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Best Orchestral Headphones (200-250CAD) - Page 2

post #16 of 29
1/12/12 at 4:23pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:

K601 is the warm cousin from K701 imo, but like you say, they require a good amp unlike the HD598.


So you say they need a good amp, and I know this belongs in another section, but what amps/dac would work well with the K601s like I've said before I have my eyes set on the TubeMagic D1 but would that be good for the K601? Or is something around the $200-250 CAD price range a better pick, I also head the Fiio's  are pretty good with the K601.

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post #17 of 29
1/12/12 at 4:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FaceTheDream View Post


So you say they need a good amp, and I know this belongs in another section, but what amps/dac would work well with the K601s like I've said before I have my eyes set on the TubeMagic D1 but would that be good for the K601? Or is something around the $200-250 CAD price range a better pick, I also head the Fiio's  are pretty good with the K601.



They may not be as amp dependent as some people claim. One forum member told me they're quite good even out of his iPod. BTW, fiio will be coming out with the new e17 soon. Supposed to be a lot better than the e7/e9 combo...the dac section at least. It should retail for around $150 USD

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post #18 of 29
1/12/12 at 4:52pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:

They may not be as amp dependent as some people claim. One forum member told me they're quite good even out of his iPod. BTW, fiio will be coming out with the new e17 soon. Supposed to be a lot better than the e7/e9 combo...the dac section at least. It should retail for around $150 USD

Yeah I just took a look at the E17, it seems to be bundled with the E9, for the same price on headphonebar. But how would the E17/E9 combo compare to a TubeMagic? 

 

And you said it didn't need an amp, but what would I gain from an amp? Like would be a notable improvement or just a minor thing and would it cause a big difference in the clarity/soundstage side of things?  

 

FaceTheDream.

 

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post #19 of 29
1/12/12 at 4:55pm

 

Quote:
One forum member told me they're quite good even out of his iPod.

 

Arghhhh nooooooooo,lol.

 

Yes there is a sound coming from the ipod,lol, but they sound terrible from an ipod.

 

K601 is rated 120ohm for 101 dB, an ipod ll never make it sound good.

 

I don't know the D1 but from the hardware it seem good.

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post #20 of 29
1/12/12 at 5:01pm

Just hearsay on my part. This particular member claims they don't lose much going from amp(I think it's an integrated amp/receiver) to ipod. YMMV of course. happy_face1.gif

Quote:
Originally Posted by DVDRey View Post

 

 

Arghhhh nooooooooo,lol.

 

Yes there is a sound coming from the ipod,lol, but they sound terrible from an ipod.

 

K601 is rated 120ohm for 101 dB, an ipod ll never make it sound good.

 

I don't know the D1 but from the hardware it seem good.



 

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post #21 of 29
1/12/12 at 7:03pm
Thread Starter 

 

 

Quote:
K601 is rated 120ohm for 101 dB, an ipod ll never make it sound good.

I have to agree with this. The iPod Touchs' 3.5mm jack is rated at 35ohm, there will be a loss indeed. But lejaz I know that there will be a difference its just a question in what will be lacking due to the loss of extra-amplification, that's what I'm curious in  understanding,  because I can read all I want about headphones, but everyone is using amps outside my budget, so I need a reference point to what will be gained/lost with/without an amp. 

 

 

FaceTheDream.

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post #22 of 29
1/12/12 at 8:18pm

Yeah, using the K601 from an Ipod Touch is a big mistake. Doesn't sound good at all. The K601 is one of the harder to drive headphones. A little harder to drive than my Q701, but not as bad as the K501. On my Micro Amp on high gain, the K601 needs to be about 10-15% higher than that of my Q701.

 

I actually use my Q701 unamped sometimes (from an Ipod Touch), but that's just for ambient music.

 

The E9 can drive the K601, but I think for the K601 and Q701, they really need better amps to be at their best. If that wasn't bad enough, they require good synergy. I've had a few amps that made the K702 sound bad.

 

It seems some people say the E10 can drive the Q701 and even the K400. That's a huge surprise and i'll need to try that! If it's true, that's pretty impressive.

 

My Total Airhead can drive the Q701, but gives me the red blink during songs with lots of bass or if the volume is up too high.

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post #23 of 29
1/12/12 at 8:37pm


I wouldn't worry about the 35ohm jack on the iPod. The LD mkV amp has less than 5ohm output impedance and it is designed to drive phones up to 600ohms. It was designed by the guy from Little Dot using the  300ohm hd600. But as to the k601, I'll bow out, since I never tried it and I don't want to mislead you any further by reporting hearsay..

Quote:
Originally Posted by FaceTheDream View Post

 

 

I have to agree with this. The iPod Touchs' 3.5mm jack is rated at 35ohm, there will be a loss indeed. But lejaz I know that there will be a difference its just a question in what will be lacking due to the loss of extra-amplification, that's what I'm curious in  understanding,  because I can read all I want about headphones, but everyone is using amps outside my budget, so I need a reference point to what will be gained/lost with/without an amp. 

 

 

FaceTheDream.



 


Edited by lejaz - 1/12/12 at 8:39pm
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post #24 of 29
1/12/12 at 9:03pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:

The K601 is one of the harder to drive headphones. A little harder to drive than my Q701, but not as bad as the K501. On my Micro Amp on high gain, the K601 needs to be about 10-15% higher than that of my Q701.


So, what can drive the K601 comfortable without a loss in soundstage?  and what do you mean by 'good synergy' ?

 

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post #25 of 29
1/12/12 at 10:49pm

The JDS Labs Objective2 is probably the most perfect amp for a reasonable price. It's a relatively new and very unique design that outperforms pretty much anything under $600... and costs a quarter that much. You'll need an AC-AC transformer such as the Triad WAU12-200. Despite being a "12V" transformer, it puts out ~13.4VAC.

 

Anyway, that amp will easily drive all the AKGs mentioned on this thread.

 

So back to the orchestral headphone issue. I found the HD598 to be a bit more detailed than my go-to headphones, the K171's. I also found them to be less detailed when there was any sound around, including my computer's fan, unless I turned them up more than I'm used to. I'm not a fan of threatening my hearing, so I prefer the K171's. One other thing is I found the HD598 to also sound thicker, which I didn't like. I think the K271 is probably the best can in your price range. Strangely enough, it can easily be driven by most sources without an amp but does have some more life with an amp. I also use the K142HD's a lot, but only with EQ because they have an overly thick bass-into-mids. It also suffers from being an open can, but it's semi-open which means you hear everything from the outside just fine, but they hardly hear your music... very different from the HD598 experience.


Edited by funkmeister - 1/12/12 at 10:57pm
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post #26 of 29
1/12/12 at 11:00pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:

You'll need an AC-AC transformer such as the Triad WAU12-200. Despite being a "12V" transformer, it puts out ~13.4VAC.

 


 

Out of curiosity why not get the one that JDS is offering with the product (its for another 10 dollars) is there a reason? I'm just curious and it doesn't seem to specify what inputs the O2 has. 

 

Thanks aswell :).

 

 

FaceTheDream.

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post #27 of 29
1/13/12 at 2:00pm

I just checked the JDS website and they're recommending the AC adapter I just mentioned. The only adapter they usually talk about (for their Cmoy) is an AC/DC adapter with a different size plug. DC will not feed the O2 amp and let it survive. You need AC, hence the Triad transformer.

 

The following is lifted from their page under the "included" tab:

-------

  • Fully Assembled O2 Headphone Amplifier in Enclosure
  • 2x Tenergy 9V NiMH Batteries
  • Instructions Sheet

 

A power adapter is not included, as we sell worldwide (power standards vary by country). Any 14-20VAC power adapter with a standard 5.5 x 2.1 mm barrel plug is sufficient (please see instructions). Customers in North America can optionally add a Triad WAU12-200 power adapter to their O2 order.

Please note that manufactured products may differ slightly in color & texture from 3D renderings. Our manufacturers will match products as closely as possible to our reference images.

-------

I added color for emphasis. It appears that they now offer the AC adapter in a dropdown box for $10 more. I hadn't seen that before. Anyway, everyone loves this thing unless they built it themselves and screwed it up, in which case they get tips and fix it and then love it.

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post #28 of 29
1/13/12 at 2:23pm

I'd say, definitely not DT990.  A900, maybe.   HD598?  Definitely yes. It shines with such music with its forward mid range, great soundstage, a very spacious sound, excellent detail retrieval...and its a damn fun can too.

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post #29 of 29
1/13/12 at 5:41pm
Thread Starter 

Okay guys thanks for all the help, here is what I've narrowed it down to:

 

HD598 or K601 (whichever I can find locally) unless I can find a K501 for similar if not cheaper price.

 

and for the amp the O2 is really tempting, especially for its $100 less than what the TubeMagic D1 would set me back, but I can't justify spending 350 Dollars and than using a 3.5mm onboard audio for the signal, unless somehow all this equipment is going to change the interference and un-purifcations caused by the onboard card. Thats my only issue, like if that extra $100 can get me a good DAC that will use a COSLINK or less perferably usb input to the DAC. I know I can go and spend so much more, but right now its  out of my budget.

 

I'm just curious though, I use to have an amp, don't remember the brand or model, but it wasn't great and it was an old digital amp (no tubes) so it only had rca in, and I had it hooked up with a 3.5mm to rca cable and with  the speakers I had it sounded decent, so would 3.5mm set me back that far? Because from what I've read it does, I'm curious though anyone can clarify.

 

Thanks In Advance,

 

FaceTheDream.

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