[dddmt]

Alright, I'm soon moving away from my home to go to school for two years, and during that time i cannot be completely seperated from my love, Drum 'n Bass. Im looking for a somewhat affordable solution that will accurately pump the sound into my skull, and not upset my neighbors.

Idea 1. I already have a laptop, but it is running Slackware Linux. I was wondering if there was any external sound cards that I could use as an effective amp for headphones in conjunction with my laptop? It would also need to work with linux.. This would be the most economical choice for me, that way I could put the 300usd that an ipod costs into better earphones/headphone amp, tho It would really restrict me to my dorm room.

Idea 2. If the first idea is a dud, I'm probally just going to be looking at buying a Karma, and just rip my cds to lossless, or i might just buy a new cd player. I'll be needing a recomendation on some sweet cans that can satisfy my audiophile ears, and respect the DnB. However, after buying the mp3 player (or PCDP) I dont think I'll be able to afford an amp (tho it would be pefered), so the headphones need to be able to be driven by the Karma, or a nice sony PCDP.

I have no preference as to the type of the headphones, they dont have to be closed, or canal or anything, i have no preference. They just have to be something i can comfortably wear for a few hours at a time, and have audiophile sound and DnB worthy bass. My budget is $300 dollars all together (not including the price for the portable).

 

[Csidinim]

go ahead and get the karma and for great headphones, grab sony mdrv6's which are not that expensive but are excellent sounding with great bass response and most importantly for you, are easily driven out of portable sources.

if you shop around, you can easily find both of these for about 300 altogether.

 

[S_Dedalus]

I really like the Grado SR-80's for drums and bass, they're awesome for metal. And don't just automatically ignore them because some people think they're uncomfortable(to me they're more comfortable than the sennheiser hd570's and sony v6's that I've tried).

 

[dddmt]

after looking around, i was looking at the iRiver SlimX iMP-550, with sr80's. i read that the iriver would have just the power to drive the sr80's, and later i could invest in an airhead portable amp to really make it adequate. or the bithead, it might work with linux.

i may be showing my ignorance here, but please feedback is welcome.

ill take a look at the sony headphones you mentioned, but i decided against a DAP.

 

[S_Dedalus]

I've been listening to my SR-80's without an amp for quite a while now, they do sound better with an amp, but even my ne410 drives them alright.
I also use linux, and I'll see what I can find about usb sound card drivers.

 

[dddmt]

the iRiver is a good cdplayer right? if im going to be shelling out 175 dollars, it better be dipped in gold. couldnt find much reviews on it, and the only reviews seemed to think that it was woven in the finest silk and encrusted with diamonds. However, that can always be bad, they could be one of those "average consumer joe" reviewers... point is, cons on any review page makes me more comfortable, that way problems arent going to sneak up on me. What about the gumstick batterys? are those known to fail, and can i replace them if their capacity diminishes?

EDIT:: ew, it has an fm tuner. i hope it doesnt get in the way of sound quality.
i wish there was a iriver without fm tuner.

 

[jmb]

I recommend:

Player: Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox 3 - refurb from Creative = ~$180
Mobile Amp: Xin Supermini - base model = $120
Headphones: Grado SR225s - price = ~ $180

Portable rock impact bliss!

This set-up can be a bit bulky but a cd player case with extra pockets will hold it all and you'll have room to stash the extra slack from the headphone cord.

If you want a warmer sound go for the Sennheiser HD580's which go for about as much as the Grado 225's or even cheaper.

Ultraportable:

iRiver IHP-120 or Rio Karma and a pair of Etymotic ER4p's.

 

[Watchdog]

If you have the hard drive space, why not the laptop with a Total Bithead and a pair of good phones.

 

[dddmt]

oh i have plenty of harddrive space. the laptop runs linux, not sure how the total bithead would work. dont know if its good either, or if theres other external sound cards/amps for pc's that would work better. i dont really need a crossfeed function

 

[dddmt]

Update:
iRiver SlimX iMP-550 $150 & Grado SR80 $90 & Xin SuperDual $160 = $400

Tho I'm slightly hesitant on the SlimX. I heard horror stories about skipping, and I realize I could probally get a better source for the amp. Otherwise, it looks like it has a nice future with ogg vorbis... now all they need to do is make a PCDP with Lossless.

I'm a fan of simplicity, i dont want my electronics bloated. And FM radios on cdplayers is bloat if you ask me. But other than that, and the roumors of skipping and whatnot, the SlimX seems to be for me.

If not, any other PCDP's ?

 

[dhelm]

I'm getting my iRiver 550 in tomorrow with a pair of HD 580s. Although the 580s arn't what you'd want, I'll report back with the sound quality and feel of the thing. I havent yet purchased an amp, but im thinking the Go Vibe from headsave. I dont have quite the audiophile ear yet, but better than amazon reviews.
-Dan

 

[White Knight]

Soon to be away from school

I'm soon moving away from my home to go to school

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[dddmt]

Oops.

 

[dhelm]

If youd like more info on 550 check an older, quite lengthy thread:
http://www5.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=36869

Has some alright answers and information.