[vaibhavp]

I am looking forward to start building my first serious rig for home use.
 
I know for $500 you can't get a true end game rig, but I am looking for suggestion that in your opinion, you can live with for a very long time without feeling anything missing.
 
For example, I have heard a lot of people swear by Sennheiser HD650 + Bottlehead Crack. But that is like $800. I am looking for a competent headphone with amp that is a  perfect pairing under $500.
 
Some Background: I recently purchased a sennheiser hd518. Its really good. It showed me what a great headphone can do, but its not perfect. Its a bit too smooth in my opinion.
Also I am new to this hobby and have not tried all sound signatures, so am open to most frequency response. Though I would prefer a moderately slow sounding headphone as I listen to music to relax, without sibilance. (setup should not give sibilance overall. Am ok if bright headphones with warm amp or vice versa). 
 
Thanks in advance.

 

[NA Blur]

The Schiit Stack ( Modi and Magni ) and the HD600 would be an excellent setup that could be had for under $500.
 
Just make sure that the options on the gear are what you want if you end up going that route.
 
Schiit:
 
http://schiit.com/products/modi
 
HD600 Review
 
http://www.headphone.com/rightbetweenyourears/?p=1306
 
and
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-important-sennheiser-hd-580-hd-600-and-hd-650
 
You may want to list what music you tend to listen to the most, what headphones / speakers you tend to like, and any relevant gear you already have this way the community here can help a bit easier.
 
I wish you the best on the journey!

 

[lin0003]

I would go for the O2/ODAC and used HD600. It should be around $500. If you remove the foam the sound really improves quite a bit IMO. 

 

[vaibhavp]

  The Schiit Stack ( Modi and Magni ) and the HD600 would be an excellent setup that could be had for under $500.
 
Just make sure that the options on the gear are what you want if you end up going that route.
 
Schiit:
 
http://schiit.com/products/modi
 
HD600 Review
 
http://www.headphone.com/rightbetweenyourears/?p=1306
 
and
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-important-sennheiser-hd-580-hd-600-and-hd-650
 
You may want to list what music you tend to listen to the most, what headphones / speakers you tend to like, and any relevant gear you already have this way the community here can help a bit easier.
 
I wish you the best on the journey!

 
 

  I would go for the O2/ODAC and used HD600. It should be around $500. If you remove the foam the sound really improves quite a bit IMO. 

Thanks for input.
 
Has anyone tried HD600 with vali? Is magni + HD600 = sibilence? I use lossless music.

 

[microzyma]

A 600 ohm dt-880 and Crack would cost somewhere around there. Great pair

 

[jackwess]

I would also recommend the Crack over the Vali (not meaning it sounds bad but.) It's a magnificent pair for the HD600. 

 

[vaibhavp]

  I would also recommend the Crack over the Vali (not meaning it sounds bad but.) It's a magnificent pair for the HD600. 

yeah, I keep getting crack recommendations. gotta check out what fuss is about in some time. its too expensive for now.
 
perhaps a vali now, then upgrade to crack. have you heard both?

 

[jackwess]

 
yeah, I keep getting crack recommendations. gotta check out what fuss is about in some time. its too expensive for now.

 
Sometimes there are good deals on the F/s section, but they are gone within days. I'm talking of the stock unit without upgrades. 

 

[vaibhavp]

yeah, but I thought people charged more for them as they are already built?

 

[jackwess]

  yeah, but I thought people charged more for them as they are already built?

 
Yeah, but some guys drop the price. I have seen it as low as $250

 

[Change is Good]

AKG K612 PRO, Matrix M-Stage, Standalone ODAC
 
http://www.razordogaudio.com/collections/akg-by-harman/products/akg-k612-pro-open-back-reference-studio-headphone (use coupon K612PRO) $165
 
http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-M-Stage-Headphone-Amplifier-USB/dp/B00775POZW $209
 
http://www.jdslabs.com/products/46/standalone-odac/ (RCA output) $179
 
Total: $553 (you may can find an ODAC, elsewhere, for cheaper and save more)
 
You can thank me later... 

 

[vaibhavp]

  AKG K612 PRO, Matrix M-Stage, Standalone ODAC
 
http://www.razordogaudio.com/collections/akg-by-harman/products/akg-k612-pro-open-back-reference-studio-headphone (use coupon K612PRO) $165
 
http://www.amazon.com/Matrix-M-Stage-Headphone-Amplifier-USB/dp/B00775POZW $209
 
http://www.jdslabs.com/products/46/standalone-odac/ (RCA output) $179
 
Total: $553 (you may can find an ODAC, elsewhere, for cheaper and save more)
 
You can thank me later... 

I do have a dac. its audinst hud mini.
 
do razordog do international shipping?

 

[Change is Good]

 
I do have a dac. its audinst hud mini.
 
do razordog do international shipping?

 
Nice, then... all you need is the K612 and M-Stage...
 
I'm not sure if he ships, internationally... so try emailing him. His name is Brian...

 

[vaibhavp]

   
Nice, then... all you need is the K612 and M-Stage...
 
I'm not sure if he ships, internationally... so try emailing him. His name is Brian...

cool.
 
why do you prefer k612 over q701? I can get them off amazon for $200 as well.
 
also I found treble out of hud mini with my audio technica ws55 to be metallic and harsh.
 
do you think m stage will be better? If not, will a tube amp like vali improve it?

 

[Change is Good]

The K612 extends deeper and doesn't have that upper mid/high glare that the Q701 had, IMO.

I'm not familiar with what DAC you have. The M-stage has a mediocre built in DAC, so it'd be best to get a standalone DAC and use the rca inputs on the M-stage as your dedicated amp.

Also, not familiar with the Vali... sorry