[t3hggnore]

Newbie here.
So I've been lurking around in this forum for a while now. I'm not sure exactly which forum to put this in, because it encompasses so many different aspects.

This summer I've got a job that pays around $2400 by the time I'm out of here. I've been interested in experiencing REAL high-end audio...not the mass-market idea of "hi-fi." Unfortunately, I haven't a clue where to get started, as I have never bought anything of this kind before.

Having searched a bit through the headphones forum, read a couple of reviews, that kind of stuff, I thought I might take a leap of faith and go for the AKG K701...I've had experience with AKG related products (like their cheaper repackaged headphones) and I have a bit of brand name loyalty here. But now that I think about it, I'm having second thoughts, especially with all the other options (sennheiser, beyerdynamic, etc.). Plus, unless if I am willing to mail large packages around, it's going to be pretty difficult to sell the components I'm buying when moving up the line, so I'm not too comfortable with the idea of buying cheaper headphones just to swap them later.

But then there's the deal with buying everything else. So for a budget of $2400, is it even worth getting a K701 or something and get decent sound out of with the other components? I'm probably going to use the computer as a source, meaning I'll need a DAC, and maybe my creative zen (less likely).

Any recommendations? Please enlighten me

 

[Akabeth]

You can go anywhere with this kind of budget. Also be careful, what you say as "REAL high-end audio" is a very relative term to different people in this forum

Your $2.4k budget can go out of the window at a whim.

It's all about options right? Have you considered the electrostatics at all?
For what they do, they are actually of good value.

You want them to be portable-ish or @ home setup? What's your current setup? Actually list all the hardware you've come up with other than AKG's.

Sorry about your wallet

 

[G-man]

ok, first things first, have you got a good computer? what about college costs, they are quite high. if those are covered, then maybe not spend all 2.4k at once? spend some money, see if you like it. but if you want to spend all that, what about a headphone, and speaker system? If not, you will need:

source (if the files are from your computer, then you need a DAC)
amp (a headphone amp obviously)
Headphones
Cables
Interconnects.

Is your music lossless?

 

[t3hggnore]

Well I'll be in a college dorm, so I won't have enough space for a full -blown rig. I'm in a single, so noise isn't an issue. I think I can fit a decent desktop size amp or something, at least.

I'll check out the electrostatics. Unfortunately, I don't know too much about the options there. What I have right now is a JBL reference 510 (I believe a repackaged AKG K440 NC), which I connect directly to my zen. The music I listen to is mostly rock/pop, expanding into classical, plus a bit of everything else (no country).

As far as the computer is concerned, the costs are covered, and I'm waiting for the next Intel processor before I buy one. College costs are also covered. My music is mostly mp3@320kbps or v0.

At the very least I was hoping I could get a sense of how to apportion my budget so that I'm spending enough on each component without creating terrible bottlenecks or anything =p.

 

[Meliboeus]

I suggest you to try some relatively unexpensive equipment - not crap...items that provide a good price/performance ratio - just to get started...and then upgrade your system...for example a good starting point would be investing 100-150$ on a dac ( Zero DAC for example ) , 300-350$ on a good amplifier ( Little dot MKV or MkIV ), and a pair of top of the line headphones : k701, hd650...or grados... IMO it's not a good idea to spend 2400$ altogether on a first purchase....you'd better buy some equipment and hear how it sounds, try different phones...maybe you will like grado more than akg, or the other way round..this is very important...for example i love the sound of my ms1 and don't appreciate very much that of my 990, although other headfiers might find the Beyers better...it would be a pity wasting big money on an headphone you may later discover not of your liking....try a pair of entry level models first...

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by t3hggnore /img/forum/go_quote.gif The music I listen to is mostly rock/pop, expanding into classical, plus a bit of everything else (no country).

You should take a look at the Sennheiser HD-600 and HD-650. They do a good job of covering many genres and are still relatively affordable.

As for the rest, I strongly recommend that you buy used. Look through the For Sale Forums and Audiogon for used listings. If anything interests you, run some searches and learn more about it.

Don't look at strict formulas for buying hardware. Instead, try to figure out what headphones you want. I think the Senns would be good for you, but listen to everyone else, too. Once you know which headphones look into amps that have good synergy with them. That's been discussed a lot here and you'll find a lot of opinions for every headphone.

Then look into getting a decent source. It could be a DAC for your computer, but you really should give some thought to a standalone CD player and a turntable. You could do vinyl on your budget - it is worth getting into.

 

[t3hggnore]

Thanks for all the replies!

I'll definitely check the Sennheisers out.

Yeah part of my confusion was sorting through all the amp recommendations, and with my budget I can hardly audition as many choices as I would like. I think I will get a solid-state headphone amp (little dot MKV looks pretty nice), since I read somewhere that tubes need all sorts of tweaking, and I'm not sure if I can keep up with high-maintenance products. As for the standalone source, I was thinking of waiting until I get more room before I buy one....maybe once I buy a home like 5 years down the line.

 

[jun41]

I did this exact thing. I spent a lot of money my freshman year auditioning different phones from different amps and such. I went through the AKG K701, RS-1, HD600, HD650, DT770, AKG K240S a gilmore lite dps, and a SinglePower PPX Slam, a Hornet M, Musiland MD-10, an aliendac and probably more that I don't even remember buying.

Stick to the FS forums. That's where I spent a LOT of time. Take the time to figure out what you want and bite the small cost of shipping and depreciation to try out as much stuff as you want.
You've got a lot of flexibility since you're living in a single so turn up your amps.

I've since become broke (college does that to you), have a huge music collection and am sticking to a Sony Cd-595, a Bel Canto Dac, my trusty Slam and my Zu-mobius HD-650's. A pretty amazing combination of equipment.

Oh, and get ready for lots of eyerolls whenever people see you walk into your room with new packages and you tell them how much your headphones cost. Have fun, but don't stay in your room listening to music all the time. Go outside and live a little, it's college!

 

[Happy Camper]

Mini DAC w/firewire used ($900)
SP extreme used ($800)
RS-1 used ($500)
Senn 600 used ($200)

Tube amp maint. is for tubes only. With normal listening, a set of tubes should last you through school. If you use the typical tube set and not the premium NOS, a set would cost you about $30-50 to replace when you do. I use a fuller sounding tube (Ken-Rad) VT-231 for the RS and a quicker tube (Ray. 6414) for the 701s through a pair of Ray. 6080s. Not that you have to do this, but it sounds good to me.

If you want to tweak as time goes by, you can upgrade the RS and 600 cables, ICs and power cable.