[SaladFingers]

Hey boys and girls,
 
I'm thinking of buying some nice headphones, either Beyerdynamic DT880 or some Grado equivalent. and running them from an amp I am yet to build. I'll probably start off with a Cmoy and move on to more elaborate designs such as the AMB mini3, AMB M3 + AMB Gamma 2 DAC or Millett Hybrid MiniMAX. I know I'll really enjoy putting them together but the thing is I'm not sure if it is going to be worth it in the end because all my music is downloaded from iTunes and then converted into mp3 via the iTunes software. Some info regarding bitrates etc. provided below for a few of my songs.
 

 
Should I even bother? Do you have any tips for how to make the most out of my downloaded music?
Cheers.

 

[Mr. B]

Transcoding lossy music to another lossy music certainly isn't going to sound great, and genuinely good equipment will only point out flaws in the source.  Even so, some good headphones could still prove useful.  Surely your lossy music collection isn't the only use you would have for headphones... and in the future you might change your collection to lossless formats.  After I bought my first "real" speakers and headphones, I started phasing MP3 files out of my music collection in favor of FLAC files.

 

[krmathis]

Welcome to Head-Fi!

First of all you should immediately stop transcoding those AAC files you download from iTunes Store to MP3. Transcoding lossy to lossy will throw away even more crucial audio data - potentially resulting in even worse sounding files.
 
Then consider, as you say, going for a nice pair of headphones and a DIY amplifier

 

[The Monkey]

no.

 

[arnesto]

Life if short. Go for it.

 

[daigo]

As long as it's not above your means financially, doesn't hurt to give it a listen. 

 

[MaZa]

Hell, even cheaper but still quality headphones like Beyerdynamic DT-231/DT-235 is worth it. Even if your source isnt that good (as long as they are not complete crap 128kbps MP3 made with old encoders) why make them even worse with complete POS audio equipment? Bad audio equipment doesnt necessarily cover the flaws, but also make those few good things worse...

 

[Katun]

Any upgrade form stock headphones is definitely worth it. Even if you don't spend a fortune.

 

[Landis]

Quote:

As long as it's not above your means financially, doesn't hurt to give it a listen. 

This.
 
Don't blow all your money right away, browse the forums here a little while, look at headphones of all kinds and see what you think will work for you. If you have an audio shop nearby or within your city, it would be a great idea to swing by and demo any headphones they might have available.
 
After you've had a little bit of time to read some reviews, audition some headphones and become a real part of the community, I'd recommend hopping on over to the For Sale forums and picking up some gear on the cheap! Worst case scenario, but stuff you buy can be resold for about the same that you paid-- so even if you choose wrong, you're not out much money.
 
 
Welcome to Head-Fi and sorry about your wallet!

 

[vixr]

I use headphones so as to not disturb anyone else with my music...believe me when I say "headfi is an addiction" Sorry about your wallet...

 

[SaladFingers]

Thanks for the replies everyone. As it turns out one of the guys in my Rugby team is an audio engineer and has quite a massive range of gear for me to listen to. I might even be able to buy some of his unwanted gear from him which will be good because he does have a pair of DT880s which I was looking at anyway so if the sound is right I'm set. PS. I've already purchased a CMOY from eBay for $50 so I'll have something to pair it with for the short term until I build something more substantial.
 
Thanks again.

 

[moocow111]

Go for it. No matter the quality of your music, it's going to sound better with the Beyerdynamic DT880. But, if the bitrate was higher, you would certainly be able to tell the difference between headphones.