMP prebuilt combo? Then save up to start tinkering. 
 

What sub $100 USB DAC/(DAC/AMP) would you recommend to pair with the SPH9500.

 

What are some good articles for getting started with DIY DACS/AMPS? 
 
The only US based DIY seller I found was twisted pear. Are there any others out there?
 
Ultimately I would like to have a set up that I can upgrade and tweak over time, and eventually convert it to balanced outputs are there kits that cater to this?
 

What kits / sellers would you recommend?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

 

As I currently do not have a DAC, would it be best to get something like the SMSL M3 for $65 on massdrop 

 
SMSL aren't well known for reliability, so unless you want your tinkering to be spent repairing it, I'd look elsewhere.
 
 
 
 
 

  I have just started to get my toes wet in this wonderful new world of Sound done right, and learning what that means for me. I have small children and a small house, so headphones are my only real option at this point. I have recently purchased SPH9500's, and I am not happy with the sound floor I am getting from my PC, and the separation could be better.  

 
I have a bachelors in electronics and enjoy tinkering, but from the looks of it, for entry level, it is less expensive to simply buy a premade item. From what I have found, it is only when you get into the mid to higher end scene that it starts to become worth the extra time and effort to build your own kit. Is this correct?
 
...or some other sub $100 DAC/AMP prebuilt combo? Then save up to start tinkering. 
 

What sub $100 USB DAC/(DAC/AMP) would you recommend to pair with the SPH9500.

 

Pangea HP101, $80 on Amazon - compact, works with Android OTG, drives my HD600 just fine. Higher noise floor than my Meier Cantate.2 (which is worth 5x++ new), but that noise floor is due to 1) my phone being too close and 2) other than the phone,kicks in well beyond safe listening levels anyway, plus 3) it could be due to the tube. You can "tinker" around by replacing the tube. I have a Mullard 12AX7 on standby as I don't typically get the motivation to roll tubes until the stock tubes break, and given the mount on this amp, I'd need a considerable amount of spare time to take it apart.

 

 

[amimemeami]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have not really been looking at tube amps, because I have read that they have a tendency to have a higher noise floor by nature, and the low end ones you would expect to have even more so. I did not find many reviews for this one, and the ones I found seem fairly mixed. I enjoy listing to classical music which makes the noise floor really stand out.  
 
The hard part for me is trying to guess what a high noise floor to the reviewer would sound like to my ears, which are not accustomed to anything but bluetooth headsets, and pandora audio quality, and I have never listed to any type of hi end set up. 

 

[Durza]

I own a Fiio q1 and it is a great dac/amp combo, especially because it is portable and works with my phone via otg. It also has a very tasteful bass boost switch. It also has the best noise floor of my three amps. Maybe because it is battery powered(but can be usb powered)? The fiio k1 is pretty well reviewed and is quite a small investment as well. The under 100 market for a dac/amp combo is pretty much just fiio offerings like those i mentioned, and the fiio e09k. The smsl m3 seems like a steal as well, and my experience with smsl has been great. All of the amps/dacs i've listed are worth looking into and should sound about the same since they are all solid state.
 
I've looked into diy stuff, and I just can't find much on sub 100$ diy kits. If you are interested, jds labs has the O2 amp diy kit for like 60 bucks and the O2 is very very well regarded. Probably on par with the best stuff under 200 bucks. The only problem is you would still need a dac. Hope this helps, and good luck to you!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by amimemeami /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Thanks for the suggestion. I have not really been looking at tube amps, because I have read that they have a tendency to have a higher noise floor by nature, and the low end ones you would expect to have even more so. 

 

Mine has zero until around 2:00 to 3:00 on the dial, but if I listened to the HD600 at that level I'd be deaf within a few hours. Even with proper low gain recordings, ex. classical. Even my Biwa CDs (I listen more to Japanese classical these days) are loud enough on it by 12:00nn. I only mention it in case of 1) lower sensitivity headphones being used and 2) my Meier Cantate.2 had zero noise at high gain and volume maxed out with nothing playing. In both cases USB input was used.

 

Note also that:

1) Meier amps typically are among the quietest amps out there along with the O2, which is why I use it as a reference (even if seemingly unfair).

2) Since you want to tinker, you can tinker and remove the Shuguang tube for a quieter one, like a Mullard reissue 12AX7, or a vintage Mullard, RCA, or Amperex.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by amimemeami /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I did not find many reviews for this one, and the ones I found seem fairly mixed. 

 

 

Like the reviewer who got a unit, left it in the closet, and then found out it was DOA and didnt bother getting a functioning one for a proper review? Don't just look at the chart with the 5-, 4-, and so on stars with a bar next to  it to indicate how many reviews there are, because sometimes reviewers aren't exactly infallible. He didn't even review the product, and not having a functional one to review isn't totally the manufacturers fault considering even Schiit and JDSLabs can have units that arrive faulty if not DOA. Statistically, it happens, and locking it up for an extended period of time just drastically reduces your chances of discovering a problem much less getting a new one under warranty.

 

And then there's the other guy who didn't like how the tube was mounted, which was something my brother found out before he gifted it to me, but went on with it anyway knowing I wasn't into rolling tubes apart from when maintenance was needed.

 

Essentially, what I'm saying is, read the reviews and think about what they wrote in there. Like how it affects your warranty chances if you just stashed it without or barely testing it. You don't buy a car and keep it in the garage for 3yrs then miss all the recalls, right?

 

 

 

 
The hard part for me is trying to guess what a high noise floor to the reviewer would sound like to my ears, which are not accustomed to anything but bluetooth headsets, and pandora audio quality, and I have never listed to any type of hi end set up. 

 

Is it enough reference for noise if someone who is used to the quietest amps in the world that I'd be deaf as hell in no time if I actually listened to the HP101 at the level where there is noise? Barring putting your phone right next to it, the noise is well beyond the usable range. It's serving me well as a back up that I didn't order an O2, and dug around my stuff for an old 12AX7 in case this Shuguang fails. 

 

[amimemeami]

 

Is it enough reference for noise if someone who is used to the quietest amps in the world that I'd be deaf as hell in no time if I actually listened to the HP101 at the level where there is noise? Barring putting your phone right next to it, the noise is well beyond the usable range. It's serving me well as a back up that I didn't order an O2, and dug around my stuff for an old 12AX7 in case this Shuguang fails. 

Thanks that helped a lot. 

 

Essentially, what I'm saying is, read the reviews and think about what they wrote in there. Like how it affects your warranty chances if you just stashed it without or barely testing it. You don't buy a car and keep it in the garage for 3yrs then miss all the recalls, right?

I do actually read the reviews, and not just look at the numbers, there are far to many super picky/downright ignorant people to rely on stars alone. 
 

 Volume is either off or full within 1/16th of a turn. No bass. Doesn't sound as good as my Mac Book Pro built in or even close to the AudioQuest Dragonfly. has a high pitch hum with volume all the way down. Have been waiting for a year to get a tube amp and am so disappointed.

 

 I have had this for a year now and found some PC settings that seem to work best for me. These may also work for others who are seeking to optimize playback via USB.
First, the problem I noticed when using this with a PC. USB defaults at 16 bit x 44.1Khz (16/44.1). This was a train wreck on either a laptop or desktop. I found up-sampling (24/48) worked better to minimize D/A converter (DAC) noise but getting rid of it completely does not seem to be possible. I used the shortest USB cable (1 ft long) along with an Audio Quest Jitterbug. The Jitterbug reduced the DAC noise enough to make this amp feature enjoyable...

  Compromised, but great value. Amplifier has notable hiss during quiet passages (much more than my other tube devices), but the hiss was not noticeable during moderate to high volume passages (not really a problem with other than some classical music). The DAC is inferior to my Dragonfly v.1.0, but does go up to 192/24 and is more than adequate for most of my music. Not nearly as good as my Dragonfly/Asgaard 2, but it is one quarter the price. A minor point, irrelevant to most, I generally do my serious headphone listening through a software balance program with significant level decrease on one side, and this amp does not adequately drive my Alpha Dog planar-magnetic headphones, but is fine with 300 ohm dynamic headphones. This is not an audiophile device, but is probably just fine for most people looking for a DAC/Headphone Amp, especially if you're looking for a tube sound.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I do actually read the reviews, and not just look at the numbers, there are far to many super picky/downright ignorant people to rely on stars alone. 

 

 

Note that in audio as in wine sometimes reviews will glow when it's an expensive product and with heap stuff, the only reason for there being more "FOTM" reviews vs bad reviews is because the sort of people who would write the latter won't even get the cheap stuff to begin with. On the rare chance that they do, 3 stars (as opposed to the one reviewer who at least admits it's value for money compared to his more expensive stuff).

 

And then there's that guy who locked it away and finally used it only to find out it had a manufacturing problem.