hd 800 or something else?

[AbsintheGold]

Hi forum

 

i am looking at some high end headphones for everyday computer use

what do you guys think?

 

also would the asus xonar essence stx be enough to support the head phone or will i need to get something like ausu xonar essence one muses edition?

[Blade of Grass]

What's your budget like for headphones and amp/dac?

[Alcatraz]

Honestly, just get something like HD558s. After that price point, you begin to get diminishing returns for your money. HD800s are certainly not meant for everyday computer use.

 

The Essence STX is an awesome sound card. You won't be disappointed with it.

[t0wer]

hifiman he-500 and odac + o2 would be a better option than hd800 + stx imo.

[h264]

If you've got that kind of money, get a pair of the Audeze LCD-2s and an O2+ODAC.  My He-500s are another good option, and literally half the price.  If you hate orthos, then something like the Sennheiser HD650 or the Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 are welll received.  You don't need to spend $1500 on headphones.

[AbsintheGold]

no budget

 

id like a internal sound card but if it takes a external one to drive these then ill get it

[h264]

no budget

 

id like a internal sound card but if it takes a external one to drive these then ill get it

 

You'll be better off with one if you just want to drive headphones.  Get a good one and it'll last you until they come up with audio implants.

[Cheesebaron]

Lots of suggestions on which pair to get, but in the end it comes to what kind of sound signature you like. If HD800 does not float your boat, you have spent a whole lot of money on a headphone you don't like. So my suggestion is to go to some store and listen to some headphones and find out what kind of sound you like. In that price range there are a lot of good possibilities:

 

Sennheiser HD800

Beyerdynamic T1

Audezee LCD-2 or LCD-3

HiFiMan HE-500

Fostex TH900 or TH600

JVC/Kenwood/Victor DX1000

 

All these headphones require a good source and amplification to sound their best. They also sound very different to each other. So once you have found a headphone that sounds good to you. You want to find an amplifier that harmonizes with that sound. An internal sound card will not be sufficient for this, as a source yes, however as an amplifier, I'd say no. In the end you will be better of getting a good DAC and a good headphone amplifier.

[Danimacl]

Have you ever considered just going with the AKG K701's or HD600's from Sennheiser? They are probably much better for every day use. The HD800's are only fun to use once you spend like 1000$ on an amp and Dac. You also have to have a library full of Flac files. Trust me unless you're a true audiophile it's not worth it. If I were you I would pick up a pair of Grado SR60i's or ATH M-50's or Sennheiser Momentum. They will meet your ever sonic need.

[h264]

Have you ever considered just going with the AKG K701's or HD600's from Sennheiser? They are probably much better for every day use. The HD800's are only fun to use once you spend like 1000$ on an amp and Dac. You also have to have a library full of Flac files. Trust me unless you're a true audiophile it's not worth it. If I were you I would pick up a pair of Grado SR60i's or ATH M-50's or Sennheiser Momentum. They will meet your ever sonic need.

 

Why does it have to be "like $1000" to be good enough?  There are plenty of audibly transparent amps and dacs under $1000.  If you're gonna spend all that money, at least spend most of it on the headphones.

 

But yeah, HD600s and AKG K7s would be quite good for much less money.

[Danimacl]

Why does it have to be "like $1000" to be good enough?  There are plenty of audibly transparent amps and dacs under $1000.  If you're gonna spend all that money, at least spend most of it on the headphones.

 

But yeah, HD600s and AKG K7s would be quite good for much less money.

It was a bit of an exaggeration, but once you spend like $1200 on headphone shelling out 450 bucks for a dac/headphone amp would be recommended. Say a Audio quest dragonfly with a JDS O2 amp? 

[h264]

It was a bit of an exaggeration, but once you spend like $1200 on headphone shelling out 450 bucks for a dac/headphone amp would be recommended. Say a Audio quest dragonfly with a JDS O2 amp? 

 

Why not just get the ODAC with the O2?

[Danimacl]

You're right he should just go out and by HD800's to listen to MP3's and YouTube videos... :/

[Shikarikato]

You guys are really trying to kill his ears with these amp suggestions for the HD800. The HD800 has to be one of the most brutal headphones on the face of the earth and you're pairing it with SS amps? If you don't want to spend $2k+ on a amp you're probably going to want to get a tube amp so you don't want to take off your headphones every so often. If your source isn't FLAC you're probably going to be crying in misery especially with a SS amp. Probably some of the cheapest combos (for HD800's) would be a Schiit Lyr + Bifrost Uber, I haven't heard much about the Woo Audio WA7 with HD800s but Lyr and Bifrost is pretty common for people who don't plan to spend 4x more on amps and dacs than headphones themselves. This is noting a $2500 minimum and some people say that cable upgrades help with the harshness of a HD800 but $300 for a cable is pretty steep to most. If I were you, just grab a pair of HD600s and an amp and dac sufficient enough for them. The HD800s are stupid picky about what amp to use and headphone cables, etc. 

[h264]

You guys are really trying to kill his ears with these amp suggestions for the HD800. The HD800 has to be one of the most brutal headphones on the face of the earth and you're pairing it with SS amps? If you don't want to spend $2k+ on a amp you're probably going to want to get a tube amp so you don't want to take off your headphones every so often. If your source isn't FLAC you're probably going to be crying in misery especially with a SS amp. Probably some of the cheapest combos (for HD800's) would be a Schiit Lyr + Bifrost Uber, I haven't heard much about the Woo Audio WA7 with HD800s but Lyr and Bifrost is pretty common for people who don't plan to spend 4x more on amps and dacs than headphones themselves. This is noting a $2500 minimum and some people say that cable upgrades help with the harshness of a HD800 but $300 for a cable is pretty steep to most. If I were you, just grab a pair of HD600s and an amp and dac sufficient enough for them. The HD800s are stupid picky about what amp to use and headphone cables, etc. 

 

Some of us actually LIKE headphones with a good high frequency response.  If he doesn't, he should get something else.  He's the one who wanted the HD800, don't forget.

 

He certainly doesn't need to buy a fancy tube amps and cables to "fix" his $1500 headphones.  You would think that the headphone designer would have actually wanted them to sound like that to give them that sound signature in the first place.

 

He'll only kill his ears if he turns up the volume too high.  Which is certainly a problem in of itself.

 

 

You're right he should just go out and by HD800's to listen to MP3's and YouTube videos... :/

 

You really like to exaggerate, don't you?

[Danimacl]

Hi forum

 

i am looking at some high end headphones for everyday computer use

what do you guys think?

 

also would the asus xonar essence stx be enough to support the head phone or will i need to get something like ausu xonar essence one muses edition?

Here is my suggestion, don't go out and drop a grand on headphones for everyday computer use, it really really really isn't worth it. Its like buying an IMAX camera to shoot home movies, it's just a waste of money especially without the proper gear associated with it. HD800's are built for listening to uncompressed music files on high end systems, not everyday use. What I think you should do is get some really great headphones that are more suited for every day use, such as the Audio Technica ATH M-50 ($150), Grado SR60i ($80) or the Sennheiser Momentum's ($350). For any of those headphones I would make the recommendation of the Audio Engine D1 ($150) also FiiO makes some great little amps/DACS ($60-200).  If you decide that you really want to get a "audiophile" setup, that is to say large open back headphone for musical purpose only check out the Sennheiser HD600's ($400), AKG K701's ($350), or the HiFiMAN HE-400 ($400). On the DAC/AMP side H264 made the great recommendation of the JDS Labs O2+ODAC ($280). I hope this helps. :)

-Daniel M

[AbsintheGold]

WOW thank you Forum, i haven't been able to access the internet lately due to moving house.

 

i am blown away and truly thankful with the amount of feedback you all have given

[AbsintheGold]

Why does it have to be "like $1000" to be good enough?  There are plenty of audibly transparent amps and dacs under $1000.  If you're gonna spend all that money, at least spend most of it on the headphones.

 

But yeah, HD600s and AKG K7s would be quite good for much less money.

 

would you suggest a xonar essence one as a good dac\amp since i have a peer of old pa speakers lying around that uses xlr input (i am looking at new pa speakers\systems to replace them)

[h264]

would you suggest a xonar essence one as a good dac\amp since i have a peer of old pa speakers lying around that uses xlr input (i am looking at new pa speakers\systems to replace them)

 

If you can afford it and your speakers can be driven sufficiently on "Balanced Output : 4 Vrms ( Vp-p)" then sure.  XLR is really only worth it on very long connections though, like, say, across a stage.  It's always amusing to see headphone cables terminated into those giant connectors.

[t0wer]

It's always amusing to see headphone cables terminated into those giant connectors.

 

I terminated my he500's with a 4 pin xlr.

I don't think I would do that again.