[melmac]

Hi All,

I have been lurking on these forums for a while and been reading and reading about all the different makes of headphones etc. I feel like I am going around in circles though, so that's why I decided to join and post here asking for advice about purchasing a new set of headphones.

Just a little about my current setup, I have a PC with a creative X-fi fatality. I also have a PS3 and an xbox360. These are all connected to Marantz Sr8001 receiver and a set of Teufel system 5 speakers. My headphones at the moment are a pair of Speedlink medusa 5.1 progamer and a pair from Creative, the creative Hq-1500.

As I said I have been reading here for ages, and want to upgrade my headphones, well basically because people have been telling me that sound quality is much better with more expensive headphones.

will be using them for gaming. I play a lot of first person shooters so positional audio is important. Also I will be watching movies mostly with high quality audio, like bluray movies and some movies on my harddrive. then there is music, and most of my music is CD's or Flac's and DVD audio on the computer, have some DTS music as well. So I won't be using these away from the house, just my better half works a lot of early mornings and nights, so I need to be able to listen to music and movies while other people sleep.

The headphones I keep coming back to are the Audio-Technica ATH-AD900 Air Headphones. Are these the best suited for me? I keep reading about Stax headphones and wonder is it worth investing in a pair of those? Is the improvement that noticable over the AD900's? I am just presuming AD900's are going to be much improved audio quality over what I have?

If people can suggest other headphones I would be very greatful!! Also, people talk about buying headphone amps, if I plug the headphones in to my Marantz Sr8001 will that be good enough for any headphones that need amping?

sorry, for long post.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[nff]

if you have the money to get a lower end stax setup it will do ya good. there fast they should have very good posistonal audio and the utmost of clarity.

 

[melmac]

Thanks for the reply. So Stax seem to be the best. What about the ultrasone 750 or 2500's? Would either of them be as good as the Stax?

And if I buy the Stax will I need an amp? Or can I use them in my receiver?

Lastly, What are entry level Stax's? I mean there is the Stax SR-001 MKII System, but they are in ear headphones and I don't like in ear phones at all.

Would the STAX SRS-2050A Entry class Earspeaker system suit my needs more? or would I be better off getting just the headphones like the stax sr-303's or the sr-404's?

I am not on a budget, but, don't want to spend too much either.

 

[paaj]

stax needs a different kind of amp, but for the rest, I think the marantz will be fine for probably a long time.
for gaming the AT's are a fine choice, or look at Sennheiser (hd555 to 650, depending on budget

)

 

[Moontan13]

Keep on using your reciever, and try others when you get the chance. I have a bunch of older recievers and amps I got from yard sales. Through experimenting I found my relatively weak Kenwood KA-3500 integrated amp was the best match for headphones though all of them did better than the iPod alone.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melmac /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the reply. So Stax seem to be the best. What about the ultrasone 750 or 2500's? Would either of them be as good as the Stax? And if I buy the Stax will I need an amp? Or can I use them in my receiver? Lastly, What are entry level Stax's? I mean there is the Stax SR-001 MKII System, but they are in ear headphones and I don't like in ear phones at all. Would the STAX SRS-2050A Entry class Earspeaker system suit my needs more? or would I be better off getting just the headphones like the stax sr-303's or the sr-404's? I am not on a budget, but, don't want to spend too much either.

The 2050 would be a great starting point into electros. Electros are 'superior' to dynamic cans in many ways. And would be ideal for gaming. Id say a night and day diferrence, going from a crappy dynamic gaming can to a true audiophile pair of electro's. Games will now be immersive. Instead of watching from a window, You will be a active participant in the games surrounding. audibility of course.
If you don't go Stax, the DT48/880/AKG 601/AT900 would make a suitable alternative.

 

[Currawong]

If you end up getting a STAX set, you'd want to consider a DAC to go from your PC to the hi-fi as the STAX will end up revealing how crap your PC's audio quality is.

 

[sean3089]

I say go with the Audio-Technicas. They're from a big name company and on sale for $279 on Amazon. You've read a lot of posts, done your homework, and have been drawn to them for some reason. Maybe they're your soul phones.

 

[kool bubba ice]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean3089 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I say go with the Audio-Technicas. They're from a big name company and on sale for $279 on Amazon. You've read a lot of posts, done your homework, and have been drawn to them for some reason. Maybe they're your soul phones.

STAX is also a big name company.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kool bubba ice /img/forum/go_quote.gif STAX is also a big name company.

Although it doesn't really matter that much. Yuin isn't a big name company at all and people seem to like them...

But yeah, AD900's are very good. Incredible soundstage. They do things none of my other headphones can do.

 

[melmac]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

Would I have to get a DAC even if I have connected the PC using analog and optical connections to my receiver and will be connecting my headphones to my receiver?

Yeah, I keep returning to the AD900's. LOL, my soul phones, I like that. I have no way of testing any of these out and I would love to see do they make that much difference over what I have already.

It looks like it's just a matter of chosing between the Stax 2050 and the AD900's and buying them

Just one last question, can I plug the stax headphones into my receiver directly? I mean if I buy a pair of Stax without an amp will they work with my receiver?

 

[HeadLover]

I think the best you can start with (and not spending way to much) will be getting a nice DAC, probably one with built in amp and USB (Benchmark DAC1 for example , but they are many others)
And a nice headphones you love, like the HD600 or 650
or a Grado.

 

[Shoewreck]

Quote:

Originally Posted by melmac /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just one last question, can I plug the stax headphones into my receiver directly? I mean if I buy a pair of Stax without an amp will they work with my receiver?

No way you could do that. Stax are electrostatic, so they need very high voltage signal (hundreds of times that of needed by usual headphones) and source of constant voltage to work. Stax plug won't even fit your receiver.

 

[melmac]

Ah, that's the trouble with upgrading, it's never as simple as just buying one thing, there is always another thing around the corner that you need to get!!

Ok, glad to know that about the Stax and the DAC.

 

[Shoewreck]

You can buy DAC later.