[kaneman890]

as the title says im finally looking to upgrade my m50's with something in the 3-400 dollar range.  i use a yulong u100 as my dac/amp. from the little reading that i did im more or less choosing between HD 600 or DT 880 (600ohm) although more recomendations are always welcome, shopping for all this is part of the fun

.   but back to the HD600 and DT880 how do they compare with metal, such as Parkway drive, texas in july, bring me the horizon and that sort, as well as instrumental stuff like boards of canada, el ten eleven, if trees could talk.  there is much more but those 2 music types make up a big chunk of what i listen to.  also i plan on getting a stand alone tube amp like a little dot MKiii in the next 2-3 months so im wondering how that (and my u100) would do at powering the 600omh dt880.
 
any and all input is welcome and very much appreciated

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

as the title says im finally looking to upgrade my m50's with something in the 3-400 dollar range.  i use a yulong u100 as my dac/amp. from the little reading that i did im more or less choosing between HD 600 or DT 880 (600ohm) although more recomendations are always welcome, shopping for all this is part of the fun

.   but back to the HD600 and DT880 how do they compare with metal, such as Parkway drive, texas in july, bring me the horizon and that sort, as well as instrumental stuff like boards of canada, el ten eleven, if trees could talk.  there is much more but those 2 music types make up a big chunk of what i listen to.  also i plan on getting a stand alone tube amp like a little dot MKiii in the next 2-3 months so im wondering how that (and my u100) would do at powering the 600omh dt880.
 
any and all input is welcome and very much appreciated

 
Heya,
 
I would easily say the Hifiman HE-400 is your ideal headphone for what you're looking for. Will work great from your current gear.
 
The HD600 & DT880 are great for all genres. Neutral, with some warmth. The Beyer is slightly more analytical/dry sounding, slightly brighter, maybe a touch warmer too. The HD600 is a little smoother, fairly warm, but not bassy. Both have great mids for genres that revolves around guitar, vocals, cymbals, and blast beats, etc. What you want is speed. The Little Dot MKIII is good for high impedance headphones like the 300ohm/600ohm headphones, but not good for low impedance headphones (like an ortho). The MKIII is all tube, it will warm up the headphones you put it on and give it that tubey bloom (blurs the sound a touch, warms it up too, far from being "more accurate").
 
I would put you instead on the Hifiman HE-400 with a Little Dot I+. The I+ has big output at low impedance, so matches a low impedance high current demanding ortho very well. Orthos have the mids and speed you'll want for metal.
 
Very best,

 

[kaneman890]

i should also mention that im a bit of a bass head, which pair will deal with the i guess punchier (i cant think of any other way to put it) lows in metal? also im looking to stay on the lower end of that 3-400 range if i can which is why i choose the hd600 and dt880, because i can get them both for right around 300. the hifiman looks nice and i have their RE-0's which i love, but its a bit high in price and i have no where to hear it that i know of.

edit: although i think if i where to go with something for Hifiman i would wait a bit and splurge on the HE500, i hear those are amazing and that big review of all the flagship headphones only made me want it more. however that may have to wait until my next upgrade do to me being in school and all and money is somewhat tight.

edit #2 actually after looking a bit more into the HE400 it is starting to appeal a bit more to me. if i was to go with that, what is a good hybrid tube amp that would pair up with that latter on down the road? the I+ looks very nice and all but its price just seems to say that it is either not going to be a big upgrade, or its just a ridiculously good value.

 

[punks15]

The HE400 will be a better choice. I haven't experienced it with many amps however ( only straight out of Gainclone LM3886 ), sorry

 

[kaneman890]

Ya, the more I look into it the more I want the HE 400, now I'm trying to decide if I want to settle for that or splurge a bit on the he500, how much of an upgrade would that be?

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Ya, the more I look into it the more I want the HE 400, now I'm trying to decide if I want to settle for that or splurge a bit on the he500, how much of an upgrade would that be?

 
Heya,
 
I have the 300/400/500.
 
The HE-400 has more mid-bass kick, it's slightly bassier. They HE400 and  HE500 are quite similar. The HE500 is simply more refined, more natural, more close to neutral. It's not a huge upgrade, but no flagship really is in my opinion. Your'e talking about small gains with huge prices. Based on everything you described, even if you could buy the most expensive headphone, the HE-400 still sounds more like what you're looking for.
 
Very best,

 

[kaneman890]

Heya,

I have the 300/400/500.

The HE-400 has more mid-bass kick, it's slightly bassier. They HE400 and  HE500 are quite similar. The HE500 is simply more refined, more natural, more close to neutral. It's not a huge upgrade, but no flagship really is in my opinion. Your'e talking about small gains with huge prices. Based on everything you described, even if you could buy the most expensive headphone, the HE-400 still sounds more like what you're looking for.

Very best,

that's kinda what I expected to hear, and I'm fairly convinced I'm going to go with the 400, any opinion on an amp? I'm probably going to get the headphones as a Christmas gift so instead of me buying them like I originally planed I may just upgrade my amp while I'm at it. Would you say that the I+ is a worth while upgrade from the amp in my yulong u100? I'll probably look into it with another thread but I'm just curious if you have heard both.

also thanks for all the help

 

[KCxSmacker]

another vote for the HE-400 here. 

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

that's kinda what I expected to hear, and I'm fairly convinced I'm going to go with the 400, any opinion on an amp? I'm probably going to get the headphones as a Christmas gift so instead of me buying them like I originally planed I may just upgrade my amp while I'm at it. Would you say that the I+ is a worth while upgrade from the amp in my yulong u100? I'll probably look into it with another thread but I'm just curious if you have heard both.
also thanks for all the help

 
Heya,
 
I would not bother upgrading amps until later. Just get to know the HE400 if you get it. It's efficient and doesn't need much power from an amplifier. It simply scales a little with added power as an ortho, they just love gobs of current. If you really want to play around with amps, when you're ready, look into a speaker tap adapter and hook that HE400 into a speaker amp or receiver, it works, and it's actually very pleasing.
 
Very best,

 

[kaneman890]

lol, ya i should slow down it had just been a while since i bought anything audio related and i was getting all excited. thanks for the help again

 

[punks15]

Quote:

that's kinda what I expected to hear, and I'm fairly convinced I'm going to go with the 400, any opinion on an amp? I'm probably going to get the headphones as a Christmas gift so instead of me buying them like I originally planed I may just upgrade my amp while I'm at it. Would you say that the I+ is a worth while upgrade from the amp in my yulong u100? I'll probably look into it with another thread but I'm just curious if you have heard both.
also thanks for all the help

HE400 is enjoyable out of Yulong's built in amp, i think you'll be better saving money for a good amp upgrade or a DAC upgrade