Hi, new here..
I don't know much about audio terminology and all that.. I've always loved the world of the audiophile and I've lurked on these forums for a while before deciding to join yesterday. Mainly to get some advice on what to get my father for his birthday.
My father and I are about the same when it comes to music. I don't know much about drivers and ohms and impedance or whatever else I see on these forums (I'd love to learn but it seems so overwhelming). But I know when I listen to music that sounds good, it moves me like nothing else. I bought my first IEM, Westone UM2's back in 2002 and I've loved them ever since because they made everything sound that much better. And then I found out about things like lossless audio, amping to power IEMs and headphones.. it really intimidated me.
Anyway, I'll cut the introduction there. My dad's turning 60 this month, and in Korean culture I guess that that's a big deal. But what's more of a big deal to me is that it's my dad' birthday, and I have such a hard time finding a good gift for him. I realized that he responds to music much in the same way that I do. When I do come back home to visit, I find that he often sits in his study with really crappy headphones (often ones he gets from airplanes; I know, that's so sad) leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed listening to whatever it is that he listens to, just enjoying the music.
I want to amplify that experience for him. But I'm an old jobless college student with somewhat of a budget. I guess I can be flexible. But the world of full-sized headphones is completely foreign to me. I've never owned a pair.
This is the scenario that I'd imagine:
My father gets all of his music from his CD's which he rips onto his computer (I'm fairly certain that he does it in .mp3 format). I would go home some time this month and spend a few days ripping all of his CDs into a lossless format (probably either .aiff or .alac because he uses either his iPod or his iPad to listen to his music). Frankly, I'd buy him a DAP but I don't think I can afford one.
So if I were to give you guys parameters, would you be able to throw me some suggestions? He loves listening to classical music and Christian music (my father's a Baptist minister). I can tell you off the top of my head his endless shelves of CDs of the Three Tenors, Andrea Bocelli, (insert classical composer's name here), and even some Michael Jackson and (his guilty pleasure that he hates admitting to because he's a pastor), every single Beatles album on CD. So I guess that would sort of encompass his genres of music.
I want to get him a portable amplifier and some decent full-sized headphones. Some things to consider:
- My father often travels to preach at other churches in other states and countries. I'm not sure if open-back headphones would be good.
- But considering the type of music that he listens to, would open-back headphones be better suited for him?
- If so, I don't mind going with open-back headphones and telling him that he can't really use it in public lest he annoy people.
- Because of my budget, I'm coming into this with the Fiio E11 already in mind. I know there are a ton of other better amplifiers, but Fiio's got my number when it comes to pricing. BUT! He is my dad.. so if anyone can reasonably suggest a significantly better amping alternative for a figure that's not far off, then I'm all ears. I don't really know much about amps to be honest.
- I'm sure you guys want a price budget for the headphones, but to be honest I don't know because my financial situation fluctuates almost daily. From what I've seen on these forums for the past couple of hours, it seems that the Beyer DT770 and the Beyer DT880's are popular choices, along with the AKG K701/2, and those are all in the 200-250 range, which I can afford (with the amplifier). So i guess my overall budget is approximately $300-350.
But I'll hand it over to you guys. I didn't even know what the difference was between a Beyer DT770 80 ohm and a 250 ohm.. because I didn't know what an ohm was, or what it signified. I had to look it up...
In any case, what I want is when I come home, to see my father sitting or reclining or laying down or whatever with some full-sized cans that are spilling wonderful and beautiful music into his ears, and I want him to really be able to experience and enjoy good sound made possible through better equipment. Thank you guys in advance.
Sincerely,
John the Peeg
(oh and by the way, I mentioned earlier that I'm not too familiar with audio jargon, so try to dumb it down for me haha)
(expensive to me at least) Headphones which I'm interested in atm are the sennheiser HD 439 because of the replacement cable and sennheiser RS 160 because they are wireless (i love to lay down and move around the house while listening to music). Headphones will mostly be used for music listening and movies watching. I don't own amp or any equipment of that kind but maybe one day when I get a real job I will be able to purchase them 
Please help me decide ! Thanks !
