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Anyone Using High Quality Headphones ?

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sepia5;1584975; said:
Any other recommendations for something that provides good sound, is portable (compatible with an iPod and isn't enormous), works in less-than-quiet environments, and does it all for under $100? Thanks for any advice, guys.
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Your best option would be ear canal buds...

Etymotics are typically considered the standard but check out reviews for some of the others as well (some fit tighter in the ear or are better for larger/smaller ears etc)
 
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Just got a pair of Audio-Technica-M50's. They were highly recommended on the Head-Fi forum. Tried them out tonight. So far so good. Can't really judge them until the are properly burned in.

Does anyone own a headphone amplifier? Or DAC for that matter? Starting to look into this now.
 
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TexasBuck;1886778; said:
Does anyone own a headphone amplifier? Or DAC for that matter? Starting to look into this now.
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Modded Musical Fidelity X-Cans v2 being fed by a (Blue Circle Audio) USB Thingee in one set up and Pico USB DAC going to a Firestone Audio Cute in another.

I have a Trends UD-10.1 & a Creek OBH-11 floating around somewhere as well.
 
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Muck;1887064; said:
Modded Musical Fidelity X-Cans v2 being fed by a (Blue Circle Audio) USB Thingee in one set up and Pico USB DAC going to a Firestone Audio Cute in another.

I have a Trends UD-10.1 & a Creek OBH-11 floating around somewhere as well.
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I'm seriously thinking about going with a combo amp/dac. ($300-$500 range) After hours on the Head-Fi forum, sifting through information miles above my head, I've narrowed it down to the following:

Yulong D100: Sounds like the best quality but also the most costly.

Audio GD FUN Basic: Solid unit and Audio GD has a strong rep.

Audiotrak Dr.DAC2 DX: Most flexible with connections and the specs look great. However, not much info available as to how it stacks up with others. Price is right too.

I need to hook up Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 speakers to it as well. Hoping to use the DAC with both the speakers and Audio-Technica M-50 headphones. Any thoughts on which would be the wisest choice for best sound for the buck?
 
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I own a pair of Audio Technica ATH-A500 headphones.

I need an amp for console gaming, basically a way to control and also import the XBL voice channel into my headphones. I would add a basic clip or boom mic for through voice. There is no good alternative to the mixamp, the only other option is the steelseries audio mixer and that has a hissing sound.

Does anyone know anything about the astro mixamp from an audiophile perspective ?

Would I be better off with a wired or wireless amp? They make both.
 
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I've been using Shure SC310 Sound Isolating ear buds for about 2 years and love them! I would recommend them for someone looking for ear bud style.

My wife picked me up the Bose QC2 over-ear style for $99 earlier this week. I should have them tonight and can't wait to try them.
 
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I've got a pair of Shure's which I have used as in-ear monitors rather than using traditional "Wedge" monitors. While I bought them for the live music application, I can say they sound even better with pre-recorded music. They are able to carry the low end especially well on pre-recorded music, though on live music applications it can get somewhat lost.

They only cost 99 bucks. I forget the model number though.
 
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TexasBuck;1887430; said:
I'm seriously thinking about going with a combo amp/dac. ($300-$500 range) After hours on the Head-Fi forum, sifting through information miles above my head, I've narrowed it down to the following:

Yulong D100: Sounds like the best quality but also the most costly.

Audio GD FUN Basic: Solid unit and Audio GD has a strong rep.

Audiotrak Dr.DAC2 DX: Most flexible with connections and the specs look great. However, not much info available as to how it stacks up with others. Price is right too.

I need to hook up Klipsch Pro Media 2.1 speakers to it as well. Hoping to use the DAC with both the speakers and Audio-Technica M-50 headphones. Any thoughts on which would be the wisest choice for best sound for the buck?
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If you're hitting Head-Fi regularly you probably have a better grasp of what's on the market right now than I do.

The bottom line that's always worked for me....once you have your price range & identified just what your needs are (in your case a DAC & amp for both headphones & speakers) 90% of the real work is done.

Honestly all well designed amps sound about the same. And most of the DACs in a specific price range are going to be using the same chipsets so you aren't going to be seeing major sonic differences there either.

There are folks that disagree with me on that topic but they won't be able to demonstrate their beliefs beyond subjective responses (ie no real data to support their claims).

So find the units with the features you want at the price you can afford and pick the one that looks the coolest to you (or just stands out for whatever reason) that has a good track record of reliability. I promise you'll be satisfied with your choice.
 
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Muck;1896081; said:
If you're hitting Head-Fi regularly you probably have a better grasp of what's on the market right now than I do.

The bottom line that's always worked for me....once you have your price range & identified just what your needs are (in your case a DAC & amp for both headphones & speakers) 90% of the real work is done.

Honestly all well designed amps sound about the same. And most of the DACs in a specific price range are going to be using the same chipsets so you aren't going to be seeing major sonic differences there either.

There are folks that disagree with me on that topic but they won't be able to demonstrate their beliefs beyond subjective responses (ie no real data to support their claims).

So find the units with the features you want at the price you can afford and pick the one that looks the coolest to you (or just stands out for whatever reason) that has a good track record of reliability. I promise you'll be satisfied with your choice.
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Good advice. I ended up going with something not on my list of finalists: Nuforce Icon HD. I absolutely love it. Anyone that listens to a lot of music on their computer should really check out a DAC. I liken it to when I first made the move from vinyl to CD. It's a major jump up in quality. My computer sounds better than any stereo system I've ever owned now - At least with headphones. I may need to upgrade my Klipsch Pro Media 2.1's to some these: http://www.swanspeaker.com/products/products.aspx?cid=5&sid=0&pid=25
 
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TexasBuck;1896625; said:
Good advice. I ended up going with something not on my list of finalists: Nuforce Icon HD. I absolutely love it.
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Nice choice. I believe Taos has an Icon amp.


I may need to upgrade my Klipsch Pro Media 2.1's to some these: http://www.swanspeaker.com/products/products.aspx?cid=5&sid=0&pid=25
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Swans were getting good reviews a couple of years ago (the last time I paid much attention).

I've really liked the M-Audio's I've heard & Audioengine seems to be getting a lot of the same type of pub M-Audio used to get.
 
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