Please help the newb decide! :)

[IstariAsuka]

Hi, I'm fairly new to the whole audiophile world, and I'm looking for a bit of advice as far as headphones go. Since I'm a newb, please try to excuse me if I use my terminology incorrectly when describing something.

Right now I own a pair of HD495s, and have for some time (unamped). However, I have found them to be overly harsh and fatiguing--my ears tend to start getting irritated after 1-1.5 hours. Sounds are no very clearly isolated from each other, resulting in a somewhat murky feel. Also, though this may be mostly because they are unamped, there is no soundstage to speak of. When listening critically to them I get the impression of a flat plane, with no 3 dimensionality to speak of.

I have used my brother's HD580's somewhat extensively, and quite like them (also unamped

). Very much clearer than my 495s, and I don't mind the Senn sound at all. They also have a much better soundstage, even unamped. I can use them for way longer than my 495s without any irritation.

I have used my dad's electrostatic Koss ESP-950s as well, though not as extensively. Obviously not the best ES cans given that I've seen nothing about them around here, but they are very detailed. Not as enjoyable overall as the 580s, I don't like the sound as much (bass seems rather weak), but I enjoy the detail a lot.

Additionally, I do have experience with nice speaker setups, as both my dad and his college friend have built their own speakers, and they sound great.

So, now that you know where I'm coming from, let's get to the point. I have up to $700 to spend between headphones and amp, though I would prefer to stick to $550.

My main sources are a iRiver iMP 350 (used most often, for convenience), my computer (SB Live), and a universal SACD/CD/DVDA player.

I'm leaning towards the SuperMono heavily for my amp, probably without all the extra switches and features, but with opa637, and x3 buffers. My dad should be able to get/install the opa637 himself, so I estimate that the cost would be around $300 for the amp, leaving $250-$400 for the headphones.

I'm primarily considering the CDR-3000, the HD580, and the HD650. I'm a bit worried that the sony would irritate my ears, hearing as they are more forward and bright. Now, it seems the 580 costs about $160, and the 650 about $315. I'm thinking that it would be worth the extra money to be more future-proof in the form of the 650, but I'm unsure... It certainly would save money if I later decided I wanted to upgrade to the 650. Also, I'm considering getting the Oehlbach cable, since I could fit it into my budget, and it's resonably priced, though I'm unsure if it's worth the money at this point in time.

So, what do you guys think? Is it worth the extra money to go for the 650 over the 580? What about investing in the cable, even though often I'll be using my portable CDP as my source? Would you guys suggest something entirely different, amp or headphone-wise? Thanks for your help!

(Oh, and sorry for the loooong post, I just wanted to give you guys an idea of where I'm coming from.)

 

[Kirosia]

Mg-head otl amp w/ upgraded tubes ($250 used), HD600 (approx. $200), and a chaintech av-710 ($30) or EMU 1212 (approx. $200) soundcard or whatever it's called. For a home CD player, I'd say NAD c541i (approx. $270 used)

(I think I got the souncard names right, I think)

 

[IstariAsuka]

Well, I was looking at the SuperMono instead of another amp primarily because it's portable, and eventually I'd like to outfit myself with some etys or other canalphones for portable use. A seperate amp for home and away is basically not much of an option right now, given that I am a poor student, and will be spending most of my money for this home setup.

 

[cosmopragma]

For your budget I'd recommend a Stax Basic System II.
Less than 500 directly imported from Eifl/Japan.
Much better than the old Koss, especially in the bass department.
A real bargain IME, you'd have to invest at least 1000 into a dynamic headphone/amp combo to get a comparable quality.
And, please, don't underestimate the influence of the source, I'd strongly recommend a source upgrade, at least an Emu 0404 (less than 100) or better an Emu 1212 (about 200 $) is affordable and within your budget.
Last but not least, you'll have to learn how to set your system properly up, hardware and software.Unfortunately high quality computer audio is literally anything but plug and play.All the information you'll ever need for system tweaking is already available in the Computers- as- source Components subforum or simply ask the members.

 

[PinkFloyd]

gspaudio Solo and a pair of AKG K-501


If you can use a soldering iron WNA and a pair of K-501


BTW......... welcome to Head-Fi