[rds]

I think this card will serve you well for as long as necessary. I have a xonar dx myself and it makes a very decent source, easily competing with midfi cd players (the nad 521bee for example).
Of your choices I definitely think the hd650 is the best choice for your music preferences (which I take to be more rhythmic/bass oriented).
It would help to have an example or two of what you mean by slow electronic. To me that indicates something like Boards of Canada or Burial.

 

[Aquanote]

OK the 702 is out of the races now.

But still can´t decide between the hd 650 and the Beyer 880. Maybe I´ll try both of them and then selling one afterwards.

went to a lokal shop earlier today and tried out some of the Denon cans. Must say the Denon 2000 is pretty nice also

as for the music -

one example is naked music (just look for at amazon for samples) Artists from naked music: aquanote, aya, lisa shaw, gaelle

some more laid back music I like: club 8, Stars, frost.
You see its hard to say what kind of genre that is, but its all melodic, bassy, sometimes mellow with beautiful voiceacts.

Still I also listen to underground Hip Hop (jedi mind tricks,planet asia,madlib,styles of beyond)

Broad spectrum of alternative/indy rock (Bon Iver,Toad the wet sprocket,Beirut,John Frusciante,The Vincent Black Shadow)

 

[apatN]

Your music covers a lot of different styels. To be honest I think the 880s will be better in that regard.

 

[mbd2884]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquanote /img/forum/go_quote.gif HI, first of all I´m really happy that I have found this fantastic Forum. I´m in the middle of starting my love affair with great headphones and this place is kinda like the dating agency well I decided to buy the ASUS Xonar Essence STX after I´ve been searching for a good sound card for music. So this card was a perfekt match for me because of the built in amp and quality for the low price compared to a sound card plus external amp. Now if filtered out 3 Headphones of which I must choose one to buy: -Sennheiser HD 650 -Beyerdynamic 880 Edition 2005 -AKG 702 From Top to Bottom this is my current preference. I read a lot of good thing in this Forum about the Sennheiser, its obviously very popular. The AKG is probably too analytical for my taste but´s still a fine headphone. and about the BEyerdynamic I havent read all that much on this Forum but elsewhere on the net its gets a lot of praise. I´m listening to all kinds of music, but mostly slow electronic/soul kinda stuff like naked music. any suggestions are much appreciated

How did you filter down to these 3? They are not that close and most Head-Fiers would suggest these headphones for different types of music?

Did you just go by price, then, that was dumb IMO..

 

[mbd2884]

Quote:

Originally Posted by allinone /img/forum/go_quote.gif Three are best -Sennheiser HD 650 -Beyerdynamic 880 Edition 2005 -AKG 702 ):

You are wrong. There are plenty of Head-Fiers who prefer the HD580, HD600 to the HD650. And tons more who prefer the K501, K601 to the K702. Some prefer the DT990 to the DT880. And they all have different sound signatures, which is I believe the OP chose those three based on price and not on his listening preferences or needs.

Personally I use HD650 for my all around sound, sounds good with pretty much everything. Better for more mellow music with solid bass lines. But if I want more fun sound, I go for the AD900s. I have not heard the K702 or the DT800.

 

[apatN]

+ The DT880 03 version is considered to be the better sounding of the 'two'.

 

[Aquanote]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mbd2884 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How did you filter down to these 3? They are not that close and most Head-Fiers would suggest these headphones for different types of music? Did you just go by price, then, that was dumb IMO..

no Sir! Not by price.

I filtered them down by reading about them. Of course it would be wiser to try them out by myself, but thats not possible. There is not one store in a 100 mile radius from where I live now who has either one of those high priced headphones.

Exploring all kinds of Forums and Audiosites these 3 were the most owned, and/or praised and discussed. So I´m thinking I wont take a big risk with either one of them.

and on top of that I really need one asap, so I can listen to music. The very most important aspect of it all

 

[hifidk]

I'm in almost same boat as you are. I have HD600 and want to try DT880 or K701 or Denon D2000. I will just have to buy all of them and sell ones that I don't like. That being said, you wouldn't be disappointed by getting HD600/650 but what can I say? I never tried DT880 or K702.

 

[Carlsan]

I just got a used D2000 off of Amazon, they have great sound and I am really liking these headphones. I also have a new Sennheiser HD 650, still in the process of burn in, that has great sound as well for the types of music you mentioned.
I recently got a used AKG 701 (may have similar sound to the 702?) but so far I'm not impressed.
As for sound cards, I have to agree with you, the ASUS Xonar Essence STX, it is being billed as a card that makes an external amp unnecessary. I just got one delivered yesterday but have to find the time to install it.

Good luck!

 

[AmanGeorge]

The best headphones I've heard for electronica are the Sony MDR-SA5000 (and I've owned all the ones you are thinking about)

 

[Uncle Erik]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquanote /img/forum/go_quote.gif well it sounds to me that you have a prejudice against soundcards, and you´re probably right in most cases. but you should really inform yourself about that specific soundcard I mentionend, especially here on head-fi because its a really good card. When you do you will notice that there are a lot of experts that tested and compared the card in all possible ways. Can those people all be wrong? That crushes your implication that only boons with no clue tested this card, (which again holds true in lots of other cases ) I mean I don´t know if you are into really high end stuff but for the money this card offers much more than anything else in that price category. There´s literally no doubt about it. as for the DAC, here a little Info from the SPecs of the Asus Card: High Fidelity Headphone Amplifier: Texas Instruments 6120A2*1 (120dB SNR, 100dB THD+N @ Vcc±12V, RL=600Ω, f=1kHz) Audio Processor: ASUS AV100 High-Definition Sound Processor (Max. 192KHz/24bit) 24-bit D-A Converter of Digital Sources: Texas Instruments PCM1792A*1 for Front-Out (127dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) 24-bit A-D Converter for Analog Inputs: Cirrus-Logic CS5381* 1 (120dB SNR, Max. 192kHz/24bit) as time comes I will attend meets or visit more audiophile stores to try other stuff, but its a good start, eh? so please guys - now its all about the cans for me! I´m looking forward to more recommendations in that direction as will use them also with future setups.

Specs are specs. You'll find acceptable ones for just about any soundcard.

But what good are they when you start picking up whistles and hums inside your computer? Your box is full of RFI interference that will become especially noticeable when you plug in a high caliber headphone, like the HD-650, DT880 or a K-702. What might not be noticeable on a pair of $39.99 powered computer speakers becomes intolerable on high-resolution headphones.

Think about a grain of sand. Would you rather have that grain of sand in your shoe or under your eyelid? It's the same thing, but it'll be incredibly irritating if it's in your eye. Might not even notice it in your shoe.

Same with these headphones. If you haven't experienced them (I own all three) you don't know the kind of detail they pull out. And that might be a bunch of RFI hash from your switching power supply, fans, spinning drives, etc. Those all throw off noise in the form of radio waves which are picked up by your soundcard and fed into your headphones.

Whether or not you have silent fans is meaningless. A spinning coil fed with AC (which is what a fan is, no matter how quiet the blades are) generates radio waves just like a radio transmitter. So does the power supply... especially the power supply. Switching power supplies throw off huge amounts of radio noise.

That is why soundcards get a bad rap around here. Not that they have inadequate specs, but because you get to listen to a bunch of buzzes, clicks, whistles, hash, and other electrical gremlins when you plug in headphones.

Maybe it will work for you or maybe you will learn this lesson the hard way.

If you want to use your computer as source, it's generally best to hook your computer to an external DAC. Even that will let a little noise in. Not bad, but I still got some when I ran an optical out to a DAC. Since, I moved to a SACD player, a FM receiver and a turntable, all standalone. I get perfectly black backgrounds with all three.

As for headphones, I think the HD-650 would be a good fit for your music. The DT880 might work, but I think the HD-650 is the best fit.

 

[Funky-kun]

Aren't those issues covered by the EMI shield on the Xonar Essence?

 

[Skin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funky-kun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aren't those issues covered by the EMI shield on the Xonar Essence?

yes, regardless of that shield, im not sure if Erik is still using a computer from 1998, but i havent heard electrical interference through a decent soundcard/motherboard combo in YEARS. But dont take my word for it, go ask all the people who use their sound cards as a source, there are sure a lot of them floating around here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aquanote /img/forum/go_quote.gif well it sounds to me that you have a prejudice against soundcards, and you´re probably right in most cases.

This is not directed at Curawong's comments specifically, but you'll find plenty of people on this forum who refuse to believe that a vastly cheaper peice of equipment than what they use could possibly be any good. And i'll wager that few if any putting down said equipment have ever tried it either. So take suggestions with a grain of salt and let your own ears guide you. However, if you do want to make this a full fledged hobby then the next step would indeed be a dedicated dac/amp per his suggestion.

As it stands you'll get plenty of enjoyment out of the Essence. And just when you think you've found bliss, you go to a headphone meet, after that its all over

 

[reorx]

i have a 650 and an 880 '05, and everytime i listen to slower electronica or melodic music, i grab the 880s. I use the 650s for rock. To me, the 880s are more detailed, snappy, and have much better soundstage.

 

[Aquanote]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Funky-kun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Aren't those issues covered by the EMI shield on the Xonar Essence?

yes they are. ASUS really put a lot of thought into this card. It´s not just the sum of its components.

also I´ve got a high end motherboard for it with an Enermax MODU82+ Power Supply which is the best one the market. But if I should encounter noise from it then there´s still the option of another dedicated power source.
Having said that, I highly doubt it since I never heard complains from anywhere in that direction.

hmm maybe I should try out both the 650 and 880 at the same time and throw the Denon 2000 in the mix. Ordering all 3 at the same time... I´m broke