[SHADYMILKMAN]

Hey, guys and gals, i am an off an on reader of the boards here at headfi, and finally decided to post, you all seem to be EXTRAORDINARILY knowledgeable on a great assortment of headfone technology here and I would appreciate a few objective opinions on a portable setup that I'm considering for the summer. I have invested a little bit of time trying to access reviews of these products, and I myself am no stranger to getting headfones (some may blast me for one of my last purchases back when I was in high school going on 4 years now when I purchased sonys V700s but hey I did really enjoi the bass it has and for MP3s which sound like crap anyway there was no reason to get an audiophile setup plus the money wasnt there in HS).

Now I will have some money and want to invest in something that will get me to and from class with a minimalist approach, but some of the best sound (one for personal satisfaction and two so that I can show some iPod kids what listening to real music is all about, not just hearing notes (it sickens me to see people using the stock ipod buds)) now I am a MD guy all the way, I had the MZ-R700 and used the stock headfones for a period of time ... then I learned sort of. I moved up to the MZ-N1 and with that i purchased some aiwa buds i think (Aiwa HP-VX101) that were uncomfortable and didnt do much for staying in my ears, after that unsuccessful bout and leaving my N1 feeling a bit unfullfilled I decided it was in my best interest to move back to the traditional headfone configuration of a closed headfone, now without the wealth of knowledge that is headfi.org i got the "cool" headfones MDR-V700s, at the time I only used them for movies and my computer (its convienent and respectful to family members and roommates rather than blasting speakers when you dont have to) however they left something to be desired. Shortly thereafter I moved to the EX70s and purchased a MZ-N10 which was because I fell and pretty much destroyed my N1 ... that was a bad night. Irregardless the setup I've used for the last 3 years or so have been my N10 and the EX70s and now I feel as though I have outgrown the limiting sound of the EX70s(and slight overbearing bass (I chose not to mod my 70s just because I didnt want to)) and also need to enter the foray of HiMD which I have been excited about for sometime(MD is one thing that I do know about).

What I would like to purchase during the course of the summer is Sony MZ-RH10/Sony MDR-SA5000/Shure E4c, now I have heard some really good things about the SA5Ks and from a few reviews here people seem to enjoi their sound and feel, so with that I will probably look for a pair to sample before I purchase as well as the RH10 which seems like the best portable option for high quality audio right now, Optical recording from any source that has a Opt-Out on a HiMD disc seems reasonable it should proove a good combination for some classical songs i like to listen too. Also getting a few MP3s that i just wont buy a the CD for on the same disc is an incredibly appealing feature. I predominatly listen to Jazz/HipHop.Rap/Classical. I also havent been able to read too much on the E4c's because well they are just shipping this week ... (does anyone know if I will have to become a "white chord kid" or will there be other colors available?) but the showing of popularity of the earphones seems pretty high, and wouldnt expect a shoddy product from Shure.

With all this said, I would like to know if the amp in the RH-10 is enough to drive A) SA5K, and B)E4c's now, I know that amps make headfones sound better, but by how much and would it be necessary to attain an output that seems pretty reasonable, im not one to blast my music to the point that I would go deaf, but I am one who enjois hearing all aspects of a song, now this point is different for everyone but lets just say Id be willing to do without an amp if it isnt completly necessary. I will also be using the SA5ks for my pc (not games(thats what speakers are for), but for listening to music while i work). I would appreciate any insight to my situation or any links to previews of the Shure E4cs ... and i am going to wait a few weeks for some comprehensive reviews because it takes time to burn in a new pair of earfones, especially a new line and time for people to adjust to their sound (provided it is unique). Also the color thing isnt a big issue i just dont want people asking me what kind of iPod I have.


Thanks
SHADY

 

[devwild]

Welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet

I hope you don't take this as terribly offensive, but you may want to edit your post and break it into paragraphs... I'd like to read it, but I can't follow the lines very well...

Edit: to answer one of your questions, though the SA5000 is low impedance, I really think it needs an amp. The little I've tried it unamped sounds very annemic, and normal sources lack the speed that makes the SA5000 what it is meant to be. I can't speak personally to the E4 as I haven't tried it, but it would seem that would fair better under the same circumstances.

 

[Ttvetjanu]

Paragraphing

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handou.../gl_pgrph.html

 

[ayt999]

so basically....
Quote:

Originally Posted by SHADYMILKMAN I would like to know if the amp in the RH-10 is enough to drive A) SA5K, and B)E4c's now

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHADYMILKMAN I know that amps make headfones sound better, but by how much and would it be necessary to attain an output that seems pretty reasonable

Quote:

Originally Posted by SHADYMILKMAN I would appreciate any insight to my situation or any links to previews of the Shure E4cs

I think people would be more inclined to answer you if you are more direct and not hide your questions within a mass of storytelling.

my answers to the questions are: yes (well, it will drive them, but how well I don't know), depends on the application, and I too am looking forward to more E4 impressions (there have been a few already btw).

 

[Ozric]

 

[spike33]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozric

thats cute

 

[dj_mocok]

On your next post, could you please make some paragraphs or hit "enter" once in awhile ? The stuff you wrote was too cramped together, made me didn't feel like reading it...

 

[Jahn]

this is what happens when you lurk too long - holding it in is bad for you. plus, if you post regularly, your skin clears up.

 

[hugz]

shady .... SRO??

 

[dj_mocok]

Ahh... Shady, you actually listened to the criticism and made paragraphs... Good on you.

Now I can read those stuff you wrote, lol...

I'm not the expert here, but based from my limited knowledge, I think if you're coming from stock earbuds (or something more or less similar) and never tried proper headphones before, you'd find ALL headphones that are generally mentioned here on Head-Fi are great.

But as you try different types of headphones/amps and as your wallet become thinner and thinner, you'll develop your own taste of headphone sound. That's why we have hardcore Sennheiser people here, and hardcore Grados, or Staxes, and some lost souls who don't really know what they like and have a bit of everything...

About the MD you mentioned, RH10, not sure, never tried them before, but I wouldn't say they have amps, but more like a headphone socket ?

And if you wanna use your headphones for portable as well, mind you that MOST headphones here are not really that portable. You can wear them of course, at the risk of being a centre of attention while you're walking and you'll look like a dork.

Maybe you can get away with Grados since they're not that big compared to others... By saying that, I'd suggest you to try something like lower/mid range grado first since they're not that hard to drive, and you can pretty much plug it to anything and it will sound great.

One thing though, some people can't really wear Grados for a long time, so you might consider about comfort issues too. I personally don't have any problem with that. Maybe you can find a shop nearby that you can try them on and see how you like them.
One more thing to note, Grado is totally open headphones, so it'll pretty much leak a lot and not suitable for portable.

I personally can't be bothered about getting the max out of my portables, that's why I only use Senns MX500 + my discman for portable and put all the money where the sun don't shine; indoor at home it is.

(or you PC system in your case)

Well, so all in all, you can either use Grado/Alessandro and don't have to worry about amping them (although an amp is a plus), or buy some entry level amp and use the headphones that generally need amp, eg. Senns 580, some DTs/ AKGs...

Or you can join the A900 crowds and be the 1,243rd member of team A900.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn this is what happens when you lurk too long - holding it in is bad for you. plus, if you post regularly, your skin clears up.

but you might go blind.

 

[Wil]

Not to mention pregnant too.

 

[SHADYMILKMAN]

thanks mocock, I am currently looking for a store around here that I can go and try out some headfones that arent the V700s because as we all know stores like best buy and cc thats all they have (not saying that im going there to get my components but they are everywhere). I would like to find a shop like tweeter or something that could possibly have something in the way of a mid/high mid set up that I can sample. Ill look in to the grados, comfort is an issue the V700s hurt after about an hour of wear and make your ears sweaty which is why i was lookin to the sa5ks to replace them they look a lot more comfortable. But I need to get somewhere that has an assortment of headfones

Its sad that im the only person I know that respects sound and it took an off pair of headfones to get me to acknowledge that, I will look into some amp configurations that some ppl may have with their RH10 over on MD-TStation and see their opinions on how well the unit needs assistance.

Thanks
SHADY