[Riisalat]

Spending $150 or so on an amp that isnt that much of an improvement over your $70 DAC-HPamp isn't going to make those years pass any faster, but not spending that $150 or so now will, since you get to keep the $150 for later and you're already $150 towards an Asgard for example.

Also, if you're somewhere that would make it very cost-prohibitive to acquire earpads, you might want to check what's available in your area. Or buy at least one pair along with the headphones. 

Given the spending strategy that I'm suggesting, what I would do instead is not rush into things.

there arent going to be earpads available at anytime. I am just looking for a suggestion about the headphones. I am a little uncomfortable about spending 250 dollars on a headphone amp at the moment.

What open back headphone would you suggest for someone whos starting out ?

 

[Me x3]

how borinh are the akgs ? Isnt the k7xx more fun than the other akgs ?

 

Hard to say... My K702 is among my favourite headphones, but that's me.
K7xx has just a tad more bass and a slighty darkish, softer upper midrange / lower treble. It's more forgiving of poorly recorded music than K702 and thus better for (non-audiophile) modern music.
 
K702 has slightly bigger soundstage and it's more detailed at the expense of 'garbage in, garbage out'
K702 doesn't make any favours to the recordings, and can be just a tad dry.

 

[Riisalat]

Spending $150 or so on an amp that isnt that much of an improvement over your $70 DAC-HPamp isn't going to make those years pass any faster, but not spending that $150 or so now will, since you get to keep the $150 for later and you're already $150 towards an Asgard for example.

Also, if you're somewhere that would make it very cost-prohibitive to acquire earpads, you might want to check what's available in your area. Or buy at least one pair along with the headphones. 

Given the spending strategy that I'm suggesting, what I would do instead is not rush into things.

im quite worried about the grados and i dont just want to buy one without trying it out. Let me be honest, im leaning a little towards the k7xx because i want an open back and it wont be available after a few days, its also really hot here ill be happy if the pads can take 1000+ hours. And also im planning on getting the amos once i fly to the usa in a year or two. Ive been reading that the k7xx and the vali work pretty nicely ! Ill be upgrading my gear but just dont want to start with the amp, i feel that i wont appreciate them enough on the other hand i dobt own any openbacks or anything pretty comfortable so i havent even been able to listen to music amp o no amp.

I dont intend to use the x1 with anything, its solely for iems. Its 35 degrees here !

 

[Riisalat]

Hard to say... My K702 is among my favourite headphones, but that's me.
K7xx has just a tad more bass and a slighty darkish, softer upper midrange / lower treble. It's more forgiving of poorly recorded music than K702 and thus better for (non-audiophile) modern music.

K702 has slightly bigger soundstage and it's more detailed at the expense of 'garbage in, garbage out'

K702 doesn't make any favours to the recordings, and can be just a tad dry.

the k7xx sounds like my type. I like the high range but dont want it to geet annoying, its really hard to get good recordings here. Mostly downloaded FLAC stuff. Dont judge.

Problems of a third world audiophile.

 

[cocolinho]

  i listen all genres and actually want the bass.
 

 
K7xx do not fit this criteria. X1/X2 do.
Other options would be DT990 from Beyer or Hifiman HE400 (2nd hand)

 

[Me x3]

Problems of a third world audiophile.

 
I know what you meant!
Argentina despite having great potential, is still a 'third world' country.

 

[Riisalat]

   
K7xx do not fit this criteria. X1/X2 do.
Other options would be DT990 from Beyer or Hifiman HE400 (2nd hand)

I am not a basshead ! heard the DT990 is too bright, don't want that at all ! I would love the X2 but its too expensive. i'm planning on getting that during black friday for hopefully under 200 usd. 
 
Can't buy a second hand here, can't return it. 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Quote:

there arent going to be earpads available at anytime. I am just looking for a suggestion about the headphones. I am a little uncomfortable about spending 250 dollars on a headphone amp at the moment.

What open back headphone would you suggest for someone whos starting out ?

 

I didn't say you spend the $250 this very moment. You're willing to spend $150 or so on the amp in the near future, so all I'm saying is spend $300 or so at a later date. You have the E10K, it has a decent enough headphone amp, use that.

 

If you hadn't spend any money on the E10K I would be saying get the Vali soon, since the alternative is no real amplifier at all. But you already spent $70 on it, I'm just saying keep using it until you can get a real upgrade that can drive a wider number of headphones better.

 

 

Quote:

im quite worried about the grados and i dont just want to buy one without trying it out. Let me be honest, im leaning a little towards the k7xx because i want an open back and it wont be available after a few days, its also really hot here

ill be happy if the pads can take 1000+ hours. And also im planning on getting the amos once i fly to the usa in a year or two. Ive been reading that the k7xx and the vali work pretty nicely ! Ill be upgrading my gear but just dont want to start with the amp, i feel that i wont appreciate them enough on the other hand i dobt own any openbacks or anything pretty comfortable so i havent even been able to listen to music amp o no amp.

I dont intend to use the x1 with anything, its solely for iems. Its 35 degrees here !

 

You might as well get a pair of earpads when you order - given the heat you will sweat on them and might need to wash them more often than other people do. Are you going to use a forwarding service? If you are then you can buy from Massdrop and then the earpads separately from an internet store like Amazon. And again, I'm not saying you "start with the amp," what I've been saying is exactly the opposite - do not rush upgrading the amp, save up, and get something that will be more than a marginal upgrade.

 

I'm in SEAsia and I dont use my HD600 during daytime (especially afternoons). Last May the heat index spiked up to 51degrees, while ambient temps were at 42degrees. I think two Americans suffered heatstroke, both cases were fatal (my friend in Japan tells me it gets almost as hot there, but you won't notice it because nuclear power means they don't give a crap about the electricity bill from A/C units). I only use them at night with my A/C running in the room and an industrial fan helping kick the cold air around the room for the first 15mins. I still ended up washing and swapping earpads (I'm using two sets at a time, one slightly older).

 

[Riisalat]

Hahaha! Then you know my problem! I only use them inside air conditioned Places As well ! I am thinking about it im not forwarding it, im sensing ir to someone in the usa, he'll bring it for me! Thanks for the really long reply! I know from 70 dollar top 120 isn't a huge upgrade i am trying to decide on what to do now!

How is a fiio e11k for using it with my x1 top drive a k7xx?

 

[ProtegeManiac]

im not forwarding it, im sensing ir to someone in the usa, he'll bring it for me!

 
I do the same thing - I shop online, brother receives it in California, when anybody in the family flies in (which is frequent enough when I have an entire pool of my Mom's side of the family in California, and then my Dad's cousins in Texas) they put it in their luggage.
 
 

I know from 70 dollar top 120 isn't a huge upgrade

i am trying to decide on what to do now!

 
Save for a bigger upgrade? Who knows at some point you might have $200 and someone local sells an amp that is considerably better and usually retails double that.
 
 

How is a fiio e11k for using it with my x1 top drive a k7xx?

 
I tried the Q701 on the X1 and X3. Passable even on the X1. I wouldn't buy the X1 to drive it (X3 minimum), but if I had the X1 and I didn't have an amp yet I'd use that and save up for an amp that will be a real upgrade. At the very least, with DAPs you won't have to deal with high output impedance, much less a DAP designed to not have issues with 12ohm IEMs.

 

[Riisalat]

I do the same thing - I shop online, brother receives it in California, when anybody in the family flies in (which is frequent enough when I have an entire pool of my Mom's side of the family in California, and then my Dad's cousins in Texas) they put it in their luggage.



Save for a bigger upgrade? Who knows at some point you might have $200 and someone local sells an amp that is considerably better and usually retails double that.



I tried the Q701 on the X1 and X3. Passable even on the X1. I wouldn't buy the X1 to drive it (X3 minimum), but if I had the X1 and I didn't have an amp yet I'd use that and save up for an amp that will be a real upgrade. At the very least, with DAPs you won't have to deal with high output impedance, much less a DAP designed to not have issues with 12ohm IEMs.

i know mate, as much as i would like to be spending quite a lot i really cant and i wont upgrade from there. Ill stick to it for 3-4 years. Lets say i have around 400 dollars in total and i cannot go a single penny over that and i need an openback and an amp to drive it. So far ive drawn it down to k7xx/fidelio x2 and schiit vali . I know the vali wont drive a lot of headphobea but i really dont need it to drive anything else ! I really am not a audiophile, just trying to get nice music to my ears ^.^ suggestions please ! You have been really helpful, please help me decide!

 

[ProtegeManiac]

i know mate, as much as i would like to be spending quite a lot i really cant and i wont upgrade from there. Ill stick to it for 3-4 years. Lets say i have around 400 dollars in total and i cannot go a single penny over that and i need an openback and an amp to drive it. So far ive drawn it down to k7xx/fidelio x2 and schiit vali . I know the vali wont drive a lot of headphobea but i really dont need it to drive anything else ! I really am not a audiophile, just trying to get nice music to my ears ^.^ suggestions please ! You have been really helpful, please help me decide!

 
I'd really be more inclined to stick with the E10K for the next three years, saving up slowly the entire time.

 

[Me x3]

  

i know mate, as much as i would like to be spending quite a lot i really cant and i wont upgrade from there. Ill stick to it for 3-4 years. Lets say i have around 400 dollars in total and i cannot go a single penny over that and i need an openback and an amp to drive it. So far ive drawn it down to k7xx/fidelio x2 and schiit vali . I know the vali wont drive a lot of headphobea but i really dont need it to drive anything else ! I really am not a audiophile, just trying to get nice music to my ears ^.^ suggestions please ! You have been really helpful, please help me decide!

 
The Vali works great with high impedance headphones but not so much with low impedance ones. It still works well with K7xx, but not with the Fidelio X2.
Why not just getting the Magni 2 instead? It's more powerful, more precise, cheaper, and more stable.

 

[Riisalat]

 
 

The Vali works great with high impedance headphones but not so much with low impedance ones. It still works well with K7xx, but not with the Fidelio X2.
Why not just getting the Magni 2 instead? It's more powerful, more precise, cheaper, and more stable.

ive read that quite a bit ! Thr magni vali conundrum! Apparently the k7xx has a really good synergy with the vali ! Even schiit themselves recommend the pair ! I am not looking to buy more cans. The valis noise wont be an issue with me ! I already have an e10k, so i was wondering if could rather get the vali, a bit compromise but probably more fun ? My confusions are between the magni/vali and k7xx/fidelio. I am hoping that the fidelios go on sale for under 200 during black friday or cyber monday but the k7xx is available for 4 more days. What do you think ?

I have a e10k,m50x, fiio x1, shp9500 on its way.

 

[cocolinho]

    
 
The Vali works great with high impedance headphones but not so much with low impedance ones. 

Probably because of the output impedance which is too high for (very) low impedance sets such as sensitive IEMs