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Which should come first: cans, amp or source

post #1 of 27
10/11/05 at 4:24pm
Thread Starter 
Hello, Head-Fiers,

Recently I've been curious about priority matters.

My question today is:

What should I get first among the cans, the amp or the source?

For example, should I buy cans first and stick to it and buy an amp

and then buy my source as my last purchase,

or should I do the same thing but in a different order?

I'm asking you this question, because I am trying to get my first setup.

Hope you know what I mean.

See ya
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post #2 of 27
10/11/05 at 4:32pm
Headphones, obviously, because if you got anything else first, you would have nothing to enjoy them with. :P
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post #3 of 27
10/11/05 at 4:34pm
Just my opinion:
If you have nothing: 1. source, 2. cans, 3. amp
If you already have a (bad) source: 1. cans, 2. source, 3. amp
If you already have a decent source: 1. cans, 2. amp, 3. source
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post #4 of 27
10/11/05 at 4:38pm
IMO:

Headphones (assuming you have something somewhere to plug them in to)
Source
Amp (unless you really have to have one to drive whichever headphones you pick - if so keep it cheap initially)

It may take you a while to settle on a headphone you like and I think waiting to make a big investment in the amp until then is better. That way you can look for something that will hopefully build on the strengths of the headphones in question and reduce weaknesses.

A good source is always key to the system but usually one of the more expensive parts as well. It's also possible that you may decide to be more/less portable, etc. and have to change your source so it may be worth seeing how/when you are going to use your headphones the most.

Ant
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post #5 of 27
10/11/05 at 4:41pm
Definitely cans first since you'd just have an amp/source sitting around if you buy them first haha

Also, i think you'll want to buy the source and amp according to what kind of headphones you have.
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post #6 of 27
10/11/05 at 5:06pm
My 2 cents...source, cans, amp
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post #7 of 27
10/11/05 at 5:18pm
I don't get the headphones first crowd over source. Look how often people change headphones. Why buy a source based on a headphone that is very likely to change? People generally change headphones far more often than sources.

On another note, I'd say source is the most important link anyways. GIGO.
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post #8 of 27
10/11/05 at 5:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blitzula
I don't get the headphones first crowd over source. Look how often people change headphones. Why buy a source based on a headphone that is very likely to change? People generally change headphones far more often than sources.
That's because it's almost always cheaper to change headphones than anything else.

What you buy first depends on how well you know your sound preferences and needs. If you know exactly what kind of sound you want, then get the headphone first and build a system around it. If not, then it doesn't really matter since you'll likely end up shuffling through a bunch of equipment anyway.
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post #9 of 27
10/11/05 at 5:39pm
Most people here at Head-Fi spend most of their money on headphones and headphone amplifiers first and foremost. Then, they wonder why they don't like their headphones or headphone amplifiers and they wind up selling it off. Later, they get a better source component and they search for better headphones and a headphone amplifier that will synergize well with their new source component.

Save your time and money and discover what kind of sound characteristics you can live with long term. Then, audition it at home before you buy it. Attend local Head-Fi meetings if you can do so. Next, save up your money and invest it by selecting the right source component first and build your reference system around it. Finally, stick to it and don't change it for at least one full year.

Just because you asked for advice doesn't mean that it is necessarily easy to follow.
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post #10 of 27
10/11/05 at 5:52pm
1 headphones
2 amp
3 source
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post #11 of 27
10/11/05 at 6:13pm
1. Cheap source (iPod Shuffle, etc)
2. Cheap cans (KSC-35, etc)

The first set of gear will tide you over until you get better stuff, and works as a nice portable setup later. At this point do a lot of auditioning to find out what you like. Then after you know what you like...

3. Cheap amp (Cmoy, PIMETA, etc)
4. Cans
5. Good source
6. Good amp, sell cheap amp

And don't buy the FOTM.
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post #12 of 27
10/11/05 at 6:28pm
Advice I received when I joined Head-Fi: source is first because garbage in, garbage out (GIGO).
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post #13 of 27
10/11/05 at 6:34pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by socrates63
source is first because garbage in, garbage out (GIGO).
I don't know what you mean by that and what that has to do with this???
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post #14 of 27
10/11/05 at 6:38pm
Thread Starter 
BTW, I am morelike talking about portables here.. I can't buy those big boxes and put them in my room, unfortunately
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post #15 of 27
10/11/05 at 6:38pm
Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) is an Americanism. Basically he means that if the source is bad, it doesn't matter what amp or headphones you have because the source will make them sound bad.
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