Quote:

Originally Posted by wolfetan44 

Looking for a good closed classical phone for ~$300 for my dad. I was thinking the Sony MDR-1R or the Mad Dogs(I would give him my FiiO E11((not sure if he's fine with carrying the amp around though)) ) Any other recommendations from other people?

Is this to be used unamped from something like an iPod?

Hello all,

I've been looking for a new pair of cans for the past few weeks, but being an entry-level audiophile I've had a rough time narrowing down my choices.

I would really appreciate your guys help.

I am musician and currently own a Bose (I know...). What I am looking for is a HIFI closed can (for isolation from exterior sounds), easily portable ( a bulkish can won't be a problem, but a pliable one would be great), ranging from 100 to 250 $, for all sorts of music (but mainly rock, soul, folk, blues, jazz, pop, latin). I am a heavy user (on average 6 hours a day - at a low volume) so confort is a big issue. Finally, durability is also a big win (my Bose has given up on me after 2 years).

Now the challenge : I am in Paris, so all is not available to me (though we'll probably be touring in the US in a couple of months - I could wait a little if a certain model turns out to be just the one I need).

Finally, I don't have an amp, but I am considering buying one (I mostly listen to music on my Macbook Pro, a old office Dell, and my Samsung Galaxy II). 

Mostly, I want to able to hear musical details better , that brings a song's production closer to the ears, and be able to do so confortably in the subway or at home all day long. 

So far I've narrowed down a couple of available phones in Paris. Do you think any of these (or others) suits my needs ?

AKG K 701 (246€)

Beyerdynamic DT 1350 (250€) (tough I am not sure about supra-aural cans)

Beyerdynamic TP 50 (238€)  (same)

SHURE SRH 940 (219€)

KRK KNS 640 (100€)

KOSS Pro DJ 100 (55€)

V Moda Corssfade M80 (179€)

Beyer DT 770 pro 80 OHMS (on sale for  145€, but is it portable ?)

Thanks a lot!

Do you think that the Sennheiser HD650 driven by the Nuforce Icon HDp would be a good choice in my case?

Amps aside, I think the biggest change in sound quality for untrained ears comes from the headphone itself (the sound signature thing I was talking about). Proper amping only allows the headphone sound more like itself/how it's supposed to sound.

The Ohm rating alone does not tell the whole story for any can.  I can play my AD900 right out of a CD player and it sounds great.  Also see the buying guides linked in the opening post of this thread.  Both rate it as a "1" or "amp unnecessary".  That's not to say that an amp won't scale them up a bit.

The HE-400 are plenars, efficient for a pleanar, but plenars none the less.  Their sensativity is rated at 92.5 dB (compared to 100 dB for the AD900).  They crave some power; not a great deal (like the HE-6 or even the HE-500), but some.

X2.  For that reason you would take a huge hit in sound quality imo if you were to allocate $450 towards the dac/amp and $410 towards the headphone, as you propose.  Put a bigger slice of the budget towards the best headphone possible (or go with the HD650 to save $) and get a cheaper source.  For example you could get a simple but decent dac/amp, or a dac with rca outputs to a vintage stereo, which you can pick up for very little and has more watts than many dedicated headphone amplifiers, or a $99 airport express with optical outputs to a modern stereo you may already have, etc.

Please define "reasonably priced". For under $200, you can get an ODAC with RCA jacks.

I just picked up a vintage Sherwood to use as my headphone amp. Can you recommend a reasonably priced DAC that has RCA outs?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vidmaven 
 

I just picked up a vintage Sherwood to use as my headphone amp. Can you recommend a reasonably priced DAC that has RCA outs?

Please define "reasonably priced". For under $200, you can get an ODAC with RCA jacks.

X2.  For that reason you would take a huge hit in sound quality imo if you were to allocate $450 towards the dac/amp and $410 towards the headphone, as you propose.  Put a bigger slice of the budget towards the best headphone possible (or go with the HD650 to save $) and get a cheaper source.  For example you could get a simple but decent dac/amp, or a dac with rca outputs to a vintage stereo, which you can pick up for very little and has more watts than many dedicated headphone amplifiers, or a $99 airport express with optical outputs to a modern stereo you may already have, etc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

Agreed--you need a good and fairly powerful amp (and dac or dac/amp depending on your music/sound sources) to hear what the HD 650 and T1 offer.  The easier to drive 598 is an excellent can, but at least a tier below the other two.

thank you KG Jag and zeinharis. i am going to sell 598. it is really very good looking imo and sounds GREAT (to me) !!!!!

i am choosing an amp now. A1 is an easy option to go with T1 and HD650. as i am from australia, so the choices are limited. i want something below $1k (shipping included). i can get A1 from amazon, very convenient. but i know A1 is not popular, and people all recommend tubes (wa2) to go with T1. however, i dont have many options available. 

do you think A1 (at $750 shipped) will be a fine match to T1 and HD650, in terms of sound quality and value? 

these days, i am using Fiio 17 to amp HD650. definitely not ideal, but better than nothing. as to T1, well, i can do nothing with it at the moment. 

Hello all,

I've been looking for a new pair of cans for the past few weeks, but being an entry-level audiophile I've had a rough time narrowing down my choices.

I would really appreciate your guys help.

I am musician and currently own a Bose (I know...). What I am looking for is a HIFI closed can (for isolation from exterior sounds), easily portable ( a bulkish can won't be a problem, but a pliable one would be great), ranging from 100 to 250 $, for all sorts of music (but mainly rock, soul, folk, blues, jazz, pop, latin). I am a heavy user (on average 6 hours a day - at a low volume) so confort is a big issue. Finally, durability is also a big win (my Bose has given up on me after 2 years).

Now the challenge : I am in Paris, so all is not available to me (though we'll probably be touring in the US in a couple of months - I could wait a little if a certain model turns out to be just the one I need).

Finally, I don't have an amp, but I am considering buying one (I mostly listen to music on my Macbook Pro, a old office Dell, and my Samsung Galaxy II). 

Mostly, I want to able to hear musical details better , that brings a song's production closer to the ears, and be able to do so confortably in the subway or at home all day long. 

So far I've narrowed down a couple of available phones in Paris. Do you think any of these (or others) suits my needs ?

AKG K 701 (246€)

Beyerdynamic DT 1350 (250€) (tough I am not sure about supra-aural cans)

Beyerdynamic TP 50 (238€)  (same)

SHURE SRH 940 (219€)

KRK KNS 640 (100€)

KOSS Pro DJ 100 (55€)

V Moda Corssfade M80 (179€)

Beyer DT 770 pro 80 OHMS (on sale for  145€, but is it portable ?)

Thanks a lot!