[gunman_csz]

Forget I have mentioned any headphone/rig before, just throw in some new ideas. I have budget a budget of $1400 for Headphone/Amp/Dac (or just a Dac with built-in amp)

I want a good headphone/system(Laptop based) that has the least amount of flaws, and performs awesome throughout the frequency range (high/mid/low) for around $1400 budget and that doesn’t require $10k rig to sound its best (if I upgrade in future) I don’t want the headphone to sound "extremely extremly" bright to cause fatigue, and shouldn’t sound dull or boring; they shouldn’t sound harsh/laid back/viel/colored/fake or muffled. I do want the headphone to have just the right amount of bass not over doing it or under-doing it, that is tight, controlled, deep, and has slamming/impact affect. It should be fast in speed & should have extremely good Instrumental separation/should be very very highly Detailed/Resolution and sound lively and musical and energetic and involving / Soundstage should be wide and airy. real time exact Imaging is also very important, and they should sound natural. Clarity should be TOPTier and par to none

What rig would you get if you were in my shoes?
What headphone/system will hold true to most of things said below?

 

[gunman_csz]

bump, any1

 

[slwiser]

Lavry DA10 or Benchmark DAC1 ~ 900

AD2k at 500 ~ 500 total 1450.

or the CD3000 for about ~450 total 1350.

 

[gunman_csz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by slwiser Lavry DA10 or Benchmark DAC1 ~ 900 AD2k at 500 ~ 500 total 1450. or the CD3000 for about ~450 total 1350.

I thoguth Cd3000 were discontinued, if not where can i get them for that price and pricejapan doesnt have them, I have heard cd3k are going for around 700-800, correct me if i am wrong.

 

[gunman_csz]

any recommendations on Stax combo or headphones, are they good or better than ad2k/lavry da10 for the same amounts?seems like stax have lost popularity around here.I was just reading through the forum and found out that stax 4040a cost around 1k-1.25k and they are a good combo(from what I have read), can any 1 recommend them to me? are they a safe bet? how are the different from dynamic phones?

 

[gunman_csz]

bump

 

[Bones13]

No experience at all with electrostatic gear.

Did not know about the special at Headroom. I own the Desktop AMP/DAC unit, and find it to be great - recommended. I like the Senns with it, both the 650 and the 580. (580 is on it currently at my house)

You will need to search the boards here for some other folks that like your musical favorites. My system with the Lavry/Raptor/650 is considered too warm by the Team Grado around here, so I would not consider it to be the "perfect" system that you are looking for.

Considering the W5000 though, as I do listen to music at work, and the open headphones are starting to be a distraction to others. Not to thread steal, but has anyone used the W5000 with a Raptor? Impressions.

I would still recommend auditioning some headphone/amp combos before buying anything as expensive as we are discussing. And, if you are indeed trying to build your "final" build, I would concentrate on the headphone/amp combo first with your improved budget, and add a DAC / source improvements over time.

 

[Vic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bones13 You will need to search the boards here for some other folks that like your musical favorites. My system with the Lavry/Raptor/650 is considered too warm by the Team Grado around here, so I would not consider it to be the "perfect" system that you are looking for. Considering the W5000 though, as I do listen to music at work, and the open headphones are starting to be a distraction to others. Not to thread steal, but has anyone used the W5000 with a Raptor? Impressions.

The W5000 is the only headphone I use at work, anything else can be heard from three floors below. It is still my favorite headphone together with the HD650 in balanced mode; in SE mode I prefer the W5000 by a very long shot.

I also like the Raptor very much. Along with the SinglePower line of amps, the Raptor is the best amp I have heard (well at least within reasonable prices), notably with the HD650. I also like it very much with the W5000.
Still, I have started with the W5000 out of the Lavry jack and I have tried them with a lot of amps; I have never found an amp that makes a night and day difference with the W5000; I still have them out of the Lavry at work and enjoy them a lot.
Bottom line is that one can live very well without a dedicated amp, but just Lavry+W5000. In your case, since you already have the Raptor, you can enjoy them even more. But I would not get rid of the HD650: they sound great with the Raptor (specially with a good cable) and they are a perfect complement to the W5000

 

[Vic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunman_csz Forget I have mentioned any headphone/rig before, just throw in some new ideas. My budget has changed for Headphone/Amp/Dac (or just a Dac with built-in amp) now I can invest around $1350. What rig would you get if you were in my shoes? What headphone/system will hold true to most of things said below? I want a good headphone/system that has the least amount of flaws, and performs awesome throughout the frequency range (high/mid/low) for around $1350 budget and that doesn’t require $10k rig to sound its best (if I upgrade in future) I don’t want the headphone to sound extremely bright to cause fatigue, and shouldn’t be dull or boring; they shouldn’t sound harsh or have muffled bass. I do want the headphone to have good amount of bass that is tight, controlled, deep, and has slamming/impact affect, and has just the right amount not over doing it or under-doing it. It should be fast in speed & should have nice Instrumental separation/should be very highly Detailed and sound lively and musical / Soundstage should be wide and airy. Imaging is also very important, and they should sound natural. Music genre I most often listen to are: Trance / AlternativeRock / Hip-hop / Soundtracks / Instrumentals / Orchestra / Vocals /PunkRock

If you read my thread above it sort of gives you a replay:
The W5000 are really excellent headphones, still my favourites, notably for rock, but also very good all around.
They certainly eat a good slice of your budget, but they are worth it.
I own SA5000, K701, HD650 and consider the W5000 a half tier above those(for me W5000 are tier 1.5, the other three are tier 2, the HD650 are a case apart as they become tier 1.5 in balanced mode with very expensive amp and source, otherwise they are nothing more than SA5000 and k701).
Another good thing about the W5000 is that they don't really need an expensive amp to sound good; of course, as any good headphone, they do need a good source. IMO the combo Lavry+W5000 is and excellent middle price rig, very difficult to beat a **** price point, notably for rock and fast music. You could get the W5000 first, that still sound decent even totally unamped and when you get a good second hand deal on a Lavry, or when you can save an extra couple of hundred $, get the Lavry.
Another possibility could be to get the W5000, then one of the Chinese DACs like Zhalou or Storm, I have never heard them, but a lot of people swear for those. In any case if you get the W5000 you should improve your source before the amp. You can eventually get an amp later on

 

[manchau]

In $1K budget. I'll go for.

W5000 $730 (pricejapan.com)
X-Fi Xtreme music $80 (Ebay)
G&W AT-F100 $230 (ornec.com)

TOTAL $1040

Though X-Fi don't have PCMCIA version for laptop.

X-Fi is most underestimated sound card among audiophiles IMO. While they can sound much better then Zhaolu DAC to my ears.

 

[gunman_csz]

What about the new Stax 4040II system,or the K701 Starerpackage from headroom are they any good? would I be satisfied with them? or just jump into Ad2000/W5000?

 

[gunman_csz]

bump

 

[daveDerek]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunman_csz What about the new Stax 4040II system,or the K701 Starerpackage from headroom are they any good? would I be satisfied with them? or just jump into Ad2000/W5000?

all of the above are excellent. i used to have stax lambdas (i have no idea of why i ever sold them!) and there are certain things electrostatics do that are truly special. what wonderful speed, articulation and clarity they can have!

however slam is not generally abundant with these nor are they the most forgiving of poor quality signal. your first 2 choices can be very beautiful but may be more stringent in their requirements to deliver their best. really, any of these are terrfic choices. otoh, with your musical tastes perhaps you should consider some grados....

for some folks those are the bees knees, although perceptions of their comfort and sound characteristics seem to be rather more polarizing than the above choices. so it sounds like at some point you'll just have to plunk your money down and take a chance. here's the good news - frankly it's hard to imagine that if you've never spent time with superb cans that you'd be less than thrilled with any of them.

 

[slwiser]

double post..

 

[slwiser]

There is nothing wrong with this suggestion.

That amp look real interesting for the price and it looks like it would be a good match with the W5000s.

I continue to enjoy both my W5000 and A900LTD.

Quote:

Originally Posted by manchau In $1K budget. I'll go for. W5000 $730 (pricejapan.com) X-Fi Xtreme music $80 (Ebay) G&W AT-F100 $230 (ornec.com) TOTAL $1040 Though X-Fi don't have PCMCIA version for laptop. X-Fi is most underestimated sound card among audiophiles IMO. While they can sound much better then Zhaolu DAC to my ears.