[afrobat]

This is a guide I feel is long overdue and really necessary, especially now with a huge influx of new head-fiers.
 
I have been thinking about writing a guide like this for some time, but didn’t feel like I had enough experience to write it until now. I am certainly still very uneducated compared to many of the people here on head-fi, but seeing as no one has started this yet I may as well start it off. Keep in mind that everything here is pretty subjective and there will inevitably be disagreements between people, but regardless, the more sources you have, the more informed a decision you can make.
 
This Guide is for
Those newbies who are wavering between a few different product combinations and are not truly sure what the best value is. This is for those who want to get the best bang for their buck. This guide will hopefully give you a few things to keep in mind when trying to find what to avoid disappointment and help you make a better decision before making that plunge. 
 
This Guide is NOT for
Those who have experience. It is not for those who have owned 30 different amps and are wondering if they should get that new $5000 Stax and $4000 amp to get the absolute full potential from their HE-6 and LCD-2. But while this does not target you guys, you obviously have way more experience than I do and I would encourage you to contribute to this and grace it with your awesome knowledge.

What I am aiming for with this guide is to give value comparisons that are not often seen on head-fi to give an overall better sense of value.
 
[size=14.0pt]Upgrading Headphones[/size]
 
When I refer to upgrading headphones, I am referring to an upgrade to another tier. This means going from a pair of $100 headphones to a pair of $250 headphones.
 
The main takeaway point for headphone upgrades is that diminishing returns is very hard at work here. It is very likely that the first pair of good headphones you get is going to be the biggest upgrade in sound quality you will really ever have. The amount of sound quality gain you get starts declining, I would say, at maybe around $200, and quite rapidly.
 
For example, a pair of ~$120 Audio Technica M50s are worse in pretty much every way than my ~$600 Audio Technica W100X. But at 5x the cost, I would be hard pressed to say that there was more than an 80% improvement in overall sound quality. By sound quality, I mainly mean things that are not subject to sound signature changes, i.e. clarity, soundstage, etc.… I am sure the difference between cost and performance is even less so for higher cost headphones.
 
When It’s NOT Worth It
1.     1. If you are thinking about upgrading your headphones just ‘coz, it’s probably not worth it.
2.     2. If what you are looking for is that same amount of “wow” that you got when you purchased your first headphones, an upgrade probably will leave you a little disappointed.
3.     3. If you currently hate your current headphones and want a drastic change in sound signature, you should probably not upgrade, but get a pair of headphones in the same price range.
 
When It’s Worth It
1. When looking at a new pair of headphones, you should, from the very start, ALWAYS be keeping in mind what you are looking for in your new pair. This usually means that you are looking for a slight change in sound signature.
1.     2. If you already very much enjoy your current headphones and just want it to be better in a specific area while keeping the rest the same/similar.
2.     If you already think your headphones are awesome. You think you already have the perfect sound signature and just want everything to be just a little bit better (just a little bit, because you really aren’t going to get something 3x better than what you have now). 
 
 
[size=14.0pt]Do I Need an Amp/New DAC?[/size]
 
This seems to be one of the most commonly asked questions of late so let me address it. The answer is NO. You do not need a new amp. This of course is a generalization; if you own a pair of orthos, in all likelihood, an amp is necessary. In most cases, though, it really is not. I am likely going to get an angry mob trying to lynch me for making that statement, but usually this is true.
 
If you are wavering between getting a new $300 headphone or a $150 headphone with a $150 amp, you should probably go with the $300 headphones.  The biggest differences in sound are going to be headphones by a very wide margin, and then everything else. I would say as a rough estimate, that headphones contribute about 80% to the overall sound quality, 10-15% going to the quality of your music’s audio quality and the rest between amp and DAC.  
 
The key here is not that amps don’t make a difference, because they do, and it is noticeable. But the difference in sound quality is very small in comparison to the amount of improvement you could be getting with that money had you spent it elsewhere.
 
Keep in mind; amps are there for you to get the most out of your existing headphones and as such will not scale anywhere near as well with increased spending as headphones do. Amps are there so that you can bring out every last drop of awesomeness from your headphones. It will take your headphones from 95% of their full potential to that 100% full potential, at a very hefty price.
 
For example, if you have a pair of ~$120 m50’s, adding a $250 amp will net you an audible improvement, but you could probably get a pair of $150 or $160 headphones that sound just as good as your m50’s with that amp. This also means that you could have spent that $250 or $370 and gotten a significantly better pair of headphones.
 
When It’s Not Worth It
1.     1. You are looking for a step up from your current headphones. An amp isn’t going to make your ad700s sound like ad900s no matter how much you spend on an amp.
2.     2. You feel something is lacking from your headphones. An amp will not bring out something that is not there. If you feel that your ad700 is lacking in bass, even if you get an amp that supposedly brings out the bass, the ad700 will still lack bass. Again, the differences you get from amping are quite subtle.
 
When It’s Worth It
1. You are very satisfied with your current headphones and feel that they have some lasting value. You do not think your headphones are really lacking anything specific, but you want to eke out a little bit better performance out of them.
2. Long term investment. This means that you KNOW what your next headphones are or you have some headphones already and want the benefit of an amp/dac for all your headphones or future headphones. Just make sure that you are aware that the amp is compatible with the headphones you want.
 
 
 
 
[size=14.0pt]IEMs vs. Headphones[/size]
 
This one is going to be a short section. The main difference, sonically, is that IEMs are much clearer and headphones have much better soundstage. When I say much better, I really do mean much better.
 
For portability, I would say that, generally, IEMs isolate better than headphones. There is also the obvious difference in size.
 
For Example,
Clarity: my $80 re0 IEMs are a little clearer than my $550 W1000X headphones. Granted the re0 has much better clarity than most in that price range, I say this comparison still stands and shows just how big of a difference it really is. 
 
Soundstage: The m50 has a mediocre soundstage for headphones; it really is not that big, but is quite huge compared to most IEMs. The re0’s soundstage is average for IEMs and, while accurate, cannot compare in soundstage size to any headphones I have ever tried.  I don’t quite remember how the TF10’s soundstage was, but if I recall correctly, the above average soundstage of the $200 tf10 may have almost matched the mediocre soundstage of the $120 m50.
 
When should I get IEMs and When should I get headphones?
1.     1. If you care about clarity above all else, get IEMs.
2.     2. If you want superior isolation, get IEMs
3.     3. If you value portability, get IEMs
4.     4. If soundstage is something you want to enjoy your music to the fullest, get headphones.  
 
 

 
Quote:

At the end of the day, no matter how you slice it, in the end it really still comes down to affordability on an individual basis.  Defining a budget and not deviating from the set budget, as well as auditioning gear (if given the opportunity) are invaluable to the decision-making process.

 
 
 
That’s it for now. I will have more to add later, but I’m getting tired right now so I’ll make those additions and changes later. I’m too lazy to proofread right now as well, but I don’t think there should be any major things wrong with it.
 
I would like to reiterate that this is mainly just MY opinion. This topic is to give you advice from myself and any discussion that follows this post should be taken into at least equal consideration.
 

 

 

[pp312]

Agree with you about the importance, or perhaps lack of it, of amps. Also agree that you're going to get lynched by an angry mob.
 
Don't worry though. It's happened to me more than once and it didn't hurt all that much.

 
Nice piece anyway. Well thought out, well written.  

 

[sridhar3]

Excellent post.
 
I would like to add, though, that an amp is also worth it when it's a long-term investment.  For instance, if I theoretically had a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990, 600ohm, but I was planning to upgrade to an Audez'e LCD-2 within the next six to twelve months, I'd be more inclined to shell out for a Lyr, than if I had Sennheiser HD650 that I wasn't planning to upgrade for a long time.  That is to say, if you feel that you'd be satisfied with a single purchase, versus if you're the type of person who would be easily affected by upgrade-itis.
 
At the end of the day, no matter how you slice it, in the end it really still comes down to affordability on an individual basis.  Defining a budget and not deviating from the set budget, as well as auditioning gear (if given the opportunity) are invaluable to the decision-making process.

 

[afrobat]

Good points, I'll add that stuff in

 

[keanex]

Good posts but the IEMs being more clear than headphones is a gross overgeneralization. RE0 are very clear, this does not mean that other IEMs of the same price share this trait. Compare the Ad700s to the RE0, same price, and you'll find they both have roughly the same clarity.

 

[afrobat]

Really? I have the ad700 and re0 as well and I found the re0 much much clearer than the ad700. In fact I find it clearer than my w1000x as well. I don't think it's just the clarity either. The ad700 has pretty grainy sound while the re0 doesn't, so in just general resolution I feel the re0 is better in clarity and such than the ad700.

 

[keanex]

The Ad700 are grainy looking back after listening to my ad900, but I think they sounded amazing for the price, especially unamped. The RE0 are certainly clear like I said, but without an amp I don't think they're much better than the Ad700. I'll have to do some listening to them both tomorrow when I'm not so tired.

 

[Kernmac]

A decent amp also becomes better value for money when you own or plan to own, more than one headphone at a time.  Many people search for that subjective "better" sound, when in reality a change in sound to suit a mood and or genre is often the answer.  Don't always aim for "better" and replace your current headphone; multiple is the way to go and that is where an amp becomes a worthwhile investment with an ecconomy of scale.

 

[keanex]

That's what better is though, better for the person's needs. There is no objective better in headphones/sound.

 

[Kernmac]

[size=small]Purchasing and keeping more than one headphone over time doesn't need to be at odds with a person's needs/perspective/preferences.[/size]
[size=small] [/size][size=small] [/size]
[size=small]My points and there are two of them are:[/size]
[size=small] [/size][size=small]Amps become a better value proposition when you have more than one headphone, as the cost of the amp and the improvement they provide is spread.[/size]
[size=small] [/size][size=small]My second point is that what might seem better today may not be better tomorrow, as a persons perception can change with mood, genre of music among other things. [/size]
[size=small] [/size]
[size=12pt]Rather than sell and replace every phone you own and often get caught up in new toy syndrome where people confuse new and different for “better” for a very short period of time, consider looking for multiple headphones (at least two) that do things differently (obviously keeping the individual’s needs and preferences in mind).  This may not seem like a budget approach at first, but it may be cheaper in the long run if the person chooses wisely. [/size]
 
[size=12pt]As an example; one headphone that is open, wide sound stage, with a mid high sound signature  AND another closed, mid bass focus headphone for different moods/genres.  This may reduce the number of times a person buys and sells chasing the holy grail (looking for better) a headphone for all occasions, all moods, and all situations [/size]