[chantryrose]

Hey, Internet pals!

 

I'm pretty new to the hifi world, and it's only recently that I've learned about DACs, amps, etc etc—and I must say I'm beyond excited to build my very first rig! I've done a bit of research, and with my current DAP (iPod Classic 7th Gen 160GB) and budget, these are the stuff I can afford:

→ FiiO E17 x FiiO LOD
→ Sennheiser Momentum Over-Ear

 

Is this a good rig to start off with? If not, I'm open to other suggestions
 
More details:
→ Location/Purpose: for traveling 
→ (Headphone) budget: mid-range ($300-$400)
→ Music: garage, shoegaze, grunge, indie rock/lo-fi, psych-rock, 60s doowop, & soul
 
Thanks heaps!
 
P.S. I'm more comfortable traveling w/ full-sized, closed circumaural headphones. But if anyone can recommend quality supra-aural headphones, I'm fine with those, too!

 

[PurpleAngel]

You might consider selling off the iPod and getting the new FiiO X3 Gen II (X3K), no need to get the E17.
The X3 Gen II uses SDHC cards for storage (music files).

 

[cel4145]

Since Sennheiser came out with a newer 2.0 version of the Momentum, the first generation is a really good deal right now. Note that some people find the Momentums a bit small for their ears. See this review: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-adult-sennheiser-momentum

The Momentum are a fairly sensitive headphone, meaning that they are fairly easy to drive with a portable device. You should try them with your iPod Classic before purchasing an E17. If they reach sufficient volume for your listening needs with room to spare (meaning they can still get a good bit louder), then you won't get a big benefit from a dac/amp like the E17, although certainly there could be a bit of improvement.

The Fiio X3 was built on the same dac/amp hardware as the E17, only better optimization of the hardware. So not a bad idea at all to sell your ipod so that don't have to carry two devices strapped together.