[JoetheArachnid]

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Very interesting replies!
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I seem to remember being a bit disappointed at first, too. I think a lot of that was source material - I was expecting it to take tracks that weren't very good to begin with and suddenly make them amazing.

Here's the thing - I've only been feeding them 320kbs MP3s and lossless CD imports. So, the source material is not the issue.

This is a common mistake people seem to make in hi-fi: high bitrate /= well recorded. A 192kbps rip of a Dire Straits album is going to sound better than a FLAC rip of RHCP's Californication no matter how you slice it. I don't know what kind of music you listen to, but quality varies massively with modern recordings.
 
As for the HD 600s, I wouldn't worry about it for a while. You've got the 595s which are damn good cans for what they are IMO, but the resale value of them is not up to much. So unless you can return them (if you wanted to) then you ought to stick with them for a while and work out what you like from them before picking your upgrade path. Not that you ought to upgrade - you should really just take your cans and run far, far away.

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

 
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Originally Posted by JoetheArachnid /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
This is a common mistake people seem to make in hi-fi: high bitrate /= well recorded. A 192kbps rip of a Dire Straits album is going to sound better than a FLAC rip of RHCP's Californication no matter how you slice it. I don't know what kind of music you listen to, but quality varies massively with modern recordings.
 
As for the HD 600s, I wouldn't worry about it for a while. You've got the 595s which are damn good cans for what they are IMO, but the resale value of them is not up to much. So unless you can return them (if you wanted to) then you ought to stick with them for a while and work out what you like from them before picking your upgrade path. Not that you ought to upgrade - you should really just take your cans and run far, far away.

Yes. I had learned recently the difference between bitrate and simply the quality of the recording--and these headphones are making that very obvious.
 
I don't plan on shooting for the stars in the high-fidelity headphones world. These are above and beyond my expectations for how headphones should sound, and from what I've heard other people say about them, an amplifier can really make them shine. I don't think I'll get new headphones any time within the next 5-8 years.
 
As for headphone amplifiers, that's another story. I'm probably going to get one soon, just not sure which ...
- FiiO E7
- Total Bithead
- Little Dot
- NuForce uDAC-2
 
Arghh..... lol

 

[JoetheArachnid]

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As for headphone amplifiers, that's another story. I'm probably going to get one soon, just not sure which ...
- FiiO E7
- Total Bithead
- Little Dot
- NuForce uDAC-2
 
Arghh..... lol

Well, the Little Dot (assuming you mean the I+) won't have the DAC functions of the other options on that list. I don't know anything about the Bithead but I've heard some good things about both the E7 and the uDAC2. I'd browse a bit to see which sounds like it suits you best. However, if you crave tubes and don't mind using onboard sound until you can get a good DAC by all means go for the LD.

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

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Well, the Little Dot (assuming you mean the I+) won't have the DAC functions of the other options on that list. I don't know anything about the Bithead but I've heard some good things about both the E7 and the uDAC2. I'd browse a bit to see which sounds like it suits you best. However, if you crave tubes and don't mind using onboard sound until you can get a good DAC by all means go for the LD.

Honestly, I have never experienced tubes. I've heard nothing but great things about them, so that caught my interest. I do listen to a fair amount of new age and classical music--strings, piano, violins--and those seem to benefit from the tubes, or so I hear.
 
I'm just listening to my iTunes now with the phones, enjoying them thoroughly. I do believe that just in the 5-7 hours I've put into them so far, they've genuinely changed in sound already. The treble is more upfront. I went back to my old phones to compare, and the old phones don't have a clearer treble anymore.
 
EDIT: I'm between the E7 and the uDAC2.. Ugghhh... I was so close to going with the E7, but then I found 3 reviews on Amazon of the UDAC2, all of them praising how well they make the Sennheiser HD595s sound--and I love the analog wheel on the uDAC2 in contrast to the buttons on the E7.
 
But dang it, I want something portable (the 80 hours of battery on the E7 would be so nice, and much more iPod friendly)

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

Sorry to bump, but I would like to decide sometime this afternoon when I could still take advantage of my Amazon Prime free trial.

 

[Saturn]

I got the HotAudio DAC-Extasy, and my god, they really warm up the HD 595's.

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

I still have 40 minutes to make a decision. :3

People, give me arguments! Ha
 
Is there a significant difference in sound quality? I would assume the NuForce would sound better since it's out to do less (no screen, no battery, etc) but I don't know.
 
EDIT: Too late -- went with the E7. :O

 

[kingpage]

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EDIT: Too late -- went with the E7. :O

Haha, couldn't resist, huh? We are like that sometimes. Many people are also waiting for their E7, so it's good of you to join the camp.

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

 
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Haha, couldn't resist, huh? We are like that sometimes. Many people are also waiting for their E7, so it's good of you to join the camp.

It's a camp I won't remain at for long; I chose over-night shipping. :O
 
I had a few factors swaying me in either direction - and discovering the HP version of the uDAc-2 that was only $99 did NOT help me! =P
 
Reasons to get the FiiO E7:
- Portable (with 80 hours of battery) + iPod usage
- I already ordered an LOD cable
 
Reasons to get the uDAC-2
- Analog volume wheel
- 24bits/96Khz support
- People seem to really, really like how it sounds
 
And yet, somehow I ended up with the FiiO. xD
I guess I just couldn't give up the portability. Hopefully I'm satisfied.

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

Initial reaction:
 
"My laptop makes the headphones sound better than this."
 
I've gone back and forth between the E7 and the native 3.5mm port on my laptop for a few different songs now. With each one, they sound either EXACTLY the same, or the laptop sounds better.
 
Not sure what to think right now ... lol =/

 

[kingpage]

Are you using the USB DAC? Just checking, I know you are.
 
What sound card or laptop do you have?

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

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Are you using the USB DAC? Just checking, I know you are.
 
What sound card or laptop do you have?

I have the FiiO E7 connected to the laptop with its included USB cable. The first time I connected it, it recognized what it was and output all my sound into it. (I went into Control Panel > Sound to make sure)
 
I have an HP DM4. It advertised that it has exceptional sound quality with "Dolby Advanced Audio." It supports 24bit/96Khz (and up). I can't say the same for the E7. I guess I just assumed the E7 would provide more power and thus a better sound. I'm still really new into the audiophile world.

 

[kingpage]

So you are quit sure that you are hearing E7 instead of your laptop sound card because you heard there are differences between the two in spite of the poorer SQ?
 
You don't have any EQ or features turned on when you are listening, do you?
 
The DM4 seems to have a integrated Sound Blaster Pro card (3D 16 bit).

 

[JellyBeanRacer]

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So you are quit sure that you are hearing E7 instead of your laptop sound card because you heard there are differences between the two in spite of the poorer SQ?

Pretty darn.
 

 
There are no drastic differences. As a recurrent theme, using the laptop as the source seems to produce a warmer, more open sound--which I prefer. For one song (Sahara - Nightwish), when the strings come in at 0:05, the FiiO will present them as coming mainly from the left side. The laptop makes them sound like they're coming from behind you. That is by far the biggest difference I've noticed between the two.
 
As I said before, the laptop seems to be pretty advanced in its settings:
 

 
EDIT: Also, I've tested the FiiO with both Bass Boost set at 0 and at 1 for the songs (I think I prefer 1). The settings 2 and 3 seem too strong at the moment. The volume has been used at 22 - 30. The laptop is set at around 60-70% volume.

 

[kingpage]

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There are no drastic differences. As a recurrent theme, using the laptop as the source seems to produce a warmer, more open sound--which I prefer. For one song (Sahara - Nightwish), when the strings come in at 0:05, the FiiO will present them as coming mainly from the left side. The laptop makes them sound like they're coming from behind you. That is by far the biggest difference I've noticed between the two.

Do you have virtual Headphone surround on with your laptop card? Because the music shouldn't come my behind until you enable a virtual 5.1 feature such as Dolby headphone. Have you turned off all the extra functions of your on-board sound card?
 
I can make my music sound "better" by turning on the plugin Doby headphone in foobar2000. It would convert 2.1 music to 5.1 virtual surround for your headphone. Anyway, maybe your sound card is really better than E7.