[rich51080]

 
Hi everyone

 

I am due some shares maturing so am gonna get the best headphones out there.

 

At the moment I have Alessandro Ms2i but I want to get the best phones out there.

 

As I have a Naim stereo with speaker switch would this degrade the sound quality of the head phones?

 

Would a dedicated amp be better suited.

 

Headphones I am looking at included the Beyer Tesla,Senns Hd800, Grado PS1000, And high end Ultrasones.

 

My music taste is rock and metal.

 

I want a sound that is detailed and open. And with fantastic midrange.

 

My budget is £2000 which in dollars is about 3000

 

Any ideas on what i should be looking at getting?

 

Cheers

 

[Leonardo Drummond]

At this price point for a headphones yes, you will need an amplifier, unless you get an Edition 8, a T5p, or something like that. Not that they won't benefit from some proper amplification, but that's not strictly necessary with them.
 
If you want to listen to rock and metal, I'd personally steer clear of the HD800 and T1. Take this with a grain of salt though, I know many people who like the T1 for rock, but judging from what I briefly heard, it's way too cold, sterile and thin for rock. Does wonders to some jazz pieces, however! And about the Sennheiser, that's just based on what I've read since I've never had the opportunity of listening to one.
 
I don't know about the PS1000, but the RS1i is supposedly fantastic for rock, and I'd throw in a Stax O2 in the options list as well. With an eXStatA it sounds just as warm as you'd want for some rock music, and if you buy both of them used (or another amp, such as a 717), they fit into your budget. I also think the JH13Pros are absolutely impeccable for those genres, with the benefit of being portable and not needing any amp at all.

 

[TwoEars]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by rich51080 /img/forum/go_quote.gif

I want to get the best phones out there.
 
Would a dedicated amp be better suited.

 
Once you pass the $400 mark "the best" becomes more about personal taste than anything. I prefer my HD650s to almost anything out there but they're only $400 or so.
 
Dedicated amp? Maybe - naim makes some nice stuff, any improvements will likely come from getting an amp that has the right "synergy" with your headphones. Buy the headphones and try to loan a few amps to your home and see if any of them improves things.
 
But to answer your question - I would try either the Grado PS1000 or Audeze LCD-2 for rock.
 
With the grado you should get good synergy with your naim based on how those componets usually sound, with the LCD-2 maybe... the LCD-2 is a bit more power hungry so you might want to go dedicated for that one.

 

[Skylab]

In that price range I would get the Audeze LCD-2 and the Trafomatic Experience Head One.  Terrific headphone/amp combo, and right in your price range.  There are other options that are very good too, though - like the Beyer T1/Senn HD800 with the WooAudio WA2, for example.
 
You need to fall in love with a headphone first, and then explore the best way to amp it.  Different cans have different needs.

 

 

[BmWr75]

Who sells this amp?
 
Quote:

In that price range I would get the Audeze LCD-2 and the Trafomatic Experience Head One.  Terrific headphone/amp combo, and right in your price range.  There are other options that are very good too, though - like the Beyer T1/Senn HD800 with the WooAudio WA2, for example.
 
You need to fall in love with a headphone first, and then explore the best way to amp it.  Different cans have different needs.

 

 

 

[Skylab]

http://www.trafomaticaudio.com/experience_head_one.php

There is a US Distributor, who was very helpful to me. My first unit had a problem, and he arranged to have the amp replaced with a new one when he was unable to fix it here in the US.

Transformer coupled, and has a selector switch for 30/100/300 ohms. Excellent sounding with the LCD-2. I like the Leben CS300 XS better, but thats out of the price range of the OP. The Decware Mini-Torri is also excellent with the LCD-2, but it might not be as practical for the OP to get since he is in the UK.