[deathrage]

Hey everyone, im new to the forum and against my better judgement, slowly becoming a low level audiphile
 
so not to get off on the wrong this is how i got here:
 
I love music and have always been fine with lower end equipment, just give me my ipod and some earphones and i was happy.  Then one day i made the mistake of getting drunk and roaming the intenet.  Next day i found out i ordered a $300 pair of klipsch custom 3 headphones.  Needless to say when i got them it was to late to return them, so i broke open the box and started to use them and right off the bat i began to realize what i was missing.  Fast forward to 2 weeks ago when i being the clutz i am in the morning stepped on them and broke them. 
 
Now after some deliberation i decided to not return to stupid 20 dollar headphones, i was going to do my research and go to whatever lengths necessary to improve my portable music experience.  And boy did i not realize what i was getting myself into.  All this new equipment that can make your experience better that i have never heard of let alone understand.
 
What i would like is some of you kind folks to help me understand all this new stuff and guid me in making the best decison posible. 
 
Also budget is not "realy" and issue.  When it comes to things that i am passionat about, ill find what i like regardless of cost, and save up for it, even if it means putting money away for a whole year.  And to add more to it, i love everything from clasic rock, to heavy metal (more emphasis on the metal)

 

[hudamanium]

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/433318/shootout-59-portable-headphones-compared-earpollution-throwbax-subjekt-ak-hd1000-added-11-21
 
Fantastic thread about portables. Take a look! 

 

[deathrage]

It was a great thread, with lots of good info.  But i just dont want to go throught the motions, i dont want to be held back by things like price.  Though i am still looking, i have found one pair (shure 535s)that i like, yet i dont want to commit untill i have seen everything that there is to offer.

 

[deathrage]

Well i have been looking around at sites and reviews and so far 2 have caught my attention, the shure 535's and the AKG 702.  Now that these are both 2 completely different style headphones, and i understand that, but butting that aside and focusing on perfromance im am curious as th what people think.  Also i need help finding a portable headphone amp to interface with both my ipod and my laptop so if anyone has a sugestion i am all ears.

 

[VulgarDisplay]

If this is for portable use you might also like to check out some in ear monitors.  

 

[deathrage]

if i understand the defenition of in ear monitors, the klipsch custom 3's i had and the shure 535's would fit that criteria.  The only time i need to have in ear monitors/earbuds (ugg) is maybe while i am jogging/working out, otherwise i am perfectly fine with a good set of cans.   So far i am liking the AKG 702's more and more the more i read about them, I think they would be a good stepping stone to get into the hi-fi headphone game so to speak. 
 
Over the years i have bypassed buying CD's and just resorted to MP3's and the like.  But now that i am becoming a little more serious when it comes to quality, i think i will be purchasing CD's more often.  But in the mean time i still want the music in my Ipod to sound better so i have been in search of a good portable headphone amp.  Right now i am looking at the FiiO E7,  From what it sounds like with the proper cable looks like you can bypass the Ipod's built in DAC and get better sound reproduction.

 

[disastermouse]

Quote:

Well i have been looking around at sites and reviews and so far 2 have caught my attention, the shure 535's and the AKG 702.  Now that these are both 2 completely different style headphones, and i understand that, but butting that aside and focusing on perfromance im am curious as th what people think.  Also i need help finding a portable headphone amp to interface with both my ipod and my laptop so if anyone has a sugestion i am all ears.

If you like the Shure - why not look at the EarSonics SM3?  If/when I get IEMs, those are the ones I'll likely try.

 

[deathrage]

Im kind of leaning away from an in ear monitor, i want a good set of cans, but want to understand what makes a HP great, i dont want to just go out and buy the best and not realy understand what i bought.

 

[xtasi]

Just to let you know, cans like the AKG K702 aren't meant to be run portable.  The K702's especially a require a strong amp.  When you're purchasing higher-end headphones, you'll also need some amps and maybe even good DACs.

 

[deathrage]

What about with a portable amp such as the FiiO E7?  I want a good set of cans that i can take with me on deployments and such (im military).