[rb67]

If you plan on spending more than $200, I feel it is a severe waste of money to try to go without an amp. Please give us a budget for an amp + headphone as well as what type of music you will be listening to as some standard high-level systems can reach upwards of $4000 and even $16000.

For $400 you can find yourself a nice headphone and the top of the line standard dynamic headphone from any of the major companies, AKG, Sennheiser, Grado, etc.

 

[stewtheking]

The amp thing is not only a volume issue. Even out of an iPod you can get a 650 up to a vaguely acceptable listening volume, however the lack of power is going to be evident in te quality of the sound. You are going to get distortion, and it's not going to sound as nice as it could.

 

[SimonWang]

show me the money ..

 

[rb67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyWantToSearch /img/forum/go_quote.gif T out of interest, how much would a decent amp for the PC cost

You can get a very nice first amp for about $150-200, namely the Little Dot 2++ and the Gilmore Lite among many others. If you can DIY, you can get very good systems for $100-200 that will outperform price/performance-wise. Once you select a headphone, we can guide you along the amp path depending on your budget.

 

[OnlyWantToSearch]

Thanks guys
Total budget would be £250 max I would say, even that is pushing it but... maybe its worth it but then I think, i listen to MP3's on my computer, after getting all the hardware perfect will it really be worth it just for MP3's

 

[ben72227]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyWantToSearch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks guys Total budget would be £250 max I would say, even that is pushing it but... maybe its worth it but then I think, i listen to MP3's on my computer, after getting all the hardware perfect will it really be worth it just for MP3's

In that case (assuming you want to stick with Senn) go with the 595's. And a good soundcard would help too

. The 595's don't NEED amplification like the 650's do (but amplifying a 595 won't hurt it

). Also, it depends what you like to listen to?

You could do this - get the 595 and then get one of those DAC/USB Amplifiers that serves as an external sound card AND an amplifier. Then you wouldn't have to buy a soundcard.

Because the 650's are going to set you back. You could probably get the 595's for less than £150, then pick up the USB DAC amplifier/sound card. That should be in your budget I would think...you could get an amplifier from http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/

 

[OnlyWantToSearch]

ok it looks like I will have to stick with the HD595's then.

I listen to R&B, celine dion type stuff, power ballads, I also get most of the "now thats what I call music xx" type albums too (all the recent rubish!)
the HD595's it looks like I can get for £100, the xtrememusic soundcard for £50, then I can try it out and then decide on the amp if I need one I think...

These probably wont sound better then my logitech setup right?, the logitechs are the best sound i've heard, nothing has beaten it so far however they are THX certified too.
i'll have to sleep on it but at the moment it looks like HD595's are probably the best idea..

Ah nearly forgot to add, is this setup the best sound I can get without an amplifier? (with any brand, not just sennheiser)

 

[ferraro25]

I'll add my vote for an HD-595. It is still a great headphone without an amp.

Edited to add: And if you use any Creative sound card on the "headphone" setting, be sure to turn off CMSS 3D. It ruins the sound, making any headphone sound like a crappy ear-bud.

 

[rb67]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyWantToSearch /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok it looks like I will have to stick with the HD595's then. I listen to R&B, celine dion type stuff, power ballads, I also get most of the "now thats what I call music xx" type albums too (all the recent rubish!) the HD595's it looks like I can get for £100, the xtrememusic soundcard for £50, then I can try it out and then decide on the amp if I need one I think...

It looks like you know what you are doing. You have a great pair of headphones for the price that aren't too dependent on a good amp. The only change I would consider is getting a different sound card possibly. An AV-710 or an EMU-0404 would be better choices for the money.

Ah yes, I think you can expect your headphone set-up to sound better than your speaker set-up. Headphones generally outperform speakers many times their price. Plus THX is mostly marketing anyways.

 

[kipman725]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyWantToSearch /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks guys Total budget would be £250 max I would say, even that is pushing it but... maybe its worth it but then I think, i listen to MP3's on my computer, after getting all the hardware perfect will it really be worth it just for MP3's

Get the 650's and build an amp with the remaining money (£70) you will want one which can drive high impedance loads with alot of power though. I have 650's and they absolutely slaughter my previous hand me down Hd-430's so would defiantly recommend them. Although I do warn you due to limited funds I haven't had a chance to try out alot of high end headphones. The bass extension on the HD650's is increadable though it seems to go on forever.

currently building a 3 cahannel β22 myself (will become 4 after I get it built) which is a vgood counterpart for those headphones but way out of your price range I think as the PSU alone is going to cost me about £50 (amb has very good prices on the stuff he supplies though).

great thing about building your own is that it that you start to understand what makes things sound good and how much of a rip off high end commercial products are.

Another option is buying the decent headphones using them on your sound card (sacrilige!) and then buying the amp at a later date when you feel like upgrading. But if you do that you will have caught upgradeitus.

Another warning is if you listen to pop music high end headphones will make you hate it. I used to listen to hevey metal but now classical music is far more pleasurable, sometimes I still listen to metal but it just isn't the same anymore, it seems so harsh and poorly mastered compared to some of the superbly mastered and beautiful music I'm listening to now. Don't get me wrong there will always be a place for my love of rearly rearly hevey thrash but decent gear makes it's crudeness all too apparent.

good luck

(your going to need it to escape from this thread with a wallet!)

 

[OnlyWantToSearch]

Build an amp!?, I think i'm getting way to deep now, unless its as easy as building PC's.
I'm used to one box solutions you see, I better go to sleep now, gotta go work tomorrow and its already midnight, I'll come back online tomorrow and do some proper research on amps, the only thing thats putting me off is my music collection is in MP3 format, I'm just worried that even if I do get the amp setup the sound quality will be the same as the HD595 because of the source... if that is the case then i'm probably better off going for the HD595's again!, maybe if I go to sleep the answer will magically come to me in the morning..

I'll see you guys tomorrow when hopefully I can finally make a decision!

PS Kipman is your music collection in MP3 format or do you use proper CD's

 

[Uncle Erik]

Building an amp is a little trickier than building a PC. You need to put some thought and effort into getting it right. The key is whether or not you have any interest in building your own electronics. If you want to, you absolutely can learn how. But if you're more interested in listening, you're better off buying an amp.

As for headphones, are you dead set on a pair of Sennheisers? I find that Grados do much better without an amp than most other brands. If you're looking to spend around 250 Pounds, you can probably find a used RS-1 on Audiogon. Or you might be interested in something like the Alessandro MS-2i, that runs $300 USD. Also at that price range, you could get the Sennheiser HD-580 or 600 and spend the rest on something like the Corda Arietta or Gilmore Lite.

Look around a little more before you part with your cash. There are a lot of options out there. Don't worry too much about your source. MP3s get a lot of improvement from good headphones, and you can always play regular CDs through your computer.

 

[HyperTension]

I went from a X-Fi Plat. to the X-Fi Elite Pro, Headroom MiniAmp to my DT770Pro (250ohm). Now that they are breaking in, it's been a night and day difference from my initial impressions, and they continue to get better. I decided to go with those due to my new found entry to Hi-Fi sound.

I'm sure that I'll amass a collection of headphones, but it's been an incredible start. Make sure that you have good amplification to drive those cans. Trust me, it's worth it.

 

[Eokboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlyWantToSearch /img/forum/go_quote.gif ok it looks like I will have to stick with the HD595's then. I listen to R&B, celine dion type stuff, power ballads, I also get most of the "now thats what I call music xx" type albums too (all the recent rubish!) the HD595's it looks like I can get for £100, the xtrememusic soundcard for £50, then I can try it out and then decide on the amp if I need one I think... These probably wont sound better then my logitech setup right?, the logitechs are the best sound i've heard, nothing has beaten it so far however they are THX certified too. i'll have to sleep on it but at the moment it looks like HD595's are probably the best idea.. Ah nearly forgot to add, is this setup the best sound I can get without an amplifier? (with any brand, not just sennheiser)

Uhoh..

You will have a proper CD transport > DAC > $1000 amp > Sennheiser HD700 in 2 years time.

Those Logitechs will be a distant memory.


Now this is a poisonous post.

 

[Duncan]

THX certification doesn't really mean much these days, so I wouldn't ever look for a product just because of that (not assuming that the OP did...)

Anyways... what bit-rate are the MP3s ripped at (sorry if its been mentioned, but I have not spotted it) - It seems that most people have missed that you're using a card lower than the Audigy / X-Fi standard, with potentially low bit-rate MP3s... Not a good combination at all, especially not for the HD650...

Also, no-one has picked up on the fact that the OP likes visceral bass, so I would probably advise to go for a pair of Beyer DT770-80s (albeit its well known that the treble is hot on these) plus an amp as per previous posts...

...Nothing wrong with the HD650s at all, just I think that they'll be overkill for the current setup... and disappointing when compared to the Logitech speakers...