[preolt]

Hey Head-Fi forum goers,
 
Well i have bee stalking the forums for a while now and decided to finally post so please be kind, I will take direction with posts just let me know constructively. 
 
Any way I have read through multiple posts on the forums about different headphones for different price ranges, different amps, and basically every thing under the sun. Currently my head is spinning with all of the new found information. Here is what i have to work with.
 
Budget: 100-250 US dollars
 
Musical interest: Jazz, classical, rock (Pink Floyd, Greatful Dead, bands of this nature) with minor interest in other musics types.
 
Edit*
Uses: I am looking to use it mainly in my dorm room but it would be nice to be able to maybe take it to the library when I study for a few hours at a time. Besides this the system will be completely stationary in my room. Hope that helps
 
Headphone type: I have been looking at the over ear style, I have tried on ear and find that after long periods of time pass they grow tiresome on the ears (but this might just be the ones I have tried personally)
 
Beyond this point I am lost. I have a collection of over 230 CD's and even more digital music to boot. I use an iPhone currently, which I know is awful whenever asking about listening to music of higher quality. I have been looking at getting a portable amplifier to power whatever Head phones I purchase. I hear about DAC's and you need this amp to power this or that wont work well with those types of phones etc.
 
The headphones I have looked at are the Audio Technica ATH-A700 headphones, the AKG Q701, and the Sennheiser HD 598. I know their are countless numbers of other headphones, these are just some of the ones I am looking into. I dont have much faith in local places because the last audio store I went to tried to sell me Beats for 450$ which didnt sound much better then the Sony MDR-V6s I currently have. So what do you guys recommend? I have been trying to read as much as I can but I have hit the point where sorting through all of the information had just become overwhelming. Thanks for any and all input.
 
 
 
-Preolt

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[SONIC BOOM]

so you need a portable set up, and do you prefer on ear or over ear?

 

[preolt]

Sorry about that I tried to get all the information in ill add an edit.

 

[KG Jag]

Based only on sound, without regard to what equipment you have to "feed" them, either the HD 598 or Q 701 are quality choices.  Between those two, it depends on which sound signature you like best.  There's lots of information about that--for both cans on these boards and elsewhere.
 
I have the A900 (one model above what you're considering), and don't like it as well as the Senn & AKG.

 

[preolt]

Thanks, so you would recommend either of those two sets? I am not going to be able to listen to them before purchasing because there are not many audio stores in my area so I will have to sort of decide based on others personal experiences and over all community feelings on the headphones them selves.
 
What do you suggest for powering them? The Fiio portable amps are usually the first to pop up on Amazon. Also the altoid box amp seems to be popular. Are these enough to power these mid to higher end head phones? I am sorry I have so many questions, its just that if I am going to be investing this much into some thing like this I want to know as much as I can. Thanks again guys

 

[BrownBear]

Another headphone to take a look at is the K240 Studio. The soundstage is pretty good, and they are great for rock and music like that. I loved them for everything, I thought the mids sounded wonderful. I think they probably aren't the best choice for classical, or jazz for that matter. But I found them acceptable for both genres. Vocals were great on these cans, I really enjoyed female vocals. Also noteworthy, even though it is negative, is the bass. It's there, but some people have described the bass as slow, or flabby, and while this isn't a problem for me, I have in fact found it to be the case. So that is something to bear in mind.
 
These are just my experiences with this headphone, your mileage may vary. Just something to add to your list, is all.
 
Another thing to note is that you're working with a bigger budget. The K240 is at the bottom of that budget. Regardless, I think they're decent cans and worth a mention. Something for you to have to research even more about! Haha.

 

[preolt]

Thanks for the post! I will have to look into those, I am always looking to save money haha (who isnt these days) I have just been been putting a small bit of cash aside for a while now to set toward a true audio set up and finally decided it was a good time to jump in.
Quote:

Another headphone to take a look at is the K240 Studio. The soundstage is pretty good, and they are great for rock and music like that. I loved them for everything, I thought the mids sounded wonderful. I think they probably aren't the best choice for classical, or jazz for that matter. But I found them acceptable for both genres. Vocals were great on these cans, I really enjoyed female vocals. Also noteworthy, even though it is negative, is the bass. It's there, but some people have described the bass as slow, or flabby, and while this isn't a problem for me, I have in fact found it to be the case. So that is something to bear in mind.
 
These are just my experiences with this headphone, your mileage may vary. Just something to add to your list, is all.
 
Another thing to note is that you're working with a bigger budget. The K240 is at the bottom of that budget. Regardless, I think they're decent cans and worth a mention. Something for you to have to research even more about! Haha.

 
 

 

[BrownBear]

No problem.
 
Anyway, with regards to an amp. I have a Fiio E5, and to me, it does nothing to the sound. It does make it louder, but it doesn't seem to improve the sound in any way, and I'm not one to use an EQ. So that amp basically sits on the shelf gathering dust. I haven't listened to the cMoy amps, but honestly, since you mentioned that the rig would be stationary (besides the headphones) I would consider skipping the portable amp and taking a look at desktop amps. That's just my take on it though.

 

[KG Jag]

 
Quote:

Thanks, so you would recommend either of those two sets? I am not going to be able to listen to them before purchasing because there are not many audio stores in my area so I will have to sort of decide based on others personal experiences and over all community feelings on the headphones them selves.
 
What do you suggest for powering them? 

 

This may sound strange, but I like, have and recommend both.  If I only had to pick one, I would select the Q 701 because of its superior clarity.  However, others prefer the slightly veiled Senn sound.  If you need the easiest to push from whatever you're playing into it, the Senn is the better choice.  Both are very comfortable.
 
It really comes down to which flavor of ice cream you like better.  If you can't hear them yourself, you should find and read some quality reviews about both.  For example:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/akg-quincy-jones-q701
 
and
 
http://www.trustedreviews.com/sennheiser-hd-598_Headphones_review
(Note: the "AKG 701" referred to in this review are the AKG K 701--not the later and related but different AKG Q 701)

 

[KG Jag]

The AKG K 240 Studio is a nice can in its current $90 +/- price class.  I have one.  But it is not in the same class with either the Q701 or HD 598.  Additionally, the 240's build quality is far below that of the other two.

 

[preolt]

So either of chose choices it will be a good choice is what I seem to be hearing. What type of amp should I look for to push sound through either of them the way it should be. Also does any one have any other head phone suggestions besides these two? These are just ones I have gleaned from all of the reading I have done.
 
Also how should I go about setting up my system? Should I only play my cd's? or should I re transfer all my cd's properly to high quality music files, if I do this is there a program that works best or people recommend? Finally can I use my computer hooked up to and amp or my iphone with an amp for that matter, to play my music?

 

[BrownBear]

Yes, you can use your computer and iPhone hooked up to your amp to play music through it. When it comes to CDs or music files, I guess it just depends on what you'd rather have. The availability of your tracks right on your computer, or playing CDs and getting to flip through the discs and all that. You could do both too. You don't have to limit yourself to just one way.

 

[preolt]

Sorry I didnt mean for personal pref. I ment for best sound quality. 

 

[BrownBear]

 
Quote:

The AKG K 240 Studio is a nice can in its current $90 +/- price class.  I have one.  But it is not in the same class with either the Q701 or HD 598.  Additionally, the 240's build quality is far below that of the other two.

 
Agreed. I haven't heard those two cans, but I would imagine they are in a totally different class than K240. I just mentioned K240 just to add to the OP's choices. It's always good to have choices.

 

[BrownBear]

 
Quote:

Sorry I didnt mean for personal pref. I ment for best sound quality. 

 
Well in that case, again it depends. If you rip lossless, then its the same file as on the disc. So technically, there shouldn't be any differences with the CD. The DAC will make a difference, but I would imagine that unless you had a real high end CD player, that the differences between the regular CD player and say an iPod DAC would be a lot smaller.
 
Also, not sure what you're computer set up is like, but computers are subject to all sorts of electronic noise. A USB sound card like the iMic (just an example) will fix that. It allows the conversion to happen outside the noisy computer. Then you can either plug your headphones into that, or run a line from that into what ever amp you decide to get, if you decide to get one.