Newbie to Audio

[Spoonhead]

After many years of not having much disposable income, I am finally able to start upgrading/buying things for fun. I'm currently running an old amd fx 4100  based pc that is coming to end of its life and will be getting a new system sometime in next few months (waiting on Ryzen to come out t).

Anyway, at the moment my audio setup is thus: PC HDMI audio output to my TV.

 

I am more into Movies and Music than gaming though I do bit of console gaming so with that in mind I was thinking of going for open backed headphones + Dac + Amp. I have about £300 budget but this is flexible. I know I am not giving a lot to go on so I will answer any question that will help you make recommendations.

[e3agl]

I would recommend you check out Z Reviews, the guy does audio reviews and demos of tons of products and I trust his opinion. He talks about dacs and amps and headphones and speakers... and well... reviews products.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeosReviews

 

He's got a great subreddit dedicated to recommendations, https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/

You can also check out the normal forum at /r/zreviews

 

Highly worth a browse.

 

Hope I was of help!

 

-e3agl

[Dackzy]

52 minutes ago, e3agl said:

I would recommend you check out Z Reviews, the guy does audio reviews and demos of tons of products and I trust his opinion. He talks about dacs and amps and headphones and speakers... and well... reviews products.

 

https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeosReviews

 

He's got a great subreddit dedicated to recommendations, https://www.reddit.com/r/Zeos/

You can also check out the normal forum at /r/zreviews

 

Highly worth a browse.

 

Hope I was of help!

 

-e3agl

 

2

please stop. That guy has zero idea of what he is talking about, which has been shown so many times that it isn't even funny. Have you seen his SRH 1540 review? He calls them neutral and boring, their sound signature is very much a U signature, so far from neutral as it can get.

He has also proven that his taste changes from day to day, some days oh I hate treble other days OH YEAH THAT TREBLE.

He is a joke and looked at as a joke by quite a few audio forums, such as head-fi and SBAF.

 

[Dackzy]

I would not get a DAC and amp before you have your new PC, since there might come a ryzen motherboard with really good onboard and pricing in the UK is kinda fucked up, so you would kinda max be able to get the Fulla 2 and then maybe some Philips Fidelio X2 or K712 or something in that price range

[Guest Kloaked]

1 hour ago, Dackzy said:

He has also proven that his taste changes from day to day, some days oh I hate treble other days OH YEAH THAT TREBLE.

I was so confused about him before I realized that's what was going on. He changes his opinion constantly and can't decide what he likes or dislikes. I know that nobody can be 100% objective and unbiased in any way, but he's not good a reviewer based on my personal findings in some of the gear he's reviewed.

 

1 hour ago, Dackzy said:

I would not get a DAC and amp before you have your new PC, since there might come a ryzen motherboard with really good onboard and pricing in the UK is kinda fucked up, so you would kinda max be able to get the Fulla 2 and then maybe some Philips Fidelio X2 or K712 or something in that price range

I agree with this, but I would like to comment on the X2. After using my HD650 almost exclusively for a few months now, my X2s sound like treble cannons in comparison. They're comfortable as shit but I can't use them anymore.

[Dackzy]

35 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

I was so confused about him before I realized that's what was going on. He changes his opinion constantly and can't decide what he likes or dislikes. I know that nobody can be 100% objective and unbiased in any way, but he's not good a reviewer based on my personal findings in some of the gear he's reviewed.

 

 

Yep, when I was new to audio I was like oh neat, then a couple of months later then I was more like "WTF that is just BS"

 

I think Zeos needs to think outside his own opinion, I have noticed that headphones often gets a bad review from him if they don't fit his taste, which is a shame for his viewers. 

35 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

I agree with this, but I would like to comment on the X2. After using my HD650 almost exclusively for a few months now, my X2s sound like treble cannons in comparison. They're comfortable as shit but I can't use them anymore.

 

 

Well, the HD 650 are also fairly warm sounding headphones, I am personally not a big fan of them or the X2's because they don't really fit my taste. I would rather have the HD600 or even the K612 (which I own), which both have less bass and mid bass, but the HD 650 are great if you are into that signature.

 

I am thinking about picking the HD 650 or the SRH 1540 up just because they have such a different take on audio than what I prefer and own.

[Guest Kloaked]

Just now, Dackzy said:

Well, the HD 650 are also fairly warm sounding headphones, I am personally not a big fan of them or the X2's because they don't really fit my taste. I would rather have the HD600 or even the K612 (which I own), which both have less bass and mid bass, but the HD 650 are great if you are into that signature.

That's why I like them so much. With the music that I listen to, this sound signature does it more justice in my opinion as most of the music uses low-tuned distorted guitars and punchy drums. I just wish the HD650 was as comfortable as the X2.

[Dackzy]

3 minutes ago, Kloaked said:

That's why I like them so much. With the music that I listen to, this sound signature does it more justice in my opinion as most of the music uses low-tuned distorted guitars and punchy drums. I just wish the HD650 was as comfortable as the X2.

 

Are the X2's really more comfortable? It is a long time since I tried them, but I don't remember them as something special when it comes to comfort

[Guest Kloaked]

32 minutes ago, Dackzy said:

Are the X2's really more comfortable? It is a long time since I tried them, but I don't remember them as something special when it comes to comfort

By a huge margin for me, yes. It has a perfect balance of clamp and headband pressure. I wish I could get the same headphone as the X2 but sound like the HD650.

[Spoonhead]

Thanks for all the input everyone, on my internetting i keep coming across the  Sennheiser HD 650 and i really like them.

Pros? Cons?

 

I also like the idea of going Modi 2 Uber + Magni 2 Uber 

Pros? Cons?

 

This puts me at around £550 can I get the same for cheaper or better for the same price?

 

I will def wait till i have specked out my new pc in case i don't need the dca + amp due to decent on board audio.

[Onboard87]

Onkyo systems are really nice and play really well with brand new and older tech. I have built 3 in my time so far. They are on the more expensive side of home surround sound but well worth it if on top of movies you like vinyl tape or cd's too. I have also added Amps after the main to kick up bass and lighter sounds with no issues. and even used a 1974 Sony RCA record player with all 3 systems i have built. something to keep in mind. here's the upgraded version of the one I have personally used http://www.onkyousa.com/Products/model.php?m=HT-S3800&class=Systems&source=prodClass

[SSL]

48 minutes ago, Spoonhead said:

I also like the idea of going Modi 2 Uber + Magni 2 Uber

 

I suggest you get the Fulla 2 instead. Better value.