[GeneA]

I am looking to purchase a headphone and Amp combination Exclusively to use for psybient music (Sphongle, BlueTech, Shulman,
The Core, etc.)
 
My budget is roughly about $1,000. I would like the music to be very spatial and bass response is not my primary concern.  I would appreciate any input from you guys.

 

[sampson_smith]

Psybient?! I know a heck of a lot about fringe and underground music, but have never heard of this sub-genre. Care to enlighten me and - I'm sure - many others, so that we may know what specific qualities of this type of music are so that one can actually make a recommendation?
 
Welcome to Head-fi.
 
Edit: I just looked into some of BlueTech's stuff, which I assume one can simply call 'ambient electronica', or 'downtempo, or 'chillout'. If you like that, you would do well to listen to The Irresistible Force's 'It's Tomorrow Already' on Ninja Tune. BRILLIANT stuff.
 

 

[GeneA]

Sampson, Thanks for your suggestion I will definitely check The Irresistible Force. Meanwhile out of my laziness this is the info on Psybient:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psybient

 

[Dojomoto]

 Hi GeneA. In this thread: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/338147/review-decware-select-zen-csp2-tube-headphone-amp Skylab has a review on a VERY nice amp that you may be interested in. It cost about $825 I believe shipped so it may be pushing your budget to the edge (and a bit over) but I think Skylab mentioned it pairs well with Beyerdynamics DT770 / 600 ohms cans, so you may ask in that thread or send Skylab a PM for more info. But the review is one I'd suggest you read, at least. Good luck with your research.

 

[GeneA]

Wow. I think I need to save for a while. I had a feeling what I was looking for was difficult under $1000. Thanks Sampson

 

[AtomikPi]

Just going to give a few random ideas, nothing concrete. I honestly don't know how many people are familiar with psybient so we'll see how many responses there are.
 
I used to have a pair of ATH-AD2000's - those were quite strong with electronic - fun although colored midrange, deep but not massively thumpy bass, extended highs, fast perceived speed (partially due to the coloration). Soundstage was good but not great. You should be able to pick up a pair for around $500 or so, maybe a bit less. As far as mid-fi phones go (looks like that's what you're aiming for) I also owned a pair of HD-650's which I found too dark for psybient and also unimpressive in their imaging and soundstage size. I'm not experienced enough with Beyer's mid-fi phones to comment, although I would stay away from the 770's (awful v-curve frequency response - used to own a pair) and might consider the 880's. I haven't tried the 701's specifically with psybient but would suspect they would be too lacking in bass.
 
If we go quite a bit higher in price, you can do better. HD-800's are excellent for psybient, in my opinion, as long as you don't find the bass anemic (I don't, and I've listened to them on multiple occasions, multiple rigs). Personally, the best I've ever heard Shpongle was with a pair of Omega II mk. 1's, actually out of a Stax T1 amplifier, nothing fancy. The layering and imaging was absolutely perfect, no details lost, and the speed was faster than my JH13's which I consider to be quite fast. The flute and other physical instruments sounded extremely natural. Of course, a pair would be out of your price range and I would strongly advise you hear a pair first, since they are on the dark side of neutral, but that was my experience.
 
I won't give any amplifier suggestions, although personally I would go for a nice transparent SS design - an M3, CKKIII, Gilmore lite, and the like will power any non-k1000 phone to transparency, although they won't pleasantly color it. The new Schiit design looks interesting but I will refrain from commenting since I haven't heard it.
 
By the way, in any case, try to find a meet in your area and go listen - that's the best way to prevent yourself from being disappointed.

 

[GeneA]

AtomikPi; Although I could dream, Stax headphones are not even near my budget ( still buying lottery) and HD-800 price is also up there but nowhere near Stax. I would to hear you guys opinion on AKG 702 which I completely agree is nowhere near STAX or close to HD-800 but meet my price range and paring it with Bruson HA-160. Maybe I keep saving my money until I can affort HD-800.
 
I live near Washington DC and there is no place to test audiophile headphones. Even authorized dealers such as Guitar Center for bestbuy for sennheiser only carry lower end models in their stores.

 

[nbourbaki]

Very cool another Psybient fan.  Although this might not be the ultimate Psybient setup, I've been relaxing with my 2003 Beyer DT880 and Woo 3+.  BTW where are you buying your CD's from?  This is a new genre for me and my usual sources don't have much of a selection.

 

[mortonP]

I never heard it called psybient before either, I have always called it IDM (intelligent dance music) or ambient electronica. I do listen to some of the music though and like beyerdynamic DT990pro with it because they are spacious sounding and have good bass too.

 

[Dojomoto]

 I gave a suggestion before, but it seems it was overlooked. The Decware Zen Select CSP-2 runs about $826 shipped here to me in Las Vegas, I don't know where you live but if it's in the states, then it should be comparable. A Beyerdynamic DT 770 800 Ohm is about $270 so that would put you over $100 of your budget, but if you could not stretch that far, you could go down to the 250 ohm version that's $184 at Amazon. I hear the 600 ohm model is much better though. Also, Skylab is very familiar with MANY tube amps (his huge tube amp ranking list is here http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/402585/review-summary-a-ranking-of-22-tube-and-tube-hybrid-headphone-amps) and Beyers and has a huge music library as well. This is the reason I made the suggestion to you in the first place.
 The amp I suggested is ranked 4th on that list, the highest ranking tube amp under 1K, and is only ranked under amps costing $2500 - $4500. I suggest the amp because I feel you'll be more satisfied with a great sounding amp that you would feel less inclined to want to upgrade in the near future. Just make sure to ask Skylab about the combination with the music you like to listen to, I know he has some Shpongle in his music library (I do also) and he has that amp and headphones as well.

 

[GeneA]

Dojmoto; I never overlook your suggestion and I appreciated your input. I am not only learning based on everyone suggestion but  also  constantly playing with numbers in term of budget and I complete agree with going $100.00 or $200 over budget is not a killer and may prove to be the only sensible way to go.
Do you have any opinion on Solid state amps my last experience with tubes was when I was child and I remember we have to wait for the equipment to warm up prior to good use.

 

[GeneA]

nbourbaki;
 
If you want CDs I suggest http://www.psyshop.com
 
If you want individual wave files ( I do not buy mp3s) there several sites that offer Wave format for slightly higher price:
 
http://www.junodownload.com/
 
http://www.addictech.com
 
https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/home/detail/1/beatport#
Beatport has a comprehensive catalog from all genres of  electronic music including pre-releases and old classics. Available file formats are MP3, MP4 and WAV. WAV files are not downloadable but will be FeDex shipped on CD-R.

 

[Dojomoto]

GenA:
 My personal experience is basically with what I have in my signature, as I am just starting on my Head-fi journey. I've been here reading this site now for about 9 months and learning much as I go, and just try to share information with others that I feel could find it useful. As information is scattered all over these forums, sometimes it's hard to find or easy to miss.
 The main reason I suggested that amp was I feel it's better to buy high then you'll have less reason to want to upgrade sooner. If your budget allows it, I think you'll save money in the long run rather than buying lower (like my low budget forces me) and keep upgrading until you find a balance between your listening desire and budget.
 I definetly feel it's better to preview any and all of the amps you can before buying something if possible, but in my case there isn't anything close to me that I am interested in to audition. You may find you don't like the tube sound and prefer SS instead. I hope you don't feel I'm shoving any one amp down your throat, that is not my intent. I'm just sharing info to help you decide what would work best for you and your budget.
 I think tube amps take a few secs before use (I've read like 30 secs for some amps) but I've read they sound better anywhere from 30 mins to a couple hours after turning them on. You'll have to ask others or read more to be certain.
 Myself? I am forced to start at the bottom and have been enjoying my CKKIII just fine, but already I am itching to upgrade (see what I'm saying? so I will wind up spending more in the long run but that is my situation at present so that's just the way it is.

 

[GeneA]

Dojmoto; Again right on the mark. I have just begun to get into audiophile headphones and this forum has become my source. I completely agree that at the end audio can be a very personal decision and folks arguing over the quality of one over another will be a moot discussion like Chocolate flavor over Strawberry. I am fairy familiar with audiophile speakers and can attest that quality can very very subjective. As there is nothing around me that I can have a chance to compare I rely on guys such as you to enlighten me.
I very strongly agree on one aspect with you, that it’s better to buy quality as much as you can afford initially, since upgrade would not be an option in a near future for me.
Thanks for clarifying the tube warm up issue. I can see what you mean by collecting scattered information all over this forum.

 

[Currawong]

You can get a vintage Stax rig with a pair of Lambdas of some desciption within your budget. If you can at least get a T1 amp, then later you can save up for a vey good DAC to top it all off down the track.