[Mycorrhiza]

I got my Shure SE530 and I was quite pleased with them until I attached then to a quite cheap amp of a friend. Corinne Bailey Rae in lossless just sounded fabulous!!! 1000 times better than anything on my X-Fi or Creative Zen without an amp.

You might think this doesn't make any sense, but it does: If I have to get an amp anyway, I'd rather get the AKG K 701 that are much better sounding and just keep my Sony MDR EX 85 for portability.

So here is my setup:

Source: Creative X-Fi with optical out / Creative Zen 16GB (which won't really be used)

Not much of a setup that is

So what else do I need for great sound? Which amp?


What exactly is a DAC? I read it often but don't really know what it is. External soundcard?

Is there a good HDMI amp for Blu-Ray stuff that is also good for headphones? I intend to attach a 5.1 system to it, too, in future


Forgot to tell my taste of music: Classical, Metal, Rock, Vocal music, Hip Hop

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycorrhiza /img/forum/go_quote.gif I got my Shure SE530 and I was quite pleased with them until I attached then to a quite cheap amp of a friend. Corinne Bailey Rae in lossless just sounded fabulous!!! 1000 times better than anything on my X-Fi or Creative Zen without an amp. You might think this doesn't make any sense, but it does: If I have to get an amp anyway, I'd rather get the AKG K 701 that are much better sounding and just keep my Sony MDR EX 85 for portability. So here is my setup: Source: Creative X-Fi with optical out / Creative Zen 16GB (which won't really be used) Not much of a setup that is So what else do I need for great sound? Which amp? What exactly is a DAC? I read it often but don't really know what it is. External soundcard? Is there a good HDMI amp for Blu-Ray stuff that is also good for headphones? I intend to attach a 5.1 system to it, too, in future Forgot to tell my taste of music: Classical, Metal, Rock, Vocal music, Hip Hop

DAC = Digital to Analog Converter. Your computer, CD player, MP3 player, they all have one inside already. Needless to say, some are better than others. There are also external DACs you connect to your computer or Creative via USB or optical, these may set you back $1K or more (and you'll still need an amp) - what's your budget?..
Anyway, unless you'll be using as a source your computer, you don't really need an external DAC to enjoy great sound. At least you wouldn't with an iPod, but I assume Creative's internal DAC is probably also good enough (disclaimer: I don't really know much about Creative's players). So you can spend those dollars on a headphone amp instead.

I recommend you read around more here on these forums, as well as on sites like Headroom's
HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears
(no affiliation, of course, but do check them out, if you haven't yet)
Are you sure AKG K701s are what you need? How about Sennheisers? Beyers?..

 

[GordonFreeman]

Make sure you have alot of money to spend on an amp for the 701s. They are great cans but if you dont have a REAL nice amp then you would be better off with a different headphone. Portables are out of the question. As for a Dac you would have to tell us how you want to use it and how much you want to spend.

 

[Mycorrhiza]

I am not really sure it's the AKG it should be, I am not sure about anything at the moment

At the moment I am thinking of getting the Yamaha RX-V863 (can't post links ATM cause I am writing from my E90).

it's a 800 bucks receiver with TrueHD and all that other stuff for HD blu-ray vids.
Is something like that any good as a headphone amp passing the signal through via spdif from my x-fi?

If not: as I said source is my x-fi preferably or my Zen.
The budget is in a way unlimited cause I'd rather save a little longer and get great sound. But I don't really want to spend more than 1000.

 

[Happy Camper]

Looks like your receiver has a usb input so you could use the dac on your receiver from your computer. I'd first try the headphone on the receiver. I heard a Marantz hp out and it sounded pretty good with RS-1s. (yes I know the 701s are harder to drive) If you still feel you need more power, a good tube amp will fill them out some. I won't recommend a unit as my amp is the only one I have heard.

There are two thoughts about the audio journey. One says that its the experience of gear along the upgrade path that brings satisfaction. The other says to get as good as you can afford and enjoy the music sooner. I subscribe to the second path. In the long run, its cheaper (IMO).

As for the 701s, our AKG wizard (Fitz) feels they aren't in the top of the AKG offerings.

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Happy Camper /img/forum/go_quote.gif ... There are two thoughts about the audio journey. One says that its the experience of gear along the upgrade path that brings satisfaction. The other says to get as good as you can afford and enjoy the music sooner. I subscribe to the second path. In the long run, its cheaper (IMO). ...

Good point! I also chose the 2nd path, recently, largely because I am about to turn 40... As someone here has in his signature (sorry, can't remember who), the key to satisfaction on your budget is to not listen to anything else!..

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mycorrhiza /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am not really sure it's the AKG it should be, I am not sure about anything at the moment At the moment I am thinking of getting the Yamaha RX-V863 (can't post links ATM cause I am writing from my E90). it's a 800 bucks receiver with TrueHD and all that other stuff for HD blu-ray vids. Is something like that any good as a headphone amp passing the signal through via spdif from my x-fi? If not: as I said source is my x-fi preferably or my Zen. The budget is in a way unlimited cause I'd rather save a little longer and get great sound. But I don't really want to spend more than 1000.

Yamaha RX-V863 sounds great for your blu-ray needs. I would guess, however, that your friend's cheap headphone amplifier is still better than the HP amp circuit in that receiver.

Did you consider phones like Grados, or Senn HD595, which are less amplifier-hungry?.. How about comfort issues, do you have a large or unusually shaped head (I do)?
Also, do you want portability, something you could also take along with your Zen?.. If not necessarily, then are you interested in tubes?..
Think about it, make a list of headphones to consider. Then run searches for those HPs in the amp forum. You'll see many threads started by folks who just bought a K701/HD650/DT880/... asking which amp to get.
You confusion will grow for a while, but at some point things should become fairly clear.
Good luck!

 

[Jasper9395]

I am looking at getting a K701 myself; I was wondering if a meier 2move amp could power it sufficiently?

 

[GordonFreeman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper9395 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am looking at getting a K701 myself; I was wondering if a meier 2move amp could power it sufficiently?

Nope

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper9395 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am looking at getting a K701 myself; I was wondering if a meier 2move amp could power it sufficiently?

Depends on what you mean by "sufficiently"

If you mean realizing their full potential, then no. On the other hand, to me they sound amazing right out of my 5G iPod - yet it is clear the setup will benefit further from any amp.

 

[Jasper9395]

Right see my problem is that I need an amp that has a built in DAC; the 2move seems one of the only amps that has a DAC in that price range. The 2move+K701 is going to be my first serious rig so I am guessing it should be sufficient unless someone has a better alternative.

 

[Jasper9395]

right see my problem is that I need an amp with a built in DAC, the 2move seems to be one of the only amps that has a built in DAC in its price range. The 2move+K701 is going to be my first serious rig so I am guessing it should be 'sufficient'; unless someone has a better alternative.

 

[rds]

Isn't the 2move close to $300? In that range there are a lot of better options

 

[Dash]

Power hungry cans like the 701 deserve better than a portable for full time use. Many times between upgrades I have used portables as stationary solutions. It was not adequate. If you listen in a stationary location, please consider a home based amp. If you are constantly on the move, then consider a can that responds better to portable situation. If you are stationary, things like the Travagan White have received some positive feedback.

 

[Mike Wazowski]

Jasper, I was looking at various DACs recently and noticed that many of these budget Chinese DACs come with some sort of HP amp in them. Musiland MD 10, $299 from Pacific Valve Co., is an example. I have no idea how it would compare to 2move, but perhaps you could research it further for yourself.

Also, have you seen it, there is a nice comparison somewhere here on Head-Fi of several (quite a few) portable amps with DACs?.. I'd have to search again for it, but I've come across it more than once.

I remember how I was buying my first "big cans" this past February, and one of the reasons for choosing the K701s was that their price was less than Senns HD 600 or 650

(This was the minor reason, the major one being wearing comfort.) Oh well... little did I know that was but a down payment...