[mdonova33]

Quote:

X2.
 
Pros: Super detailed, incredibly transparent, wide, airy, articulate soundstage, just beautiful.
Cons: They are incredibly revealing. Therefore poorly mastered music, and poor sources need not apply. 

Do they need an amp?
 

 

[SoundFreaq]

Quote:

Do they need an amp?
 

Yes and no. They are only 70 ohms, so they could be driven fairly easy with a laptop or device. However, since it's super detail and articulation that these deliver (and you want), they are very critical of what you feed them. This includes the bit rate of the music, how well it was mastered, your DAC and your amp. 
 
Having said that, I started out with my SA5000 with a little $50 Cmoy amp and upgraded later. It has the power the headphones need. But it will not make them sound as smooth and delicious as they are capable of. So, if you are wanting to work with your headphones after purchase, the SA5000 has a lot of room to grow with hardware upgrades. Get a cheap amp now and go from there. If you don't want to ever spend the money on the gear, you may want to look elsewhere. But elsewhere, you just won't find this level of detail and awesomeness until you step up to a headphone that is much more expensive... in my opinion.... and in many other's opinion.
 
 

 

[mdonova33]

Quote:

Yes and no. They are only 70 ohms, so they could be driven fairly easy with a laptop or device. However, since it's super detail and articulation that these deliver (and you want), they are very critical of what you feed them. This includes the bit rate of the music, how well it was mastered, your DAC and your amp. 
 
Having said that, I started out with my SA5000 with a little $50 Cmoy amp and upgraded later. It has the power the headphones need. But it will not make them sound as smooth and delicious as they are capable of. So, if you are wanting to work with your headphones after purchase, the SA5000 has a lot of room to grow with hardware upgrades. Get a cheap amp now and go from there. If you don't want to ever spend the money on the gear, you may want to look elsewhere. But elsewhere, you just won't find this level of detail and awesomeness until you step up to a headphone that is much more expensive... in my opinion.... and in many other's opinion.
 
 

Thanks for the advice, it will prove to be extremely helpful. I really appreciate it. Now it's time to save up for the SA5000's and an amp! Wish me luck!
 

 

[SoundFreaq]

Good luck man. I'm so sorry about your wallet! Audio bliss isn't cheap. But headphones are loads better than floor standing setups for bang for your buck.

 

[jsplice]

Are you going to buy everything used?  Just curious, because Grados have a very polarizing sound (you either love it or hate).  I personally lie on the "hate it" side of that fence.  If you do plan on buying new, try to get it from somewhere that has a good return policy.  Audio Advisor I believe sells Grados, and they do have a good return policy.

 

[mdonova33]

Quote:

Good luck man. I'm so sorry about your wallet! Audio bliss isn't cheap. But headphones are loads better than floor standing setups for bang for your buck.

 
Thanks! I'm loving the headphone world right now.
 
They say money can't buy happiness, but listening to music through some great headphones is pretty darn close to pure happiness (well, except for your wallet!)

 

[NamelessPFG]

 
Quote:

Originally Posted by mdonova33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Quote:

Good luck man. I'm so sorry about your wallet! Audio bliss isn't cheap. But headphones are loads better than floor standing setups for bang for your buck.

Thanks! I'm loving the headphone world right now.

 
They say money can't buy happiness, but listening to music through some great headphones is pretty darn close to pure happiness (well, except for your wallet!)

You tell yourself that you're not going to spend so much money on headphones, but with each step up the ladder, you can't bring yourself to go back down again, because you have to have that clarity, that atmosphere...and the next thing you know, you're shelling out hundreds (if not thousands) for Stax.
 
Enjoy the ride...

 

[sexiewasd]

I've bought hdj-1000's and when those broke I said I would never pay that much for phones again, I J-B welded them back together and carried on until they started sounding dull, and the pleather had worn off.  Then I bought 701's, now I've got m50's, HD25 II's and LCD 2's on my mind, you know, just to help round out the collection....   ohh grado's as well.  It's a shame that I have to save for a rpm 5.1 and speakers first.  Have I mentioned that I hate this site.