[Psionicist]

Hi there!

First of all, I have almost all of my CDs ripped as MP3s ("--alt-preset extreme" with LAME for an average bitrate of 280 or so, VBR from 320 to 192 kbps if i recall correctly, however some are as low as a static 128kbps). With that said, I also have an above average (but far fram "audiophile") soundcard - TB Santa Cruz. My question is if the Sennheiser HD580 cans are really worth it, if I only listen to compressed music from my computer?

Okey, question two is, if I will benefit (and if it's worth the price) from a headphone amp, XCAN V2 in this case (around $280 in Sweden, $170 for the cans)?

Thanks!

 

[Maxvla]

as long as you are encoding @ 160k/s or better you are getting close to cd quality.

i am doing the very same thing you are. i just ordered some 580s and intend to use them primarily on my computer listening to 160k/s ogg vorbis files through my audigy.

i am planning building my own META42 to improve the sound.

as i don't have the cans or the amp yet i can't give a personal testimony but by reading the various threads the feeling is even with a prosumer sound card such as the TBSC like yours or audigy like mine the 580s are still going to be used to close to their potential. (best being a dedicated reference cd player and cord upgrade with top notch amp)

i think it will be well worth it.

 

[bangraman]

The better your phones, especially those that reproduce treble well, the more you will notice the artifacts. For this very use, I can highly recommend the Beyer DT250-80. It will mask a lot of the artifacts. Once again, an amp is probably irrelevant with such low quality sources.