[kleefurd]

It would be nice to have photos accompanying posts... even if they are snapped on cellphones... Just saying...

 

[Earbones]

NEW:
Woo WA3 + Beyerdynamic DT880 (you should be able to get either the 250 or 600 Ohm version and stay within $1000)
 
USED or OPEN BOX:
Woo WA3 + Sennheiser HD650

 

[Autobat]

It would be nice to have photos accompanying posts... even if they are snapped on cellphones... Just saying...

As requested

 

[kleefurd]

As requested

 
Thanks. Nice to see the set up as there are too many models out there to remember their sizes.

 

[Autobat]

That is true, the amount of hardware to pick from today is crazy.
 
This is a bulky portable setup but when I'm on the road i'll end up working in the hotel room until late and having some home comforts (HD650s) makes it much easier

 

[RainHeaven]

I got the iBasso DX90 ($420) and SoundMAGIC HP100 ($200) = $620 total. Great value combo and all-rounder headphone.

 

[BucketInABucket]

DX50 ($239) > Mundorf Interconnect ($54) > 627 MICRO ($439 (because I caught the preorder discount on the last day)) > D2000 ($129 for me yay) + Alpha Pads ($60) + DiY recable ($38) = $959. $61 under $1k, not too shabby.

 

[ComradeDylie]

  DX50 ($239) > Mundorf Interconnect ($54) > 627 MICRO ($439 (because I caught the preorder discount on the last day)) > D2000 ($129 for me yay) + Alpha Pads ($60) + DiY recable ($38) = $959. $61 under $1k, not too shabby.

Why not just DX50 > Paradox Slant or DX90 > Paradox Slant starving student.  Instead of spending all of your money on everything except the phones...

 

[BucketInABucket]

 
Why not just DX50 > Paradox Slant or DX90 > Paradox Slant starving student.  Instead of spending all of your money on everything except the phones...

I listed my own rig which just happens to be under $1k 

 

[thievesarmy]

  Put me in the HE-500 and Emotive mini-X camp!

 
Hmmm… So do you run the RCA outs through an adapter cable and then plug your headphones into that? and does that really produce better results than a dedicated headphone amp? Not that Emotiva's stuff isn't great, I just wonder about an amp not designed for headphones, and having to use an unusual adapter like that. Maybe I'm crazy tho 

 

[ComradeDylie]

I listed my own rig which just happens to be under $1k 

Lol then you should have a good answer. Imo sansa clip+ or clip zip and a slant is better than a d2000, d5000 no matter if youve got a master 7 and liquid gold

 

[BucketInABucket]

Lol then you should have a good answer. Imo sansa clip+ or clip zip and a slant is better than a d2000, d5000 no matter if youve got a master 7 and liquid gold

I've never heard the Paradox Slant. I don't know about you but I think there's really no point listing something that I don't have any experience with in a thread like this.

 

[ComradeDylie]

  I've never heard the Paradox Slant. I don't know about you but I think there's really no point listing something that I don't have any experience with in a thread like this.

 
Im just saying the best combos for 1000 will be skewed towards easier to drive high end phones paired with over performing value amp/source. 
 
All I mean by that is no combo with a D2000 will be "best headphone/amp pairing for $1000." Not picking on D2000 here either, no combo with ATH-M50 will scale up either so on and so forth with countless other cans.  Th-600 and anything to drive it would be a better performer, alpha dogs and anything to drive them, etc.  If we are just listing random combos for under $1000 its not much use to anyone.  Say you had LCD-2s and you found that using a dx50 worked great with them and it comes out to about 1000--that would be very useful to know, but spending 1000 to run 130 dollar phones seems to miss the mark IMO.
 
I dont think too many combos can even be considered where the phones arent accounting for at least 60% of the total cost, though you might be able to get away with 50%.

 

[Ishcabible]

Im just saying the best combos for 1000 will be skewed towards easier to drive high end phones paired with over performing value amp/source. 

All I mean by that is no combo with a D2000 will be "best headphone/amp pairing for $1000." Not picking on D2000 here either, no combo with ATH-M50 will scale up either so on and so forth with countless other cans.  Th-600 and anything to drive it would be a better performer, alpha dogs and anything to drive them, etc.  If we are just listing random combos for under $1000 its not much use to anyone.  Say you had LCD-2s and you found that using a dx50 worked great with them and it comes out to about 1000--that would be very useful to know, but spending 1000 to run 130 dollar phones seems to miss the mark IMO.

I dont think too many combos can even be considered where the phones arent accounting for at least 60% of the total cost, though you might be able to get away with 50%.

I'd imagine a lot of rigs with an HD650/HD600 could very well be end game for a lot of people. For example, one of my favorite combos ever was my Gamma2 ($60 because it was a prototype)--> EHHA ($450ish? I don't remember)--> HD650 ($280). It's a matter of synergy more than money, but I do have to agree that I didn't think the D2000 scales high enough to justify spending so much on an amp.

 

[BucketInABucket]

   
Im just saying the best combos for 1000 will be skewed towards easier to drive high end phones paired with over performing value amp/source. 
 
All I mean by that is no combo with a D2000 will be "best headphone/amp pairing for $1000." Not picking on D2000 here either, no combo with ATH-M50 will scale up either so on and so forth with countless other cans.  Th-600 and anything to drive it would be a better performer, alpha dogs and anything to drive them, etc.  If we are just listing random combos for under $1000 its not much use to anyone.  Say you had LCD-2s and you found that using a dx50 worked great with them and it comes out to about 1000--that would be very useful to know, but spending 1000 to run 130 dollar phones seems to miss the mark IMO.
 
I dont think too many combos can even be considered where the phones arent accounting for at least 60% of the total cost, though you might be able to get away with 50%.

If you really want to go all-out for best sound quality for under $1k, I'd recommend the HD-600 headphones flat-out as Ishicabible said which leaves roughly $700-$800 for everything else judging on their most common used price. I just didn't realize people were so serious about this thread so I spat out a random combo, my bad.

I'd imagine a lot of rigs with an HD650/HD600 could very well be end game for a lot of people. For example, one of my favorite combos ever was my Gamma2 ($60 because it was a prototype)--> EHHA ($450ish? I don't remember)--> HD650 ($280). It's a matter of synergy more than money, but I do have to agree that I didn't think the D2000 scales high enough to justify spending so much on an amp.

I happened to have the 627 MICRO as I planned to use it to drive end-game headphones e.g. TH-900 later down the line as well as the vintage orthos I bought off ebay. I got the D2K later on for a price which I just couldn't resist.
 
Another rig which I've seen many people like is a modded Emotiva Mini-X A-100 amp ($219) driving an ortho headphone - say, a used HE-500 at roughly $600 (wild guess) adding up at $181. Paired up with something like the Schiit Modi or ODAC, that leaves some cash for the interconnect cable before topping at $1K. Yes the HE-500 makes up a large part of the combination but there aren't too many amps in that kind of price range capable of driving an ortho that I can think of. Maybe a vintage receiver.