[theAEoN]

I've always been a fan of quality sound in my media, but I was never aware of the hi-fi movement for audio. Before last week, my idea of "hi-fi" were the $1200 home theater packages Futureshop sold. Good headphones were Sony DJ Monitors, and I've been running on a set of Creative T20's for my PC.

For the past few years I've been using Sony MDR-CD280's for headphones on my computer and some cheap MDR-EX32LP ear buds for my iPod.

I stumbles upon the audio forum section of HardOCP (Computer Audio - [H]ard|Forum) where everyone seemed to have unknown (to me) canister headphones and outrageous setups with amplifiers. My first thought was that these guys must have too much money to spend or are just fanatical about sound quality - quality that most people just don't care about or would notice. Then I came across this site. After doing research into what to expect for a good set of headphones I found a hi-fi store in my city (Gramophone in Edmonton, AB), brought my ipod with me and asked for a few models (Grado, AKG, Audio Technica) I found recommended on this site.

And I was blown away. I never knew the difference quality could make in headphones, that headphone amps make a massive difference (especially with the SR-80's), and how different styles work for different kinda of media.

I now happily have a set of Alessandro MS-1's (which will be coupled to a CMoy I purchased off EBay from a forum member here) for my iPod, and a set of Sennheiser HD-555's for my computer.

Nothing extravagant or half the quality that I've seen on this site but I figure it's a decent start into hi-fi sound.

Thanks you for helping me better enjoy music.

 

[dcpoor]

welcome to the forums
sorry about your wallet

 

[ingwe]

welcome to head-fi; sorry about your wallet.

have fun and stay off the third-floor on the left side--unless you want to die horribly.

 

[bryguy27007]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ingwe /img/forum/go_quote.gif welcome to head-fi; sorry about your wallet. have fun and stay off the third-floor on the left side--unless you want to die horribly.

Hahahahahahaha.

Welcome to Head-Fi.
I too love the SR-80s, brilliant set of cans (I haven't tried the MS-1s yet though).

 

[Tomikans]

Oh.. you going to catch the upgrade bug someday... and then you're truly going to feel sorry for your wallet.

 

[catscratch]

And so, it starts.

I came here with a HD590 looking for a cheap amp. 4 years later I have multiple $1k+ headphones lying around, and more amps than I could shake a stick at (I haven't actually tried shaking a stick at them mind you, I imagine it wouldn't be that hard, unless it was a very heavy stick... but I digress).

As you go higher and higher up the food chain, you'll need to spend exponentially more money to get the same result. But, this is all for later. And rest assured, chances are very high that there will be a later. You know, statistically speaking

 

[ashmedai]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theAEoN /img/forum/go_quote.gif I stumbles upon the audio forum section of HardOCP (Computer Audio - [H]ard|Forum)

No idea how people there keep ending up here, nope, no idea.

 

[Dominat0r]

walk away now.....trust me, walk away =) When i found this place, i had a pair of KSC75s....now look at my sig.

I found this via Hardocp myself....been a member there for about 7 years.

 

[richierich]

Yeah stay far, far away now!

 

[ashmedai]

If you're starting out with a pair of KSC75s, you're already pretty much doomed IMO.

 

[Dominat0r]

ya, i didnt know...i had a small 2GB Zen player and hated the earbuds....once i heard the KSC75s, i was hooked.

 

[theAEoN]

Ya.... I foresee terrible things happening to my wallet. But hey, at least my music will sound good!

I'm already looking at a desktop amp for a decent price, but I keep reading that with the HD555's it's not worth it since their impedance isn't that high. True?

 

[catscratch]

It's not so much the impedance but the transparency and scalability. Grados are 32 ohms universally but the higher-tier ones really are current hogs and need a very serious amp to fully open up. But with the HD555, the money is better spent first on a better pair of headphones, and then on a good amp. Or both simultaneously

Honestly, enjoy what you have for now. When you become dissatisfied with the sound, which will happen eventually, you'll be ready to move on.

Also, get to a head-fi meet if you can, and listen to things firsthand. This will really tell you what your preferences are. High-end gear isn't any less different in presentation than low-end gear, it's just more flawless. So, you will want to listen as much as you can to figure out the sound you want. It may not be obvious - it took me the better part of 2 years to figure out what I wanted. And another two to even be on the right track to putting it all together.

This hobby does get real expensive real fast, but the results are tangible and worth it. If you keep your head, avoid impulse buys, and generally listen to stuff first, you can minimize spending and end up with a rig that, at this stage, you'd never think you'd ever have.

 

[Palantiri7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by theAEoN /img/forum/go_quote.gif Ya.... I foresee terrible things happening to my wallet. But hey, at least my music will sound good!

Heh heh. In my case, after my last headphone purchase, I don't have any money left to buy music: I have to groove to my pink-noise burn-in track now.