[bubbers214]

Hey guys, I've been lurking around these forums for a few days, waiting for my activation to go through

, anyway I think that I have narrowed it down to three sets. The Senn 580's, and either the audio technics A500 or A900, i really only want to spend like 150, so I really dont want to go to the a900's, but im wondering if the sound quality difference is worth the extra 100 dollars. If i get the senns im gonna get the Oehlbach cable upgrade because i have heard that really improves their sound. I mainly listen to rock music so if you guys have any better suggestions (other than grados, i dont really like the look or the comfort of those), I would appreciate it. Thanks.
EDIT: I currently am using Senn HD497's which i will be using for my Ipod exclusively now and need a new set for my comp.

 

[lindrone]

The cost of HD580 really isn't just the price of the headphone itself... You should consider getting an amp way before the cable upgrade. Without an amp, HD580 just aren't properly powered, cable would make absolutely no difference. They wouldn't sound anywhere near what you expect them to be.

A900 is all-around, probably the best "unamped" headphone for under $200. It doesn't take a whole lot to get it running, it's very forgiving and versatile.

 

[blessingx]

Welcome offically to Head-Fi.

What are the phones going to be plugged into?

 

[bubbers214]

the phones will be plugged into my soundstorm soundcard, im looking in to getting a new one like an maudio or the chaintech but i want to get the headphones first, and i have very limitied funds.

 

[blux]

Bump on the A900...

 

[Eagle_Driver]

I'd say that a lot of $150 headphones really need an amp in order to sound their best. And the Senn 580's will definitely be underpowered when used directly out of the output jack of a computer soundcard.

As for the A-T line, I'm not a big fan of any of them. They all have funky sucked-out midrange, the last time I listened to their high-end models.

I hate to say this, but I'd recommend sticking with your current cans, unless you're going to buy an amp.

And most consumer PC soundcards, and all motherboard-integrated audio outs (including the analog output of your Soundstorm), actually deliver worse sound quality than do most portable players - not only is their frequency response less flat and less accurate than even a mediocre portable player, but they also have to contend with all the noise-generating components inside that computer case (or put it this way, noise that's transmitted through the soundcard electronics and passed through the analog outputs of soundcards). I'd recommend buying a cheaper pair of headphones than even the Senn 497's for computer use.

(Oh, by the way, your Soundstorm doesn't function in Soundstorm mode through the analog outputs - you'll need to use the digital outputs in order to enable it. Otherwise, through the analog outputs, the crappy AC97 codec chip, with its craptacular DAC, automatically takes over.)

 

[saint.panda]

sorry for saying this...but dont get the hd580 unless you want to spend another 50-200 for a decent cable (the guys here will convince you to whether you want it or not) and another 150-? for a decent amp to drive them properly....that's why i sold mine. especially if you consider the cable upgrade, it might get pretty expensive

however, if you resign from any resistance towards upgraditis anyway, you might as well take a look at the hd580 again....

they are nice cans nevertheless but you already know that

 

[itza2mer]

Quote:

Originally posted by bubbers214 Hey guys, I've been lurking around these forums for a few days, waiting for my activation to go through , anyway I think that I have narrowed it down to three sets. The Senn 580's, and either the audio technics A500 or A900, i really only want to spend like 150, so I really dont want to go to the a900's, but im wondering if the sound quality difference is worth the extra 100 dollars. If i get the senns im gonna get the Oehlbach cable upgrade because i have heard that really improves their sound. I mainly listen to rock music so if you guys have any better suggestions (other than grados, i dont really like the look or the comfort of those), I would appreciate it. Thanks. EDIT: I currently am using Senn HD497's which i will be using for my Ipod exclusively now and need a new set for my comp.

You could try the A700 from Audio Cubes for $150.00. I'm an A900 fan myself.

 

[bubbers214]

Well it looks like I won't be getting the HD580's cuz everyone is saying i should not get them unless i have like 500 or so hundred to spend on stuff like an amp and extra cabling. So whats the difference between the a500's and the a900's and is it worth the extra 100 dollars? And I think im either going to get the chaintech AV-710 sound card because i have heard the sound its great from it, or the maudio revo. Because of the crappy "DAC" of the analog soundstorm, and btw im an audio technology nub so what does DAC mean?

 

[saint.panda]

well, it's not like the hd580 are bad headphones, beware. it's just really up to you whether you'll be spending more money on headphoens anyway.

 

[bubbers214]

i actually have my klipsch promedia amps, though my satelites were blown during a power surge so i had forgotten about htem, but the amp and everything still works fine, would the Senn 580's be driven enough by the klipsch headphone amp?

 

[lindrone]

Quote:

Originally posted by bubbers214 Because of the crappy "DAC" of the analog soundstorm, and btw im an audio technology nub so what does DAC mean?

Digital-Analog Conversion. The sound coming into the soundcard are all data, digital.. it depends on the DAC in order to make that digital data into some sort of an analog signal for playback.

So obviously it's a very important part of getting a clean, good sound signal.

 

[lindrone]

Klipsch's built in amp is passable.. but horrible... so.. no, they're nowhere near the quality that you need for HD580.

 

[saint.panda]

i forgot to mention. if you want to care less about amp and cable upgrade and still have the sennheiser sound: get the senn hd590. i havent tried the 595 yet but there's another thread on that.
the 590 are also extremely comfortable and definately more comfy than the hd580/600. and the cable is handled on one side only. it's lighter (because it's made of plastic mainly while maintaining a very high build quality)
i think the 590 can even be driven unamped.

imo, you should definately consider these next to the a500 and a900.

edit:typo

 

[bubbers214]

i've been reading a lot of reviews of the a900's and i haven't seen too many people who didn't like them. and I have heard they can be heard very well, unamped. So I think im going with either the a500's or the a900's, can anyone tell me what the difference between the two is, i have seen a lot more about the 900's, im just wondering if the a500's are crappy or what? Thanks again, i just wanna say that this board is great, people respond with helpful answeres so quickly. thanks.