[john53]

I see that there is much conversasions on the forums on how to improve the sound quality of the headphones/amps/sources,using expensive cables,tubes,etc.This is not bad,it's part of our hobby and sometimes it's nice to go to the meets(i haven't been to any meet yet...),to test new equipment etc.

I was just wondering,how many of you feel satisfied with your headphone setup(s),so you feel there is no need to spend more time/money upgrading your equipment,and just enjoy the music?And how much time did it take for you to reach a point when you felt no need for upgrading anymore?
have you ever felt satisfied with your headphones setups,but wanted to upgrade further,and if yes,what was the reason?

How many of you feel really good with what you have,and just enjoy the music,without feeling the need to upgrade something more?I'm really interested to hear peoples opinions/experiences,especially from those who have more experience with this hobby.


(sorry for the bad english

)

 

[miloxo]

I have mixed feelings about this. I can enjoy music to the extreme with the setup in my sig, but can also enjoy music trough ~$20. With iBuds it is hard to enjoy music though...

Im am satisfied, but if i can upgrade, why not

 

[Hanus]

I usually upgrade my stationary situation every now and then, but my portable rig (cowon d2+ - pico - beyerdynamic 770 pro 32ohm) never changes, cuz I think ive found the sound Im looking for.. I am totally aware that I can upgrade it easily, and that my 325I's are much better than the beyers, I prefer the grados over the beyers anyday, but not for portable use..

 

[apatN]

Not me.

 

[aimlink]

I'm currently happy with my source setup. I started with a Fubar III amp/dac and then switched to a SpitFire DAC and HeadRoom Micro Amp. That upgrade was very good, both technically and for sheer enjoyment. Curiosity got the better of me where I was wondering if a similar stepup was possible, so I soon after got the HeadRoom Ultra Micro Stack. Though there was obvious technical improvement, I didn't enjoy the music significantly more than with the previous setup. I have since decided to remain with that level of source/amp with no interest in going further.

Cans have been more exciting with major differences in sound. However, I now have that feeling of diminishing returns and the Grado sound really gives me 'now this is the sweet spot that I've been looking for' type of feeling.

On the portable side, I've not been too interested. I'm quite happy with what I currently have and ATM am a bit disappointed with the P-51 Mustang. I now really struggle to appreciate any really significant improvement it offers to my W3 listening experience when compared to the headphone output on my G5 iPod. I used to hear a difference before... call it aging, W3 burn in.... I don't know.

I'll be VERY likely simply enjoying the gear that I now have now and concentrate on the music, i.e., what I have and also to continue exploring the growing world of high definition recordings that are available at sites like HDTracks.

It took me a little over a year of to get to this juncture. I've had to buy a new wallet several times since they kept bursting into flames after some of the purchases.

 

[DanielCox]

No - and that is the main advantage and disadvantage with this hobby.
And just to think I used to be happy with my HD555s...

 

[roker]

I'm DONE DAC hunting. Seriously, it's a pain in the ass for no reason. Law of diminishing returns applies when you start listening to DACs and realizing that many of them do not have big differences between each other. The differences may be there, but for my wallet, it simply isn't worth constantly changing your setup to make it "a little bit" better. The only thing on my mind is getting another set of cans (D2000), but I'm just adding rather than having a case of upgraditis.

Time to get back to music and I'll still post here to help people out. Really you don't have to spend more than 1000 bucks on a desktop and headphone setup to get good quality audio. I'm still not even sure what the differences between "mid-fi" and "hi-fi" are, but I do know my setup is better than most people I bump into everyday.

edit: I'd also like to note that I might not hear a big difference between dacs because my speakers/cans are bottlenecking my setup, but I wouldn't trade in either because I love how they sound.

 

[DanielCox]

I'm still looking for a cheap DAC but I choose to spend my money on a good amp and then different models of headphones rather than spend it all on one supposedly good set.

 

[qawsedrf]

Heey John, how are the replacement earpad issues going?

 

[Dinan]

I'm not sure that is possible!

I have been an audiophile for about 22 years and wile I enjoy my gear and am tremendously happy with it, I always wonder about something better even with the best gear available.

So while I am "satisfied", I do not ever foresee being "done"!

 

[ear8dmg]

I'm increasingly getting to the point where the problem is my music rather than the equipment.

My main problems are that I originally ripped all my CDs at 192kB/s mp3 and some badly mastered CDs.

Assuming good source material, I'm pretty satisfied with the sound. I'd like my headphones to be so comfortable I wouldn't notice I was wearing them, my PC to be completely silent and the whole setup to be generally more user-friendly though, so I can't say I'm completely satisfied

 

[aimlink]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dinan /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm not sure that is possible! I have been an audiophile for about 22 years and wile I enjoy my gear and am tremendously happy with it, I always wonder about something better even with the best gear available. So while I am "satisfied", I do not ever foresee being "done"!

Good post.

There's that element of curiosity within me that remains. However, the majority of contemporary recordings are so lacking these days. 10yrs ago, the technology was improving to play the recordings at their max. Now, I'm not so sure about that.

When high definition music and high quality recordings become a lot more a part of contemporary music and recordings, my interest in that uber sound will likely spike again.

 

[Townyj]

Right now music sounds perfect to my ear's with my setup. I do look at other phones, mainly the higher end Ultrasone's and wonder how much better it can really be. But the price to performance is a very hard thing to justify in my eyes when im enjoying music from my current setup.

 

[rlanger]

I'm totally satisfied with my current setup, and couldn't imagine changing a thing.

I listen to music all over my house and my current home rig goes wherever I do, providing stellar sound.

I much prefer custom monitors to full size cans for comfort, and with my JH-13 Pros, I don't sacrifice anything in terms of sound quality.

 

[Beyerfan70]

With my dt880 i have complete satisfaction and have absolutely no desire to change a thing.