New to Hi-Fi Headphones, coming from Speakers.

[ryan20az]

Hey Hi-Fi'ers,

I just recently took the plunge (due to other tenants around me) and sold off most of my surround sound system onto Craigslist; because the walls in my place are a little bit thinner than I had hoped, and it was causing a problem with the people around me; we (they) all decided the best thing for me was to sell off my stereo gear, and to move into headphones, and now my question for you.

My budget is around 1.2-1.5k for a headphone/amp setup. I know I have a lot of options with this setup, as I have been reading reviews that have been offered by this site and how different users percieve how thier phones sound.

I am looking for a general all purpose headphone (of one such one exists) So am looking to get the best on of those that I can find. Although if I must I can buy two headphones and most likely be happy switching between them, and possibly picking up more headphones along the way. I listen to mostly rock/punk rock music, and I am a gamer, if there are any headphones that are preferenced towards that. Unfortunatly, I do not have any friends that are into headphones (beyond 20 dollar koss/sony ones) and I have no place where I can test out gear. I do not mind buying online, I do though, mind buying on ebay, unless there is a return policy on the phones that I can purchase there ( I want to make sure I am okay with the sound of the cans. ) Can any of you guys recommend great places to buy (online) that have lenient return policies? Where I could get the best deal?

The headphones that I have narrowed it down to are :

Grado - Grado RS-1
Audio Technica - ATH-AD2000

Also, I have recently noticed that Audiocubes.com has a STAX-3030 Classic system bundle for around ~750, what are the differences in Dynamic headphones vs headphones of this type?.

Any other suggestions as to other headphone/amp combo's that are in my 1-1.5k price range would be appreciated, I can research most of the information if you could just give me the combo type to research.

Also, I have not been able to find any real tangable information regarding amps. The setup that I will be using, is everything will be processing through my computer (can go either digital coaxil or analog ) to my Xi-Fi Platnium, and then it needs to go to an amp, and then I plug my headphones into the amp right? What kind of amp would be best use with the headphone selections above?

Also, I have read that some people run thier setup like this: Source > DAC > AMP > Phones . Is a DAC neccissary for me to buy, or would the DAC's of my Xi-Fi be okay enough? Again, im new to the headphone world, so patience with me is appreciated

Thanks guys for listening, sorry about the longish first post. Im basically just looking to see what you more experienced individuals feel my best options on, considering my budget, and my music/game selections.



Ryan

 

[granodemostasa]

welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet.
I'm sure you know all about compression already...so lets not go through that. with the dac of soundcards, it certainly is good enought to make the system sound good, but it would sound so much better with a great dac...not necessary.. you could always upgrade later if you feel as if the soundcard is a limitation. good dacs: Dac-ah-$220 modded, $190ish unmodded, Zhaolu dac 2X-$200, Digital Storm-Baby DO2 $299, Channel Islands VDA-1 $270-350, Headroom microdac-$299, Digital Storm DO2-$510, and Channel Islands VDA-2 for $599. There actually iis an entire thread on external computer dacs and other such dacs on the computer forum and many on the source component forum.
On headphones- ATH and grado have very different sound...i would encourage you to find a meet or try to audition them. for all around use the K701 is suppose to fit many genres... but the RS-1 is very good as i'm sure you already know-but since it has a small soundstage it might not be the best for gaming. The RS-1 retails for $550-625 on the FS forum.
on amplifiers- Melos has great amps for the grados, there are gilmore offerings that sound excellent as well, the Glite i think is $300 and the GS-1 is $800 and the Glite with upgraded power supply is $500ish. Meier amps also work well with gradoes, the Headfive (comming in july) is $250, the Corda Aria (which has a soundcard inside, so it could work as a dac and amp) is $450 but 375-425 on the FS forum, and the Corda HA2 is around $600. there are also used meier amps that go for 250-300, such as the HAI MKII.
but if i had the $ i would go for: VDA2+power supply>Corda Aria>Blue Dragon V2>HD650.... but i have very different music tastes...

 

[Cyrilix]

1.2K - 1.5K! Now that's an awesome starting budget.

I'll leave other people to make the suggestions for you since, only having owned the DT880s and MS-1s, I don't feel experienced enough to suggest something in your price range. That said, you can have very good sound for less than your budget.

 

[ryan20az]

Bump!

Hey guys, do you any of you have experience with the audio-Technica AT-HA20 Headphone Amps? How would they compare to the headphone amps that headroom sells?

Thanks

 

[003]

Have you ever considered the AKG K1000? It is very highly reagrded here, although I have never heard it.

 

[roy_jones]

If I were you, this is what I'd do:

I'd buy a Squeezebox 3.
I'd buy a Storm Digital D02.
I'd buy a Gilmore Lite v2.
I'd try to find a pair of HF-1's on the FS forum.
I'd buy a pair of AKG K340's, modded if possible. (optional)


This would put you around your max budget, or slightly higher. You'd have to try to pick up most of that stuff used, with the exception of the DAC, which would have to be bought new.

It would give you a great value rock/punk headphone in the HF-1, and the AKG's would be excellent for gaming...and are generally a wicked headphone (if modded)...but might be a bit overkill. You could always substitute a cheaper headphone, that specializes in soundstage/headstage, just for gaming.

 

[Skylab]

Well, here's how I spent my $1,500 after discovering head-fi:

Headphones: Headphile modified Beyerdynamic DT770, $385 (cans+mods).
Amp: Meier Audio Corda HA-2 MkII/SE, $930.

Well, I guess I also spent $200 on the RedWineAudio iMod to my iPod, so that's more like $1,600.

BUT IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY! I SWEAR!

 

[milkpowder]

Oh gosh, 1.5k is a lot of dosh for a beginner. Righty-o.

Grado Labs RS-1 + Singlepower MPX3 = $1.5k

 

[ryan20az]

Hey Skylab,

What mods do you do exactly to your DT770's? I actually did go try out a pair of these today at Guitar City, and they sounded pretty decent.

Can you recommend an amp that synergizes well with them? I was thinking of something along the lines of a Cordia Aria, or could I get away with something cheaper in the 300-400 area?

I seemed to be pretty happy with the DT770's, so, perhaps I can save some money here, lol. Atleast until my ears hear a better set of cans, and I decide its time for an upgrade.

Thanks, your input is appreciated.

Ryan