[oqvist]

What experience? All you need is a cheap but decent pair of headphones and then a super set. Then when after being amazed by the super set realize you can still enjoy the cheaper set you see there is no real point in buying new headphones all the time in hunt for something you already have

.

Our ears are phenomenal in it´s ability to adapt to different sounds.

Now I haven´t been in any great loss. I wish though I would have gone directly to my Proline 750s and skipping the DT 770 and A900 though. But then it´s good to have used them so you know what you got.

 

[musicmind]

If you feel your taking a short cut to the higher end headphones is affecting your appreciation of its quality, you can always use some cheap and nasty headphones for some time and then enjoy rediscovering the refinement of the higher end phones when you switch back

 

[Michgelsen]

I don't regret it. As a matter of fact, I often dream about what great equipment I could have bought if I had saved up all the money I spent until now. Selling my stuff is not an option because I'd lose too much money then. On the other hand, it's a good thing that I was able to enjoy music all that time, which would not be possible if I was still saving up. If I could do it all over, I would skip a few steps though.

 

[M0T0XGUY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamfan16 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'd like to think/hope that the "journey" is never over, no matter where you start. I've been lurking for the past week or so and I've decided my path will start with a pair of 650's, and then in a month or two will continue with a balanced amp, most likely the Headroom Desktop. It's like I'm planning a vacation based on recommendations from people who have been there before. But even then, there are still plenty of other headphones to listen to, and more expensive amps... there's better sources and different cables... and on and on. I'm also quite sure that by jumping in head first, I'll be able to identify the shortcomings in my home theater setup, which is also a journey of its own.

I agree. In the world of high-end audio, there's always an upgrade in some form or another. You can start off with the best, but there will always be something better you set your sights on, and eventually buy. In Head-Fi, the Journey is the Journey no matter if you start with KSC-75's or K1000's.

 

[manhattanproj]

so how best should we go about our journey.

go through an expensive trial and error

or read up on ppl's impressions and buy the "best" equipments within your budget.

there's always this question of whether was my money well spent? did i get the best possible amp, phones or what have you within this price range? or should we all just scrap those types of thoughts and buy them and then experience them.

 

[SONGsanmanwah]

When I compare my experience with headphones with my other hobby, bird watching, there's no surprise that I take a long and slow journey on both. Well, picking equipment is a habit and it's hard to change.

While I generally prefer equipment that suits my immediate requirements, cost or quality wise, eventually I found it not a very effective way. Most of the time I ended up paying more, learning slower, and, worse of all, enjoying the process less by trying to save some money.

Be it binoculars or cans, always get the most expensive you can afford right away. You'll have the superior quality to enjoy with earlier. IMHO you have been using your eyes and ears long enough there's no need to take limited quality equipment in order to learn the good stuffs. It is actually easier to learn from better equipment.

So, it seems I regret not skipping I think

 

[Uncle Erik]

No regrets to starting off with the HD-650. I know they're expensive if you're a student on a fixed income, but if you're out of school and working, a $300 discretionary purchase is pretty easy to handle. I don't see any point in starting with something less and working up. Just buy a good pair to begin with.

 

[adfinni]

Nah im happy.

Paid a rip off £90 for my SR-60's from sevenoaks, then came on here and realised should have gone for the MS1 which was nearly 1/2 the price compared to my SR-60's, but i thought they were still worth £90.

Jumped on the HF-1 bandwagon and was glad i did. They sound great out of the box, but with break-in really began to sing. BUT when i got my millett i really found their true potential.

Now my next big upgrade is the HF-1's going for some deep cup zebrawood action with blackmaxx cable from larry, then getting a millett max, then will spend another £200 on my marantz cd-63 with more dedicated voltage regulators (with their own TX psu's), BG caps throughout, start ground, servo reclock etc.

Then my journey WILL be complete for quite some time. Once i have a good job after uni and have got my chartership in engineering the jobs should paymuch better, and i can go for a PPX Extreme and teac esoteric cdp that i will spend a few £k's on mods for

 

[lan]

I went to K1000 fairly early on. No regrets. It educated me the importance of everything else besides the headphones.

 

[xenochimera]

well i didnt skip so no.

 

[MASTERTECH]

You could take the journey to head-fi meets and not affect your wallets

sorry about your wallets

 

[ldj325]

I've just completed my first really multiple times jump. I started with Senn 580. modded to 600s (little jump), then to Ultrasone 750s (moderate jump in SQ) to Ultrasone Edition 9 Single ended (very big jump) and an option to Edition 9 Balanced (significant jump from the already high level of Edition 9s). I also went from an Adcom SS pre amp headphone out to the Hornet to the Singlepower Extreme Platinum. In both instances I only wish I had gotten her sooner. And I am under no illusions that I have topped out. It just gets a more costly to move laterally (like a PS-1 or L3000 for me) but a lot more costly to move up the scale (R-10, Orpheus, tube balanced amps). But the nice think about being at a high level is that it becomes more about adding flavors/options than about needing to upgrade to get wowed by the sound. Really there is no end until we decide to end it arbitrarily.

 

[AudioCats]

by starting high, each upgrade is more expensive than starting with a pair of KSC.

I started with a pair of Beyer 990, now I know I am in trouble....... I already tried stepping back to lesser phones but I am not too happy with my "new" HD-555

 

[Redo]

EH150 to DT880 to SR225


I went from entry level, to somewhat-upper-half-of-mid-fi, to mid-fi, and I have loved every second of it

 

[vegaman]

I don't think I've really skipped anything, going from whatever earbuds came with something to SR60's and MS1's, then onto Darth Beyer's. I'm happy with my purchases and have no regrets about them. If I sit listening to music for hours on end every day, it's worth putting a lot of money into it.