[kugino]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divinesin Thanks alot, i think i am going for teh Allessandro MS-1's and a new soundcard for my computer. Although i do have one final question, would it be better to buy a small amp (say in the 150 dollar range) like the Headroom Airhead, or buy a new sound card like the EMU 0404? Also is the EMU 0404 the best soundcard for the price, (100 bucks)? I will be running my external sound system/Allessandro MS-1's through it. Right now all i have is an SBlive 5.1 Value.

i think you can get a much better amp, IMHO, than the airhead for around $150. look at a pimeta...

i don't know much about soundcards, so i'm not sure whether you'd want to upgrade soundcard first or do the amp...most would probably say that source is more important, so the soundcard might be the first change...

 

[ixeo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divinesin Thanks alot, i think i am going for teh Allessandro MS-1's and a new soundcard for my computer. Although i do have one final question, would it be better to buy a small amp (say in the 150 dollar range) like the Headroom Airhead, or buy a new sound card like the EMU 0404? Also is the EMU 0404 the best soundcard for the price, (100 bucks)? I will be running my external sound system/Allessandro MS-1's through it. Right now all i have is an SBlive 5.1 Value.

with the E-MU 0404 you still need a headphone amp since it doesn't have a headphone out. you can go with one of the Cmoy amps built by the builders here for cheap, or even a used one.. it will be able to drive the MS-1s sufficiently.

but i think 0404 + cmoy + MS-1 would be an excellent choice with your budget (150 for soundcard+amp and 100 for headphones).

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divinesin Thanks alot, i think i am going for teh Allessandro MS-1's and a new soundcard for my computer. Although i do have one final question, would it be better to buy a small amp (say in the 150 dollar range) like the Headroom Airhead, or buy a new sound card like the EMU 0404? Also is the EMU 0404 the best soundcard for the price, (100 bucks)? I will be running my external sound system/Allessandro MS-1's through it. Right now all i have is an SBlive 5.1 Value.

just a warning - the MS-1 is an open can not closed. also, it is very revealing and will show crappy MP3s to be what they are - crappy. some tunes you might now find unlistenable. finally, it's a foam pad design that sits on your ears, not something like the HD280 that will cover your ears in a pleather padding. you may feel less comfort. but the MS-1 won't clamp as hard as the 280, and the grado headband can be bent back, which is not as easily done on the 280 (prone to cracking headband).

 

[Divinesin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn just a warning - the MS-1 is an open can not closed. also, it is very revealing and will show crappy MP3s to be what they are - crappy. some tunes you might now find unlistenable. finally, it's a foam pad design that sits on your ears, not something like the HD280 that will cover your ears in a pleather padding. you may feel less comfort. but the MS-1 won't clamp as hard as the 280, and the grado headband can be bent back, which is not as easily done on the 280 (prone to cracking headband).

Yea i realize this, most of the mp3's i do listen to are good quality in the first place so i am not too worried about that. BUT what i am worried about is that the EMU 0404 is only a stereo card..I use my PC for gameing as well as movies and really need atleast a 5.1 card, what would you recommend?


And i was told that the MS-1's wouldnt need an amp to sound decent?

 

[ixeo]

you can still keep your SB Live! card and run a dual soundcard setup together with the 0404. its done easily. check the computer as source forums.

MS-1 wouldn't need an external amplifier, but the E-MU 0404 card doesn't have a headphone out, only a line out so you'll still need an amp.

 

[Divinesin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ixeo you can still keep your SB Live! card and run a dual soundcard setup together with the 0404. its done easily. check the computer as source forums. MS-1 wouldn't need an external amplifier, but the E-MU 0404 card doesn't have a headphone out, only a line out so you'll still need an amp.

Yea but that kind of defeats the whole purpose for me..I didnt want to buy an amp for a while as i am not made of cash and 200+ dollars is alot. Could they still be run through the 0404 and not use a amplifier? or could i just run the sound card to my Jvc reciever and use its headphone-out jack?

 

[ixeo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Divinesin or could i just run the sound card to my Jvc reciever and use its headphone-out jack?

yeah that would work.
not made out of cash? yeah i know how it feels. instant noodle is your friend

btw you said a budget of 150 for a small amp so i figured the soundcard + small amp = 150 anyway..still within your budget.. you got me confused. maybe you should set your budget before asking for opinions.

 

[Divinesin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ixeo yeah that would work. not made out of cash? yeah i know how it feels. instant noodle is your friend btw you said a budget of 150 for a small amp so i figured the soundcard + small amp = 150 anyway..still within your budget.. you got me confused. maybe you should set your budget before asking for opinions.

No no, i said 150 only for an amp and not a new soundcard, which would be 50 bucks over my budget and reasonable. Unless i am missing something and there is an amp for 50 dollars that would drive them well?

 

[ixeo]

mm i think you can find a standard CMoy amplifier for about $50, or maybe less if used.

E-MU 0404m = $100
CMoy Amplifier = <$50
that totals to bout $150

here's links to some cmoy amps, but i dont know if they are still available..but just to give you an idea
cmoy #1
cmoy #2

 

[Divinesin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ixeo mm i think you can find a standard CMoy amplifier for about $50, or maybe less if used. E-MU 0404m = $100 CMoy Amplifier = <$50 that totals to bout $150 here's links to some cmoy amps, but i dont know if they are still available..but just to give you an idea cmoy #1 cmoy #2

Alright thanks alot! I think thats what i am going to do

 

[Divinesin]

One last and final question!

http://www.evilfire.com/silver.html how is this Cmoy amp? Either the silver one or the altoid one..(not sure of the difference).


Or should i just spend like 30-50 and get one from someone on here?

 

[metal_monger]

the truth of the matter is that the 280's do sound pretty good, esp considering their cost. they are extremely comfortable and i can wear mine for 4hours or so at a time. they sound pretty good for rock and death metal.

you may want to get a chaintech av-710 sound card, i used to run that directly into my 280's and it sounded pretty sweet.

i added a airhead amp and it sounds better, but it was pretty damn good sound before the amp anyway. buy them from somewhere that you can return them if you dont like them.

just remebe the 280's do require crazy amounts of burn in time (leave them burning in overnight).

i cant speak as to the grado 60's but i can i tell you that my grado 325's i can only wear for about a hour or so before they get uncomfortable. also the grados provide virtually no isiolation whatsoever, so if you are in a queiet place then great, but any noise and you will hear it. the 280' excel here.

 

[jpr703]

I own the 280s and think that they're great cans for the money, especially if you're looking for a sealed design. Musically, I prefer my Grado 225s but in noisy situations the Senns are tough to beat.

I can also vouch that the break-in period on these cans is pretty extensive. Hook them up to a FM radio and let them play for several days straight. You will notice a difference.

Also, any good set of cans is going to reveal the limitations of your source. Don't let that stop you from making improvements in your set-up. Getting a decent set of headphones is a good first step.

 

[ixeo]

in terms of SQ, open cans would often whoop closed cans (most of the time, i know there are exceptions). do remember he's gonna be listening distorted mp3 files, so the 280 WILL reveal all its flaws, doesnt make a difference if he had a better soundcard or even an external dac since the file is distorted. as for that amp, uh, i saw the price, 50 british pounds? urgh, you can just grab a cheap one off the For Sale forums here, and help a head-fier in the process

Quote:

any good set of cans is going to reveal the limitations of your source.

not the way the 280 pros do. keep in mind that they are designed, and intended as studio headphones, not casual listening headphones so their job is to point out any flaws that exist in the track.

 

[goldenear]

I bought my 280pro's cause I listen at home, with a pretty good source(NAD T532) and a pretty good receiver(Nakamichi Receiver 3) as my amp. I am thrilled with it's performance so far. Yes, the CD's and LP's that I own that are not as well recorded aren't as enjoyable to listen to, but since thats a small percentage of my collection I don't mind. I beleive if you prefer a set that colors and hides perfections in the material, don't get these. Personally I wouldn't spend over $50 for cans that do play music with coloration.