[UnityIsPower]

 
I have around $200 dollars. Most all my music is purchased in itunes(256kbps). Would you recommend I get just headphones for around 200 or ~$100 headphones and a amp/DAC or amp like; FiiO E7, FiiO E11, FiiO E5? I would like them closed back and over-ears as I plan to connect them to a Turtle Beach Ear Force now and again.... at night.
 
I would also like to use them with my iPhone for portable music(don't care if they are big) but I read the Sennheiser R170's are great. If you believe they would be better convenience and AQ wise, I would skip the headphones and amp goal for the 170's for home multipurpose; Video Games/Movies/Music. What are your thoughts kiteki? I am looking for just a good step up from my normal items... Jlab J2's, Vmoda Vibes, *and iphone buds.
 
*I'm very hesitant on the trigger because the fist expensive phones I purchased were Sennheiser MM50 iP's for $120 a long wile back-> I could only tell a very small improvement in sound clarity and they stop working 2 months later. 

    Sennheiser...

 
What I'm currently eyeing is;
-Superlux HD661 with FiiO E7/E11
-Audio Technica A700 with a FiiO E7
-Vmoda LP with FiiO E7
-Audio Technica M50 with a FiiO E11
-AKG K 272/Phiaton MS400/ATH-ESW9A/Vmoda LP2/Sennheiser HD 598(Sennheiser...

) with FiiO E5
or
-Sennheiser R170
 
Thanks for any help guys...

 

[bigheadhifi]

it would be helpful to mention what kind of music you mostly listen to.. and what type of sound that you are looking for, then we can recommend something for you and whether or not you need an amp for it.
 
cheers,

 

[UnityIsPower]

Alternative rock the most... the rest is a large mixed bag. I'm not much into heavy bass, much more prefer clarity. Exp. I would love to have the following song sound its best ->Evenescence "Bring me to life". But Gaming would benefit from bass no?
 

 

[tomb]

Quote:

Alternative rock the most... the rest is a large mixed bag. I'm not much into heavy bass, much more prefer clarity. Exp. I would love to have the following song sound its best ->Evenescence "Bring me to life". But Gaming would benefit from bass no?
 

This quote says, "Grado" to me.

 
 

 

[UnityIsPower]

Quote:

This quote says, "Grado" to me.

 
 

Thanks... I was wanting to get over-the-ears and close back. From that info alone however, you seem to be right, lots of friends say Grado. I can give up bass but not closed back or over ear... need for night time splinter cell/Battlefield rounds.
 

 

[Gclef]

I'm new myself, and although I'm not 100% sure, I believe that most if not all Grado's are open back.  I have a pair of 60's,which are very nice (open) headphones for the price.  Depending on what type of sound you like to hear, you might wanna have a look at M50, HFI-580, DT 770, SRH-840, and HD-25.  Comfort and portability will vary greatly between those models, so you have to pick and choose which set of features best meets your needs.  While I can attest to the fact that amps do improve sound quality - greatly in some cases, I still believe that speakers are the most important piece of the puzzle.  My recommendation is to try as many headphones as you can until you find the ones you really like, then start looking at an amp with whatever cash you have left over (or need to save).

 

[bigheadhifi]

Gclef is right... I personally recommend the HFI580, since the s-logic might be good for gaming. but if you want to listen to alternative rock, I will say the m50..
 
or try superlux HD660 or 330,

 

[Nepenthe]

I'd recommend M50 ($128 right now for the "S" version) and E7 ($88) if you would like a new DAC or E11 ($64) if you wouldn't.
 
I would recommend the coax pad mod for them as well.
 
I'm not familiar with the Senn R170 -- is it wireless? I have (I think) an RS130 wireless set and it's not portable unless your definition of portable is just walking around the house (it also has built-in dynamic compression which makes it a poor choice for music, I use it to listen to talking head shows on Sunday mornings while I clean or cook).

 

[UnityIsPower]

Quote:

I'd recommend M50 ($128 right now for the "S" version) and E7 ($88) if you would like a new DAC or E11 ($64) if you wouldn't.
 
I would recommend the coax pad mod for them as well.
 
I'm not familiar with the Senn R170 -- is it wireless? I have (I think) an RS130 wireless set and it's not portable unless your definition of portable is just walking around the house (it also has built-in dynamic compression which makes it a poor choice for music, I use it to listen to talking head shows on Sunday mornings while I clean or cook).

What would the coax pad mod improve? 

 

[UnityIsPower]

Quote:

Gclef is right... I personally recommend the HFI580, since the s-logic might be good for gaming. but if you want to listen to alternative rock, I will say the m50..
 
or try superlux HD660 or 330,

Will the s-logic work well with the Turtle Beach Ear Force?  What advantages would the Superlux have over the HFI's s-logic and the M50's working good with rock? What amp/DAC if any do you recommend?
 
 

 

[Nepenthe]

What would the coax pad mod improve? 

I used 9.5 inches of coax per ear. Your results may vary, but for me it increased the comfort quite a bit by giving my ears a larger aperture and more depth. My ears don't touch the driver pad and they don't sweat much or at all now. It feels softer on the head too.
 
Sonically it tames the highs just a little, and makes the sound feel a bit bigger and wider, probably due to the drivers being further away and there being more space in the isolation cavity.

 

[UnityIsPower]

Quote:

I used 9.5 inches of coax per ear. Your results may vary, but for me it increased the comfort quite a bit by giving my ears a larger aperture and more depth. My ears don't touch the driver pad and they don't sweat much or at all now. It feels softer on the head too.
 
Sonically it tames the highs just a little, and makes the sound feel a bit bigger and wider, probably due to the drivers being further away and there being more space in the isolation cavity.

Got ya... thanks.

 

[UnityIsPower]

Quote:

I used 9.5 inches of coax per ear. Your results may vary, but for me it increased the comfort quite a bit by giving my ears a larger aperture and more depth. My ears don't touch the driver pad and they don't sweat much or at all now. It feels softer on the head too.
 
Sonically it tames the highs just a little, and makes the sound feel a bit bigger and wider, probably due to the drivers being further away and there being more space in the isolation cavity.

Hey Nepenthe... I ended up purchasing the Audio Technica ATH WS70's. I have some money left over for a amp, dac... Would you recommend I get one if most all my music is from itunes(256Kbps), some CD rips?  FiiO E7 or the E11? BTW.... are CD rips better then itunes plus?

 

[Nepenthe]

Hey Nepenthe... I ended up purchasing the Audio Technica ATH WS70's. I have some money left over for a amp, dac... Would you recommend I get one if most all my music is from itunes(256Kbps), some CD rips?  FiiO E7 or the E11? BTW.... are CD rips better then itunes plus?

The answers to your questions are...
 
I don't know, I don't know, and I don't know. Sorry. 
 
Not familiar with the WS70s.
 
I use CDs (RedBook audio) for 90% of my music listening -- the only stuff I don't listen to on CD is game remixes from OCRemix (granted I have over 400 of those and love them dearly). I hated the iTunes interface and and the way it worked when my GF was signed on to it. I create high quality MP3s using EAC and RazorLAME from CDs for her highness's listening pleasure.
 
E7 or E11... Hmm, I guess it depends on whether your DAC needs help. I don't know a whole lot about these. I know the E7 is very suitable for high efficiency/low impedance cans like the M50. The E11 is a bit stronger but lacks the DAC.
 
My thought on compressing .WAV files into .MP3 files is if you set some of the variables intelligently, you can do a cleaner job than what's done for the mass market iTunes stuff. I've had good luck with low pass filters and VBR. But at a certain point it just comes down to bit rate and storage space concerns. As 99.9% of my listening is stationary (office, car, house), I just use CDs. I like watching people react to my wall of several thousand CDs when they visit for the first time anyway..........

 

[Nepenthe]

Quote:

The answers to your questions are...
 
I don't know, I don't know, and I don't know. Sorry. 
 
Not familiar with the WS70s. What made you decide on those?
 
I use CDs (RedBook audio) for 90% of my music listening -- the only stuff I don't listen to on CD is game remixes from OCRemix (granted I have over 400 of those and love them dearly). I hated the iTunes interface and and the way it worked when my GF was signed on to it. I create high quality MP3s using EAC and RazorLAME from CDs for her highness's listening pleasure.
 
E7 or E11... Hmm, I guess it depends on whether your DAC needs help. I don't know a whole lot about these. Of course it all depends on the characteristics of the WS70s. I know the E7 is suitable for high efficiency/low impedance cans like the M50. The E11 is a bit stronger but lacks the DAC.
 
My thought on compressing .WAV files into .MP3 files is if you set some of the variables intelligently, you can do a cleaner job than what's done for the mass market iTunes stuff. I've had good luck with low pass filters and VBR. But at a certain point it just comes down to bit rate and storage space concerns. As 99.9% of my listening is stationary (office, car, house), I just use CDs. I like watching people react to my wall of several thousand CDs when they visit for the first time anyway..........