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Need recommendations for headphones (possibly + amp)

tabascosauz

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Hello all,

I have a pair of M40Xs that has been serving me well for the past year. Recently put some nice thick ZMF pads on them too. It has a pleasant, more neutral sound than its bigger brother, which I definitely appreciate and look for in headphones.

For PC use, I've been using a pair of M30Xs. It is decent, but obviously ranks lower than the M40X on sound, and has a fixed, long-ass cable. Looking to replace this.

I was thinking maybe a pair of over ear, open backed phones would suit me. Both of the ATs I'm using now are closed, and people say that moving past the £100 mark means moving to open back to get a better sound, but I'm no expert.

I'm looking to stay between £100 and £150. Not looking for anything too fancy. If I need to, I can get a relatively cheap amp to go along with it (no amps right now, just using on my PC).
 

AsRock

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I am sure @Kursah would have some input on this, he likes his headphone amps and all.
 
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I'm looking to stay between £100 and £150. Not looking for anything too fancy. If I need to, I can get a relatively cheap amp to go along with it (no amps right now, just using on my PC).

I make music (play both keyboard and electric guitar) and I use a pair of HD 668B, these are studio monitor headphones. But they sound awesome for anything else. They are cheap (like 50 $) and they are the best headphones I've ever had, and I was pretty skeptical about them. Look, maybe there are millions of headphones better than these, but for that price, I bought them anyway and now I keep them as my main set of headphones, for everything.
 

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Love my Aune T1 mk1. Mk3 is out now and I'm sure even better.

Look at Senns HD600 or 650 used, I had a pair of HiFi Man HE-400s...sounded amazing...ortho tech is cool as hell too. So fast and detailed. 0 isolation with em...so really best used in a silent area.

I love my AKG K553 Pro...for a closed can with damn good passive isolation...they do a great job of having a very open sound. They replaced my 400s. I also preferred them over other cans pushing $400.

I really havent kept up too much since I settled on my current combo. I really cannot complain.

I rely on closed cans for bass and isolation in a family environment.

A good HP amp can make quite a difference...I also recommend utilizing an EQ as well to better tune to your desired sound. YMMV.

:toast:
 

tabascosauz

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I make music (play both keyboard and electric guitar) and I use a pair of HD 668B, these are studio monitor headphones. But they sound awesome for anything else. They are cheap (like 50 $) and they are the best headphones I've ever had, and I was pretty skeptical about them. Look, maybe there are millions of headphones better than these, but for that price, I bought them anyway and now I keep them as my main set of headphones, for everything.

I looked at Superlux in the past and although I'm sure the sound is great for the price, I don't think I can ignore the consensus that their build quality has problems. I don't want to break the bank, but I'm also not looking for dirt cheap phones. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Love my Aune T1 mk1. Mk3 is out now and I'm sure even better.

Look at Senns HD600 or 650 used, I had a pair of HiFi Man HE-400s...sounded amazing...ortho tech is cool as hell too. So fast and detailed. 0 isolation with em...so really best used in a silent area.

I love my AKG K553 Pro...for a closed can with damn good passive isolation...they do a great job of having a very open sound. They replaced my 400s. I also preferred them over other cans pushing $400.

I really havent kept up too much since I settled on my current combo. I really cannot complain.

I rely on closed cans for bass and isolation in a family environment.

A good HP amp can make quite a difference...I also recommend utilizing an EQ as well to better tune to your desired sound. YMMV.

:toast:

For the amp: I can't find Aune T1s anywhere in the UK. Any inexpensive amp suggestions? I see that the design of the T1 is a bit...unique, is there anything that would be a little bit more travel-friendly?

For the headphones: I can't find the K553 Pro in the UK and I think they might be out of my price range. How about DT 770 Pros or DT 990 Pro? The former I tend to see a lot of (as an audio noob), and the latter looks pretty good on price and reviews.

The DT 990 Pro is the 250ohm version though. Will I have trouble supporting it with a £75 amp?

I don't have room in my comp for a PCIe sound card.

Thanks.
 

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For the amp: I can't find Aune T1s anywhere in the UK. Any inexpensive amp suggestions? I see that the design of the T1 is a bit...unique, is there anything that would be a little bit more travel-friendly?

For the headphones: I can't find the K553 Pro in the UK and I think they might be out of my price range. How about DT 770 Pros or DT 990 Pro? The former I tend to see a lot of (as an audio noob), and the latter looks pretty good on price and reviews.

The DT 990 Pro is the 250ohm version though. Will I have trouble supporting it with a £75 amp?

I don't have room in my comp for a PCIe sound card.

Thanks.

Hmm..well I usually shop around between Head-Fi deals and Amazon deals. That's where I'd look and research. There's a lot of more expensive amps...depneds on if you want a DAC/AMP or just an AMP.

You can get an older FiiO E9, I still have one floating around as a spare amp.

Also look at Schitt products, they're in the US but I believe they have a UK front as well.

DT 990 Pro was going to be a serious contender for what I was going with after I had to get rid of my HE-400's...BUT seeing that they're open as well, I never tried em.

I'd steer clear of 770 Pro's unless you like bass from what I've been told...the 880s are more treble and the 990's are the best of both if I recall correctly. I wouldn't go higher than 250Ohm. Depending on what you plan to drive them with 250 rated coils can be a little different to drive than a lower or higher rated coil.

I'd look at a USB solution, but you might need to spend more to get what you want. Definitely look at the B/S/T section of head-fi.org. I've always had great luck with members there, maybe I've been lucky tho...that's where I got my T1 years ago.

I'll see if I can do a little research later and get back to ya, but also go do some digging yourself...we'll find you something. I imagine now-a-days affordable amps and DAC/Amps are becoming more common...they were really up and coming years ago when I got the T1 (and why I got one lol).

If you have an old audio-video receiver, you could try that as well. If i didn't lose my Denon AVR-1613 to the entertainment center I'd still be using it and the T1 would be on the shelf being unrealized.

:rockout:
 

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Kursah

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I have read good things about Hifiman amps... if the experience is as-good-as mine with their headphone's, it'll surely be excellent! :D
 

tabascosauz

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@Kursah thanks for the helpful advice.

Amp-wise, i decided to roll with a used E10K to get me going. Even the E10K can't be found new in the UK anymore. I'll see where that takes me.

For the phones I ended up settling with the 80ohm 770s (just to be safe with the E10K. I decided against the 990s because they are open, ironically and I realized that my home is actually pretty loud in ambient noise.

Perhaps I'm not quite ready for a completely flat sound yet. I considered the added bass of he 770s a more palatable risk to take than the potential screaming highs of the 880s or 990s. Plus, they're all the same price. I can return the 770s within 30 days.

Thanks for all your help guys.
 
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