[kilgoretrout]

I was afraid that's the answer I would get. This thread made me want to get a Beyers, but it looks like it's not a good idea in my situation.

Though, I think I would prefer a pair of Audio Technica's over Grado.

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilgoretrout /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was afraid that's the answer I would get. This thread made me want to get a Beyers, but it looks like it's not a good idea in my situation. Though, I think I would prefer a pair of Audio Technica's over Grado.

Just save up some money and get the Beyers and a nice little rig.

It's possible for everyone, I'm 16 and I have a room full of speakers, headphones, amps, DACs, and a boatload of other expensive electronics and I bought it all myself.

Hard work gets you cool toys.

 

[kilgoretrout]

I mean the money is there, I'm just not convinced it's worthwhile because this is my first trip into hi-fi audio. I have a pair of wireless Sony headphones that suck and cost $100, but other than I've never owned headphones that cost more than $20, but I realize that my sound system is pretty much garbage, so that's why I'm here. I haven't seen any high-end headphones in retail stores, and I had never even known that headphones amps existed till I visited this site, so I'm pretty blown away by all of this. I want something that I can clearly notice the improvement and say that it was worth the price.

I was originally planning on getting some bookshelves and a subwoofer. Correct me if I am wrong on this, but I am thinking that headphones will provide a more immersive experience with better sound quality at a lower cost than loudspeakers.

Any advice?

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilgoretrout /img/forum/go_quote.gif I mean the money is there, I'm just not convinced it's worthwhile because this is my first trip into hi-fi audio. I haven't seen any high-end headphones in retail stores, and I had never even known that headphones amps existed till I visited this site, so I'm pretty blown away by all of this. I was originally planning on getting some bookshelves and a subwoofer. Correct me if I am wrong on this, but I am thinking that headphones will provide a more immersive experience with better sound quality at a lower cost than loudspeakers. Any advice?

I started out the same way.

Long story short, I went to CanJam, heard what music really sounds like and started spending.

My rig is done for the most part now and because of careful research and patience I only spent about $1500 for my speaker rig, headphone system, and my portable rig.

It might sound like a lot, but a lot of people on this site have blown through a lot more cash and aren't content with their rigs yet.

 

[kilgoretrout]

Would it be worthwhile to get a pair of Beyer's, then add a good amp some time in the future? Or is a waste to use them with a cheap portable amp at all? How much would I need to spend for amp? Would a Emu 0202 be a good choice for my future amp? I like that it will be useful to do recording as well. What about a mini^3?

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilgoretrout /img/forum/go_quote.gif Would it be worthwhile to get a pair of Beyer's, then add a good amp some time in the future? Or is a waste to use them with a cheap portable amp at all? How much would I need to spend for amp? Would a Emu 0202 be a good choice for my future amp? I like that it will be useful to do recording as well. What about a mini^3?

I used my DT880s with a portable amp a year before I bought the rest of my system.

As long as you are going to get a decent amp in the future it's worth it.

The sound out of the portable amp will likely still sound way better than anything you've heard before. But it does get a lot better with a better source and decent amplification.

As for the Emu 0202, I'd suggest you get the Emu 0404 as your source and then feed the signal to a dedicated headphone amplifier like the SOHA. If you don't want to have one built and want to get a commercial amp you could go with the Eddie Current Lunchbox II.

Tube amps generally are way better with the DT880s because they do have sibilance at medium/loud volumes. But with tubes, the DT880s just sound amazing with basically no sibilance at all (atleast with the SOHA that I had custom built.)

At this price point spending a couple hundred more dollars makes a HUGE difference in sound quality.

So it is completely worth it to get a dedicated source and a dedicated headphone amp, because in the long run you'll probably end up wanting one if you just get a cheaper all-in-one solution.

There's a point in audio where a thousand dollars only gets you minor improvements in sound, but you can rest assured that this isn't the point of diminishing returns.

 

[Dertalix]

I was on the same boat as kilgoretrout and pretty much got the same advice that shomie911 is giving while I was researching. In the end, I settled for the Darkvoice entry-level tube amp, the Figaro, which can be had for $220 shipped. I cant give any opinion quite yet since both the headphones and the tube amp have not arrived.

 

[kilgoretrout]

It's good knowing that I'm not at the point of diminishing returns yet, but I still wonder the capabilities of my ears to distinguish the difference. In the ABX testing I've done on my computer, I fail to distinguish between lossless and a high quality mp3 (V0 and V2). I don't know if that shows that my ears aren't audiophile material or if my sound system isn't audiophile material.

I hadn't considered buying a dedicate source for use in conjunction with my headphones. Can I get by with my laptop's soundcard until I decide to upgrade?

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilgoretrout /img/forum/go_quote.gif It's good knowing that I'm not at the point of diminishing returns yet, but I still wonder the capabilities of my ears to distinguish the difference. In the ABX testing I've done on my computer, I fail to distinguish between lossless and a high quality mp3 (V0 and V2). I don't know if that shows that my ears aren't audiophile material or if my sound system isn't audiophile material. I hadn't considered buying a dedicate source for use in conjunction with my headphones. Can I get by with my laptop's soundcard until I decide to upgrade?

I have Lossless and 192kbs MP3s of the same songs and I can barely tell the difference, if at all.

Anyone can tell the difference, my little bro (he's 8) can describe the differences between my Ipod as a source and my Keces DA-151.

So if an 8 year old can tell the difference, you will.

ABX testing isn't really a reliable way of testing audio stuff, it takes a while for your ears to get used to something.

Onto the other issue, does your laptop soundcard have a line out? If so you could get a Mini to RCA cable to connect it to your amp and it would work fine as an interim solution.

But getting a dedicated source and a dedicated amp is really the only way to go.

Believe me, I started out with ibuds, and I read about all this stuff and thought "These people are crazy!" but after you hear how well music can be produced by these systems, you know it's worth it.

Look at it this way, my Pinnacle Classic Gold Tower speakers, Minibox-E portable amp, SOHA home amp, Keces DA-151 USB DAC source, Ipod, Shure E4c IEMs, Beyer DT880s, assorted cables and my integrated speaker amp cost me around $1500.

My laptop cost $1500

This stuff is underpriced compared to what the rest of the electronics market is charging.

 

[kilgoretrout]

I have no line-out on my laptop. I think I am justly hesitant on getting headphones, a DAC, and an amp all at once. Is it fine to just start with the headphones and upgrade as I go?

 

[shomie911]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kilgoretrout /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have no line-out on my laptop. I think I am justly hesitant on getting headphones, a DAC, and an amp all at once. Is it fine to just start with the headphones and upgrade as I go?

I started out with the DT880s and went from there.

I didn't have an amp or a good source for them for more than 6 months, and didn've have the system I have now till about a year later.

So sure, it's completely fine.

 

[kilgoretrout]

Thanks, a lot. I'm excited about getting a pair of beyerdynamics. I'm thinking either the 880s or 990s. What's the difference between the Pro and non-Pro models of each?

 

[Kilroy]

Does the 880 have heavy bass though even though the 770 is better? And in general does the 880 have more clear sound than the 770's? Does it sound more detailed?