[Chawanwit]

Have a question I want to ask veteran audiophile
When I first bought an audiophile grade headphone, the headphone cable was recommended to increase the sound quality. After that the earpad. After that I had to get an headphone amp followed by a DAC to use with my mpb. Then there are cable that connect AMP to DAC to mpb,etc. Then I have to buy music players like Amarra, Pure Music, etc. After that I have to buy/download lossless such as flac quality songs. Now, from what I read I know that headphone makes the most difference in sound quality. However, the amp, DAC, cable, and music player can effect sound quality as well but might be subjective or only slightly. Can any experienced audiophile please give a score of how important each element are? Say headphone get a 100 because it is important to get good sound quality. What score would the amp, dac, cable, music player, music files get. This will help me clarify on what really matters and what I should expect when I upgrade my stuff so I wont over spend on unnecessary items.
Thank you for all advices.
.

 

[KG Jag]

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Look into the HD 598 and HD 600.
 
Although not warm in sound signature, you should also consider the DT 880.
 
Having an amp puts the last two into play.

I have been considering HD 598 (although i hate how they look) and DT-880. But i have also been looking at Q701 and ATH-AD900X. Would these be good alternatives as well?

Yes to both--although I certainly would not describe the sound signature of the Q701 as warm.

 

[bmou]

Quote:

One of the problems you might have finding headphones that match your Klipsch is that room acoustics play a huge factor for in room response of speakers. Even using room correction software with your home audio system, you still may not be getting a flat response. So what you are hearing could be as much room as the speakers, making it difficult for anyone to have a similar experience to recommend headphones.

Tube rolling is trying out different tubes in your tube amp. There is an amp forum here where you can learn more about it and get recommendations.

eh my room acoustics aren't too great, i just like the spaciousness of the seperation like everything has a lot of room to breathe. given my previous headphones, does that help to make any recommendation on what headphones to get? i listen to all genres, just anything i can get my hands on i'll listen to.

 

[cel4145]

eh my room acoustics aren't too great, i just like the spaciousness of the seperation like everything has a lot of room to breathe. given my previous headphones, does that help to make any recommendation on what headphones to get? i listen to all genres, just anything i can get my hands on i'll listen to.

Your K701s have a reputation for great soundstage (I've only heard the Q701s). Is that what you are looking for? Something better than them? In some ways that is what a good home audio setup can do--give you that very big surround and soundstage effect.

 

[daleb]

Quote:

Have a question I want to ask veteran audiophile
When I first bought an audiophile grade headphone, the headphone cable was recommended to increase the sound quality. After that the earpad. After that I had to get an headphone amp followed by a DAC to use with my mpb. Then there are cable that connect AMP to DAC to mpb,etc. Then I have to buy music players like Amarra, Pure Music, etc. After that I have to buy/download lossless such as flac quality songs. Now, from what I read I know that headphone makes the most difference in sound quality. However, the amp, DAC, cable, and music player can effect sound quality as well but might be subjective or only slightly. Can any experienced audiophile please give a score of how important each element are? Say headphone get a 100 because it is important to get good sound quality. What score would the amp, dac, cable, music player, music files get. This will help me clarify on what really matters and what I should expect when I upgrade my stuff so I wont over spend on unnecessary items.
Thank you for all advices.
.

The music files get a 80 - they don't need to be lossless, but 128 kbps isn't good enough.
amp and dac - 60 - It really depends on what headphones you are using in the first place, some scale with amps better.
cable - 10, at most. If you want to consider the psychological effect given by improved cables, then 20.
 
Consider the following:
http://www.theaudiocritic.com/downloads/article_1.pdf

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Have a question I want to ask veteran audiophile
When I first bought an audiophile grade headphone, the headphone cable was recommended to increase the sound quality. After that the earpad. After that I had to get an headphone amp followed by a DAC to use with my mpb. Then there are cable that connect AMP to DAC to mpb,etc. Then I have to buy music players like Amarra, Pure Music, etc. After that I have to buy/download lossless such as flac quality songs. Now, from what I read I know that headphone makes the most difference in sound quality. However, the amp, DAC, cable, and music player can effect sound quality as well but might be subjective or only slightly. Can any experienced audiophile please give a score of how important each element are? Say headphone get a 100 because it is important to get good sound quality. What score would the amp, dac, cable, music player, music files get. This will help me clarify on what really matters and what I should expect when I upgrade my stuff so I wont over spend on unnecessary items.
Thank you for all advices.
.

As it has always been, the weakest link in your audio chain limits your listening experience to its limitations.  In addition the equipment you have has to be able to work together to get you the best or sometimes even a decent sound.
 
In the old days (1970's) this amounted to quality a turntable, phono cartridge, receiver, headphones and well recorded tracks on an LP that wasn't dirty scratched or warped.  Today you need the same basic updated chain.  You need a quality track laid down in a quality format.  You need a player & DAC (sometimes a part of that player--or your amping device) that faithfully reproduces what was laid down in the track.  You need quality speakers/cans driven by an amp that is matched to their Ohm and sensitivity ratings so that they will be properly and accurately driven.  Unless they are pure garbage, cables tend to be less important than listed items in this chain.  For most folks, the very affordable cables, such as those are sold by a vendor like Monoprice, are just fine.
 
People will offer different opinions about what is good enough and what isn't at each link of the audio chain.  You will have to make that call.  Just be aware that balance between and among the equipment in you audio chain is very important.  The greatest system in the world is not going to make original mono recording from the 1930's (or crappy compressed audio today) sound very good.  In fact in can be so accurate and detailed that it makes such tracks sound very bad.

 

[Hifi Man]

Between the AKG K550 and sennheiser momentum, which one sounds better and which one is best for isolation and shoegaze, post rock, etc? I don't want to disclude the V-moda m-100, although they sound more like basshead cans, therefor not good for my genres of preference.

 

[cel4145]

Have a question I want to ask veteran audiophile

When I first bought an audiophile grade headphone, the headphone cable was recommended to increase the sound quality. After that the earpad. After that I had to get an headphone amp followed by a DAC to use with my mpb. Then there are cable that connect AMP to DAC to mpb,etc. Then I have to buy music players like Amarra, Pure Music, etc. After that I have to buy/download lossless such as flac quality songs. Now, from what I read I know that headphone makes the most difference in sound quality. However, the amp, DAC, cable, and music player can effect sound quality as well but might be subjective or only slightly. Can any experienced audiophile please give a score of how important each element are? Say headphone get a 100 because it is important to get good sound quality. What score would the amp, dac, cable, music player, music files get. This will help me clarify on what really matters and what I should expect when I upgrade my stuff so I wont over spend on unnecessary items.

Thank you for all advices.

As it has always been, the weakest link in your audio chain limits your listening experience to its limitations.  In addition the equipment you have has to be able to work together to get you the best or sometimes even a decent sound.

In the old days (1970's) this amounted to quality a turntable, phono cartridge, receiver, headphones and well recorded tracks on an LP that wasn't dirty scratched or warped.  Today you need the same basic updated chain.  You need a quality track laid down in a quality format.  You need a player & DAC (sometimes a part of that player--or your amping device) that faithfully reproduces what was laid down in the track.  You need quality speakers/cans driven by an amp that is matched to their Ohm and sensitivity ratings so that they will be properly and accurately driven.  Unless they are pure garbage, cables tend to be less important than listed items in this chain.  For most folks, the very affordable cables, such as those are sold by a vendor like Monoprice, are just fine.

People will offer different opinions about what is good enough and what isn't at each link of the audio chain.  You will have to make that call.  Just be aware that balance between and among the equipment in you audio chain is very important.  The greatest system in the world is not going to make original mono recording from the 1930's (or crappy compressed audio today) sound very good.  In fact in can be so accurate and detailed that it makes such tracks sound very bad.

Agreed.

And there is no magic scoring system. It's about diminishing rates of return and price points and what equipment you have in terms of how or what to upgrade. A good $50 DAC today is as good or better than those in most CD players during the 1990s. So there are extremely diminishing rates of return over spending more money on more expensive DACs. Yet going from a $100 to $200 headphone--assuming you find ones that fit your listening preferences--can result in significant SQ advancement. If you have decent inexpensive cables, as KG Jag pointed out, upgrading can make very little difference (if any). Worrying about sources files is also about diminishing returns. Going from 128K mp3 to lossless can be a significant improvement. But 320K MP3 works pretty well for many people, with minor or no discernible differences from lossless unless you have very expensive equipment.

Then be wary that some of the cables and other products sold are considered snake oil by those who evaluate them with audio science (e.g. replacement power cords). I recommend starting with the improvements/equipment that can be verified to offer benefits before spending on ones that are popular purely for subjective reasons. If you want to learn more about all of this, research and ask questions in the Sound Science forum.

 

[gpk kuji]

Hello! (I am Korean so bare with my horrible grammar)
 
I am very new to the headphone world and would like some help from the experts here on the Head-Fi forums! I love listening to Classical, Rock, Alternative, Pop- Punk, Hip hop, rap, r&b, kpop, soul, dubstep, and basically every kind of music.. My ear is kind of sensitive and I can't really stand when headphones and earphones mush up the sounds and the different colors in the music start clashing with one another. I am interested in buying something that would make me feel like I am at the recording studio or live in the audience when I'm listening to these songs. Although I would love to invest a ton of money into this, I am very limited since I am only a college student. 
 
My setting will either be in my room where there is no distractions and basically open back headphones would be fine! Or, at the library where it is REALLY loud and I can not leak my music.. But if I do end up getting open back, I can just use my old earphones for whenever I leave the house...
 
I do like headphones, but I also REALLY like earphones. I do prefer Circumaural over supra aural. I am looking for a really clean and crisp sound with a little emphasis on the bass! I am a bass player myself and I love hearing riffs in the back by the bassist and crazy guitar solos. I also have a special ear for classical music and love to hear the ostinato coloring the main melody along with the counter melodies, rythms, and harmonies. 
 
OH! AND I am also a  VERY BIG GAMER! I play League of Legends competitively! and play many other online games whenever I get bored of playing a certain game.
 
The Headphones and IEMs that I've looked at so far are: * - Will indicate the amount of interest I have in them
ATH A900X - ***
ATH AD900 - ***
Monster Turbine PRO Copper - ****
AKG K550 - ***
DT 770 PRO (Not really sure between 250 OHMS and 80 OHMS)- ***
ATH M50 - **
Shure SRH840 - ***
Sennheiser HD 598 - ***
Sennheiser Amperior - ***
 
Also, I do not have an amp and will not be getting one!

 

[3ternalDr4gon]

Quote:

A little confused about the "source" component of optimal sound. Do DACs cover this area completely, or something else? Because I think my ideal set up would be
 
Schiit Lyr + Bitfrost --> iPod 5.5G w/ FLACs --> LCD-2/HD800

 

[willofthewolf]

Hello All,
 
I'm new to Head-Fi but I've been an audio nut since my high school days (mid 80's).
 
I am looking for a set of cans for my son.  His Sennheiser HD 428 unfortunately got a short in the cord so we are considering some around the $150 price range.  We've been looking at the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and the Ultrasone HFI-780, both which can be found online for between $120-$160.  I know the M50 are reviewed very highly and a fantastic bargin for the price but I also know that Ultrasone has always been an upper tier headphone company and that the HFI-780 were originally in a higher price bracket than the M50.
 
Any other opinions about these or other options we should be thinking about, please chime in and thanks for your interest.
 
WillOfTheWolf
 
GEAR
Yamaha YHD-2
AKG K501
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio
Little-Bear Audio 12AU7 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amp

 

[3X0]

Quote:

I am looking for a really clean and crisp sound with a little emphasis on the bass! I am a bass player myself and I love hearing riffs in the back by the bassist and crazy guitar solos. I also have a special ear for classical music and love to hear the ostinato coloring the main melody along with the counter melodies, rythms, and harmonies. 

DT 880

 

[Lorspeaker]

Quote:

Hello All,
 
I'm new to Head-Fi but I've been an audio nut since my high school days (mid 80's).
 
I am looking for a set of cans for my son.  His Sennheiser HD 428 unfortunately got a short in the cord so we are considering some around the $150 price range.  We've been looking at the Audio-Technica ATH-M50 and the Ultrasone HFI-780, both which can be found online for between $120-$160.  I know the M50 are reviewed very highly and a fantastic bargin for the price but I also know that Ultrasone has always been an upper tier headphone company and that the HFI-780 were originally in a higher price bracket than the M50.
 
Any other opinions about these or other options we should be thinking about, please chime in and thanks for your interest.
 
WillOfTheWolf
 
GEAR
Yamaha YHD-2
AKG K501
Ultimate Ears Super.fi 3 Studio
Little-Bear Audio 12AU7 Vacuum Tube Headphone Amp

 
there is a pro900 for sale @199$ in the buysell forum..page 2.

 

[Lorspeaker]

Quote:

Hello! (I am Korean so bare with my horrible grammar)
 
I am very new to the headphone world and would like some help from the experts here on the Head-Fi forums! I love listening to Classical, Rock, Alternative, Pop- Punk, Hip hop, rap, r&b, kpop, soul, dubstep, and basically every kind of music.. My ear is kind of sensitive and I can't really stand when headphones and earphones mush up the sounds and the different colors in the music start clashing with one another. I am interested in buying something that would make me feel like I am at the recording studio or live in the audience when I'm listening to these songs. Although I would love to invest a ton of money into this, I am very limited since I am only a college student. 
 
My setting will either be in my room where there is no distractions and basically open back headphones would be fine! Or, at the library where it is REALLY loud and I can not leak my music.. But if I do end up getting open back, I can just use my old earphones for whenever I leave the house...
 
I do like headphones, but I also REALLY like earphones. I do prefer Circumaural over supra aural. I am looking for a really clean and crisp sound with a little emphasis on the bass! I am a bass player myself and I love hearing riffs in the back by the bassist and crazy guitar solos. I also have a special ear for classical music and love to hear the ostinato coloring the main melody along with the counter melodies, rythms, and harmonies. 
 
OH! AND I am also a  VERY BIG GAMER! I play League of Legends competitively! and play many other online games whenever I get bored of playing a certain game.
 
The Headphones and IEMs that I've looked at so far are: * - Will indicate the amount of interest I have in them
ATH A900X - ***
ATH AD900 - ***
Monster Turbine PRO Copper - ****
AKG K550 - ***
DT 770 PRO (Not really sure between 250 OHMS and 80 OHMS)- ***
ATH M50 - **
Shure SRH840 - ***
Sennheiser HD 598 - ***
Sennheiser Amperior - ***

 
my vote ...k550. and if its too sharp, do a simple mod...check out the k550 appreciation thread. 

 

[xK1LLSW1TCHx127]

Hello everyone, ordering my first set of non-included headphones this weekend. i'm a broke college kid so I'm trying to keep things around or below 40 dollars. I know some of you might suggest saving up some money and waiting and buying some nicer cans in the near future but I really need some to survive asap. I am looking at some headphones that will do the following fairly well (listed by priority of course)
1. bass extension is a must. I watch movies and play video games a lot and I really like all of the bass effects. i listen to a wide variety of music focused primarily on rock and acoustic guitar and electronic stuff like dubstep
2.isolation. People are loud.
3.comfort. will be worn for up to 4 hours at a time
 
i have looked at the JVC rx700, Panasonic RP HTF 600 and JVC Ha s400 and i am leaning toward the HTF600 at the moment because according to several posts they are fairly comfortable albeit a bit sweaty. I am open to suggestions though. These will be used with an SGS with Voodoo sound, possibly and HTC One in the future, and very likely a 

Creative Sound Blaster Audigy (sorry that was copied and pasted  

 
thanks a ton everyone!