[TurboRotaryFreak]

How would you spend 950USD?

-If you have a standard HD650 (standard in that the cable is stock and there's no add on)
-If your only source of music at home is a PC
-If you own a Zen Vision: M
-If you want mobility/portability
-Live an active lifestyle where you want to use your IEMs while performing highly active routine(running, work out - I don't want cord noise.)
-If you don't want to carry around a portable amp that happens to be larger than your DAP.

My primary choice of music is Rock. I don't want to get phones that are a compromise with comfort(in other words I like the way Westone UM2s sit but I may Upgrade to Westone 3 IEMs). What are your thoughts on a MiniBox amp? A LiTe DAC-ah?

Any more cost effective solutions? Just because I have a 950USD budget doesn't mean I need to spend it all. I am open to suggestions.

Apparently, as you can see, I don't have a whole lot of time to research, or I wouldn't be asking these questions, so your input will be highly regarded and appreciated. Thank you all in advance for your feedback.

-AA

 

[steaxauce]

In my experience, IEMs don't work for running. There's cord noise, but then there's the much bigger issue that you hear every step you take pound in your head. It was very annoying when I tried to run with my Shure E4. I took them off. But hey, if you've already found that IEMs work for you that's fine. Just my personal experience.

I would buy a Yuin PK2 for the Zen Vision M, and put the rest into an amp/DAC for the HD650. I would buy a Lavry DA10 and recable the headphones to be run through the Lavry's Balanced outputs. I used to have this setup. The cable was a balanced Cardas. This is by far the most cost effective way to get the HD650 sounding great. The DAC is worth the $1K asking price, but what you don't hear too often is that with high impedance headphones such as the HD650, the Lavry's balanced outputs can beat out $1K amps. I know your budget is $950, and you couldn't fit both a new DA10 and a recable into that, but it's a better idea to buy used, anyway. Just look around and see if you can find one. I've only heard the Lavry, but the Benchmark DAC1 and Apogee mini-DAC are also supposed to have balanced outs that sound good with the HD650, and some Apogee mini-DACs have USB connectivity. You can buy an Apogee with firewire and USB new for $850. If you got either of the other DACs (except for the DAC1 with the USB option, which would run $1250 new), you'd need to add an s/pdif digital output to your computer. A good way to do this is with an M-Audio Transit. I see you have an Audigy 2 ZS. This has a toslink s/pdif output, but the audigy automatically upsamples the signal to 48KHz before outputting it. This is impossible to turn off. Even if you're playing redbook (44.1KHz), and you have the Audigy set to output 44.1KHz, the Audigy will resample the signal to 48KHz and then back down to 44.1KHz. The Audigy does a really bad job of resampling, so this is detrimental to the sound quality. I definitely recommend that you get a new digital output if you go with a DAC without USB.

So that's my recommendation!

 

[TheMarchingMule]

*drools* If I had that much, I'd blow it all on the new iMod.

 

[mADmAN]

spend 400 on the corda aria to upgrade ur PC source.

balance to be used on ur portable rig.

 

[Raphael]

iMod, Etymotic ER-4S, Xin Reference, then bribe him with the rest to ship your amp right away

 

[thorshookah]

Beyer 770s and supper mini moy and then spend the rest on one of theose small plastic pools, fill it up with goats blood, scrub yourself with some crisco, rinse lather and repeat.......oh yea and get one of those small cable things for the amp, they are so cute.....

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorshookah /img/forum/go_quote.gif Beyer 770s and supper mini moy and then spend the rest on one of theose small plastic pools, fill it up with goats blood, scrub yourself with some crisco, rinse lather and repeat.......oh yea and get one of those small cable things for the amp, they are so cute.....

What the hell? Is that some kind of fun pastime ritual, or...

 

[vo328]

Quote:

Originally Posted by thorshookah /img/forum/go_quote.gif Beyer 770s and supper mini moy and then spend the rest on one of theose small plastic pools, fill it up with goats blood, scrub yourself with some crisco, rinse lather and repeat.......oh yea and get one of those small cable things for the amp, they are so cute.....

Ugh... I think I'm gonna be sick...

 

[TurboRotaryFreak]

Why goat's blood? Why not blood from something else. Well I guess I'm keeping the UM2s so the budget is down to 650USD. I'm looking at the Apogee mini-DAC. I guess I'll wait a bit (a month) and just buy that. Or I can wait 2 months and have 1500-2000USD to mess with. Oh well. Keep the suggestions coming. I'm more interested in suggestions for DACs and Portable Amps. Thanks to all, and yes I mean all for your sugestions. Yes, even thorshookah.

BTW I completely nutted myself over the custom DT 990. This is not a hobby, it's an addiction.

 

[XENOPHOS]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TurboRotaryFreak /img/forum/go_quote.gif BTW I completely nutted myself over the custom DT 990. This is not a hobby, it's an addiction.

we call it a hobby just to cover it up

 

[Morph201]

You audio freaks would by my d@mn opera thats in the FS forum!

 

[Killercrush]

A new source and a new amp for your HD650.... you already have a nice portable setup.