Do you have a preferred way to listen to Opera?.
I reckon I'm rather promiscuous. I use a lot of different devices to listen Opera, and in almost every possible situation:
1.- An standard HiFi equipment
2.- My PC, connected or not to that equipment, or to headphones
3.- The TV set, again connected or not to the HiFi or headphones
4.- Radio broadcasts, again connected or not to the HiFi or headphones or the PC (via Internet)
5.- The sound system of my wife's car
6.- An iPod Classic, that will be soon a museum exhibit.
7.- A pair of ancient gramophones, that *are* a museum exhibit....
Since my collection includes CDs, DVDs, and old LPs, I listen on a CD player or on a turntable, or watch the videos on TV. I also have some cassette tapes (yeah, more museum pieces) that I've made of radio broadcasts, and also listen to those on the cassette player that is part of the turntable/radio/cassette player/CD player "entertainment system" I acquired back in the early '80s. All components are in good working order except the turntable; I had to purchase a replacement for that.
Well, in my HiFi equipment I also have a turntable (in working order) as well as a reel tape, inherited from my father...
MAuer liked this post
I remember the days when I had my high end vinyl set-up which I eventually sold off in late 1990s, I just could not put up with all the work needed compared to CD. For instance to play Beethoven 9th required 4 trips to turntable to clean and flip/change LP record, plus no control of playback functions by remote control......
I started with Rega Planar 3 and then worked up to Linn LP12 vinyl playback
sospiro liked this post
Currently I do no mobile or car stereo listening of classical music, all done with main stereo or headphone system
Main system (pix 1) has 12 inch powered sub by my seating position, Maria is my musical muse.....
I have a headphone amp in main stereo rack (pix 2) and by my computer another headphone amp with CD player (pix 3) which also has digital input to computer for streaming of music from various sources.
High end headphones with amp are great audio investment since they have huge advantage of single speaker driver and no room acoustic impediments, a good $1,000 headphone set-up would require $10,000 of traditional stereo gear to match sound quality
sospiro liked this post
Just *love* seeing your photos D_A! What a fabulous set up you've got.
I'm still walking to and from work & listening to 2 x 40 minutes of opera each day five days a week on my trusty Creative Zen. I have a Sony Walkman as a back-up and for when my Zen dies.
I sometimes watch a DVD in the evening but mostly it's just at a weekend, and that's about it really.
Annie
Which headphones/amp do you recommend?Originally Posted by Dark_Angel
Right now I am using Audio-Technica ATH-M50's with a small NuForce Icon uDAC-2 headphone amp which is quite adequate and affordable but I may want to upgrade in the future.
Great Headphone Amps:
Schiit Audio Asgard Class A amp $249
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...umber=SCASGARD
Schiit Audio Lyr tube hybrid amp $449 (I own one)
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=SCLYR
Musical Fidelity M1 class A amp $799 (I own 2)
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-9081-mu...amplifier.aspx
Combination Dac and Headphone Amp:
I prefer a quality dedicated heaphone amp but there are combination products.
(headphone amp section will be OK but not great like dedicated amps above)
Cambridge Dac Magic Plus $599
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo...mber=CADACMAPL
Music Hall Dac 25.3 $595
http://www.musicdirect.com/p-2428-mu...l-dac-253.aspx
The Nu Force Icon you have is a neat mini Dac/Amp that is powered by USB line, definitely better than IC sound in stock computer/laptop......there are higher levels of headphone sound for home system but money is required, heh heh
I have a similar mini USB powered dac/amp at work, AudioEngine D1 $169
http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AUD1
Great Heaphones under $500
Sennheiser HD600 $250-400 (I own 2 pair)
A proven classic that has stood the test of time, warm relaxed sound, heavily discounted new and easy to find used
Denon D5000 $400-500 (I own 1 pair)
More detailed sound from closed design that blocks outside noise better
AKG Q701 Quincy Jones Signature $239 (I own 1 pair)
Slightly warmer sounding compared to regular 701, more detailed than Senn HD 600
You can find many in depth reviews online for these, they can really deliver extremely fine sound
I don't like headphones. The sound has to spread across the wide space and from there I may swallow it, then it feels right. Not that I would have anything that spread the sound in any particular way. Actually, half of recording I have are too much for my speakers. But it was worse before and when I recall what stuff did I use when I was only into instrumental classical music, today's equipment seems wonderful:
Nice equipment.
On headphones, I also prefer Sennheiser and AKG.
About the Callas poster, I've always thought that a more suitable title for the documentary should have been: "Callas, il soprano assoluto".
I love those HD600, but I can't use them for long. I don't know why, but they hurt my right ear. Only the right, the left one could go on forever.
I have a pair of Sennheisers RS180, which are wireless and I use mainly when I'm working. They're very fine for a wireless set.
But the one I use the most is a pair of beyerdynamics DT48. They fit me right and isolate me completely. And they're terribly honest, they deliver what's recorded, just like that, straight, no fireworks. The best headphones I've used so far for timbres too, especially in the middle range.
I also own Beyerdynamic DT880 another moderately priced $200-300 proven classic audiophile design, very revealing midrange and is best matched with a tube or tube hybrid amp since the bass and lower mids can be light otherwise. Comes in 3 impedance models, 250 ohm is most popular but if you have good powerful amp you want to get the best........600 ohm model
Sounds very good matched with Schiit Lyr tube hybrid amp I linked above
I knew that sooner or later you hi-fi enthusiasts would start talking a language I don't speak!
Natalie
Nice to see another Joy Division fan.
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