[XENOPHOS]

I'm thinking of gettng a dt990 '05 and either a xenos epc or headphonia amp........but still deciding.....so how would you spend $500 on a portable set up.

 

[lmilhan]

Assuming you already have the DAP covered:

RSA Tomahawk, used SR-225s and a pair of TTVJ Flats.

 

[lmilhan]

Or, if you want isolation:

RSA Tomahawk, spend the rest on whatever IEMs you think you would enjoy most in the used $200 price range.

At minimum, the Tomahawk is a requirement IMHO - then go from there...

It is built like a tank, sounds amazing, is tiny and extremely portable, and gets hundreds and hundreds of hours on 1 pair of batteries.

 

[lmilhan]

Forgot to mention, DT990s are huge, and not portable AT ALL. Unless you are ok with wearing a football helmet out in public that is.

 

[John_M]

I don't agree that the Tomahawk is a must, especially if we're talking portable setup. I'd say E500s plus one of the Cowon iAudio players which are almost hiss-free. That'd take up the $500 nicely. I wouldn't buy an amp at all.

 

[BushGuy]

while 2005 dt990's are one of my faves..............don't think of going further than the back yard, in terms of portability.

To me, dap: use Nano (but liking aspects of soon-to-be-available Samsung YP-k3, and also iAudio D2@ 4gig internal flash, + add SD cards) - so talking aprox. $200 or so here.

Amp - Xin Supermini w/8616 opamps ($200)

IEM (found I don't actually use portable headphones and always reach for IEM's for moving around) : like Vibes (got mine for $70) when amped by the Xin [and use the impedence jumper with them]......alternative for noisier millieu - modded iM716 ($avg 74) + modding.
total comes very close to your target of $500

 

[krmathis]

I would get an RSA The Tomahawk and a used pair of Westone UM2's.
That should give you great portable audio for less than $500.

 

[John_M]

Surely the amp is an inessential bit of kit when you're talking about IEMs? I would recommend spending most of the $500 on IEMs. E500s are, I think, the cheapest of the top of the range ones; maybe triple-fis instead if you can get those at a good price.

 

[XENOPHOS]

how do etys compare with shure?

 

[sachu]

Assuming you already have a DAP, i would go for a used RS1 or try to push for a new one.

 

[vilg]

Etymotic ER-4p $150
RSA Tomahawk $300
ALO bling bling dock $50

edit: It seems I forgot a source, lol. Extend your budget.

 

[XENOPHOS]

ok, i can extend the budget to $650, but what could i get that would be for home too like a full sized can. so 2 pairs......iem, open can and amp....what are my possibilities

 

[XENOPHOS]

i was thinking about the tomahawk but what do i do when i get a higher impedence phone like 250 ohm or higher???

 

[milkpowder]

I say just get the best IEM your money will buy. IEM first, amp second. The 'best' choices are rather limited to the E500, Triple.fi10Pro and the Westone 3.

What music do you listen to?

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

Tomahawk > E500 assuming you have a DAP already.