[Logos]

Hi All,

I first came here to get information on a good heaphone set up for music production, movie watching, gaming, and of course mostly for musical enjoyment... Currently, I am using KRK rokit 8's for monitors and only really own a pair of Technics RP-DH1200 that i've used mainly for DJing and late night sessions. Well, after a couple years of that, it doesn't really cut it anymore and my current living situation doesn't allow any monitoring at high levels past 1030 or so when my creative juices seem to be flowing.

This is where you come in, I don't have much experience in the high-end audio realm, but after browsing over your descriptions for amps, DAC's, heaphones and such, I have gone from wanting something like a m^3 or woo3 to just wanting to go "all out" and save for something REALLY nice. After some deliberation, and reading what people have had to say (you guys make EVERYTHING sound so good!) I have narrowed my (what I think is) ideal set up to a few contenders:

Headphones:
Sennheiser HD650, AKG 702

Amplifiers:
Woo Audio WA2, Headamp GS-1

DAC's:
MHDT Paradisea 3, Keces 131.1, Stello DA100, and i'm not sure about the MHDT havana's $300 premium being 'worth it', though I don't really know what to expect.

So, I would like to know if you think this would provide a setup that I could monitor and produce on in a good way, a neutral sound, but also very musical and not too coloured, as well as provide me with lots of enjoyment for recreational listening. To all of you tube-heads out there, is there any way of tube-rolling a tube amp into making it sound more neutral?

As far as budget, I'd like to keep it under $2000 USD because that is...well, a lot of our Canadian monopoly dollars, especially after shipping, duty, taxes, etc. and i'm not exactly making tons of money. This sort of thing just matters a lot to me and I would rather go all out than half way.

Any suggestions, experiences, thoughts? am I basically running before I can walk? etc.

To all who made it through this post, I salute you, and thank you very much.

*Edit* I realize I did not include the music I listen to: Mostly Electronica, Electro, Techno, Downtempo, you name it, though I listen to a seriously wide range of music and bands.

 

[XXII]

I, personally, would spend more on your DAC than on your amp (Source first!) but otherwise, your choices are solid but perhaps you could find other headphones better suited to the music you listen to.

 

[Logos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by XXII /img/forum/go_quote.gif I, personally, would spend more on your DAC than on your amp (Source first!) but otherwise, your choices a solid but perhaps you could find other headphones better suited to the music you listen to.

Thanks for the reply, XXII. Gonna have to claim ignorance on this issue, from what i've read ultrasones have been mentioned a lot for this kind of music but that is as far as I know. Anything you can recommend?

 

[XXII]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the reply, XXII. Gonna have to claim ignorance on this issue, from what i've read ultrasones have been mentioned a lot for this kind of music but that is as far as I know. Anything you can recommend?

Best to search head-fi for your answer since I'm not too familiar with your type of music. The reason I said that the HD650 and K702 might not be suitable is because the HD650 might be too laidback and the K702 might be too thin for electronic music.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi All, I first came here to get information on a good heaphone set up for music production, movie watching, gaming, and of course mostly for musical enjoyment... Currently, I am using KRK rokit 8's for monitors and only really own a pair of Technics RP-DH1200 that i've used mainly for DJing and late night sessions. Well, after a couple years of that, it doesn't really cut it anymore and my current living situation doesn't allow any monitoring at high levels past 1030 or so when my creative juices seem to be flowing. This is where you come in, I don't have much experience in the high-end audio realm, but after browsing over your descriptions for amps, DAC's, heaphones and such, I have gone from wanting something like a m^3 or woo3 to just wanting to go "all out" and save for something REALLY nice. After some deliberation, and reading what people have had to say (you guys make EVERYTHING sound so good!) I have narrowed my (what I think is) ideal set up to a few contenders: Headphones: (((Sennheiser HD650))), AKG 702 Amplifiers: (((Woo Audio WA2))), Headamp GS-1 DAC's: MHDT Paradisea 3, Keces 131.1, (((Stello DA100))), and i'm not sure about the MHDT havana's $300 premium being 'worth it', though I don't really know what to expect. So, I would like to know if you think this would provide a setup that I could monitor and produce on in a good way, a neutral sound, but also very musical and not too coloured, as well as provide me with lots of enjoyment for recreational listening. To all of you tube-heads out there, is there any way of tube-rolling a tube amp into making it sound more neutral? As far as budget, I'd like to keep it under $2000 USD because that is...well, a lot of our Canadian monopoly dollars, especially after shipping, duty, taxes, etc. and i'm not exactly making tons of money. This sort of thing just matters a lot to me and I would rather go all out than half way. Any suggestions, experiences, thoughts? am I basically running before I can walk? etc. To all who made it through this post, I salute you, and thank you very much. *Edit* I realize I did not include the music I listen to: Mostly Electronica, Electro, Techno, Downtempo, you name it, though I listen to a seriously wide range of music and bands.

I think if accuracy is a part of the equation them I might go for the Beyerdynamic DT880 at 600 Ohms and then go with the WA2 and the DA100. Standard DT880 is 250 Ohm (still nice) but Moon-Audio offers them at 600 and that would be my choice with the OTL (Output Transformerless) WA2 amp. Also, moving up to the Stello DA100 Signature model would be a good idea too.

Beyerdynamic Headphones

 

[Logos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think if accuracy is a part of the equation them I might go for the Beyerdynamic DT880 at 600 Ohms and then go with the WA2 and the DA100. Standard DT880 is 250 Ohm (still nice) but Moon-Audio offers them at 600 and that would be my choice with the OTL (Output Transformerless) WA2 amp. Also, moving up to the Stello DA100 Signature model would be a good idea too. Beyerdynamic Headphones

This is what I was looking for, thanks for the advice, olblueyez.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logos /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is what I was looking for, thanks for the advice, olblueyez.

My pleasure.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logos /img/forum/go_quote.gif This is what I was looking for, thanks for the advice, olblueyez.

I am a big fan of the 650 but I got a chance to hear the DT880 at a meet recently and it was very nice, all these people buying the 701/2's are making horrible mistakes, the DT880 is detailed but smooth and non fatiguing at the same time. The 650 is very colored, especially with the OEM cable so it may not be perfect for what your looking to do.

Forgot, yes you can make a tube amp more analytical or more colored, if you have never tried a tube amp before then you will be surprised at how the tubes affect the sound. Its nice too because you can tailor the sound for your taste and the particular headphones or music you have.

DT880 will be easy to get to what you consider neutral, you may even decide to add some warmth, however, it is harder to get something like a 650 to become brighter. That has been my experience with the Raptor.

 

[Logos]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am a big fan of the 650 but I got a chance to hear the DT880 at a meet recently and it was very nice, all these people buying the 701/2's are making horrible mistakes, the DT880 is detailed but smooth and non fatiguing at the same time. The 650 is very colored, especially with the OEM cable so it may not be perfect for what your looking to do. Forgot, yes you can make a tube amp more analytical or more colored, if you have never tried a tube amp before then you will be surprised at how the tubes affect the sound. Its nice too because you can tailor the sound for your taste and the particular headphones or music you have. DT880 will be easy to get to what you consider neutral, you may even decide to add some warmth, however, it is harder to get something like a 650 to become brighter. That has been my experience with the Raptor.

Man, that sounds perfect. The idea of experiencing music many different ways sounds more my style, I like to customize and tweak...

At the moon audio site, they mention DT990's as well, do you know how they compare? they seem to be a step up? or maybe it's just their placement on the webpage...

Also, I really do care about the enjoyment overall, and would probably get the 650's anyway just to sort of switch off. 650's for enjoyment and casual listening and maybe some 880's/990's for production, that sounds real nice.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Logos /img/forum/go_quote.gif Man, that sounds perfect. The idea of experiencing music many different ways sounds more my style, I like to customize and tweak... At the moon audio site, they mention DT990's as well, do you know how they compare? they seem to be a step up? or maybe it's just their placement on the webpage... Also, I really do care about the enjoyment overall, and would probably get the 650's anyway just to sort of switch off. 650's for enjoyment and casual listening and maybe some 880's/990's for production, that sounds real nice.

The 770 (from what I have read) is bass and highs heavy. The 990 seems to be the "open" version of the 770. The majority of the people here consider the 880 Beyers to be the top headphone. I would also be worried if the 990/770 has more emphasis on the highs as compared to the 880 because the 880 has all you can handle. Im sure you can find some reviews on the 3, but I decided last weekend that 880 will be my next headphone to complement my 650's.

 

[AmanGeorge]

I wasn't a big fan of the 880s - I heard a recessed midrange and somewhat slow response with complex music... the first part isn't much of an issue for your musical tastes, but the second one is.

Of the headphones I've heard, I'd recommend the Sony MDR-SA5000. From what I remember of the 880s, the two headphones have pretty comparable amounts of bass, but the Sonys are MUCH quicker. The combination of killer speed and decent (but not huge) bass (if you're looking for really big bass, probably look elsewhere) made the Sonys the best headphones I've heard for electronica. In addition, they're extremely neutral and very detailed, and are excellent headphones for monitoring. They're also supposed to match very nicely with good tube amps.