[junien]

Hi head-fi-ers, been following many threads here recently but would appreciate it if a few old hands can give me some advice on headphones and purchases.

First up, my current (pathetic complete beginner) set-up

Portable: Creative Zen Stone Plus => Soundmagic PL30 (i run and gym)

Home: Dell Studio XPS 1640 => iTunes (entire library), Media Monkey (FLAC) => Soundmagic PL30 & £30 altec lansing 2.0 speakers


Looking for, in the following order, descending priority:

1. IEM (budget £100 - £150) Based on research, considering factors: Over-ear, Detail & Precision, Unmuddy Bass, TOP 3 Music: Radiohead, Blink-182, Alternative

a) PHONAK PFE 112 (somebody enlighten me on diff btwn v1 vs v2)
b) UE Tripfi 10 pro (stretching budget abit, so, any recommendations on where to get it cheap? cheapest online so far is ebay, ship from the states for around £170)
c) any similar recommendations? How does UE SF5 Pro vs UE SF5v2 vs audeo PFE? is the imitation/fake scene as strong in all these IEMs as lets say the CX-300II?

2. Over/on-ears. thinking Koss Portapros. Any alternatives at the £20 range? Back-up cans, must be comfy.

3. Portable Headphone amp. Probably a Fiio E5 (with L1 LOD in future if i get an Ipod) for outdoor usage. Alternatives?

4. DAC-Headamp. £100 DAC-headamp for my laptop. Any recommendations? I really fancy the Nuforce uDAC but would consider any alternatives (iBasso? Pico? others?). One question I find unsatisfactorily answered in many threads are the ability of DAC-Headamps like the uDAC to amp 2.1 speakers or my current 2.0. (I intend to upgrade to some decent 2.1 systems in future. H/K Soundsticks II probably)

5. Source DAP/PMP. Any recommendations? I would like a big storage as Im already using my Zen Stone+ for running/gym. Leaning towards iPod classic but have worries about the microphonics (hardware sounds) Long-term investment so must be long-lasting.

Any help will be highly appreciated.

Oh and a note, im a uni student, so please exclude any superhighend audiophile recommendations (i seriously doubt i'll be able to afford tube amps etc without selling my limbs, probably not even then

)

Cheers Head-fi

 

[junien]

Quote:

Originally Posted by junien /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi head-fi-ers, been following many threads here recently but would appreciate it if a few old hands can give me some advice on headphones and purchases. First up, my current (pathetic complete beginner) set-up Portable: Creative Zen Stone Plus => Soundmagic PL30 (i run and gym) Home: Dell Studio XPS 1640 => iTunes (entire library), Media Monkey (FLAC) => Soundmagic PL30 & £30 altec lansing 2.0 speakers Looking for, in the following order, descending priority: 1. IEM (budget £100 - £150) Based on research, considering factors: Over-ear, Detail & Precision, Unmuddy Bass, TOP 3 Music: Radiohead, Blink-182, Alternative a) PHONAK PFE 112 (somebody enlighten me on diff btwn v1 vs v2) b) UE Tripfi 10 pro (stretching budget abit, so, any recommendations on where to get it cheap? cheapest online so far is ebay, ship from the states for around £170) c) any similar recommendations? How does UE SF5 Pro vs UE SF5v2 vs audeo PFE? is the imitation/fake scene as strong in all these IEMs as lets say the CX-300II? 2. Over/on-ears. thinking Koss Portapros. Any alternatives at the £20 range? Back-up cans, must be comfy. 3. Portable Headphone amp. Probably a Fiio E5 (with L1 LOD in future if i get an Ipod) for outdoor usage. Alternatives? 4. DAC-Headamp. £100 DAC-headamp for my laptop. Any recommendations? I really fancy the Nuforce uDAC but would consider any alternatives (iBasso? Pico? others?). One question I find unsatisfactorily answered in many threads are the ability of DAC-Headamps like the uDAC to amp 2.1 speakers or my current 2.0. (I intend to upgrade to some decent 2.1 systems in future. H/K Soundsticks II probably) 5. Source DAP/PMP. Any recommendations? I would like a big storage as Im already using my Zen Stone+ for running/gym. Leaning towards iPod classic but have worries about the microphonics (hardware sounds) Long-term investment so must be long-lasting. Any help will be highly appreciated. Oh and a note, im a uni student, so please exclude any superhighend audiophile recommendations (i seriously doubt i'll be able to afford tube amps etc without selling my limbs, probably not even then ) Cheers Head-fi

Did I place this in the wrong forum? how do i change it.. oh no.. noob ass

 

[K_19]

Quote:

Originally Posted by junien /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi head-fi-ers, been following many threads here recently but would appreciate it if a few old hands can give me some advice on headphones and purchases. First up, my current (pathetic complete beginner) set-up Portable: Creative Zen Stone Plus => Soundmagic PL30 (i run and gym) Home: Dell Studio XPS 1640 => iTunes (entire library), Media Monkey (FLAC) => Soundmagic PL30 & £30 altec lansing 2.0 speakers Looking for, in the following order, descending priority: 1. IEM (budget £100 - £150) Based on research, considering factors: Over-ear, Detail & Precision, Unmuddy Bass, TOP 3 Music: Radiohead, Blink-182, Alternative a) PHONAK PFE 112 (somebody enlighten me on diff btwn v1 vs v2) b) UE Tripfi 10 pro (stretching budget abit, so, any recommendations on where to get it cheap? cheapest online so far is ebay, ship from the states for around £170) c) any similar recommendations? How does UE SF5 Pro vs UE SF5v2 vs audeo PFE? is the imitation/fake scene as strong in all these IEMs as lets say the CX-300II? 2. Over/on-ears. thinking Koss Portapros. Any alternatives at the £20 range? Back-up cans, must be comfy. 3. Portable Headphone amp. Probably a Fiio E5 (with L1 LOD in future if i get an Ipod) for outdoor usage. Alternatives? 4. DAC-Headamp. £100 DAC-headamp for my laptop. Any recommendations? I really fancy the Nuforce uDAC but would consider any alternatives (iBasso? Pico? others?). One question I find unsatisfactorily answered in many threads are the ability of DAC-Headamps like the uDAC to amp 2.1 speakers or my current 2.0. (I intend to upgrade to some decent 2.1 systems in future. H/K Soundsticks II probably) 5. Source DAP/PMP. Any recommendations? I would like a big storage as Im already using my Zen Stone+ for running/gym. Leaning towards iPod classic but have worries about the microphonics (hardware sounds) Long-term investment so must be long-lasting. Any help will be highly appreciated. Oh and a note, im a uni student, so please exclude any superhighend audiophile recommendations (i seriously doubt i'll be able to afford tube amps etc without selling my limbs, probably not even then ) Cheers Head-fi

1) PFE is definitely a great choice if you are into neutral, balanced sound. However, if you are any kind of basshead at all, I'd stay away. I've owned both PFE and Super fi 5 Pro in the past and I much prefer the PFE for its balance and presentation overall, but 5 Pro does have more of a lively and bassier signature.

2) Portapros are a great choice, as well as the UR40 and PX100.

3) I'd honestly not bother with any portable amps with most of these IEM's and headphones. PFE is about the only one that gives you decent enough benefit from the amp. So unless you make that your final choice, I wouldn't bother (although you could experiment with E5/E1 I guess, for that price it couldn't hurt).

4) uDAC is a solid choice, especially if you are considering the PFE. I never had these two at the same time unfortunately to try (since my PFE was sold before I received the uDAC), but knowing the sound signature of both, they should have very good synergy (PFE's more analytical while uDAC is more lush, wide, and impactful).

5) The Sandisk players are great choices as well as Sony players if your priority is sound quality. However, if you are looking for iPod classic level of storage (100GB+) then you can go with that or the Zune... both sound good enough.

 

[junien]

Thanks for that K_19. I'm definitely getting the uDAC then. Really keen on the PFEs based on the good reviews.

Anyone knows whether PFEs have good instrument separation? The clarity of guitar picking must be top-notch for my next IEM purchase!

 

[Pianist]

I recommend Hifiman RE0 over PFE. RE0 has a more realistic/organic sound IMO with better detail resolution and a more even tonal balance. I consider PFE to be a decent mid-fi IEM, while RE0 is hi-fi and it costs considerably less too at its current price of only $79 US!

 

[junien]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pianist /img/forum/go_quote.gif I recommend Hifiman RE0 over PFE. RE0 has a more realistic/organic sound IMO with better detail resolution and a more even tonal balance. I consider PFE to be a decent mid-fi IEM, while RE0 is hi-fi and it costs considerably less too at its current price of only $79 US!

Oooh hifiman RE0.. what brand is that, and from where? never heard of it, oh, referred to in headfi as RE0.. ok nice, i'll take a look at it. Cheers, pianist.

Oh btw, anyone knows any try-before you purchase shops in London? I mean for such a big investment, are we supposed to just buy blindly?

 

[grahamnp]

I should be receiving my uDAC in a few days. If you haven't already made your choice by then, I'll try get some thoughts in on the uDAC + RE0 pairing.

 

[junien]

Quote:

Originally Posted by grahamnp /img/forum/go_quote.gif I should be receiving my uDAC in a few days. If you haven't already made your choice by then, I'll try get some thoughts in on the uDAC + RE0 pairing.

cheers mate. im only gonna purchase my iem and amps in 2 weeks or so but yea, keen on your RE0 + uDAC pairing.

 

[mjg132]

The RE0 is a great set of phones..very neutral,and the only thing i'll 'mod' on mine is to just get some over the ear memory wires.

 

[grahamnp]

Well I got my uDAC earlier than expected. I don't really have much to say about it's overall SQ as it's the first dedicated source component I'm using in this setup that I actually own. Compared to my EF2 DAC, iPhone and MacBook Pro headphone out, it seems to have a slightly more prominent bass and treble. The extra bass is welcome and I am fine with the additional treble but some people find the RE0 too treble-y as it is so watch out for that.

I like the overall boost in SQ and and the pairing is okay. It doesn't blow me away as they don't really balance each other out but I'll say this: I used to have the RE0 on mild custom EQ setting and now I don't. It'll probably take a few days before all the benefits sink in. For what it's worth though, whether you get the uDAC or not, I think the RE0 is awesome.

 

[junien]

THANKS grahamnp. RE0 sounds pretty solid. Don't quite fancy its looks but since the sound is great, its all that matters.

ok guys, uDAC vs ibasso D4 mamba. No fight? ibassos are really expensive on this side of the pond though