I'll keep it short,

I currently own
>Grado 125i
>Lexicon Lambda (can be used as a dac from line out, will hold out on a dac upgrade )

I currently listen to
>Electronic
>Funk
>Hip-hop/underground
>Some classical
(these are all broad since most artists in their respective genres tend to be fairly small :s)


So what would be some ideal budget headphones I can look at for around that price range, along with their 'ideal' amps
I want to build up a decent list so I can go to the audio shop and have a listen
I don't mind a fair bit of variance on the budget, I just want to build up a list and have a listen in the audio shop to see if they're worth it

I've been looking at
>HiFiMAN HE-400's / 500's (seems ideal/the main option atm)
>AKG 701's, and while I like them from my current research, they seem to lack in bass depth, and that's kinda important for electronic, funk and hip-hop, but we'll see, I'll probably have a listen, it seems like on of those either love 'em or hate 'em phones.
>denon?

In terms of amps,
I've been looking at mainly the schiit valhalla 2 as I like the warm tube sound on guitar amps, and they should be the same in headphone audio, right?
I'm also up for looking into DIY amps

I'm pretty happy with my SR-125i's but they seem to lack details (which is odd, right?) in the midrange and whenever I listen to a track that's really cramming the bass, there seems to be some weird internal resonance, which is really annoying, but only happens when there's a lot of bass in the mix.

I don't need a dac though! Because I have a lexicon lambda and I can use the line out of them, perfectly adequate.

The new X2 sounds like it could be what you are looking for.  It also doesn't need an amp.  Maybe the new Schiit Fulla could be adequate with it.  Another option is to find a used HD650 for about $300.

I'm planning to buy a schiit fulla when it is released for portable use, but I want a serious desktop amp and I don't need a dac! So for now, I'm just looking for a good desktop headphone amplifier.

I'll have a look into the X2's and I forgot to list the sens HD650's lol, I'm definitely considering that... any other suggestions? What about the HE-400's?

oh and btw I meant $400 for the amp and $400 for the headphones separately, not for both.

If you can spend $800 total I would spend most of it on the headphone.  You can find like-new HE560 for ~$700, get a Magni and you are set.  You can upgrade your DAC later.  If you don't mind the weight the HE500 might be a better value at under $500 used.

za warudo said:

  If you can spend $800 total I would spend most of it on the headphone.  You can find like-new HE560 for ~$700, get a Magni and you are set.  You can upgrade your DAC later.  If you don't mind the weight the HE500 might be a better value at under $500 used.

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alright, any other suggestions? other than HE-400/5X0's, senheiser 650's or philips X2's?
 
i also kinda wanted the tube sound, but anyway... if I want that I guess I could just buy the one that schiit make with the 6088's (their $130, cant remember the name).

za warudo said:

  If you can spend $800 total I would spend most of it on the headphone.  You can find like-new HE560 for ~$700, get a Magni and you are set.  You can upgrade your DAC later.  If you don't mind the weight the HE500 might be a better value at under $500 used.

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+1. I would agree with this suggestion. if you have a total $800 budget, spending most of it on your headphones will give you the greatest sound per dollar.
 
I would highly recommend the HE-560 for someone with a $800 budget. They are audiophile-oriented with an extremely neutral and have amazing sound quality. Razordog has a like-new open box HE-560 for $695. http://www.razordogaudio.com/products/hifiman-he-560-full-size-planar-driver-headphones-open-box
 
You can snipe a nice $100 amp like the magni. Performance may improve with a $320-$450ish amp like garage1217's project ember or schiit lyr 2 that output greater than 2W/channel RMS.
 
However, the HE-560 will outperform any $400 pair of headphone+$400 amp combination if you are looking from a strictly sonic performance standpoint. Of course, whether you like the neutral sound sig of the HE-560 is a personal matter.
 
If you do want to split your budget more 'evenly,' my personal choice would be something like the $500 HE-400i ($395 open box at razordog) plus a $300ish amp (my personal pick would be the project ember/project polaris).
 
Note amplifier performance has a much smaller sonic impact than headphones, so I think spending the majority of your budget on headphones would be a prudent choice. From my personal experience, headphone sound quality generally fit into the mid-fi $200-$400 category, then the $400-800ish for the just-below-flagship headphones, then the $1000+ flagship category. Sound quality properties such as sound stage, imaging, detail retrieval, and resolution is about the same in these price categories & the majority of differences relate to sound signatures. Amplifiers from what I've tried are generally about the same sub-$300, then slightly better at $300+. Never went over the $500 price bracket for amplifiers so cannot comment about that.
 
All of this is my personal experience, so ymmv & other people may feel differently.
 
Edit: the akg q701 was extremely bass-light from my experience, but has a crisp treble-focused sound with great sound stage & detail retrieval. finding a good amplifier match may improve the bass, but I couldn't be bothered as the headband was extremely uncomfortable for me with the bumps.
 
The HE-400/HE-500 are great options but a bit on the heavier side. I adjusted to the weight without a problem after a week, but some other users had issues with the weight. HE-500 is a bit safer in terms of sound signature as the HE-400 is a bit more colored. The HE-400 has amazing bass quality though, so amazing for edm/hip hop. If you feel like the weight may be an issue for you, the HE-400i/HE-560 have amazing comfort (one of the most comfortable headphones for me personally). 

Thanks for the reply, that gives me some good ideas to go with.
 
Quote:

money4me247 said:

However, the HE-560 will outperform any $400 pair of headphone+$400 amp combination if you are looking from a strictly sonic performance standpoint. Of course, whether you like the neutral sound sig of the HE-560 is a personal matter.

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Alright, I'll have to have a listen to it. Will the magni's volume have to be fairly high to support the cans though?
I should have said this before, but I'm in australia so any cans that are $700-$800 are kinda out of it
 
 
Quote:

money4me247 said:

If you do want to split your budget more 'evenly,' my personal choice would be something like the $500 HE-400i ($395 open box at razordog) plus a $300ish amp (my personal pick would be the project ember/project polaris).

Click to expand...

The problem I have with the 400i (I don't think I've listened to it yet) is that it seems as though I would prefer the old 400 over the 400i.
 
Quote:

money4me247 said:

If you do want to split your budget more 'evenly,' my personal choice would be something like the $500 HE-400i ($395 open box at razordog) plus a $300ish amp (my personal pick would be the project ember/project polaris).  
Note amplifier performance has a much smaller sonic impact than headphones, so I think spending the majority of your budget on headphones would be a prudent choice. From my personal experience, headphone sound quality generally fit into the mid-fi $200-$400 category, then the $400-800ish for the just-below-flagship headphones, then the $1000+ flagship category. Sound quality properties such as sound stage, imaging, detail retrieval, and resolution is about the same in these price categories & the majority of differences relate to sound signatures. Amplifiers from what I've tried are generally about the same sub-$300, then slightly better at $300+. Never went over the $500 price bracket for amplifiers so cannot comment about that.
 
All of this is my personal experience, so ymmv & other people may feel differently.
 
Edit: the akg q701 was extremely bass-light from my experience, but has a crisp treble-focused sound with great sound stage & detail retrieval. finding a good amplifier match may improve the bass, but I couldn't be bothered as the headband was extremely uncomfortable for me with the bumps.
 
The HE-400/HE-500 are great options but a bit on the heavier side. I adjusted to the weight without a problem after a week, but some other users had issues with the weight. HE-500 is a bit safer in terms of sound signature as the HE-400 is a bit more colored. The HE-400 has amazing bass quality though, so amazing for edm/hip hop. If you feel like the weight may be an issue for you, the HE-400i/HE-560 have amazing comfort (one of the most comfortable headphones for me personally). 

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I don't think I'll go for the AKG's, it looks like its a like them or hate them headphone and it seems to be completely the opposite of what I want, I'll have a try though.
The reason why I wanted to go for the HE-400 was because of the colour, but I will have a listen to the whole family of HiFiman's. This is the main reason why I was considering splitting the budget.
 
Do you know how significant the tubes in the Valhalla would impact the sound? Because I don't have much of an idea. Also, would the 400's pair well with the Valhalla?
 
Thanks again for the help.
 
ooh hey, and btw I saw you on that schiit thread a while ago

At $800 why not try something different and go for something like the Stax SRS-2170 system.

HE-500 plus an amp/DAC (perhaps the Audio GD NFB-11) gets my vote.

analogsavior said:

At $800 why not try something different and go for something like the Stax SRS-2170 system.

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I've heard stax ear speakers before and I really liked them (first pair of good cans I had heard). Might look into them, seen some on eBay before

rhamnetin said:

HE-500 plus an amp/DAC (perhaps the Audio GD NFB-11) gets my vote.

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Did you read the post? I don't need a DAC. Thanks anyway.

Originally Posted by asuperpower /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Thanks for the reply, that gives me some good ideas to go with. Alright, I'll have to have a listen to it. Will the magni's volume have to be fairly high to support the cans though? I should have said this before, but I'm in australia so any cans that are $700-$800 are kinda out of it The problem I have with the 400i (I don't think I've listened to it yet) is that it seems as though I would prefer the old 400 over the 400i.
 
I don't think I'll go for the AKG's, it looks like its a like them or hate them headphone and it seems to be completely the opposite of what I want, I'll have a try though. The reason why I wanted to go for the HE-400 was because of the colour, but I will have a listen to the whole family of HiFiman's. This is the main reason why I was considering splitting the budget.
 
Do you know how significant the tubes in the Valhalla would impact the sound? Because I don't have much of an idea. Also, would the 400's pair well with the Valhalla? Thanks again for the help.
 
ooh hey, and btw I saw you on that schiit thread a while ago

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hey, I am honestly not sure about the magni + he-560 specific pairing. The Magni outputs 1W/channel RMS which does meets the calculated power requirements for normal listening volumes. Above 90-95 dB is where you will get hearing loss after sustained listening.
 
For the HE-560 (with the 90 dB/mW sensitivity and 50 ohm impedance), to reach 115 dB/SPL you need ~ 316.39 mW. 115 dB/SPL would be the volume of a loud rock concert. To reach volume of 120 dB/SPL which is almost at the level where pain begins, you need ~1000.53 mW. Some people believe that you should double the requirements for "headroom." 
 
source from Rajikaru
http://www.head-fi.org/t/711824/hifiman-he-560-impressions-discussion-thread/9255#post_10970608
http://www.gcaudio.com/resources/howtos/loudness.html
 
If you are going for the HE-400, I would say that the amplifier does not really matter. I tried the HE-400 with the cheap budget Bravo V3 and the mid-fi Lyr 2, and honestly, it sounded basically the same. You don't really have to worry about "amplifier matching" with the HE-400. For tubes, I have tried the V3 and Lyr2 tube amps, but I have never really gotten into tube rolling as it gets quite pricey. With a tube amp, you can hypothetically adjust the sound by getting different tubes, but it can get quite pricey with a tube amp that requires a matched set like the valhalla or lyr 2.
 
Project Ember is probably the best tube rolling hybrid amp in the sub-$400 if you are interested in that. The cheap Bravo V1/V2/V3 will get an easy introduction to tube rolling.

asuperpower said:

I've heard stax ear speakers before and I really liked them (first pair of good cans I had heard). Might look into them, seen some on eBay before
Did you read the post? I don't need a DAC. Thanks anyway.

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Yeah but I really don't know much about yours.  The NFB-11 as an amplifier is still very highly regarded.  There's also the Project Ember.

Alright, I've done quite a bit of research now and I'm back!! and I've narrowed it down to a few options
 
The possibilities
 

1. HE-4 and a decent amp (lyr 2 or asguard 2)
2. HE-500 and a cheaper amp (asguard 2)
3. HE-400 and a decent amp (idk what)
4. HD-560 and a cheaper amp (asguard 2/magni)

 
Fidelio X2's (but I haven't seen enough about this headphones to rule it out, or buy it, so I'll keep it in for now)
 
Beyerdynamics and Valhalla 2's seem interesting but anyway...
 
Woo Audio seem interesting too but they're out of the question unless I can pick up a cheap used set (seems unlikely)
 
Project ember seem interesting but I'll doubt they'll drive he-4's/he-500's well.
 
I'll probably buy them from the schiit audio and head-direct but the shipping is going to cost something like $70 for the schiit and $(idk yet) for the HE's assuming I buy those  
 
It would be ideal if the amp worked well with these SR-125i's I've got, but not required. I like the sound of them but there's this buzz once the bass gets louder and they don't really have much clarity/seperation of midrange (maybe thats the headphone amplifier)
 
Right now, if I go to the store, I'll probably give the entire he series a listen, along with the hd-650's and by then, hopefully, it'l be problem solved.
 
Oh and sorry, I have a rotel amp and interdyn speaker set and it would be kinda nice if I could pull my speakers out the back, so the magni's kinda out.

asuperpower said:

  Alright, I've done quite a bit of research now and I'm back!! and I've narrowed it down to a few options
 
The possibilities
 

1. HE-4 and a decent amp (lyr 2 or asguard 2)
2. HE-500 and a cheaper amp (asguard 2)
3. HE-400 and a decent amp (idk what)
4. HD-560 and a cheaper amp (asguard 2/magni)

 
Fidelio X2's (but I haven't seen enough about this headphones to rule it out, or buy it, so I'll keep it in for now)
 
Beyerdynamics and Valhalla 2's seem interesting but anyway...
 
Woo Audio seem interesting too but they're out of the question unless I can pick up a cheap used set (seems unlikely)
 
Project ember seem interesting but I'll doubt they'll drive he-4's/he-500's well.
 
I'll probably buy them from the schiit audio and head-direct but the shipping is going to cost something like $70 for the schiit and $(idk yet) for the HE's assuming I buy those

 
 
It would be ideal if the amp worked well with these SR-125i's I've got, but not required. I like the sound of them but there's this buzz once the bass gets louder and they don't really have much clarity/seperation of midrange (maybe thats the headphone amplifier)
 
Right now, if I go to the store, I'll probably give the entire he series a listen, along with the hd-650's and by then, hopefully, it'l be problem solved.
 
Oh and sorry, I have a rotel amp and interdyn speaker set and it would be kinda nice if I could pull my speakers out the back, so the magni's kinda out.

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HE-560 with Asgard 2 or Project Ember.  Mostly neutral headphone, very detailed, outstanding comfort.