First Pair, Need Help
Jan 29, 2018 at 9:08 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
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LonQu

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So this is my first venture into hifi audio. I'm not going to delve very deep, just need a pair for casual listening from my pc and some occasional gaming. $500-$600 is my budget for a dac/amp and cans, but if you really think there's an amazing option that's a bit higher I could maybe push it up to $650.

What I listen to: orchestral, jazz, and all manners of electronic music

What im loking for:
Tight bass, punchy but not overdone. I'm coming from bose headphones which have a pretty big emphasis on the bass, but it's just very boomy so I don't feel it very much.

Clean trebles would would be great, I've heard some HD 650s and they are just gorgeous in the highs. Doesn't have to be that amazing but I want higher violins and such to be defined.

Wide soundstange: One of my friends had picked up an HE 400i for super cheap and let me try them once, he used it on his phone so it wasn't as brilliant as I remember the sennheisers, but the open sound stage just took me away. Looking at open backs for this reason but if a closed back fits my criteria then I don't mind going for those.

I prefer headphones to be pretty neutral, it can lean a bit on bright or warm but not too much in either direction.

I'm open to tube amps if they fit my needs, I've heard that individual headphones react distinctly to different tubes, but don't know of any pairings.

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
Jan 29, 2018 at 10:59 PM Post #2 of 17
I think a Modi 2, a Magni 3, and an HD650 would come in at around $575 at the moment, depending on the price you can get for the HD650. You could substitute an HE-400i and have a planar version for roughly $160 less. Maybe read about these items and see what you think. It is possible some version of this setup could work for you (prices are from amazon for the headphones--schiit products from schiit).
 
Jan 29, 2018 at 11:32 PM Post #4 of 17
serman005 said:
I think a Modi 2, a Magni 3, and an HD650 would come in at around $575 at the moment, depending on the price you can get for the HD650. You could substitute an HE-400i and have a planar version for roughly $160 less. Maybe read about these items and see what you think. It is possible some version of this setup could work for you (prices are from amazon for the headphones--schiit products from schiit).
Click to expand...

I don't know much about Beyers' sound signature, but I've heard a lot of good things. Do you think they would be a good fit for me?
 
Jan 30, 2018 at 12:48 AM Post #7 of 17
It certainly meets several of your criteria and the 600 ohm version would actually work with a Magni 3 (230 mW into 600 ohms). There are other amp options including those with more power, if you thought you wanted that. Let us know if you would like some recs for other amps and we will generate a list for you.
 
Jan 31, 2018 at 12:12 AM Post #8 of 17
Sorry for the late response, but I did some digging and looked at the HE 500s. With a re-grill mod they seem to perform very well, with the only problem being comfort (which is fixable). All the reviews on here seem to be nothing but good.

I've seen some used ones going for around $300 to $400, do you think it's worth the price jump?
 
Jan 31, 2018 at 12:30 AM Post #9 of 17
LonQu said:
Sorry for the late response, but I did some digging and looked at the HE 500s. With a re-grill mod they seem to perform very well, with the only problem being comfort (which is fixable). All the reviews on here seem to be nothing but good.

I've seen some used ones going for around $300 to $400, do you think it's worth the price jump?
Click to expand...
Well don’t think the HE-500’s have a comfort issue but that is just me. The grill mod I have not done yet on the 500’s but did do well on my 400’s. You need power for theses to sound their best.
 
Jan 31, 2018 at 12:31 AM Post #10 of 17
Sounds like a decent price at the moment. I also found a used HE-560 on Audiogon for $375 for you--just fyi. Not sure if that would be of interest. And the HE-400i is $219 on amazon today. That is a killer deal on a good headphone. Some thoughts.
 
Jan 31, 2018 at 12:38 AM Post #11 of 17
Used Focal Elear $500
or
Sennheiser HD6XX $200
or
used AKG K7XX $120

Plug them straight into your audio device. DACs over $30 are nearly all the same sounding and amps are only useful if you can't get enough volume.
 
Jan 31, 2018 at 2:30 PM Post #14 of 17
LonQu said:
What would the difference between the 500 and 560 be?
Click to expand...
Just my take but I consider the HE-500 to be punchy and energetic. The HE-560 is smooth and clear. Extremely detailed. Open. They don't share the same voicing or 'house' sound at all, IMO. The headband is upgraded. Very, very different. FWIW. This is just my take and YMMV, of course.
 
Jan 31, 2018 at 7:07 PM Post #15 of 17
serman005 said:
Just my take but I consider the HE-500 to be punchy and energetic. The HE-560 is smooth and clear. Extremely detailed. Open. They don't share the same voicing or 'house' sound at all, IMO. The headband is upgraded. Very, very different. FWIW. This is just my take and YMMV, of course.
Click to expand...

Say I was to get an HE 500, what amps would you suggest?
 
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