[kineticwave]

The O2 is more powerful and a better amplifier, but it's not truly portable. It fall under your 2lbs requirement, but I would personally never take it out and about. The E11 is more portable, and offers a bass boost, which is fun. However, it is clearly the inferior amplifier.

 

I meant 2lbs as in the headphone only. I still find the E11 kind of heavy, so if anything, I'd rather have an amp that sits on my desk and hopefully headphones that won't make me crave for an amp while on the go with my iPod.

 

[tzjin]

Quote:

I meant 2lbs as in the headphone only. I still find the E11 kind of heavy, so if anything, I'd rather have an amp that sits on my desk and hopefully headphones that won't make me crave for an amp while on the go with my iPod.

 
As long as you don't get the DJ100, most headphones within your budget will sound fine without an amplifier. 

 

[kineticwave]

I see, so if i get the E10 as a desktop amp will it make a difference or would it be smarter to save up for something better? Between the Shure SRH840 and KNS8400 which is better suited for my preferences? Or are there better within my budget?

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

Someone recommended the E11 and another an O2, which would best? And have you heard the SRH840 before? Can you draw a comparison?

 
From my memory SRH840 is more bassier then 8400 but the 8400 goes deeper. The KRK is also faster and more anaytical and precise in comparison to SRH840 and more flat. I actually preferred the sound of KRK more so I stuck with it. The Shure's in general have never really gotten my attention too much. As for the amp, I haven't read much on O2 so can't comment on that. I have E10 and the E11 has more power. I never had problems with E10 for power, even HE-500 manages to sound nice though it. So if you take that into consideration, E11 will do a really good job as an amp. E11 and E10 are both portable in the sense of travelling, weight and size. The E10 is a dac and amp, which for its price is very well. The E11 has a better amp then E10 but no dac.
 

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

I see, so if i get the E10 as a desktop amp will it make a difference or would it be smarter to save up for something better? Between the Shure SRH840 and KNS8400 which is better suited for my preferences? Or are there better within my budget?

 
I would say go for the KRK KNS 8400 and get an E10. The E10 can be carried anywhere. When I first got the E10 I couldn't believe how little it was, from the pictures I thought it would be much bigger. Make no mistake, its a powerhouse with the best dac and amp under $100 that gives you a line out and a coaxial output. You'll like the KRK's for your preferences. The Shure's aren't bad, but for me they just didn't do anything special. With KRK I still get impressed from time to time, even when listening to HE-500.
 

 

[kineticwave]

In terms of bringing out vocals, imaging, and instrument separation, how does the KNS 8400 do? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be sure about my purchase. Thanks for your help and patience!

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

In terms of bringing out vocals, imaging, and instrument separation, how does the KNS 8400 do? Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be sure about my purchase. Thanks for your help and patience!

 
Oh no, ask away, ask whatever you need to clarify, no matter how small you think it is. Okay let's start with the vocals. The vocals for KRK are really really good, they don't make it sing it like my HE-500 ($700) and neither would I expect them to at this price but man, it is something good. Even the slighest change in the pitch of the vocals can be picked up easily. The vocals are definitely not recessed but also not all up in your face. There is actually a very good balance for how the vocals fit in with the rest of the instrument for virtually all genres from rock to rap to vocal trance. Imaging is really sharp with the KNS 8400 and this improves as you keep improving your dac and amp. The soundstage is somewhat in width limited but you still manage to get a very good imaging within that soundstage. You don't get the sense of air and space like you do with open headphones like my HE-500, but you can still distinguish the separation between the instruments. However, this takes a bit of time to get used to before you can start appreciating the beauty of this (or atleast it took me a while, maybe its less for you). Hang in there with it, make sure you get a good burn in for at least 50 hours. Typically all the change comes in the first 20-30 hours, after that its very little. Give the headphone 2-3 weeks before giving it a final judgement. Out of all my other headphones, my opinion has probably changed the most with the KRK KNS 8400. 
 

 

[kineticwave]

Are there any headphones within the same price range or a little higher that rival these? And how much does an E10 cost, I live in Canada, would I use an L9 cable to connect it? I read that many use that cable.

 

[Acix]

The GMP 8.35 can be a great option, they're balanced and go deep down. 

 

[kineticwave]

Thank you for the suggestion but the price is rather steep. Are there any others?

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

Are there any headphones within the same price range or a little higher that rival these? And how much does an E10 cost, I live in Canada, would I use an L9 cable to connect it? I read that many use that cable.

 
I'm in Canada and I ordered my E10 from Headphonebar.com - it's a Canadian company. They have a low fixed shipping cost across anywhere in Canada. Amazon is also an option but sometimes they aren't shipping to Canadian locations, it depends on the date and vendors available. Plus, HeadphoneBar is an authorized reseller here in Canada of Fiio, so if you ever run into trouble, it'll be easy, although unlikely.

 

[kineticwave]

Would you say the 8400 are more analytical than warm sounding? Can you describe how the bass sounds? As well, how is the build, I read about the cable feeling cheap.

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

Would you say the 8400 are more analytical than warm sounding? Can you describe how the bass sounds? As well, how is the build, I read about the cable feeling cheap.

 
The 8400 are analytical in a fun way, yes, that is indeed possible. I find it quite neutral throughout, but also natural and not sterile as you might think. Build quality is tank, every component used is built to last since it was designed to be used in the studio. As for the detachable cable, I find it good in terms of build quality. It has a tendency to sometimes curl, but doesn't tangle up though. This headphone aims more for transparency but on some recordings with real or vintage instruments it can still give that warm analog sound. Although If I had to pick one side it would be transparency, but that doesn't mean that the headphone can't bump and kick. The bass extends deep into the 20 Hz region. Both my Denon AH-2000 and KNS 8400 can go deep, but the experience is different. Over time I have learned to appreciate both. The bass on the Denon's is slower throughout, while it's audibly faster on the KRK's. The Denon rumbles like nobody's business, while with the KRK there really isn't much impact in the sub-bass and rumbleb however you can easily hear that it's there and very fast, textured and layered. For electronica, the KRK can keep up in the speed but I find them lacking in the impact factor at times. Although for rock, pop and hip hop, they actually kick in the right place every time. As I said before, the KRK does really really well with real instruments and live recordings as their tonality can truly let you appreciate the true flavour of the instruments more than Denon or Ultrasone. The Shure's are also up there but I would give the edge to KRK. 
 
Also RK offers replacement cables from their website so if something goes bad, you can get another one, but you shouldn't need it (for a long time at least) 
 

 

[valerianaoff]

Quote:

 
The 8400 are analytical in a fun way, yes, that is indeed possible. I find it quite neutral throughout, but also natural and not sterile as you might think. Build quality is tank, every component used is built to last since it was designed to be used in the studio. As for the detachable cable, I find it good in terms of build quality. It has a tendency to sometimes curl, but doesn't tangle up though. This headphone aims more for transparency but on some recordings with real or vintage instruments it can still give that warm analog sound. Although If I had to pick one side it would be transparency, but that doesn't mean that the headphone can't bump and kick. The bass extends deep into the 20 Hz region. Both my Denon AH-2000 and KNS 8400 can go deep, but the experience is different. Over time I have learned to appreciate both. The bass on the Denon's is slower throughout, while it's audibly faster on the KRK's. The Denon rumbles like nobody's business, while with the KRK there really isn't much impact in the sub-bass and rumbleb however you can easily hear that it's there and very fast, textured and layered. For electronica, the KRK can keep up in the speed but I find them lacking in the impact factor at times. Although for rock, pop and hip hop, they actually kick in the right place every time. As I said before, the KRK does really really well with real instruments and live recordings as their tonality can truly let you appreciate the true flavour of the instruments more than Denon or Ultrasone. The Shure's are also up there but I would give the edge to KRK. 
 
Also RK offers replacement cables from their website so if something goes bad, you can get another one, but you shouldn't need it (for a long time at least) 
 

 
 
Have you tried the KRK KNS 8400 with tube amps ? If yes, then how do they sound? I am just curious...
Thanks...

 

[Zoom25]

Quote:

 
 
Have you tried the KRK KNS 8400 with tube amps ? If yes, then how do they sound? I am just curious...
Thanks...

 
No, sorry. I usually listen to them when I went to lay back and just listen with pure clarity in mind. However the KNS 8400 isn't all that thin either. For rock and hip hop, the mid-bass kicks nicely and vocals come out nice so I don't find the need for tube amps. Maybe for electronica, I would go tube but for your preferences, they actually are fairly nice out of a solid state.