Need Audiophile Headphone Rig to Replace Sennheiser HD590
The other day the band on my excellent but very old HD590s broke.
They are in for repair, but frankly, even if they cannot be repaired, I may replace them just because I have had them for many years and I would like to explore what else is out there.
Let me give you my background. I am a hardcore audiophile and I listen to two different systems. The first is my master system which features a dCS Delius DAC and Purcell Upsampler, a gigantic monstrosity of a Mark Levinson amp, B&W Nautilus 802 speakers and very good cabling throughout the system. Needless to say this is a first rate system.
My second system features a Threshold T2 preamplifier, a Bryston 3B ST amplifier and B&W Nautilus 804 speakers.
My musical taste centers around jazz, folk and classic rock.
I have never used headphones with either of these systems. However, because I live with people who like quiet and must study, I am now interested in occasionally using a pair of headphones with these systems. Note that neither system has any sort of headphone jack or headphone amp.
The primary use for my headphone setup would be for high-end PC gaming, however. Generally my headphones stay in my computer room, connected directly to a Soundblaster X-FI sound card. I got awesome reproduction of game sound effects and ambience with the 590s, and I’d like to take things to the next level. I am considering the HD600s.
Suppose I wanted to take my headphone performance up a notch or two, but not spend a fortune. What cans would you recommend and if an amp is required to drive those cans, what amp? I would like to keep this project as affordable as possible--$600 or less including the amp if necessary. But I wouldn't mind spending less if possible.
I do want a significant improvement over the 590s.
Last edited by BlackstoneJD; 02-18-2008 at 01:57 AM.
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