[Eboda]

I am struggling to make a decision and came hear looking for help as this website was what I used to help me shortlist. I am looking for headphones for multiple uses. They will be used on either my arcam solo, MacBook pro, iPad or iPhone and I am still looking into amps but any suggestions on an amp for my solo will be appreciated. I don't know know whether to get the b&w p5's or make the jump to either the HD 600's or 650's. They would mainly be used at home with all devices, usually iPad or arcam but might be taken on a holiday or somewhere. So any suggestions??

Thanks


Edit: I would also like to know how good the p5's will be for home use swell, thank you.

 

[earerror]

Are you looking for 2 different pairs...one for home use, and another for your iphone/ipad? 
Which kind of music you listen to, and how much are you willing to spend? 
 
BTW, welcome to headfi. 

 

[AmanGeorge]

Welcome to Head-Fi, and sorry about your wallet!
 
First off, I have read some less-than-stellar things about the P5's sound and would advise that you stay away - there are likely some much better options out there.
 
It sounds like you want a pair of headphones to use in a number of different situations. Key questions that will help get you the best recommendations possible:
-What is your overall budget (including a possible amplifier)?
-Do you expect that all or most of your listening will be done at home with an amplifier on hand?
-What sort of music do you like to listen to?
-Do you have any existing sonic preferences? (E.g. do you like lots of bass or do you prefer more treble? It's possible you may not have a strong opinion one way or the other yet if you're just getting started, and that's okay if so). What do you currently use to listen to music? What don't you like about it?

 

[Eboda]

Thank you both for your replies!

I am ideally looking for 1 pair but I suppose that my old px200s could still suffice for my Iphone and iPad. My budget is £250 and my music taste varies. I would like an amp for home use and have heard my relatives awesome system which comprises of 4 music fidelity units with a pair of HD 800's with and without the amp and it is a huge difference. I would like my headphones to have some oomph if you understand what i mean.

 

[AmanGeorge]

First off, you're probably best off buying used gear, you'll end up getting your money to stretch further.
 
250 GBP probably isn't going to cover a HD600/650 and a proper amp. That said, if you think you might slowly build up a system, one option would be to pick up the 600 or 650 and use it unamped until you have budget for an amp down the line. Obviously it won't sound perfect, but hey - you'll get some of the flavor for sure.
 
Other good all-around headphones I can think of - Shure SRH840 (which sounds quite good even without amplification - you could also look into its sibling, the SRH750DJ, which many seem to like), and AKG K601 (very tough to drive, amplifier required). I don't know too much about the lower-level Audio-Technica models (AD700/AD900 and A700/A900), except that they have a decent following around these parts and are supposed to be reasonably easy to drive.
 
If you're into rock and roll, there's always Grado / Alessandro, of course (also generally thought of as being very easy to drive), I just personally hesitate to recommend them much because I wasn't that enamored of the sound (there's a bit of a love/hate dynamic) and I found them quite uncomfortable. I think Grados tend to be shockingly overpriced overseas, so your best bet if you were interested would be to pick up a pair used on the boards here.

 

[Eboda]

What amps would you recommend for my solo? Slowly building up my system was my plan, it's pretty good with my kef q70 speakers but the neighbours throughout the wall don't always appreciate that!

 

[Eboda]

Also, what DACs would you recommend?? Thankyou very much for your help so far btw

 

[AmanGeorge]

Eboda - what is the Arcam Solo? On their website, that seems to refer to a whole range of products. Is it the iPod dock?
 
In terms of inexpensive DACs, it's really hard to think of better values than the uDAC, which would also serve as a passable amplifier for something like the Shures.

 

[Eboda]

I have the original arcam solo music system. Would the v dac and v can be a good combo or not?

 

[AmanGeorge]

Ah so it's like a CD player + Integrated Amp it looks like.
 
This looks like a pretty sophisticated piece of kit. In all honesty, I would not buy a DAC for it - I don't think that a budget DAC is likely to outperform the CD player built into the Arcam Solo. I think you should do one of two things:
 
1) Arcam Solo -> Headphones: This is the cheapest option, obviously, and I think it should be fine with easy-to-drive headphones
2) Arcam Solo Line Out -> External Amp -> Headphones: If you're not as happy with the sound as you had hoped straight out of the Arcam, then you can throw an external amp in. Which external amp would depend on what headphones you're getting.

 

[Eboda]

It's great with speakers, it's just when I borrowed my relative's HD 800s I was a tad disappointed. So, it's between either the hd600s or p5's (which I know won't need an amp). What amp would be good for the 600's which is under £200. With headphones and amp my top top budget is £400 now but having change would be favourable.

 

[AmanGeorge]

In general people have been pretty happy with the 600/650 paired with OTL tube amps - maybe the new Schiit Valhalla (don't know about availability in the UK) or one of the Little Dot amps like a MKIII or MKIV?