So I discovered this site yesterday...oops.
20 hours later, I've ordered some
Ultrasone PRO 900s and an
iBasso D2+ Boa dac/amp. ARGH! Hope this wasn't a decision I'll come to regret. After all, I did work hard to make an informed decision. Still, I've decided to run my logic past you guys in hopes that you can quell any lingering doubts regarding my newfound financial commitment!
First off, I needed a closed-back design. I'm a college student and spend a fair amount of time in the library (though not in the past two days...). As much as I've read that open back designs are more preferred by true audiophiles, I can't help needing to isolate my sound as much as possible. Along with this, I prefer a circumaural design.
Secondly, I wanted a pair of phones that were considered by audiophiles to be fantastic. Even though I may not be a true audio-nut yet, I do have a BIG appreciation for music. I care about little things that most people shrug off as imperceptible. So even if I am not a technologically articulate audiophile, deep down I have a lot of potential.
Thirdly, I wanted my headphones to be an investment; i.e. would last a long time and would therefore be a tad more expensive.
Requirement one eliminated some otherwise good phones. AKG's were out, unless I wanted to stick to their consumer line-up. Sennheisers were out too, for basically the same reason. (The HD 280 Pro didn't overly impressive me; a buddy owns a pair and I've tried them.) Grados aren't circumaural. I didn't read much about the audio-technica cans, which was a sign in-and-of itself. Denons were kind of bulbousy for my taste, and it didn't appear they were strong contenders in the field.
This left me to decide between the HFI 780s, Beyer DT 770 Pro, and the PRO 900s. This was no easy fight. People apparently
love their HFI 780s, especially when modded later on. The Beyers lost my attention, though I no longer recall for what. Eventually I decided to spend a little more and get the 900s in order to satisfy my conditions 2 and 3 (audiophile cans & investment).
To address the standard concerns: I like bass. No, I don't want it to overpower the other ranges, but I imagine my tolerance for bass is higher than others. If in the event I do evolve into a discerning audiophile and I perceive the bass to be overbearing, I'll do the Kees mod and tone it down. Also, I came to learn that these phones need an amp to work even half decently. While a desktop amp would be ideal, I need it to be portable given my current circumstances, so I settled with the iBasso D2+ Boa, since it's a dac/amp, relatively cheap, small, chargeable, and generally viewed favorably by the head-fi community. This will help my computer and iPhone sound decent when using the 900s. And lastly, yes I know I will need to commit to around 400-600 hours of burn-in time to optimize these phones. It's a pain, but I don't mind.
OK. Let me know if I am missing something huge!
I hope I will enjoy them once they get here. I just found out they shipped actually, so next week I can give more info on how they sound out of the box!
