Is this the best setup I can get for the price?

[FatEskimo97]

Emotiva Mini-x a-100 Stereo Flex Amplifier - ~$200

Hifiman HE-500 - ~$500 on Ebay

ODAC - ~$150

Is there any other set of headphones, Amp, and DAC that costs around the same and is all-around better? I'll be listening to a lot of rock and some rap and dubstep, as well as doing competetive gaming (CS:GO) where sound separation is very important.

Thanks

[Snazzy]

He-500------Great

 

Emotiva Mini-x a-100 Stereo Flex Amplifier------I think you could get a better headphone amplifier for that price, that one is for speaker's and might have annoying hissing sound.

 

-i recommend objective2 amp but im not big on amp's so just skim over these pages. http://www.head-fi.org/products/category/desktop-amps

 

Odac------Great

[FatEskimo97]

Emotiva Mini-x a-100 Stereo Flex Amplifier------I think you could get a better headphone amplifier for that price, that one is for speaker's and might have annoying hissing sound.Odac------Great

I've heard that this speaker amp works amazing well and sounds really good with the HE-500s and ODAC. I had it recommended to me here, actually.

[creatip123]

'Best' is very subjective, especially on middle to high end products. Different headphones got different sound signatures, that's for sure. Which one is better or best, now that's the subjective part. For example, I still prefer my HE-400 compared to $1300 Beyer's T1, because I like the sounds from HE-400 more than the T1. 

 

+1 on snazzy's post above, speaker amps tend to give hisses (noise floor or something). And speaker amps are safe to use on planar headphones only. Dynamic drivers could fry, and electrostats won't have enough voltage from the amp (need special amps). If your headphone stay connected to a speaker amp, always take note of the volume knob, before turning it on, every time. A good thing to do is always turn it down (almost zero) before powering on the amp. 

[FatEskimo97]

@creatip123 This amp would be fine with these cans then because they are planars, right? Would they still have the hissing with the HE-500?

And I know that "best" is subjective, but would the 500s be the best with what I like? I'll be listening to a shit-ton of rock/metal/punk (My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, Avenged Sevenfold, Senses Fail, etc.), some rap (Eminem and Hollywood Undead mainly with some other artists like Tech N9ne), and "hardcore" style dubstep (Knife Party). I will also be doing competitive gaming (CS:GO) where sound separation is very important and I need to know where sounds are coming from.

For tonal balance I prefer an all-around headphone with satisfying bass and clear vocals with good separation of instruments

[creatip123]

@creatip123 This amp would be fine with these cans then because they are planars, right? Would they still have the hissing with the HE-500?

And I know that "best" is subjective, but would the 500s be the best with what I like? I'll be listening to a shit-ton of rock/metal/punk (My Chemical Romance, Rise Against, Avenged Sevenfold, Senses Fail, etc.), some rap (Eminem and Hollywood Undead mainly with some other artists like Tech N9ne), and "hardcore" style dubstep (Knife Party). I will also be doing competitive gaming (CS:GO) where sound separation is very important and I need to know where sounds are coming from.

For tonal balance I prefer an all-around headphone with satisfying bass and clear vocals with good separation of instruments

 

I have the Lepai 2020A+ to use with my HE-400. The hiss is there, and a bit annoying when the source is quiet (no sound is playing), but it can be plugged straight up with the speaker amp (dynamic drivers can be plugged to, but usually require an L-pad, google 'L-pad' if interested)

 

@Lays had the HE-500, so maybe ask him. HE-400 is tilted more toward warmer tones, with spikes in highs. HE-500 is supposed to be more neutral, but never tried it, so can't say for sure.

[FatEskimo97]

I have the Lepai 2020A+ to use with my HE-400. The hiss is there, and a bit annoying when the source is quiet (no sound is playing), but it can be plugged straight up with the speaker amp (dynamic drivers can be plugged to, but usually require an L-pad, google 'L-pad' if interested)

 

@Lays had the HE-500, so maybe ask him. HE-400 is tilted more toward warmer tones, with spikes in highs. HE-500 is supposed to be more neutral, but never tried it, so can't say for sure.

Yea @Lays was who recommended this setup actually lol

[creatip123]

Yea @Lays was who recommended this setup actually lol

 

Yep, I know. He's been ranting around about Emotiva, but got the Lyr instead

[MayflowerElectronics]

I'm not sure where these people get the idea to hook up speaker amps to their headphone but you're putting too much power into them. They do not need that much power.

 

Any good headphone amp will be more than enough to power them.

[ebhsimon]

I have the Lepai 2020A+ to use with my HE-400. The hiss is there, and a bit annoying when the source is quiet (no sound is playing), but it can be plugged straight up with the speaker amp (dynamic drivers can be plugged to, but usually require an L-pad, google 'L-pad' if interested)

 

@Lays had the HE-500, so maybe ask him. HE-400 is tilted more toward warmer tones, with spikes in highs. HE-500 is supposed to be more neutral, but never tried it, so can't say for sure.

 

I can use HE-400s with my phone and it gets to a respectable volume. Is a speaker amp necessary for HE-400s  :blink: However planars do sound better when turned way up, as opposed to dynamics which just get louder. Planars get louder and there's a more distinct separation between highs mids and lows  B)

 

Opposite problem for me though, I have to plug my headphones into the front audio jack of my computer case. If I plug it into my motherboard directly I have to keep volume below 16 (out of 100) since it provides way too much power so "it can support 600ohm headphones".

[creatip123]

I'm not sure where these people get the idea to hook up speaker amps to their headphone but you're putting too much power into them. They do not need that much power.

 

Any good headphone amp will be more than enough to power them.

 

Although I'm one of 'those guys' who uses a speaker amp for my planar (used a big system's pre-amp-power-amp combo with L-pad, later on the Lepai 2020a+), I'd have to agree with this. Planars have gone more and more efficient, and headphone amps have grown more and more powerful. The keyword here is 'good' headphone amp.

 

I still think planars need a stable supply of currents to sound better than average (subject of debate), and a crappy amp is lacking just that. I'm currently using the Aune T1 MK2, and it seems to do a good job at bringing the best out of the HE-400. 

 

Nowadays, with planars, I think the use of speaker amps would be solely for preference only, as in 'I like the sound from this speaker amp more than my headphone amp'

 

Perhaps with something like HE-6, a speaker amp would be less costly than a headphone amp that can drive it well, perhaps. 

 

 

I can use HE-400s with my phone and it gets to a respectable volume. Is a speaker amp necessary for HE-400s  :blink: However planars do sound better when turned way up, as opposed to dynamics which just get louder. Planars get louder and there's a more distinct separation between highs mids and lows  B)

 

 

That's what I've been feeling, more separation and wideness as the volume goes up, compared to dynamic drivers. But yeah, subject of debate, there are people who won't accept that

[t0wer]

he500's are pretty efficient.

I've tried the speaker amp thing, and it's a pass from me.

 

and actually I went the other way around.

I power my speakers from my headphone amp  B)

 

lower gain than most speaker amps, zero hiss.

[FatEskimo97]

Someone on reddit just recommended me the HD650 + Bottlehead Crack + ODAC setup. Would this be better for my prefrences than the setup I originally posted or a HE-500 + O2 + ODAC setup?

EDIT: Nevermind about the 650 setup, I read some reviews comparing the two. But should I just go for an ODAC and O2 setup instead of the original one?

[creatip123]

Someone on reddit just recommended me the HD650 + Bottlehead Crack + ODAC setup. Would this be better for my prefrences than the setup I originally posted or a HE-500 + O2 + ODAC setup?

EDIT: Nevermind about the 650 setup, I read some reviews comparing the two. But should I just go for an ODAC and O2 setup instead of the original one?

 

Let's put it this way: Do you need a speaker amp? Nope. Do you want a speaker amp? Depends. You may like the sound of that speaker amp, but then again, you may not. My advice is just get the O2+ODAC combo, and get over with it....

 

*I'd actually recommend the Aune T1, but I guess adding 1 more recommendation would just stir things up more...

[Lays]

Yea @Lays was who recommended this setup actually lol

I would say he 500 and o2 odac, if you don't like it they both have wonderful resell value. He 500 can be bought for like 450$ on razor dog audio, get em from there if you decide to get them. They'll resell for $400 at least and o2 odac will sell for 200$ easily

I bought a schiit lyr for my lcd2s and personally to me I like the sound more than the o2, but technically the o2 is scientifically better.

It could also be placebo, but the lyr has more functionality for me than my o2 odac did and looks better as well. (all personal preference)

I can't blind test both as I sold the o2 odac, so I can't definitively say it sounds better or worse though.

You can also get lcd2 from razor dog audio for $795, which is an even better option. Imo the lcd2 is better in every single way.

[creatip123]

Imo the lcd2 is better in every single way.

 

But the LCD2 is the 'entry level'.....in the Audeze booth.....with the other series being LCD-X, LCD-XC, LCD-3.......

[Lays]

But the LCD2 is the 'entry level'.....in the Audeze booth.....with the other series being LCD-X, LCD-XC, LCD-3.......

 

 

Entry level in $1,000 headphones isn't saying much.  After switching from he-500 to LCD-2 I found the LCD-2 better in every way, comfort, fit, cabling, ease-of-use (because of cabling + fit+comfort), bass, mids, treble is less harsh, it's so much better IMO.

[MayflowerElectronics]

But the LCD2 is the 'entry level'.....in the Audeze booth.....with the other series being LCD-X, LCD-XC, LCD-3.......

 

That's like saying the ferrari 458 is the 'entry level' car at ferrari lol.

[BoredErica]

I think it's a little coincidental that people think the pricier headphones are better. I'm positive there is expectation bias going on in there somewhere. At least try to ignore the price tag when auditioning? Running away with a bargain that sounds the same makes you the smarter person.

 

Anyways....

O2/Odac master race checking in.  B)

 

That's like saying the ferrari 458 is the 'entry level' car at ferrari lol.

Nwavguy kept using car analogies in some of his blog posts. Every time he does that, I'm like.... nopeeee. 

[creatip123]

That's like saying the ferrari 458 is the 'entry level' car at ferrari lol.

 

I know. Just messing around with my darling Lays there....

 

 

I think it's a little coincidental that people think the pricier headphones are better. I'm positive there is expectation bias going on in there somewhere. At least try to ignore the price tag when auditioning? Running away with a bargain that sounds the same makes you the smarter person.

 

Anyways....

O2/Odac master race checking in.  B)

 

Hey, I got this LCD-3, and it only costs me $10....

 

Really? How is that even possible?

 

A bit of persuasion skill, lots of bullets....

[BoredErica]

I know. Just messing around with my darling Lays there....

 

 

 

Hey, I got this LCD-3, and it only costs me $10....

 

Really? How is that even possible?

 

A bit of persuasion skill, lots of bullets....

I call shenanigans.

Must be the butt plugs.  :lol:

[creatip123]

I call shenanigans.

Must be the butt plugs.  :lol:

 

*backs away slowly....*

 

Ok, enough crazy chats, back to OP: HE-500 is good, LCD-2 is even better, if you can spare the extra dough. Just 1 advice: do not ever audition the LCD-3. It'll haunt your every moment, scratching from the back of your brain, until you finally gives in to the forbidden temptation....

[BoredErica]

I auditioned the LCD3 and I'm not haunted. It really depends on the person listening. I have friends who think they all sound the same. And actually, I don't really blame them.

[creatip123]

I auditioned the LCD3 and I'm not haunted. It really depends on the person listening. I have friends who think they all sound the same. And actually, I don't really blame them.

 

That's because you got the powerful holy ache dee 800 to ward off the evil temptation.....

 

*my evil warding device? My bank account book....

[FatEskimo97]

If I decide to get the LCD-2 I wont have the money for a DAC right away. I'm going X99 which has a good onboard sound system so would just having an amp be fine?