[McStuff]

So I've decided that it's finally time for an update in my sound setup. Currently I'm running onboard with x530s and EH150s. I ordered an xtrememusic, and I plan to rip my music to FLAC. Would it be worth it to get a cmoy? Would it give me better SQ? Also, how good are my EH150s?

 

[TwoCables]

I have a feeling people will be confused as to what a CMoy is, so here is a Wikipedia article on it:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMoy

This doesn't mean I know the answer tho.

 

[BlackHoleSun]

CMoy are generally better for portable devices. The Brown Burr ones are very clear, but since your onboard, try and get a dedicated sound card. I hear the ASUS ones are very good for music.

Don't know about the EH150s.

 

[Bleached]

CMoy's are more of a very basic amplifier. They don't change the sound much. So if you like the sound of the device that plays your music then it will just straight make it louder. Other amplifiers do change the sound slightly, but a lot less than say a sound card would and definitely a lot less than a headphone or speaker would.

Get it if you want more punch.

 

[McStuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwoCables I have a feeling people will be confused as to what a CMoy is, so here is a Wikipedia article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMoy This doesn't mean I know the answer tho.

Yes, I know what a CMoy is, so what's the point of this? Those nubs can just google it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlackHoleSun CMoy are generally better for portable devices. The Brown Burr ones are very clear, but since your onboard, try and get a dedicated sound card. I hear the ASUS ones are very good for music. Don't know about the EH150s.

I've already ordered an x-fi xtrememusic.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bleached CMoy's are more of a very basic amplifier. They don't change the sound much. So if you like the sound of the device that plays your music then it will just straight make it louder. Other amplifiers do change the sound slightly, but a lot less than say a sound card would and definitely a lot less than a headphone or speaker would. Get it if you want more punch.

I don't think that volume is the issue. I was wondering what else besides a new soundcard and FLAC would help improve my setup. I've heard desktop amps start at 150-200, and that's just too much for me.

 

[TwoCables]

Quote:

Originally Posted by McStuff Yes, I know what a CMoy is, so what's the point of this? Those nubs can just google it.

Wow. Could you be any more ungrateful?

1. I wasn't posting that to show you what a CMoy is. Read it again, and you'll see how clear this is.
2. I was hoping to prevent posts like "What is a Cmoy?" That way, you don't have to deal with that. Judging from the lack of that question, I think I have succeeded. You're welcome?
3. The point is that I respect you and I didn't want to see you have to deal with that question. But I clearly caught you on a really bad day.
4. I refuse to agree that "those nubs can just google it". That's not how I roll. After all, I wouldn't want somebody to say to me, "nub, you can just google it".

So, excuse the hell out of me? Or what?

 

[McStuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TwoCables Wow. Could you be any more ungrateful? I wasn't posting that to show you what a CMoy is. Read it again, and you'll see how clear this is. I was hoping to prevent posts like "What is a Cmoy?" That way, you don't have to deal with that. Judging from the lack of that question, I think I have succeeded. You're welcome? The point is that I respect you and I didn't want to see you have to deal with that question. But I clearly caught you on a really bad day. I refuse to agree that "those nubs can just google it". That's not how I roll. After all, I wouldn't want somebody to say to me, "nub, you can just google it". So, excuse the hell out of me? Or what?

I know that your post was directed towards other people who don't know what a CMoy is (and looking back, the first sentence of my post wasn't worded great). But if someone doesn't know what a CMoy is, then they shouldn't be asking in my thread. Knowing what something is can easily be remedied by googling it. Unless other threads have run rampant with "What's a cmoy?", I don't see the point. I guess I would've appreciated an answer rather than a link to a wiki about the CMoy and saying that you know the answer. Sorry about that

 

[getllamasfast]

You could build yourself a starving student amp. It's a hybrid amp that can be built for relatively cheap (<$50) and it should make a difference in the SQ of your headphones.

 

[McStuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by getllamasfast You could build yourself a starving student amp. It's a hybrid amp that can be build for relatively cheap (<$50) and it should make a difference in the SQ of your headphones.

Would I need to gather the parts myself, or can they be had in kits?

 

[TwoCables]

Quote:

Originally Posted by McStuff I know that your post was directed towards other people who don't know what a CMoy is (and looking back, the first sentence of my post wasn't worded great). But if someone doesn't know what a CMoy is, then they shouldn't be asking in my thread. Knowing what something is can easily be remedied by googling it. Unless other threads have run rampant with "What's a cmoy?", I don't see the point. I guess I would've appreciated an answer rather than a link to a wiki about the CMoy and saying that you know the answer. Sorry about that

Every single time I see a thread started (that has not received any replies yet) that's discussing something I don't know about, it seems like it always receives questions of "what is it?" So the OP has to sit there dealing with like 5 different people asking what it is instead of receiving answers. That didn't happen in your thread, and I am willing to bet that I prevented it by doing what I did.

So, as soon as I saw this, I thought "oh crap, here we go. I've never seen a CMoy mentioned on here before. I bet the first reply will be somebody asking what it is". So, I decided I would see if I could prevent that while simultaneously being clear that I'm on your side.

But there's something else: you know just as well as I do that it seems like almost nobody Googles something before asking!

And finally: in response to "I guess I would've appreciated an answer rather than a link to a wiki about the CMoy", well all I can say is this: you already got replies like that, so there's no problem.

So therefore, I'll say it again: you couldn't have been any more ungrateful. If I would have made such a thread and if my first reply was something like this, then I would have said "thank you" to the person instead of responding the way you did.

But whatever. It doesn't matter anymore. What's done is done.

 

[McStuff]

Well I haven't seen that happen in any of my other threads, so I didn't expect it to be a problem. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[getllamasfast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by McStuff Would I need to gather the parts myself, or can they be had in kits?

There are kits, but I think they're sold out everywhere. Also, the kits usually retail ~$100.

Have you ever built an amp or done any soldering before? If not, I suggest you make the cmoy regardless if you're going to use it just to get some diy experience under your belt. You can just sell the cmoy if you don't want it.

If you have done some audio diy before, then you could try to do a point to point build. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, then you could buy the PCB from beezar.com and they have a bill of materials specifically for the PCB (which is much more expensive than the one for the point to point build, but can sound better).

The only problem with the starving student builds I linked you is that there is a lack of 19J6 tubes right now since the amp is so popular.

There is a version of the amp that uses the more easily available 12AU7 tubes. The only difference is that you must swap out the R2 and R8 resistors for 380kohm resistors and rewire the tube sockets.

Here is a post that explains everything you need to know in order to convert the 19J6 starving student to a 12AU7 starving student. link

Sorry if my post was a little confusing, but if you have questions you can post them here or in the dedicated thread at head-fi.org

 

[McStuff]

I do have soldering experience, and I don't think that the Starving Student would be too bad. I'd probably go for the pcb, but I could probably do point-to-point. I'm going to rip my stuff to flac and see what it's like when I get my soundcard. If it's great, I won't get an amp for now.

 

[getllamasfast]

I just looked up the specs to your headphones and being that they're only 32ohms, you should be fine without an amp.

 

[McStuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by getllamasfast I just looked up the specs to your headphones and being that they're only 32ohms, you should be fine without an amp.

But wouldn't the Starving Student improve the SQ?

 

[getllamasfast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by McStuff But wouldn't the Starving Student improve the SQ?

It would, but it's kinda overkill for your headphones. The starving student has a rediculously high gain, so you'd have the volume meter basically all the way down most of the time. I don't know if having the volume meter all the way down negates the SQ improvement, so that may be an issue.

Although, if you're thinking of upgrading your headphones eventually, this could be an investment.

 

[McStuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by getllamasfast It would, but it's kinda overkill for your headphones. The starving student has a rediculously high gain, so you'd have the volume meter basically all the way down most of the time. I don't know if having the volume meter all the way down negates the SQ improvement, so that may be an issue. Although, if you're thinking of upgrading your headphones eventually, this could be an investment.

Well, I'm thinking of picking up some IEMs. I'm looking at the Sleek Audio SA1s. Also, I think that the Starving Student would be a fun project.

 

[kgd1]

I'v built a few Cmoys , a portable & stationary (for the sig rig)These work well for me. If you not shy with a soldering Iron, Its a very fun project. Here a step by step PDF. Good Luck

 

[McStuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kgd1 I'v built a few Cmoys , a portable & stationary (for the sig rig)These work well for me. If you not shy with a soldering Iron, Its a very fun project. Here a step by step PDF. Good Luck

Is that a Sansa View I spy? I have an 8gb one myself. I might build a CMoy first for fun.

 

[Bleached]

Fiio E3

You can try these. They are pretty cheap and there is a 20USD E5 version. Also, they come in white.

They aren't as good as the Cmoy, but they are cheaper. You might be able to find them for 5USD somewhere.

If you are looking for better sound you should invest in a better headphone/speakers. Most low-mid end headphones don't need amps. And a lot of the time they sound amazing without them. The largest change you can make to get better sound is a better headphone. Also they are the most cost/effective.

Note: high-end headphones need amps.