[FreedomG]

Not much of an audiophile.. But i LOVE music.

I currently own the ATH-M50's. Need to know if I should get a port amp for my iPod or save up for a new pair of headphones.
 
Current budget is only about 150 Dollars..
 
Recommendations?

 

[FreedomG]

Anyone? :S

 

[Armaegis]

Get some new cans first. The M50s don't benefit that much from amping, so you'll feel a bigger bang for your buck with new cans instead. Maybe consider something mid focused and/or open to have the option of different sound signature, and perhaps something a little harder to drive so that when you eventually get an amp there will be a noticeable improvement.

 

[jcomey]

To piggyback onto this, what would you suggest?  I'm looking at getting an Fiio E7 as am amp.  I have M50s I just got...I like them very much.  But I would like to explore something more powerful.
 
I listen to a lot of acoustic and a lot of live music, mainly fan recordings.
 
Along those lines, what would you look at?  I am a fan of Sennheiser and Shure, and have become a fan of Audio-Technica.

 

[Armaegis]

The FiiO E7 + E9 combo has been getting a lot of good press and is one of those good "bang for the buck" kind of deals that can drive just about any headphone out there. If I didn't already have an assortment of toys in its price bracket, I would strongly consider the combo.
 
What cans you get next depends a lot on budget and whether you want portability or not. The K701 is great for classical and acoustic. The Denon D1001 or D2000 are popular all-rounders. My favourite is a K240 Sextett. I've also got the Phiaton trifecta which I quite enjoy. Audio Technica has staples in the A700 and AD700, with upgrade paths into A900 and AD2000 or W1000x. If I had to randomly recommend one, I would say the Audio Technica ATH-AD2000. I've never heard it personally, but reportedly it works fine unamped but improves well with the source, and is very good for jazz and instrumentals.
 

 

[FreedomG]

I was thinking of getting cans with some good soundstage. I honestly feel like having balance. I really like crystal clear sounds.. Even if my song is meant to be bass heavy. I honestly listen to EVERY type of music. I listen to Hardcore Punk, Orchestrated, Classical, Alternative Rock, Acoustic Rock, Acapella, Lots of underground rap.. I LOVE MUSIC!!!!!! What do I get for ALL OF IT? I hear headphones good for classical, then jazz, then this.. then that.. What's amazingly universal with sound stage? Closed ear? With also a good price range Would be preferred if I could get them first and then buy an amp later to boost em up.

 

[Armaegis]

random suggestion: Get yourself a Sennheiser 555 for $100 (then do a google search for the 595 mod/upgrade which is free), a PA2V2 or cMoy amplifier for $30-40, then string together a few more bucks for a lineout dock for your ipod.

 

[FreedomG]

I'm going to try that, but can you link me to something reffering to this lineout dock? I'm confused to what it does exactly.. Trying to google it, getting a bunch of different things..

 

[Armaegis]

A line out connector simply takes the signal from the ipod's dac and bypasses the internal amplifier, so you can feed a clean signal into a separate external amplifier. Try one of these: http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A172282%2Ck%3Aipod%20line%20out&page=1
 
The cheapest ones are under $10. I think you'd be able to get the headphones/dock/amp right at your budget of $150.