[Kezekan]

Hello all, I'm looking for some advice on purchasing some high end headphones. I've done a bunch of research, but the thing is I'm still not sure which ones I should buy based on my "taste". I currently use HD650's, and I have an O2DAC, although I have recently switched to using an internal soundblaster zxr soundcard. The zxr has notably poorer clarity and soundstage, but I really liked being able to up the bass/highs just a bit... and that's my problem. If I go and buy a high end amp/dac and headphones, I won't have any way (that I know of) to EQ. That's kind of really a big downside to me, because I really like being able to EQ, even though I know so many people are against that. It's just that I do a lot of audio related things (movies, video games, music), and really like being able to change the sound a bit as needed based on the task at hand. 
 
Right now I'm leaning to the HD800's, or the new HD800 model maybe, once I know more about it. Also kind of thinking about the PS1000's. I'm thinking about getting the woo audio wa7 amp/dac combo. The only thing I'm worried about would be these headphones not having enough bass, and like I stated above, the inability to EQ them at all. To briefly describe my audio taste: I play a lot of video games. That's the main thing I do with audio. I love having powerful but clean bass, and a great soundstage. I love hearing a punchy rifle sound, footsteps, etc. As far as music goes, I listen to pretty much everything, but mostly EDM or jazz. So again bass is important (I love to literally feel the saxophone), but I cannot stand muddled bass at all (which I expect would not be a problem at this price range anyway). 
 
So to summarize, I really have two questions:
 
1. Any recommendations on a setup for what I'm wanting that might suit my tastes better than this?
2. Does anyone know of a way to EQ audio without losing quality? I'm very OK with having to buy an external piece of hardware to do this with, even if it's a bit pricey, I just don't want to lose any noticeable quality at all. 
 
Thanks everyone! 

 

[ChaseM]

  Hello all, I'm looking for some advice on purchasing some high end headphones. I've done a bunch of research, but the thing is I'm still not sure which ones I should buy based on my "taste". I currently use HD650's, and I have an O2DAC, although I have recently switched to using an internal soundblaster zxr soundcard. The zxr has notably poorer clarity and soundstage, but I really liked being able to up the bass/highs just a bit... and that's my problem. If I go and buy a high end amp/dac and headphones, I won't have any way (that I know of) to EQ. That's kind of really a big downside to me, because I really like being able to EQ, even though I know so many people are against that. It's just that I do a lot of audio related things (movies, video games, music), and really like being able to change the sound a bit as needed based on the task at hand. 
 
Right now I'm leaning to the HD800's, or the new HD800 model maybe, once I know more about it. Also kind of thinking about the PS1000's. I'm thinking about getting the woo audio wa7 amp/dac combo. The only thing I'm worried about would be these headphones not having enough bass, and like I stated above, the inability to EQ them at all. To briefly describe my audio taste: I play a lot of video games. That's the main thing I do with audio. I love having powerful but clean bass, and a great soundstage. I love hearing a punchy rifle sound, footsteps, etc. As far as music goes, I listen to pretty much everything, but mostly EDM or jazz. So again bass is important (I love to literally feel the saxophone), but I cannot stand muddled bass at all (which I expect would not be a problem at this price range anyway). 
 
So to summarize, I really have two questions:
 
1. Any recommendations on a setup for what I'm wanting that might suit my tastes better than this?
2. Does anyone know of a way to EQ audio without losing quality? I'm very OK with having to buy an external piece of hardware to do this with, even if it's a bit pricey, I just don't want to lose any noticeable quality at all. 
 
Thanks everyone! 

 
If your interested in a headphone with great bass I would recommend taking a serious look at the TH900's. They are fairly easy to drive and present the best bass response of all the high end headphones I have heard. That includes several offerings from Audeze, HD800 and HD800S.
 
Also, there are several ways to EQ your signal before it is sent to the DAC. I personally use the eq's built into Audirvana to accomplish this.

 

[Kezekan]

I'll definitely check into the TH900's, I appreciate that recommendation. So bass aside, you would recommend them overall even above the HD800's and PS1000e's? 

 

[gonzfi]

Detail and soundstage- HD800
Thumping bass - TH900
All rounders - Beyer T1

I've had all 3 and after much ridiculous (and expensive) toing and froing I've settled on a T1 v2. With a balanced cable and a good amp they are very impressive.

You could then consider a level above which would be the Abyss, Stax, LCD 3 or 4. None of which I can afford.

 

[Kezekan]

The T1's really held my interest for a long time. There are so many choices out there! I'm trying to really find my fit, because I don't plan on buying multiple high end headphones (at least for now). From reading reviews, I'm really interested in the TH900's now. I definitely do a lot of gaming, so the extra smooth low end that people are describing while retaining a good soundstage and mid's/highs sounds perfect for me. So say I went with those and the wa7, then got a good mixer. Would that all work together nicely? I plan on doing some occasional streaming, so I'll need a mixer eventually anyway. Thanks again for all the feedback. 

 

[alies]

You can use optical out on your sound card and go into a good dac which has optical in which will do the actual converting. This lets you have system wide EQ while still using as good a dac as you can afford.

I am using a sound blaster z into a bifrost multibit.

 

[ChaseM]

I'll definitely check into the TH900's, I appreciate that recommendation. So bass aside, you would recommend them overall even above the HD800's and PS1000e's? 

For an all around headphone I would definitely recommend them over the 800's or PS1000. I have the Th900mk2, at the time that I got them my go to headphone was an Lcd-3F. I have since sold the Lcd-3F. It got no listening time after the Th900mk2 showed up. They have a very present top end that is not sibilant or harsh to me at all. The mids are slightly withdrawn, but not overly so. And the low end is just perfect. For my taste it's a great headphone. As always, this is all subjective and some people don't like them at all.

 

[ChaseM]

The T1's really held my interest for a long time. There are so many choices out there! I'm trying to really find my fit, because I don't plan on buying multiple high end headphones (at least for now). From reading reviews, I'm really interested in the TH900's now. I definitely do a lot of gaming, so the extra smooth low end that people are describing while retaining a good soundstage and mid's/highs sounds perfect for me. So say I went with those and the wa7, then got a good mixer. Would that all work together nicely? I plan on doing some occasional streaming, so I'll need a mixer eventually anyway. Thanks again for all the feedback. 

That should be a fantastic setup.

 

[sgtstinker]

For an all around headphone I would definitely recommend them over the 800's or PS1000. I have the Th900mk2, at the time that I got them my go to headphone was an Lcd-3F. I have since sold the Lcd-3F. It got no listening time after the Th900mk2 showed up. They have a very present top end that is not sibilant or harsh to me at all. The mids are slightly withdrawn, but not overly so. And the low end is just perfect. For my taste it's a great headphone. As always, this is all subjective and some people don't like them at all.

What are you using to drive your Th900mk2's? I know they are very easy to drive, but they are pretty much my dream end game so I was curious.

 

[ChaseM]

  What are you using to drive your Th900mk2's? I know they are very easy to drive, but they are pretty much my dream end game so I was curious.

I honestly power mine with a Mojo. I also have a Burson Conductor V2+ that i bought to power my LCD-3F's when I had them. The Mojo has plenty of power to make the TH900MK2's shine and I personally prefer the sound signature of the Mojo over the Burson with the TH900MK2. I have also tried them with various tube amps and I don't prefer any of them with the TH900. I'm not saying that there isn't a good pairing with a tube amp out there, it would just take a lot of searching to find the right DAC and amp combo that made them shine. The Mojo works very well and is an all in one solution and you can grab it and take it anywhere. Its really a great little amp.

 

[sgtstinker]

 
I honestly power mine with a Mojo. I also have a Burson Conductor V2+ that i bought to power my LCD-3F's when I had them. The Mojo has plenty of power to make the TH900MK2's shine and I personally prefer the sound signature of the Mojo over the Burson with the TH900MK2. I have also tried them with various tube amps and I don't prefer any of them with the TH900. I'm not saying that there isn't a good pairing with a tube amp out there, it would just take a lot of searching to find the right DAC and amp combo that made them shine. The Mojo works very well and is an all in one solution and you can grab it and take it anywhere. Its really a great little amp.

Wow, very interesting! I was honestly expecting you to say you use some sort of tube amp. I'll have to look into the Mojo. It'd sure be nice to have an all-in-one amp/Dac combo that could even power high-end cans on the go. It would be very convenient too taking it to and from work instead of having a giant setup stuck at home.

 

[ChaseM]

Wow, very interesting! I was honestly expecting you to say you use some sort of tube amp. I'll have to look into the Mojo. It'd sure be nice to have an all-in-one amp/Dac combo that could even power high-end cans on the go. It would be very convenient too taking it to and from work instead of having a giant setup stuck at home.

The mojo works great for that kind of setup. It's not the greatest for high impedance cans. I wasn't a fan of it with my LCD-3F. But, I have heard it with an 800S and I liked it fine with them. It's really really good with the TH900 though. I also have a set of Edition X's showing up tomorrow. I have heard good things about them with the mojo too.