Istasi
Head-Fier
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2005
- Posts
- 75
- Likes
- 0
Hello everyone,
My Head-Fi journey began Christmas of 2006, when I received a pair of Sennheiser HD595's. While the sound was great, suffice to say these cans were not for me. My everyday listening environment was chock full of ambient noise, so the HD595's sound was compromised and overpowered. Also, I was using these straight from my 5G iPod with 192kbps AAC's, so they were not near their full potential. Also, the "Sennheiser Veil" always nagged at me. I needed something more forward because I primarily listen to rock. I ended up selling them to another Head-Fi'er a short while later.
Seeking something that would satisfy my need to listen in noisy environments, I did some more research and pulled the trigger on the Westone UM1's. These were simply unlike anything I had ever experienced due to the sheer amount of ambient noise they blocked out. It was just the music, and myself. However, I found them lacking a bit of detail and was not entirely convinced by their sound signature. I passed these along to my dad, who was extremely impressed by their noise attenuation, and now uses them while riding his stationary bike.
While IEM's were great, I needed some everyday headphones for throwing around. After reading about the incredible value of the Koss KSC75's, I ordered a pair. These have been my everyday listeners ever since. A few of my friends have been so impressed they've ordered pairs for themselves. For $15, can you really go wrong? These things sound great for what they cost.
My most recent purchase was a pair of ER6i's. I love how these sound. The detail is great, and while the bass is a little lacking for my preferences, I still find them very pleasurable to listen to. However, getting a proper seal with these is often an uncomfortable exercise. I just can't have these in for more than an hour or so without needing to take them out due to poor comfort. Still, the comfort issue is secondary to the sound, and these are my go-to guys when travelling.
So, that brings me here. Head-Fi has drawn me back in, just begging my wallet to open wide. The lust is simple: full-sized cans. My KSC75's are great for everyday use and the ER6i's for high-noise environments, but what does that leave me for serious listening?
Here's what I'm looking for:
-Something with a bit of punch! I want to feel the music.
-Upfront and involving. I primarily listen to rock with a fair bit of hip-hop thrown in, so I need something that is going to make me want to get up and rock out.
-Closed. These babies need to isolate fairly well. Oftentimes someone has the TV on in the next room, so I need something that will block out that noise with music playing.
-Semi-portable. I want to be able to take these with me when I travel.
-Good for gaming. These will be used primarily for music, but my first hobby is building computers, and I game quite often, so these should have a fairly large soundstage and accurate sound placement.
Right now all of these requisites seem to be pointing towards one candidate: the Ultrasone HFI-780. It seems to have everything I would like. What are my other options? Am I completely wrong in thinking these are the best choice?
That brings me to Part 2. As it stands, my sources are my PC w/ a Razer AC-1 soundcard, and a 160GB iPod Classic. My music is encoded with Apple Lossless. What would people recommend to better the sound quality from these sources? Is a DAC necessary for good quality sound out of the PC, or will just an amp suffice? What affect do DAC's have on 3D imaging from soundcards for gaming? At the very least, I know I need an iPod LOD and a portable amp.
A rough budget for all of this is $400-500. Thanks for reading.
My Head-Fi journey began Christmas of 2006, when I received a pair of Sennheiser HD595's. While the sound was great, suffice to say these cans were not for me. My everyday listening environment was chock full of ambient noise, so the HD595's sound was compromised and overpowered. Also, I was using these straight from my 5G iPod with 192kbps AAC's, so they were not near their full potential. Also, the "Sennheiser Veil" always nagged at me. I needed something more forward because I primarily listen to rock. I ended up selling them to another Head-Fi'er a short while later.
Seeking something that would satisfy my need to listen in noisy environments, I did some more research and pulled the trigger on the Westone UM1's. These were simply unlike anything I had ever experienced due to the sheer amount of ambient noise they blocked out. It was just the music, and myself. However, I found them lacking a bit of detail and was not entirely convinced by their sound signature. I passed these along to my dad, who was extremely impressed by their noise attenuation, and now uses them while riding his stationary bike.
While IEM's were great, I needed some everyday headphones for throwing around. After reading about the incredible value of the Koss KSC75's, I ordered a pair. These have been my everyday listeners ever since. A few of my friends have been so impressed they've ordered pairs for themselves. For $15, can you really go wrong? These things sound great for what they cost.
My most recent purchase was a pair of ER6i's. I love how these sound. The detail is great, and while the bass is a little lacking for my preferences, I still find them very pleasurable to listen to. However, getting a proper seal with these is often an uncomfortable exercise. I just can't have these in for more than an hour or so without needing to take them out due to poor comfort. Still, the comfort issue is secondary to the sound, and these are my go-to guys when travelling.
So, that brings me here. Head-Fi has drawn me back in, just begging my wallet to open wide. The lust is simple: full-sized cans. My KSC75's are great for everyday use and the ER6i's for high-noise environments, but what does that leave me for serious listening?
Here's what I'm looking for:
-Something with a bit of punch! I want to feel the music.
-Upfront and involving. I primarily listen to rock with a fair bit of hip-hop thrown in, so I need something that is going to make me want to get up and rock out.
-Closed. These babies need to isolate fairly well. Oftentimes someone has the TV on in the next room, so I need something that will block out that noise with music playing.
-Semi-portable. I want to be able to take these with me when I travel.
-Good for gaming. These will be used primarily for music, but my first hobby is building computers, and I game quite often, so these should have a fairly large soundstage and accurate sound placement.
Right now all of these requisites seem to be pointing towards one candidate: the Ultrasone HFI-780. It seems to have everything I would like. What are my other options? Am I completely wrong in thinking these are the best choice?
That brings me to Part 2. As it stands, my sources are my PC w/ a Razer AC-1 soundcard, and a 160GB iPod Classic. My music is encoded with Apple Lossless. What would people recommend to better the sound quality from these sources? Is a DAC necessary for good quality sound out of the PC, or will just an amp suffice? What affect do DAC's have on 3D imaging from soundcards for gaming? At the very least, I know I need an iPod LOD and a portable amp.
A rough budget for all of this is $400-500. Thanks for reading.
