jraul7
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2011
- Posts
- 84
- Likes
- 31
Getting back to the hobby after a couple of years, as mentioned in my intro thread post, I used to be able to use my Audioengine A2 speakers at work and at home, but that is not the case right now. Thus, I need to get back to headphones, because my dragonfly + bose soundsport in ears are not cutting it. Some background information:
1. Most of my music listening (in them of hours) is at work, from the laptop using the aforementioned dragonfly + bose soundsport in ears. I found this setup "bass lacking", and I usually listen to Rock (grunge, classic... almost anything except heavy metal...Metallica and System of a Down is as heavy as it gets) and some light jazz/pop with female singers. I also listen to acoustic stuff. I get that the weakest link is probably the iems as they do not "seal", so I ordered the Shure SE215 to see if they're comfortable for me. If they are, I will probably upgrade during the year to the 315 or 425. However, I've also entertained the idea of getting a better pair of closed headphones for the office, but it needs to be something comfortable. My first question is, what do you guys think of the dragonfly+shure combo? Would I need a better dac/amp combo to drive something like the Shure 315 or 425? What about if I go with the Sennheiser Momentum or Grados 325 for office use? I ask because the Apogee Groove looks nice, but if the dragonfly can do the work, I see no reason to change it.
2. This is the fun question. I also work from home plus I like to listen to music before going to sleep. . This is done in bed, so my original idea was to get a good portable dac/amp that I could use at home and power it from the laptop and my iphone/ipad. After a brief search over the weekend I liked the Oppo HA-2 as it appears to do everything I want. Again, the Apogee Groove seems nice but apparently it won't work with the iphone, so I would need to use my macbook to listen to music when in bed. And here comes the dilemma: For a little less than the price of these two portable amps I could get a Schiit Stack (modi and vali 2) which I believe should power almost any headphone I choose. The drawback, again, is that I could not use the iphone as a source, so I either suck it up or get the Oppo HA-2. I guess I would love to know what you guys are using for a "night stand rig", or at least know your opinion of the equipment I'm listing. I've been out of the game for a few years and I'm probably missing something that may work even better for me.
In regards to headphones, I really want to try the Hifiman HE-400s for home use, I've read great reviews plus to friends use to have them (they both moved to more expensive cans so I can try them). I understand that at that price point I have other options, so recommendations are welcomed (Oppo PM-1? Sennheiser HD600 or HD650).
Sorry for the wall of text, I'm basically looking for a semi portable office rig and a bedside table rig, but do wanted to add the products that I have and some products that seem interesting to me.
Thanks for reading!
1. Most of my music listening (in them of hours) is at work, from the laptop using the aforementioned dragonfly + bose soundsport in ears. I found this setup "bass lacking", and I usually listen to Rock (grunge, classic... almost anything except heavy metal...Metallica and System of a Down is as heavy as it gets) and some light jazz/pop with female singers. I also listen to acoustic stuff. I get that the weakest link is probably the iems as they do not "seal", so I ordered the Shure SE215 to see if they're comfortable for me. If they are, I will probably upgrade during the year to the 315 or 425. However, I've also entertained the idea of getting a better pair of closed headphones for the office, but it needs to be something comfortable. My first question is, what do you guys think of the dragonfly+shure combo? Would I need a better dac/amp combo to drive something like the Shure 315 or 425? What about if I go with the Sennheiser Momentum or Grados 325 for office use? I ask because the Apogee Groove looks nice, but if the dragonfly can do the work, I see no reason to change it.
2. This is the fun question. I also work from home plus I like to listen to music before going to sleep. . This is done in bed, so my original idea was to get a good portable dac/amp that I could use at home and power it from the laptop and my iphone/ipad. After a brief search over the weekend I liked the Oppo HA-2 as it appears to do everything I want. Again, the Apogee Groove seems nice but apparently it won't work with the iphone, so I would need to use my macbook to listen to music when in bed. And here comes the dilemma: For a little less than the price of these two portable amps I could get a Schiit Stack (modi and vali 2) which I believe should power almost any headphone I choose. The drawback, again, is that I could not use the iphone as a source, so I either suck it up or get the Oppo HA-2. I guess I would love to know what you guys are using for a "night stand rig", or at least know your opinion of the equipment I'm listing. I've been out of the game for a few years and I'm probably missing something that may work even better for me.
In regards to headphones, I really want to try the Hifiman HE-400s for home use, I've read great reviews plus to friends use to have them (they both moved to more expensive cans so I can try them). I understand that at that price point I have other options, so recommendations are welcomed (Oppo PM-1? Sennheiser HD600 or HD650).
Sorry for the wall of text, I'm basically looking for a semi portable office rig and a bedside table rig, but do wanted to add the products that I have and some products that seem interesting to me.
Thanks for reading!
