[Ozer]

Hello !

I'm not going to upgrade anything right now, but maybe during the summer... And I like to plan what I'm buying now...

I bought my first headphone rig some months ago, but I already want to upgrade for something better.... Right now my rig is like this:

Auzentech Prelude (soundcard) > Cambridge Dacmagic > La Figaro 332C > Sennheiser HD650.

First of all. What should I upgrade (first) ? What will improve the sound the most ? I know changing headphones will do most, but I like Sennheiser, and the next Sennheiser model is HD800 witch is too expensive....

I think I have pretty good sound right now, but there is something missing.... Somehow it doesn't feel like "being there", more like I'm listening to concert through a radio.... (a bad one, with no bass or anything) At least when I listen to some of my favorite bands.... I've ripped my CD's to Flac, so nobody has to ask about that....

Right now I have a tube amp, I don't even know if that's right for me....

Are there any pros here, who can tell what gear I should have if I listen to the band Muse ?

Here is some of their songs...

YouTube - exopolitics
YouTube - Muse - Sunburn
YouTube - Muse - Bliss
YouTube - Muse - Plug In Baby
YouTube - Muse - MK Ultra
YouTube - Muse - Stockholm Syndrome

I think I maybe need some more punch and bass.... My ears is very sensitive to light sound... That really showed when I tested Grado RS2... I couldn't listen to them, it felt like they teared my ears apart

And now to my budget... I don't have a specific budget, cause I don't know how much money I will have later on, plus I don't know how much I have to pay to get any greater sound.... But I will not go above 700$... That's the total... It could be one product or it could be many....

 

[Ozer]

Bump...

Somebody ?

I need help...

 

[Deep Funk]

Headphones react to sources and amplification, start there I think based on my limited experience. If I wanted to upgrade anything, it would be adding a DAC/Amplifier combination usable with most headphones, especially my Pioneers, JVC and AKG.

Have you considered an equalizer to play with the sound? That's especially high on my list now.

 

[Ozer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deep Funk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Headphones react to sources and amplification, start there I think based on my limited experience. If I wanted to upgrade anything, it would be adding a DAC/Amplifier combination usable with most headphones, especially my Pioneers, JVC and AKG. Have you considered an equalizer to play with the sound? That's especially high on my list now.

I don't think an equalizer will do it....

Could I get a big difference in sound if I change tubes ?? It's a cheap upgrade... I have some "Philips ECG NOS 5654W" Tubes right now, I've heard the LM Ericsson 403B tubes are good... Are the any tubes that will make the sound less harsch in the highs ??

I don't know if my amp is warm sounding, cause I've never heard any other amps... But can I get warmer sound if I change to another amp ? If you don't know what La Figaro is for amp, it's exactly like a tweaked Darkvoice 332....

 

[Deep Funk]

If cheap works, cheap is good. I'm not that experienced with modifications so I would ask around in the (desktop) amplifier forums.

Play around with headphones and you'll recognize the 'sound signature' of your headphone amplifier (after a while).

 

[Ozer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deep Funk /img/forum/go_quote.gif If cheap works, cheap is good. I'm not that experienced with modifications so I would ask around in the (desktop) amplifier forums. Play around with headphones and you'll recognize the 'sound signature' of your headphone amplifier (after a while).

I'll do that...

Somebody else who can help me ?

 

[rosgr63]

Tubes and an aftermarket cable (2nd hand not a terrbly expensive one) for the HD650 would help, before going to a different amp and source.

 

[Superpredator]

I think you're probably doing pretty well with your equipment at the moment. The Darkvoice amps I've heard (336i & 332) seem well suited to the HD650, but they certainly aren't as tubey as it gets. What I liked about them was that they cut through some of the fatty Senn veil.

Definitely try tube rolling. While I enjoyed what a Zu Mobius did for the HD650, I wouldn't recommend sinking much money into a recable. In my experience it improved their rockability, but it wasn't necessarily more musical or lifelike. Putting that money into a source/amp upgrade is a lot more fun, and you can achieve far more noticeable results.

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from one pair of headphones and spend some time with another. When you return to the HD650 you might realize just how much you had missed it. You could certainly do a lot worse, but personally the HD650 wouldn't be my first choice for listening to bands like Muse. Then again I don't really like Muse at all.

The best thing to do is to keep trying different stuff until you begin to get a sense for what works well together. The one, fix-it-all upgrade usually isn't; it's just a stepping stone to more symbiotic pleasure and disappointment.

 

[Ozer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Superpredator /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think you're probably doing pretty well with your equipment at the moment. The Darkvoice amps I've heard (336i & 332) seem well suited to the HD650, but they certainly aren't as tubey as it gets. What I liked about them was that they cut through some of the fatty Senn veil. Definitely try tube rolling. While I enjoyed what a Zu Mobius did for the HD650, I wouldn't recommend sinking much money into a recable. In my experience it improved their rockability, but it wasn't necessarily more musical or lifelike. Putting that money into a source/amp upgrade is a lot more fun, and you can achieve far more noticeable results. Sometimes it's nice to take a break from one pair of headphones and spend some time with another. When you return to the HD650 you might realize just how much you had missed it. You could certainly do a lot worse, but personally the HD650 wouldn't be my first choice for listening to bands like Muse. Then again I don't really like Muse at all. The best thing to do is to keep trying different stuff until you begin to get a sense for what works well together. The one, fix-it-all upgrade usually isn't; it's just a stepping stone to more symbiotic pleasure and disappointment.

Thanks !

That helped a lot !

Thanks for the answers... I will come back to this thread if I have to ask something later on....