[patrox89]

and by that time of year i mean the holiday season and the choice of what to ask for this year.

i know that ill probably only be getting one main present, my sister goes to BU, one of the more expensive colleges, and my moms job situation is sketchy at best, so i must choose wisely, and any input is greatly appreciated.

right now i have beyer dt 660's, a headroom micro w/ desktop module and my computer with an audigy 2 zs as a source and im looking to upgrade. i listen to lots of music and i play computer games a lot.

i could upgrade source to either a headroom micro DAC or a creative x-fi, both of which are said to be much better than

or i could upgrade my headphones, well not upgrade, but supplement my dt 660's.
i like the dt 880s but want to try another company, so ive also been looking at the senn 595 and the ultimate ears options. i like the super.fi 3's and 5 non pros, but the 5 non pros have been rumored to be too bass heavy.

opinions?

i know that the beyer dt 880 and senn are supposed to match very well with the micro amp, where i am unsure of how the super fis will sound.

to be honest im satisfied with my source, mainly because i have never heard a better source, beside my sony nw-hd3, but hey, ignorance is bliss, right?

 

[marvin]

Well, the DT-880s (or 595's) + X-Fi cost around as much as the Micro DAC by itself, and I think you'd get a bigger bang for the buck that way, especially if your PC is a gaming PC.

Long term though, you're probably going to want a better source than the X-Fi ,and unless CMSS headphone and higher sound settings in games is worth $130 for you, there isn't much point in using the X-Fi with a USB enabled DAC.

 

[K2Grey]

From reports the X-Fi isn't anything special.

If your budget is $300, you could probably buy the Lite DAC-AH (no experience with it, but said to be quite nice from hearsay) for about $170 shipped, sell the Dt-660, and then use the remaining $130 and the money from the Dt-660 for a new headphone.

 

[patrox89]

bump


i really need some input


ive wanted th hd595's for quite some time now but having IEM's would be nice.


please help

 

[CookieFactory]

I'm partial to how versatile and portable IEMs are myself, and I would recommend the E4c for all-around performance.

 

[Teerawit]

Hey, I would only suggest IEMs if you need to go mobile and have a nice portable rig.

Otherwise, if your listening is primarily at home, I would recommend full sized headphones over IEMs. There's just no contest in terms of SQ for the price.

I would suggest getting a DAC over an X-Fi if you do not play computer games alot or care about game audio.

I would recommend the Micro DAC in this case for the USB input option (I wouldn't use an Audigy 2 ZS as a transport) and also for the synergy with your Micro Amp.

 

[gshan]

You've already got a great gaming card that you're satisifed with, so imo hold off on the x-fi.

If you're itching for some extreme isolation, go for a nice pair of IEMs

. No amp needed, you'll save $$ too.

 

[MikeW]

I read quite abit about 595, and while most agree they are a great phone.. those same people agree that the 880's are better in almost all regards.. read up on it . Dac's are nice, but keep in mind if you go that route you get no EAX, no CMSS, just stereo sound. Though im pretty sure Dolby Headphone/5.1 downmix will still work fine, games that have their own "headphone" mode should also work, but x-fi/A2 won't do anything to a SPDIF out stream. To be honest you have a pretty good setup, might think about somthing else.. like a new graphics card or somthing

Once you get past the Good Amp, Good headphone stage, you hit the wall of diminising returns, no matter if you add a dac and power supply, it's not gonna be as big a jump as it was going amped vs non-amped etc..

 

[Teerawit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeW Once you get past the Good Amp, Good headphone stage, you hit the wall of diminising returns, no matter if you add a dac and power supply, it's not gonna be as big a jump as it was going amped vs non-amped etc..

Hey, FWIW, it was a huge jump for me when I went from Audigy 2 to Micro DAC.