Best audio set up for $5-600

[BumbleBee]

death
taxes
uneven frequency response

the only three things certain in life.

 

[RCoon]

death
taxes
uneven frequency response

the only three things certain in life.

+stupidity

 

[BumbleBee]

if I didn't treat my office I would have a very uneven low frequency response and problems with imaging and modal ringing. I would hear the room more than the speaker. this is too distracting and not fair to the acoustic engineer that worked very hard to create a flat frequency response in his speaker.

 

[Paladone]

Don't be silly. It isn't better value.



You don't have to measure the room, its optional. As far as room acoustics being almost perfect on headsets you are correct, but quoting one benefit for headphones don't make it better value.

With speakers. You are getting:
More material for your money i.e. Wood, Plastic etc.
More time, energy and labour has gone into its construction.
You are getting huge drivers
The ability to mount on wall or on stands
The ability to upgrade in parts
The ability to replace cabling to higher grade
No need to worry about tugging on the cabling or it snapping
Stronger sturdier equipment that won't be broken by kids
Equipment that can take a decades of abuse
No need to worry about wear and tear to the 3.5mm jack
No need to worry about noise interference from the sound card or front panel audio (for digital speakers)
You can have a party or have friends over and they all can enjoy the audio
Remote control
Connect to multiple devices
Access to HD audio
Potentially better surround positioning

Spending $600 on headphones is ridiculous. Maybe I can understand if you're an audio engineer and need a specific headset for a job. But outside of that a speaker system is better value hands down. $100 on headphones is enough for most people.

Hahah I see where you are coming from. I do however already have a pair of speakers; nothing incredible, they're the Corsair SP2500 I believe. I don't really use them though as in my current situation I don't often have the luxury doing so I generally tend to favour the headphone experience anyway.

I think I may just go with a pair of HD700's. A good friend of mine owns a pair that he's had for a couple of years and as he's upgrading to the HD800's, he says he "has no use for them now". So, he offered me them for a measly $450. I've tried them myself, they sound great and have very minimal wear. He's a massive audiophile and took very good care of them. In addition, they still have a couple years warranty left and he has the original box, receipt etc. To get started, I figured that the Audio Technica AT-HA40 USB amp. I found quite a lot of good reviews on them and they aren't too expensive.

 

[Paladone]

So I ended up getting my mates HD700s and I'm using the audio technika ATHA40 USB amp to get started. They sound really good so far, I just had a couple questions with regards to things I'm not sure about.

So for the amp I had to get a stereo to audio adapter, it was a cheap one. I was wondering if this would affect anything and if I should invest in a more expensive adapter. Similarly, would the USB cable quality have any affect? Also, would it be beneficial to connect the optical cable from the amp to my PC?

Thanks again

 

[BumbleBee]

stereo to what adapter?

a USB cable is all you need.

the optical out turns the entire unit into a USB to S/PDIF adapter. the line out you could probably connect to your Corsair speakers.

 

[Lopez0101]

Man, I want to know who is dumb enough to sit on their headphones...I've never even come close to that. Or maybe I just pay more attention since I'm handling something so expensive. I like speakers more than headphones, most of the time, because I'm too lazy to want to put them on and take them off. But, when I really want to listen to a song, or really get into the music or game I'm playing I put on my headphones.

The fun thing with open back cans is you can leave your speakers on to, so you get that deeper bass, but the fidelity of the cans. It's fun.

 

[Paladone]

stereo to what adapter?

a USB cable is all you need.

the optical out turns the entire unit into a USB to S/PDIF adapter. the line out you could probably connect to your Corsair speakers.

I had to get a stereo--> 3.5mm audio adapter to connect my headphones to the amp is what I mean.

 

[BumbleBee]

that's fine

you don't need to worry about aftermarket cables.

 

[Frederik S]

Might be a little over budget but a set of HiFiMAN HE-400i plus an O2+ODAC or similar goes a long way. You might be able to get the O2 a bit cheaper if you go the used route. The HE-400is are $499 and the O2+ODAC is usually up for $150ish used.

You might also be able to get a used set of HE-500s and the O2+ODAC for the same money. The HD700 and HD800s are not as good in terms of price/performance ratio. And I have yet to hear a speaker setup in a fully controlled rooms that sounds better than any of the current high-end headphones driven of a good amplifier+DAC combo. I have auditioned a number of $50000 setups and they do not give anywhere near the precision of a good headphone setup. But damn Martin Logan speakers sure look good