opticalmace
Member
Bumping this.. anyone have a suggestion? Thanks.opticalmace said:
$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
AwesomeSauce
MagsMoonshine
Baconbitz said:
Personally i found the M6's sibilant, but i am sensitive to it.
I wish i wasn't sensitive to it 
Trying to talk my wife into letting me pick up a FiiO E7 over an E5.
I use on-board audio from my motherboard, ASUS P6X58D Premium, featuring "Realtek ALC889 8-Ch HD CODEC" and I'm getting a fair amount of crackling. Is it worth the earache here, or should I spring for a low-end dedicated soundboard and the E5, and save my sanity/dough? (or possibly experiment with custom drivers, etc.)
My fate is in your hands, GAF!
I use on-board audio from my motherboard, ASUS P6X58D Premium, featuring "Realtek ALC889 8-Ch HD CODEC" and I'm getting a fair amount of crackling. Is it worth the earache here, or should I spring for a low-end dedicated soundboard and the E5, and save my sanity/dough? (or possibly experiment with custom drivers, etc.)
My fate is in your hands, GAF!
If you buy the E5, you'll end up upgrading it to something more powerful later anyway.
The E5 is meant to be a portable device. If it's going to be tied to your desk, only a DAC makes sense.
Upgrading from the E5 -> E7 was the best audio investment I made recently.
The E5 is meant to be a portable device. If it's going to be tied to your desk, only a DAC makes sense.
Upgrading from the E5 -> E7 was the best audio investment I made recently.
PflargBlarg
Member
TheExodu5 said:
Great to hear that your tinnitus has gone, it sounds like a horrible condition. I am already out the 1000 dollars
I saved 6 dollars because of canadian dollar against the us dollar!
Of course the shipping cost a not insignificant amount more than what they said the max would be to ship to Canada. Oh well. I think it gets shipped today.
Dreams-Visions
Member
QFT.Alucrid said:
I disagree. Out of the setups I've grid so far, expensive headphones + cheapish amp >>>>> midrange headphones + midrange amp.Alucrid said:
As far as I'm aware, the LCD-2 are easy to drive, so they should sound decent out of a cheap amp. He can then upgrade the amp down the road and appreciate the changes in them. I'll be doing the same, so I'll have a chance to comment on how they do with different gear.
TheExodu5 said:
Sound decent? Perhaps, but then again, what's 'decent'? Sure, they can be driven by a cheaper amp, but can it drive them well enough to notice a difference between, say, a pair of 1000 LCD-2s or a ~300 HD650?
What will you be running the LCD-2s off of? Fiio E7/E9 combo?
I'll be able to compare when I get them, but I'm almost certain the LCD-2 should blow away the HD650 even on my measily Maverick D1.Alucrid said:
The differences in amps are absolutely minor in comparison to the differences in headphones.
Edit: sorry if I have typos in my posts...damnyouautocorrect
It was a random question, from someone who lives on a notebook, thus cannot consider a full-size, static desktop DAC.
I could have asked better questions, but I have not yet any intention to even consider the HE-6 (it's just my dream set...), so the query was pretty whimsical.
EDIT
Better question: What's the most powerful portable Amp/DAC? Or is that an oxymoron.
I'm thinking that the upcoming FiiO E17 would possibly fit the bill.
I could have asked better questions, but I have not yet any intention to even consider the HE-6 (it's just my dream set...), so the query was pretty whimsical.
EDIT
Better question: What's the most powerful portable Amp/DAC? Or is that an oxymoron.
I'm thinking that the upcoming FiiO E17 would possibly fit the bill.
Dreams-Visions
Member
I'd personally recommend the NuForce Icon HDP.HiResDes said:
made of win.
opticalmace
Member
He probably wants to move around with it, so he needs battery-powered devices.Alucrid said:
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Lulz, the thing about going that high up the chain is that the phones in question become highly transparent and resolving so all of the elements in your chain (source, amp, interconnects) need to be up to par or else you're not likely to enjoy your music. It's better to go with cheaper phones and a higher quality source/amp and build from there. Your phones will only sound as good as your source allows it to.K.Jack said:
opticalmace
Member
what?Alucrid said:
opticalmace
Member
Well there's not always a 120V socket on the bus.Alucrid said:
opticalmace
Member
Yeah but you said you dislike [other] people buying portable rigs, and would rather them buy desktop systems. My point is some people like good music on the go too.Alucrid said:
TheExodu5 said:
Eh, I supposed that's another thing. I could never fathom taking 701s or 600s out and about. My 650s stay planted in my room.
opticalmace said:
Which doesn't exactly necessitate an amp. My Eternas sound pretty damn good with my ipod touch without the extra weight, space and cost of a portable amp. The entire idea of a 'portable' rig just seems crazy to me.
opticalmace
Member
Fair enough, but some people get more out of it than others, and are willing to lug around an amp with them. Just personal preference, but I don't think it's crazy. I used to have a portable (entry-level) setup because I could take my gear with me to the office easily, and then back home.Alucrid said:
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
I dunno. For the price and effort required to have an entry level set up to lug around, I'd much rather dump that very same cash into a good pair of IEMs that would likely exceed the sound quality of a good pair of phones being inefficiently driven by a portable amp that drained batteries like a vampiric hooker.opticalmace said:
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
Precisely. You're much likely to get a better listening experience out of a better isolating pair of cans or iems than an amp since it's mostly the outside noise that interrupts a good listening experience, regardless of the source. Maybe when they make it smaller, make it last longer and make it sound better I'll hop on. Until then though, nah.
Another reason why I need to grab a pair of closed cans too. It's annoying when I'm listening to HD650s and not alone.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Beyerdynamic's T5P/T50P are probably the way to go. Too bad the former is about the same cost as the Sennheiser HD800 :/ The T50P seems very interesting though, I'm probably gonna read up some reviews.Alucrid said:
opticalmace
Member
Yeah, I do agree now. My first pair of headphones were the Grado SR-80s, and I picked up a PA2V2 as my first amp. I was somewhat underwhelmed by it based on what I had read on head-fi, so now my current setup is the Klipsch S4 and Denon D2000, which I am quite happy with.Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
I do use the Denons with the PA2V2 still, with a HeadRoom Micro DAC, and I've been looking to upgrade to a proper desktop amp. I was very impressed by the difference the DAC made alone.
I got the Beats IE headphones about five months ago but I'm dissatisfied with my purchase. They don't stick nicely to my ear. I sold them today and I'm looking for a replacement -- what should I get? I read the OP but I'm not sure what's the best IE in general.
One more thing: I have a Denon AH-D2000. What can I do exactly to improve my music? Open budget.
One more thing: I have a Denon AH-D2000. What can I do exactly to improve my music? Open budget.
Echoes said:
I can offer an opinion on the D2000 and how to "improve" things.
get a nice Amp or DAC/ Amp combo (obvious advice, right?
.I have a D5000 and it's suppose to be rather similar to the D2000. the first thing I noticed when I hooked it up to my Fiio E9 amp is that the bass was less bloated and tighter, bleeding less into the midrange. it's still a bassy can but more controlled than when unamped.
The Fiio E7 + E9 Dac/amp combo is a nice inexpensive way to hook it up and get some nice power improvement without coloring the sound. I believe Dreams-Visions has a nuforce HDP Dac amp that works even better with his D5000 or D7000.
I was just looking at the FiiO E9. I have an iMac, so all I need is the E9 and the portable E7, right? Sorry, as I consider myself a pre-beginner in these kind of stuff.
Open budget. I enjoy almost all types of music, but I mostly enjoy Pop and Rock (Britney, Gaga, Aguilera; Muse, Evanescence, Radiohead.)HiResDes said:
The Nuforce HD might also be a quality option to look at...
Suggestions: Check out the Fischer Audio DBA-02 if you have the money, as it's considered the best value IEM and one of the better ones all around under $200.
Suggestions: Check out the Fischer Audio DBA-02 if you have the money, as it's considered the best value IEM and one of the better ones all around under $200.
Echoes said:
technically, all you need is the E9 and you can hook it up to the headphone out port from your iMac.
but you'll get better results if you use an E7, which has a DAC, and hook that up to a USB port on your iMac, bypassing the Mac's internal DAC.
You don't need to use an E7, btw. Any DAC will do and there ones out there that are better than the E7. but the E7 is inexpensive and integrates nicely with the E9 (which is a damn solid amp for the money)
Concerning the smaller, in-ear monitors, I would suggest the Westone line of monitors. two reasons: 1. They are comfortable and sit really nicely in the ear. 2. If you have the cash, the W3 is amazing (I used to own a pair) great for rock and pop with a slight emphasis on bass and mid-bass frequencies.
I don't know how well the other models sound but they all seem to be relatively well regarded. I do know that they all have similar shapes so comfort should be close between all the models.