[ReDVsion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer That would work well with Grados, I'd suggest the Grado 225 as a very nice match.

But the SR225 might not be the best match for his listening preferences. There's really no way to tell there, though... sorry touser, I don't think you've said enough for any of us to recommend a headphone for you...

 

[pspivak]

From AudioCubes the Stax SRS 3000 system is just under $700.00 or the SR3030 is $779.00. You may get an even better price from EIFL (ask when you are ready to buy). These include the amp and earspeaker. I use mine for all kinds of music and I like the sense of realism and quickness. The dynamic range is top notch and they have the ability to play loud without a sense of strain. Low level inner detail is superb. Everything from pppp to ffff.

pS

(The SR-005 system is also available for about $350.00. I prefer the large earspeakers for comfort but the little SR-003 have a superb midrange)

 

[lizzardfire]

My budget was 750... I over shot it by two hundred bucks.

You guys keep apologizing for my wallet, but that doesn't stop it from crying at night!

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizzardfire My budget was 750... I over shot it by two hundred bucks. You guys keep apologizing for my wallet, but that doesn't stop it from crying at night!

A mere pittance, a mere pittance...

 

[touser]

Thank you all for the replys! That Stax SR 3030 system looks very interesting, but the review i read mentions it lacks in "conventional" bass. I am sorry for not being more specific in my listening habbits but they are very broad and range from tool, the red hot chilli peppers, and metallica, to Beethoven and Mozart. I listen to everything except country and rap for the most part. I am starting to lean towards the Beyerdynamic DT880 just from all of the information i have been reading the last few days. So assuming i go with the DT880's would the 1212M with the new version of the Gilmore Lite be a good match for them? Also i cannot find Mogami balanced interconnects anywhere so if someone could recommend an alternative brand that would be great. Thanks you all again!

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by touser I listen to everything except country and rap for the most part. I am starting to lean towards the Beyerdynamic DT880 just from all of the information i have been reading the last few days.

Bold added for emphasis!

We have the same listening tastes, and the DT880's are the most versitile cans I've heard in their price range. They are also extremely comfortable which is a big plus if you will be spending a lot of time with them. Oh sure, folks can pick them apart (like any pair of headphones) and what some of us would describe as 'neutral' others would describe as 'boring' but to my ears they represent a lot of music faithfully and without any glaring faults. Nothing is under or over emphasized.

I don't have much experience with sources and amps that would fit in your system, but I've heard the Gilmore Lite recently and was impressed.

 

[touser]

Thank you Wmcmanus, thats what i wanted to hear

. My big problem now is which interconnects to go with, can anyone suggest some?

 

[gpalmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus We have the same listening tastes, and the DT880's are the most versitile cans I've heard in their price range. They are also extremely comfortable which is a big plus if you will be spending a lot of time with them. I don't have much experience with sources and amps that would fit in your system, but I've heard the Gilmore Lite recently and was impressed.

Wayne, did you get to hear the Lite with the DT880? Just for curisosity's sake, what were your impressions? (I just want to get another data point) I have seen some posters who liked the combination and others who had reservations.

 

[touser]

Ok, i just noticed on this website http://www.headamp.com/order.shtml that it takes them 21 days just to build the gilmore lite. My problem is i am going to be ordering everything within the next few days and would like it all to be here at the same time, so can anyone recommend any pre-built amps that would ship the same day as ordered?

 

[gpalmer]

That is a rough guide. I would contact Justin for the exact time it would take for the Lite. It can and does vary all over the place. I know he did a lot of building for the release of the new version so he might have something in stock. Most of the amps in the price range you're looking at are either commercially available but sonically unfulfilling or sonically fulfilling but produced by small builders. If it were me, I would look at how long you'll have the amp for and realize that it's probably worth waiting for an amp that delivers the goods, instead of getting something off the shelf that will leave you disappointed down the road. I personally can't think of another amp in the price range that I have heard that I would recommend to you. Another amp line that I have not heard that might be worth checking out is the HeadSave amps, they might meet your needs.

 

[touser]

I agree gpalmer, it is worth waiting for a better product, but i am under a time constraint and everything must be ordered and arrive by mid next week as i am going out of the country on business and will not be back for quite some time, and a great pair of headphones is what i am lookoing to take with me. So, for curiosity's sake, do you know of any production models that would be close to the gilmore lite in the same price range?

 

[ReDVsion]

Quote:

Originally Posted by touser from tool, the red hot chilli peppers, and metallica...

Really, the only genre I tend to worry about in regards to the DT880s is rock, because they are quite 'polite' in their presentation... however I do love listening to Tool & RCHP (not a metallica fan, sorry) with the DT880s, and with other types of rock I have learned to accept the DT880s sonic qualities and find myself actually enjoying them (whereas before I held the popular believe that they were not agressive enough for certain sub-genres of rock).

The MS2s are still a good option, but their lack of soundstage is a fault when listening to large orchestral pieces (this is hearsay... I do not own the MS2s... yet).

 

[Wmcmanus]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpalmer Wayne, did you get to hear the Lite with the DT880? Just for curisosity's sake, what were your impressions? (I just want to get another data point) I have seen some posters who liked the combination and others who had reservations.

No, Greg. Sorry if I gave a false impression. The Lite was with the R10's, so that should be taken into account. To me, everything sounds good with the R10's. I even sound good with the R10's! The other day I was air guitaring some Beatles stuff and doing a pretty decent Paul (or so I was told, but I'm not even sure I believe it myself).

 

[touser]

Thanks for the info ReDVsion, may i ask which amp you are running to 880's off?

 

[Jasper994]

Quote:

Originally Posted by touser Thanks for the advice md01 it is appreciated. I will hold off on the headphones for a while until i can at least demo a few of them first and read up as much as possible here, but my main question now is: will the EM-U 1212M + PreSonus HP4 be capable of driving any of the headphones in my price range to their full potential or would something else be recommended considering the source will be my computer? Thanks again!

I've driven HD650's with them and it sounded great!!!

That said, there are much better amps out there, they will just blow your budget to pieces... The PreSonus is just a really good value in that it's inexpensive (under $100), very quiet, can run balanced (even quieter) or unblananced, is great for hooking up multiple headphones (4 at once), and it gets you past that first big step in properly driving your headphones. Down the line when you upgrade, it'll be good to keep around since it works well for comparing headphones and having several people listen at the same time and things like that. On a side note, someone (sorry don't remember who) compared their PreSonus HP-4 to a Grado RA-1 and said they couldn't hear any difference. Keep in mind that the RA-A is designed to drive low impedence headphones. I've noticed really big differences when going from the PreSonus to amps like the Grace 901 and Gilmore V1 when using high impedence headphones and less of a difference when using lower impedence headphones.

For $700, the setup I recommended will give you a very nice setup to start with and the source is good enough to tide you though several upgrades of headphones and amps. At the last SoCal meet several of us compared the E-MU against stand alone players and felt that it held its own in stock form against the stand alone players in the $2000 range. With modding it'll compete in the 3000-4000 range. If you go to Guitar Center and are willing to try and negotiate your price you can get it down to $165.

Regarding the Mogami cables, I recommended them because they are good cables and will run a balanced connection from the E-MU to the PreSonus HP-4 (both take 1/4" TRS). They can be found at any Guitar Center and most likely at just about any pro audio shop. If you decide to go with a different amp (such as the Gilmore), most likely you'll have to run unbalanced. Most people are getting whatever RCA-RCA cable they want and using Radioshack RCA-1/4" (mono) adapters.