[BlackbeardBen]

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Hi All,
 
First post and a headphone newbie here.  I've bought a lot of hi-end audio equipment over the years, but never a set of phones.  I'm looking for a neutral (free from boosted bass/treble) sounding headphone/amp combo for use mainly with music, and some TV.  I listen to a variety of music, including singer/songwriter, folk, rock, classical, acoustic, and jazz.  I am willing to spend about $800 or so (maybe a bit more) for the combination.  The amp will be fed from the line-out from a Tact RCS 2.2XP preamp (it doesn't have a tape-out) or possibly a digital out if the headphone amp has a D/A converter.
 
I've done a bunch of research, but is quite daunting and I don't have anywhere nearby to audition them.  I don't know a lot about the different amps around and what are good headphone/amp combinations so thought I'd solicit opinions here.  I definitely prefer a more neutral sound free from artificial bass spikes or elevated treble, which I find very fatiguing.  I also would like a nice soundstage, and maybe and a mid-level presentation (not too forward or distant).  I think I'd prefer around-the ear over on-the-ear phones, but am open to open or closed back.  I am open to all the usual headphone suspects including Sennheiser, AKG, Audio Technica, Grado, Beyer, etc.
 
I would appreciate any feedback on headphone/amp combos that might qualify for the price point.
 
Thanks much in advance!

Sounds to me like you just described the HD 600...
 
 


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The K702 sounds like an excellent set of cans for your genre tastes.  I use mine with a Nuforce HDP ($450), and it makes for a nice combination.  Since you don't need a DAC, you might be able to find a beefier dedicated amp for around the same price, but the HDP does a fine job if you were interested in the extra functionality. 

 
The 701/702 is certainly on my possibility list.  The only thing I'm concerned about it is whether is bass is too lean.  I don't want accentuated head-banging bass, but do want it to be neutral and deep.  As far as a DAC, I have the choice of running an analog line-out from the preamp, or digital out from either the preamp or directly to the source component.  If I run digital out, I'll obviously need a headphone amp with a DAC.  In either case, I'll need a fairly long run (about 15 feet) from the system to my seat, so think the digital might be better for the long run, but not sure how much of a difference it will make.
 
 
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Originally Posted by MR.X /img/forum/go_quote.gif

Audio-GD products are actually very popular around here on head-fi.
If you can fit in an nfb-10 with a pair of k702 or hd650 within your budget it is an excellent setup. NFB-10 has a balanced DAC and a balanced headphone amp which could make the setup even better if you got your headphones modded for balanced setup as an upgrade later on.

 
I'm not really interested on modding the headphones, so don't think I need that capability from the headphone amp.  Any feedback on the Audio-GD Fun?  I like that it has both line and digital inputs which can add some flexibility.
 
 
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I'm pretty sure the HD600 is a lot more neutral sounding.. The HD650 is suppose to be the darker cousin to the 600, with much more emphasis on bass.
 
FWIW, the NFB-12 is great bargain at its current promo price. It's hard to give a thorough opinion on it since no one's gotten theirs yet, but judging by the chips used, it should be be quite neutral a good amount of driving force. Judging by the performance of the Sparrow/FUN (essentially the same dac/amp), it should drive the HD600 just fine, but I don't know about the AKG's.
 
If you plan on balancing your headphones, or just want some customization with your dac/amp, then go with the NFB-10WM or the FUN (respectively).
If you're looking for just an amp (instead of these combos), then I'd highly recommend you look at the Schiit Asgard (funny name, but a seriously good amp for its price-tag).

 
Thanks, the HD600 is also on my list.  Have you heard the the HD600 vs the K701/702?  My impression from what I've read is that the HD600 might be a bit darker than the K701/702, but which unit is more neutral?
 

I've spent quite some time comparing both, although I only own the HD 600.  The K701 is indeed rather bass-light.  I find it enough so to detract from any music where the bass is important.  Its soundstage has an incredible amount of depth; the best that I've heard shy of the HD 800 and Beyerdynamic T1.
 
The HD 600 shines as an all-around headphone.  It does nothing poorly, except seal in/out noise!  It does most things very, very well - and the mids are to die for.
 
The treble is indeed slightly subdued, but is very detailed nonetheless.  The K701 may make those details louder, but they're not any more distinct than with the HD600.  You can read my review on the HD 600 here.  Don't ever let anyone tell you that the HD 600 are boring.


 
A question: What kind of speakers do you like/listen to/own?  That might help us come up with a recommendation for you.  I'm a vintage Infinity guy myself.

 

[Oldie1kslowbie]

I got the AKG K702 and Nuforce Icon HDP together for my first foray into hi-res digital audio. Combined the cost was about $750 and I'm pretty sure there isn't a better deal out there especially if you also need a DAC. I've put about 100 hours on the set up so far and I like it a lot. I listen mainly to classical and jazz and have no complaints about bass being too light on the AKGs. To me it sounds natural and realistically full. I have an old pair of Sennheiser HD 560 Ovations that I'm comparing the AKG's to and to my ear the Senns sound a bit flabby and bloated in the bottom end (could be because they're  20 years old too). Whats really remarkable about this set up is the detail. I really hear the difference between lossless and lossy rips and hi-res 24 bit stuff sounds noticeably better again. By the same measure crappy recordings sound even more clearly crappy. One concern you'll see again and again is having enough amp power to properly drive the AKGs. I have pretty sensitive hearing and still I've got the volume pot on the Nuforce at about 12 o'clock to almost 2 depending on the content. This seems high to me and I wonder about headroom and clipping. That said, I haven't heard any distortion out of the Nuforce at these levels.
 
My only complaint about the AKG's is the vice like grip they had on my head new out of the box. I had to spend some time basically stretching them open till they loosened up. By comparison the Senns were very comfortable from day one and now feel like a well broken in pair of house slippers. Unfortunately, they kind of look like it too.

 

[Timestretch]

The Nuforce HD/HDP is known to be very neutral dac/amp, perhaps just a hair to the bright side.