[folglalb]

I am just a beginner in this whole head phone deal. I spend a good portion of my day listening to music and I am at a computer alot and have headphones on then, but I never actually thought about how much quality i have been missing because of standard ol' headphones.

I got a pair of Sony MDR-xd200s for christmas from my gf. I actually sampled a pair at a local shop and fell in love with them, even over the more expensive senn hd595s and a couple different pair of mdrs as well. (just personal preference I guess.) and they were the most comfortable. I do have a pair of ifrogz earpollution plugz, but they are just for my ipod will im running around. they do their job.

I got these for christmas, and i was just ecstatic and i just ordered a FiiO E5...so we will see how it goes.

So, I have a pair of Sony MDR-XD200s and a FiiO E5 amplifier, inbound.

I have read plenty of reviews and I believe I have made a good pick based on personal experience here. (and, its a plus the were cheaper too)

But, does anyone have any tips or advice?

Sources- ipod, computer, car, stereo, and home a/v box.

mostly ipod and computer, which is why i got the amplifier.

thanks in advance and merry christmas!

 

[silentmeloud]

Well, only one advise- trust your ears! If you like the sound - that's great. Im'n not sure how useful would be fiio in your case, but try it.

 

[darthmaus]

hi,

congrats on taking the first step into head-fi-dom. btw, i have an xd200 too. had it for a few weeks now. i hated the sound even after burn-in. then i figured something out... why not try the blu-tack mod? i tried it and surprisingly, it ended up sounding very very good. it was not as muddy as before, the bass is tighter and the overall clarity has improved.

if u decide to do it, just search the forum. there's some pictorial guide on how to do it. for different headphones though but the same principles apply.

 

[Drubbing]

Fiio is not going to add anything worthwhile. May even crap out the sound. It's not really an amp, the $$ should indicate that.

 

[Deep Funk]

I once considered the MDR XD's. But if I buy some entrylevel headphones I'd skip Sony and go for the HD201, HD205 or the Koss Portapro. Maybe for fun I'd buy the XD300, but it would be very unlikely

Don't get me wrong, if Sony is the way to go it has to be MDR V6 or better. If I had more money I had two of them.

 

[Bilavideo]

Don't let threaded comments screw with your noodle. Are there better cans? There are always better cans. Headfi is the headphone equivalent of a bunch of guys bragging about their mag wheels or hubcaps or whatever else boys like to compare in size or value. It's to be expected. Call it pride of ownership. But don't let anybody else's POO hit you in the face, and it if does, wipe quickly and reach for some disinfectant. People sometimes get so caught up in stats and numbers and bass and refinement and whatever that they forget the reason any of us have headphones in the first place: the music.

My first decent headphones were Sony Studios. I don't remember the exact model, but they were roughly comparable to the MDR-V900. I got thousands of hours of happiness out of them, first because they weren't total junk and second because of the music. Wear those headphones out with good times and you won't regret it.

 

[Young Spade]

If you're gonna be listening to your cans through the computer why did you get a Fiios? IMO you should.... in this hobby unless you have the money to spend or you're looking for a specific sound signature you should stay away from the lower priced "add ons".

Not saying that the Fiios isn't good but for it's low price it has little uses. You should try saving up your money and getting a better amp or DAC when your headphones need it.