New Headphones...

Discussion in 'Soundcards, Speakers HiFI & File formats' started by ---TK---, Jan 27, 2015.

  1. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    Looking to get the Aune t1 and a new set of cans.
    Looking to spend $750 or thereabouts between the 2.
    Looking at the Beyerdynamic t90, t70. Any other recommondations? Looking for more bass than my DT880pro 250 ohm.
     
  2. -Tj-

    -Tj- Ancient Guru

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  3. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    Grado is no no if you want bass, generally.

    GenClaymore will tell you about the t90, he has a pair. I would recommend the Senn HD650. Classic headphone. get a bottlehead crack with it or Schiit Valhalla 2, they should cost around $750 combined.
     
  4. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    Been eying the t90, reviews on the t70 are lackluster. If I do go with the aune t1 whats up with the Dolby Home Theater 4 graphics eqailizer? Can it still be used? the 880 pro are very nutral sounding with no equalizer.
     

  5. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    While the T1 is a fantastic piece of kit, you're playing with enough money to tailor your gear a little bit. Considering you already have a pretty solid DAC in the Phoebus I'd probably look at a dedicated headphone amp that matches up well with the headphones you decide to go for.

    The HE-500's are what I'd be considering with your budget and requirements in mind, the next step up would probably be an LCD-2. The HD650's are another great option although they might feel a bit more laid back after the DT880's. The bass is definitely better in my opinion. GenClaymore can give you more info on the Beyers you're looking at. I had the chance to spend some time with the T70's though, and while I enjoyed them I'm not sure I'd be happy spending what they cost.

    Here's a link to a pretty good review of the HE-500's: http://www.head-fi.org/products/hifiman-he-500/reviews/11927

    Since you mentioned wanting better bass, here's a quote from that review which should give you a good impression of what to expect:

    I really do feel they're your best bet for the cash tbh.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
  6. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    Sounds real good there, what about headphone amps?
     
  7. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    The PAN-AM might be an idea, that would also net you a DAC actually. I believe it's what the reviewer I linked used in combination with the power pack (being what he meant by Stack). The Schiit Lyr is also apparently solid for the HE-500's in that price range, and should bring you in under the $750 range if you shop around a little. Both would give you the ability to tube roll, so you could tailor the sound to suit if it wasn't entirely to your liking out of the box. I'd recommend just reading a few reviews and pricing up the equipment people use with them. I think the PAN AM might be USB input also though, so be sure to check it out. I'd probably lean toward the Lyr in your situation.

    Granted you can tube roll with the T1 but it doesn't quite sound the same as it does when running a tube based AMP, the tube stage for the T1 is pre-amp (just after the DAC). If you're wanting to run additional software the external AMP may be better also depending on what you're doing, as the only way to get the full use of the T1 is via USB input. Running a dedicated AMP would simply be a case of a line out from your soundcard, so any features you currently use would function exactly the same way.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
  8. GenClaymore

    GenClaymore Ancient Guru

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    The Beyerdynamic is a good pair of headphones and it does have more bass then the DT880 pro-250 as I have used those headphones as well. it also have very good mids but compared to the HE-500, I find I like the mids better on the HE-500's then the T90's, as the T90 mids are good but I like the mids lot better on the He-500.The sound stage can be 3Dish at times which is very good. It is very easy to drive so the T1 will work with them as well most Headphone amps.

    I have listen to dubstep,DnB,Drumstep with these T90 and the bass was very good, Very Impactful while being accurate and tight. The only con about the T90's is the Highs, they are very very bright. You will need to use a warm tube for the Aune T1 to tone down the brightness, I don't know what tube exist for the T1 that will do that. The brightness will make your ears drop from your head and hide if you can't tame those Highs. That was the one thing that ruined the T90 as I have High Freq tinnitus in my left ear and i couldn't take it any more. For me other then the jump rope length cable not be removable. The headphone was light in weight but that wasn't enough. That's away from the T90 and to the HE-500 which I end up enjoying more.

    Another Good choice is the Hifiman HE-500 which doesn't have that Bright Highs that the T90 has. The Mids on the HE-500 I found was better then the T90's, as there was times that felt like the singer was singing to you, with the rest of the band playing and you can hear each one of them playing in their spot on the stage. The bass still is very good and the Sound stage sound 3Dish as well but have great Height and I liked it over the T90 sound image,To me It sound like the HE-500 sound stage is bigger but it tad hard to tell. I have also listen to the same music with the HE-500 and it does a great job as the HE-500 is more neutral then the T90 without that super bright highs,but have Very Good bass too as well.

    I watched Marvel's Agent Carter with the HE-500 and the scene where there pulling into the docks, threw me off as It sound like they was outside my apt complex pulling into the parking lot at the back, and driving to the back entrance.

    THe hifiman hE-500 has removable cables and are very durability and i find it would last a long time, Where the T90 cable is not removable and have a cable that sticks out at the top, which you could damage if you gave it a good strong tug. The only con for the HE-500 is the headband, and the weight but that can be fixed using a headband pad which can be snapped on. To even out the weight and making the headphone alot more comfortable.

    If your in the USA you can find the HE-500 for 430-479 on ebay if your lucky and around that same price on amazon. Where the T90's if your lucky you might be able to find them for that price refurnished on ebay but they went back up to their 600ish price. The Aune T1 should be able to handle the HE-500 as it should be able to supply enough power since the Aune T1 can supply 32ish ohm with 1000w, which the HE-500's are 35ohm but the HE-500 would do better on a headphone amp that has a class A amp design.

    Another Headphone amp suggestion would be the asgard 2 which I use for the HE-500 with my bifrost uber as the source,which does a great job with the hE-500 and is a great match,The asgard 2 also works very well for the T90's if you can get around the harsh brightness. It goes for $249 at schiit.com. If you still wanna roll tube's then I hear that the Lyr2 is a great match for the HE-500's as well.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
  9. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    Yeah, the Asgard 2 is a great option for the price if tube rolling isn't your thing. I think it runs about the same price as the Lyr so it totally depends on personal preference.
     
  10. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    Its obvious I got a lot to learn about audio. What would be the difference between using the hf amp on my sound card compared to the stand alone amps? Thanks for the info so far.
     

  11. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    The quality of the output is going to be lower for a couple of reasons, I'm pretty sure the Phoebus uses the same amp as the STX, which I found lacking compared to the T1. Proper power delivery is usually the main culprit, but the flavour of the sound can be changed quite extensively if you're employing tubes in the AMP or not -- as well as a few other factors. I wouldn't run cans like the HE-500's directly from a Phoebus, I noticed a pretty healthy improvement with my HD650's when moving to a T1 from a ST and I'd rate them a step or so under the HE-500's. The most important part of your chain in headphone audio is the AMP followed by the headphones you use, then the DAC. That being why I recommend running the line out to a decent AMP if you invest in a higher end set of cans. Some people might argue with that, but it's a rule of thumb I've stood by for a couple of years now and I've yet to be proven wrong. You could buy the best headphones in the world, but they're going to be limited by what you run them with.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
  12. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    I would still be using my dt 880 pro 250 ohm set as well, all these amps listed can handle that too I`m guessing.
    The Lyr 2 on amazon is $499 and the Asgard 2 is $279.
    Lyr is $329.
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
  13. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    Easily, you'll probably notice a good improvement in them to be honest. As I said, I'd do most of my reading on the Lyr or Asgard if I were you. They're probably your best options in the price range for a straight up AMP. You can always look into a better DAC in the future if you feel the need tbh. It sort of comes down to whether or not you want to tube roll really, granted there's a couple of more things to consider but I'd say that was the main defining factor between them. Just remember to set the gain to the lowest setting on your soundcard if you do buy one and hook it up!
     
  14. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    The HE 500 and the Asgard 2 are with in my budget. What about the Aune T1 its much cheaper and you can change out the tubes on that? never mind on that, was answered already
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2015
  15. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    The Aune T1 is a great all round device, and GenClaymore is probably right about it powering the cans just fine. I as well as many others can testify that for the price it sounds absolutely fantastic, and I most definitely do recommend it. On the other hand, if I was personally going to use a pair of cans like the HE-500's or higher end I'd probably upgrade to another device.

    The Aune T1 is a DAC/AMP combo, with the tube running pre-amp. This means that if you run directly from your soundcard to the T1 you're only getting the benefit of the solid state AMP, you wont get any benefit from the tube or DAC. Depending on the additional features you want to use, you're going to be limited by this. I personally don't really care about any sort of third party software or the features offered by soundcards, so the T1 suits my needs perfectly until I get around to buying a PAN AM Stack. It's totally up to you how you decide to go about it, but with that budget it's not the option I would take personally.
     

  16. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    Like Darkest said, while the T1 is a great piece of kit, and it works really well with my headphones, I'd look into something "better" if I was spending $500 ish on headphones. If I was you, I'd settle on what headphone I want, then research the dacs/amps for that given headphone. Some amps synergise with certain headphones better than others.

    Example, the HD650 apparently loves OTL amps, couple of quick examples that most people use with the HD650 are the Bottlehead Crack and the Schiit Valhalla/2.

    But yeah, decide on headphones first, then cover the rest. Oh, and be prepared to splash the cash, this hobby is not cheap.

    EDIT: I'm probably never going to own a "high end" headphone. the HD650 is probably as good as I'll ever get. you hit diminishing returns when you go high end. But the pursuit of perfection is always going to itch you. Till you scratch it with your wallet.
     
  17. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    I'd say the HE-500 is in a pretty good price range for that "pre-diminishing returns" segment, at least in the US. Costs a bloody fortune to get hold of in the UK.
     
  18. gridiron whirlw

    gridiron whirlw Ancient Guru

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    High impedence cans , like a senn HD650 will love OTL amps

    If it is a HD650 you want....I would spring for the Woo WA3

    Or you could spend more on the cans and grab some schiit gear
     
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2015
  19. Darkest

    Darkest Guest

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    Great kit but a little out of budget surely? I'd still opt for the HE-500's and an AMP though, and I LOVE the HD650's.
     
  20. ---TK---

    ---TK--- Guest

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    Yeah thats a little out of my range. I can pay for it, but cant afford it. That would leave very little money for 7 days
     

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