[ashman1986]

Hi Guys,
 
New to the whole 'AudioPhile' scene so treat me as a layman!
 
Stupidly in the past i purchased a pair of Beats Studio Wireless for a silly amount of money and frankly they weren't worth it! anyway they are long gone and now i'm after a pair of over ear open back pair for home listening on my PC (and maybe a bit of gaming) 
 
I need some recommendations as to what i should get, i listen to all kinds of music but mainly rock, r&b, hip hop, folk. 
 
In my PC i have a Asus Xonar DX 7.1 card and i'm assuming i need to purchase a Headphone Amp to drive certain phones so if you could also recommend an amp as well please.
 
My budget is around £400
 
At the moment i have been looking at the following phones;
 
Sennheiser HD598
Sennheiser HD600 
Sennheiser HD650 
HiFiman HE-400 (i or s?)
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[ashman1986]

Bump...anyone?
 
Bit of movement on this actuallyl, pretty much decided that im going to go with the below line up, would be good if anyone could comment or reccommend anything better around the same price range! Thanks
 
HD650
Schiit Magni 2
Dragonfly 1.2 DAC

 

[Me x3]

  Bump...anyone?
 
Bit of movement on this actuallyl, pretty much decided that im going to go with the below line up, would be good if anyone could comment or reccommend anything better around the same price range! Thanks
 
HD650
Schiit Magni 2
Dragonfly 1.2 DAC

Why not Modi 2?

 

[PinkyPowers]

The Dragonfly's worth lies mostly in its size. The amount of sound you can get out of something so small is great. But if you don't need it to be pocketable, I always recommend a full-size DAC and amp. They will sound better.

HD600/650
Modi 2
Magni 2

That is a fantastic beginner's setup, and may be the last one you ever need.

 

[ashman1986]

Thanks i think im gunna go for the 600's with the Magni and Modi.
 
I also have a question regarding file format, should i be downloading FLAC files to get the best quality sound? how much different are they from MP3, is it worth it?
 
Thanks

 

[Monsterzero]

Hey there welcome to the forums,

Curious as to why you chose Sennheiser over any other company.

 

 

[Monsterzero]

  Thanks i think im gunna go for the 600's with the Magni and Modi.
 
I also have a question regarding file format, should i be downloading FLAC files to get the best quality sound? how much different are they from MP3, is it worth it?
 
Thanks

typically 320 MP3s sound pretty good,that being said if storage size isnt an issue I always try to find the best possible FLAC version of a particular song I can,but that can be hit and miss.

For example,I recently found a 24bit version "Ziggy Stardust" ,David Bowie and the bass on it was anemic....found a regualr FLAC version of it and the bass and overall sound was superior to my ears.

TL;DR mastering is as,if not more important vs. the FLAC or MP3 debate

 

[PinkyPowers]

I also have a question regarding file format, should i be downloading FLAC files to get the best quality sound? how much different are they from MP3, is it worth it?

Thanks

That's a touchy subject, friend.

To cut through the politics, I can say with scientific fact, MP3 does lose musical information. Whereas a Lossless format like FLAC gives you the whole file, undiminished from the CD. That's why most of us on Head-fi use FLAC more than any other codec. Simply for the purity of it.

Now... will you hear a difference? I can't say. I'm not sure I can tell a difference between 320Kb/s MP3 and FLAC. Hell, once you hit 256Kb/s, I doubt I could score well in a blind test. And yet I still use FLAC almost exclusively. It's a silly peace-of-mind thing.

I can absolutely tell when I'm listening to 192. That's some crummy crap.

 

[ashman1986]

  Hey there welcome to the forums,

Curious as to why you chose Sennheiser over any other company.

 

After much research online the Sennheiser 650 just seemed to outshine a lot of headphones around that price range, consistantly good reviews and 'Top Of' lists swayed me

 

[Monsterzero]

  After much research online the Sennheiser 650 just seemed to outshine a lot of headphones around that price range, consistantly good reviews and 'Top Of' lists swayed me

I like my 600s,actually prefer them over 650s and they are a great headphone.And being new to headphones im sure you will really enjoy Senns,however many folks,including myself,ultimately find Senns "boring"

If these will be your endgame headphone then i think 600s/650s will serve you well as all-arounders,they wont sound awful with any genre of music,but there are others out there that do a specific genre better.

Another good all arounder is Beyer 880s,and for a bassier option i prefer Philips Fidelio X1/X2

For rock music I def prefer Grados

 

[PinkyPowers]

The HD600 or 650 is a wonderful place to start. Especially if you can get them for a nice low price somewhere. Don't be afraid of buying used, if you get a good deal.

I've had my HD600 for a year, and I've never found them boring. They have a laid-back and relaxed sound, which some folk call dull. If you're anything like me, you'll simply find it soothing and euphoric.

A couple of months ago I upgraded to the Audeze LCD-2.2f. It has the same laid-back, soothing sound I adore in the HD600, only quite a few steps up in quality. The HD600 set a very high bar indeed, and it took a thousand dollar headphone to make it worth the upgrade.

The HD600 still gets daily use, though.

 

[Me x3]

  Thanks i think im gunna go for the 600's with the Magni and Modi.
 
I also have a question regarding file format, should i be downloading FLAC files to get the best quality sound? how much different are they from MP3, is it worth it?
 
Thanks

 
You won't be able to tell them apart (properly encoded mp3 320kbps vs FLAC)
 
But, there's plenty of bad transcodes, that is files that went through loosy conversions many times, they can reach you as 320kbps but they'll sound worse than 128kbps.
 
Here you have more info:
https://www.whatinterviewprep.com/prepare-for-the-interview/transcodes/
 
You can still find FLAC files that come from Lossy files, but this is plain scam and not that common.
 
That's why going FLAC is a safer way because you avoid the transcoding thing (most of the times)

 

[TimeLord]

The HD 650 will serve you well, however, the bass will be anemic when playing hip-hop.
 
You should also consider the AKG K7XX, which does a lot of things right and has the bass that the HD 650 is missing. There are some trade offs, since it does not perform as well as the HD 650 in the mids and highs. The K7XX is more applicable to more genres, but the HD 650 outperforms it in specific genres, if that makes sense.
 
As for file types, I would recommend that you buy CDs and rip them to FLAC yourself using Exact Audio Copy. That way you get an accurate representation of what should be there. Like others have said, there is much debate about what one may or may not be able to hear, but all of that is subjective. If you have an exact copy of the CD, there is no question about the quality as delivered from the studio (there is of course the caveat regarding the mastering, but that is out of your control anyway).

 

[VGoghs earfrmsc]

If you buy used, ensure they are boxed and have everything that they should have, cables interconnects etc.  That way if you don't like them and decide to sell them, you wont lose much/anything.

 

[ashman1986]

Ok so i went with the 650's, got a almost new pair on ebay for £175, ($250) and purchased the two little schiits cant wait to try it all out!
 
Thanks for all the responses guys!