Hi everyone!
 
I am a newbie to this incredible world of Hi-Fi. First of all, I'd like to say that I never bought any kind of high end audio equipment (except for my Sennheiser IE8), simply because even though I come from a quite wealthy family, I still prefer to do some research before buying something. I must say that I am a total sucker in audio equipment and it's terminology  (ask me what's the difference between pre-amp, amp and integrated amp and you'll meet a dead silence in response - so please, be gentle. It's my first time  ). 
 
As for the music, my musical tastes span from classical (mostly film music) to R&B. Although, I find myself spending most of the time listening to an Instrumental music.
 
Now correct me if I am wrong here (sure I am), but as far as I am concerned, the only equipment that I need in order to listen to music are the headphones + amplifier. I don't have an audio digital player, so the only source that I am going to use is my laptop (MSI GX660R). I hope using the laptop won't affect the sound reproduction.
 
Given that the budget is £17,000 (£5000 for phones and the rest for the amp) I am excited with the choice and yet frustrated. 
After spending some time on this board (mainly), I have finally constructed a list of potential equipment and here it is:
 
 
Headphone
 
- Ultrasone Edition 10
- LCD 2
- ATH L3000
- Sony MDR-R10 (Although not sure If it's in production anymore)
- ATH-W5000
- STAX SR-007MK2
 
 
Headphone amp
 
- Apex Pinnacle (quite curious of this one)
- Single Power ES-1
- Ray Samuels Emmeline II, B-52
- Cary Xciter Integrated
- Woo Audio WES
- Ear HP4
- SDS XLR
- Leben CS-300X
 
 
 
I hope that I have come to the right place! What I hope to get from this board, is your personal and professional opinions guys.
So, please feel free to suggest that is on the list + that is not on the list.
 
p.s. Excuse my odious English guys, not a native speaker. 
p.s.s. If you want to pm personally, do it on fb as i am not quite often here http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1397611680
 
Best regards,
Camile

Haha, sorry if I'm wrong, but is this not more than a cry for friends on Facebook? 

No, but I wouldn't actually mind to have some audiophile friends .) who could share their own experiences.

You would need a DAC too AFAIK.  And since you would be using uber high equipment, you probably need your music files in top quality (FLAC, etc.).  Playing 128 kbps mp3's will not sound good with such high - end equipment.  
 
Welcome to head-fi.  Im a noobie too .

I recommend a tube and a solid state set. Both are very different. It's fun to switch between the two when ever you're in the mood. That's what I do with my Hi-Fi gear. Since we are on Head-Fi, I recommend buying two or three headphones and one tube, one solid state amp. On one headphone or amp is best for every type of music so having a few is best.
You can't go wrong with the Sennheiser HD800 to start. I also like the Denon AH-D7000 because it's a great all around headphone. Those are a good start.

Hi Xtasi! All of the musical files in either wav or aiff, so no worries in regards to the format. Since you're way advanced newbie than me, can you tell please what is AFAIK?

 
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curioskilldcat said:

No, but I wouldn't actually mind to have some audiophile friends .) who could share their own experiences.

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Ok, mi scusi then! I don't have very much experience in headphone-gear, but a lot in guitars and sound quality overall. So those are the areas I could help, for the rest rely on the rest over here!

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curioskilldcat said:

Hi Xtasi! All of the musical files in either wav or aiff, so no worries in regards to the format. Since you're way advanced newbie than me, can you tell please what is AFAIK?

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I forgot that too, but I looked it up: "as far as I know".

Is there a big significance for which DAC should I choose? 
 
Some of you may perhaps think why a newbie (having no prior experience) is looking for such (as aforementioned) uber-high-equipment? I want to make it clear, even though I am a newbie, I wish to get the most out of my listening experience. So, as long as I can afford it - why the heck not? I still don't understand what's the difference between solid state and tube amps in terms of sound?

Quote:

curioskilldcat said:

Is there a big significance for which DAC should I choose? 
 
Some of you may perhaps think why a newbie (having no prior experience) is looking for such (as aforementioned) uber-equipment? I want to make it clear, even though I am a newbie, I wish to get the most out of my listening experience. So, as long as I can afford it - why the heck not? I still don't understand what's the difference between solid state and tube amps in terms of sound?

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I understand your reasoning I doubt your going to get the most out of what you are spending for. It does no good to drop this much money on something your not familiar with. Yes it will sound good to some but for you it's a completely different experience, your tastes will determine which headphone will be right for you. We can noot make that judgment for you is what I am saying and if we do and you spend this type of money then your probably going to spend it on something that if you had started smaller you wouldn't even consider.
 
For your first set of cans I suggest you spend $100on the headphones. Find a used Receiver or a home theater amp and buy yourself a uDAC 2 or a Fiio e7.Then your gonna want to get a few headphones. Pick one Open and one closed I suggest an MS-1 as your open, an M50 as your closed , and an AKG K240 Sexttet once you get an amp.
 
Why would I suggest those? Simply because it will give you a wide range of very good headphones which are diverse in their sound, it will let you know what you prefer so that when you become familiar with their sound you'll have something to compare to. That way you don't end up spending all this money on something that won't be ideal which 90% of the time you will do if you have no prior knowledge of your headphones tastes.

I should have probably mentioned this earlier, but I am doing a BMus in Composition/Orchestration. You see, most of the time I spend listening to music and studying conductor scores. So a detailed and natural sound reproduction is quite important for me. I know there's no such thing as a perfect headphone, but there are headphones that are considered superb (even though it's all quite subjective) as Sennheiser HE90, R-10 and others. There's a new kid - Ultrasone 10 and I wonder how 'perfect' they are.

Sennheiser Orpheus
 
HEV 90 tube amplifier
 
You wont have a lot of change from £17,000.

OH yeah cause More Expensive  = Better. Trust me your going to have quiet a bit of diminishing returns with this budget and lack of experience, I'm just saying. But if it's for the Genre then do yourself a favor and get an AKG K701. Not much does Orchestral Pieces so well.

I am not saying that the more expensive - better, but some expensive stuff do worth every it's penny. That is the reason why I came here, to get a right direction relying on the opinions of ther professionals and those with helluva experience. I wish there was a place here in London where I could test the equipment right on the spot.

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curioskilldcat said:

I am not saying that the more expensive - better, but some expensive stuff do worth every it's penny. That is the reason why I came here, to get a right direction relying on the opinions of ther professionals and those with helluva experience. I wish there was a place here in London where I could test the equipment right on the spot.

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Well aren't you in luck:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/519526/30th-november-evening-mini-meet-in-bank-london
 
x2 on the Orpheus
 
Or you can wait for the Stax C32 and get a maxed out T2 amp.  Also don't forget some silver cables and audiophile power cables and such.

Quote:

curioskilldcat said:

I am not saying that the more expensive - better, but some expensive stuff do worth every it's penny. That is the reason why I came here, to get a right direction relying on the opinions of ther professionals and those with helluva experience. I wish there was a place here in London where I could test the equipment right on the spot.

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Until you know what you like, you wont be getting Thousands of pounds better performance then a K701. You may get 10% better for 2,000 pounds more.
 
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region2 said:

Well aren't you in luck:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/519526/30th-november-evening-mini-meet-in-bank-london
 
x2 on the Orpheus
 
Or you can wait for the Stax C32 and get a maxed out T2 amp.  Also don't forget some silver cables and audiophile power cables and such.

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x2 on the headphone meet, to bad it's not a vendor meet it would be more noob friendly. They are bringing some nice headphones though.