[redquilang]

hi. ive realised my love for music. and realised my love for greater sounding music. so ive bought myself some er4ps for my ipod. now that ive had a taste i want more. i was considering some cans that are up to about $700. My music is basically hip-hop, jazz, and classic rock. i heard alot of great reviews for the hd600, rs-1, sr225, k701, etc., etc. i was also thinking about getting an amp. portable most likely, just any amp that could fit in a backpack. what would be the ideal combination for me?

 

[incognitoedleon]

For 700 bucks and the type of music you listen, I say Grado SR325i w/ AE-1 amp.

 

[Veniogenesis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by incognitoedleon For 700 bucks and the type of music you listen, I say Grado SR325i w/ AE-1 amp.

From what I understand, redquilang can spend $700 on headphones and is going to buy an amplifier separately as well. I might have misunderstood though.

Regards,
Venio

[size=xx-small]I would personally go with the RS-1, not because it's the most expensive, but it sounds DAMN good for the type of music you listen to. A source upgrade might be appropriate however.[/size]

 

[dochardee]

As long as you do not need a built in DAC, take a look at the Headamp AE-1. Rechargeable battery goes > 100 hours between charges.

 

[ken36]

Microamp/HD650 would be my recommendation.

 

[augustwest]

I would consider these headphones"
Alessandro MS2i's
Grado RS2
Beyer dt990

and with one of those I would consider the SR71, portable amp.

- augustwest

 

[BushGuy]

I'd think if you like your Ety er-4.........the next logical step would be to get the maximum joy from them before going to other cans. Xin Supermini is ideal for Ety and its' width is the same as Nano and shorter in height. Polyband them together and voila - nothing more than a 9/16 thicker Nano in your pocket............then jazz (Beyer, AKG) - I'd think you would want a different can than those you choose for hiphop, rock (Grado, Alessandro, possibly Senn.25) -common general choices per genre.
NOTE: bassboost is standard [via jumper] in current Supermini

 

[chrisfromalbany]

SM^6 that has bass boost to work with ER4-P. For an portable amp that is the easily one. You can use the extra bass with ER4s.

Headphones.. Being that you would have SM^6, which is a SS amp, I would go with RS-1s. Why fool around with anything else. If I did go less, HF-1 or SR-225. SS amps work nicely with Grados. To save some money could get a used SM^3. Xin is now selling the new SM^6 and people are discounting the ols SM^3. SM^3 is what I use with RS-1s and it is great.

 

[redquilang]

thanks for the suggestion guys. just shows why head fi is the greatest. anyways, yes, i have $700 readily available just for cans. and may be able to stretch that a little bit. Through your suggestions, im eying the rs-1, hd650, dt990, and the k701. Any way i can listen to these? i live in around seattle, any place you guys know where i can test these out?

 

[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by redquilang hi. ive realised my love for music. and realised my love for greater sounding music. so ive bought myself some er4ps for my ipod. now that ive had a taste i want more. i was considering some cans that are up to about $700. My music is basically hip-hop, jazz, and classic rock. i heard alot of great reviews for the hd600, rs-1, sr225, k701, etc., etc. i was also thinking about getting an amp. portable most likely, just any amp that could fit in a backpack. what would be the ideal combination for me?

RS-1 + govibe (used perhaps)
RS-2 + Pimeta
HF1 + SR71
MS2 + SR71

I'm one who believes the headphone makes the biggest difference, folowed by source and then amplifcation. So with that philosophy, you could consider a govibe and OP amp roll it to taylor the sound. I use mine with my MS2 / HF1 and its my fave portable amp.

You can get an RS-1 for $700, but you'll need to amp it to reach its full potential.

 

[chrisfromalbany]

you can get the RS-1s from $600 shipped from Todd the Vinyl Junkie, listed above. So that $600, then you have $100 for an amp. Being that you like rock and Hip Hop I wouldn't go for the HD lines.

The other direction would be UE5's which wont need an amp for and are portable. Would need to know if you liked the canal sound though.