Need help please choosing audio gear. Completely new to this!

I'm pretty new to the audiophile scene myself, but I can't really recommend you jumping into a pair of $400+ IEMs considering you probably don't even know what sort of sound you like. I'd look into something quite a bit cheaper just to figure out what suits your fancy.

 

As for the DAP -- I know nothing about the phones so I'll just stick with pure audio players. I absolutely love my Zune HD but the lack of expandable storage bothers me (not quite the issue if you get the 64GB version, I only got the 16GB). I'm looking into a Cowon J3 or the Sansa Clip+ for myself. They are probably the two highest recommended DAPs out there, so you could look into them as well.

 

For the amplifier, I know next to nothing about them but I would hold off on one for a while. Depending on what equipment you buy, you might not even need one. If you insist, some cheaper quality amps include the PA2v2 or JDS Cmoy.

 

Overall, I would just start small to figure out what you like then upgrade from there. Expensive hobby, yes, but pretty much all are. There are quite a few threads out there with a ton of information (especially Joker's IEM comparison thread). Go read up, use the search function for questions, and make new threads if you need anything else clarified, that's all I've been doing for awhile now. I can't really say that I have gotten anywhere (I am very indecisive...), but I have learned a fair amount.

 

That aside, some more information would help others give you better answers.

-- What type of music do you listen to, what will be your main listening environment (home use, travel, gym, etc...), stuff like that.

 

Best of luck, hope this helped at least a little bit.

 

You need iPod 5/5.5G or new iPod Classic + Rockbox (rockbox.org) + SE535 = you will be very happy in all kind of music.

Shure SE + Apple = Love

IMO:)

Hi there(sorry if my english is a bit strange, or if I make mistakes with the spelling). I was in the same position a year ago when I decided to start my audiophile journey. I decided to buy the cowon J3 and the AudioTechnica A700. I think the J3  is an excelent DAP, it can't be compared with an ipod or a cellphone(I had a Nexus S with DSP Equalizer). It has an excelent EQ(BBE BBE VIVA,etc) and it can drive my a700 with no problem.BUT, lately I realized that EQing your music  when you start spending so much money in quality headphones IMO is a little bit stupid. After this year one thing that I have learned is that the best part of this hobby is when you start to aprecciate the true nature of any headphone  even if it has flaws(for example my A700 lacks of good bass but I love their soundstage). In my case I will sell my J3 and replace it with ipod+DAC+AMP combo, since I don care any more in EQ and I need more power for high impedance headphones. But make no mistake, the cowon is an excellent player, for me it has no comparison to ipod. And something more, J3 or any cowon DAP can really help you improving the sound of mediocre gears (for example bad speakers).

 

One bit of advice about your eBay comment.

I wouldn't buy quality headphones from there. I guess you may have just been using it to look up prices, so apologies if I'm insulting your intelligence.

Far too many fake's on there.

Hi there, I'm not sure whether I am in the position to say this but welcome to Head-Fi! 

 

Why don't you try looking around in the For Sale/Trade forum? There's bound to be some Shures lurking around. Are your options limited to earphones/iems (i.e. headphones excluded)?

 

Your journey to audio nirvana ('aurvana'?!) starts here, your ears will thank you but your wallet will hate you... well what else can I say? Make yourself at home and enjoy the trip!

I use hifiheadphones dot co dot Uk.

Reliable, quick delivery and friendly customer services.

If you want a generic site,'Amazon will often be a good bet and their return policy and protection against undelivered or inaccurate items is second to none.

Good luck