[Sherwood]

I've heard an R10 right out of an ipod. It was pretty nice

 

[nnotis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duggeh /img/forum/go_quote.gif If it were me buying a product under such prerequisites, I'd probably go with the ACS T1 IEM or the Qualia 010.

If only Sony still sold those those damn Qualias. a lot of people on this site, including myself, would be very happy.

For what it's worth, I thought the SA5000s also sounded relatively pleasing strait out of the iPod.

 

[UltraBird]

Can you get decent volume levels out of a SA5000 on an iPod?

 

[Sherwood]

Between the SA5000 and the CD3000, I'd pick the latter. That matches my taste preferences better, though.

 

[Happy Camper]

Another RS-1 user with the ipod. Good stuff.

 

[jonathanjong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unknown00 /img/forum/go_quote.gif i am using some white skullcandys i initially got for $8 (sale at cc) but they broke and i repurchased a new one for $20

Eh?

So, most people are focused on sound in this thread, unsurprisingly. But if the OP's going to walk around with the iPod, other factors might have to come in. Wanna give more details? Or is this just a hypothetical?

 

[UltraBird]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonathanjong /img/forum/go_quote.gif Eh? So, most people are focused on sound in this thread, unsurprisingly. But if the OP's going to walk around with the iPod, other factors might have to come in. Wanna give more details? Or is this just a hypothetical?

As of right now this is hypothetical since I just bought a pair of AKG K 240 MK IIs and am satisfied for the moment. However, sometime down the line I might put this into practical application. I'm a junkie for portable audio, but I also want a headphone that, when plugged into an amp, can be truly considered world class.

So what I'm looking for right now is, what are the best headphones, in terms of sound quality, that can be driven at normal listening volumes directly out of an iPod?

So far, it seems like the best currently in production are the RS-1, GS1000, Edition 9, and SA5000s. Does anybody have personal experience running an SA5000 from a DAP? I'm a little wary of its 70Ohm impedance...

Out of production we have the Qualia 010 and MDR-R10. I think most people would agree that the R10 bests everything else here, but it is out of production and I'd like to keep this to things that can be purchased new today.

I see several people voting for the HD 595, and while I'm sure this is a great can, I don't think it's exactly in the same league as the others listed here as a "top tier" headphone (if a 600/650 could be iPod driven, that would be a different story). Of course, this is subjective.

 

[ZARIM]

Ultrasone pro 2200 or 2500( check Cnet review for ampl vol).

 

[SBD]

Grados, sure. long as it's not a shuffle

 

[musicman59]

I just bought a pair of Audio Technica ATH-ESW10JPN. They are beautiful and sound excellent even connected directly out of my iPod.

 

[nnotis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by UltraBird /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you get decent volume levels out of a SA5000 on an iPod?

Yes. Volume is almost never the issue though. Rather, it's a matter of performance.

 

[nnotis]

You should also consider the markl modded Dennon D5000s or D7000s. I think they best the SA5000s in almost every way. Plus, they come with a mini jack that plugs right into an iPod. They take more juice to drive than the SA5000s, but you should still be able to get them loud enough. Additionally, I find they pair very nicely with the Pico amp. Because there will come a time when you won't be able to tolerate the crappy sound of the iPod headphone jack anymore.

 

[busyx2]

Why nobody mentioned Audio Technica AD2000? They are only 40-ohm impedance and 102dB/mW sensitivity, so iPod unamped would drive the AD2000 loud.

 

[moonboy403]

Quote:

Originally Posted by busyx2 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why nobody mentioned Audio Technica AD2000? They are only 40-ohm impedance and 102dB/mW sensitivity, so iPod unamped would drive the AD2000 loud.

As mentioned before, loudness isn't a problem. Needing an amp to sound good is. Like the W5000 that I have now, it can get plenty loud with any mp3 player. However, it sounds pretty flat and uninvolving.

 

[dallan]

Right out of the ipod, i would go for one of the Grado line or maybe ATH ESW9 or 10jpn. I have used the recabled Grado SR225 and the ESW9 out of the ipod with success but full sized nixes the ESW line since they are not exactly full size so Grado-low impedence easy to drive.