[judas391]

noob here, posting on my friend's account -
right now i'm going for a budget setup, basing it around the ms1 (upgrado in the future?)
i understand that the best way is to buy a dac and an amp as well for a desktop setup(incidentally, does the ms1 improve noticeably at all with a dac/amp?)
or would bowl pads be a worthy addition

my budget is around $250 (can be persuaded to spend mroe

) which INCLUDES the ms-1; so about 150ish to be spent on source/amp/bowls/etc.

which line of upgrade should i follow, considering the fact that i may upgradO in a year or two? i prefer inyourface sound, with some form of details and great high/mid presentation (i could care less about bass)

(i didn't like how the sr80s sounded very small and as if the sound was being forced through a narrow tube; BUT i liked the ms1s i demoed)

another thing - is it possible to pay via paypal alessandro?
TIA
zach

 

[judas391]

thoughts?

 

[ClieOS]

I don't think MS-1's SQ will change much with DAC/AMP. Your best choice is to get a combo like those in HeadRoom or Meier.

 

[Redo]

I say bump up to the MS2i's or SR225's

 

[F107plus5]

There IS an improvement going from unamped to amped with MS-1. It's not a great improvement, but you can tell that it's there!

 

[judas391]

so the cash is better spent on better cans before upgrade?

 

[d-cee]

Quote:

Originally Posted by judas391 /img/forum/go_quote.gif so the cash is better spent on better cans before upgrade?

given your situation, i say yes

i reckon the better cans will bring you greater enjoyment than ms-1s with low end amp/dac will

 

[F107plus5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by judas391 /img/forum/go_quote.gif so the cash is better spent on better cans before upgrade?

Yup, given your situation I'd have to agree that better cans is a good way to go. Considering you mentioned you liked the MS-1. What happened to me was that I bought MS-1 and found that I also liked them. Then I had to go out and buy MS2i within about six months. Yeah; I could have saved a few bucks and bought MS2i first, but at that time I didn't know what MS-1 sounded like.

What the MS2i sounds like is just a bigger MS-1! Just more of the same. More bass, but the same kind of accurate bass. Not louder, just a bit deeper and a bit more refined. The mids are the same but with more definition and retrieval of detail. And the highs go a bit higher. Not louder, just up a little higher. Some folks feel they sound brighter because of it. And there is greater soundstage. They still have the same in-your-face feel as the MS-1, but they are backed off just a little bit. So yeah; just "more" MS-1.

 

[dap_pad]

Yup, I'd have to agree with what everybody has said. I occasionally use my MS-1s with my PA2V2 (uber budget low-end amp) and the difference is really minimal. You'd only notice it if I REALLY paid attention to the music, and even then it's not a big difference. Your better off upgrading your source or headphones.

 

[LawnGnome]

Some people are saying a DAC doesn't make much of an improvement with these phones.

I know from experience that my SR-60's sound changes MOST with source changes. And that the sound change when using them with my portaphile isn't huge.

I'd say spend a decent amount of money on a nice soundcard that you can later mod for better performance. You will probably keep the sound card longer than the cans or a cheap amp.