bobsmith
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2009
- Posts
- 144
- Likes
- 10
Hello all,
I have been lurking around for a while and thought it was finally time to ask for some help. I have a budget around $1,000 (though it could probably be stretched a little upward), for both headphones and an amp. I am really a headphone newbie. I previously had a Bose QC2 that broke (that I got as a gift). They sounded ok to my currently untrained ears, but didn't have anything to compare them to, so I didn't know any better. I am now looking for the best audiophile phones/amp combo I can get for the money.
My music preferences are very varied, including rock, classical, jazz, swing, you name it. My source would currently be a Auzentech X-Prelude sound card. I know that sound cards + internal DACs are generally considered a bad thing, but I think this one has some fairly good quality output components. I might try to do an external DAC some time in the future, but unfortunately not at this stage.
A few other random facts. Build quality is fairly important to me, as I am hoping these will last me a long time (I can't justify spending these sums on something that will snap in a year or two). I like the idea of tube amps, but I have never heard one so that it is a pretty uninformed opinion. I like the wood/leather look a bit more than the techy look in headphones, but not a big deal either way.
Here is what I have thought about so far, along with what my impressions are based on my research (could be wrong though):
1) Sennheiser HD650 + Woo6. This seems like a pretty standard safe combo that a fair number of people use. Not thrilled about the whole plastic thing of the HD650, but people seem to suggest the build quality is reasonable.
2) Beyer DT880 + Amp around $600. These seem to be in the same general league as the HD650 but with a different sound. For no particular reason, I have leaned more towards the HD650 than this one, but that may be just because the HD650 seems a bit more popular. I have not yet researched what amp would be good with this, but I imagine something could be found in the $600 price range.
3) Denon AH-D5000 + Woo3+. I really like the look of the D5000, though I am a bit concerned about the build quality. Also, the idea of the uncontrolled bass described in some threads/reviews does not appeal. On the other hand, I have seen a number of people claim it is far better than the HD650s. For this sort of money, I think I would be too scared to do any mods such as the markl mod. Also, I really do not like the idea of the lettering rubbing off over time (stupid I know).
4) Denon AH-D7000 + some cheaper amp. Would probably put me a bit over budget but doable (assuming I could actually find one in stock at real street prices). Largely same concerns as the D5000 (except for the lettering!), as I understand the build quality is similar. I am not sure what kind of amp would mate well with the D7000, or if any exist in the < $450 bracket that I would be in.
5) Audio Technica ATH-W5000 + an even cheaper amp. Again, I love the look of the whole leather/wood thing, and the various reviews seem to suggest the build quality is good. There seems to be some question about the sound quality in lower ranges. I get the impression this is more suited for classical (which I listen to, among others), than other genres. Again, no clue what amp would be a good match.
Any thoughts on the above? Is there anything I should be considering that I am missing? Are any of my assumptions wrong? With respect to the more expensive phones (the D7000 and W5000) I might be able to stretch the budget up to $1200 if a better amp was required.
I understand that with something as subjective as this there will never be any sort of consensus. However, I am interested what you guys would do to get the best bang out of $1000. Thanks in advance!
I have been lurking around for a while and thought it was finally time to ask for some help. I have a budget around $1,000 (though it could probably be stretched a little upward), for both headphones and an amp. I am really a headphone newbie. I previously had a Bose QC2 that broke (that I got as a gift). They sounded ok to my currently untrained ears, but didn't have anything to compare them to, so I didn't know any better. I am now looking for the best audiophile phones/amp combo I can get for the money.
My music preferences are very varied, including rock, classical, jazz, swing, you name it. My source would currently be a Auzentech X-Prelude sound card. I know that sound cards + internal DACs are generally considered a bad thing, but I think this one has some fairly good quality output components. I might try to do an external DAC some time in the future, but unfortunately not at this stage.
A few other random facts. Build quality is fairly important to me, as I am hoping these will last me a long time (I can't justify spending these sums on something that will snap in a year or two). I like the idea of tube amps, but I have never heard one so that it is a pretty uninformed opinion. I like the wood/leather look a bit more than the techy look in headphones, but not a big deal either way.
Here is what I have thought about so far, along with what my impressions are based on my research (could be wrong though):
1) Sennheiser HD650 + Woo6. This seems like a pretty standard safe combo that a fair number of people use. Not thrilled about the whole plastic thing of the HD650, but people seem to suggest the build quality is reasonable.
2) Beyer DT880 + Amp around $600. These seem to be in the same general league as the HD650 but with a different sound. For no particular reason, I have leaned more towards the HD650 than this one, but that may be just because the HD650 seems a bit more popular. I have not yet researched what amp would be good with this, but I imagine something could be found in the $600 price range.
3) Denon AH-D5000 + Woo3+. I really like the look of the D5000, though I am a bit concerned about the build quality. Also, the idea of the uncontrolled bass described in some threads/reviews does not appeal. On the other hand, I have seen a number of people claim it is far better than the HD650s. For this sort of money, I think I would be too scared to do any mods such as the markl mod. Also, I really do not like the idea of the lettering rubbing off over time (stupid I know).
4) Denon AH-D7000 + some cheaper amp. Would probably put me a bit over budget but doable (assuming I could actually find one in stock at real street prices). Largely same concerns as the D5000 (except for the lettering!), as I understand the build quality is similar. I am not sure what kind of amp would mate well with the D7000, or if any exist in the < $450 bracket that I would be in.
5) Audio Technica ATH-W5000 + an even cheaper amp. Again, I love the look of the whole leather/wood thing, and the various reviews seem to suggest the build quality is good. There seems to be some question about the sound quality in lower ranges. I get the impression this is more suited for classical (which I listen to, among others), than other genres. Again, no clue what amp would be a good match.
Any thoughts on the above? Is there anything I should be considering that I am missing? Are any of my assumptions wrong? With respect to the more expensive phones (the D7000 and W5000) I might be able to stretch the budget up to $1200 if a better amp was required.
I understand that with something as subjective as this there will never be any sort of consensus. However, I am interested what you guys would do to get the best bang out of $1000. Thanks in advance!
