[stactum]

Hello music enthusiasts!
 
I need help in picking a combination of headphones and USB AMP/DAC for about $500.
I am planning on using DAC/AMP with my iPhone 4 as well as desktop PC. For iPhone I have Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 that are being reshelled now. The full-size headphones I will be using primarily with PC at work.
 
I usually listen to all kinds of music: trance, techno, dance, pop, hip-hop (a little bit) and looking to have in my headphones solid bass response and clarity (because of high bpm I think it's kinda important).
 
In terms of DAC/AMP I was looking at:
 
FiiO E7 + E9 (about $200 shipped) - leaves about $300 for headphones
Headstage Arrow 12HE 3G ($265 + shipping) - leaves about $200 for headphones
iBasso D12 (about $310 shipped) - leaves about $200 for headphones
Portability is also kind of important since I'll be using it with my iPhone with UE TripleFi 10
 
In terms of full-size headphones - I don't even know where to start and what should really be the the price balance between amp/dac and headphones. Should I get a nicer amp/dac or headphones?
 
Any help will be highly appreciated and I hope I was able to explain what my goal is!

 

[gabrielo]

DACport DAC+AMP cost $400 leaving you just $100 for phones
of-course if you raise you budget a little ...

 

[stactum]

Quote:

DACport DAC+AMP cost $400 leaving you just $100 for phones
of-course if you raise you budget a little ...

Is it better than any of the options that I listed ?
FiiO E7 + E9
Headstage Arrow 12HE 3G
iBasso D12
and throw in iBasso D4 Mamba

 

[gabrielo]

I didn't try any of them, just throwing one more option.
On paper it should be a better DAC than all of them and it is a very slick unit (which is enough for me so getting one for XMAS)
I suspect that most entry level DAC simply align chips together with no regard to the software part.
DACport was done by company specializing in the SW part of the DAC which should get almost jitter free sound.
I'm not sure how much care was taken for the analog/AMP section, but according to this review they did fine overall (and did I mention how slick it looks ).
http://www.avguide.com/review/centrance-dacport-2496-usb-dacheadphone-amplifier-playback-34
 
Quote:

Quote:

DACport DAC+AMP cost $400 leaving you just $100 for phones
of-course if you raise you budget a little ...

Is it better than any of the options that I listed ?
FiiO E7 + E9
Headstage Arrow 12HE 3G
iBasso D12
and throw in iBasso D4 Mamba

 

[gabrielo]

I just notice you are looking for DAC/AMP to work with your iPhone, in that case you should disregard the DACport as it is a PC only solution

 

[stactum]

Quote:

I just notice you are looking for DAC/AMP to work with your iPhone, in that case you should disregard the DACport as it is a PC only solution

Thank for pointing that out. DACport does look slick!
I'll be running LOD from my iPhone to DAC/AMP.

 

[Jibbie]

Get the Fiio E7 and E9 combo, and stretch the remaining 300 dollar budget by 50 bucks and get a pair of Ultrasone Pro 900s from Buyauthorized on Ebay.  Those headphones handle electronic music and hip hop like nobody's business.  The bass is strong, deep, and has amazing presence.  They do well when driven from a powerful amp, and the E9 outputs more than enough power.  That's what I would do anyways.

 

[stactum]

Quote:

Get the Fiio E7 and E9 combo, and stretch the remaining 300 dollar budget by 50 bucks and get a pair of Ultrasone Pro 900s from Buyauthorized on Ebay.  Those headphones handle electronic music and hip hop like nobody's business.  The bass is strong, deep, and has amazing presence.  They do well when driven from a powerful amp, and the E9 outputs more than enough power.  That's what I would do anyways.

Thanks for the suggestion. I see you have them based on your sig - do they have pretty solid bass?
Also how do you like your iBasso D4 Mamba? I was looking at it too.

 

[Jibbie]

I bought the Ibasso D4 mamba primarily for its great DAC component.  Its amp section is decent too, but should not be as good as the the amp in the E9.  I cannot comment on which DAC is better between the E7 and the D4, as I've only heard the D4, but the money you'd save would alone be worth it to me. 
 
As for the Pro 900s, the bass they produce is phenomenal.  It reaches very deep while still maintaining great texture and definition.  It is quite boosted, however, one can simply Kees mod them to reduce the bass if he/she thinks it is too much.  They are great cans for hip hop and electronic dance music.

 

[stactum]

@Jibbie, thanks for all your help; it seems like I have a winner in terms of headphones. The stuff you suggested Ultrasone Pro 900 seems to have raveing reviews all over and Keen mod may actually help also! Unfortunately the place you pointed out on ebay is sold out. I'll keep checking.
Really appreciate all your help!
 
Quote:

I bought the Ibasso D4 mamba primarily for its great DAC component.  Its amp section is decent too, but should not be as good as the the amp in the E9.  I cannot comment on which DAC is better between the E7 and the D4, as I've only heard the D4, but the money you'd save would alone be worth it to me. 
 
As for the Pro 900s, the bass they produce is phenomenal.  It reaches very deep while still maintaining great texture and definition.  It is quite boosted, however, one can simply Kees mod them to reduce the bass if he/she thinks it is too much.  They are great cans for hip hop and electronic dance music.

 

[Jibbie]

Oh wow, I guess a lot of people had that same idea and ordered from him recently.  When I ordered a couple weeks ago he had 7 left in stock.  I'm sure he'll get more.  They truly are great cans if you're looking for bass.

 

[BadFish81]

I'm far from an expert by any means, still new to the audiophile world.  But I was just recently looking for my first real set of cans for work myself.  I gave myself a $400 budget for Cans/Amp.  I'm not sure what you're work conditions are like, but I went with the Dennon 2k's and I couldn't be happier.  You can get them for just over $200, and they certainly feel like quality.  I listen for up to 10 hours a day at work, so circum-aural was a must for me for comfort.  I put the Dennons on and forget I even have them on.   So comfortable, and their closed so other people can't hear my music, yet they let in enough outside noise that if someone tries to get my attention at work I can hear them.
 
Another big selling point for me was the ability to upgrade, the 2k's come with a lot of the same mechanics as the more expensive options in the line, I feel like I could get the markl mod and replace the shells, pads, cord, etc down the line when I'm ready to invest more.
 
This would leave you with enough left over to get a very capable amp like the Stepdance or Arrow.
 
I can't really comment on the sound of the D2k's as my ear is still pretty under-developed and I don't have much to compare them to, but I was definitely amazed at the clarity and have no complaints.

 

[BadFish81]

Oops, just looked at the date of the original post... not quite sure how I ended up in this thread... those tricky links to the right.

 

[DaveLinx]

I still belive that the most milage you can get at this price point is better headphones. Meaning value is still there when you double the price. So If I had $500 to spend again (I just did this a few months ago). I would get the best cans you can get. Actaully, (take this with a grain of salt, I'm a total newb) I would get the Denon D5000 ($400) and a udac2 ($99). Both on Amazon. Denon's are super easy to drive and sound much better than my DT990's to me. The udac2 is a very good dac (clean) and decent amp and the amp part could be upgraded later.  Eventhough I spent around $500 on my current setup, I would do it differently if I had it to do over.

 

[beez]

 get the best headphones u can get and a decent dac. you can get the other stuff later.