First "expensive" headphones, What do i buy?

[kokakolia]

I have been fooling around with expensive headphones (Grados, Hifi-man) and decided that they're not worth it (in most cases). Here's a rant:

 

- The human brain throws sound quality out of the picture. You have to focus really hard to hear minute details in the music. And music has the effect of numbing your mind, by immersing you into the music. At this point you don't care if you can hear a mosquito farting in the background. The major advantage with more expensive headphones is the quicker immersion into the music.

 

- Deadmau5 said it himself: popular music is produced to sound good on any setup. You can play Pink Floyd or the Black Keys in the car, and it will still sound awesome. Only obscure metal genres. classical music and poorly produced indie rock sound way better on expensive headphones. It's no surprise that a lot of "audiophiles" are metal heads.

 

- Comfort is way more important than sound. A lot fancy high-end headphones such as Hi-fi man, Audeze etc...omit the cardinal sin of being clunky and heavy. You always feel them on your head and they hurt your neck after a couple of hours. IMO, the only reason Bose is really popular is because their headphones have good enough sound (nothing special, actually mediocre considering the price) and they're the comfiest in the world. And forgetting that you're wearing headphones is actually more immersive than hearing accidental whispers that didn't get edited out of the mix. 

 

A lot of pseudoscience marketing bologna goes into dacs. It's true that a lot of full size headphones require more power to shine and a DAC makes all the difference in the world. But you don't need anything fancy. Just something with a clean output. A lot of geeks will tell you to pair your $200 headphones with a similarly priced DAC. And that's bogus because a DAC isn't the same as a GPU. It's not like you can severely bottleneck headphones with a DAC LOL. Actually, my MSI GE62 laptop has such a good soundcard built in that my DAC (nuforce udac) is collecting dust. 

 

So my advice is to get something that sounds good enough and that's super comfy. Several months ago, I would have said: buy the Philips SHP 9500 and never look back. They're just as good as anything from Hifiman or Grado for a fraction of the price. They're so easy to drive, I don't see why you would ever need a DAC (unless you're plugging them into a cheap laptop). This man said it best:

 

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Philips-SHP9500-Headphones-Over-ear-ORIGINAL/dp/B00ENMK1DW/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471889671&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=philips+shp+9500

 

But now I am using $45 (CAD) Logitech Z200 PC speakers, and I am enjoying them more. They're loud and clear. Good enough' sound. And best of all, I don't have them on my head. So the immersion is infinitely easier than with headphones.  

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech-Multimedia-Speakers-Midnight-Black/dp/B00EZ9XKCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471889566&sr=8-2&keywords=computer+speakers

 

 

 

 

[spwath]

46 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

I have been fooling around with expensive headphones (Grados, Hifi-man) and decided that they're not worth it (in most cases). Here's a rant:

 

- The human brain throws sound quality out of the picture. You have to focus really hard to hear minute details in the music. And music has the effect of numbing your mind, by immersing you into the music. At this point you don't care if you can hear a mosquito farting in the background. The major advantage with more expensive headphones is the quicker immersion into the music.

 

- Deadmau5 said it himself: popular music is produced to sound good on any setup. You can play Pink Floyd or the Black Keys in the car, and it will still sound awesome. Only obscure metal genres. classical music and poorly produced indie rock sound way better on expensive headphones. It's no surprise that a lot of "audiophiles" are metal heads.

 

- Comfort is way more important than sound. A lot fancy high-end headphones such as Hi-fi man, Audeze etc...omit the cardinal sin of being clunky and heavy. You always feel them on your head and they hurt your neck after a couple of hours. IMO, the only reason Bose is really popular is because their headphones have good enough sound (nothing special, actually mediocre considering the price) and they're the comfiest in the world. And forgetting that you're wearing headphones is actually more immersive than hearing accidental whispers that didn't get edited out of the mix. 

 

A lot of pseudoscience marketing bologna goes into dacs. It's true that a lot of full size headphones require more power to shine and a DAC makes all the difference in the world. But you don't need anything fancy. Just something with a clean output. A lot of geeks will tell you to pair your $200 headphones with a similarly priced DAC. And that's bogus because a DAC isn't the same as a GPU. It's not like you can severely bottleneck headphones with a DAC LOL. Actually, my MSI GE62 laptop has such a good soundcard built in that my DAC (nuforce udac) is collecting dust. 

 

So my advice is to get something that sounds good enough and that's super comfy. Several months ago, I would have said: buy the Philips SHP 9500 and never look back. They're just as good as anything from Hifiman or Grado for a fraction of the price. They're so easy to drive, I don't see why you would ever need a DAC (unless you're plugging them into a cheap laptop). This man said it best:

 

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Philips-SHP9500-Headphones-Over-ear-ORIGINAL/dp/B00ENMK1DW/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471889671&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=philips+shp+9500

 

But now I am using $45 (CAD) Logitech Z200 PC speakers, and I am enjoying them more. They're loud and clear. Good enough' sound. And best of all, I don't have them on my head. So the immersion is infinitely easier than with headphones.  

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech-Multimedia-Speakers-Midnight-Black/dp/B00EZ9XKCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471889566&sr=8-2&keywords=computer+speakers

 

 

 

 

I strongly disagree. Pink Floyd sounds much much much much better on my Grado's than my car stereo, I enjoy it much much more.

[KaminKevCrew]

20 minutes ago, spwath said:

I strongly disagree. Pink Floyd sounds much much much much better on my Grado's than my car stereo, I enjoy it much much more.

exactly.

 

Just like how I don't listen to stuff on the stock earbuds that came with my Galaxy S7.

[SSL]

1 hour ago, kokakolia said:

I have been fooling around with expensive headphones (Grados, Hifi-man) and decided that they're not worth it (in most cases). Here's a rant:

 

- The human brain throws sound quality out of the picture. You have to focus really hard to hear minute details in the music. And music has the effect of numbing your mind, by immersing you into the music. At this point you don't care if you can hear a mosquito farting in the background. The major advantage with more expensive headphones is the quicker immersion into the music.

 

While I agree that source is often less important than many audiophiles claim, it is always beneficial to get the best possible headphone at the end of the chain. What I've found is that it often takes time and switching BACK to inferior headphones to appreciate the merits of a more capable model. The human hearing system is good a filling in the gaps between a reproduction and reality, which makes it hard to imagine what better quality sounds like - until that quality is heard and then removed.

 

And I should make clear, I'm making this claim from the perspective of pure musical enjoyment - not listening for "microdetail", "microdynamics", "plankton", "PRaT" or any of the other garbage audiophiles like to tout as the merits of a "summit-fi" system. Things like deeper, cleaner bass, larger, more three-dimensional soundstage, and less-distorted dynamic peaks are obvious after a little listening time.

 

Granted, these qualities aren't required to enjoy music. But, I find that getting as close as possible to the original material can make for a more powerful, immersive experience.

[Volbet]

1 hour ago, kokakolia said:

 

 

I have been fooling around with expensive headphones (Grados, Hifi-man) and decided that they're not worth it (in most cases). Here's a rant:

 

- The human brain throws sound quality out of the picture. You have to focus really hard to hear minute details in the music. And music has the effect of numbing your mind, by immersing you into the music. At this point you don't care if you can hear a mosquito farting in the background. The major advantage with more expensive headphones is the quicker immersion into the music.

 

- Deadmau5 said it himself: popular music is produced to sound good on any setup. You can play Pink Floyd or the Black Keys in the car, and it will still sound awesome. Only obscure metal genres. classical music and poorly produced indie rock sound way better on expensive headphones. It's no surprise that a lot of "audiophiles" are metal heads.

 

- Comfort is way more important than sound. A lot fancy high-end headphones such as Hi-fi man, Audeze etc...omit the cardinal sin of being clunky and heavy. You always feel them on your head and they hurt your neck after a couple of hours. IMO, the only reason Bose is really popular is because their headphones have good enough sound (nothing special, actually mediocre considering the price) and they're the comfiest in the world. And forgetting that you're wearing headphones is actually more immersive than hearing accidental whispers that didn't get edited out of the mix. 

 

A lot of pseudoscience marketing bologna goes into dacs. It's true that a lot of full size headphones require more power to shine and a DAC makes all the difference in the world. But you don't need anything fancy. Just something with a clean output. A lot of geeks will tell you to pair your $200 headphones with a similarly priced DAC. And that's bogus because a DAC isn't the same as a GPU. It's not like you can severely bottleneck headphones with a DAC LOL. Actually, my MSI GE62 laptop has such a good soundcard built in that my DAC (nuforce udac) is collecting dust. 

 

So my advice is to get something that sounds good enough and that's super comfy. Several months ago, I would have said: buy the Philips SHP 9500 and never look back. They're just as good as anything from Hifiman or Grado for a fraction of the price. They're so easy to drive, I don't see why you would ever need a DAC (unless you're plugging them into a cheap laptop). This man said it best:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Philips-SHP9500-Headphones-Over-ear-ORIGINAL/dp/B00ENMK1DW/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471889671&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=philips+shp+9500

 

But now I am using $45 (CAD) Logitech Z200 PC speakers, and I am enjoying them more. They're loud and clear. Good enough' sound. And best of all, I don't have them on my head. So the immersion is infinitely easier than with headphones.  

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech-Multimedia-Speakers-Midnight-Black/dp/B00EZ9XKCM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1471889566&sr=8-2&keywords=computer+speakers

 
 

 

 

One problem with your post.

You're assuming that enjoyment is only one thing. I would argue that a person can enjoy music in a varity of ways.

The way I listen to music at home is vastly different than the way I listen to it in a car.

When I'm at home I would like to enjoy Dark Side of the Moon to the fullest with as little distortion as possible. 

When I'm in a car I couldn't care less about distortion. There I just want to listen to Carly Rae Jepsen at a reasonably loud volume.  

 

However, I would agree that people's file source is often time the weakest link in the audio chain.  

 

Asking for recommendations also allows for people to get closer to a sound solution that is suitable for their preferences.

 

And to your point about metal music. The vast majority of metal doesn't sound good on anything. 

There always seem to atleast one thing wrong with every metal album. It's either sounds like it has been mastered by a drunken chimpanzee or recorded by a rooster.

Although, most of the time both seem to be the case. 

There's also the whole "lo-fi" element to a lot of metal bands. Some bands will create the worst possible sound on purpose with the intend of creating an atmosphere. 

Even with the small home studio I'm running I have plenty of good stories about musicians wanting their recording to sound as shitty as possible. 

No matter how good your sound system is those recordings will never sound good. The difference between Skullcandy earphones and Shure KSE1500s isn't going to be noticable when you're only listning to Tetragrammacide. 

[kokakolia]

3 hours ago, Volbet said:

One problem with your post.

You're assuming that enjoyment is only one thing. I would argue that a person can enjoy music in a varity of ways.

The way I listen to music at home is vastly different than the way I listen to it in a car.

When I'm at home I would like to enjoy Dark Side of the Moon to the fullest with as little distortion as possible. 

When I'm in a car I couldn't care less about distortion. There I just want to listen to Carly Rae Jepsen at a reasonably loud volume.  

 

However, I would agree that people's file source is often time the weakest link in the audio chain.  

 

Asking for recommendations also allows for people to get closer to a sound solution that is suitable for their preferences.

 

And to your point about metal music. The vast majority of metal doesn't sound good on anything. 

There always seem to atleast one thing wrong with every metal album. It's either sounds like it has been mastered by a drunken chimpanzee or recorded by a rooster.

Although, most of the time both seem to be the case. 

There's also the whole "lo-fi" element to a lot of metal bands. Some bands will create the worst possible sound on purpose with the intend of creating an atmosphere. 

Even with the small home studio I'm running I have plenty of good stories about musicians wanting their recording to sound as shitty as possible. 

No matter how good your sound system is those recordings will never sound good. The difference between Skullcandy earphones and Shure KSE1500s isn't going to be noticable when you're only listning to Tetragrammacide. 

Distorsion in a Pink Floyd track? Everything is distorted in Pink Floyd haha. Personally, I think that Pink Floyd would sound better with a reasonable set of car speakers than with  overpriced, over-hyped "Studio Monitor Headphones" because headphones don't translate soundstage and spaciness well at all. Headphones have this "boxed in" sound, unless you spend $400 and get Hi-Fi mans. It took me a while to realise that Grados sound weird and distorted, like when you're landing in a plane. There is something weird about the mid tones.  

 

Heck, my 45$ computer speakers do a better job on some Pink Floyd. You really need two speakers and have them distanced apart. There are so many "left-right" sounds, especially on Ummugumma and Atom Heart Mother (my personal favourite). 

 

Some Metal sounds overproduced, some metal sounds like garbage. For best possible examples, I am thinking of bands like Shellac (best produced "raw" low-fi sound) or NIN. And they're not exactly metal, but then what is really?

 

About Skullcandy VS "Shure", it hardly makes a difference on synth music. It's what I listen to the most. 

 

 

 

[iShad]

35 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

snip

Have to agree, after using summit-fi headphones for years I'm getting less impressed even comparing to cheapo speakers. Can't imagine how much better it would be if I were to sell all my audio gears for a nice set of stereo monitors and just go back down to hd600/650.

[kokakolia]

Well, I am sorry that I devolved this topic. 

 

But I still think that the SHP 9500 is a fantastic headphone. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-SHP9500-00-Circumaural-Head-band/dp/B00ENMK1DW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471914148&sr=8-1&keywords=philips+shp9500

 

Even the amazon reviews agree. It's a £ 110. Save your money. 

 

 

 

[Dackzy]

@kokakolia are you for real? Better headphones can make a huge difference to music, the human brain is good at hiding setups in audio quality, but once you have used high end headphones for a while and then go back to 50$ headphones, oh god you can hear every little thing that is wrong with them, like loose bass, distorted highs, muddy mids, the lowest I can go is RE400i and those are known for their really good sound quality for the price. I have the m50 and dear god they sound bad compared to my HE560, I cannot enjoy music with them, because I instantly hear the flaws. I am very very sensitive to sound, I was also doing the Phillips golden ear test and came to the highest level, before I stopped and went on holyday and then when I came home and remembered it, it was closed down. As volbet said you enjoy music in different ways, in the car I just want something on from my Spotify playlist and I don't care what it is or if the speakers are bad, when I walk around with ear buds I want to have fairly good audio quality and when I am home I want the best I can get. I also love my speakers, they sound kinda like the LSR305, but a tiny bit darker, but they don't stand a chance against my HE560, simply because I can hear a lot more of the small little things with my headphones than with my speaker and it would be a no go to use speakers all the time in my house, my family would just get mad. The best thing you can ever do is to find headphones that just have the perfect sound signature for you and then never look back, I have heard alot of people complain about high end audio not being worth it, but that stopped when they found high end headphones that had the perfect sound signature for them, they all had the same point of view as you have.

[kokakolia]

@Dackzy I just get used to whatever I use. The transition is ugly when I go from a good pair into skullcandies the first week or so, but then I get used to it. Also, better headphones make a huge difference the first time you use them, and then you get used to them and the shine is gone.

 

At the end of the day, you enjoy your fancy headphones just as much as your old scrappy headphones. But you can't return to your old headphones anymore because they're scrappy. And now you're officially an audio snob. 

 

This entire sound signature thing is disguised marketing for "you're never happy with your current headphone, buy another one" And then you end up having 20 headphones in your closet. And you convince yourself that these headphones all have a distinctive sound. And that may be true, but it's barely noticeable. It's like your brain fills the gaps and is narrating the music as you hear it. I already made up my mind: if it's anything from Grado, Ultrasone or Superlux throw it in the dumpster. The shrill mids/treble will make you def. 

[Dackzy]

10 minutes ago, kokakolia said:

@Dackzy I just get used to whatever I use. The transition is ugly when I go from a good pair into skullcandies the first week or so, but then I get used to it. Also, better headphones make a huge difference the first time you use them, and then you get used to them and the shine is gone.

 

At the end of the day, you enjoy your fancy headphones just as much as your old scrappy headphones. But you can't return to your old headphones anymore because they're scrappy. And now you're officially an audio snob. 

 

This entire sound signature thing is disguised marketing for "you're never happy with your current headphone, buy another one" And then you end up having 20 headphones in your closet. And you convince yourself that these headphones all have a distinctive sound. And that may be true, but it's barely noticeable. It's like your brain fills the gaps and is narrating the music as you hear it. I already made up my mind: if it's anything from Grado, Ultrasone or Superlux throw it in the dumpster. The shrill mids/treble will make you def. 

I would not call myself a audio snob, I just don't want to get something that is bad for the money or get 50$ headphones when I can afford 150$, because there is such a big jump in audio quality. I cannot really get used to the "cheap" headphones, because I can instally hear the flaws and most of the cheaper headphones are more focused on bass, I don't like that, I am a more neutral/analytical kinda guy. Also a audio snob would be someone that doesn't recommend getting anything under what he/she thinks is the boarder, I often recommend Superlux if they have like 50$ for headphones, I go up in getting the best you can for your money, no matter what budget you have. For my own use, then yes I am a little, because I have found the signature I love and then I don't want cheap skull earbuds, because they don't fit that signature. Also I am a bit weird when we talk sound, I was born with tinnitus, but I was also born with hearing that is very sensitive, so I pick up on EVERYTHING really fast. I have been tested on a hospital. I am also thinking about upgrading my speakers to some Dynaudio m10, because they have the signature I like.

 

Bump up in audio quality is not  something for normally notice that much, but a bump down you notice much more. Yes I know that the brain trick us and yes I have done blind tests with other people.

[Volbet]

15 hours ago, kokakolia said:

Distorsion in a Pink Floyd track? Everything is distorted in Pink Floyd haha. Personally, I think that Pink Floyd would sound better with a reasonable set of car speakers than with  overpriced, over-hyped "Studio Monitor Headphones" because headphones don't translate soundstage and spaciness well at all. Headphones have this "boxed in" sound, unless you spend $400 and get Hi-Fi mans. It took me a while to realise that Grados sound weird and distorted, like when you're landing in a plane. There is something weird about the mid tones.  

 

Heck, my 45$ computer speakers do a better job on some Pink Floyd. You really need two speakers and have them distanced apart. There are so many "left-right" sounds, especially on Ummugumma and Atom Heart Mother (my personal favourite). 

 

Some Metal sounds overproduced, some metal sounds like garbage. For best possible examples, I am thinking of bands like Shellac (best produced "raw" low-fi sound) or NIN. And they're not exactly metal, but then what is really?

 

About Skullcandy VS "Shure", it hardly makes a difference on synth music. It's what I listen to the most. 

When I talk about distortion I don't talk about the distortion implamented in the recording. 

I'm talking about the distortion that get's introduced through the speakers/headphones you play them through.

There is a reason my Event Opals sound better than my Bose Soundlink Mini.

While the Soundlink is a pretty good Bluetooth speaker, it also distortion in the lower en and treble.

The treble on it sounds harsh and unnatural while the bass sounds oddly sharp.

 

I fail to see where you got the whole headphone vs. speaker debate from. I at no point argued for either system. 

I also dislike Grado headphone with a passion, so I don't think I'm the right person to talk to about them. 

[GamerDude]

6 hours ago, kokakolia said:

At the end of the day, you enjoy your fancy headphones just as much as your old scrappy headphones. But you can't return to your old headphones anymore because they're scrappy. And now you're officially an audio snob. 

 

This entire sound signature thing is disguised marketing for "you're never happy with your current headphone, buy another one" And then you end up having 20 headphones in your closet. And you convince yourself that these headphones all have a distinctive sound. And that may be true, but it's barely noticeable. It's like your brain fills the gaps and is narrating the music as you hear it. I already made up my mind: if it's anything from Grado, Ultrasone or Superlux throw it in the dumpster. The shrill mids/treble will make you def. 

Well, I'm with Dackzy, once you get used to better cans, it's near impossible to go back to cheap or bad sounding ones. I used to love my Klipsch Image One BT, thought it sounded great, the bass really caught my attention. Now, I can barely listen for an hour or so before I'd have to take it off and give my ears a rest. Now, when I listen to it, I'm struck at how bad it sounds.....boomy bass, muddied to hell mids, sounds like recessed treble as well. Utterly bad....good for perhaps during commute on the train or a short flight, but no more than that.

 

BTW, do you know that by simply calling Dackzy an audio snob, you have outted yourself as an audio snob? Got your head so far up in the clouds you don't see it? Here, let me elaborate: Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, whether you agree with their opined views doesn't matter, it's when you call them out on their views, dressing them down simply because the stated views don't jell with your opinion....that shows you to be an audio snob in the truest sense. Some may like Grado, Ultrasone, or Superlux, you'll find some who love 'em, some who don't care for them. By saying that you have 'already made up my mind' that these brands belong in the dumpster, aren't you being the kettle that calls the pot black (just like when you call Dackzy an audio snob)? IMO, an audio snob is one who thinks his opinion matter more than another  or others.....it has nothing to do their preferences and number of cans they own (be them low end, mid end, high end, or TOTL).

 

As for sound signature, are you serious?! Listen to a Sennheiser HD800S and then try an LCD3, or a HD598 followed by a Denon AH-D2000, then tell me if they sound alike. While it's true that some cans sound quite similar, it's utter nonsense to categorically state that sound signature of a particular can/brand is ' disguised marketing for "you're never happy with your current headphone, buy another one". Not everyone enjoy a particular sound sig, hence the differences in them......and so-called 'house sound'.

[SSL]

What does "scrappy" mean? Is this the new lingo kids are using these days, like "salty"?

[xLmarley]

Got my headphones and im well impressed.  Im sure they arent the best i could of got for the money but i am very happy with them, for now at least.    Been listening to music that i havent heard for years and i have got to tell you, Freddie Mercury sounds like a fucking angel.    Im hooked, i will never go back and as soon as these break, i wont be sad, its going to be a good excuse to upgrade. 

[GamerDude]

1 hour ago, xLmarley said:

Got my headphones and im well impressed.  Im sure they arent the best i could of got for the money but i am very happy with them, for now at least.    Been listening to music that i havent heard for years and i have got to tell you, Freddie Mercury sounds like a fucking angel.    Im hooked, i will never go back and as soon as these break, i wont be sad, its going to be a good excuse to upgrade. 

Eh, what didcha get in the end? The AT ATH A990Z?

[xLmarley]

1 minute ago, GamerDude said:

Eh, what didcha get in the end? The AT ATH A990Z?

yes mate. 

[GamerDude]

It looks quite similar to my ATH-A900X LTD, prolly sound quite similar as well....you're prolly hearing sparkly highs/treble, cleaner mids and nicer bass (prolly better mid bass slam, I don't think it has very good lower bass extension though). I love mine, definitely a keeper for me as well....

 

[xLmarley]

oooh they are pretty.   They would match my PC too,  I didnt know mine were green until they got here haha

[GamerDude]

6 minutes ago, xLmarley said:

oooh they are pretty.   They would match my PC too,  I didnt know mine were green until they got here haha

Heh, it doesn't matter as long as it sounds good, right, mate? You've made a good buy, now enjoy that badboy.....as for upgrade, well, it's a slippery slope that one. When I got into this upgrade phase, I darn slipped and hit almost every bump on the way down.......what's worse for me is, well, realizing that I yet to hit rock bottom. I'm still on the lookout for 'better' cans.....or nicer DAC's.

[xLmarley]

My next purchase will be an amp and DAC.   Im looking for an alternative to the Schiit stack as i cant seem to find them in the UK and id rather not have to pay for shipping and import.

[Dackzy]

1 hour ago, xLmarley said:

My next purchase will be an amp and DAC.   Im looking for an alternative to the Schiit stack as i cant seem to find them in the UK and id rather not have to pay for shipping and import.

Why do you want a DAC and amp? It does not make much sense to spend 200$ on a DAC and amp when the audio quality jump would have been higher if you just put that extra cash towards headphones. You should only get a DAC and amp if there is something wrong with your onboard or only a amp if you cannot get them loud enough.

[KaminKevCrew]

3 hours ago, GamerDude said:

Heh, it doesn't matter as long as it sounds good, right, mate? You've made a good buy, now enjoy that badboy.....as for upgrade, well, it's a slippery slope that one. When I got into this upgrade phase, I darn slipped and hit almost every bump on the way down.......what's worse for me is, well, realizing that I yet to hit rock bottom. I'm still on the lookout for 'better' cans.....or nicer DAC's.

I had a pair of those that I traded for a while ago. Unfortunately, the cable was shot, so I had to go back on the trade. They're well worth it though, when they're working. What a lovely pair of cans!

[SSL]

5 hours ago, xLmarley said:

My next purchase will be an amp and DAC.   Im looking for an alternative to the Schiit stack as i cant seem to find them in the UK and id rather not have to pay for shipping and import.

 

You're not looking in the right place. Electromod is the official direct partner for Schiit in the UK, and there are other places that sell them as well.

 

However. If you had the ~$200 to spend on amp and DAC, you should have put that into headphones.