[BrokeStudent]

Quote:

Knowing me, Id realize and appreciate the upgrade more going through the first aforementioned way, and understand audio a lot more whereas jumping into say, those beyer dynamics, from where I am now, all I could say is they sound good and not help but feel jipped because I might not appreciate the difference as much. Is that something to consider/am I making sense?

 
I don't have malicious intent but dude you're crazy. Why make tiny baby steps when you can make a giant leap forward and not waste money on headphones that you're ultimately not going to enjoy anyway. The headphone is always step number one as it provides the sound that you want, which is the entire reason you got into this in the first place. The AMP and then DAC are way down the line in terms of importance. Heck, making sure that your music is all in FLAC/320kbps will make a bigger difference in sound quality then a DAC/AMP. You're focusing far too much on secondary, no...tertiary items.
 
In short, headphones first. 

 

[Networkgamer]

Taking a bite into my high impedance theory, how do the a900x's do with the e7? good starter, so to speak?
 
It may be (read; most likely) a placebo effect, but my theory is that higher impedance = higher current @ same voltage meaning faster electrons, translating to better (or more frequent/more accurate) audio reproduction.
 
I apologize, just trying to wrap my head around all this, so youre probably right about the dac. I dont quite like the design of the e10 but the e7 seems formidable for what Im doing, from what Im hearing, and its priced well enough. 
 
So, Im reading between the dt880 pros and the a900x, and im getting mixed reviews between them. Personally, with others experiences, Im leaning towards the a900x's for their bass and overall clarity, and I love the rest in general. 53mm drivers, circumaural closed phones, band design, etc.
 
Main concern; will the 250ohm impedance effect the volume of the dt880s with an e7? Im not super familiar with the range of outputs the e7 does besides at 16 and 300ohm (is there a graph somewhere for reference?)

 

[MalVeauX]

Quote:

Aaah decisions. Id love the a900x's if it werent for the low impedance, for all else about them.
 

 
What does that have to do with anything? Low impedance has zero indication of sound quality or reproduction. It simply affects how much current/voltage is needed to achieve dynamics and listening volume. Efficient headphones need less power. High impedance is an old method of matching things to old amplifiers. They are not higher quality at all.
 
Very best,

 

[Networkgamer]

Quote:

 
What does that have to do with anything? Low impedance has zero indication of sound quality or reproduction. It simply affects how much current/voltage is needed to achieve dynamics and listening volume. Efficient headphones need less power. High impedance is an old method of matching things to old amplifiers. They are not higher quality at all.
 
Very best,

Yeah I realize that, it was just the placebo effect I guess, but now its gone.
 
Edited the OP for consistency. I apologize for my nervousness about how to go about this, Im just always super gritty about getting exactly what I need for what job and understanding why. Sometimes that gets ahead of me realizing who actually knows this stuff (not me!)

 

[proton007]

@Networkgamer,
To clarify things, take a look at the thread link in my sig below.

 

[Networkgamer]

So Ive done some more reading, and Ive nearly narrowed my decision. Ive decided on the fiio E7 for its combo dac/amp, ability to drive many headphones, dual headphone out, and portability at its price point.
 
My last decision dwindles it down to headphones; beyerdynamic dt 880 pro 250 ohm, and audio technica's a900x. I am pushed more to the a900x for its design, and for my music preference, it fits the bill well from what I read. As a point of reference, my main personal listening comes down to john 5, john petrucci, dream theater, joe satriani, steve vai, buckethead to name a prominent chunk of what I listen to, so you know where Im coming from.
 
I also believe the a900x would be more durable considering most my time is done, not quite commuting, but constantly away from any dedicated desk where a desk rig would be more beneficial.

 

[proton007]

Quote:

So Ive done some more reading, and Ive nearly narrowed my decision. Ive decided on the fiio E7 for its combo dac/amp, ability to drive many headphones, dual headphone out, and portability at its price point.
 
My last decision dwindles it down to headphones; beyerdynamic dt 880 pro 250 ohm, and audio technica's a900x. I am pushed more to the a900x for its design, and for my music preference, it fits the bill well from what I read. As a point of reference, my main personal listening comes down to john 5, john petrucci, dream theater, joe satriani, steve vai, buckethead to name a prominent chunk of what I listen to, so you know where Im coming from.
 
I also believe the a900x would be more durable considering most my time is done, not quite commuting, but constantly away from any dedicated desk where a desk rig would be more beneficial.

Comparison between the two:
 

 
The Audio Technica is more mid centric, while the Beyerdynamic is more neutral/balanced. Choose acc. to your musical taste.

 

[Networkgamer]

Quote:

Comparison between the two:
 

 
The Audio Technica is more mid centric, while the Beyerdynamic is more neutral/balanced. Choose acc. to your musical taste.

On a side note, I can tell Im gonna really use that feature on that site to compare headphones now, thanks!
 
The last 2 questions I have with the DT880's is if a fiio e07k/e7 is able to drive them well enough at 280ohm, because I cant find any info anywhere, and how the noise isolation is, both keeping my noise in and others noise out. Thanks in advance

 

[proton007]

Quote:

On a side note, I can tell Im gonna really use that feature on that site to compare headphones now, thanks!
 
The last 2 questions I have with the DT880's is if a fiio e07k/e7 is able to drive them well enough at 280ohm, because I cant find any info anywhere, and how the noise isolation is, both keeping my noise in and others noise out. Thanks in advance

The specs list the max power at 100mW,  and acc. to my calculation, it'll need ~80mW to hit 115dB.
The only issue is, at 280 Ohms, that equates to around 4.8V RMS, and I'm not sure if the Fiio has that much gain.
 
You can look at the 32 Ohms version, that should be alright with the Fiio. 
 
And it is semi-open, so it reduces outside noise slightly, meaning room conditions, and there will be some leakage of sound.
 
If you're planning on outdoor use, you should get something thats closed type.

 

[Networkgamer]

Quote:

The specs list the max power at 100mW,  and acc. to my calculation, it'll need ~80mW to hit 115dB.
The only issue is, at 280 Ohms, that equates to around 4.8V RMS, and I'm not sure if the Fiio has that much gain.
 
You can look at the 32 Ohms version, that should be alright with the Fiio. 

Thanks, that was very informative. Unfortunately, seems the 32ohm versions are all higher priced, well outside my budget at $350 :-\
 
Also, while im venturing and doing research, how would AKG k271 Mk ii's do with an e07k? I very much like that theyre 55ohm, so they benefit from an amp while not making it an absolute necessity, the band design, and most importantly to me, a detachable cable. Im not sure how many headphones have gone due to broken cables for me, but it would be enough to buy these with a few sets of extras for sure.
 
While we're at it, the highest SPL I listen to my music I calculate at 105-112db. Doing the math, the e07k seems perfectly capable of doing that with the AKG k271 mk ii

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Thanks, that was very informative. Unfortunately, seems the 32ohm versions are all higher priced, well outside my budget at $350 :-\
 
Also, while im venturing and doing research, how would AKG k271 Mk ii's do with an e07k? I very much like that theyre 55ohm, so they benefit from an amp while not making it an absolute necessity, the band design, and most importantly to me, a detachable cable. Im not sure how many headphones have gone due to broken cables for me, but it would be enough to buy these with a few sets of extras for sure.

AKG k271 : 55 Ohms..but its variable: http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/AKGK271MkII.pdf
140mW for 90db SPL, will work.
 
Have you considered the Sennheiser HD25-1 II  or the Sennheiser Amperior? Good isolation, the sound's pretty well reviewed: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/most-excellent-sennheiser-amperior-and-hd-25-1-ii
200mW @ 90dB SPL, 24 Ohms (Amperior).
 

 
But. I think you're doing it the other way round. Choose the headphone first. Then choose the dac/amp.  Its the headphone that matters.

 

[Networkgamer]

Quote:

250mW @ 115dB, 80mW @ 110dB, 55 Ohms...might work.
 
Have you considered the Sennheiser HD25-1 II  or the Sennheiser Amperior? Good isolation, the sound's pretty well reviewed: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/most-excellent-sennheiser-amperior-and-hd-25-1-ii
 
 

 
But. I think you're doing it the other way round. Choose the headphone first. Then choose the dac/amp.  Its the headphone that matters.

Im doing my best to get headphones first and amp second, I just want to know that the e07k can amp the k271s enough so I dont have to spend more on an amp. Afaik the e07k amps best outside of desktop amps, unless the e17 does that much better and is worth it. But I digress. 
 
After doing my math and seeing yours, it about matches, so Im confident that at least the e07k can amp the k271s fine, and worse case scenario, down the line Ill get the e9 dock for higher output, or a better amp. 
 
Those senns do look very promising, but from what Im reading, it has a few shortcomings; narrow soundscape, and the highs dont quite perform at where Id like them to (Vai, Satriani, Petruccis solos are easy to keep from being detailed in that respect if you ask me). 

 

[proton007]

Quote:

Im doing my best to get headphones first and amp second, I just want to know that the e07k can amp the k271s enough so I dont have to spend more on an amp. Afaik the e07k amps best outside of desktop amps, unless the e17 does that much better and is worth it. But I digress. 
 
After doing my math and seeing yours, it about matches, so Im confident that at least the e07k can amp the k271s fine, and worse case scenario, down the line Ill get the e9 dock for higher output, or a better amp. 
 
Those senns do look very promising, but from what Im reading, it has a few shortcomings; narrow soundscape, and the highs dont quite perform at where Id like them to (Vai, Satriani, Petruccis solos are easy to keep from being detailed in that respect if you ask me). 

Ok, then the AKGs + E07k seems to be the best choice. Good luck!