[laughingman]

Hi everyone, 1st post here ^_^

I am thinking of upgrading my headphone and soundcard, the current headphone i have (sony mdr 605 out of oem audigy 2), both of its ear pads are totally worn out. So i guess it's a good time to upgrade.

I am thinking of a budget around $300, after browse through some of the previous posts, i came up with these two options:
emu 0404 + ath a900
or
emu1212m + ath a500

I will be using the setup mostly for gaming, and mp3 listening(punk rock, etc). I dont think i will get an amp for now, too much money... I guess the question come down to should i spend more for soundcard or headphone, suggestions?

 

[enzoferrari650]

a900?

 

[lan]

I say get emu 0404, amp, and A500s.

 

[kyrie]

Keeping in mind that the E-MU cards need adapters galore to hook up directly to headphones (and even then, it isn't exactly the most convenient setup), I would first get an A900 and see if you're satisfied with the sound of it out of the Audigy2. If you still want to upgrade, you can save up for a while, and then get the E-MU 0404, a inexpensive amp, and budget interconnect at the same time. Who knows, while saving up you might decide that the Audigy2>A900 is good enough for you.

 

[cellophane]

Hello,
I am getting nearly the same setup here. I just bought the 0404, and am gonna buy the a50'0's. What's a good (cheap . . .) amp to use with this setup? I listen at very low volumes, so I wonder if an amp will really improve the sound. If I do get an amp, what connecters/cables do I need?
Thanks guys!

 

[laughingman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cellophane Hello, I am getting nearly the same setup here. I just bought the 0404, and am gonna buy the a50'0's. What's a good (cheap . . .) amp to use with this setup? I listen at very low volumes, so I wonder if an amp will really improve the sound. If I do get an amp, what connecters/cables do I need? Thanks guys!

Judging from many previous posts regarding a500 and a900, i think they will work fine unamped since they both have low impedance, I even remember reading some owner saying he/she notice no dramatic difference b/w amped and unamped a500/a900

 

[Mr.Radar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by laughingman Judging from many previous posts regarding a500 and a900, i think they will work fine unamped since they both have low impedance, I even remember reading some owner saying he/she notice no dramatic difference b/w amped and unamped a500/a900

For the EMU cards you really need an amp unless the 'phone is high impeadence, plus it takes a million cables to connect headphones directly. And Commando has said that he noticed a huge improvement in his A900 amped with a PPA ($400 amp), though that's certainly not cheap. A CMOY, MINT, Headsave Vibe, Pimeta, or Headsave Classic would probably be good.

 

[cellophane]

Thanks mr. radar, that was a great reply. I am just gonna get an amp to avoid the million cables thing. I don't mind spending a little more on an amp if say the cheapest (cmoy?) is going to introduce hiss, etc, into my system, or if a more expensive amp is more versatile (future upgrades to $$/high impedance phones could use this amp and improve). I know this belongs in the amps forum, but which do you think is a good amp especially for my system?

 

[Mr.Radar]

I have a CHA47 (similar to CMOY) and I can't detect any hiss with the amp vs. no amp so I think that, as long as it's well built, there should be no hiss with even the cheapest solidstate amp (tube amps OTOH are pretty hissy (compared to SS) unless they're very well designed). I have very limited experience with amps but I think that a Mint-Vibe or Go-Vibe should be good (the Ax00 series isn't very amp dependant and the Vibe series is considered to have excellent bang for the buck). Plus, you could always upgrade in the future.

 

[commando]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lan I say get emu 0404, amp, and A500s.

I suggest similar: emu 0404 and A900s, and save up for an amp. PPA definitely helped me A900s.