I don't know much at all about headphones or IEMs and this is the first time I plan on spending this much. The only pair of headphones I have ever owned were the Sony MDR-ZX770BT, which I didn't like at all. I mostly listen to classic rock and jazz, and I think I'd appreciate a warm tone and wide soundstage. I was wondering if there was a big gap in sound quality between headphones and IEMs within this budget. After some research I'm pretty keen on getting either the fiio fh5 or hd6xx with a cheap amp. I care most about sound quality and wouldn't mind the lack of portability of headphones, if they perform much better. Please let me know what you recommend I should buy.
Am I better of buying an IEM or pair of headphones with a $300 budget?
- Thread starter Mikikik11
- Start date
What will be the source for your music--a phone, or what? Also, what is the budget for this potential amp? The HD6XX definitely require a decent amp in order to shine IMO.
Would be using it with my laptop mostly. The budget for an amp would be around $150
I would go with HD-6xx’s myself and like what was said before I think a amp would be good to have also. For something inexpensive I would go with a O2 or Schiit Magni3 or JDS Atom( haven’t heard it yet but most say it’s very good) all of which are right around a $100 usd. I have a Magni3 and it does a really good job with the 6xx’s. Coming out of a laptop can sometimes be a bit problematic as a lot of them don’t have a dedicated line out so you will just have to watch your OS volume.
Tonymac136
500+ Head-Fier
A Little Dot might be worth a look if you fancy trying a tube amp over solid state. I've a 1+ and a mk3. The 1+ is a hybrid design and the mk3 is full tube. Both drive my (low impedance but low sensitivity) Hifiman HE400i with ease.
PurpleAngel
Headphoneus Supremus
Unless you have a real need for IEMs, go for headphones.
Check out the Soundmagic HP200 headphones, nice fiesta sound.
Check out the Topping DX3 Pro and Xduoo XD-05 DAC/amps.
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