[SLCentral]

Hey guys,

I am currently the VERY happy owner of the UE 5c custom IEMs, but I'm getting a bit of a upgrade itch, and am looking for a set of full-size headphones for home use, but I'd still like to be portable as well. I am thinking I'd like closed cans, because leakage is a concern, and I love the isolation I get with the UE 5cs, but I'd really love a set of cans that have a very wide soundstage, with very crisp, rich detail. I love acoustic rock, jazz, classical, rock, and even a little rap, so anything that fits this would be greatly appreciated

.

I'll also need some sort of amp. Portable would be great, but not 100% required as long as an iPod can drive the headphones without it when I'm on the go (even if it doesn't sound as good).

I'd really appreciate all the help

. I'm looking to spend around $400-$500 total, obviously the less the better. Thanks again!

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

Yes, I know you said closed, but home usage, you gotta go with this:

HD580
LDII++

That will elave you with enough money to mod them, and get a decent RCA cable. The HD580/6X0 family does classical very well, has the bass and treble extention for hip-hop/rap, and has a VERY wide soundstage which will make rock and jazz seem like its live. Tubes do wonders with the HD580s from what I have heard. Dont bother with isolation if you are looking for good sound.

When you are on the go just use your UE 5s.

 

[SLCentral]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NtD Gr3nade /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yes, I know you said closed, but home usage, you gotta go with this: HD580 LDII++ That will elave you with enough money to mod them, and get a decent RCA cable. The HD580/6X0 family does classical very well, has the bass and treble extention for hip-hop/rap, and has a VERY wide soundstage which will make rock and jazz seem like its live. Tubes do wonders with the HD580s from what I have heard. Dont bother with isolation if you are looking for good sound. When you are on the go just use your UE 5s.

This looks VERY tempting

. I really appreciate your help. Just a couple of questions:

1). Would the iPod Mini be able to drive the HD580's unamped for portable usage, or should I not even try it?

2). Would I need to upgrade my iPod, even when using amped, or because I'd use the Line-out connection, it doesn't matter? If it makes a difference, it's a 2nd generation Mini with all my music ripped as 320kbps MP3's and ACC's.

3). What kind of CD player would you suggest to go along with this, and what are the cables I would need to connect everything? I've never used an amp before, so this is all sort of new to me

.

 

[MaloS]

You can also grab hd580/600 and meier porta corda, which will allow you to drive them quite well on the go too.

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLCentral /img/forum/go_quote.gif This looks VERY tempting . I really appreciate your help. Just a couple of questions: 1). Would the iPod Mini be able to drive the HD580's unamped for portable usage, or should I not even try it? 2). Would I need to upgrade my iPod, even when using amped, or because I'd use the Line-out connection, it doesn't matter? If it makes a difference, it's a 2nd generation Mini with all my music ripped as 320kbps MP3's and ACC's. 3). What kind of CD player would you suggest to go along with this, and what are the cables I would need to connect everything? I've never used an amp before, so this is all sort of new to me .

1- Dont even bother using the 580s with your iPod, just stick with your ?UE's. I found using my 595s and 650s with a micro amp a pain in the ass to carry around. I just got my E500s today, and will never use my 650s or my 595s with my mp3 player again. Its just too bulky.

2- Once again, dont bother with portability.

3- This setup could be used with your computer, CD, SACD player, doesnt matter. If you are using it with your comp, make sure you dont have a bad soundcard. I am currently running my home setup with a really bad soundcard, which is tolerable, but a DAC would really make a difference. When you get an amp such as the LDII++, you will need a mini to RCA cable if you are using your computer, or just standard RCA to RCA cables.

My recommendation is to get these to to start, then get a decent source such as a DAC later on. By doing this you wont blow all of your money on something you dont like, and you can take your time to do it. Enjoy and get used to first, upgrade other stuff later.

If you really want portabilty and good SQ out of a full size closed can that can go portable you are going to have a somewhat hard time to find such a can.

 

[SLCentral]

Quote:

Originally Posted by NtD Gr3nade /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1- Dont even bother using the 580s with your iPod, just stick with your ?UE's. I found using my 595s and 650s with a micro amp a pain in the ass to carry around. I just got my E500s today, and will never use my 650s or my 595s with my mp3 player again. Its just too bulky. 2- Once again, dont bother with portability. 3- This setup could be used with your computer, CD, SACD player, doesnt matter. If you are using it with your comp, make sure you dont have a bad soundcard. I am currently running my home setup with a really bad soundcard, which is tolerable, but a DAC would really make a difference. When you get an amp such as the LDII++, you will need a mini to RCA cable if you are using your computer, or just standard RCA to RCA cables. My recommendation is to get these to to start, then get a decent source such as a DAC later on. By doing this you wont blow all of your money on something you dont like, and you can take your time to do it. Enjoy and get used to first, upgrade other stuff later.

Sweet, answered all my questions

. One other quick thing then I promise I'm done. If I connect the iPod Mini to the amp and then to the HD580s for listening at home, but away from the computer/SACD-player, would I suffer b/c it's an iPod, or does the amp clear out any problems? I often like to listen while lying in bed, which isn't close enough to my other sources to do so comfortably. Setting up the amp near my bed with my iPod connected to it would be fantastic.

Thanks so much!

 

[NtD Gr3nade]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SLCentral /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sweet, answered all my questions . One other quick thing then I promise I'm done. If I connect the iPod Mini to the amp and then to the HD580s for listening at home, but away from the computer/SACD-player, would I suffer b/c it's an iPod, or does the amp clear out any problems? I often like to listen while lying in bed, which isn't close enough to my other sources to do so comfortably. Setting up the amp near my bed with my iPod connected to it would be fantastic. Thanks so much!

You should be all set, iPods have fairly good DACs, but I would reccomend getting one of those base connector thinyies so you wont get sound distortion from the power on the headphone jack.

 

[yourtoys7]

Nice, where do we start

 

[daveDerek]

i'd suggest considering the wonderful stax sr001mk2 portable electrostatic system. this thing has a beautiful purity of sound that is just enticing and is one of the greatest bargains in high end headphone systems in my opinion. the folks who've bought and then sold this system don't do so because they don't like the way it sounds, unlike almost every other phone out there, but rather because of comfort issues or that they don't find it portable enough (though it is quite portable imo. it's battery life isn't great though.)

 

[Mrvile]

I think you should use your UE5C solely for portable use (and if you need it at home) and your next headphone upgrade solely for home use. There really isn't a point to look for "portability" within a headphone if you already have a UE5C, which is one hell of an earphone.

With that said, the HD580 is a very well rounded headphone as long as you have a decent amp to drive it. It's a bit more balanced than the HD650, and maintains a fair amount of detail while providing rich texture and body. For an amp, the HD580 does well with most amps...some people prefer tubes, other prefer solid state. I use (and love) the Darkvoice 336i tube amp, which goes for about $320 shipped, but other good options include the Gilmore Lite ($300, solid state), the Millett Hybrid ($varies, hybrid), the M^3 ($varies, solid state) the Corda Arietta ($290, solid state), the Little Dot 2++ ($200, tube), and the Lunchbox ($160, tube).

Good luck, and hey there from a fellow ATOTer

 

[SLCentral]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mrvile /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think you should use your UE5C solely for portable use (and if you need it at home) and your next headphone upgrade solely for home use. There really isn't a point to look for "portability" within a headphone if you already have a UE5C, which is one hell of an earphone. With that said, the HD580 is a very well rounded headphone as long as you have a decent amp to drive it. It's a bit more balanced than the HD650, and maintains a fair amount of detail while providing rich texture and body. For an amp, the HD580 does well with most amps...some people prefer tubes, other prefer solid state. I use (and love) the Darkvoice 336i tube amp, which goes for about $320 shipped, but other good options include the Gilmore Lite ($300, solid state), the Millett Hybrid ($varies, hybrid), the M^3 ($varies, solid state) the Corda Arietta ($290, solid state), the Little Dot 2++ ($200, tube), and the Lunchbox ($160, tube). Good luck, and hey there from a fellow ATOTer

Ah, a fellow ATOTer

. Is it worth shelling out all this money for a home headphone system, when I have a earphone like the UE5c available to me? Will a $200 headphone system outperform a $500 earphone? I'm worried that I won't see a noticeable difference that would be worth all this money I'm spending. I've never listened to a high-end headphone before, as I've only been with earphones, so what should I expect?

 

[minimus]

I did a lot of comparative listening at the 2006 National Meet with a similar goal in mind -- find the right HP/portable amp combo for $500. Well, after listening to a variety of portable amps, including the Hornet and some Headroom portables, with a variety of headphones, nothing really blew me away. I then went over to the Original table and was blown away by my iPod plugged into the Original Master and a pair of HD650s. The Original Master costs $200 and you can find HD650s for about $300. (I have since moved on to a Singlepower amp and an Eastsound CD player and upgraded the cable on the HD650 to an Equinox, but think the improvements on that $500 set-up I bought a year ago have been marginal.) The US distributor for the Original Master is AAA-Audio, if you are interested. By the way, I have not heard the LDII although I have read elsewhere that it sounds quite similar to the Original Master, even though the latter is solid state.

 

[Mrvile]

Well, a home system may not "outperform" the UE5C, but the two will sound very different, so it's hard to compare. High-end IEM's are primarily used for the isolation and detail, while a home system is geared more toward working into a specific sound signature, versatility, and premium musical enjoyment. While a $500 budget may not get you the highest of the high-end, it is a good start to establishing a home system, and more importantly, your favorite sound signature.

You may find yourself swapping to and from different cans before you find what you like, but a good home system can do things no earphone can touch.

 

[MaloS]

I'd suggest downing primarily into phones + emu 0404 internal. Then later on you can consider an amp. Just watch not to grab anything that will sound certainly bad without an amp.

 

[Mrvile]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaloS /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd suggest downing primarily into phones + emu 0404 internal. Then later on you can consider an amp. Just watch not to grab anything that will sound certainly bad without an amp.

Why not?

The headphone part of the rig defines a good majority of the sound, so the OP shouldn't be limited to just Grados or Audio-Technicas. What if he likes the HD580 sound or the DT880 sound? He shouldn't have to compromise the largest aspect of an audio rig for any non-financial reason.

AV710 -> amp -> headphone of choice

...will sound better than...

0404 -> limited to low-impedance headphones

I hope you get my point.