[chuckles2000]

My son (age 19) is interested in dabbling in audiophile-land (god help him). I'm interested in a christmas gift to get him started, but with today's tech it's unclear to me what would be the best first step. He has some fairly nice headphones (Meze), but his sources are primarily spotify through phone (Pixel) and laptop.

It's unclear to me what combination of equipment, source, DAC, software, etc. would be appropriate.

Any and all help would be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[serman005]

Which Meze? Would he be interested in an IEM by chance? What is your budget for this/these purchase(s)? Could he make an open headphone work?

 

[chuckles2000]

Which Meze? Would he be interested in an IEM by chance? What is your budget for this/these purchase(s)? Could he make an open headphone work?

Thanks for the reply. I believe he has the Neo's. He used to have V-Moda's, but they finally broke outside of warranty and he was interested in trying something else. I don't think he'd be into an IEM, as he's like me and just hasn't been able to find anything comfortable for any length of time. I was thinking something less than $300 or so, but then again I was looking at HD650's as a possibility, so I'd be willing to go a smidge higher than $300. He's always been intrigued by open-backed phones (and what he's giving up with closed), but given apartment living with roommates, I'm not sure how feasible that is.

 

[serman005]

The most notable upgrade to a Neo at the roughly $300 price-point would likely be something open, such as an HD600, HD650, HE-400i. Those would all require an amp, however. There is a good open headphone that does not require an amp and that is the HiFiMAN HE-400S. You might look into it and see what you think.

If you want to go closed, those that we normally recommend in this general price range are the Meze 99 Classics, 1More Triple Driver Over-Ear, the B&W P7, and the NAD Viso HP50. Maybe a Sennheiser HD598CS or an ATH-M40X possibly. Still, I think the open options would yield better sound quality most likely. Maybe that puts the HE-400S at or near the top of the list, given the budget. Lotsa options.

 

[SonyFan121]

An Audioquest Dragonfly USB DAC and AKG K712 would be my recommendation. That would be the best possible combination to use with a laptop/computer for the money, in my opinion. And since the K712 is only 62 ohm it works well with phones. I can't think of any very good closed-back headphones for under $300 except for Fostex T40RP.

 

[chuckles2000]

An Audioquest Dragonfly USB DAC and AKG K712 would be my recommendation. That would be the best possible combination to use with a laptop/computer for the money, in my opinion. And since the K712 is only 62 ohm it works well with phones. I can't think of any very good closed-back headphones for under $300 except for Fostex T40RP.

Thanks to both previous replies...feverishly looking at links. Here's my ignorance...How does the Dragonfly work? I looked into it a little bit when I got my Pixel 2 phone and realized I needed to come up with a headphone plan (wasn't keen on the dongle idea), but I didn't really figure it all out (music player/files vs spotify etc.). How would he use it with PC and spotify? Do you have to route sound through USB? Man, feel like a moron with these questions. The DAC/Amp seems like a good gift idea since headphones really demand a definition of how/when you plan to use them.

Thanks again for the help.

 

[PointyFox]

An Audioquest Dragonfly USB DAC and AKG K712 would be my recommendation. That would be the best possible combination to use with a laptop/computer for the money, in my opinion. And since the K712 is only 62 ohm it works well with phones. I can't think of any very good closed-back headphones for under $300 except for Fostex T40RP.

The K7XX is like the K712 but more comfortable, cheaper, with possibly better sound quality. It's on sale for Cyber Monday at the moment for $159.99. It's usually $199.99. I had it and liked it better than my HD600:
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition

 

[Monsterzero]

Does he listen mainly at home or on the go?
Did he like the sound of the M-100's and the Meze? They sound pretty different from each other,so knowing what sound he likes and where he is using them is pretty important before solid recs can be made.

Also what type of music is he into?

 

[SonyFan121]

Audioquest Drangonfly can only be used with PC. Once he plugs it in to the PC it should be easy to set up. It may work automatically or he will need to go to the sound settings on his PC and select it as the default output. In my experience, I find the Dragonfly a significant step up in sound quality from the standard headphone output of my Desktop PC. I use Spotify and Foobar 2000 to listen to my music and it works perfectly with those software.
Hope I could help.

 

[chuckles2000]

Does he listen mainly at home or on the go?
Did he like the sound of the M-100's and the Meze? They sound pretty different from each other,so knowing what sound he likes and where he is using them is pretty important before solid recs can be made.

Also what type of music is he into?

He does both. He treats the Meze as portables for walking around campus. it took him a fair bit to become sold on the Meze...I think he was disappointed initially. he's pretty eclectic, but primarily hip-hop/rap/punk. I was thinking of enhancing his desktop listening experience. I'm torn on whether open back would be doable since he has a roommate, but I do think it would be the most different/interesting option for him to explore.

 

[chuckles2000]

Audioquest Drangonfly can only be used with PC. Once he plugs it in to the PC it should be easy to set up. It may work automatically or he will need to go to the sound settings on his PC and select it as the default output. In my experience, I find the Dragonfly a significant step up in sound quality from the standard headphone output of my Desktop PC. I use Spotify and Foobar 2000 to listen to my music and it works perfectly with those software.
Hope I could help.

Thanks, yes, that does help.

 

[Monsterzero]

openback isnt recommended for volume sensitive roomies,nor using in public.

You might look into the 1More Triple Driver,or maybe a Schiit stack for home use.

https://www.amazon.com/1MORE-Headphones-Comfortable-Tangle-Free-Smartphones/dp/B0798TVDVJ

 

[Zworks]

A well-driven headphone could be impressive, I don't suggest portable amps and earphone because of usually portable devices price/performance ratio are relatively low, but portable devices are quite convenient. At the very start, I was impressed by sony pha3 with sony mdr-1a (1a 200 dollars). I mean don't forget a good amp.

 

[Mhog55]

How about a DAP? That would make an awesome Xmas gift, especially for walking around campus. I work on a college campus, and see nothing but Beats all day long. So tell him kudos on the 99s

 

[Mhog55]

Or you could get him an unlocked LG V30 to replace his phone. Either way he'll have a certifiable, portable listening device, and can start listening to hi res music files. Get him headed down the rabbit hole in the right direction.