[obobskivich]

Ultrasone HFI-2400 or PRO2900 would be other good options.

 

[folie]

I've read some comments on the hfi 2400, people tend to believe that they are quite overrated , that the highs sound bad and the soundstage is lacking. Did you listen to them? What did you plug then into? Something high end? I would like sone personal thoughts if you could spare some .
Also , the usual problem , I can't seem to find them on amazon.it , and rather than paying extra for the shipping I could get something else. Prices suck in the EU .

Edit: What can you tell me about thehttp://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B000EBBJ6Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1440407339&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Akg+k701&dpPl=1&dpID=417NnoIBj9L&ref=plSrch ? How do they fare vs other cans in that budget?

 

[obobskivich]

I've read some comments on the hfi 2400, people tend to believe that they are quite overrated , that the highs sound bad and the soundstage is lacking. Did you listen to them? What did you plug then into? Something high end? I would like sone personal thoughts if you could spare some .
Also , the usual problem , I can't seem to find them on amazon.it , and rather than paying extra for the shipping I could get something else. Prices suck in the EU .

Edit: What can you tell me about thehttp://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B000EBBJ6Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1440407339&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Akg+k701&dpPl=1&dpID=417NnoIBj9L&ref=plSrch ? How do they fare vs other cans in that budget?

I owned HFI-2400 for a while, and own PRO2900. I like both; the 2900 are basically just an amplified/better version of the 2400 IMO. Plugged them into a variety of stuff - they didn't seem to change very much. I'd disagree with bad soundstaging (they're S-LOGIC - it's great for imaging and staging), fairly detailed, and so forth. The 2400 are also, imho, one of the best headphones ever made for grunge and punk - even against the 2900 - because they're a bit mellower than the 2900.

K701 are fine too - I personally think the HFI-2400 are at least on-par, the 2900 are a good step up. For Grado you'd be looking at SR-225/325 range. 701 have a very unique large soundstage, not a lot of bass, are fairly comfortable, and will do good with a wide range of music. They're more power hungry than anything else mentioned here - just something to keep in mind.

 

[folie]

What do you mean by power hungry? Also , should i put 300 into cans and add a dac/amp later on? Is that a viable option? Or it isn't worth it?
I would really appreciate if you could give me a few ideas , also few tips about sound types and such , i have not owned many pairs of cans and i've never had a dac or amp , so my knowledge is very limited.
i could try and order the 2400 from amazon.de , do you know their return and warranty policy for international purchases?

PS : Thank you for your patience

 

[inthere]

I've read some comments on the hfi 2400, people tend to believe that they are quite overrated , that the highs sound bad and the soundstage is lacking. Did you listen to them? What did you plug then into? Something high end? I would like sone personal thoughts if you could spare some

.
Also , the usual problem , I can't seem to find them on amazon.it , and rather than paying extra for the shipping I could get something else. Prices suck in the EU

.

Edit: What can you tell me about thehttp://www.amazon.it/gp/aw/d/B000EBBJ6Y/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1440407339&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=Akg+k701&dpPl=1&dpID=417NnoIBj9L&ref=plSrch ? How do they fare vs other cans in that budget?

I have the HFI 2400 and I'm listening to them right now. The soundstage is definitely not lacking, it's great in fact. As for the highs well, there is a definite boost in the highs but it would depend on how loud you plan to play them, if you're going to be at max volume I say get something else, but if you're going for moderate listening levels they should be fine. 
 
You can order them here in Italy: http://ultrasone-shop.com/it/

 

[folie]

Thank you , i will try and order from them.
I normally listen at 20-50% volume.
What is a good dac/amp for them? The soundblaster z or the e10k are still a good idea for them?

 

[obobskivich]

What do you mean by power hungry? Also , should i put 300 into cans and add a dac/amp later on? Is that a viable option? Or it isn't worth it?
I would really appreciate if you could give me a few ideas , also few tips about sound types and such , i have not owned many pairs of cans and i've never had a dac or amp , so my knowledge is very limited.
i could try and order the 2400 from amazon.de , do you know their return and warranty policy for international purchases?

PS : Thank you for your patience

K701 are just less sensitive than other headphones - they will use like 1-2 mW to get to ~90 dB, while the Ultrasones will use like 1/5th that.* For most desktop amps, including something like Sound Blaster Z, this is not a problem. However for portable devices you may not get them as loud as you'd like, or you may find that you're running out of battery more often (this was my experience when I tried K701 with my Walkman - it could drive them but it ate the battery up faster to do so). With the K701 you really want some sort of amplifier imho, whereas the Ultrasone will get along better with a wider range of devices (because they need less power). This isn't a condemnation of either - they're all good headphones and I think any of them should work for you.

I have no idea about amazon.de.


* Measurerements from IF show sensitivity (bottom right):
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/UltrasoneHFI2400.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/UltrasonePRO2900.pdf
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK701.pdf

K701 draw around 1.5 mW to reach 90 dB (relatively loud, but not immediately dangerous - I wouldn't want to listen this loud all day), while HFI-2400 draw around .3 mW, and PRO2900 around .4 mW. Even modest amplifiers should be able to do at least 10 mW; many can do much more. The IC amp on the Sound Blaster can do ~250 mW into 32 ohms (so probably around 100-125 mW into the K701's 62 ohms and HFI-2400's 70 ohms), and there are desktop amplifiers that can do 1000 mW (1 W) or more.

 

[folie]

Okay, i will get the 2400's , as for rhe amplification and dac , again what should i go for? What are the pros/cons to e10k vs sb Z?

 

[obobskivich]

I have not owned/tried the E10k, but just looking at it:

SB Pro:
- The Sound Blaster will support multi-channel audio, has more DSP/processing features, comes with a mic, and will go cleanly inside your PC vs being another "box" on your desk/table/etc, will support upgraded amplifier/DAC/whatever as it can still be a high quality analog or digital source component
SB Con:
- The Sound Blaster is a PCIe card and will require a full-height PCIe slot to install, it also has more complex drivers/software behind it, and may not work very well outside of Windows (and iirc it is not supported in Windows XP at lal).

Fiio Pro:
- Simpler, all-in-one box that should just go USB->headphones, external volume control knob (vs using software sliders), USB audio should work with a relatively wide range of computers
Fiio Con:
- Less features, external box to sit on your desk/table/etc, only takes input via USB, fairly "all-in-one" solution so any expansion would likely require replacing the whole thing

Without having owned/tried/etc the Fiio I can't comment on things like sound quality or reliability. I've had no complaints with my Recon3D or ZxR (both are based on the SoundCore 3D chip that the Z uses; the ZxR is the higher-end model, the Recon3D is the previous model) in terms of drivers or reliability under Windows 7 - I haven't tried them in other operating systems.

Personally I'd be inclined towards the Sound Blaster Z if you have a Windows PC with a PCIe slot available - it'll work as a good all-in-one starting point (headphone amp, DAC, etc) and if you want to upgrade in the future it is still a very competent source. You could add an amp or amp+DAC externally in the future, for example, and still have all of the Z's processing features available. It also includes a mic that isn't half bad, and can integrate with surround sound systems (it can do up to 5.1 audio), which is another "future expansion" option that the Fiio wouldn't support.

OTOH, if you have a laptop or want to move the device around between multiple computers, the Fiio is probably a more flexible option in that regard.

 

[folie]

I own a pc with win 8.1 , soon to be upgraded to w10. I'm a little bit worried about compatible drivers. 5.1 on speakers does not matter to me , I exclusively use headphones , if i can activate an artificial surround in games , i would give it a try . I have plenty pcie slots.
A box on my table again , poses no problem , it is rather fancy looking and i don't mind it around.
What matters is the sound .

 

[Youth]

I own a pc with win 8.1 , soon to be upgraded to w10. I'm a little bit worried about compatible drivers. 5.1 on speakers does not matter to me , I exclusively use headphones , if i can activate an artificial surround in games , i would give it a try . I have plenty pcie slots.
A box on my table again , poses no problem , it is rather fancy looking and i don't mind it around.
What matters is the sound .

 
If I were you I'd wait a bit before you change to Windows 10. 

 

[folie]

If I were you I'd wait a bit before you change to Windows 10. 

Why so? Do the drivers lack in quality

 

[Youth]

Why so? Do the drivers lack in quality

 
I have not tried it myself but I've heard from various people that there's still too many bugs that needs fixing. I would wait at least 1 month before getting it. That's my plan at least.