[Chone]

I've done some research, but I just don't know enough to comprehend the information needed to make the right decision.

I'm a college student and do all my appreciable listening on a laptop. I'd say most of my music is around 256-320 kbps, not the greatest, but I like decent mp3 files. I listen with HD555's out of my headphone jack. I have a part time job and some extra money, the smart thing to do would be to save it all, but I'm willing to spend about $500 give or take on new audio equipment. About $350 for HD650's and $180-250 on an amplifier or external sound card.

My headphone jack sucks and it's fuzzy at high volumes and while it can drive my 555's adequately, I think those are 120 ohms and the 650's are 300, right? So I mean, I think I need an amplifier more than a sound card because I need the power to drive the headphones, right? DAC amps don't use the sound card to process the music, right? But, do those little things do close to as good a job quality wise as those $200 external sound cards? I assume the extra power is big, but I don't really know.

I just don't know how this stuff is going to scale the sound quality. Like if I get the headphones and no amp, or vice versa. Or if I really should get both, because it's only as good as the weakest link type of thing.

And are portable amps really worth the price if you're not taking advantage of the whole portable thing, or is it worth it in position because my sound card sucks so much? I know there's still the problem of the impedence, but with the 650's scale the sound a whole lot better than an amp coupled with my 555's? Then back to the point that I assume that my 555's don't need an amp nearly as much as the 650's would... I'm just really confused.

 

[milkweg]

For your situation I would get an external DAC with a headphone amp built in. An EMU 0404 USB would make you happy with HD555 but probably not HD650, although it will drive them OK, just not to the best of their ability. Mieir Audio has some decent headphone amps with DAC and crossfeed option in your price range. There is a Mieir Corda Aria for sale the FS forum right now. Also, I have seen people suggest the Zero DAC as an all-in-one solution.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f5/rev...re-amp-269458/

A very good solution would be Benchmark DAC1 but they cost a grand or more.

Others can make more suggestions but that is the type of device I would go for if I was you.

 

[Chone]

If I go with the 650's for sure is there anything more appropriate where you're also getting really good value for what you pay. I'd go up to around $300 if it was worth it. But i'll definitely consider you're suggestion. it's my number 1 option now.

i wonder how much of a difference i'd see between the hd555 and 650 without an amp. i hear that i'll notice a pretty big difference. i want to be happy with an amp that will work with the 650, but will that cost more than $300 if I just want to get a good deal out of those headphones. i'm not the kind of person who will want to suck everything out of them by buying expensive cables, only using lossless music, and buying a $1000+ amp, etc. maybe one day i'll be doing that, but not yet. trying to get like the most bang for my buck amp that goes well with a 650. does anything that can respectively drive headphones of that impedence that expensive?

that amp looks like a great deal though. looks like you can get them for $100 on ebay new.

 

[milkweg]

Just so happens I am researching amps right now for DT990 headphones and for $300.00 it looks like LD MK IV or MKV would be a very good value but that leaves no DAC.

Viewing a thread - Little Dot Models and Pricing Index

You can get a cheap DAC easy enough though for $30.00 or so. The DAC is more to isolate your headphone listening from the EMI of the PC than to increase audio quality. But if you are looking for a budget DAC that will also increase audio quality then this Trend UD-10 looks like it is a good option.

Bottom of the page.

The Nearfield: A Sure Cure for Writer's Block With The Meridian 561, PS Audio Quintet, and Trends UD-10. Article By Steven Stone

I don't know much at all about portable amps and have nevder used one but from my reading the better ones for use with HD650 are the RSA Hornet and the Headroom Total Bithead. Total Bithead has a DAC too and is well within your price range but not sure how good it is with HD650. Headroom has other portable and desktop amps that lots of people seem to like.

http://www.headphone.com/products/he...al-bithead.php

Hers is RSA Hornet.

http://www.raysamuelsaudio.com/products/hornet

$370.00