Headphone amp - now njc monitor2 is too expensive

[Bonky]

Hi, I have HD 598s, and,
HD650s on order from Ebay (let's hope they aren't fake!).

For the latter I know I need a separate amp and was contemplating the NJC Monitor2s, but now the upgraded version is an extra £180.
I already have the Fillo E7, so ,my question is, which would be better, the Matrix M2 from an accredited dealer, or the Fill0 E9 (to go with the E7)?

Thanks,
Richard

[Maximum]

Shouldn't that be £100? I'm pretty sure mine was £260. Hmm he's been busy, even has a dedicated dac on sale now.

[Toby]

Maximum is correct, its only a £100 more, where Bonky got that highly inflated price of £180 from I do not know :scratch:.

Yes I saw that new DAC you mentioned maximum, it looks great, I use the DAC inside my soundcard but everyone says they are not great & I would have to agree it is not ideal, so I have been looking around for a proper DAC ever since I got the amp, I would love the new DAC he calls the reference DAC, I think this might be what I have been searching for, now that I have seen the new monitor II I WANT ONE :stalks:, the one I have as you can see from the photos I took is an earlier model, I would love to get the new model, it could be time to sell mine & buy the new one with the DAC when it is on sale as I see we cant actually buy it just yet, if I did buy the new DAC I would get the new Monitor II at the same time to go with it otherwise the DAC alone might make my amp look a bit plain when put side by side, I can always put my amp on the classified section if they have one here I would have to check into that & see what kind of price they fetch second hand.

From what Bonky has said on his post seems to me like he wants to try & have his cake & eat it too, he wants to get something really good but doesnt want to pay much for it, to be looking at a quality item like the NJC products only to then be looking at a Fiio doesnt make a lot of sense, its like going to a showroom looking at the new Jaguar car only to then go next door & look at the Skoda, good cheap little cars but a Jaguar they are not ;), if he cant afford an NJC product then there is no shame in that as we all have different budgets, but dont come on the forum whinging that its now too expensive, his thread title should read "too expensive for me", quality audio has always cost a lot of money & always will if you want something that is good quality & that will last a long time, lets keep this in perspective, we arent talking about £500, £700 or £1000 here, we are talking about an amp that costs a little more than a pair of new Sennheiser HD650's, a similar priced amp would be the Musical Fidelity X-Can V8P costing about £5 more but is nowhere near as good sounding according to people who have tried both, so I know which one I would choose for that money, im glad I saw this thread now as I was unaware of any changes to their products but really like what I am seeing now, just as well I didnt buy a DAC yet as I now know what my next purchase will be :eek:, I am also looking to invest in another pair of headphones, Denon D5000's perhaps? or something else, havent decided yet, I want something that wont replace my AKG K702's as I love the way these headphones sound, so clear & well defined, but I would also now like something that sounds completely different so that I can have the best of both worlds, but thats for another thread.

Bonky, since you said you already have the E7 then just get the E9 to go with it, they are perfect if you are on a tighter budget.

[Bonky]

Hi Toby, thanks for your input.

I wasn't 'whinging', or even complaining. I'm sorry for the estimated extra £80 in the cost of the NJC unit. My fault. I read it on another forum and even though I re-visited the NJC website, didn't bother to check it. My responsibility.

As for 'having your cake and eating it', in a sense aren't we all? My aim is to study the mythical price v. benefit graph and get the components that are at the top of the straight line before it plateaus off... (should that be plateaux...?)


I have since ordered a Matrix M stage amp.

My HD650s from ebay arrived today. They look the genuine article but sound inferior to my HD598s (which are much brighter and revealing even thought he bass isn't so dominant). I'm playing them through a gatorised caiman unit, so things may improve with a better amp.

The E7 + E9 combo idea has been kicked into touch.

BW

Richard /Bonky

[Tim]

The M-Stage, Gator and HD650 is a very good combination indeed. I found the Caiman Gator wasn't up to driving the HD650's to my satisfaction, but with the M Stage you are in a different ball park altogether IMO. I used to have a pair of HD595's which were fine with the Caiman alone, but I sold them when I got the M-Stage.

[Bonky]

The M-Stage, Gator and HD650 is a very good combination indeed. I found the Caiman Gator wasn't up to driving the HD650's to my satisfaction, but with the M Stage you are in a different ball park altogether IMO. I used to have a pair of HD595's which were fine with the Caiman alone, but I sold them when I got the M-Stage.

That's good news. Thanks

Richard

[Toby]

My apologies I didnt mean that to sound as harsh as it may have done, it was just how your post read, when buying anything it can be a minefield out there of choices, at least now that you have made your choice it is time to focus on listening to music rather than browsing over specifications of equipment which can sometimes take over.

I wish you all the best with your new gear, oh & the Sennheiser HD650 should/will sound better than the HD598's, if not then I would be suspecting something is not quite right.

[Bonky]

My apologies I didnt mean that to sound as harsh as it may have done, it was just how your post read, when buying anything it can be a minefield out there of choices, at least now that you have made your choice it is time to focus on listening to music rather than browsing over specifications of equipment which can sometimes take over.

I wish you all the best with your new gear, oh & the Sennheiser HD650 should/will sound better than the HD598's, if not then I would be suspecting something is not quite right.
Thanks Toby.
BW

Richard