[Bsun1314]

Hello! Head-Fi
 
I am half year into personal audio and my wallet is now completely empty^_^!
Fortunately, my friends decided to buy me anything below 1500$ for a birthday present (because the 7 of us got him a new computer for his birthday last time)(don't ask, weird system)
Please give me some suggestions to what headphones I should get. (I am currently looking at Fitear 334 To Go! and Audez'e LCD2)(I prefer not go for CIEMs since I am U18 and I dont want to deal with the shipping and stuff, but if any CIEM is THE CHOICE for these type of music, please also tell me ^_^)
Please consider the following 
Info:
Budget:1500$
Amps: Schiit Lyr, ALO Rx Mk3-b
DACs: Schiit Bifrost, CLAS
Current Headphones: SE535, UM3X, Amperior, ESW9, DT770
Music type:30%J-pop   30%heavy metal + J-rock    40% Fusion Jazz, David Garret, Game,Movie,Anime soundtracks)
 
Thank you very much for your time!

 

[obobskivich]

Are you using this on the go or at home? Generally IEMs are the go-to for mobile use, but at home I'd suggest full-size cans.

And what do you think of the ESW9 for what you listen to - which direction would you go from them?

 

[Bsun1314]

Quote:

Are you using this on the go or at home? Generally IEMs are the go-to for mobile use, but at home I'd suggest full-size cans.
And what do you think of the ESW9 for what you listen to - which direction would you go from them?

 
I supposed I would prefer something that I can take on the go if put together with my Rx Mk3-b
 
The ESW9 overheat! lol
 
I am assuming this is unamped because I don't like it with either of my amp.
 
I liked the female vocals and the bass, although I would prefer a much "harder" bass.
 
Felt like it lacked energy in heavy metal.
Missing tons of details in classical.
Fusion music(electric guitar+violin)(electric guitar+ alto sax) all feels really far away.

 

[obobskivich]

The problem with on the go and fidelity is that it's usually a trade-off; you can go with IEMs that will isolate and survive mobile use, but they probably aren't ideal at home. And vice versa with nice open headphones.

Anyways, have you tried the Grado RS-1 or Ultrasone PRO2900? Both will have more energy/musicality (the Ultrasone potentially to a fault depending on exactly what you listen to and what your tolerances are), much tighter bass, and more details. I preference the Grado, but the Ultrasone is less money and some might say more comfortable.

Neither is really that portable, but the PRO2900 include a hard-side carrying case. They're both open-back though, and leak like sieves.

 

[Bsun1314]

Quote:

The problem with on the go and fidelity is that it's usually a trade-off; you can go with IEMs that will isolate and survive mobile use, but they probably aren't ideal at home. And vice versa with nice open headphones.
Anyways, have you tried the Grado RS-1 or Ultrasone PRO2900? Both will have more energy/musicality (the Ultrasone potentially to a fault depending on exactly what you listen to and what your tolerances are), much tighter bass, and more details. I preference the Grado, but the Ultrasone is less money and some might say more comfortable.
Neither is really that portable, but the PRO2900 include a hard-side carrying case. They're both open-back though, and leak like sieves.

No, I have never tried any of those.
 
Side story: Well, actually, one of my friends bought a RS-1 with a 1.4' to 1/8' adapter and without an amp for his first pair of headphones and that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience^_^ 

 

[obobskivich]

No, I have never tried any of those.

Side story: Well, actually, one of my friends bought a RS-1 with a 1.4' to 1/8' adapter and without an amp for his first pair of headphones and that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience^_^ 

The RS-1's don't really need an amp, they're very easy to drive (like most all Grados, and I keep saying most because I'm afraid there's some historic model that will break this). I'd look at those two models based on your impressions of the ESW9 and what you want. With the rest of the gear you have, they'll be no problem.

 

[Bsun1314]

Quote:

The RS-1's don't really need an amp, they're very easy to drive (like most all Grados, and I keep saying most because I'm afraid there's some historic model that will break this). I'd look at those two models based on your impressions of the ESW9 and what you want. With the rest of the gear you have, they'll be no problem.

 
Really? from what I remembered, they sounded horrible without an amp, maybe because it was new.
Anyways, thank you SOOO much for your time and help! However I would definitely want something slightly more expensive since I only have a one-time chance to spend the 1500$ on one item and the rest is gone.
 
Actually, I just read a few reviews on the RS-1 an I am quite excited about them!, think I'm gonna use my own money to buy these when I have the extra money.
(LOLZ , I spent 300$ for his birthday last time, so I dont want him to only spend 150$ haha)
(We are dividing the price by 6)

 

[obobskivich]

Really? from what I remembered, they sounded horrible without an amp, maybe because it was new.

Burn-in is another debate for another time, but suffice to say, there's LOTS of mythology fed by marketing and other nonsense that will gladly separate you from your money under the guise of improved performance. None of the modern Grados I've heard, up through the GS-1000, benefit much (if at all) from fancy boxes on your desk (and I generally despise "dedicated headphone amplifiers" anyways - putting $10 in a box and charging $750 for it is a bit insane in my opinion); and that's based on trying them and reading measurements.

Now, if you're listening to garbage, that's going to make everything icky. And it may very well just be that Grados aren't for you, but I'd still suggest you try them based on what you described.

Anyways, thank you SOOO much for your time and help! However I would definitely want something slightly more expensive since I only have a one-time chance to spend the 1500$ on one item and the rest is gone.

Alright, please don't take this as a slap to the face: spending more money does not always equal more performance. More expensive does not mean better. Despite that, your reaction was expected - I didn't suggest something that eats the entire budget in one shot. I did, however, suggest something that (based on experience) should satisfy what you want. I understand that this is a one-shot deal, so my advice would be to have the item purchased as a gift from Amazon (or similar) so that you can exchange it if you're unhappy (which is always a good option to have when trying headphones, gift or no). Since the RS-1 cost more, I'd go for those, and if you want to trade out for the PRO2900 you could exchange them (I think the difference will come back on a gift card). Alternately you could just get both, since they should be under $1500 (although I don't see the point of doing that, but you always could I guess).

Also remember that the RS-1 and PRO2900 (and even the LCD-2 you were looking at originally) are not suitable for mobile use - so maybe get one of those (none of them are $1500) and then a pair of IEMs or something that will provide isolation and mobility to take out on the road with you. As far as IEMs go, you'd have to ask elsewhere; I own a few pairs, I rarely use them, and I view them as a commodity. That said, I noticed the very dapper looking Monster Miles Davis set on sale at ~$200 the other day, they're supposed to sound pretty good, but I've never tried them (but you could add something like that (there's literally hundreds of options though, so I'd suggest asking in the mobile section for what's the best way to sink ~$300) + RS-1 and be at the same price as the LCD-2, and have the best of both worlds, if that makes sense).

Actually, I just read a few reviews on the RS-1 an I am quite excited about them!, think I'm gonna use my own money to buy these when I have the extra money.
(LOLZ , I spent 300$ for his birthday last time, so I dont want him to only spend 150$ haha)
(We are dividing the price by 6)

I would look at it more in terms of: you bought him something he liked, and he's buying you something you like. I wouldn't put a checks-and-balances on the relationship.

 

[Bsun1314]

Ahhh~ never knew bout the amazon gift thing!

Man, that was an awesome wake-up slap.
I really hope I could try the RS-1 before getting them.
 
Thanks again!  

 

[Bsun1314]

Quote:

I would look at it more in terms of: you bought him something he liked, and he's buying you something you like. I wouldn't put a checks-and-balances on the relationship.

 
Don't take me wrong though, I just thought I'd be likely that I could get something with better SQ with a higher budget, I'd go for the LCD-3 or something if I wanted to squeeze the whole budget out of him ^_^

 

[obobskivich]

Don't take me wrong though, I just thought I'd be likely that I could get something with better SQ with a higher budget, I'd go for the LCD-3 or something if I wanted to squeeze the whole budget out of him ^_^

I understand the logic, and agree to a point. For example, the Ultrsaone HFI-2400 is a good headphone, and lists for around $330 (street is like $200); the PRO2900 is better, but I wouldn't call it 2x better. My ESP/950s are better still, but not 5x better. Does that analogy make some sense? (I hope ).

I'd say if you can, find a local shop that has at least some higher end models for you to audition. You may find that the "extra" you get from something more expensive is worthwile, but you may find that it's not - you'll have to be the judge there.

The final thing you have to consider is that SQ is not absolute - there's not a Consumer Reports 0-10 scale that goes from "worst sounding" (which I'm sure they'd also say is cheapest) to "best sounding" (which a lot of people want to read as "most expensive"). It's more about differences. And your goal as the buyer/listener is to find the set that aligns with your differences (not to sound like I'm giving dating advice or anything, but this is the whole "our imperfections are what make us attractive" speech, except instead of marriage we're just talking about buying a pair of cans).

So in the case of something like the LCD-3, if that sound is what you want, then yes, it's probably the ultimate expression of that art. But if it isn't, it's just a very expensive trip to KFC when you really wanted Whitecastle.

 

[Bsun1314]

Just got the Grado RS-1s. Id like to just THANK YOU A BUNCH  for the recommendation. I just received it 3 days ago from mail and I am loving it ^_^. I tired the LCD-2 and the RS-1 at a local shop with the exact same amp/dac setup as the one I have and I do still think I love the sound of that setup more compared to the RS-1's for more than half of my tracks at least. But sadly, I just found the cups to be way too uncomfortable for me. Anyways, I got the RS-1 and I love it, especially with Japanese rock, straight out of my iPod!!

 

[zowki]

Could you please describe how the RS-1s sound compared to the LCD2s? I used to own the LCD2 and I'm curious about how the RS-1s sounds.