[Drjim]

Greetings all,.....fantastic forum.
I have just read about 36 straight pages of posts.  And somewhere in that I managed to get lost a bit.
 
I'm not an audiophile per se'.....but I do know what I like when I hear it, and have an otherwise technical background.
 
I have never owned good headphones....home equipment is older Yamaha Nat Sound stuff, Polk monitors...etc.
 
95% of my listening will be MP3's (typical Itunes fair with regards to quality/bitrate) AND Pandora/Spotify pumped out of my computers on-board sound output. 
5% will be plugged into my Ipod listening to Pandora or Spotify.
 
Last year I heard a pair of Beats Studio's,....they completely blew my mind and I instantly bought a pair....for my wife :-|.   I have wanted a pair for myself for quite awhile, however due diligence is really, really, really telling me that I could get a much better sound for that price point.
What I LOVED about the beats (only listening to their demo station) was the bass and overall crisp presence I perceived.  (again,...don't shoot me.....I normally listen at work to Senn HD 201's). The beats just blew me away.
 
So here I am.  I listen to 95% electronic,.....Crystal Method, Prodigy, Daft Punk,...TONS of mid 90's Miami scene dance like Baby Anne, DJ Icey (although he is orlando ...etc.
And some guilty pleasure stuff like current poppy New Boyz, Far East, Dev....etc.
 
Note: * I hate big boomy sloppy bass you typically get from crappy subs thrown in a car trunk.  Not sure how that applies,....just pointing it out.  I DO love tight, punch bass that goes low!  And feels like crisp punch to the face!
 
After all my reading here......I first found the Ultrasone 580's.   Overall they seem to have the bass I need and are more forgiving with non-ideal MP3's and such,......
 
THEN I started reading about the pro 900's.  They seem to have better sound,...BUT are not forgiving with lessor files AND might need an amp to be driven properly?
 
I would LIKE to stay around $300-350 if "possible".  
 
If you've read this far:  Thanks!   Any insight or additional thoughts on this headphone comparison would be most helpful.
 
 

 

[DVDRey]

 
Quote:

I listen to 95% electronic,.....Crystal Method, Prodigy, Daft Punk,...TONS of mid 90's Miami scene dance like Baby Anne, DJ Icey (although he is orlando ...etc.

All is said, buy a Pro900,lol.
 
 
Quote:

After all my reading here......I first found the Ultrasone 580's.   Overall they seem to have the bass I need and are more forgiving with non-ideal MP3's and such,......
 
THEN I started reading about the pro 900's.  They seem to have better sound,...BUT are not forgiving with lessor files AND might need an amp to be driven properly?

 
Its true than HFi580 is more forgiving with bad mp3, but there is a real and big difference in SQ between HFI580 and Pro900.
 
HFi580 is a really fun headphone, but if you like mainly EDM, there is no better headphone imo than Pro900. Pro2900 is better but open and much more expensive in US.

 

[JackeShan]

Pro 900 is awesome for what you listen to. But, they do need an amp to really shine. I actually don't like them at all unamped.

 

[Drjim]

Much thanks guys!
 
This is confirming what I suspected.
 
So at THIS time....I have 2 options:
1) Start reading a million posts on headphone amps.
 
...OR
 
2) Ask here,.....to the more experienced people:  What is a good "inexpensive" amp that will nicely drive the 900's?  
Is there anything in the $100 or sub $100 range that will bring out the 900's properly?
 
I will go start reading,...and also politely wait for some help on #2

 

[JackeShan]

FiiO E10 should be able to drive them properly, (I haven't tried myself). FiiO E7/E9 combo is also good for Pro 900 according to people here on head-fi, but it cost more than an E10.

 

[Drjim]

Interesting!
 
I am reading about the FiiO E7 as well......seems the E10 can be had for $80....and the E7 for $88.     Logic would tell me the E10 is a better model since it has a higher #...lol.
 
Still reading..............
 
Thx!
 
Edit:  WOW.....B&H has the Pro 900's for $306
 

 

[LithoJazoSphere]

What bitrate are the MP3s from iTunes, Pandora, and Spotify?  If they're 320 or higher you should be fine with the Pro 900.  The lower they are below that, the more weight I'd give to the 580.  The Pro 900 is not all that hard to drive.  An E7, E10, or E11 should be fine, or an equivalent CMoy, uDAC, or other lower budget amp. 

 

[PeachesNCream]

It's also worth considering a PA2V2 as a portable to drive those. I have one and an Ultrasone Pro 900 and they sound pretty awesome together. Link is to the Head-Fi article on it.
 
Cheers