[comatoast]

I would like to say hello to the headfi community. I've been reading these forums for a couple of weeks now to get some research done and now i've corner down the possible headset range i want to be in.
My use for these headphones will be music,movies, and games but i don't need a strong soundstage for gaming as i don't play fps.

Possible setup im looking at are.

Senn 595HD + Essence STX or Claro halo

AKG k701 + Zero Dac + ??? amp

Senn 650 + zero Dac + ??? amp

for K701 and 650 im looking to spend between 850-1000 for the whole setup.

I'm not quite sure if I have to go the full length for the HD650 though, as reading around on the forum it seem either the Essence or Claro can drive the 650 pretty decently and would be a cheap alternative to the costly K701

 

[CSMR]

Headphones for computer are no different from headphones for anything else.
The 650 and K701 are very different: you might like one and hate the other. Can you try them?
Some of the sound cards you listed don't have a headphone output. I'd say it's important to have a dedicated headphone output with analog volume control, or else use a dedicated headphone amplifier.

 

[Hybrys]

I'd personally go with the HD650 --> Zero DAC --> Amp. Try to find a nice little amp from the forums here, or even a DAC/Amp combo. (I've had the Little Dot DAC_I recommended heavily to me recently, and they make one with a simple amp setup INSIDE the DAC for only an added $30. It's called the Little Dot DAC_II)

You really should audition the headphones, though. As mentioned, they're very different. If you were open to suggestion, though, I'd recommend looking into the Shure SRH840s. One of my favorites, and strikes a mid-point between the two sets you're looking at, nevermind the quite reasonable $199 USD price point.

 

[comatoast]

oh so there is no point in getting either the Essence STX or the Claro Halo than i presume?

 

[Hybrys]

Quote:

Originally Posted by comatoast /img/forum/go_quote.gif oh so there is no point in getting either the Essence STX or the Claro Halo than i presume?

A DAC / Amp setup will most often give you optimal sound.

 

[comatoast]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hybrys /img/forum/go_quote.gif A DAC / Amp setup will most often give you optimal sound.

alright. so the ZeroDac is what i should be looking at for a cheap and realible DaC right? Im not quite sure which amp would work well with a HD650. I've seen some people suggest the Little Dot?

 

[userlander]

Check out the hotaudio Dac-Extasy + Thunderbolt Max combo. It would sound fantastic with HD650s.