[angelsblood]

hi guys. thinking of upgrading my nuforce icon hd to another dac and headphone amp, and this time a separate unit. thinking of the little dot dac_II and little dot MK IV combo. what do u guys think? is it a worthy upgrade? reason i wanted to upgrade to tube amp is because i like the warmer sound. got the akg q701 and the denon d5000 atm!

 

[hodgjy]

Specifically, what don't you like about the NuForce?
 
Also, a very common misconception about tubes is they are always warm.  Some are.  Some aren't.  I think the real advantage of tubes is soundstage and imaging.  Tubes tend to be more holographic than solid state.  But, there are plenty of cool and neutral tube amps out there, just like there are plenty of warm solid state amps.
 

 

[angelsblood]

to be honest, i can't fault the icon HD. as i am quite new to all this (HD being my first dac/amp), i can't really explain to you in accurately. i just find it boring, and sometimes the "shh" "hisss" "tshhh" is harsh. i want the lush warm beautiful full music, which i can enjoy in loud volume. for the HD, it gets loud, but very uncomfortable. 
 
also, i want to "wow" my girlfriend(s) with separate awesome looking gear XD
 
so what do u think?

 

[hodgjy]

The headphones you listed are low impedence, so you'll need a transformer-coupled tube amp or a hybrid tube amp.

The Little Dots are ok, but you could do better for the wow factor. Consider the Woo Audio 6, HiFiMan EF5, and the Bellari HA540 along with the Little Dots. These should help with the problems you listed.

 

[angelsblood]

damn... that woo audio sure looks sexy!! thanks for the recommendations; )

 

[hodgjy]

You're welcome. You don't have to buy a new DAC right away, or if it all, because the NuForce is a pretty good DAC in its own right.

damn... that woo audio sure looks sexy!! thanks for the recommendations; )

 

[angelsblood]

yeah that's what i heard. but i am still unsure, because they refer to the HDP, and i own the HD, which is slightly different in terms of output options. it still has the RCA line out though... wonder if it'll work too?

 

[hodgjy]

I've only heard a few DACs, but I really think very highly of my V-DAC II.  It's very musical and smooth.  It has none of the problems you are looking to correct, such as the 'ssssssshhhhhh", which is called sibilance.  It has a slight warmth to it, which I really like, but also has great detail.

 

[mrpink44]

The DAC in the HD is the same as the HDP - the one NuForce uses in their CDP-8.
 
I run the NuFroce HD to my LD IV SE via RCA and it is really a nice combo for both my Senns & Beyers. The LD IV is really a nice HP amp for the price. If you decide to go that direction, maybe consider keeping the NuForce for the DAC and just getting the LD amp. If you don't like the pairing, you can always selll the NuForce and pickup a new DAC.

 

[angelsblood]

ahh! thanks for the confirmation! i'll keep the nuforce as a dac then, as it is a "world class" dac so they say; )
 
but i think i have to change my mind on the LD amps... since i read they are not good pairing with the denon d5000. i might go for the woo audio 6se instead.

 

[hodgjy]

Very nice choice indeed.  One of their best amps.
 
Quote:

ahh! thanks for the confirmation! i'll keep the nuforce as a dac then, as it is a "world class" dac so they say; )
 
but i think i have to change my mind on the LD amps... since i read they are not good pairing with the denon d5000. i might go for the woo audio 6se instead.