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Topic: help with choosing things(headphone,amp) (Read 4799 times) previous topic - next topic
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help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

hi, im new, i already made a topic in off, sorry to be rude, i always used to read this site before, but now i decided to participate on it, because head-crap is full of foolery (it consufed more than help me) but i'll stop bashing it, back on topic,  now im on the fence because i want to upgrade my current headphones (shure srh 440, sq is great but confy is another different matter)  to something different, and i have narrowed to 2 options, the first one and my favorite are a couple of beyer dt 880 (around 300 usd in my homeland), and the classic senn hd 600 (around 400usd, more than 100 usd of difference), i mostly listen to classical, but that isnt the problem, the real problem that im having and head fi confused more, was the thing about amps and dacs, currently i have a fiio e6 wich i hate it, because of the hiss at lower volumes (i do have pretty sensitive ears) is even stronger than the one of my laptop, and im considering the o2 (flat responde, always better but i don't about if it have hiss problems) to drive those cans, but the other question that i have ¿it's really neccesary to have a dac?,¿ it truly makes a differences between the MB one? i will mostly use them on my laptop (sorry for my english, still learning it).

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #1 –
Hiss is usually from the source, not the headphone amp. What are you driving the e6 with?

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #2 –
Quote from: saratoga on
Hiss is usually from the source, not the headphone amp. What are you driving the e6 with?

source:sansa fuze :C , headphones shure srh 440

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #3 –
Just a note on headphones: If you like the 440's sound you might consider the 840. I've tried the 440 in store and i own the 840, which is way more comfortable.
It was harder to compare the sound in the noisy store. People usually say they're comparable, but that the 840 has a bit more bass.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #4 –
i want to try an open headphone or semi open that sound good and is confortable(i use headphones a lot, and with opens one i'll diminishing the pressure on my ears and feel a bit more refreshed because my ears sweat a lot right now), btw i dont use the fiio that much, the srh 440 are easily driven by anything, but i just it botter me the hiss, maybe the shures are just much more sensitive than i think it was.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #5 –
Hint: Starting a new sentence or even a new paragraph once in a while should make your popularity skyrocket.

I'm a bit surprised that you found audible hiss with the E6 - granted, the little amp isn't a miracle in noiselessness, and SRH440s are decently sensitive at about 116 dB / V, but that's hardly extremely high. You're better off with the Fuze "barefoot" in this case.

DT880 or HD600, that's a good question. They're actually not too dissimilar up to and including the midrange (the Senns should be a hint warmer, but there's not much in it), and level handling is about comparable, too. The high end is where more significant differences are to be noted - the Beyers have a fair bit more going on around the 10 kHz mark when compared to the Sennheisers with a more polite high end. (I don't think the "Beyer peak" is entirely natural, but it does give you more treble detail / sparkle. It's not harsh like lesser models with prominent highs can be.)
The HD600s should be somewhat louder than the DT880-250, but it's not a major difference and both should easily play loud enough for you, even unamped. (A 600 ohm DT880 may be pushing it a little though.) The Beyers are even less bothered by high-impedance outputs, but you don't have any of those.
Both should be very comfortable to wear, with the nod maybe going to the lighter HD600 with its lighter cable (once the headband is broken in, which is a bit tight at first).
Build wise, the Beyers tend to be rock-solid, while the Senns have slight weak points in the cable connectors and use more plastic. People occasionally complain about buzzing with the Beyers, which often turns out to be foreign objects (hairs or damping material) near the drivers upon a thorough disassembly.
Expect to sacrifice your firstborn for a new pair of earpads for Sennheiser's higher-end models - original HD600/650 pads are past the 50€ mark now. Could be worse though, a lot of manufacturers don't provide any spares at all. Beyer spares tend to be very reasonably priced (and you can even get things for very old models), but do make sure you can get ahold of them where you live.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #6 –
Thx stephan, sorry for my late replay but i was kinda busy, i have already tested some senn hd600 and indeed they are laid back (not sparkly) but i wanted i little bit of treble, i thought that they were going to blow away my shures as is stated on some random forum (i was really surprised in how amazing are the little 440 and how much detail they pack, but when using the hd and going back to my 440 i felt like they were to bright ), the other option im considering are the sony mdr ma900 but those aren't in my country, but they are a lot more cheaper and are kind of more advanced (technical specs) if any of you had heard those, how they compare to the senns?.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #7 –
I'm using an Xonar Essence STX I or a O2+ODAC from JDSLabs, which I love.

As for the headphones, it depends on what you like: Bass, treble, soundstage, monitoring, fun listening, closed, open, etc.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #8 –
Quote from: stephan_g on
I'm a bit surprised that you found audible hiss with the E6 - granted, the little amp isn't a miracle in noiselessness, and SRH440s are decently sensitive at about 116 dB / V, but that's hardly extremely high. You're better off with the Fuze "barefoot" in this case.


Could also be the Sansa.  Their quality control isn't great, and I've seen a few that had audible hiss on things like disk access, although usually its not that noticeable.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #9 –
O2 is actually known for having completely black background (I own it and can confirm that), so I can recommend it for that matter.

About headphones, I never heard either of those, but looking at the measurements, DT880 seems to be very colored in upper-treble, and I think you won't like it (especially since you are sensitive to hiss, and that's the area when noise falls). HD600 measures quite flat in comparison and should be better for classical.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #10 –
Thx for the answer guys, well finally i decided to buy some ahem sony mdr ma900 (flat, cheaper and easily driven by anything), despite having tried the senn and like it, the cost of them is not justified (400 usd is too much) plus their sound signature seem quite soft, well changing the topic.
now im looking for a dac+amp or a external sound card, i usually listen music from my laptop wich pack an c210 i7 dac (never heard of it), but i can catch some buzz sound everytime music stop(or when my volume level is 0 and i raise it) and how i hate it, i narrowed to 2 options.
1. fiio e10k.
2. asus xonar u7.
despite me being biased towards asus, the u7 has an output impedance of 19.4 Ohm according to some russian site(it was the only thing i understand from google translator), and i will be using my shure (44 ohm) and sony (12 ohm but with resistor), pretty much it isnt a clever choise, but i do want some surround features for games and movies....
soo wich one will you pick and for what reason? (if there's an alternative for surround with movies, ¿can you tell me one?).
again, sorry for my english.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #11 –
Quote
but i do want some surround features for games and movies....
soo wich one will you pick and for what reason? (if there's an alternative for surround with movies, ¿can you tell me one?).
If you are listening to stereo speakers or headphones, normally surround will be mixed-down to stereo by your receiver or your soundcard. 

Or your hardware or software may support (or something similar).  I have WinDVD which has Dolby Headphone as an option.  Dolby Headphone seems to work for some listeners, but personally I don't get the illusion that sound is coming from behind me.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #12 –
Ok, that's a nice point of view wich will help me with my choice.
getting a few steps back, e6 isn't noiseless at higher lvl, but it far far away from noise ,on the other hand  the problem was my pc out (i was just running some test), sansa is dead silent.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #13 –
There's also Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1, which should have a stronger amplifier than U7 (for 600 Ohm headphones).

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #14 –
Quote from: Martel on
There's also Sound Blaster Omni Surround 5.1, which should have a stronger amplifier than U7 (for 600 Ohm headphones).

the problem with the likes of ASUS or Creative is their insane impedance level for a normal headphone out (20ohm), i finally figured out what dac is in my laptop.... yeah is not very good.. alc269, soo i decided to buy a fiio e10k, it seem a cheap good option, it packs a nice dac with an amp.

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #15 –
Fiio products seem quite good but it is a shame to choose a Sony over a Sennheiser. . .
FLAC -> JDS Labs ODAC/O2 -> Sennheiser HD 650 (equalized)

help with choosing things(headphone,amp)

Reply #16 –
is really a shame... but the mdr ma900 are good, i find them better than the hd600(well to be honest... they do sound  quite similar, the big difference is the comfort), plus i dont need a big amp around to use them, plus the sennheiser price tag (over 400 usd), It didn't made my decision difficult, my other choise was the dt 880, similar price here, but they where harsh with trebble, more than my shure srh440 and that was a no no.