[Textbook]

Hello all.
 
So about a week ago I started looking in to getting a nice desktop amp and pair of headphones. I listen to music all day at work so thought I would treat myself. Trouble is...what a minefield!!
 
Majority of my music is played through my Mac Pro which has an optical out (is this worth trying to use?)
 
I went from one to another to another and saw the Woo Audio 7d, which as eye candy goes looks amazing. But then had a reality check....although I will have this on my desk one day!
 
So long and short, I'd like to use my optical out (if you guys agree) to an amp and a quality pair of over ear headphones. These don't need to be portable so as big as you like.
 
Is this enough to get some recommendations?
 
Thanks.

 

[GREQ]

You're missing the point of an Optical-out.
Optical-out is the digital signal produced by the DAC in your laptop.
Normally these can go into AV receivers. 
 
Any DAC you purchase will most likely have a USB connection to your laptop and will decode the music this way with it's own sound processing, which totally bypasses the laptop soundcard/soundchip and optical-out.
 
Give us an idea of the budget, the kind of music you listen to and the environment you will be in (noisy? quiet? home? outdoors?) and if weight/comfort are big factors for your choice. Or if you can, tell us if you prefer a more balanced sound, or emphasised bass, mids or treble etc.

 

[Textbook]

Ah I didn't know what the optical out was for, I just presumed it would be better.
 
Budget up to $1000, £750, €800 - but don't have to spend it all
 
Music taste is a bit broad I'm afraid, from ambient to indy/rock but if I had to say I do like bass.
 
Does that help at all?
 
Many thanks for the reply though, appreciated.

 

[GREQ]

I would love to recommend the new Sony MDR-Z7, but its too new, most have never heard it (like me), and the prices are still high... but the reviews say its somewhat bassy, and its SO much eye-candy....
 
So for a REAL headphone recommendation I can suggest:
Open-back (if you need people to disturb you, or hear your phone ringing, or other things around you)
- Sennheiser HD650/600 
 
Closed-back (block out some noise and others can't hear your music)
- Mr.Speakers Alpha Dog (semi-closed) 
- Sennheiser Momentum (doubles up as portable headphone - but for smaller ears only *65mm tall max)
- Bang & Olufsen H6 (maybe not bassy enough? - also doubles up as portable headphone)
 
I would include a few others, but I put on a filter of headphones I think look good too, not just sound good.
 
 
AMP/DAC:
For your needs, I would start with a Schiit Modi and Magni stack.
Most of the reviews say they're about the same as what I use (O2 amp and ODAC) soundwise, but they look nicer.
These will drive almost anything more than adequately. 
 
If you're looking for something a quite a bit smaller/portable, maybe a Fiio E17 could work for you (portable amp/dac combo)
The DAC is pretty good on this, but the amp is slightly 'meh' for harder to drive headphones (Mr. Speakers Alpha Dog for example)... this combo won't sound BAD, but if you got better equipment later, you may notice incremental improvements.

 

[Textbook]

^^^^
That's great thanks. Not seen the Schiit before, looks great.
 
I work in my own office so closed or open backs doesn't matter, which is better?

 

[GREQ]

Generally open-back headphones sound better than closed-back headphone.
Also depending on your definition of "good looking" maybe you should also look into Beyerdynamic DT990 Premium.
I use the original vintage DT990 at work.

 

[PurpleAngel]

  So about a week ago I started looking in to getting a nice desktop amp and pair of headphones. I listen to music all day at work so thought I would treat myself. Trouble is...what a minefield!!
Majority of my music is played through my Mac Pro which has an optical out (is this worth trying to use?)
I went from one to another to another and saw the Woo Audio 7d, which as eye candy goes looks amazing. But then had a reality check....although I will have this on my desk one day!
So long and short, I'd like to use my optical out (if you guys agree) to an amp and a quality pair of over ear headphones. These don't need to be portable so as big as you like.
Is this enough to get some recommendations?
Thanks.

 
I really doubt for most people they will notice a sound quality difference between optical, coaxial or USB connection.
USB is easier as you plug it in and your computer automatically makes it the default audio device.
S/PDIF (optical or coaxial) usually requires you to change one audio setting in the computer, to enable S/PDIF output.
 
For use with your Mac.
Schiit Modi DAC (USB or optical).$99
Schiit Magni amplifier, $99
Audio Technica ATH-W1000X headphones, around $500
 
CD audio is recorded in 16-bit/44.1K, so you can make 16-bit/44.1 ALAC or FLAC audio files for storage on a computer.
So for music audio a 24-bit/192k DAC will not offer any better music sound quality then a 24-bit/96k connection (when using 16-bit/44.1 ALAC or FLAC or CD-audio music)
So as long as the DAC chip is 16-bit/44.1 or better, it's good enough for everyday music files
Website like HDtracks will sell you 24-bit/96K audio files, so a 24-bit/96k DAC would be good enough in that case.