headphones + amp for $400

[Easy Rhino]

I don't know much about headphones and amps. I am an audiophile that spends money on speakers,receivers,etc but have never bothered with headphones. I would like to spend up to $400 on a set of nice cans and a portable amp but I have no idea what is out there other than Sennheiser. Is $400 too low for a mid-range audiophile set?

[Fourstaff]

Sennheiser HD650, Denon AHD2000, AKG 701, Grado 325, Sony XB1000, some Beyerdynamics and I don't know what to drive them.

$400 is deep into "I like this style" territory, what kind of music do you listen to?

Personally I will start looking at the $200 + $200 amp range, its the current sweet spot for me, YMMV

[brandonwh64]

What happened to the days of using old walkman headphones...

[Easy Rhino]

Originally Posted by Fourstaff

what kind of music do you listen to?

i listen to mostly classical,rock,and alternative. so the cans will have to be dynamic enough to handle from Rachmaninoff to AC/DC and everything in between.

[AphexDreamer]

I'm loving these and I got them used like new and you might as well call them new.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used
Couple them with a http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Headphone...words=fiio+e17

And you should be set but at 30ohms they don't really need an amp.

This is just my opinion and fits under your budget so you can probably do better at 400 I suppose.

FYI great for gaming and music.

[Robert-The-Rambler]

Originally Posted by Easy Rhino

i listen to mostly classical,rock,and alternative. so the cans will have to be dynamic enough to handle from Rachmaninoff to AC/DC and everything in between.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846

Check out the reviews. The Beyerdynamic DT 990 series should be great for rock. They are selling for a huge discount. I added them to my wishlist. They are open back headphones so others will be able to hear what you are listening to. I don't have that set of headphones. I currently use the Sennheiser HD595 which is lacking a bit on the bottom end.

http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E9-Deskto...ywords=fiio+e9

The FiiO E9 is a great amp for a decent cost and sounds great with all my headphones except for the ones that stink like the Koss Pro4AAT. I think for under $300 total you should be all set.

[redeye]

goto www.headphone.com or ( headroom.com)and the world of headphones and amplifers ...

no, seriously, probably the best site for info on headphones... and they have a store in their hometown exclusively for headphones and stuff...

they have measurements on the "worthy" headphones... and yes I have purchased hedphones from them...

i learned alot from that site. ( my favourite part of the site s the reviews, and what they thnk of the 400 dollar and up headphones.)

i can't think of any shortcomings of the site except for the fact that they are in the USA, and some of the prducts are usa shipped only (not all of them just the. shure's and sennihesers).. but then the info on the site makes up for that minor drawback.

[CJCerny]

Originally Posted by Easy Rhino

i listen to mostly classical,rock,and alternative. so the cans will have to be dynamic enough to handle from Rachmaninoff to AC/DC and everything in between.

That has Grado SR80i written all over it.

[helloWorld]

I think Bumblebee is an audiophile as well. She (I think it's a she) can also provide good insight.

[n-ster]

Head-fi.org for your own research, never rely on just a couple of opinions

That said what's your source ? (Ipod, pc ?) You want open cans (sound leaks out and in) or closed (less leak, makes ears more sweaty, SQ not as good for the $$). Anything specific you want? Are you a basshead or do you prefer incredible highs ?

Do the cans have to be portable or stylish? How important is comfort?

350-400$ is exactly mid range. If you can test a few headphones at a store somewhere, do that and write the pros n cons of each you try

[BumbleBee]

is this for a portable media player or a desktop?

[Easy Rhino]

Originally Posted by BumbleBee

is this for a portable media player or a desktop?

portable media player. need over ear phones that have a large sound stage. i am looking at the AKG K 701

[cdawall]

I still want to grab a set of these.

http://www.head-fi.org/products/fisc...03#description

or

http://www.gd-audiobase.com/index.ph...emart&Itemid=2

Damn good set of headphones

[BumbleBee]

I can't say I like AKG headphones. I find them too cold and thin for rock, hard rock, alternative, metal.

Beyerdynamic DT880 is probably what I would go with.

amplifier.. a JDS Labs cMoy

http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=cMoyBB203

JDS Labs also sells the interconnect cables.

[NinkobEi]

DT880s are great but they need a pretty decent amp. $200 could probably cover it. Audiotechnica AD900sor AD700s have a huge soundstage and are fit for all types of music.

[BumbleBee]

the cMoyBB will drive them.

[Easy Rhino]

is there something similiar to the cMoyBB because I hate the altoids case.

[BumbleBee]

Electric Avenues PA2v2

http://www.electric-avenues.com/amplifiers.html

there is also the JDS Labs C421 but it will cost you more

http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=c421

[Frederik S]

Get an O2 built by JDS or another company they sound great and will power pretty much anything you throw at it. For headphones I would try a couple from the different big brands before getting anything. If I were you I would have a look at Head-Fi F/S forum, there are are lot of $200-300 headphones changing hands there!

Cheers,
Fred

[UbErN00b]

Spent roughly that on my AKG 701's and Audinst HUD-MX1 headphone amp/DAC setup, audiophile quality for fraction of the price. One note, the 701's are renowned for having excellent soundstage and reproduction though they can be lacking in the bass department so defo not for the bass junkies out there. And they need a good 300 (some even say 500-600) hours burn in to sound their best.

[THRiLL KiLL]

welcome to the land of headphones and amps.

fiios amps are good but they "color" the sound a bit (some audiofiles hate that)

if you want to get into the world of headphones check out head-fi.org

I was able to get in there and some how make it out for less then 400$ if i kept reading and learning it would have been bad for me, and i would have kept spending more money

[Frederik S]

FiiO amps are horrible and outdated designs when compared to the O2. Not even the most expensive FiiO amplifier comes anywhere close to the performance offered by the O2.

Some of the Matrix amps are also good for the price, but I would highly recommend the O2.

[Easy Rhino]

Originally Posted by Frederik S

Get an O2 built by JDS or another company they sound great and will power pretty much anything you throw at it. For headphones I would try a couple from the different big brands before getting anything. If I were you I would have a look at Head-Fi F/S forum, there are are lot of $200-300 headphones changing hands there!

Cheers,
Fred

have any suggestions for a portable amp?

[Frederik S]

The O2 is portable!

Depending on gain you will get around 10-12 hours out of two 9 V batteries which is alright. I use mine on the move (or used as one of the components on my DIY O2 just crapped out).

[Easy Rhino]

Originally Posted by Frederik S

The O2 is portable!

this one

http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=O2Full