[DJShadow]

So the situation is; strong urge to buy some audio equipment, absolutely no experience of what is crap from good and and a bank account that has just recovered from a Sony NW-HD3 purchase in January

And this is where you benevolent head-fiers come in.

Currently, my set-up consists of the aforementioned HD3 paired with Shure e3c's that used everywhere when I am not at home. And sadly for my home use, I did have a lovely Sony D-225CR that fails to play all my cd's, so I am stuck with a crappy panasonic vcd player-that are all being used with the shures.

So here are my queries:

1)I want to get some headphones explicitly for home use, so naturally sound quality will be the most important factor. Open or closed doesn't matter, although closed would be nice but not a neccesity.
I am considering the Sennheisers HD-555 and the HD595, the former I can get for ~£60(yes pounds my American friends

) and the latter for roughly £100.
My burning question is are the HD-595's really worth £40 more? From what I have read, it would seem to be the case, but I'm hoping someone will me that they aren't that much better and an extra £40 isn't justified.
I'm also considering the Audio-Technica ATH-900, but these seem to be about as common as leprachauns. But these I think are even more than the HD-595's.

2)Having recently acquired the e3c's a while back(about 2 months ago), I feel that whilst they are good and trounce anything I have ever heard-i.e they are the highest audiophile equipment I have listened to-I always feel that there is something missing. They are good but could have been so much better is what I'm sensing everytime I plug in.
So the question is, are Sennheiser PX/PMX-200's better than the e3c in terms of sound quality and secondly, isolation? If they are, then I would be pretty annoyed since they are about 1.5X less than the price of the shures.

3)And finally. Maybe this should be posted in the portable audio section but nevertheless. Will a £200 mini hi-fi system sound better than say HD-555/595 paired with a sony D-ne920?
I'm also looking for a new source and have been advertising my HD3 to everyone i see to raise much needed finance.

Whew. The head-fi bug has hit. Hard.

Thanks for reading.

 

[green84061]

I dont really know about the other questions but i think i can answer the first one. For me at least when i bought it the 595 was worth the extra money not only because it sounds better but because it gives me less of an urge to go out and buy the 595 to see what it sounds like. If you get the 555 you will always wonder how good the 595 sounds and that could possible make you spend even more money. Just my 2 cents.

 

[AdamWill]

You could get the A900s from Audiocubes, they ship internationally I believe. http://www.audiocubes.com/ . There's also pricejapan.com.

I can certainly answer your last two questions: no and no. PX200 aren't in the same class as the E3Cs, and no £200 mini hi-fi (I presume you mean the little integrated units with a CD player, radio and a couple of little speakers) is going to come _anywhere_ near a pair of HD595s for audio quality.

 

[milkpowder]

HD555 vs HD595? I have no idea. I have the HD555 and won't be upgrading to the HD595 in fear of the lack of significant improvement. 40 pounds is a lot of money and personally, and I would say that from a purely sujective view, I would think that it the HD555 would be of better vale. But hell, if you can afford it, then get it! The HD595 should be better than the HD555 just by looking at the model number!

PX200 will not outdo the E3c. The E3c will be noticeably more crisp and detailed throughout the whole frequency on first hearing. I can't say for the PX200, but from my experience with the PX100, they lack detail in the lows, but have very good detail in the mids and highs. The overall sound is a little rough around the edges compared to my ER-6i/ER-4P though. The PX200 don't have very good isolation compared to any pair of IEM eg. E3c

My take on mini-hifi's:
My Onkyo mini-hifi is of surprising quality (sound and build). I don't know how much I paid (though, it was one of the best mini-hifi's), but they are awesome compared to my headphones. They aren't your bog-standard mini-hifi and looks very "hi-fi"-ish as well. The mini-hifi is at least 5-6 years old and does not look like it at all. Throughout the years, I have probably played and average of 2 to 3 hours of music through them a day, so it has about 6000-7000 hours. When I played the Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture through them, I was pleasantly surprised. My HD555, ER-4P, ER-6i could NOT replicate the vast soundstage, the power and impact of the cannons at the end, nor the sheer richness of the piece. The HD555 comes closer, but the ER-4P is still quite a long way off (ditto for the ER-6i). Having said that, it can't really rival the detail of the ER-4P (or the ER-6i). I hate to say this, but if you're a casual listener, a hi-end mini-hifi would probably sound more impressive than a pair of HD555 or ER-4P or ER-6i. I didn't mention the PX100 because it didn't even begin to compare. Bottom line: casual listeners will be more satisfied with a good mini-hifi than a pair of mid-range headphones. Audiophiles/serious listeners will appreciate the subtleties and musical nuances that even a mid-range pair of headphones have over a good mini-hifi.

Woops, I think I rambled on a little too much. Anyway, that's my share...

 

[LaBreaHead]

green84061 has neatly expressed what should be known as "The Head-Fi Paradox":

"For me at least when i bought it the 595 was worth the extra money not only because it sounds better but because it gives me less of an urge to go out and buy the 595 to see what it sounds like. If you get the 555 you will always wonder how good the 595 sounds and that could (possibly) make you spend even more money."

 

[DJShadow]

Thanks for all the replies.

Well that certainly cleared a few things up. PX 200's are out the equation.
I don't think i'll be getting hi-fi for my home needs so its matter of getting full-size headphones and probably a CD player in February to March time, when Sony should release their new line.

I also don't think A900's are viable as they are definitely out of my budget, factoring in conversion and packaging rates.

The conclusion is then, the Sennheiser HD-595 and a Sony PCDP, which results in £200+.

Would this be my gateway to audio bliss?

 

[afbug]

I audition both 555 and 595 today. In terms of clarity, i cannot tell the difference because i'm not using my CD and player. 595 has deeper bass for sure but i find that the 555 have more impact. Slightly more forward?

Both are very good IMHO and the 555 is really good for the money. But i'll go for the 595 to settle any issues of wondering how they sound like. Plus, they come with a headphone holder.