[kellybundy110]

yo im new to this, can anyone suggest a setup for 1000$. Open to all suggestions. The only upscale audio tech i own is the hd-555 going strong for 6 years, definitely need an upgrade.

 

[DougofTheAbaci]

What do you do with your computer? Are you a gamer or casual user? Do you watch a lot of movies, master audio... What? I could tell you the parts to buy to build one or I could just say, "Grab an ASUS."
 
If you aren't planning on building... Just buy an ASUS or a Mac, as your preference takes you. Those two brands because they are the most reliable on the market. If you were going to be building a PC I'd be telling you to get most of your parts directly from ASUS anyway.
 
You really need to give us specifics on what you want to do.

 

[kellybundy110]

hey my computer is mainly for music,movies, I rarely play games anymore. the environment is a room, so quite atmosphere. looking for a great headphone setup my computer only has onboard at the moment. by setup i mean head audio setup for headphones.

 

[earerror]

Quote:

 by setup i mean head audio setup for headphones.

Something like Amp/Dac? Which hp's are you buying? 

 

[thekyle]

So you don't need speakers at all? Just a dac, amp, and headphones? $1000 for just that leaves you a pretty wide range of options. If you liked your HD 555's than I would suggest the Senn HD 650's ($450), a Little Dot MK IV ($300), and an HRT Music Streamer II usb dac ($150). It should blow your current setup out of the water. 

 

[kellybundy110]

Quote:

Something like Amp/Dac? Which hp's are you buying? 

yep, I'am going to purchase the Senheiser 650s
 

 

[kellybundy110]

Quote:

So you don't need speakers at all? Just a dac, amp, and headphones? $1000 for just that leaves you a pretty wide range of options. If you liked your HD 555's than I would suggest the Senn HD 650's ($450), a Little Dot MK IV ($300), and an HRT Music Streamer II usb dac ($150). It should blow your current setup out of the water. 

thanks, going to be looking into these components

 

[jackmccabe]

I suggest you get the best headphones within your budget before getting a expensive dac or amp, as you will see a much larger difference getting better headphones than a dac or amp.
I suggest you look at getting a pair of lcd-2's and a fiio e9 + any half decent dac (uca202, emu 0202, e7, etc).
 

 

[bik2101]

wouldn't the lcd-2's use up pretty much the entire budget? 

 

[jackmccabe]

Quote:

wouldn't the lcd-2's use up pretty much the entire budget? 

Yes and they are entirely worth it, the lcd-2's with a cheap amp and dac will sound better than cheaper headphones with a much "better" dac and headphone amp.

 

[kellybundy110]

What do you guys think of this setup  HRT Music Streamer II usb dac + Bellari HA540 + hd 650 Can Anyone explain what a "tube" is and do i need to replace with a better one?

 

[bik2101]

the tubes can be swapped around. some have different sound characteristics than others. but there are also different types of tubes - power tubes and just regular (?) sound tubes (sorry not sure exactly how to refer to these). 

 

[kellybundy110]

Quote:

the tubes can be swapped around. some have different sound characteristics than others. but there are also different types of tubes - power tubes and just regular (?) sound tubes (sorry not sure exactly how to refer to these). 

hmmm interesting thanks !

 

[kellybundy110]

does a Carbon USB  cable make a difference? pc-->dac

 

[Jack C]

Hi,
 
I would generally recommend you spend your money on the best pair of headphones you can afford in your budget, and allocate your remaining money among DACs and Amps. 
 
You may also consider used gear as Head-Fi has a very active FS/FT community. I found a STAX SR-404/SRM-313 combo in excellent condition for less than $700 and I am doubtful that any amp/headphone combo for less than $1k can deliver a similar level of performance. Only downside there is that STAX system is not compatible with other headphone gear. But that may actually be a blessing in disguise as it cuts down on your urge to upgrade...
 
Until you realize you can have more than one system and start collecting gear again. Sigh.
 
Jack