[cwoo]

Make sure to stick to your budget. I have never done this.

Anyway... I like the Em-u 0404 usb --> Millet MiniMax --> HD650. I spent about 750 for that combo which will leave you some left over to try a different set of cans too. I love the combo but everyones ears are different.

Buy used if you can (head-fi for sale section is great).

Just my experience. Good luck!

 

[fenixdown110]

Quote:

Originally Posted by estreeter /img/forum/go_quote.gif Did you read anything in the initial post beyond the part about 10K ? This thread should have been titled 'Just got $1000', but then it wouldnt attract posters like yourself, would it ?

Caught him in the act. Foot in mouth disease seems rampant these days.

 

[wavoman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Asr /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would suggest not spending any money right now and instead making the travel out for CanJam 2010 in Chicago, and then afterwards making your decision on what to buy. Actually hearing equipment can radically change your perceptions and will also give you a proper frame of reference with respect to the posts you read on Head-Fi about various headphones and amps.

This is fantastic advice. I was in the same boat in the summer of 2007. I had a similar windfall. Someone suggested I wait until CanJam (Florida) so I put the money in the bank. And waited. CanJam Florida (my first) was unbelievable. I learned I love 'stats (blown away in the Stax room). In the dynamic realm, I learned I prefer HD600s to HD650s by a lot (I had been about to buy 650s). In the Headroom suite I learned I could actually hear the difference between balanced and s.e. HPs, and that I like the K701 too.

I met Fang of Head-Direct and that has meant a lot to me. I met Drew of moon-audio, and he also helped me spend money wisely. Ditto Ray of RSA. I had a long talk with Bozebuttons (Tom) which saved me thousands of dollars I would have wasted.

Collect interest on the money and go to CanJam, just like Asr says.

 

[schwallman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bilavideo /img/forum/go_quote.gif Do you want to kill the fun? A quick perusal of this site will show you that headfiers are never satisfied. They get one can, then snoop around for another. There's no end to it. I agree with your parents: invest. Let your money make money. My advice is to start small. Read up on different cans. Pick one that intrigues you. Play with it, then resell it, using that money to buy your next set of cans. Rinse, lather, repeat. This will give you a chance to try lots of different cans and become knowledgeable about what's out there - without blowing a lot of money. Where this hobby gets most expensive is in holding onto previous purchases. If you resell, you can keep the costs in check. Be a taster, not a collector. Then, when you get tired of playing the field and have found your bliss, you can stop. The only trick to this is to have the patience to buy your bliss at the right price. If you buy right, you can't help but sell right.

This is totally true about the snooping for another set. I somewhat wish I never found this site. Definitely would have been better on my bank account.

 

[davidhunternyc]

First things first; pay your taxes. Not long ago I won $20,000 in a televised 9-Ball pool competition. A lot of hard work and luck. I was so happy about it but according to the IRS my winnings were a gift above and beyond my normal salary. I was taxed almost 50%. Just be careful and render to Caesar what is Caesar's. Other than that...

I'll be your best friend.

 

[tvrboy]

Thanks all for the advice. I would go to Can Jam if I could, but I am working overseas at that time. I have decided to buy the EF-5 + HE-5 combo. A big factor in my decision is that I live in China now. I really don't want to buy a $1500 headphone and take a chance that it will get lost in shipping. Head-Direct is a Chinese company and has a warehouse in Hong Kong, so I assume this will be no problem for them. I will also get a uDac or something similar now and upgrade to something like a DAC1 or Digital Link III next year. I will invest $8000 and use the remainder to save for a new computer (probably using 2x HD5850 as I imagine they will get a lot cheaper when Fermi comes out!!!!)

Oh yeah and I guess I have a new friend, david hunter in new york...

 

[fenixdown110]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks all for the advice. I would go to Can Jam if I could, but I am working overseas at that time. I have decided to buy the EF-5 + HE-5 combo. A big factor in my decision is that I live in China now. I really don't want to buy a $1500 headphone and take a chance that it will get lost in shipping. Head-Direct is a Chinese company and has a warehouse in Hong Kong, so I assume this will be no problem for them. I will also get a uDac or something similar now and upgrade to something like a DAC1 or Digital Link III next year. I will invest $8000 and use the remainder to save for a new computer (probably using 2x HD5850 as I imagine they will get a lot cheaper when Fermi comes out!!!!) Oh yeah and I guess I have a new friend, david hunter in new york...

So no tax to pay there?

 

[tvrboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif So no tax to pay there?

There may be tax. I accept that - not much I can do about it. My parents want to deal with that. Maybe that sounds immature, letting my dad figure out taxes, but its better than trying to learn all about the tax code in 1 week and making a big mess of it myself.

 

[HeadphoneAddict]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks all for the advice. I would go to Can Jam if I could, but I am working overseas at that time. I have decided to buy the EF-5 + HE-5 combo. A big factor in my decision is that I live in China now. I really don't want to buy a $1500 headphone and take a chance that it will get lost in shipping. Head-Direct is a Chinese company and has a warehouse in Hong Kong, so I assume this will be no problem for them. I will also get a uDac or something similar now and upgrade to something like a DAC1 or Digital Link III next year. I will invest $8000 and use the remainder to save for a new computer (probably using 2x HD5850 as I imagine they will get a lot cheaper when Fermi comes out!!!!) Oh yeah and I guess I have a new friend, david hunter in new york...

Sounds like a good plan. Have fun!

 

[Shike]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melomaniac /img/forum/go_quote.gif congratulations. but sock the money away, please - for what you are asking here is a contradiction in terms. there is absolutely no reason for you to spend anywhere near $1,000 if you're going to listen to 256k mp3s. enjoy them on cheap and cheerful powered speakers out of your computer, or get decent headphones that are fed right from the audio out, and use the money where it makes a real difference in your life.

Speak for yourself on that note. There's plenty of tracks that are impossible to ABX at that point for many people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tvrboy I have decided to buy the EF-5 + HE-5 combo

I imagine you'll be really happy with it.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by milezone /img/forum/go_quote.gif There are a few top tier headphones that are in my opinion significantly better than the rest. At the bottom of that tier (as constructed by me) are the HD800's. Others in this realm include AKG K1000's, perhaps K340's, maybe the Beyer T1's Stax Omega II's, a Stax 404 setup and some unobtainable hp's like the Sony R10's (which I haven't heard) and the Sennheiser HE60/90's and a few others. For me, it isn't worth spending more than $1000 dollars on a rig that isn't based on one of these headphones as there just not enough room for potential improvement to justify the cost. With 1000 dollars I'd probably buy a good portable amp, a RME dac and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT48's (though many don't like these). That setup would get me close to what I experience listening through K1000's. The DT48's are rare in that regard however, most headphones (Grados, Ultrasones, Sennheisers etc,) are not worth the dough at all (for me). Though I haven't heard them I would bet that HE5's are pretty great also. If I were looking to exceed 1000 dollars I'd go with a system based around K1000's as they/it would improve tremendously with better equipment. I'd also seriously consider Stax Omega II's as many prefer them over the K1000's. The difference between those two headphones and D5000's (which I own) mentioned in a previous post is night and day. If you browse through this forum you'll see many words thrown around which describe the nature of sound as reproduced through headphones. While these are good descriptors they don't really benefit the buyer. When purchasing audio related equipment I think it's important to abandon the jargon and pay close attention to the physical properties of the driver and the headphone. Ultimately what one should look for is the speed of the driver, and the placement of the driver/its enclosure. Faster driver speed=better detail, resolution, accuracy, etc. Well engineered driver placement= better soundstage, imaging, etc. Some people claim they prefer coloration and a warmer headphone. Nonsense. What that translates into physically is a more lethargic driver. Real headphones strive for dead neutrality/speed. For me I let the recording to the coloration. One thing to note however is that while faster dynamic headphones will be more accurate, inherent to their dynamic construction (bulkier driver) the stiffer driver and membrane necessary to achieve such speed can in some instances diminish the bass. Simply, the driver's stiffness prevents it from vibrating below a certain frequency. This is not true for higher end electrostatic headphones as their thin membrane enables reproduction of the entire spectrum. The tradeoff here however is that the bass is less visceral than a dynamic headphone as the thin membrane of an electrostatic headphone can't push as much air as a dynamic headphone. Note this is a slightly truncated description of what's really going on however this is the basic principle. Also electrostatics push and pull while dynamics just push. Electrostatics are better. At the end of the day you may find yourself choosing between electrostatics and dynamics. There are only a couple headphones (that I've heard), the K1000's being at the top of that list, which is on par with electrostatic headphones. The vast majority of dynamic headphones are inferior to a middle range electrostatic headphone. So unless you have the option for a pair of K1000's in which case rethink your choices, or are willing to sacrifice some bass and treble for one of the most underrated and excellent musical experiences one can have for under $1000 (DT48's) I would say go electrostatic. At the very end of the day (dusk has passed and it's night fall) I would say save your money and get a Playstation 1 as your cd player, a good pair of electrostats, some cds and go to bed. Or get a Berklee dac..... As an addition to what I just said, personally I think stepping up the latter is stupid as it implies that money determines the quality of the product. While my post up until now may seem to agree with this mentality, and for the most part it's true, there are exceptions. Cheap stax systems will outdo most highend dynamic systems all day. DT48's will outdo most dynamic headphones. The price of things is determined by commercial demand. The quality of things is determined by the intention of use. DT48s are an industry standard for engineers hence the quality. The materials for the HD800's and the DT48's probably cost about the same. The r&d costs of the HD800's are obviously much higher which, in economic terms, justifies the price. Mystified by fresh looks achieved by superficial aesthetic decisions, the buyer is willing to spend the extra money. Neither costs more than 50 dollars in materials however. I've browsed this forum for about 7 years. I started with a pair of K701's which I recently sold. Between then and now I've owned tons of different headphones. For the most part, my experiences have been pretty consistent--boring. To me most headphones aren't worth the money. While there has been some wow factor at first, the flaws have been too glaring to warrant long term appreciation. Certain accurate headphones from stax akg and beyerdynamic have really inspired me and have defied this experience. The main difference these hps exhibit is neutrality. And as a result I could spend my days listening through them (which is not true with most hps I've owned). Don't waste your time and money searching for your coloration of choice as it doesn't exist (except in fairyland). Test a bunch, find the one that sounds the most natural to you, and buy it. I'm sick of rambling so I'll leave it at that.

I agree.. But the DT48 are really genre specific.. Even though I enjoy them with anything, the majority of listeners won't. They been my main headphones since 10/08.. But my next purchase will be the total opposite.. Colored, less accurate & fun..T1/HE-5/D7000 are on the list.. Of course, the DT48 are exceptional headphones, even if some people disagree..

 

[Tingc222]

My friend had $30k. He invested it extremely smartly in Apple and made himself $500k from it. He bought himself a Nissan GTR, a BMW 328i (to use until the GTR arrives in 2012), and his dad a BMW X5-M. He is 20 years old.

He put it on financing such that over a period of 7 years, he would have only spent $20k on those cars. With inflation maybe $50k. $300k worth of car for $50k...That's something.

My point is: If you are not an audiophile fanatic and couldn't tell the difference between an HD800 and an HD650, don't fall for it. Invest the price difference and you will not regret it.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Your friend has great business sense.

 

[n3rdling]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tingc222 /img/forum/go_quote.gif My friend had $30k. He invested it extremely smartly in Apple and made himself $500k from it.

Could you explain this a little more? Just curious. Looking at the Apple stock history it looks impossible, so I'm guessing you meant a different form of investing in Apple. Do tell, this stuff is always interesting.

 

[davidhunternyc]

O.K., so now that we are best friends, best friends tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. So as your best friend, if you don't set aside $4000 of that money for taxes, you will be screwed. Your father may very well be looking out for your best interest, but this is an opportunity for you to take responsibility and learn how the world works. Please don't pass it up. Heck, you will still have $6,000 that you can spend on all your hearts desires...

as well as your new best friend.