[PXSS]

Quote:

After listening to my music for a little while with the amp, I think it sounds good for the most part.  Im hearing some things that Im not sure what the cause is though.  Most of the songs sound fine and the bass is tight and punchy, but some hip/hop songs dont really sound that great.  For example the song "Bounce" by Timbaland, I'm not sure if its just the recording or if I just dont like the sound of that bass. If anyone has heard that song, chime in. Also, "Lil Freak", by Usher, when the bass hits, I can kinda hear it rumble through his voice and it doesnt sound right.  Is this an issue with the amp or just a poor recording (most all of my music is 320kbps mps format)?  Other than that, all the other music sounds great but you dont get much gain out of the E7 with an iPod/Phone.  May end up returning it and try a PA2V2 since someone recently confirmed that it has a low output impedance.  What do you guys think?

 
As far as amps go for the price range I think a few people around here can agree that the E7 isn't the best.
I've got the "Bounce" by Timbaland song at home in lossless format so If you'd like for me to send you a copy of it so you can test it and compare it to your recording let me know.
It could be the recording but I'd say if you got a reliable 320kbps source then it's probably your setup.

 

[NA Blur]

Realizing that not all of your music is "great sounding" is the first step in learning to really listen to your music.  There are CD's I cannot listen to anymore unless I am in my car because my headphone setup is too revealing.  This, to me, is a good thing.  It opens up an entire world of good recording, uncompression, and all around awesome sounding fun.  Also, be sure your equalizer is off.  I had one on for months, upgraded my home system, and said "man this is bad."  I had it over EQ'ed to adjust for my previous poor-sounding system.  You can always go to amazon and test the tracks you are listening to as samples off of your PC to see if it is the compression.  I think amazon does 256 kb/s which is good for an mp3.  Then go back to your portable player and play the same track.  If you hear a difference it could simply be compression.
 
Cheers

 

[sir2545]

Quote:

If it's those specific songs it could very well be the format the songs are in, their bit rate, etc. If possible, doing an A/B comparison with that file and the same song in lossless quality may give some more insight. The songs may be compressed too much and as a result, have that unpreferable rumble. Personally, I've never been a fan of Timbaland's bass. To me, it's a little too synthesized

Maybe that's the word I'm looking for....it just sounds fake.  I think I'll leave it at that cuz I like the way everything else sounds
 

 

 

[JGOelfke]

Yeah if it's just those couple songs I'd definitely say it's the recording quality rather than your setup

 

[ZARIM]

The soundquality will greatly improve if highend AMPs+highend dock cable added in chain like ALO RX MK II, RSA Mustang P51, iBasso PB2, even iBasso T3d or E11 and ALO 18AWG Pure Cryo or 18AWG SXC dock cables. BTW please tell us your maximum budget to start with complete portable setup and few IEMs like GR07, EX600 also shows great details in music like fullsize headphones and offers wide soundstage.

 

[winkyeye]

 
Quote:

 
 
At this point you should focus on the following checkpoints in the following order:
1. MP3 have to go! As JSLAPPA said, the first step towards sound quality is getting rid of MP3 and replacing it with a lossless audio format.
2. Form your impressions. Listen to your headphones and get an idea of what they sound like.
3. Get a headphone amplifier. If you don't need a DAC, try to find a dedicated amp and not an amp/dac combo. Amp/DAC combos will always be more expensive.
4. Almost a must when listening through an iPhone or iPod is an LOD. By using an LOD you bypass the iPhone amp which in my opinion is crap and produces a lot of hiss and sibilance. You won't be able to control the volume from your phone but then again that is why you have a dedicated amp.
 
Hope this helps you out.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having MP3s as your source, especially if you're just getting into this hobby. Not everyone has the equipment or the ears to differentiate between 256kbps+ mp3s compared to lossless quality tracks. And if he's going to be using a portable player like a phone or a dap, then there's no way he's going to fit a library with only lossless tracks on it considering an album takes up almost half a gigabyte. If the OP is not looking to spend over $800+ as implied by the "Beginners Setup" in the title, he's not going to notice the difference between a lossless track compared to say a 320kbps VBR AAC file, which occupies only about 1/4 the space. Sure if your library is mostly 128/192 kbps you could benefit from replacing your tracks, but to say lossless is absolutely critical is ridiculous especially for a beginner.
 
Everything else I kinda agree with. If the OP is only listening from a portable source, then there's no need for a dac. Getting an amp might help if you're not getting music output at an adequate volume from your dap. At a low cost of under $70 I don't think you can go wrong with the E11 since they have much higher power output than the E7 and since you don't need the dac, the E11 will probably be the better option.
 
If you're on a tight budget, this review is a good starting point:
http://www.headfonia.com/music-on-a-budget-sub-100-portable-amps-shootout/
 
PS. for some of the songs you mentioned that don't sound good despite having a 320kbps track, they're probably not going to improve even if you have them in lossless format or if you get a better setup since it's mostly a problem in the original recording or in the mastering. For example, I have Led Zeppelin's Mothership album in flac and no matter what I do on a nonspeaker setup, I cannot stand to listen to the part before the solo in Stairway to Heaven without cringing. Terrific song otherwise.