Hey everybody. I built a stock Crack over the last week and wanted to post my experience with it, specifically in regards to my source.
Just to get straight to the point: I had a pair of HD600s lying around which, before my son was toddling / walking around, I used to listen to my turntable. This, timed with a change in career which landed me my first-ever desk job, meant that I now had a new place to colonize with audiophile gear.
I considered using IEMs instead of my HD600s at work, but it had been 10 years since I built my Seduction, and all those reviews of the Crack kept nagging at me. So I got one. It's excellent; as good as everyone says it is.
What makes my setup unique is that my source is a $75*/$100 (on sale) Radsone ES100 bluetooth headphone amp. It's not quite powerful enough to really get the HD600 going, but its quality as a source is really phenomenal for the price and size. It can drive the HD600s at a reasonable volume, but the dynamics and oomph are noticeably lacking. (Caveat: The device's battery drains quite quickly at the level needed to power the HD600s, so unless you are able to keep it plugged into a power source, this is not something you should pursue).
Currently, I'm streaming music from Qobuz on my Pixel 3 at 24-bit/96khz using the Aptx-HD codec. From there, it's straight to the Crack. Output is approximately 1.1V RMS. Would like to get a dedicated, higher-end DAC in the future, as the ES100 does not operate as a DAC pass-through (at least not without using the balanced output).
Just wanted to put this out there as a really incredible and lightweight setup, and to toot the Bluetooth horn on a DIY audiophile tube kit forum.
Cheers,
Kyle
