[iKage]

Hello everyone,
 
I'm posting cause I wonder what is the best over-hear I can get for about 350 € , knowing that I will essentially use it for rock music, jazz, pop, and a little bit of electonic music also.
I will use it on my computer with a HDAV 1.3 soundcard.
please forgive me for my poor english.

 

[iKage]

up please

 

[SolidVictory]

Well there is no "best" headphone. It is mostly preference, and the music that you listen to which makes the decision relevant. For your genres, I would suggest the Sennheiser HD650 with a decent amp (your sound card is good, but it will not be able to drive any headphone above ~200 ohms (the HD650's are 300ohms) to their maximum potential, so you will need to invest in a headphone amplifier. If you want, you can purchase a portable headphone amplifier for around $150 which will do relatively well with the HD650 (still not near as best as can be, though).
 
So you might have to spend around $350+ for the entire setup (sorry, I don't know the MSRP prices in Europe). If you want to just purchase a headphone instead of both an amplifier and a headphone, I would go with a Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic model (such as the Beyerdynamic DT-880 32 ohm) that does not have as much amplifying requirements.

 

[iKage]

Wow, I've been told by a "before-sale" service that this sound card was excellent to amplify a HD 650. Even if I buy it without an amp, would I still get a good sound, until I buy a true amp ?

 

[Chimera-se]

I have no idea about the capabilities of the sound card, but you will need a 1/4"-->1/8" adapter if you plan on plugging it directly to your computer.  As an aside, I've driven 150 ohm phones directly out of my laptop, but the 650s are 300 ohm....so who knows?

 

[iKage]

What exactly is happening If I still go with my HDAV ?
Would it just not work ?
 
Or would the sound be a little less goog ?
 
By the way, I come from an integrated Realtek chip with a pair of 10€ basic headphones so I don't think I'm gonna be disappointed with this kind of headphones, am I ?

 

[Chimera-se]

If you are still considering the 650s, they are best when properly driven...a computer won't do that like a dedicated amp can.  Now, while it may still "work", know that it might be softer sounding (literally, I mean not very loud), or just not have the clarity and detail these phones can provide. 
 
But, yes, the Senn's are on completely different level then your 10.00 headphones...
 
I second SolidVictory recommendation on the 32 ohm Beyers...that will blow you away compared to what you're using now. Only buy the Senn's if you are willing to get a proper amp!
 
Good luck!

 

[iKage]

Do you mean that if i'm not willing to get a proper amp, I should go with the Beyers 32 more than with the Senn ? Would the Beyers sound clearer and have more details than the Senn on an HDAV 1.3 which I've been told by , apparently a lying, "before-sale" service that they were an excellent amp ?????
 
I'm really a newbie in that field, but I thought Sennheiser was making the best headphones ? And about this brand, Beyerdinamic, are thier producths worth to buy them ?
 
EDIT : Or maybe going for the DT 880 , but the 250 omhs type ????

 

[Chimera-se]

I own headphones from both, and they both make outstanding products. There is no "best"; you're trying to find the best for you!  I know that's not what you want to hear, probably, but I just want to clear that up.  If you aren't going to get an amp, a lower impedance phone is what you want. Period. The Senn isn't an option at this point.  I would hate for you to get it, based on the excellent reviews here (and well deserved, I might add), only to be disappointed with how it sounds out of your current system.  It's really not about Beyer vs. Senn vs. Whatever....it's about what will work best for you.  I wish I could offer a more specific recommendation.
 
No regarding the 250 ohm Beyer, that's virtually the same as the Senn.  As was mentioned earlier, your sound card may do okay up to 200 ohm, but maybe not with any real authority.  Sorry, I wish I knew more about your sound card, etc...

 

[iKage]

On the specs of a soundcard, do you know waht I have to look after to se how much omhs it could handle
 
EDIT : Finally, what makes a difference between txo headphones with different ohms ? Is really the difference appreciable ? Because if not , i'm definitely going with the DT 880, and if yes, I'm saving money to buy an AMP+HD650....

 

[Chimera-se]

I don't know, check a thread on computer based audio, I guess.  Or try a thread on gaming...gamers might know more about the soundcards.  The thing is, no one around here uses their computer like that for this application...it's mostly only used as a source, ya know?  Where you live do you have any access to listen first?  A hi-fi store or maybe even a head-fi meet, if you're lucky?   I'm gonna stop now...I really know jacksh*t about sound cards, and have a rudimentary knowledge, at best, about amps...which is why head-fi is so great! Good luck! 

 

[iKage]

Okay thanks you so much for all your answers, i'll try to find by myself what is the different bewteen the different ohms, except if anyone can tell me .
 
Thanks again !

 

[Chimera-se]

Ok, last thing: don't become obsessed with impedance.  That's only a small part of the story, and doesn't really give an accurate representation of "quality", per se.  People really get concerned with ohm rating when looking for amp synergy, etc...I own several headphones of various impedance and sensitivities and they are all great in their own right!  You should really make an effort to hear this stuff before buying, if possible.  Ok, that's it.  Let us know what you decide on! 

 
Cheers!

 

[iKage]

I'm sorry to re-up this again, but I found out something else about the soundcard Essence STX :
 
http://www.topachat.com/pages/detail2_cat_est_micro_puis_rubrique_est_w_son_puis_ref_est_in10043023.html
 
According to what this article says, the Essence can handle up to 600 ohms for an harmonic distorsion under 0,001% !!
 
Do you think that it may be false ? Knowing that this card was specifically designed for an headphones use.
 
That would totally change my decision and I would go for the Senn !

 

[Chimera-se]

^ If that's the case, get the Senn's, by all means.  It should have no problem, as they are only 300 ohms. I'm curious to know what it sounds like! Looking at your musical preferences, you might like the Senn's; I like mine with jazz, classical and even a some electronic/trance.