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New to 'phones and forum

post #1 of 5
12/10/08 at 5:57pm
Thread Starter 
I have never had good headphones before (though I have had cheap ones.) I decided to jump in at the top, so I bought a pair of AKG K701s.: Initially they will be fed by a Cambridge Audio 340A integrated amp and 340C CD player. Later, when I get more money, I may upgrade the electronics.

I have also ordered a few binaural recordings (only those with the "best binaural" symbol at binaural source.)

Any suggestions for starting off on my new adventure?
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post #2 of 5
12/10/08 at 6:31pm
Enjoy them.

Then, when you've enjoyed them enough, contemplate getting an amp. You certainly started with better equipment than I did.

Sorry about your wallet.
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post #3 of 5
12/11/08 at 1:01pm
Sounds like a nice starter rig. Congratulations!
Let your wallet recover, then look into a dedicated headphone amplifier.
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post #4 of 5
12/11/08 at 1:14pm
While youre waiting for the next paycheck, my advice is go re-listen to EVERY CD you own

youll be pleasantly surprised when you hear details in the mix you never knew existed
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post #5 of 5
12/22/08 at 2:41pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by El_Doug View Post
While youre waiting for the next paycheck, my advice is go re-listen to EVERY CD you own

youll be pleasantly surprised when you hear details in the mix you never knew existed
I am doing just that. Yes, I am constantly amazed at the things I hear that I never suspected, even on CDs I have owned for decades! (And not always as subtle as one might think, either. Sometimes entire notes or even passages that were previously masked.)

If it is possible for this listening experience to be even better, I am willing to spend a bit more to achieve it.

Since my integrated amp does not have to be turned up much at all to be as loud as I want (about 9:00 on the dial), and since there is plenty of dynamic range and bass with an extremely clean sound overall, would I really gain anything from a dedicated headphone amp? Could it improve the imaging, perhaps? (The K701s do image very well for headphones, but have a long way to go before sounding anything like as spacious as speakers!)

Would a better CD player (or a stand-alone DAC) maybe provide a bigger improvement than an amp? On the other hand, is it possible that what I am hearing is as good as these headphones can do? (If so, no complaints. They sound damned good!)
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