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Bitzie, Majestic, Solo, headphones, and sources
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habitullence View Drop Down
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    Posted: 29 Jul 2014 at 11:40pm
Currently I have the Voyager which I'm very happy with and listen to several hours a day but now I have a bit of extra cash I'd like to get more serious.

I'm a freelance programmer and use my Voyager the most when I'm working at a client's office. At home I use my studio rig but would like to try the higher end GS units. So I'm looking at the following rigs:
  1. Portable - notebook, Bitzie, and my Audio Technica ATH-ES7
  2. Home - a digital source (if I didn't live in London I'd have more room), Majestic, Solo, headphones (already own Senn 595 and 380)
My initial questions are:
  1. Portable
    1. How much better is this than the Voyager?
    2. For a portable rig I'd really like a cable shorter than the GS Lautus, what are my options and what will I be missing out on?
    3. What does everyone think of the ATH-ES7 headphones?
  2. Home
    1. How does the Majestic compare to the Bitzie?
    2. I'd like a hard disk style source to save on space, I quite like Naim, is this the best option?
    3. If I invested in this kind of source along with the Majestic and Solo would the current headphones be good enough to get the most out of the rig or should I be thinking about getting something else?
  3. It's a big investment, how do I go about auditioning this stuff before I take the plunge?
Willing to spend to get the most from the music but not just for the sake of it, looking for good practical advice. Looking forward to hearing everyone's suggestions, thanks in advance.


Edited by habitullence - 29 Jul 2014 at 11:46pm
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morris_minor View Drop Down
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Points: 6197 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote morris_minor Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 30 Jul 2014 at 10:32am
Welcome to the forum Rick!

You may - or may not - have seen that the forum operates a loan scheme for Graham's kit and this is undoubtedly the best way to evaluate its performance in your own system. So you could see for yourself how the Bitzie and Majestic compare.

I had a demo of a Bitzie and was mightily impressed; it compared very favourable with my then DAC of choice (an £800 Dutch model). The Majestic is the same only more so! Aside from a slightly bigger smoother sound the Majestic offers multiple digital inputs and an analogue input just right for a phono stage - so it works fabulously as a pre-amp (mine feeds a pair of active speakers).

You ask if the Naim is the best option for hard disc streaming? I'd say it depends on what you need. Personally I run Asset uPnP server on a Windows Home Server box to serve up music to multiple devices, but if you really only want one source component maybe Naim would be a good solution. No doubt others here will chip in about this; and also about the ATH-ES7 headphones, as I know nothing about them.

I have had a pair of HD595s though, and very nice they were! The Majestic/Solo combo though will take you for a trip up towards the "high end" (that ill-defined nirvana that's never reached). I use my M/S with HD650s, Denon 7000s and more recently LCD-2s. The detail, depth and clarity from the system is simply stunning. So I'd say while your current headphones will sound great, it's these that would be holding the sound back . . . 
Bob

Majestic DAC/pre-amp
Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links
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habitullence View Drop Down
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Thanks, good to be here.

Originally posted by morris_minor morris_minor wrote:

the forum operates a loan scheme for Graham's kit

I think I'm going to go ahead with the Bitzie just need to figure out the cable issue. How would I go about borrowing the Solo UL and Majestic? Should I also be looking to borrow some better cans or will the 595s do for auditioning?

Originally posted by morris_minor morris_minor wrote:

You ask if the Naim is the best option for hard disc streaming?

Yes, I'm a very much in the dark on this issue. I'm not sure whether in the digital context the source makes a difference like it used to, especially with a separate DAC.

Originally posted by morris_minor morris_minor wrote:

I use my M/S with HD650s, Denon 7000s and more recently LCD-2s.

I was thinking if I was going all in then the HD800s might be a good choice but looking at the LCD-2s they could be a good option. Would like to get some opinions on this and where would be a good place to audition in the London area.
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Ash View Drop Down
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If you are selecting a Graham Slee DAC and/or headphone amplifier, the headphone chosen will be the main limiting factor IMO. I would suggest that you try to select a headphone without its own sonic signature as signature is what gets in the way of the music. Good performing headphones are not always ultra-expensive either; some of my favourites are under £200.

Edited by Ash - 30 Jul 2014 at 11:55am
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Hi Rick,

To borrow kit drop a PM to Jon (aka Fatmangolf), who runs the UK loan scheme.

I'd suggest using your 595s for the audition as you already know them well. Using a different pair of headphones will introduce another variable and probably confuse things.

In my opinion (and there are many others!!) providing your digital source gets the digits to the DAC ok, what that source is irrelevant as far as sound quality goes. In my study system I use the cheaper Cambridge Audio NP30 streamer to feed the Majestic (as well as my Mac). I see no need to go up-market on the source since the heavy lifting is done by the DAC . . . 

Choice of headphones is very personal. I found the HD800s a little clinical after my LCD-2s - and this as previous Sennheiser fan-boy!
Bob

Majestic DAC/pre-amp
Accession MC/Enigma, Accession MM, Reflex M, Elevator EXP, Era Gold V
Solo ULDE, Novo, Lautus USB and digital, Libran balanced, CuSat50
2 x Proprius + Spatia/Spatia Links
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habitullence View Drop Down
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Originally posted by Ash Ash wrote:

Good performing headphones are not always ultra-expensive either; some of my favourites are under £200.

Thanks, what would you recommend?
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If second-hand doesn't bother you, the HD250, HD540 and HD560 Sennheiser models all typically demonstrate excellent value for money,

If you want something still in production that you can buy new, and you don't mind in-ear monitors then I recommend the exquisitely neutral Etymotic ER-4S.

Or as a last resort, I would suggest the HD600 (not the HD650). Again, buy a used one in good condition. All the Sennheisers have a modular construction so you can restore them with new parts or earpads if necessary.
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