[nieveulv]

As the title says, please help me choose a headphone/IEM that would suit my needs

 
This will be my first purchase to the audiophille world!!
 
Budget - $300-400
 
Use - with my ipad/ipod and at home into a desktop with asus esence xtc sound card. Strictly for music only!
 
requirements - must sound good without an amp. But will consider an amp in the future, once my ears gets better lol. Some portability is a plus
 
Some choices i have but not limited to:
 
-bower and wilkin p5 (from reviews, this is my choice, until i came to head-fi.org!!)
-Shure se535 (out of budget from where i am)
-Sennheiser pxc450
-klipsch x10i
-sennheiser ie8
-akg k701 (not sure whether i need an amp for this)
-denon d2000 (not sure whether i need an amp for this)
-sennheiser hd650 (not sure whether i need an amp for this)
 
I have very little knowledge on headphones and amps, i hope this first purchase will help me move on to better music listening experience. Being in a band and just starting recording, music is a great passion!!
I apologise if there are any weird and questions that dont make any sense

 
cheers audiophilles

 

 

[buffalowings]

 
Quote:

As the title says, please help me choose a headphone/IEM that would suit my needs

 
This will be my first purchase to the audiophille world!!
 
Budget - $300-400
 
Use - with my ipad/ipod and at home into a desktop with asus esence xtc sound card. Strictly for music only!
 
requirements - must sound good without an amp. But will consider an amp in the future, once my ears gets better lol. Some portability is a plus
 
Some choices i have but not limited to:
 
-bower and wilkin p5 (from reviews, this is my choice, until i came to head-fi.org!!)
-Shure se535 (out of budget from where i am)
-Sennheiser pxc450
-klipsch x10i
-sennheiser ie8
-akg k701 (not sure whether i need an amp for this)
-denon d2000 (not sure whether i need an amp for this)
-sennheiser hd650 (not sure whether i need an amp for this)
 
I have very little knowledge on headphones and amps, i hope this first purchase will help me move on to better music listening experience. Being in a band and just starting recording, music is a great passion!!
I apologise if there are any weird and questions that dont make any sense

 
cheers audiophilles

 

I would go for something else other then the HD650's and the K701's in your case, these things need amps (and good ones too...>_<) and the bower wilkins as well, when I gave them a listen at the apple store, I thought they sounded like $60 phones

 

[nieveulv]

Howabout the denon d2000? Do i need a good amps for the denon? Also i would be purchasing an amp, just not at the moment to to spark the interest before heading towards that direction.

 

[nieveulv]

added the ultimate ear trifi 10 to my choice

 

[Ambience]

the UE triple fi 10s are good, but all UE products have sketchy build quality

 

[ProjectDenz]

The only thing sketchy about the UE TF10 build quality is the cable, which can be replaced with higher quality cables at a relatively low cost (I bought 4 Jaben ES8 cables for $80, for example).

IMO the TF10's earpiece is of a higher quality than the SE530, probably the same story with the SE535. The SE530 has some tacky rubber at the top of the earpiece which is annoying and the really long nozzle looks like it could wear out and snap over time.

 

[McPanse]

IEMs are probably a good place to start. They don't need an amp and they offer the portability you seek. As an added bonus, when you give in to the urge to buy an amp and full-size cans, the IEMs will remain useful (travel, work, gym, etc.). The noise isolation -- about 25 dB worth -- is an added bonus. Anything you buy should come with enough tips to ensure a comfortable fit. 
 
I was lucky enough to get a pair UE TF10 when Amazon had them for $94 around Thanksgiving. A no brainer at that price and still a solid choice for the $190 they're selling for today. I'm not sure what else is in that price range, but you might want to check out Etymotic. I think I owned a pair briefly before returning them for the UE Super.Fi 5 Pros, which I just sold here. UE Build quality has not been an issue for me. 
 
Both the TF10 and SF5 compare favorably with the full-size cans I own. They're also much better than any of the over-the-ear headphones I heard last weekend at the Apple store. 

 

[Youngblood]

+1 for the TF 10
 
They are still at a great price on ebay and don't need an amp. as an added bonus their cable can be replaced so no worries on an ear piece going out all you have to do is get another cable.

 

[che15]

Westone 3.

 

[Painful Chafe]

You could jump right into 1964 Triple customs for $350.
 
 
http://1964ears.com/products.html

 

[nieveulv]

just got a gift..its a bower and wilkins p5!!! guess i wont be able to make any decisions..burning in now, hope im not disappointed with it. My mind has been influenced by the comments fromn head-fi, so my expectations is an all time low hahaha