Beginner Set Up for Around $500

[KnightK]

Quote:

Audio-GD Fun - $190
Sennheiser HD600/HD650 - $350
-  HD650 gives you the bass in a open air headphone.  HD600 a little more balanced.
 
There you go.  You got yourself a nice DAC, a desktop amp and a pair of world class headphones.

I second this opinion. Heck, you can get slightly used HD600s for about $200 and HD650s for about $250 here in the forums. Also, HD 650s, I know from personal experience, are pretty detailed but forgiving with subpar quality source material. This might be important for your MP3s, depending on the bitrate.
 

 

[Herky151]

I have from 256 to 320 bit rate

 

[Herky151]

If i can get the HD 650s for 315 should I jump on it or should I still look towards the DT800s or the Grados?

 

[KnightK]

If that's new with warranty , that's a pretty solid price. The Beyerdynamics, I've heard, are pretty good (880 and 990 in particular). You could look those up in past threads or perhaps someone else has experience with those. I, personally, have experience, with Grados and Sennheisers in your price range. I would recommend the Sennheisers over the Grados as their sound signature is better suited towards neutral. The Grados have a very colored 'house' sound that sounds awesome with rock, etc. But, with everything else, I find I grab my 650s. They are a good all-rounder and, depending on the amp, you can work around its weaknesses.

 

[Herky151]

What amp would you suggest with those?

 

[clou91]

If you can stretch your budget, check out the matrix m stage on ebay for $280 shipped. Supposedly they pair well with the 650s.

 

[KnightK]

I'm personally saving up for a Woo Audio tube amp. It'll be heaven for my ears, but my wallet will be crying.

 

[Ruffle]

Quote:

What amp would you suggest with those?

Read my post again.  You get your DAC, Amp and headphones for the price you wanted.

 

[Herky151]

Thanks everybody

 

[KnightK]

No problem. 650s + Audio-gd fun is a very common pair and it works well. If you have extra money, you could get more music, recable your phones, or (gasp) save it

.

 

[Herky151]

Where are you finding the prices for the Audio GD fun? And the second option is always a possibility, lol

 

[KnightK]

http://www.audio-gd.com/PriceList.htm
 
Also, I think the $190 that Ruffle mentioned earlier is the Fun Basic version excluding shipping. (Shipping, unfortunately, is $55

.) You might get lucky and run across it in the for sale forums here, though.
 
P.S. The Version A uses higher quality parts and is supposed to be better but only marginally. Even the builder, himself, said you won't notice much difference, especially with lower end power cables and connectors so it's not worth it.

 

[Ruffle]

http://www.audio-gd.com/PriceList.htm
 
You want the basic version for your budget.
 
There are other options, but can't think of another option that would come close to the FUN for the price.
 
There are other comparable choices, but they cost $200-300 for DAC and Amp, looking at around 500-600 for DAC/Amp combination alone.

 

[Ruffle]

Here is a cheap Maverick DA1 DAC/Amp combo for $170 shipped
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/491585/maverick-d1-dac-with-integrated-amp

 

[Herky151]

So this is what Im leaning towards. Senn HD 650 or a Dt880 with a Audio GD Fun.