[Ricky1]

Alright,
 
New to the forum so Hello everyone
 
Im producing House and after a set of cans. Do not necassarily need the music loud but i do need it clear so am unsure whether i require an amp? If i can get away without an amp that would be great. Im using the EMU 0404 and the cans i have in mind are the:
 
HD600
AKG 701
DT880
 
Ive read many threads on the forum and have found info such as "K701s require amp" "EMU0404 supports higher impedance better than lower" So pretty confused thus far.
 
Any advice appreciated on the best set of cans without need for amp to suit my equipment and production needs.
 
If the amp IS essential then i will look into that.
 
Thanks a lot guys 

 

[kwkarth]

Hey Ricky,
Welcome to Head-Fi!
Do you need isolation from your surroundings when you listen?  In other words are you going to be using these cans in a noisy environment?  Or are you going to be using these cans in an environment where you need to make sure that no sound from your  cans bleeds into the set or studio environment as you listen?  Or are you going to be using these in post?
 
Thx,
kwkarth

 

[ktsai1283]

Check out the beyerdynamic DT 150 & DT 250 headphones.  Should be easy to find information about those two around here.  Otherwise, among those in your list, looks like the HD 600 might be the best fit and the EMU 0404 should be enough to drive it and the 150/250 (opinions seem to be that the 0404 are inadequate for the 701/880).

 

[Ricky1]

Cheers for the speedy reply Guys,
 
kwkarth, Not in a noisey environment so no need for complete isolation and they are not really wanted for tracking. Ideally looking for the open back cans for the more natural sound. I will check out the DT150's and 250's if you feel im not going to be getting my moneys worth out of the HD600's or K701's then. Or maybe i will consider the best of the 3 in my shortlist with intensions of upgrading my interface or purchasing an amp in future. Another concern of mine with the 701s is the comfort issue? Not tried any of these on so unable to comment but late at night i could be wearing these over longish periods of time.

 

[Acix]

I use the K-702 for mixing and mastering, but I don't think the EMU will be a great fit to the K-701/2. As sound card, I use the Kontrol 1 and the Apogee Mini DAC.

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Cheers for the speedy reply Guys,
 
kwkarth, Not in a noisey environment so no need for complete isolation and they are not really wanted for tracking. Ideally looking for the open back cans for the more natural sound. I will check out the DT150's and 250's if you feel im not going to be getting my moneys worth out of the HD600's or K701's then. Or maybe i will consider the best of the 3 in my shortlist with intensions of upgrading my interface or purchasing an amp in future. Another concern of mine with the 701s is the comfort issue? Not tried any of these on so unable to comment but late at night i could be wearing these over longish periods of time.

The emu 0404 max output is specified by the manufacturer as 20mW max.  That will never properly power the Sennheiser or AKG cans, nor any other high sound quality can for that matter, however, if you want to avoid investing in a separate head-amp, you may want to consider the Sony MDR-7506 or perhaps even the Grado SR-60 or SR-80.
 
Those cans aren't the last word in quality of ultimate listening pleasure, but they are pretty easily characterized and they are  commonly used in the industry.  Particularly the 7506's.  But if you can give them a try before you buy, I would recommend them.  If you are willing to invest in a separate head-amp, the world is your oyster and we can have a new conversation.
 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Cheers for the speedy reply Guys,
 
kwkarth, Not in a noisey environment so no need for complete isolation and they are not really wanted for tracking. Ideally looking for the open back cans for the more natural sound. I will check out the DT150's and 250's if you feel im not going to be getting my moneys worth out of the HD600's or K701's then. Or maybe i will consider the best of the 3 in my shortlist with intensions of upgrading my interface or purchasing an amp in future. Another concern of mine with the 701s is the comfort issue? Not tried any of these on so unable to comment but late at night i could be wearing these over longish periods of time.

By the way, if you are willing /able to invest in a head-amp, the best $250 bux you ever spent will be for a Schiit Asgard amp.  It will pretty much power any can out there and does a superlative job with the Sennheiser HD-600s.  I would also recommend a Cardas aftermarket cable for the Senny's.  
 
What is your full recording/playback chain?
 
Cheers,
kwkarth
 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

Cheers for the speedy reply Guys,
 
kwkarth, Not in a noisey environment so no need for complete isolation and they are not really wanted for tracking. Ideally looking for the open back cans for the more natural sound. I will check out the DT150's and 250's if you feel im not going to be getting my moneys worth out of the HD600's or K701's then. Or maybe i will consider the best of the 3 in my shortlist with intensions of upgrading my interface or purchasing an amp in future. Another concern of mine with the 701s is the comfort issue? Not tried any of these on so unable to comment but late at night i could be wearing these over longish periods of time.

The DT-250/80s are a solid step up in quality from the Sony MDR-7506, but may not be as resolving as what you're looking for.  They are sensitive enough (the 80 ohm version, not the 250 ohm version) to be powered by the emu, and should work well with it.
 

 

[Acix]

 
Quote:

By the way, if you are willing /able to invest in a head-amp, the best $250 bux you ever spent will be for a Schiit Asgard amp.  It will pretty much power any can out there and does a superlative job with the Sennheiser HD-600s.  I would also recommend a Cardas aftermarket cable for the Senny's.  
 
What is your full recording/playback chain?
 
Cheers,
kwkarth
 

 
The Asgard spec are great, did you had the chance to compare it to the Phonitor/Auditor?
 

 

[kwkarth]

Quote:

The Asgard spec are great, did you had the chance to compare it to the Phonitor/Auditor?
 

No, but I own the Asgard and have read a few comparisons.  Reading between the lines, from what's been reported by users on Head-Fi, it would seem that particularly with the Phonitor, it does not have near the real world power delivery capability of the Asgard, but may be well suited to phones that have more modest power requirements.  The Auditor seems to be reported as having more power than the Phonitor, but that's only here say, because the manufacturer's specs are identical for both;
 

Max. Output Performance: 
1,7W (+32,2dBm) @ 1 kHz and 600 Ohms connection
360mW (+25,6dBm) @ 1 kHz and 30 Ohms connection
 
Having  identical outputs makes sense as a manufacturer.  The Phonitor is the cooler looking and more feature laden of the two, but their actual final amps are identical.
 
The Asgard seems to have been better designed to drive lower impedance headphones, and seems to deliver in spades into a 50 ohm load. 
 

 

 

[Acix]

 
Quote:

No, but I own the Asgard and have read a few comparisons.  Reading between the lines, from what's been reported by users on Head-Fi, it would seem that particularly with the Phonitor, it does not have near the real world power delivery capability of the Asgard, but may be well suited to phones that have more modest power requirements.  The Auditor seems to be reported as having more power than the Phonitor, but that's only here say, because the manufacturer's specs are identical for both;
 

Max. Output Performance: 
1,7W (+32,2dBm) @ 1 kHz and 600 Ohms connection
360mW (+25,6dBm) @ 1 kHz and 30 Ohms connection
 
Having  identical outputs makes sense as a manufacturer.  The Phonitor is the cooler looking and more feature laden of the two, but their actual final amps are identical.
 
The Asgard seems to have been better designed to drive lower impedance headphones, and seems to deliver in spades into a 50 ohm load. 
 

 

Sounds good, I'll try to see if I can find more info about this amp. Maybe I need to bring it home and check it out.