[RedVelvetLuna]

rip thread

 

[AudioThief]

Paging @Music Alchemist (He is a very knowledgeable member and I *believe* he is also a weeb)

Personally I only have experience with the HD700 first hand, and the HD650 (obviously closely related to the 660s)

So I'll tell you that when I demoed the HD700, I quite liked them. The treble peak is noticeable, but quite high up. You could say that in a high end headphone, a peak like that is "inexcusable". But if you tolerate it, then the HD700 could be a good purchase. It has great comfort, a nice sound and very technically capable. I would say that having a good source matters a lot with the HD700 (I guess it does with most highly resolving headphones).

The HD660s is as you say the safe choice. Or I should say, HD600/HD650 is. The 660s, based on what I've heard, is barely an upgrade and cost considerably more. A used 600/650 these days are remarkably cheap for the sound quality you get back.

My personal opinion of the HD6xx series has changed quite a bit since I first heard them. Originally I found them boring and not nearly engaging enough for my tastes. They are not the sort of headphones that "wow" you upon first listen. They kinda win you over slowly but surely. At least it was like that for me. I think the HD700 has more clear "wow" factor - but the HD700 also has glaring flaws whereas the hd6xx cans does not. They are the least offensive headphones I've ever heard, and are very linear (which the HD700 are not).

Now the issue with telling you these things is that odds are you don't really know yourself exactly what sound you prefer in a pair of headphones. I used to be a several headphones kinda guy, but I am no longer that and I have found my "one true sound". Odds are you won't know what your sound really is for quite some time. And if you can't audition these headphones before purchasing, then its just gonna be a toss up.

With that being said, with my extensive reading on several of these cans and personal experience, my vote goes to a HD600/650/660 and building a setup around that can. A good chain leading into a HD6x0 (i.e good source like bitperfect high resolution digital or vinyl, a powerful clean amplifier and a high end dac) will give REMARKABLE results and really quite unique in the world of head-fi.

Also I just have to mention that I will always recommend to just get a stax srs 3100 system for your money because its the best ever and beats everything in that price range period hehe.

 

[RedVelvetLuna]

Paging @Music Alchemist (He is a very knowledgeable member and I *believe* he is also a weeb)

Personally I only have experience with the HD700 first hand, and the HD650 (obviously closely related to the 660s)

So I'll tell you that when I demoed the HD700, I quite liked them. The treble peak is noticeable, but quite high up. You could say that in a high end headphone, a peak like that is "inexcusable". But if you tolerate it, then the HD700 could be a good purchase. It has great comfort, a nice sound and very technically capable. I would say that having a good source matters a lot with the HD700 (I guess it does with most highly resolving headphones).

The HD660s is as you say the safe choice. Or I should say, HD600/HD650 is. The 660s, based on what I've heard, is barely an upgrade and cost considerably more. A used 600/650 these days are remarkably cheap for the sound quality you get back.

My personal opinion of the HD6xx series has changed quite a bit since I first heard them. Originally I found them boring and not nearly engaging enough for my tastes. They are not the sort of headphones that "wow" you upon first listen. They kinda win you over slowly but surely. At least it was like that for me. I think the HD700 has more clear "wow" factor - but the HD700 also has glaring flaws whereas the hd6xx cans does not. They are the least offensive headphones I've ever heard, and are very linear (which the HD700 are not).

Now the issue with telling you these things is that odds are you don't really know yourself exactly what sound you prefer in a pair of headphones. I used to be a several headphones kinda guy, but I am no longer that and I have found my "one true sound". Odds are you won't know what your sound really is for quite some time. And if you can't audition these headphones before purchasing, then its just gonna be a toss up.

With that being said, with my extensive reading on several of these cans and personal experience, my vote goes to a HD600/650/660 and building a setup around that can. A good chain leading into a HD6x0 (i.e good source like bitperfect high resolution digital or vinyl, a powerful clean amplifier and a high end dac) will give REMARKABLE results and really quite unique in the world of head-fi.

Also I just have to mention that I will always recommend to just get a stax srs 3100 system for your money because its the best ever and beats everything in that price range period hehe.

Ye but with it being *slightly* better I will always have that urge of like... ugh I wish I bought the 660s over these! I do agree that the 660s is probably a better buy over the 700, and that's why my biggest comparison is between the 2000x and 660s, but with the 2000x being discontinued I don't see too many reviews or opinions about them. But with my favorite culture and main media consumption coming from Japan and Korea, along with more "nerdy" movies like anything from Marvel, or action like John Wick taking a much more secondary role, I feel like the 2000x might shine a bit better. I heard that one of their best points is female vocals, and with my favorite singers/groups including Red Velvet, Nano, AOA, Blackpink, and nightcore, female vocals tend to be my main focus. It's a really hard decision though

 

[AudioThief]

Ye but with it being *slightly* better I will always have that urge of like... ugh I wish I bought the 660s over these! I do agree that the 660s is probably a better buy over the 700, and that's why my biggest comparison is between the 2000x and 660s, but with the 2000x being discontinued I don't see too many reviews or opinions about them. But with my favorite culture and main media consumption coming from Japan and Korea, along with more "nerdy" movies like anything from Marvel, or action like John Wick taking a much more secondary role, I feel like the 2000x might shine a bit better. I heard that one of their best points is female vocals, and with my favorite singers/groups including Red Velvet, Nano, AOA, Blackpink, and nightcore, female vocals tend to be my main focus. It's a really hard decision though

The best female vocals I've ever heard were in Stax (japanese btw!!!) and Audeze LCD 2.

If the 660s appeal to you more because of their likely very sligth refinement over the HD650 (if there even is any) then perhaps technical capability is something you prioritize more than anything else, at which point getting the most highly resolving cans for your money would be best?

Again Stax SRS 3100 sounds like would be for you.

If I think back at my own journey when I was where you are now in terms of experience and price range, I wanted to be "wow'ed" by my headphones. In which case I think it is likely the AD2000x is the best buy for you (again except SRS 3100 it will wow you more than anything else).

Not that there is anything bad about being wow'ed by a headphone, I think the AD2000x are good based on what I've heard. But long term again I must recommend the hd6x0s cans or stax

 

[HeadphoneWeeb]

I actually got my HD700 recently on eBay for $366. I think they still have a few at that price. I have it paired with the Audeze Deckard. Its a great combo and I think the Deckard does relieve that spike somewhat because it does not bother me as much as people say. It's an incredible headphone and would be great for gaming! Take this advice from a fellow weeb lol. Although from what I've heard, the sound of the HD700 is heavily amp dependent, so it could sound different from what I hear depending on the amp that you have.

I don't listen to much vocaloid music, but I do have a lot of anime soundtracks. I will say that the HD700 excels at classical/instrumental music. I've also heard the 660s uses a tweaked version of the HD700 driver.

 

[RedVelvetLuna]

I actually got my HD700 recently on eBay for $366. I think they still have a few at that price. I have it paired with the Audeze Deckard. Its a great combo and I think the Deckard does relieve that spike somewhat because it does not bother me as much as people say. It's an incredible headphone and would be great for gaming! Take this advice from a fellow weeb lol. Although from what I've heard, the sound of the HD700 is heavily amp dependent, so it could sound different from what I hear depending on the amp that you have.

I don't listen to much vocaloid music, but I do have a lot of anime soundtracks. I will say that the HD700 excels at classical/instrumental music. I've also heard the 660s uses a tweaked version of the HD700 driver.

Try listening to some stuff like.. Reol "gigantic otn" "plus boy" and "childish war" in collaboration with Kradness and tell me what you think? :3 ... but don't look at some of the English lyrics for them! But you should definitely check out Nano, she is easily my favorite vocalist, her voice is amazing and her songs are sooooo catchy, my favorites are nevereverland, hysteria, and the btooom! ost which was made by her,

 

[Monsterzero]

I own the original AD2000(non-X-version)which is by all accounts a better headphone than the 2000x.Oddly I bought it from an anime fan from S.Korea.

I personally love the AD2000s,but like the HD700,people have quite polar opposite opinions of it.Some love it.Some hate it,with not much in between.

It is a dry headphone.Lightning fast(planar-like)with a very forward midrange.Guitars and vocals are in your face. I love it for metal and trance,dont listen to the stuff you do so cant comment.

I will also say its a bit amp picky too,so not the easiest HP to own.

 

[RedVelvetLuna]

I own the original AD2000(non-X-version)which is by all accounts a better headphone than the 2000x.Oddly I bought it from an anime fan from S.Korea.

I personally love the AD2000s,but like the HD700,people have quite polar opposite opinions of it.Some love it.Some hate it,with not much in between.

It is a dry headphone.Lightning fast(planar-like)with a very forward midrange.Guitars and vocals are in your face. I love it for metal and trance,dont listen to the stuff you do so cant comment.

I will also say its a bit amp picky too,so not the easiest HP to own.

Really? It's like.. 40 ohm, it seems like almost anything could drive it quite easily.

 

[Monsterzero]

Again im referring to the original AD2000.Apparently there are quite a few similarities between it and the X version,but most prefer the original.That being said....

Its not hard to drive.Its amp picky.Difference.

When I had the Magni Uber it sounded like the mids had been scooped out,or if you prefer,hollow.It got plenty loud,but it sounded like loud,hollow crap.However my current "easy to drive"headphone amp,the R2R-11 really is a great combo with the AD2000.In fact its the only headphone I own that I use it for.

Further reading can be done here.The guy does that review is the cat who turned me onto them originally.I agree with about 90% of what he says regarding the AD2000s.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

I am currently leaning towards the AD2000X's because of their incredible highs, which I believe would be perfect for most of the stuff I mentioned above, but also because of how easy they are to drive at 40 ohm, so on the rare occasion this girl does step outside, she will be able to plug it into her phone and have her new fancy headphones still sounding great :3 I am kind of worried about how comfortable they are, but it seems like you can fix that with a 20$ pair of earpads to replace the stock ones.

The AD2000X and for that matter the HD700 and HD660S are a terrible choice for listening outside. They're fully open back headphones - all ambient noise will just leak in and get in the way of what you're listening to. Even what you think is a quiet day outside isn't so quiet - ambient noise can be as high as 50dB, you just think it's quiet because there's no single range of distinct noise sources. Even if you add an amp to get past the noise it's not always that effective, on top of it risking your hearing.

Second, low impedance by itself isn't the main indicator of how easy a headphone is to drive. A HiFiMan HE400i might be 35ohms, but with a relatively low sensitivity of 93dB/1mW, it's going to need over half a watt into each driver just to make sure it can handle any dynamic peaks in properly recorded music while playing loud (though you're not supposed to listen loud for an entire listening session - just that you should be able to crank it up for some tracks).

What you can do is just get an open headphone for use at home and an in-ear monitor for use outside.

The HD700's are a bit more tricky.. I feel like with a retail value of 1300$, getting them for like 350$ would be an absolute steal and there is no way something with that retail could possibly be bad, but everywhere I look I see everyone hating them, with the exception of retail site reviews where they have a 4.8/5 on amazon for example.. So I don't know if it's like a "I heard they are bad so I will tell everyone it is bad" or a "they are actually bad" kind of thing. But they also look amazingly comfortable and really sexy, I just don't know what to think of how others say they sound, but I feel like a slight mod to them might make them the best out of the three.

I got to listen to these years ago. Not as bad as people say but I'm not paying as much as the SRP. And these weren't even $1,300 - IIRC they were going for $800.

Overall I'd rather get an HD650 (or now, an HD660S), but if I wanted similar imaging capability (if not better) I'd get the K702. Either way I'd get an amp for these (even the HD700).

The HD660's are appealing to me because they seem like a very "safe" choice. The reviews I see for them are AMAZING, but they don't seem to do anything exactly amazingly well, but they also seem like the best "gaming" headphones. But would you really want a "safe" choice that does everything decently well, or something that does multiple things AMAZINGLY well like the 2000X, but still sounding decent everywhere else? I feel like the 2000x would be better because there is something to make them stand out.

Sennheiser's HD580/6xx series are great all-rounders but they're basically a host of smaller compromises everywhere that end up not doing anything exceptionally well. If you listen to a diverse mix of music then the compromises made for the response is a good one, just note that the HD650/6XX/660S while flatter overall in the sense of not having the HD580(J)/HD600's peaks, have a much stronger response below 1000hz than above it, which is also why people have a tendency to feel that they don't have any treble detail.

Imaging is acceptable but far from exceptional, ie, anyone listening to properly recorded orchestral, acoustic, or heck, to an extent even symphonic metal, will probably want the imaging of the AKG K7xx series, particularly the K702. K701 is a little weak in the bass region as it rolls off early, which the K702 fixed; the K7XX and K712 no longer have the angled pads of the previous versions and imaging on the K7XX at least isn't as deep (haven't tried the K7XX but given its response graph I'm not confident it will be any better).

Or is there a better option out there? I don't really have a budget, I don't want to go too all out and get something like the HD800S on my FIRST pair of high end headphones, and I don't really feel comfortable buying something used, but maybe it would be best to buy a pair of HD800's used for 700$? But I would also need a really good amp to pair with it and that would be again very expensive.

You'd need an amp for all the others too, unless you have something reasonably powerful and with low output impedance like a DAP for the AD200X, HD700 or HD660S. If you have a home speaker system maybe it can work well enough for an HD650 or HD6XX, but given that home audio amps often have very high output impedance, you're restricted to 250ohm headphones or higher.

If you're not anticipating the likelihood of upgrading anytime soon, and can do with a relatively low cost though not very powerful amp (that is otherwise a very good performer at its output level), plus a headphone that doesn't need much amplification, look into the HiFiMan HE400S and drive it with something like a Creative SoundBlaster E5 or AE1 (if you'll be using a PC for gaming and music listening). Or just your motherboard's built in audio if it's one of the modern gaming boards with good amplifier circuits and a DSP for virtual surround built in. If you game on a console the headphone output on the wireless control pads might be enough if just for gaming at moderate volume with no ambient noise (ie you're not in the living room next to a kitchen where somebody's banging a steel skillet on the cast iron grate on the stove shaking a fish filet off before flipping it, with oil and food sizzling the entire time along with an exhaust fan).

Otherwise, since you're going to buy an affordable beater IEM for use outside anyway, you could just make sure to not get anything with impedance of 16ohms or preferably 32ohms and sensitivity of 105dB/1mW or higher, so it can work well enough with the control pad's audio output.

Alternately, you could just get a decent IEM as it can serve well in all the use cases you require. Soundstage image or even surround effect on gaming will not be as good, but they don't require a lot of amplification past a low output impedance. Maybe something like a Shure SE425 or Westone UM20, or UM30Pro.

If you really want a dedicated home system (and not on a console either) but anticipate upgrading later on, you could invest well enough on the amp and DAC right now (assuming you can get virtual surround for gaming another way - your motherboard already has it, or you only play games that have headphone audio embedded) and a fairly good headphone that would have been the pinnacle of Reference short of Stax before all the other "flagships" came out. Something like the AKG K7XX from Massdrop (or heck, the HiFiMan HE400S - it might have high sensitivity, doesn't mean it can't work on more powerful amps) and an AudioGD NFB-11. Plus the IEM for use with your phone outside.

I really love kpop, vocaloid, watch a lot of anime, and play a lot of video games.. typical "weeb" stuff, but I also love a bit of hard rock here and there <3!

As an aside, while typing that out, I listened to a few T-Ara and AoA tracks before I switched to Kamelot's "Epica" on my HD600 driven by a Pangea HP101.

 

[Xamdou]

As a weeb and a HD700 owner, I won't really say I would recommand the HD700 without the real setup though.

It sounds like crap with just my iFi iDAC2 + iCAN SE but sounds darn good with the iTube2 and the treble in my opinion can be "fixed" with the right copper cable as the stock cable is SPC.

As for gaming, the imaging is really good for games like csgo and fortnite to know where you are getting shot at and you don't need to worry about the comfortable for long period of gaming session too.

 

[RedVelvetLuna]

As a weeb and a HD700 owner, I won't really say I would recommand the HD700 without the real setup though.

It sounds like **** with just my iFi iDAC2 + iCAN SE but sounds darn good with the iTube2 and the treble in my opinion can be "fixed" with the right copper cable as the stock cable is SPC.

As for gaming, the imaging is really good for games like csgo and fortnite to know where you are getting shot at and you don't need to worry about the comfortable for long period of gaming session too.

I could never really get into CSGO. I played it for about a week and never got placed, getting once because I was a girl, once because I didn't want to use my microphone because of what had happened before, and once by a 4 stack making a big meme. I really LOVE Overwatch though, and really enjoy buying singleplayer games that get very high reviews like subnautica and celeste, so I feel like for most games there won't be a giant difference between most of them. I also don't really like PUBG / fortnite / etc battle royale games as I feel like they are a trend and might begin to die off eventually, but I don't really have a disliking for fortnite, I can't stand pubg and all the problems and bad developers that come with it though. With how so many people who actually have the 700's telling me that they are quite problematic, I think I am starting to lean more towards comparing the 660S and 2000X's though. Someone did Suggest a pair of Stax's but I see a lot of cons at first glance, like the style looking really off or the amp being seemingly a total necessity.

 

[RedVelvetLuna]

The AD2000X and for that matter the HD700 and HD660S are a terrible choice for listening outside. They're fully open back headphones - all ambient noise will just leak in and get in the way of what you're listening to. Even what you think is a quiet day outside isn't so quiet - ambient noise can be as high as 50dB, you just think it's quiet because there's no single range of distinct noise sources. Even if you add an amp to get past the noise it's not always that effective, on top of it risking your hearing.

Second, low impedance by itself isn't the main indicator of how easy a headphone is to drive. A HiFiMan HE400i might be 35ohms, but with a relatively low sensitivity of 93dB/1mW, it's going to need over half a watt into each driver just to make sure it can handle any dynamic peaks in properly recorded music while playing loud (though you're not supposed to listen loud for an entire listening session - just that you should be able to crank it up for some tracks).

What you can do is just get an open headphone for use at home and an in-ear monitor for use outside.

Not really for listening outside like.. actually outside or in public, but more like when I go to my partners or grandmothers house, I wouldn't want to bring some amp and stuff along with me, just my phone and headphones, and the 2000x seems like the easiest pair to drive. But what makes me lean towards them the most is how they apparently have the best female vocals and amazing high and mids with decent bass.


I got to listen to these years ago. Not as bad as people say but I'm not paying as much as the SRP. And these weren't even $1,300 - IIRC they were going for $800.

Overall I'd rather get an HD650 (or now, an HD660S), but if I wanted similar imaging capability (if not better) I'd get the K702. Either way I'd get an amp for these (even the HD700).

You can get the HD700 for like 400$ now. That seems like a complete steal in terms of it's comfort and design. I have seen a few mods going around that make them sound better if the treble is that big of a problem, which is another reason they appeal to me, the most comfortable and if they sound bad you can "fix" them?


Sennheiser's HD580/6xx series are great all-rounders but they're basically a host of smaller compromises everywhere that end up not doing anything exceptionally well. If you listen to a diverse mix of music then the compromises made for the response is a good one, just note that the HD650/6XX/660S while flatter overall in the sense of not having the HD580(J)/HD600's peaks, have a much stronger response below 1000hz than above it, which is also why people have a tendency to feel that they don't have any treble detail.

Imaging is acceptable but far from exceptional, ie, anyone listening to properly recorded orchestral, acoustic, or heck, to an extent even symphonic metal, will probably want the imaging of the AKG K7xx series, particularly the K702. K701 is a little weak in the bass region as it rolls off early, which the K702 fixed; the K7XX and K712 no longer have the angled pads of the previous versions and imaging on the K7XX at least isn't as deep (haven't tried the K7XX but given its response graph I'm not confident it will be any better).

I don't listen to a diverse mix of music, just female kpop groups and vocaloid, I just happen to also enjoy a bit of rock here and there, but it doesn't go outside of that. Think Red Velvet's "Red Flavor", Nano's "Nevereverland" and "Hysteria", Reol's "Gigantic OTN", and Metallica's "Ride The Lightning" or even Slipknot's "Duality". It's a pretty big difference between the two, but the female led pop groups like Red Velvet, GFriend, AOA, Twice, Blackpink, and Nightcore is what is most important to me. I honestly want what is best in that department, and if the 2000x is truly the best in that regard but AT LEAST DECENT when it comes to gaming and hard rock, I think I would prefer that over the HD660s which seems decent for everything. I just don't really know what makes a headphone great for something like kpop so it's hard for me to figure this out, but since I always prefer girl groups the 2000x having apparently the best female vocals makes me think I would prefer it over the 660.


You'd need an amp for all the others too, unless you have something reasonably powerful and with low output impedance like a DAP for the AD200X, HD700 or HD660S. If you have a home speaker system maybe it can work well enough for an HD650 or HD6XX, but given that home audio amps often have very high output impedance, you're restricted to 250ohm headphones or higher.

If you're not anticipating the likelihood of upgrading anytime soon, and can do with a relatively low cost though not very powerful amp (that is otherwise a very good performer at its output level), plus a headphone that doesn't need much amplification, look into the HiFiMan HE400S and drive it with something like a Creative SoundBlaster E5 or AE1 (if you'll be using a PC for gaming and music listening). Or just your motherboard's built in audio if it's one of the modern gaming boards with good amplifier circuits and a DSP for virtual surround built in. If you game on a console the headphone output on the wireless control pads might be enough if just for gaming at moderate volume with no ambient noise (ie you're not in the living room next to a kitchen where somebody's banging a steel skillet on the cast iron grate on the stove shaking a fish filet off before flipping it, with oil and food sizzling the entire time along with an exhaust fan).

Otherwise, since you're going to buy an affordable beater IEM for use outside anyway, you could just make sure to not get anything with impedance of 16ohms or preferably 32ohms and sensitivity of 105dB/1mW or higher, so it can work well enough with the control pad's audio output.

Alternately, you could just get a decent IEM as it can serve well in all the use cases you require. Soundstage image or even surround effect on gaming will not be as good, but they don't require a lot of amplification past a low output impedance. Maybe something like a Shure SE425 or Westone UM20, or UM30Pro.

If you really want a dedicated home system (and not on a console either) but anticipate upgrading later on, you could invest well enough on the amp and DAC right now (assuming you can get virtual surround for gaming another way - your motherboard already has it, or you only play games that have headphone audio embedded) and a fairly good headphone that would have been the pinnacle of Reference short of Stax before all the other "flagships" came out. Something like the AKG K7XX from Massdrop (or heck, the HiFiMan HE400S - it might have high sensitivity, doesn't mean it can't work on more powerful amps) and an AudioGD NFB-11. Plus the IEM for use with your phone outside.





As an aside, while typing that out, I listened to a few T-Ara and AoA tracks before I switched to Kamelot's "Epica" on my HD600 driven by a Pangea HP101.

How did AoA sound on them though?

Sorry for taking up your time with my headphone noobness

And I messed up in the reply, look at some of the blue and I wrote a few paragraphs between your paragraphs.. omg I suck ._.

 

[RedVelvetLuna]

The AD2000X and for that matter the HD700 and HD660S are a terrible choice for listening outside. They're fully open back headphones - all ambient noise will just leak in and get in the way of what you're listening to. Even what you think is a quiet day outside isn't so quiet - ambient noise can be as high as 50dB, you just think it's quiet because there's no single range of distinct noise sources. Even if you add an amp to get past the noise it's not always that effective, on top of it risking your hearing.

Second, low impedance by itself isn't the main indicator of how easy a headphone is to drive. A HiFiMan HE400i might be 35ohms, but with a relatively low sensitivity of 93dB/1mW, it's going to need over half a watt into each driver just to make sure it can handle any dynamic peaks in properly recorded music while playing loud (though you're not supposed to listen loud for an entire listening session - just that you should be able to crank it up for some tracks).

What you can do is just get an open headphone for use at home and an in-ear monitor for use outside.




I got to listen to these years ago. Not as bad as people say but I'm not paying as much as the SRP. And these weren't even $1,300 - IIRC they were going for $800.

Overall I'd rather get an HD650 (or now, an HD660S), but if I wanted similar imaging capability (if not better) I'd get the K702. Either way I'd get an amp for these (even the HD700).




Sennheiser's HD580/6xx series are great all-rounders but they're basically a host of smaller compromises everywhere that end up not doing anything exceptionally well. If you listen to a diverse mix of music then the compromises made for the response is a good one, just note that the HD650/6XX/660S while flatter overall in the sense of not having the HD580(J)/HD600's peaks, have a much stronger response below 1000hz than above it, which is also why people have a tendency to feel that they don't have any treble detail.

Imaging is acceptable but far from exceptional, ie, anyone listening to properly recorded orchestral, acoustic, or heck, to an extent even symphonic metal, will probably want the imaging of the AKG K7xx series, particularly the K702. K701 is a little weak in the bass region as it rolls off early, which the K702 fixed; the K7XX and K712 no longer have the angled pads of the previous versions and imaging on the K7XX at least isn't as deep (haven't tried the K7XX but given its response graph I'm not confident it will be any better).




You'd need an amp for all the others too, unless you have something reasonably powerful and with low output impedance like a DAP for the AD200X, HD700 or HD660S. If you have a home speaker system maybe it can work well enough for an HD650 or HD6XX, but given that home audio amps often have very high output impedance, you're restricted to 250ohm headphones or higher.

If you're not anticipating the likelihood of upgrading anytime soon, and can do with a relatively low cost though not very powerful amp (that is otherwise a very good performer at its output level), plus a headphone that doesn't need much amplification, look into the HiFiMan HE400S and drive it with something like a Creative SoundBlaster E5 or AE1 (if you'll be using a PC for gaming and music listening). Or just your motherboard's built in audio if it's one of the modern gaming boards with good amplifier circuits and a DSP for virtual surround built in. If you game on a console the headphone output on the wireless control pads might be enough if just for gaming at moderate volume with no ambient noise (ie you're not in the living room next to a kitchen where somebody's banging a steel skillet on the cast iron grate on the stove shaking a fish filet off before flipping it, with oil and food sizzling the entire time along with an exhaust fan).

Otherwise, since you're going to buy an affordable beater IEM for use outside anyway, you could just make sure to not get anything with impedance of 16ohms or preferably 32ohms and sensitivity of 105dB/1mW or higher, so it can work well enough with the control pad's audio output.

Alternately, you could just get a decent IEM as it can serve well in all the use cases you require. Soundstage image or even surround effect on gaming will not be as good, but they don't require a lot of amplification past a low output impedance. Maybe something like a Shure SE425 or Westone UM20, or UM30Pro.

If you really want a dedicated home system (and not on a console either) but anticipate upgrading later on, you could invest well enough on the amp and DAC right now (assuming you can get virtual surround for gaming another way - your motherboard already has it, or you only play games that have headphone audio embedded) and a fairly good headphone that would have been the pinnacle of Reference short of Stax before all the other "flagships" came out. Something like the AKG K7XX from Massdrop (or heck, the HiFiMan HE400S - it might have high sensitivity, doesn't mean it can't work on more powerful amps) and an AudioGD NFB-11. Plus the IEM for use with your phone outside.





As an aside, while typing that out, I listened to a few T-Ara and AoA tracks before I switched to Kamelot's "Epica" on my HD600 driven by a Pangea HP101.

Also... I messed up in the reply posted right above, Look in the blue and I wrote stuff inbetween some of your paragraphs. I am brand new here, sorry for messing up xD

 

[ProtegeManiac]

How did AoA sound on them though?

Detailed, voices come through naturally. Not shrill but you can easily pick out Hyejeong's higher pitch singing voice out of the others. On T-Ara it's easy to tell Eun-Jung apart from Hyomin apart from knowing who does the hook lines (if i'm watching I'd be too distracted with my eyes fixed on Eun-Jung and then fluttering towards Jiyeon at some point); although sometimes So-Yeon can be a little difficult to tell apart from Jiyeon and Qri unless it's one of those lines where she goes much higher up the range with more control. Choa's pitch is different enough from Yuna that it would have to be a crap system to not be able to tell them apart. And as a guy I like how Yuna's voice is rendered...she has a very peculiar way of pronouncing vowel sounds at the end of each line (it's borderline moaning in some tracks...which is one reason for why I listen to AoA as much as I watch them for Yuna and Hyeeong) and it's very clearly rendered on my home headphone system (my ASG-1.3 isn't far behind but I have to use a low shelf EQ to trim the low end on that one).

Slower T-Ara tracks have So-Yeon easy to pick out since she has the best control; even if Eun-Jung had lines going up the range their voices would be distinct enough, but on these older tracks if you don't know the line assignments there can be confusion as to whether it's Hwayoung or Eun-Jung rapping (Hyomin does this on older tracks but her intonation is markedly different from these two, same thing for Areum).

Depending on the track, some have certain vocals that are off-center to give a clue as to where they're standing in line or more clearly emphasize a second voice coming in from the back going up the range, but of course this is just surprising that pop music like this has any spatial info at all so don't expect it to totally sound anything like acoustic audiophile recordings.

Beat instruments come through loud and clear so you get all the bass machine drum hits for the more dance-driven AoA tracks (Confused) and T-Ara's more techno tracks (Sugar Free).