New to Head-fi and would like some recommendations
Mar 27, 2012 at 10:27 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 17
Darkblade48

Darkblade48

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Hi everyone, new to Head-fi, and also high quality music. English isn't my first language (nor do I live in an English speaking country), so forgive any mistakes I make.
 
I m currently using Audio technica ATH-A700X, but am thinking of side-grading/upgrading.
 
Preferred: Closed, full-sized headphones
Price: 300 USD or under
Place of use: Home
Type of music I listen to: Classical (Mozart symphonies, piano sonatas, concertos etc, early Beethoven piano sonatas, etc), Opera (Mozart, Mitridate re di Ponto, Die Zauberflote, etc), Chinese/Japanese/Korean Pop (? I am not sure if you can classify it as such, I have included some links below for reference)
 
Korean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBynjhUknzI
 
Japanese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa7orJX6LQY
 
Chinese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDL5LAuqRQs
 
And for the opera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02yf6RHIQjQ
 
Sorry for the bad quality, being Youtube videos and such.
 
Listening source: Laptop (Asus N53Sv), On-board sound card, no other amplifier/DAC
Files: 320 kbps minimum, FLAC otherwise.
 
I would prefer that the headphones not require an amplifier/DAC, but would be willing to spend ~200 USD (i.e. Fiio E17/E9 combo?) if required.
 
Anyone have any suggestions? Some people have suggested the Denon D2000, but then realized that they are not the best for classical. Obviously, an open pair would be better, but I would like a compromise between the classical I listen to and the other Asian-pop/rock.
 
What are thoughts about the AKG 550? I am slowly reading through the 74 page thread regarding them...
 
Mar 27, 2012 at 11:46 PM Post #3 of 17
To be honest, I just want to explore different types of headphones, since I am still quite new to this.
 
I find that the A700X are a little light on the bass for the non-classical music that I listen to, despite them being closed.
 
That being said, I have listened to headphones that are bass-heavy (M50) and at the extreme end, Sony's XB series and also the ATH-Pro700mk2, and they are much too bass heavy for my taste.
 
Which Beyer DT770 would you recommend?
 
In terms of your suggestions, the Denon and the Beyerdynamic would require an amp? The E17 hasn't been released in Japan yet, so I still don't know the pricing on it (but probably it will be high).
 
Mar 27, 2012 at 11:56 PM Post #4 of 17


Quote:
darkblade48 said:
Which Beyer DT770 would you recommend?
 
In terms of your suggestions, the Denon and the Beyerdynamic would require an amp? The E17 hasn't been released in Japan yet, so I still don't know the pricing on it (but probably it will be high).
Click to expand...


Any DT770 will do. Get the 80ohm to reduce amplification needs. The D2000 does not need an amp.
 
Very best,
 
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 2:17 AM Post #6 of 17
Hey man, I know you said closed preferred but I really have to say that you may benefit from some open eared. 
 
I have a wide variety of musical tastes, including quite a bit of classical, though typically of the string variety, where as, correct me if I'm wrong, you seem to be focused on the piano aspects.
 
At any rate I think you may want to consider some Sennheiser 600/650s, more towards the 600s, though I do admit owning a pair makes me a bit more biased towards them. 
biggrin.gif

 
I've found them to be quite fantastic with the classical arrangements and surprisingly revealing, hearing all new levels of detail in the music.
 
Hope that helps some, if not feel free to ask, I'd be more than happy to help
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 2:22 AM Post #7 of 17
Quote:
funkmasterflex said:
Hey man, I know you said closed preferred but I really have to say that you may benefit from some open eared. 
 
I have a wide variety of musical tastes, including quite a bit of classical, though typically of the string variety, where as, correct me if I'm wrong, you seem to be focused on the piano aspects.
 
At any rate I think you may want to consider some Sennheiser 600/650s, more towards the 600s, though I do admit owning a pair makes me a bit more biased towards them. 
biggrin.gif

 
I've found them to be quite fantastic with the classical arrangements and surprisingly revealing, hearing all new levels of detail in the music.
 
Hope that helps some, if not feel free to ask, I'd be more than happy to help
 
 
Click to expand...

 
That's right, most of the classical I listen to is piano (though there is the occasional symphony/stringed variety) as I've played the piano for....20 years now (has it been that long!?)
 
I didn't see the Sennheiser HD600, but did see the HD650 (I think they are just the newer version of the HD600?). Pricey - the equivalent of 447 USD.
 
Is there any other open pair that you might recommend that is a little cheaper? Or even better - something that is good with pop/classical (if such a pair exist!)
 
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 4:18 AM Post #8 of 17
Have you tried plugging your ATH-A700Xs into a better DAC/ Headphone amplifier?
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 4:48 AM Post #10 of 17


Quote:
darkblade48 said:
I currently do not have any DAC/amp. I was considering the E7/E9 combo, but with the release of the E17 just a few days away in Japan, I was considering holding off on the purchase, just to see what the price point would be like.
Click to expand...

How about a Fiio E10?
 
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 4:51 AM Post #11 of 17


Quote:
purpleangel said:
How about a Fiio E10?
 
 
 
Click to expand...



I am still quite new to the headphone amp/DAC, so I am not too familiar with what would be good/best. I did some reading, and it seems that the E17 is significantly better than the E10. That being said, since most of my listening is at home anyway, I would not necessarily need the portability of the E17.
 
Of course, other particular good DAC in the same price range (or cheaper) would be great too.
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 5:07 AM Post #12 of 17


Quote:
darkblade48 said:
I am still quite new to the headphone amp/DAC, so I am not too familiar with what would be good/best. I did some reading, and it seems that the E17 is significantly better than the E10. That being said, since most of my listening is at home anyway, I would not necessarily need the portability of the E17.
Of course, other particular good DAC in the same price range (or cheaper) would be great too.
Click to expand...

The Fiio E10 is a good value in it's price range, and you can usually get 2 spare batteries and a battery charger for around $12.
Headphones like the ATH-A700X do not really need that much more then what the E10 offers (nothing wrong with using the E17)
Or any $200 external DAC should improve the sound of your A700X over the Asus's built-in sound features.
I just ordered a DAC called the "DAC Destroyer" for $49, off eBay, ships from Canada.
Use a Fiio E11 with the DAC Destroyer.
 
 
 
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 5:26 AM Post #13 of 17
Have not heard the e17 but I don't think it's a better value than the e11 if that helps.  If you want more of everything then get the 17.
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 6:06 AM Post #14 of 17
Since I am considering buying another pair of headphones anyway, I would like to have a DAC/amp that is "future proof" (if there is such a term in English?)
 
I have been reading a lot on the AKG K550, they seem nice, but now that FunkMasterFlex suggested an open, I am confused yet again....
 
So far I have been recommended:
 
Denon AHD-2000
Sennheiser HD600/650
Beyerdynamic DT 770 (not Pro?)
AKG K550....
 
As far as I know, the hardest to drive would be the Beyerdynamic/Sennheiser headphones...?
 
Mar 28, 2012 at 8:14 AM Post #15 of 17
There's not much of a need of a future proof dac because usb is always going to exist, and music higher than 24 bits of quality probably won't matter with a very low priced, or possibly high priced DAC.  I don't see fiio products somehow just not working on new computers.  I don't know how fast people think the tech world is moving, but usb has been around and will continue to be around as its implementations are constantly improving.  Future proof is just a buzz word to attract customers and I don't really see it as anything more than that.  I can' see the concern with drivers not working in the future though, but centrance supplies dac solutions to so many good products that it's not really a worry anymore.  Besides, spdif doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon.
 
Centrance describes their dac products as future proof because you don't need a driver to run them, so they work on any version of osx or windows, and will continue to do so in the future.
 
Schiit bifrost is described as future proof because it has a drop in slot that could be used for future technologies.
 
As far as headphones I'd suggest open as well.  From what I've read most users seem to prefer sennheiser over beyer for classical, but I'm not a classical fan however I would choose the senns as well if I did.
 
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