Hi everyone, Do you have any recommendations? I'm trying to clean up my old D6 and DD3. Hopefully I can find some of my other old Sonys down the road. But I would really like to get a good (maybe really good) pair of IEMs to compliment these oldies. The D6 I will probably not bring out of the house but the others more likely. My ears start to hurt quickly when I use non-IEMs as I'm a specky. So other headphones won't be suitable. Does the D6 require a small amp like the RSA Mustang (or similar)? So many questions.....sorry if they are obvious. I'm not familiar with audiophile basics. Thanks in advance.
My old D6C took 4x AA batteries, so was great for powering pretty much anything I plugged into it. I've never used a separate headphone amp - sorry, relative newbie here but I hope it helps!
IMHO, the D6C is powerful and has enough quality to drive even high impedance headphones. An external amp can give you more spacious sound and more 'punch' in the bass and battery. But only if you have the right equipment to make excellent recordings; that means a very good deck and source. If you want to experiment with an amp, I'd recommend an cheap (but excellent) JDSLabs CMoy and then you'll see.
Thanks for the advice! I know it may sound funny...but......I have the D6C (have to clean it up a little).....I also have an "old" RSA Mustang (it's in the house, somewhere).....what I don't have is a blinking pair of headphones/IEMs.......I'm taking my time to research a little more on the IEMs. I don't want to blow so much money on a pair that I may end up having to trade/sell away for something else.
Also, I don't have a recording deck (yet) so all I have to listen to is the old stash of cassettes I already have. I don't think they will count as anything good in quality. Does that mean I should not bother too much and just go simple? (Plug in any IEMs and just forget about the fancy stuff?). Sorry for the noob questions.
I recently bought some Shure IEM se425 and they really kick arse, I personally prefer over ear but these are the best in ears I’ve bought to date. They loop over the top of your ear and are easily cleanable, they come with a small needle for cleaning wax... I’ve never used a preamp with my d6c
I suspect that's the route I'll end up taking too. Feeling more and more like I'm over thinking this. Plug play and be happy.
I don’t think a preamp is much use on the move. Fine at home but the d6/d6c is a heavy thing... and there’s no guarantee you’ll like the benefits the preamps bring. Much in the same way you may not like the se425, theres a lot of personal preference in preamps too... my own policy is buy, listen, improve slowly. There’s no race, tapes are like fine wines
Depends on what IEM you buy. An amp will always help if your IEM or your headphones are up to it. I use the P-51 Mustang on all my Walkman, including the D6C. Not strictly an IEM but you can always try the A-Jay 3’s about £30, cheap but good. I you the Etymotic ER-4SR for IEM and some big Beyerdynamic headphones.
Woot... now that's a WM that I wish I kept. Definitely want it back. Someday. Thanks guys for the good suggestions.
Here is a link to Jays site Yes the DC2 is a lovely unit See here for me using my various Walkman on the move with the portable amp.
just banged in my new shures in a Wm-DD, definitely would be improved with a decent preamp! But with my regular cans not so much, they are 10 year old HD25ii... old and worn in like old shoes!
Hmmm, probably. If you don't get very good sources for your cassette recordings, then it probably isn't worth to invest on a headamp and very good IEMS. As audio pros say: "shit enters, shit outs", which means that if the source sound isn't good, no matter what you put after it, it won't sound good. so, first things first: get a good deck and good prerecorded cassettes or do yourself good recordings from good sources (not DR overcompressed CDs, vinyl...). my two cents...
I like this. Encouragement to spend more money subtly hidden within solid advice on sound quality. I like this group. Ok.....slippery slope here...but what's a solid and reliable deck to consider?
Getting better quality without spending more is often quite difficult ;-) If you don0t want to spend a lot, I'd recommend a DENON DRM-740 or a DRM-800. Also, an AIWA F800, SONY K670 and many others can be found for cheap and they are solid performers. But, don't forget: take them to a good tech to be sure they perform like factory specs. you can find some tech recommendations also here...
I don't have access to those locally. At least nothing I can see that is available at the moment. I have been offered a TASCAM 122 MKⅢat an equivalent of EUR220 locally. It is supposed to have been serviced but I cannot tell how long it has been sitting idle since the last service. Some local shops also talk about Pioneer CT series and of course everyone raves about the Dragon. I'm quite overwhelmed really. Noob mood.
@walkman archive Its good to meet another "linnie": shit-in-shit-out!... To stay on the Safe Side, I would recommend any entry-level Nak to anything else out there!
