[Gberg]

Hey, I'd like to know which headphone would suit me best for around the 300$ mark. I can move up a little bit, but would prefer not to

My source would be from my laptop, and ipod (50/50).
Future amp (w/ DAC) is the Pico.

My musical preferences are:

40% rock (alternative, pop, ... so like beatles, radiohead, pink floyd)
20% jazz
20% electronic
20% hip hop

I've been looking at the HD600 (or 650), AD900, ESW9, and Beyer 880 Pro.

Comfort is very important to me!
I have no preference for open/closed.

Thanks for your time and I'm looking forward to the suggestions.

 

[Rednamalas1]

HD600/650 is rather hard to drive from portable amp, so scratch that out until you get a good dedicated home amp imo. Same with DT880s - they improve quite a bit from amping.

Don't bother with ESW9 unless you're looking to use them outdoors. I would recommend AD700 - they sound great with all genres with exception of bassiest hip hop imo.

 

[Gberg]

what are the main differences between AD700 and AD900?

and are AD900 hard to drive with a portable amp?

 

[tintin47]

Most of the phones you listed really need amps, especially the senns and the dt880 pro, which i think are about 600 ohms and not responsive at all. I would recommend an amp + hd 600 for your tastes. I guess for just phones, though, x2 for the 700s.

 

[Gberg]

these headphones that I'm gonna get will be used with the Pico, and I've researched and found that it'll power an HD600 or 650 fine.

Though.. can someone tell me the main differences between the 600 and the 650?

Thanks

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gberg /img/forum/go_quote.gif these headphones that I'm gonna get will be used with the Pico, and I've researched and found that it'll power an HD600 or 650 fine. Though.. can someone tell me the main differences between the 600 and the 650? Thanks

Okay. It's good that you're getting an amp, and FWIR the pico can power the senns. Even so, they aren't very portable, and you could get better sound from spending the same amount on a desktop amp, which I would recommend unless there is some reason that you need to be able to move your setup frequently.

The 600 is a little brighter, less bass heavy (though still plenty of bass). It is probably one of the best all around cans that I have heard. If you're deciding between the 600 and 650, you need to audition them, though. There are a lot of people who prefer the 650 and vice versa. It is a very personal choice.

 

[Rednamalas1]

Pico can drive senns to produce its full volume, but at around 500$ (even 300$) you can find a better amp that drives it quite well - such as Gilmore lite. HD600 is bit easier to drive compared to 650.

you're really missing out if you're only trying HD600 or HD650 out from a portable amp though. I'm not bothering with those two until I get a zana deux.

 

[crzystng]

You thought any of the Denon AH-D2000's at all? They can hold their own without an amp. Things are super comfortable (although they could use a hair bit more clamping pressure) and sound pretty good with most anything I threw at them.

 

[Gberg]

well.. I do move around a lot.. and being a university student, I'd rather not have an immobile set-up. A Pico is also better to hide for parties

And I think i'll wait until I can try them out. However, it seems I might be able to trade one of my IEM for an AD900. Hopefully that'll tide me over long enough.

But from your description, it seems I'd be more into the HD600. Once again thanks for your help!

 

[Gberg]

Also, the main interest in the pico is the fact that it has so many things going for it.
I figured if I wanted a nice USB/DAC, and also an amp, it gives me more options without having to do future upgrades.

 

[tintin47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gberg /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also, the main interest in the pico is the fact that it has so many things going for it. I figured if I wanted a nice USB/DAC, and also an amp, it gives me more options without having to do future upgrades.

Some portable/dac combos have alternate outputs that allow you to bypass the amp portion and use it as only a dac for a dedicated amp. That might be a good thing if you want to upgrade in the future. The ibasso d3 springs to mind but I have no idea how well it would drive the senns.

 

[Drag0n]

Maybe for the price, a GoVibe Petite for the amp, it has a dac too for the laptop/pc, and for a closed home headphone,M-Audio Q-40, and a set of KSC75's for portable?