[Nextinline77]

I currently own a pair of Ultimate Ear TripleFi 10's that I've been using for a couple of years now that are seeming to be at the end of their life. ( they've been held together by gaff tape for the past 6 months ) I think they sound great and have served me well but I was always found them to be rather uncomfortable and rather then going the custom IEM route ( I previously had a couple of bad experiences with impression and decided to just get the TripleFi's ) I'm looking for the nicest Cans/Amp/DAC combo I can put together for under $400.
 
First off I'm a musician and instrument separation and clarity is a huge deal to me, I feel as though the TripleFi's did a good job with this even though they had some hype on the bass I actually kind of liked that about them. I'll be using this setup strictly at home with my Macbook Pro so portability isn't an issue. I mainly listen to rock with some jazz and blues as well. Anyways for starters I'd like to know if it's realistic to expect to get equal or hopefully better quality of sound with my budget going this route instead of IEM's? After that I'm just hoping you guys could give me some suggestions on what would be the best setup I could get with my budget? Thanks!

 

[xtroria]

Shure srh1440 with schiit magni probably ?

 

[Za Warudo]

You could join the AKG K7XX group buy on Massdrop for $200 and buy some amp/dac combo like the magni/modi, though Vali might be more suitable than the Magni.

 

[amigomatt]

I would think the NAD HP50 with the HRT Microstreamer. Is that still under 400?

 

[amigomatt]

I'm a musician too and the nads give me the realism and neutrality I need, as well as great detail and clarity without even a hint of harshness in the treble. It may come to over 400 though. I can't work out dollars off the top of my head. All I know is that you'll get a better deal than we do here in the UK. Heck, the NADs don't even need an amp, they sound great out of anything. Save for the amp later. They're closed back too so great for tracking/recording.

 

[Nextinline77]

I did a little more research on the SRH1440's and they seemed to be a good headphone choice for me. I just picked them up for $250 new so now I just need an amp. Thanks for all of the help so far.
 
 
edit: How important is it that I get a DAC? Would I get good sound with just the 1440's and an amp?

 

[xtroria]

  I did a little more research on the SRH1440's and they seemed to be a good headphone choice for me. I just picked them up for $250 new so now I just need an amp. Thanks for all of the help so far.
 
 
edit: How important is it that I get a DAC? Would I get good sound with just the 1440's and an amp?

SRH1440 doesnt really need an amp, it's 37ohm and shure built it to be used with many portable devices. If you want amp and dac, E10K will be more than enough to drive them. If you just want an amp, you can get schiit magni, or O2 amp

 

[Nextinline77]

Thanks. I've heard that the SRH1440 tend to be a little bright (thinking of trying the dave thorn mod) as well as the magni. Does anyone have any experience using the two together? Getting the magni and then later getting a modi seems to be a good cost effective option and it's almost $100 less then the Objective set up. I just don't want to have an issue with my setup becoming overly bright.

 

[Rhamnetin]

  You could join the AKG K7XX group buy on Massdrop for $200 and buy some amp/dac combo like the magni/modi, though Vali might be more suitable than the Magni.

 
This is probably the route I'd go too.

 

[AlrightMister]

Check out the Schiit Fulla DAC/Amp. It will sound better than your headphone out and it's portable too. You'll still be under budget, job done.