Howdy,
I am completely new to this. And by new I mean, after reading several articles here, I'm still not familiar with all of the lingo. I have been told I have quite sensitive hearing, both being able to hear very soft sounds, being able to distinguish a specific song or instrument in a crowded and loud arena, and being able to tell the difference of chromatic scales for Academic Decathlon in high school. I'm a college student so just last week my adviser and I looked through my course transcript and he asked me what I wanted to graduate in after taking so many science classes (Math, Physics, and Chemistry)? After that talk I still hadn't decided what to major in but I started thinking about what I want to minor in. And I'm thinking music. It's fun, I listen to a lot, I don't know very much about it so it'll be a nice challenge, and from what I hear it has a strong relationship with Math. So before I decide what to do I thought I'd do some little investigating and I came across this site. Wow. I listen to so much music, and sound itself is such a great big part of my life, and yet I know so little of it. I'm barely beginning to get the academics down but with something so seemingly objective I know I have to actually experience it to get a much deeper sense of appreciation for it.
So here it goes. Genre: My spectrum is as diverse as most of my peers. This means Classical, Jazz, Rock, RnB, Rap, Dubstep, and Electronica. But by sheer volume I am mostly consumed by Classical and Rap. I love the pin points, the highs and lows of classical music, and how the musical spectrum of each instrument shines. But I also love bass. I hate it when cars' plastic and windows rattle due to bass but I love it to where it just gives you, the person, that sort of "buzzing" feeling when you get it good.
Artists: To give you a more detailed example of my music these are the artists I most commonly come across on my iPhone. Beethoven, Mozart,Jimi Hendrix, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, Jack Johnson, Muse, Linkin Park, The Beatles, Crystal Castles, Deadmau5, and Eminem. I listen to Eminem a lot.
Amp/DAC thingy: I know next to nothing about amps other than generally everyone recommends them if you're serious about music quality. So if I were to get one I imagine I'd make a CMoy one out of sheer curiosity, cheap-ness, and the process of making one probably teach me a thing or two. Unless of course it is then highly recommended I buy one.
Environment: I am a student so naturally at school, on campus, at the mall, etc. And I can't at work because keen environment sounds plays an important role in driving to me. I'm quite the wallflower so I favor not being intruded by noise.
I went to Best Buy, the only place I know of where I live that sells dedicated headphones, tested some Bose headphones -sucked, and Dre Beats Pro -what the hell is that background static??? otherwise badass, and overall wasn't satisfied with investing so much money despite my bias towards their liberal return policy.
My budget is less $250 grand total. I saw
this article and I really like the HFI-580 based on his review. It seems overall it has better sound quality, and though it may have less bass output, but still has the potential for dishing some. So, going off of what you read, can you guys suggest anything else or do you agree that the HFI-580 would be a wise decision?
And also, is there an informative website to learning about music, how to read notes, academic terminology, and perhaps its relationship to math? A website similar to khan academy's (that one is for science) would be awesome.
Thanks everyone
!