erries
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2009
- Posts
- 1
- Likes
- 0
After 4 months of reading and purchasing, I am prepared to make my first post!
A bit of a background first. My headphones before the head-fi addiction started were a pair of Sennheiser HD555's and a pair of HD280 pro's. The HD555's is what really turned me on to audio. Going from a wanna-be-usb-powered-5.1 headset to the Sennheiser 555's was amazing. I used (and abused) them for about 6 years, and they are amazing cans. I picked up the 280's cheap on a deal from newegg and let them sit for a about two years before I really gave them a chance. The clamp force on the 280's was bad, but it got better with headtime (and stretching it over night) and I got use to it. These headphones made me realize that I would prefer a closed headphone to an open headphone. I simply enjoy the sound better, and there always seems to be something going on around me, so I really prefer a closed phone. I still use them at work, and they are great because they really lock in the sound so none of my co-workers can hear my terrible taste in music, and keep out the loud noises from our vents.
First Upgrade - EMU 0404 USB
I was experiencing problems with my sound blaster x-fi (with face plate). I was getting some crackling (turns out a power cord was loose, or at least it went away when I unplugged and plugged it back in), and decided I wanted to try a new sound card. I thought about the Essence STX, but I wanted to go external because I wanted to be able to move the sound card with me to work, if I ever thought that would be a good idea. My budget was near the $200 mark, and my final 2 were the Zero DAC, and the EMU 0404 USB. After reading enough posts complaining about the build quality of the Zero DAC, and some of the praise posts of the quality of the EMU 0404 USB as a standalone DAC, I decided to go with an EMU 0404 USB. For all those out there with thoughts of picking one up, here are a few of the links that I read through and thought were useful for information on the EMU 0404 USB.
E-MU 0404 USB as DAC
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/em...y-best-289459/
E-MU 0404 USB as DAC Standalone
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/se...tening-409607/
E-MU 0404 USB with other Audio Cards
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/e-...alc850-241251/
E-MU 0404 vs. E-MU 0202
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/em...mpared-301835/
E-MU 0404 USB Review
24/192 via USB 2.0 on a beer budget--EMU 0404 mini-review!! | Computer Audiophile
E-MU 0404 USB Setup
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/se...tening-409607/
Here is my list of things including my hatred for dirty usb ports carrying audio which required an optical in for the source:
Upon receiving the EMU-0404 USB, I was just shy of pee my pants excited. When I plugged this in, and got it all ready to go, everything would for sure sound so much different. Better, louder, more amazing in every way. Well, no. It didn't change the music I listened to much at all. I guess in my head my expectations were that songs would literally have different beats and rhythms. Needless to say, my expectations were set unrealistically high (and dumb), and it didn't come remotely close to meeting those. So one thing I learned was to be realistic, and try to listen to the small differences when getting a new piece of equipment. It will not make your coffee for you, do the dishes, and change your favorite music into some morphed more awesome version of your favorite songs. It was a bit demoralizing at first, but I soon noticed some more subtle differences in the music.
Side Track
One thing I learned is that there is definitely a thresh hold you need to hit in volume in order to really listen to music. There is a certain line, that you need to get to in order to listen to some of the finer details in audio. My usual listening level was below this mark, and it was something I had to change if I was going to try and appreciate good audio. Once I was comfortable at this level, I started to notice the sound was a bit more crisp, a little bit more punch, which I presumed was the headphone amp helping the headphones out.
New Headphones - Beyerdynamic Manufaktur DT 770 250 Ohm
The major complaint that you can find in every topic forum on this board is that once you start upgrading, it is hard to stop. I fit right in with the trend and started looking for some new headphones. The 555's were nice, but after actively comparing them to the 280's with foobar 2k running (with chameleon skin, I will leave that out of of this for now, extremely cool but not a quick setup) with some .flac audio I was convinced that I enjoyed the sound of the 280's more than my beloved HD 555's. I really started to wonder what other headphones might sound like. I knew I wanted a closed headphone, so I started looking on the forums here. After some general research, my favorite headphones were the Denon AH-D2000, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm, and Beyerdynamic DT 770 Consumer. I read a lot of good things about all 3 headphones, and very few complaints. I found the least amount of data on the Denon's, and I may have them dismissed them too early from my running. After comparing the 770's with each other, I was really unsure which one to get, and I decided after reading a bunch of posts about how ear pads affect sound quality, I decided I wanted to go with leather ear pads. I thought about getting the DT 770 Pro 80 ohm's and then buying JMoney Leather ear pads... But Santa Clause came by and suggested I go with the Manufaktur version instead. Never being one to argue with Santa Clause, I decided to go with the Manufaktur version. I decided to go all out on the customizations, and got it all red/black/leather/super nerdy customization name.
Here are a couple of the links that I found informational about the Beyerdynamic's
Beyerdyanmics 250 ohms vs. 600 ohms
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/cus...00ohms-463298/
Beyerdyanmic Clamping
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/bey...amping-462809/
Beyerdynamic Cabling
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/fix...stions-419727/
What made me go with the Beyerdynamic Manufaktur DT 770 250 Ohm over the other 2 phones.
It paid off when the headphones arrived. They are absolutely gorgeous. I didn't save the post where I read it, but one of the people in the community said something along the lines of pick headphones you find attractive, you will keep them in better shape and you will like them longer. I saw a lot of truth in that statement, and so far it has paid of very well for me.
Side Track
My experience with the customer service from Beyerdynamic USA was great. I talked to one representative (Peter) about my headphones, when they would be shipped out, and the how the headphones fit. Every time I got a prompt response, and he even got the headphones to my door on Christmas Eve when it was looking like they were going to be late. Exceptional customer service, something that I really appreciated. He was also the same person who constructed my headphones, as he told me in one of our last email conversations.
After my last upgrade, I knew I had to scale back my expectations a bit. So when I tried the headphones out, I tried to have realistic expectations this time, and I really didn't need to. They sounded great. I can definitely see why people complain about the "Sennhesier veil". Everything was a lot more... "analytical" (note: do not trust my description of sound). I thought the HD555's would be as comfortable as it gets for headphones, and I was wrong. I was expecting them to be more comfortable than the 280's but not as good as the 555's. But the new Beyerdynamics were really very comfortable, especially for a closed phone. It took a bit of getting use to, to not have a hard clamp on a closed phone, but it really makes it far less tiring, and much more comfortable to not have such a hard clamp. I do notice that the new phones leak out and leak in a decent bit more than the 280's, but it is very manageable, and nothing remotely close to the HD 555's, which I find to be completely worthless in both departments of keeping sound in / out. I tried bending the headband a bit (Peter from Beyerdynamic said do not bend the yoke) for a tighter fit, but I don't think I bent it enough to make a difference, and after a few more weeks of wearing them, I am happy I was a nancy about bending the headband.
Side Track
One thing I thought a long time about was about what ohm version to get. I obviously went with the 250's and here is why. I knew I would not be using these headphones as a portable solution because they are too expensive for me to be wearing on the go, so I ruled out the 32 ohm. I didn't get the 600 ohm version because I don't have intentions of spending the proper amount of money it would take to properly power a 600 ohm headphone.
I am extremely pleased with my purchase of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 Ohm MANUFAKTUR. Extremely comfortable, great closed sound, and extremely sexy.
New Headphone Stand - "Headphile" (Larry Dale) Jatoba Cherry
So with my research of what headphones to get, I ran into several posts about Headphile's Darth Beyers. I was very much interested in the Royal Mahogany Darth Beyers, but they were a decent bit out of my price range, and especially outside of my price range for my first real performance / non starter headphone. But that didn't keep me from checking his website 3x a day. When Larry ran his Holiday Contest, I was pretty eager to give a shot. It was a great and fun movie contest, and I ended up as the lone winner of a runner up prize (no one got all answers correct, but I was closest), and received a $100 credit to any item on the headphile website! After fully emptying my headphone fund with new headphones and a new sound card, I knew trying to save for the darth beyers would be a poor choice, so I decided to go with a nice headphone stand for my beloved new headphones. My experience with Larry at Headphile during the contest was great, and I find it extremely generous of him not only to give out a great prize, but also run a great contest. I would have been happy had I not won anything during the contest, and to win something made it even more awesome. I went with Jatoba Cherry to match my desk. It has double duty as a trophy and a headphone stand!
So thats my entire setup! I am extremely pleased, my next step will be to figure out if my EMU-0404 USB can power these cans properly, or if need to get a real headphone amp for them. I have been staring down the Meier Audio Cord Swing, but I would really like to hold out if the difference is going to be anything short of drastic. I am thinking about stopping in on the Chicago Can Jam (I live about 1.5 hours away) and testing out some of the stuff down there to make my verdict.
Here are some quick pictures, I am not a photographer.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...larry-dale.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...and-bottom.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...-side-view.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...front-view.jpg
A bit of a background first. My headphones before the head-fi addiction started were a pair of Sennheiser HD555's and a pair of HD280 pro's. The HD555's is what really turned me on to audio. Going from a wanna-be-usb-powered-5.1 headset to the Sennheiser 555's was amazing. I used (and abused) them for about 6 years, and they are amazing cans. I picked up the 280's cheap on a deal from newegg and let them sit for a about two years before I really gave them a chance. The clamp force on the 280's was bad, but it got better with headtime (and stretching it over night) and I got use to it. These headphones made me realize that I would prefer a closed headphone to an open headphone. I simply enjoy the sound better, and there always seems to be something going on around me, so I really prefer a closed phone. I still use them at work, and they are great because they really lock in the sound so none of my co-workers can hear my terrible taste in music, and keep out the loud noises from our vents.
First Upgrade - EMU 0404 USB
I was experiencing problems with my sound blaster x-fi (with face plate). I was getting some crackling (turns out a power cord was loose, or at least it went away when I unplugged and plugged it back in), and decided I wanted to try a new sound card. I thought about the Essence STX, but I wanted to go external because I wanted to be able to move the sound card with me to work, if I ever thought that would be a good idea. My budget was near the $200 mark, and my final 2 were the Zero DAC, and the EMU 0404 USB. After reading enough posts complaining about the build quality of the Zero DAC, and some of the praise posts of the quality of the EMU 0404 USB as a standalone DAC, I decided to go with an EMU 0404 USB. For all those out there with thoughts of picking one up, here are a few of the links that I read through and thought were useful for information on the EMU 0404 USB.
E-MU 0404 USB as DAC
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/em...y-best-289459/
E-MU 0404 USB as DAC Standalone
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/se...tening-409607/
E-MU 0404 USB with other Audio Cards
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/e-...alc850-241251/
E-MU 0404 vs. E-MU 0202
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/em...mpared-301835/
E-MU 0404 USB Review
24/192 via USB 2.0 on a beer budget--EMU 0404 mini-review!! | Computer Audiophile
E-MU 0404 USB Setup
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f46/se...tening-409607/
Here is my list of things including my hatred for dirty usb ports carrying audio which required an optical in for the source:
- Optical In
- Multiple Outputs
- Starter Headphone Amp
- Great as a standalone DAC if I need to progress to a real headphone amp
- Under $200
Upon receiving the EMU-0404 USB, I was just shy of pee my pants excited. When I plugged this in, and got it all ready to go, everything would for sure sound so much different. Better, louder, more amazing in every way. Well, no. It didn't change the music I listened to much at all. I guess in my head my expectations were that songs would literally have different beats and rhythms. Needless to say, my expectations were set unrealistically high (and dumb), and it didn't come remotely close to meeting those. So one thing I learned was to be realistic, and try to listen to the small differences when getting a new piece of equipment. It will not make your coffee for you, do the dishes, and change your favorite music into some morphed more awesome version of your favorite songs. It was a bit demoralizing at first, but I soon noticed some more subtle differences in the music.
Side Track
One thing I learned is that there is definitely a thresh hold you need to hit in volume in order to really listen to music. There is a certain line, that you need to get to in order to listen to some of the finer details in audio. My usual listening level was below this mark, and it was something I had to change if I was going to try and appreciate good audio. Once I was comfortable at this level, I started to notice the sound was a bit more crisp, a little bit more punch, which I presumed was the headphone amp helping the headphones out.
New Headphones - Beyerdynamic Manufaktur DT 770 250 Ohm
The major complaint that you can find in every topic forum on this board is that once you start upgrading, it is hard to stop. I fit right in with the trend and started looking for some new headphones. The 555's were nice, but after actively comparing them to the 280's with foobar 2k running (with chameleon skin, I will leave that out of of this for now, extremely cool but not a quick setup) with some .flac audio I was convinced that I enjoyed the sound of the 280's more than my beloved HD 555's. I really started to wonder what other headphones might sound like. I knew I wanted a closed headphone, so I started looking on the forums here. After some general research, my favorite headphones were the Denon AH-D2000, Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm, and Beyerdynamic DT 770 Consumer. I read a lot of good things about all 3 headphones, and very few complaints. I found the least amount of data on the Denon's, and I may have them dismissed them too early from my running. After comparing the 770's with each other, I was really unsure which one to get, and I decided after reading a bunch of posts about how ear pads affect sound quality, I decided I wanted to go with leather ear pads. I thought about getting the DT 770 Pro 80 ohm's and then buying JMoney Leather ear pads... But Santa Clause came by and suggested I go with the Manufaktur version instead. Never being one to argue with Santa Clause, I decided to go with the Manufaktur version. I decided to go all out on the customizations, and got it all red/black/leather/super nerdy customization name.
Here are a couple of the links that I found informational about the Beyerdynamic's
Beyerdyanmics 250 ohms vs. 600 ohms
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/cus...00ohms-463298/
Beyerdyanmic Clamping
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/bey...amping-462809/
Beyerdynamic Cabling
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f6/fix...stions-419727/
What made me go with the Beyerdynamic Manufaktur DT 770 250 Ohm over the other 2 phones.
- Closed Headphone
- Super Comfortable for extended periods of time
- Durable Build
- Sexiness
It paid off when the headphones arrived. They are absolutely gorgeous. I didn't save the post where I read it, but one of the people in the community said something along the lines of pick headphones you find attractive, you will keep them in better shape and you will like them longer. I saw a lot of truth in that statement, and so far it has paid of very well for me.
Side Track
My experience with the customer service from Beyerdynamic USA was great. I talked to one representative (Peter) about my headphones, when they would be shipped out, and the how the headphones fit. Every time I got a prompt response, and he even got the headphones to my door on Christmas Eve when it was looking like they were going to be late. Exceptional customer service, something that I really appreciated. He was also the same person who constructed my headphones, as he told me in one of our last email conversations.
After my last upgrade, I knew I had to scale back my expectations a bit. So when I tried the headphones out, I tried to have realistic expectations this time, and I really didn't need to. They sounded great. I can definitely see why people complain about the "Sennhesier veil". Everything was a lot more... "analytical" (note: do not trust my description of sound). I thought the HD555's would be as comfortable as it gets for headphones, and I was wrong. I was expecting them to be more comfortable than the 280's but not as good as the 555's. But the new Beyerdynamics were really very comfortable, especially for a closed phone. It took a bit of getting use to, to not have a hard clamp on a closed phone, but it really makes it far less tiring, and much more comfortable to not have such a hard clamp. I do notice that the new phones leak out and leak in a decent bit more than the 280's, but it is very manageable, and nothing remotely close to the HD 555's, which I find to be completely worthless in both departments of keeping sound in / out. I tried bending the headband a bit (Peter from Beyerdynamic said do not bend the yoke) for a tighter fit, but I don't think I bent it enough to make a difference, and after a few more weeks of wearing them, I am happy I was a nancy about bending the headband.
Side Track
One thing I thought a long time about was about what ohm version to get. I obviously went with the 250's and here is why. I knew I would not be using these headphones as a portable solution because they are too expensive for me to be wearing on the go, so I ruled out the 32 ohm. I didn't get the 600 ohm version because I don't have intentions of spending the proper amount of money it would take to properly power a 600 ohm headphone.
I am extremely pleased with my purchase of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 250 Ohm MANUFAKTUR. Extremely comfortable, great closed sound, and extremely sexy.
New Headphone Stand - "Headphile" (Larry Dale) Jatoba Cherry
So with my research of what headphones to get, I ran into several posts about Headphile's Darth Beyers. I was very much interested in the Royal Mahogany Darth Beyers, but they were a decent bit out of my price range, and especially outside of my price range for my first real performance / non starter headphone. But that didn't keep me from checking his website 3x a day. When Larry ran his Holiday Contest, I was pretty eager to give a shot. It was a great and fun movie contest, and I ended up as the lone winner of a runner up prize (no one got all answers correct, but I was closest), and received a $100 credit to any item on the headphile website! After fully emptying my headphone fund with new headphones and a new sound card, I knew trying to save for the darth beyers would be a poor choice, so I decided to go with a nice headphone stand for my beloved new headphones. My experience with Larry at Headphile during the contest was great, and I find it extremely generous of him not only to give out a great prize, but also run a great contest. I would have been happy had I not won anything during the contest, and to win something made it even more awesome. I went with Jatoba Cherry to match my desk. It has double duty as a trophy and a headphone stand!
So thats my entire setup! I am extremely pleased, my next step will be to figure out if my EMU-0404 USB can power these cans properly, or if need to get a real headphone amp for them. I have been staring down the Meier Audio Cord Swing, but I would really like to hold out if the difference is going to be anything short of drastic. I am thinking about stopping in on the Chicago Can Jam (I live about 1.5 hours away) and testing out some of the stuff down there to make my verdict.
Here are some quick pictures, I am not a photographer.
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...larry-dale.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...and-bottom.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...-side-view.jpg
http://www.head-fi.org/forums/member...front-view.jpg
