nowickia
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2008
- Posts
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After a few other posts, the great feedback, and the hours and hours of reading the forum I think my decision is narrowing down.
I posted today about auditioning a few sets of headphones but unfortunately I didn't give them justice since they probably weren't broken in and they were played directly off my Macbook Pro.
First let me mention what I'm looking for:
MUSIC
I listen to a wide variety of music but about 70% of it falls in the classic and progressive rock category (Rush, Floyd, Ocean Size, Dave Matthews, and other stuff I'm finding on emusic). However, I do spend a fair amount of time to Pat Metheny and other jazz and classical artists. To me, instrument quality outweighs vocal quality.
BUDGET
$300-400 (I'd like to keep it in there)
PORTABILITY
It won't be leaving home
COMFORT
Quite important since I'd usually be using them for several hours at a time
My source will be my computer and a lot of the music is compressed MP3 at 192kbps or higher. I try to go better when possible but much of my music is coming from emusic these days.
I would be willing to get an amp, dac, or combo if it can be included in my budget.
Here's what I've experienced:
Please take not this was off my laptop, without an amp, and the phone probably were not broken in.
Beyer DT990- The balance between mids and highs was poor (highs too bright and mids too recessed)
Beyer DT880- Very well rounded but bass lacked in quantity
Senn HD650- Maybe a little too laid back and expensive but pretty good
AKG K701- I didn't really like them
Denon D1001 - Surprisingly good for the price but lost points in detail
Here's where I think I'm going:
Since I don't want to dump all sorts of money on expensive amps, cable mods, and a large pool of headphones, I want to find an phone that works well in most cases and can work without an amp or with a small "beginner" one.
For that I've come up with the Denon AH-D2000. After hearing the D1001s and reading numerous reviews on the D2000s, I think they will do the trick and keep my wallet happy. Sure they're priced around the range of the ones above but I'm guessing they'll give me better performance for the buck if I pair them with this AMP/DAC combo: Hotauido Mark IV.
The idea is that that AMP/DAC is supposedly very good for its price and would allow me to have a DAC for a future upgraded amp purchase. I'm guessing a headphone like the DT880s (or the DT990s if they would calm down) would be better for me if I was willing to spend more on sources.
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!
I posted today about auditioning a few sets of headphones but unfortunately I didn't give them justice since they probably weren't broken in and they were played directly off my Macbook Pro.
First let me mention what I'm looking for:
MUSIC
I listen to a wide variety of music but about 70% of it falls in the classic and progressive rock category (Rush, Floyd, Ocean Size, Dave Matthews, and other stuff I'm finding on emusic). However, I do spend a fair amount of time to Pat Metheny and other jazz and classical artists. To me, instrument quality outweighs vocal quality.
BUDGET
$300-400 (I'd like to keep it in there)
PORTABILITY
It won't be leaving home
COMFORT
Quite important since I'd usually be using them for several hours at a time
My source will be my computer and a lot of the music is compressed MP3 at 192kbps or higher. I try to go better when possible but much of my music is coming from emusic these days.
I would be willing to get an amp, dac, or combo if it can be included in my budget.
Here's what I've experienced:
Please take not this was off my laptop, without an amp, and the phone probably were not broken in.
Beyer DT990- The balance between mids and highs was poor (highs too bright and mids too recessed)
Beyer DT880- Very well rounded but bass lacked in quantity
Senn HD650- Maybe a little too laid back and expensive but pretty good
AKG K701- I didn't really like them
Denon D1001 - Surprisingly good for the price but lost points in detail
Here's where I think I'm going:
Since I don't want to dump all sorts of money on expensive amps, cable mods, and a large pool of headphones, I want to find an phone that works well in most cases and can work without an amp or with a small "beginner" one.
For that I've come up with the Denon AH-D2000. After hearing the D1001s and reading numerous reviews on the D2000s, I think they will do the trick and keep my wallet happy. Sure they're priced around the range of the ones above but I'm guessing they'll give me better performance for the buck if I pair them with this AMP/DAC combo: Hotauido Mark IV.
The idea is that that AMP/DAC is supposedly very good for its price and would allow me to have a DAC for a future upgraded amp purchase. I'm guessing a headphone like the DT880s (or the DT990s if they would calm down) would be better for me if I was willing to spend more on sources.
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks!