[zombie medic]

hey everyone, a few days ago i sent in job applications for some summer jobs to get some money. Short story is that i have a opportunity to make a nice amount of money over the summer "well for a teenager anyways". i calculated that if i got one of these jobs and if i worked the whole summer i would get about $4000, so basicly the buget would be 4000 or lower. I instantly thought about two things when i finished such calculations. New gaming rig, or new headphones. Any ways i was wondering IF i was to spend such money on a nice audio rig what should i get?  I would also need the amp and dac along with the headphones, basically a complete setup so to speak. Here are my musical tastes.
 
nu-metal
electronica
ex-electronica
EDM
(basicly most electro style music in general)
industrail
metal
dubstep
rock
grudge
 
Im not going to rush into anything of course. I'm going to be using this with my computer to listen to music. also is a external dac required to get the full benefit or could i just use my PC sound card?
iv been thinking about the lcd-3 or the he 6 but im not sure if those would be best for me or if there would be much better options out there.
 
thanks in advance

 

[flatmap]

With this spectrum of music, bass delivery is going to be an important factor.  And with the price range you're considering, the Audeze LCD-2 would be on my short list.  Powerful and near stygian bass.  These are going to want an amp, to get the most out of them.  In my experience I think you should count on a DAC as well.
 
If the Audezes seem attractive, then it's easy to cable them for balanced operation since the cups are independently wired.  So from that point of view, you might want to consider amps that can run balanced... though this is secondary I thiink compared to simply getting good quality amp and DAC.

 

[chunkfnk]

You say you're a teenager so I assume you're either in High School or College. 
 
With that in mind, I'd say maybe start modestly with a mid-fi rig and then save money for more essential items. Maybe an LCD-2 and then an entry level amplifier and DAC. Perhaps something from Audio-GD since they have a good balance of sound quality and value. If not, then maybe the Schiit Lyr and Schiit Bifrost or even Schiit Gungnir and Mjolnir and a nice balanced cable for the LCD-2. You'd be set for those genres for now.
 
Trust me. I know it's not fun being responsible and sensible, but in case you haven't already found out, you'll need money in college. Hanging out, getting drinks with friends, food, gas, going on dates, textbooks and scantrons. Those all cost a heft penny.

 

[zombie medic]

Quote:

You say you're a teenager so I assume you're either in High School or College. 
 
With that in mind, I'd say maybe start modestly with a mid-fi rig and then save money for more essential items. Maybe an LCD-2 and then an entry level amplifier and DAC. Perhaps something from Audio-GD since they have a good balance of sound quality and value. If not, then maybe the Schiit Lyr and Schiit Bifrost or even Schiit Gungnir and Mjolnir and a nice balanced cable for the LCD-2. You'd be set for those genres for now.
 
Trust me. I know it's not fun being responsible and sensible, but in case you haven't already found out, you'll need money in college. Hanging out, getting drinks with friends, food, gas, going on dates, textbooks and scantrons. Those all cost a heft penny.

yeah i think im gunna get the lcd 2 plus the Schiit amp and dac, like you said it seems like a good deal with out going completely over board with money i guess. But this being said my college is already paid for and I'm only a freshman in high school so i have time to save up for extras in college so i guess i could use budget listed but that might be unwise to do so idk.

 

[munchzilla]

if you want to spend less, then LCD-2 + Asgard V2 and the Modi DAC are IMO great in combination.
won't cost all of your hard earned money, and will sound high end for sure.
the DAC is easy enough to upgrade, but I'm almost certain you wouldn't find it lacking going by the gear in your profile.

 

[zombie medic]

Quote:

if you want to spend less, then LCD-2 + Asgard V2 and the Modi DAC are IMO great in combination.
won't cost all of your hard earned money, and will sound high end for sure.
the DAC is easy enough to upgrade, but I'm almost certain you wouldn't find it lacking going by the gear in your profile.

i thank you for your recommendation but i wasn't really saying to chunkfnk i want to send less money on it. i was trying to say i don't need to worry about college money because i have it paid for and i have plenty of time after this big buy to save up on extra college money. So what i basically meant to say is that i want the best setup i can get for 4000 or lower (basically for my budget) . sorry about that :/

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

I also like it when a headphone manufacturer makes it easy to upgrade cables.  Audeze is one of those companies.  Sennheiser and Hifiman are also on that short list.  You could also consider the HD600/HD650 or HE-500 phones, and enjoy the same cable upgrade freedom...

 

[munchzilla]

Quote:

i thank you for your recommendation but i wasn't really saying to chunkfnk i want to send less money on it. i was trying to say i don't need to worry about college money because i have it paid for and i have plenty of time after this big buy to save up on extra college money. So what i basically meant to say is that i want the best setup i can get for 4000 or lower (basically for my budget) . sorry about that :/

it'll still be an awesome setup, and would work with virtually any other headphone out there with great results.
I don't think you *need* to spend a lot more with the LCD-2, and the Asgard as well as the Modi are easy to re-sell if you ever try some higher end amp/DAC''s that you end up liking more.

 

[zombie medic]

Quote:

it'll still be an awesome setup, and would work with virtually any other headphone out there with great results.
I don't think you *need* to spend a lot more with the LCD-2, and the Asgard as well as the Modi are easy to re-sell if you ever try some higher end amp/DAC''s that you end up liking more.

hmm thanks for the input. i think I'm gunna go with Lyr amp but instead of bit frost ill just go with the modi. I'm still not really sure ,I'm defently going to keep looking around here.  I'm been doing my research here and the asgard should run the lcd-2 just fine. I'm just wondering if there would be any noticeable sound difference if i use the bitfrost and the lyr instead tho. if not then this would defently be a great deal!

 

[munchzilla]

Lyr is way more tube-like, so it'll sound warmer and a bit boomier bass etc. but it's a very good tube-amp nonetheless, so it won't be too warm or smooth.
it's not which one's better in the case of Asgard vs Lyr, it's more of what kind of sound do you prefer. both will have enough power for sure!
the Modi I find is a highly capable DAC for the money, though haven't compared to the Bifrost directly so can't help you there.

 

[chunkfnk]

Well it looks like you've got your finances in check and you are willing to spend your budget. So with that in mind, the Lyr is a good choice or you could go for end game and get the well regarded DNA Stratus and a DAC like the Bifrost or Gungnir and then the LCD-2 and call it a day.

 

[DefQon]

I'm not going to lie, but with that large budget, the only thing I can recommend to the OP is to do a lot of researching on the different headphones/complimentary amp's available and go listen to them at a meet or a audio firm that offer's loans or some sort of trial programme. What people will tell you here is reflecting on there own experiences and there own preferences, what somebody may really like, you may not. It is really best you go out and give the said products a touch, wear, listen experience so you it will give you a direction you may look into investing your hard-earned money on. Trust me it is fairly easy to be very dissatisfied without having first hand experience at the mentioned budget. I think it's mentioned already but start off slow and small and then gradually work your way up, take a single cookie one at a time from the jar, don't grab a handful all at once. Also since this money is from your first job (might be wrong), since I've come from your age and I personally know that it is not wise to spend all your money at once on audio gear, living expenses always come first to take care of yourself.

 

[zombie medic]

well iv been thinking about the money and savings and what not and iv decide that i might wanna go with the Valhalla and the bit frost. But you got a really good point there. i remember when i went to best buy to audition the a900x from the magnolia section and EVERYONE said it would be 90% better than my mdr-v6. But when i got there and tested them i was somewhat disappointed. I really missed the bass but every thing els was better IMO but i didn't really think it was 90% better. None the less it was better and it was a good upgrade. I have been very much thinking about auditioning these headphones do to those past experiences but so far i found only one high end place "crutchfields in Virginia" but that place doesn't carry the lcd-2 and i not even sure if they would let me auditon the other highend headphones there. I guess what i really need to find out is where i can audition these. i cant go out of Virginia to do it that's for sure

 

[barid]

I bought my speakers from that crutchfield (charlottesville im guessing) and i dont recall headphones out to demo

Its been a couple years and i wasnt there looking for headphones at the time, but def call them up to check first before making a long drive

 

[zombie medic]

Quote:

I bought my speakers from that crutchfield (charlottesville im guessing) and i dont recall headphones out to demo

Its been a couple years and i wasnt there looking for headphones at the time, but def call them up to check first before making a long drive

they do seem to have a few highend headphones around but it seems the only headphones they have instock that i would think about auditioning is the hd800. all the rest are either out of stock or simply not there! im sure they would let me audition them tho if i called in ahead of time but idk i guess ill find out when i call them.