[GreenTea]

Hi first post!
 
So I've been reading what I might think is a lot of information off of these forums but it probably really isn't.
 
I want to buy a entry level set up headphone/amp and ideally I'd like to spend $250ish but if there's something really convincingly better for a reasonable extra amount I'm willing to dish out the cash. Just from reading I think I'm leaning towards getting a pair of Grados or MS1s and an amp like the Little Dot I+ (or any similar amp).
 
The big issue is that I live in Canada and product availability sucks here. Dollar's on par and there's quite the price difference comparing US sites to Canadian sites and shipping from a US site will just even the price because of shipping. If anyone knows a good reasonably priced store in Toronto, I'd really appreciate knowing where it is! The classified section on this site looks really good too just waiting for some mid-ranged Grado's to pop up.
 
The plus side to the MS1s is that they ship to anywhere with free shipping, but which Grado are they most similar to? And there are soooo many people modifying their headphones which I totally intend to do, but only after a while when I get used to a pair stock. Obviously DIY and modding is awesome and that alone is a valid reason, but would something like MS1s NEED modding to sound good?
 
This is just a quick question type of first post but really any advice on what a 1st time set up should be like would be appreciated.

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Hi first post!
 
So I've been reading what I might think is a lot of information off of these forums but it probably really isn't.
 
I want to buy a entry level set up headphone/amp and ideally I'd like to spend $250ish but if there's something really convincingly better for a reasonable extra amount I'm willing to dish out the cash. Just from reading I think I'm leaning towards getting a pair of Grados or MS1s and an amp like the Little Dot I+ (or any similar amp).
 
The big issue is that I live in Canada and product availability sucks here. Dollar's on par and there's quite the price difference comparing US sites to Canadian sites and shipping from a US site will just even the price because of shipping. If anyone knows a good reasonably priced store in Toronto, I'd really appreciate knowing where it is! The classified section on this site looks really good too just waiting for some mid-ranged Grado's to pop up.
 
The plus side to the MS1s is that they ship to anywhere with free shipping, but which Grado are they most similar to? And there are soooo many people modifying their headphones which I totally intend to do, but only after a while when I get used to a pair stock. Obviously DIY and modding is awesome and that alone is a valid reason, but would something like MS1s NEED modding to sound good?
 
This is just a quick question type of first post but really any advice on what a 1st time set up should be like would be appreciated.

 
I've got a listing of Canadian retailers here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/548624/listing-canadian-companies-retailers
Also look here: http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/classifieds/headphones/19
 
That said, Grados are utterly not worthwhile to buy here in Canada. Get the Alessandro instead. The MS1 is most likely a modded SR80. I've heard the 60/80/125/225/MS1 and they're all very close to each other. Modding is not required to sound good; like you said, just enjoy first before experimenting. Modding invariably trades one aspect for another.
 
Are you considering just an amp or looking for an amp/dac combo? Fulcrumaudio.ca has some competitive pricing on it's nuforce products (like the udac2), iBasso just came out with the DB-Zero, and there's the ever popular FiiO e7. These are all quite affordable and within budget.
 

 

[kiteki]

Hello, check this this guy some nice headphone reviews here http://www.youtube.com/user/InnerFidelity

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Hello, check this this guy some nice headphone reviews here http://www.youtube.com/user/InnerFidelity

That's Tyll Hertsens, of Headroom fame. Here's his blog with more reviews and goodness: http://www.innerfidelity.com/

 

[kiteki]

I struck a goldmine.
 
Time to shut down my computer so I don't sit here for 12 hours again.

 

[GreenTea]

Quote:

 
I've got a listing of Canadian retailers here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/548624/listing-canadian-companies-retailers
Also look here: http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/classifieds/headphones/19
 
That said, Grados are utterly not worthwhile to buy here in Canada. Get the Alessandro instead. The MS1 is most likely a modded SR80. I've heard the 60/80/125/225/MS1 and they're all very close to each other. Modding is not required to sound good; like you said, just enjoy first before experimenting. Modding invariably trades one aspect for another.
 
Are you considering just an amp or looking for an amp/dac combo? Fulcrumaudio.ca has some competitive pricing on it's nuforce products (like the udac2), iBasso just came out with the DB-Zero, and there's the ever popular FiiO e7. These are all quite affordable and within budget.
 

Wow that's a really really helpful thread you put together dude props.
 
I'm settling on the MS1s.
 
I think it's easier to choose a pair of headsets based on how people describe how they sound compared to choosing an amp for the first time.
 
Just another quick question then. I'm guessing an amp will be cheaper then a DAC/amp combo device but would I need a DAC? I'm going to either play music out of my computer or my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) .flac off of both. I don't really know what a DAC is or how it works but it seems to the main component of a sound card. Am I right to think it's a beefy external sound card? The FiiO e7 looks really good in terms of portability which is definitely a plus (wait nevermind these devices are usb so I don't be able to use it with my phone?).
 
But anyway based off of the fact I'm going for MS1s would there be a particular amp, amp/dac I should buy? $100ish price range but if there's something really bang for you buck at $150 or something I'll get that.

 

[Khaine775]

Quote:

 


The PC360 is no slouch; it should be able to hold its own against the DT880. A dac might be good to remove your sound processing from the noisy internal processor and power supply. As a whole though, welcome to the unfortunate world of diminishing returns. You might have to start scraping the $1k threshold for your next fix.
 

Lolwut, are you telling me there's no marginal difference, between the PC360 and the DT880? How come people are swearing to certain high-end brands like Beyerdynamics, Audio-Technica etc. if there's not real difference? Is my setup all wrong, or is it just "headphone-religion"?

 

[Khaine775]

 
 


Quote:

The PC360 is no slouch; it should be able to hold its own against the DT880. A dac might be good to remove your sound processing from the noisy internal processor and power supply. As a whole though, welcome to the unfortunate world of diminishing returns. You might have to start scraping the $1k threshold for your next fix.
 


 
 

Lolwut, are you telling me there's no marginal difference, between the PC360 and the DT880? How come people are swearing to certain high-end brands like Beyerdynamics, Audio-Technica etc. if there's not real difference? Is my setup all wrong, or is it just "headphone-religion"?
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Wow that's a really really helpful thread you put together dude props.
 
I'm settling on the MS1s.
 
I think it's easier to choose a pair of headsets based on how people describe how they sound compared to choosing an amp for the first time.
 
Just another quick question then. I'm guessing an amp will be cheaper then a DAC/amp combo device but would I need a DAC? I'm going to either play music out of my computer or my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) .flac off of both. I don't really know what a DAC is or how it works but it seems to the main component of a sound card. Am I right to think it's a beefy external sound card? The FiiO e7 looks really good in terms of portability which is definitely a plus (wait nevermind these devices are usb so I don't be able to use it with my phone?).
 
But anyway based off of the fact I'm going for MS1s would there be a particular amp, amp/dac I should buy? $100ish price range but if there's something really bang for you buck at $150 or something I'll get that.

 
A dac is just a fancy audiophile name for a sound card. It means "digital to analog converter". It's nice to have a separate one for your computer most computers have onboard sound which is really noisy. If you already have a dedicated sound card though, it may not be necessary, although the extra amping might be useful depending on what card you have.
 
Something like the e7 or DB0 acts as both a standalone amp when used with your phone, and as a dac/amp when plugged into a computer.
 
But first I recommend just getting the MS1 first before diving into the amp world. It's all diminishing returns from here on.


Quote:

Lolwut, are you telling me there's no marginal difference, between the PC360 and the DT880? How come people are swearing to certain high-end brands like Beyerdynamics, Audio-Technica etc. if there's not real difference? Is my setup all wrong, or is it just "headphone-religion"?
 

Those two headphones really aren't that far apart in terms of "quality", and even pricewise they're not too far (a Beyer DT880pro is around $220, a HD380 around $180; premium models mostly just add flair)... and Sennheiser is just as "high end" as Beyer and AT. I really don't know what you're expecting here. The audio game is particularly bad for diminishing returns.
 
I'm personally not a fan of the Beyers and would pick the HD380/PXC450 over them. That said, I do prefer the Beyers out of a tube amps and think they sound terrible out of solid state (including Beyer's own A1 amp). I've heard $500 headphones, I've heard $1k headphones, I've modded my own shells, transplanted orthos, and built my own amps. Out of all that, one of my favourites is still the little Senn PX100-ii out of my Fuze or from my own cmoy style amps. There's just no correlation between budget and taste sometimes.
 

 

[Grybpjovys]

I'm having a problem. My city isn't big, so here aren't a lot of music/guitar stores. I can find every sennheisers (those are pretty popular somewhy), but i didn't find atleast 1 shure. Can find some ultrasones, but not that model which i need (maybe store could buy from somewhere, and then sell it to me?). Found M50's in one store, but heh, it costs 200$+..
 
Now I'm interested in shure 440 (how about their bass?) and Ultrasones 580 I think. Maybe some more suggestions for headphones like those? It can be not so good, because it still will be very good to me (because i'm using ****phones atm).
 
Thanks Armaegis, really appreciate your work. YOU DESERVE A MEDAL

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

I'm having a problem. My city isn't big, so here aren't a lot of music/guitar stores. I can find every sennheisers (those are pretty popular somewhy), but i didn't find atleast 1 shure. Can find some ultrasones, but not that model which i need (maybe store could buy from somewhere, and then sell it to me?). Found M50's in one store, but heh, it costs 200$+..
 
Now I'm interested in shure 440 (how about their bass?) and Ultrasones 580 I think. Maybe some more suggestions for headphones like those? It can be not so good, because it still will be very good to me (because i'm using ****phones atm).
 
Thanks Armaegis, really appreciate your work. YOU DESERVE A MEDAL

The M50 is not worth it for $200. See if you can get a price match with an online retailer in your country.
 
The Shure 440 is good and has a rather neutral frequency response, though doesn't have the deep bass extension of it's big brother. The Ultrasone Hfi580 is bassy if you're looking for that.
 

 

[Audiophilenewb]

Armaegis, thanks for the recommendation,
 
what would you advice if its between the price range of $90 - $140
 
N, I would want something that looks a lil bit cooler 

 and sry for the wrong price range, I converted with the wrong exchange rate 

 
 
Noise leakage: Fairly okay, something like the M50s
 
Comfort: Tried on the M50s, too heavy and big, prefer something comfortable like the Bose AE1/AE2
 
Usage: Most of the time on my iphone (wont be using any amps)
 
Genre: Not an issue but listen to rock/jazz/instrumental/pop
 
 
I can get the Bose OE for around £70, is it worth the price? I dont know how bad the sound leak is though...
 
 

 

[weebeast]

Hi,
 
I had a question i ordered the ultrasone pro 650 anniversary edition and just found out that the normal ultrasone pro 650 isn't listed on the ultrasone site. Does this mean i buyed a old headphone and it was better to get the ultrasone pro 550(they had the same price)?
 
Thanks

 

[Acix]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I had a question i ordered the ultrasone pro 650 anniversary edition and just found out that the normal ultrasone pro 650 isn't listed on the ultrasone site. Does this mean i buyed a old headphone and it was better to get the ultrasone pro 550(they had the same price)?
 
Thanks

The PL series, and the Pro series use the same drivers with a little cosmetic differences. For me the PL/Pro 650 are upgrade over the 550's.

 

[Tefloon]

 
Quote:

DT880: better balance than the 770 and 990, needs amping, strong bass, "warm" sound
K701: better high end than the DT880, less low end, "cool" sound, also needs amping
I haven't heard the SA5000, so no opinion here.
 
If you're affected by harsh treble, the DT880 would be the better option.

Which is faster?