[Fluffman37]

Hey
Allow me to give you an overview of my situation.  I've been looking to get a higher end pair of headphones for a while now seeing as how I am quite the music junkie.  The source for my music is my computer of course,  most of my music files are of good quality, some flac but mostly mp3's no less than 200kbps.  I listen to a wide variety of music, eg; grunge(nirvana, Alice in chains, etc..), folk rock, metal, quite a bit of jambands such as the grateful dead, Soundtribe Sector 9, Phish, String Cheese Incident, lotus etc..  Electronica with a lot of bass is my new new found love,  I'm not talking about dubstep(although that is a guilty pleasure of mine), If anyone has ever heard of EOTO, this is more my style , they improvise house, trance, dubstep, hip hop, electronica, rock and countless others on stage, no albums, no prerecorded sounds, every show is different, but its all music you can dance too, haha.  Anyway I've done a bit of research on my own and I've settled upon the Sennheiser hd595,  and I've come to the conclusion that I'm probably going to need an amplifier and/or DAC to enjoy it to the fullest.  I really don't know where to start on choosing an amplifier and I would really appreciate a good recommendation.  I am open to suggestion on my choice of headphone as well,  I've done my research but that pales in comparison to the first hand experience that many of you have,  so I wouldn't be surprised if i could find something that performs equal to or better than the HD595 for less of the price.  I also plan on using these for gaming, First Person shooters mainly, gaming comes second to music though so I'm not interested in anything with a microphone(i just like to shoot people in the face, not talk to them lol)  Any input would be appreciated, I hope I've given you enough information to work with.  Thank you in advance.
 
P.S. I'm looking to spend no more than 500 dollars for this setup

 

[MalVeauX]

Heya,
 
Denon D2000 with a iBasso Zero (or simply get a decent sound card with dolby headphone, like the xonar DG).
 
Very best,

 

[Dubstep Girl]

second on denons, i would recommend the sennheiser hd 650s, but they would require a better amp due to their 300 ohm impedance

 

[NinjaSquirt]

I've only heard the Senn HD650 and I can say you won't regret getting it.
 
If you do decide on it though, consider the quality of your sound card, if it's a high-end aftermarket model from ASUS or HT|Omega, it should drive the HD650 no problem (althought you still won't be hearing all the HD650 has to offer) but if it's a average or stock model, you will want to go with the Denons (assuming you don't want to upgrade).

 

[disastermouse]

HD 650 were my OMG headphones.  You can amp them with a FiiO e9 amp ($120).

 

[Dubstep Girl]

yeah hd 650s are awesome and will sound ok coming out of a graphics card, they however, really open up if you decide to invest in an amp for them.

 

[Fluffman37]

Interesting, thank you for the input,  couple more questions though.  In what ways are the Denon's superior to the Hd595?  I don't plan on upgrading my sound card,  I just have a laptop.  So will i be able to set this all up with just a headphone jack and a usb port?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

Interesting, thank you for the input,  couple more questions though.  In what ways are the Denon's superior to the Hd595?  I don't plan on upgrading my sound card,  I just have a laptop.  So will i be able to set this all up with just a headphone jack and a usb port?

laptop get a portable amp, even a small one will do you well, and i dont know about the hd 595's too much, but the denons are definitely  better for overall listening, more bass, and a little more funner to listen to than the 595's. denons are also easier to drive.

 

[Fluffman37]

Ok, so in regards the amp, any recommendation?

 

[Dubstep Girl]

nuforce icon udac 2 + denon d2000 should  be right around your price range.
 
 

 

[Hifianddrumming]

 The Denons might not be as forgiving as the 595 from what I heard of their sound signature. This is not determined, but from what I've heard and briefly audition. Any other input on this?

 

[iunlocks]

I'm also a Headphone newbie, I currently use a pair of old Philips SHL9600 but im looking into the Bose Quite Comfort 15 i think they're called. They should be superb, but dont know if they are out of your budget

 

[Hifianddrumming]

Quote:

I'm also a Headphone newbie, I currently use a pair of old Philips SHL9600 but im looking into the Bose Quite Comfort 15 i think they're called. They should be superb, but dont know if they are out of your budget

 Don't go Bose! You can get so much better for 300 dollars. You could get a pair of Grado sr325is, Sennheiser hd650s/600s, Denon D2000s, anything in that range. Bose, while comfortable and somewhat classy, have incredibly mediocre sound, bad build etc. Very overpriced and very much *not* recommended.

 

[disastermouse]

No Bose, no Beats...the first two rules of Head-Fi.
 
I need to get some different cans on my head, since I've only got the Sr80i and the HD 650....but once again, with the HD 650 - it was like I'd never really heard my music before I got them.
 

 

[Dubstep Girl]

Quote:

No Bose, no Beats...the first two rules of Head-Fi.
 
I need to get some different cans on my head, since I've only got the Sr80i and the HD 650....but once again, with the HD 650 - it was like I'd never really heard my music before I got them.
 

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