[zhopudey]

I welcome myself to head-fi without taking permission from my wallet

Where do I start? Well here's my rig - I use my computer as source, playing mainly FLACs, or at least high bitrate mp3s, through my EMU 0404 PCI.

I stay in India, where the few available brands like Senns are exorbhitantly priced. So now that I have a friend who's coming down from the US, I decided to plonk down all my savings and jump right in

Since my source is good enough, (at least to begin with), I'll get the headphones and Amp right now. I have a very rigid upper limit of $500 for both. (but would really really appreciate a lower cost).

My friend can only get the headphones, so I'm thinking of going DIY for the amp. While I couldn't even solder a resistor to save my life, I'll find someone to build it for me.

I mainly listen to rock. Springsteen, RHCP, metallica, Floyd (ohh lots of floyd), Dave Matthews, Massive Attack, Led Zep, Bryan Adams, Dido, Corrs.....some Sade, some Ray Charles, a little Steely Dan, and even Prodigy and Sepultura if I'm feeling too sleepy. Along with plenty of Indian film music, which doesn't have the best recording quality, but the singers are very easily amongst the best in the world.

So, Vocals are very important, as is bass for all the rock. I don't really understand most of the audiophile terms, but I want something that'll get my feet tapping.

I have been going thru all the threads for the last two weeks, and progressively getting more and more confused. According to my budget ( about $300 for the cans), I narrowed down to HD650 / HD600 / K701 / DT880 / DT990 / SR325i. Of these, I've almost rejected the Grados cause the reports of shrill highs frighten me. Plus, I need the cans to be really comfortable for a few hours at least.

Of the others, the Senns are too veiled, the AKG too sterile and analytical, and I could form any conclusion about the Beyers

For the amp, how is PPAv2 ?

Help me out here please

Thanks in advance.

 

[Blackmore]

Grado SR225 + Darkvoice tube amp will fit your bill

 

[RedLeader]

DT990 + PPAv2 would be my personal choice from your recommendations!

 

[zhopudey]

Thanks for the super quick reply

But I need a DIY amp. Does a tube amp cure the Grados of their shrillness? Then I'll have to check if I can get it made here.

 

[zhopudey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedLeader /img/forum/go_quote.gif DT990 + PPAv2 would be my personal choice from your recommendations!

Wow, you guys are fast

The DT990 is actually cheaper than the DT880 @ bhphotovideo.com How come?

Edit: The DT990 Pros are even cheaper. I sure have got my Beyer models mixed up


Edit2: I inquired around a bit, and turns out that it would be difficult getting most of the parts for the PPA here

Now what are my options? I understand that $200 is a pretty low amount for buying a amp. So should I try to get the various parts from the US and built it here?

 

[Henmyr]

Do not buy DT990 pro as they are an older and a little inferior version. Make sure to buy the 05/06 if you buy it.

 

[upangel180]

The 2005 version of the dt990's would be great for the first part of your list, but they would not be very forgiving for the poorly recorded indian music noted. You might want to consider an HD595? They are a bit more forgiving. Plus, if you can't get around to building an amp right away, they will sound better unamped than the dt990.

 

[MaZa]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zhopudey /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks for the super quick reply But I need a DIY amp. Does a tube amp cure the Grados of their shrillness? Then I'll have to check if I can get it made here.

Tube amp with warm-sounding tubes, yes. IIRC John Grado uses a tube-amp to listen his products so they are practically designed for them.

 

[jilgiljongiljing]

I assume you are talking about older recordings when you say poorly recorded for I find some of the newer material to be well recorded. Rehmans recordings are always top notch, as long as you get the original cd. Also I couldnt agree with you more regarding the vox!

That said, I really liked the SR225's. I dont know how feasible it is to get tube amp made exclusively for headphones (if you find someone who would do it for you, let me know )

EQ should solve the sharpness of the SR225's quite a bit, and your friend will be pleased to know that you are asking for the 225's as they are very light and quite compact compared to the other biggies like Beyers.

As for other options, I wouldnt go any lower in the Grado line, only higher if budget permits. You can look at the MS2 if you want to go higher.

I also found the Beyer 880's to have excellent vocal qualities, so that can be considered as well.

 

[zhopudey]

Wow, Now I'm confused. I came here dreaming about HD650 or K701, and no one has mentioned them yet. How do they sound with my kind of music?

Coming to the Grados, what about the comfort factor? Can I get some other pads for them? (Which I can change on my own). I don't know about a tube amp....How would they work with PPA (or any other solid state)? Could someone point me to a good tube DIY design that'll work with the Grado?

And how do the 225 compare to the 325i? And how does the MS2 compare with these?

 

[003]

He can afford $500 each for the headphones and amp for a total of $1000? Well based on that I would get an RS2 or used RS1, and a used singlepower SLAM amp, or the Ear Purist HD, or whatever it's called.

 

[xnothingpoetic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 003 /img/forum/go_quote.gif He can afford $500 each for the headphones and amp for a total of $1000? Well based on that I would get an RS2 or used RS1, and a used singlepower SLAM amp, or the Ear Purist HD, or whatever it's called.

He doesn't want grados?

 

[Icarium]

Grados are not the most comfortable of headphones. For your music I'd suggest the Denon D5000 for ~500 and no idea on DIY amp.

 

[zhopudey]

Eeeks! NO! Stop! That's $500 total

 

[Blackmore]

SR225 are great, warm sounding phones. What sharpness are we talking about

As for comfort, they are very light weight and I never had any issue with them.