[AnakChan]

  Hi my name is Alex, and I am sort of looking at getting some used Audeze LCD-2 headphones on account of the fact that I am extremely broke and I had heard this place was good for that and also I figured this place would be good for advice for amps as well, but hopefully I don't have to spend more than $60 for that, but I am not sure.

 
Hi Alex, welcome to Head-Fi. Thanks for sharing your budget. That may limit you quite a bit I'd say. You may have to do a little bit of digging and searching around to see what could fit in your budget right now with the signature that you're looking for.

 

[Mikualotic]

I check out Innerfidelity as well.  

 

[Kyoudai]

Z reviews guy annoys me ha. But if his tastes and ears are similar to yours then stick with it. Also read and watch innerfidelity for insight

 Unfortunately, I have no idea what high end headphones I will end up liking over time as I am definitely a newbie, but he seems to spend a lot of time and energy on listening and evaluating LOTS of different headphones from different manufacturers. Most of the other reviewers I found only talk about a limited amount.

 

[Jupo]

Hello,
 
My name is Jose! I'm Korean-American, and living in Helsinki Finland. So far, I've really enjoyed this site, and appreciate all the knowledge of the HeadFiers.
 
 At the moment, I don't have a set of high-quality headphones (

 I'm currently using Bose Triports - literally), but I'm going to change that really soon. I do have a pair of HyperX Cloud 2 gaming headphones at work, but I don't know if that's regarded as a mid or high-end headset.
 
Anyway, I'm glad I found this site, and hope to collect some very nice headphones in the years to come!

 

[fonkepala]

Z reviews guy annoys me ha. But if his tastes and ears are similar to yours then stick with it. Also read and watch innerfidelity for insight

 
Haha, he annoys me as well. But have to admit, the stuff he has and his reviews are quite alright. 
 

  I ordered a Fiio Q1 amp/dac but it looks like its a tiny bit weak for the MK3's

 
Looking at the specs of the Fostex T50RP MkIII, I think the Q1 may be able to drive them quite well. I have an Audiotechnica M50X and Sennheiser HD280 with roughly similar impedance & sensitivities, and my Q1 drives both reasonably well. However, IEM's work better with the Q1.

 

[Kyoudai]

  Looking at the specs of the Fostex T50RP MkIII, I think the Q1 may be able to drive them quite well. I have an Audiotechnica M50X and Sennheiser HD280 with roughly similar impedance & sensitivities, and my Q1 drives both reasonably well. However, IEM's work better with the Q1.

 
Thank you for the reply! I was thinking about ordering an E18 and taking a loss selling the Q1.
 
Any suggestions on a good set of IEMs under say $50-$100?  I have heard that there are some pretty amazing ones around $50

 

[fonkepala]

   
Thank you for the reply! I was thinking about ordering an E18 and taking a loss selling the Q1.
 
Any suggestions on a good set of IEMs under say $50-$100?  I have heard that there are some pretty amazing ones around $50

 
Well, there are  DAC+AMPs out there that in time you'll find to be much much better than the Q1. But in terms of portability, the Q1 is hard to beat. Also, it plays nicely with the equipment I have, so for me it's pretty adequate for now. The moment I get a pair of 300-ohm impedance cans then I'll probably upgrade.
 
As for your question, it's a pretty loaded one Ask anyone here the same question and they're bound to give you lots of varying answers. IEMs in general is a minefield. There are lots and lots out there. You have to know what you want and whom to trust. I'm pretty new here so I'm learning the ropes as I go along as well. But, in short, if you're looking to spend around $50 for a good IEM, I'd recommend the MeeAudio M6 Pro. In the $100 range, there's the Shure SE215 (although it may not fit your ears too well). If you're willing to spend $99 more, then the MeeAudio Pinnacle P1 is a great IEM at the $199 price point. Bear in mind, these are my opinions solely. YMMV.
 
You can also delve into the world of cheap IEM's from China. That's a whole different realm. If you're patient and willing to sort out through all the contradictory information and hype and if you're not adverse to risk, some pretty great IEMs can be had there for very little money.
 
Enjoy

 

[waylandsmithy]

I'm new! This is a great site, it was a great source when I was dabbling with my first half-decent headphones purchase.
 
I used to have a dedicated set-up for listening to music, but then kids came along and I drifted into the family-friendly world of home cinema. Great for films, not so good for tunes. Trouble is, I missed listening to music on a good-ish setup, but I don't have the space to add another system to my house! Fortunately, there are headphones...
 
I've just bought a pair of AKG K550s, after a listening test at Richer Sounds. And then I blind-bought a Fiio E17K amp/DAC. I'm well pleased, it feels as though I've got a good result for the money spent. 
 
Lets hope I can put off any plans to upgrade for the time-being...

 

[fonkepala]

  I'm new! This is a great site, it was a great source when I was dabbling with my first half-decent headphones purchase.
 
I used to have a dedicated set-up for listening to music, but then kids came along and I drifted into the family-friendly world of home cinema. Great for films, not so good for tunes. Trouble is, I missed listening to music on a good-ish setup, but I don't have the space to add another system to my house! Fortunately, there are headphones...
 
I've just bought a pair of AKG K550s, after a listening test at Richer Sounds. And then I blind-bought a Fiio E17K amp/DAC. I'm well pleased, it feels as though I've got a good result for the money spent. 
 
Lets hope I can put off any plans to upgrade for the time-being...

 
Welcome! And good luck with that last one
 
I've got a kid too, and now peaceful dedicated listening time is precious, few and far between. But when I do get the chance, it's great.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Hi my name is Alex, and I am sort of looking at getting some used Audeze LCD-2 headphones on account of the fact that I am extremely broke and I had heard this place was good for that and also I figured this place would be good for advice for amps as well, but hopefully I don't have to spend more than $60 for that, but I am not sure.

If you have your heart set on the LCD 2, and only want to spend around $60 for an amp I am thinking a used Schiit magni would be the way to go. You are going
To want to give it more than adequate power, and the magni should have good synergy with the LCD 2. I do recommend trying to save a little bit more for an amp if you can just because the headphone you want is so much more expensive then what you want to spend. I would figure that if you get such a nice headphone you would want to be able to get your monies worth by driving it properly. Just my 2 cents

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

 Unfortunately, I have no idea what high end headphones I will end up liking over time as I am definitely a newbie, but he seems to spend a lot of time and energy on listening and evaluating LOTS of different headphones from different manufacturers. Most of the other reviewers I found only talk about a limited amount.

Yeah I dig that. I think some of the best advice I can give people in this hobby is to own a pair of "fun" headphones" and own a pair of "analytical" headphones. Analytical cans, or cans that call them
Self "reference headphones" are ones that try to do their absolute best to make music sound exactly how it was recorded. So if something was recorded excellently, the the sound coming out of the headphone will sound a lot better then if something was recorded poorly. This is because the headphone doesn't pull any punches, and Is trying to recreate whatever happened. Some reference headphones that I know off the top of my head are the akg Q701 and Phillips shp9500. Now a fun sounding headphone can be considered that in difference ways. It could have a bass boost, like Beats, it could have an overly warm sound (which I can't put into words but I know it when I hear it ha ) or the music as a whole sounds like one body of a specific sound that moves together. There are a lot of different examples of a fun sound but that is a few. Also fun sounding headphones could be capable of making poorly sounded recordings not sound as bad (like the most of the Adauze line ). All headphones have a degree of the 2, so it doesn't mean you are stuck between one or the other.... Anyways and long story short, if you can own and understand a pair that are fun and another pair that are a reference headphone. Then when you listen to music you can hear the difference between the 2 and then realize for your self what sound signature is important to you. My preferences for what I like sound to sound like to me,has changed over time. And it was only through hearing a ton of different cans for me to "finalize" the exact sound I am looking for (for now that is ). But for anyone starting out I think you could save a lot of time and money if you could buy one of each (cheap of course) headphones to develop your taste instead of analyzing it all in your head. This way you will have a better understanding of where to go next with finding your "endgame" set of cans. Best of Luck everyone! It's a really fun journey.

 

[Cheaplad]

i'm a new guy from HK. Just want to have good music but the wallet is too tight

Cheaplad is a local colloquial which means an unworthy guy.

 

[Cheaplad]

Oops sorry I should mention my gears.

Source:
Fiio X3ii
Fiio X1

Headphones:
AKG K545
Sennheiser HD439
Bose Soundtrue Overear
Sennheiser HD650 (pending delivery)
Hifiman x Massdrop HE350 (pending delivery)

Earphones:
Shure SE215
Fiio EX1
Hifiman x Massdrop RE00 (pending delivery)

Headphone Amps:
Fiio E11K
Fiio E12

(Thinking about buying a Little Dot Mk2 tube amp.)

 

[fonkepala]

Oops sorry I should mention my gears.

Source:
Fiio X3ii
Fiio X1

Headphones:
AKG K545
Sennheiser HD439
Bose Soundtrue Overear
Sennheiser HD650 (pending delivery)
Hifiman x Massdrop HE350 (pending delivery)

Earphones:
Shure SE215
Fiio EX1
Hifiman x Massdrop RE00 (pending delivery)

Headphone Amps:
Fiio E11K
Fiio E12

(Thinking about buying a Little Dot Mk2 tube amp.)

 
Hi cheaplad, welcome! No worries, your wallet will loosen up nicely soon enough
 
Nice equipment you got there. What do you think of the SE215..is the EX1 better than it? Also, what do you plan to drive that HD650 with..the E12?

 

[hmax50]

Hi guys,
Have been reading quite a lot on this forum lately while listening to my 25 years old sennheiser hd580.
In all these years I never paired it with a decent amp. It didnt get used that often anyway.
My wife is working at home and i used to work the same hours at my company, so headphone listening was rare.