[CosaNostra]

Hi everyone,
 
I am very new to the world of good sound so I'd like a little advice on what to get. I currently have an old Philips SBC-HP1000 which I use to listen to music via my laptop (I have a little amplifier called the Fiio E5 which I friend gave me). I don't have much knowledge about audio. but from what I read here I narrowed my search to the two headphones in the title.
 
Would either the superlux HD668B or the Samson SR850 be better than the Phillips? I really have no complaints with the phillips headphones. They are very nice and sound great to me, but when I listen to any hip-hop songs I don't feel the thump that I get with my iphone buds. The little E5 amplifier has a switch to increase bass which helps this a bit, but the bass isn't still very good.  
 
I can get the superlux for 55, or the Samsons for 40. Is there any differences between these two to justify the price difference? Would any of you suggest instead getting a better amplifier or like an external soundcard to improve the sound from the Philips? I don't intend on using any of these while I'm out and about so size isn't an issue. I'd like to keep everything under $100 if possible.
 
Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[BotByte]

Yeah.... HP1000's are actually really good headphones.
 
Get a FiiO E9 to drive them.

 

[CosaNostra]

So you'd recommend not buying new headphones? My dad picked up the philips when he went to Germany several years back. He bought them at the airport for the long flight back to the States because they are so comfy (which they are). 
 
I googled the Fiio E9 and it is just a little over a hundred on mp4nation.net. I saw the E7 for a little under, would that be any good considering it has that external sound card feature?
 
Sorry for all the dumb questions, I really don't know very much about audio stuff.

 

[koolkat]

Well the E9 is a desktop amp, while the E7's more of a DAC than an amp. 
 
A Google search came up with a website that had people saying the HP1000s are one of the hardest
to drive 32 ohm impedance headphones, so I think you'll benefit more from a better amp, than a better
DAC. 
 
Ibasso's got this new product, the D-Zero. Built in DAC and AMP, it's about $110. 
Poke around in portable amp subforums for more info. 
 
 

 

[Tacoboy]

Quote:

Hi everyone,
 
I am very new to the world of good sound so I'd like a little advice on what to get. I currently have an old Philips SBC-HP1000 which I use to listen to music via my laptop (I have a little amplifier called the Fiio E5 which I friend gave me). I don't have much knowledge about audio. but from what I read here I narrowed my search to the two headphones in the title.
 
Would either the superlux HD668B or the Samson SR850 be better than the Phillips? I really have no complaints with the phillips headphones. They are very nice and sound great to me, but when I listen to any hip-hop songs I don't feel the thump that I get with my iphone buds. The little E5 amplifier has a switch to increase bass which helps this a bit, but the bass isn't still very good.  
 
I can get the superlux for 55, or the Samsons for 40. Is there any differences between these two to justify the price difference? Would any of you suggest instead getting a better amplifier or like an external soundcard to improve the sound from the Philips? I don't intend on using any of these while I'm out and about so size isn't an issue. I'd like to keep everything under $100 if possible.
 
Thanks in advance for your help.

First off, the Samson SR850 are made by Superlux.
The SR850 uses the same cans (shells) as the HD-668B, so they are both semi-open.
The HD-668B is 56-Ohms, the SR850 is 32-Ohms.
The HD-668B has a detachable cord, it comes with a 3 foot and 10 foot cord.
The SR850 cord is not detachable.
 
I would guess it would only be worth replacing the Fiio E5 if you were willing to spend maybe $100 or more for an solid state amp.
You can get low cost ($50) single tubs amplifiers off eBay, shipped from China.
 
 

 

[CosaNostra]

Quote:

Well the E9 is a desktop amp, while the E7's more of a DAC than an amp. 
 
A Google search came up with a website that had people saying the HP1000s are one of the hardest
to drive 32 ohm impedance headphones, so I think you'll benefit more from a better amp, than a better
DAC. 
 
Ibasso's got this new product, the D-Zero. Built in DAC and AMP, it's about $110. 
Poke around in portable amp subforums for more info. 
 
 

Good point about the DAC, so I finally did some research and found that the HP1000 is a good pair of headphones and that they need an amp. I also read a bit about DACs. Thanks for the pointer about iBasso device, it seems I should be looking into amplifiers rather than headphones to purchase. I'll go bother the good folks in the amplifier sections.
 
Quote:

First off, the Samson SR850 is made by Superlux.
The SR850 uses the same cans (shells) as the HD-668B, so they are both semi-open.
The HD-668B is 56-Ohms, the SR850 is 32-Ohms.
The HD-668B has a detachable cord, it comes with a 3 foot and 10 foot cord.
The SR850 cord is not detachable.
 
I would guess it would only be worth replacing the Fiio E5 if you were willing to spend maybe $100 or more for an solid state amp.
You can get low cost ($50) single tubs amplifiers off eBay, shipped from China.
 
 

 
Thanks for the info about the headphones, unfortunately it seems the headphones I have aren't too shabby so I will probably pick up an amp. I did a search on ebay to find the amp you mentioned. Are they any good or would you recommend just getting a Fiio E9 type thing? I'll make a new thread in the amplifiers section since my questions from now are all going to be about amps instead. Thanks again for the help!

 

[Tacoboy]

Quote:

Good point about the DAC, so I finally did some research and found that the HP1000 is a good pair of headphones and that they need an amp. I also read a bit about DACs. Thanks for the pointer about iBasso device, it seems I should be looking into amplifiers rather than headphones to purchase. I'll go bother the good folks in the amplifier sections.
 
Thanks for the info about the headphones, unfortunately it seems the headphones I have aren't too shabby so I will probably pick up an amp. I did a search on ebay to find the amp you mentioned. Are they any good or would you recommend just getting a Fiio E9 type thing? I'll make a new thread in the amplifiers section since my questions from now are all going to be about amps instead. Thanks again for the help!

I've have two of those "ebay China" tube amplifiers, not something to buy if you care about warrenties, if they stop working, it's easier to throw them away and buy new, then having  to ship it back to China.
Not that easy to find replacement AC/DC adapters, It's costing me $18 and a two week wait for shipping from China.
And you have to open them up and do adjustment to the voltages (two small Philips head screws) to get best sound (it's $6 for a digital multimeter for checking voltages).
So the Fiio E9 is a lot easier to work with.
 
 

 

[CosaNostra]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tacoboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I've have two of those "ebay China" tube amplifiers, not something to buy if you care about warrenties, if they stop working, it's easier to throw them away and buy new, then having  to ship it back to China.
Not that easy to find replacement AC/DC adapters, It's costing me $18 and a two week wait for shipping from China.
And you have to open them up and do adjustment to the voltages (two small Philips head screws) to get best sound (it's $6 for a digital multimeter for checking voltages).
So the Fiio E9 is a lot easier to work with.
 

 
I am pretty bad with tech stuff, I am sure I'd ruin it while opening it or something like that. I think I'll pick up a Fiio E9 or something like that so that which even a noob like me can work with.

 

[koolkat]

An E11 should suffice, if you're looking for something under 100.