[Radioking59]

The E10 can drive the HD600, but it doesn't do it well. I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

 
So, since you say the e10 can drive the DT 880s, it would be fine on the HD 600? I've looked around and it looks like I could get a pretty good used price. Especially if the e10 will suffice; since it's only $65, I won't have to spend much over $300. I forgot to mention, I am not going to be upgrading for a very long time (several years, at least).

 
The HD600s are actually relatively easy to drive.  At the same time, the better the amp and dac, they better they seem to scale.  So the E10 would get you by - and then you can think about scaling up when you can afford it.  Lets face it - a Fiio E7 could drive the HD600 loud enough (I wouldn't recommend it though - too thin and cold sounding) - but even with my lowly NFB-12, there was a huge improvement.
 
And the E10 will drive the DT880 250 ohm "OK" - but again, you'd have to be looking at a better dac/amp if considering the 600 ohm.  For the K701 you'd want something better than the E10.  They're harder to drive properly than my Beyers.
 
Ultimately my advice was trying to match within your budget.  For an entry set-up, with room for scaleability, second hand HD600 + E10 would be pretty sweet.  Then you can concentrate on better dac and amp when you can afford it.

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

The E10 can drive the HD600, but it doesn't do it well. I wouldn't recommend it.

 
Agree - but within a budget ....... at least starting with the HD600 there would be room to scale up later, and it should be better than onboard .....

 

[NickFox]

What about the e9? The description says it can drive up to 600 ohms, and a review on here confirms that it has a lot of power. I guess I'm still not sure what a DAC does for sound quality. Is it that substantial of a difference that I should definitely get one eventually? Or would I be fine with just the e9 for a while? And what about something like the nuforce uDAC-2; it looks like some people pair these with the HD 600s. I could get a used one for pretty cheap.

 

[NickFox]

UPDATE
 
I have found a decently priced pair of HD 600s and don't want to lose this opportunity. But I want to figure out the amp first, and don't want to spend much over $100 for one.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

So you don't think the e10 is a good option? You guys have both made me seriously consider buying some used HD 600s, but at 300 ohms, I'd better get an amp figured out, first; could the e10 drive these? About the ODAC, is that the $150 one I found? Unfortunately I can't pay that much just on the DAC . I did think about getting IEMs, but I want some good headphones for home use. Maybe I'll get some $60ish IEMs for portable use in the future, although I did notice the convenient price tag of $300 on the GR10s. 

 
The uDAC is good, either the 1 or the 2 should work for you.  I actually really liked the uDACs when I had them.  Very natural sound.
 
Quote:

UPDATE
 
I have found a decently priced pair of HD 600s and don't want to lose this opportunity. But I want to figure out the amp first, and don't want to spend much over $100 for one.

 
Go for it.  It will pair fine with a uDAC.  The 600 will probably pair fine with an Objective2 too.  
 
What's the going price on an O2 these days?  Mine sits pretty in my closet and never sees the light of day, so I might even be willing to sell it, but at whatever used market value is.
 
Anyway, I think for your budget, unless you're wiling to pay more, the combination of DAC and amp in the uDAC is the right choice.  

 

[NickFox]

Quote:

 
The uDAC is good, either the 1 or the 2 should work for you.  I actually really liked the uDACs when I had them.  Very natural sound.
 
 
Go for it.  It will pair fine with a uDAC.  The 600 will probably pair fine with an Objective2 too.  
 
What's the going price on an O2 these days?  Mine sits pretty in my closet and never sees the light of day, so I might even be willing to sell it, but at whatever used market value is.
 
Anyway, I think for your budget, unless you're wiling to pay more, the combination of DAC and amp in the uDAC is the right choice.  

Sorry to draw this thing out for so long, but I don't want to regret my decision. Most people are saying that the uDAC can't power the HD 600s efficiently, and the icon hd is too expensive. Also, I just realized that I stream 120kbps from Spotify; that's pretty bad, isn't it? Would I notice this on the HD 600s? I'm thinking about just settling with 598s and an e10 or uDAC2. And to answer your question, I think the O2 is a little under $150. 
 
update: What about a Fiio e17? I think this would be a good investment if it could drive the hd 600s because I could get the e9 to pair with it eventually.

 

[Grado77]

Quote:

Heya,
 
HIfiman HE-300 (revision 2)
 
Very best,

 
I would like to hear that one myself.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Sorry to draw this thing out for so long, but I don't want to regret my decision. Most people are saying that the uDAC can't power the HD 600s efficiently, and the icon hd is too expensive. Also, I just realized that I stream 120kbps from Spotify; that's pretty bad, isn't it? Would I notice this on the HD 600s? I'm thinking about just settling with 598s and an e10 or uDAC2. And to answer your question, I think the O2 is a little under $150. 
 
update: What about a Fiio e17? I think this would be a good investment if it could drive the hd 600s because I could get the e9 to pair with it eventually.

 
I wouldn't over think it.  The 600 won't pick anything apart.  Any half decent portable amp will do the job.  But, if the 598 feel "right" to you, go for it.  

 

[00birdy]

Quote:

Hi Nick
 
I think Mal's suggestion is your best bet.  The DT880 250ohm will be fine out of an E10 + it is a warmish amp which will help the mid-range.  You'll love the cans for comfort as well.  They'll do nicely for your first 3 genres.  Because your budget is somewhat limited - anything else I'd suggest would be out of your pricing range.  The E9 has plenty of power - but no DAC.  Adding a DAC like the E7 would give a somewhat cold and thin presentation (compared to the E10) which wouldn't suit the Beyers IMO.
 
The only other headphone I'd suggest - and it is only if you could pick one up 2nd hand for the right price - would be the HD600.  But it would put you at the limit of your budget.
 
The DT880 is a good start - then you can slowly move us as you go.

I'm looking at a DT880 250ohm but realizing I'd need an amp.. I don't know anything about them so is the E10 the best bet for this...? I'm probably only going to buy this one set of headphonse and one amp so I want them to match very well.   is it strange it only costs $300 for both of these?  I'm seeing the DT880s for around $230 and that amp around $65. I figured this would be more like a $500 combo.  Is this a really good deal?  

What if i just spent half as much and got  Shure SRH840 or Fisher Audio FA-003 ?  how would it compare?  would it only be 20% worse, or would it be half as bad or worse.

 

[NickFox]

Quote:

I'm looking at a DT880 250ohm but realizing I'd need an amp.. I don't know anything about them so is the E10 the best bet for this...? I'm probably only going to buy this one set of headphonse and one amp so I want them to match very well.   is it strange it only costs $300 for both of these?  I'm seeing the DT880s for around $230 and that amp around $65. I figured this would be more like a $500 combo.  Is this a really good deal?  

What if i just spent half as much and got  Shure SRH840 or Fisher Audio FA-003 ?  how would it compare?  would it only be 20% worse, or would it be half as bad or worse.

Most people are saying that the e10 can't drive the HD 600s at 300 ohms, but maybe it'd be ok with the DT 880 250s. I think a better bet would be the uDAC2, but I'm not speaking from experience. Have you tried doing a search for 'DT 880 250 amp'? If you were thinking about spending $500, get a Fiio e9/e17 combo for $230, then you're at $460. But again, I'm only speaking from research.
 
 
Quote:

 
I wouldn't over think it.  The 600 won't pick anything apart.  Any half decent portable amp will do the job.  But, if the 598 feel "right" to you, go for it.  

Well, I'd like to buy a Fiio e9, but everybody is saying that I also need a DAC. Do I really need one? In the future I could buy an e17 to match the e9. Also, the HD 600 is directly through Dakmart, so you can understand my hesitation on those.. the 598 is through Amazon.

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Well, I'd like to buy a Fiio e9, but everybody is saying that I also need a DAC. Do I really need one? In the future I could buy an e17 to match the e9. Also, the HD 600 is directly through Dakmart, so you can understand my hesitation on those.. the 598 is through Amazon.

 
Technically, no, you don't need a DAC.  You can go 3.5mm from your source's output jack line level to the E9.  If ever get a DAC, you can output from that.  
 
Like I said, go with whatever you're most comfortable with.  

 

[Brooko]

Quote:

I'm looking at a DT880 250ohm but realizing I'd need an amp.. I don't know anything about them so is the E10 the best bet for this...? I'm probably only going to buy this one set of headphonse and one amp so I want them to match very well.   is it strange it only costs $300 for both of these?  I'm seeing the DT880s for around $230 and that amp around $65. I figured this would be more like a $500 combo.  Is this a really good deal?  

What if i just spent half as much and got  Shure SRH840 or Fisher Audio FA-003 ?  how would it compare?  would it only be 20% worse, or would it be half as bad or worse.

 
The E10 will drive the 250 ohm DT880s quite well.  To their full potential - maybe not - but as a nice starter combo .... definitely.  And contrary to some opinion, I personally find the 300 ohm HD600s relatively easy to drive.  They scale well with better amps - but the E10 again would do fine as a starter.  To give you an example of how easy they are to drive - they are quite loud straight out of an iPhone4 (no amp) at 60% volume - and the dynamics aren't totally missing.  Are they driven well out of the iPod ....... not anywhere near as well as they can be - but for someone on a budget, the HD600 is one heck of a headphone which you can then scale up with better dacs and amps later.
 
Regarding the SRH840 - I still think it is a wonderful headphone - and it is probably the only closed headphone I've heard so far that I will probably at some stage repurchase.  Again - I think it would be a great purchase for someone taking their first steps into better audio.

 

[betavince]

Quote:

I guess I don't see the point of a DAC; I understand what it does, but does it offer better sound quality than a nicer amp like the e9?

 
Sorry if I missed this, but what is the source of your music?  A PC with a sound card or a laptop?  If all you have is a headphone out then having something like an E17 that you can connect by USB will result in a cleaner sound.  If you have a PC with decent onboard audio, then for your purposes the DAC wouldn't be so important and you could put more of the money towards the headphones.   

 

[00birdy]

Thanks.. is the DT 880 $80 better than the srh840 though? I like that beyer seems to be way more comfortable and the company has a little more history?