[Herr_Jaeger]

I'm looking to make an upgrade to my current set-up, and am looking to spend in the $600 price range. After narrowing down possible options, I've decided between either upgrading to either my headphones or my turntable. I'm wondering what everyone's opinion is. I'm currently using a pair of ATH-m50s, and a Project Debut iii with an ortofon 2m red cartridge. Which would give me the biggest bang for my buck? General recommendations or suggestions? If I go the headphone route, I was thinking maying the LCD-2C or maybe Beyerdynamic dt1990s. If turntable, maybe a Rega P1/P2. I'm all set for speakers and an amplifier/dac at the moment.Thanks for the help.

 

[PurpleAngel]

I really like the sound of my Beyerdynamic T90 headphones, great clarity.
(I know zero bought turntables)
What speakers and DAC/amp do you have?

 

[thornev]

I was at the same place you were and upgraded headphones first...by accident. I was in my local guitar shop and was trying out headphones for fun. The Sennheiser HD280 Pro blew me away because I had never heard such great bass in inexpensive headphones (i.e. under $300). I went home and listened to all my favorite music, smiling with every recording. And then I took the turntable plunge to a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon... and was blown away even more at the higher level of detail in all my music.

I guess what I'm saying is that either way you will be happy at the improvement in the audio listening. What one considers "improvement" is so subjective that it's hard to give an accurate response to your question. Bring your audio player with your favorite tunes and try out different headphones. Or bring your favorite vinyl and try out different turntables with your current headphones.

 

[Herr_Jaeger]

I was at the same place you were and upgraded headphones first...by accident. I was in my local guitar shop and was trying out headphones for fun. The Sennheiser HD280 Pro blew me away because I had never heard such great bass in inexpensive headphones (i.e. under $300). I went home and listened to all my favorite music, smiling with every recording. And then I took the turntable plunge to a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon... and was blown away even more at the higher level of detail in all my music.

I guess what I'm saying is that either way you will be happy at the improvement in the audio listening. What one considers "improvement" is so subjective that it's hard to give an accurate response to your question. Bring your audio player with your favorite tunes and try out different headphones. Or bring your favorite vinyl and try out different turntables with your current headphones.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it! Yeah, that's sort of where I'm stuck right now. I'm sure I would notice a difference either route I take. Tough decisions, I suppose. I'm worried that the upgrade difference between a Pro-Ject Debut iii and a Rega P1 or P2 might not be that significant. I'll take your advice and see if there is any way to demo my gear with some new headphones/turntables.