£400+ budget, looking for a good pair of cans

Heya,

I would probably put you on something neutral that can handle bass. With your budget, you could go for a nice headphone and a good DAC/AMP unit even. Or you could stick with something like a soundcard (the Xonar STX). Maybe take a look at the Sennheiser HD600 (neutral) or HD650 (dark, bassy), take a look at the Beyer DT880 (neutral) and DT990 (bright, bassy). Maybe also look at the AudioTechnica AD900 (neutral, airy). Also look into the Hifiman HE-400 (neutral, bassy). In other variety, maybe a Denon D5000 (neutral, bassy). As for something other than the Xonar STX, maybe look into something like the NFB-12.1.

Very best,

Your friend sounds like some kind of super genius, I would listen to everything he says and follow his words as if uttered by the mouth of God...

Also, give him £100 for being so awesome.

I'd recommend HRT Streamer II as DAC, Objective2 as AMP, and DT880 or DT990 600ohm (I myself would go DT880 as I'm not keen on excessive impacting bass) for £400. Beyerdynamics in general have great comfort and are lightweight, you should check the weight of the headphones your thinking about as some are very heavy. Personally I would not go over 350 grams. You could probably get it for £300 used from the classifieds here.

Okay I'll throw a few more good combinations for you to read about. There is no clear winner here, you'll have to pull the trigger on the one you feel is best for you from reading. Auditioning in the UK is near impossible.

Matrix M-stage V2 with USB -> DT880

HRT Streamer II -> Lovely Cube / Matrix M-stage V2 -> DT880

Yulong D100 -> DT880

Audinst HUD MX1 -> DT880

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwiftFoX 

I guess the DT880 comes highly recommended, I'm not so sure on OHM, is there any specific one I should look for when it comes to the DT880?

The higher impedance versions sound slightly better, but need more voltage to sound equally as loud, and therefore require a more powerful (in terms of maximum voltage output) source.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwiftFoX 

Is the DT880 still a good choice as oppose to maybe some newer units? I'm not really sure if there would be any better choice than the DT880, and from what I can see, they're all different and I'll just have to go with something.

Good alternatives are the AKG K701/K702/Q701 (these I think meet all your requirements), and the Sennheiser HD600. Any of these or the DT880 would probably suit your needs, but you may prefer the sound of one over the others.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwiftFoX 

Is there a benefit to having a DAC/AMP unit instead of using a soundcard such as the Xonar STX?

The advantage of the STX is good value for money in terms of DAC and amplifier performance, compared to the relatively more expensive external solutions. It also supports Dolby Headphone, which can be useful for gaming. On the other hand, external devices can be used more flexibly, without being restricted to a desktop PC. Also, in some PCs, the performance of sound cards may be degraded due to interference from electrically noisy components; this can vary by machine from being negligible to audible. The Xonar STX is a good package overall, although its amplifier, while powerful, has 10 Ohm output impedance, which may slightly (~0.5 dB change to the frequency response) affect the sound of the low-ish impedance AKG's.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwiftFoX 

Hey guys,

 

Really appreciate the helpful community here. From what I've read in this thread, it seems best for me to go for something Neutral, none bassy. I guess the DT880 comes highly recommended, I'm not so sure on OHM, is there any specific one I should look for when it comes to the DT880? Is the DT880 still a good choice as oppose to maybe some newer units? I'm not really sure if there would be any better choice than the DT880, and from what I can see, they're all different and I'll just have to go with something. I also am not too sure about the DAC/AMP. Is there a benefit to having a DAC/AMP unit instead of using a soundcard such as the Xonar STX? Whilst I'm spending money on it, I might as well do the job right. Any advice would be appreciated, it's just it would probably be easier for me with a soundcard. Although, if there are disadvantages, I'll rather get a DAC/AMP.

Read this regarding Beyerdynamcis and Ohm differences http://www.head-fi.org/t/513393/guide-sonic-differences-between-dt770-dt990-models-more

Everyone's tastes differs, but it's better to get a understanding of a headphone from someone who has actually listened to them.

Additionally from the same User who reviewed the different Beyers:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/512480/amp-for-dt880s#post_6939031

The Xonar STX, it is a DAC/AMP unit itself, just in the form of a PCI card. I'm not too familiar with them, but this thread offers some insight. http://www.head-fi.org/t/586879/sound-card

What is certain is that if you go the sound card route upgrading becomes more difficult. Also what needs to be mention is that, the price they are discussing for the Xonar is $175 (£110) for it's performance. For the price of £150 ($240), I think the consensus would be the NFB 12.1 would be best at that price / performance point. However your budget of £400 allows more combinations, a new DT880 is £200 (You can pick a used one though for less then £140 in the used for sale section here) leaving £200 for a AMP / DAC. I think for £200 it would be best to not go for a sound card.