517 replies to this topic

[Weiman]

id focus on getting a better DAC than what you have right now. the difference in the amp with the PDPS is subtle, whereas a better initial analog signal will be an extreme upgrade. id check out something along the lines of the Zero Dac - youll be pleasantly surprised by the increase in detail

Agreed, a Zero would be sort of the bottom line to look for with that amp..

Speaking of which, I've been thinking of upgrading the Opamp on my Prelude.. so much fun

[grael]

awesome, thanks guys. The hd555s look cool, so i think im gonna go out and find a place where i can physically compare them like this chick did.



I am a complete and total noob when it comes to audio.

With gaming mice and video cards...we can use indicators like dpi, or fps respectively.
I know that xfx and evga have a labelling system on their packaging stating how many times better their product is than on board video.
I know that razer posts labelling on theirs stating how many times better this mouse is than a conventional 800dpi mouse (which used to be gaming grade lol, yay mx510)

So i was wondering if you guys could compare some price ranges, say headphones ranging in the 50$ area, then 100$, up to 300$ and it would be awesome to get some kind of reference value.
So using the sennheiser hd555s that you guys helped me find, it had been stated earlier that there were better ones in the same price range.
I was hoping maybe you guys could tell me how many times better the hd555s are than conventional earphones. In this case i believe that the default ipod white earphones would be a good reference value.

so to get the ball rolling,
the sennheiser hd555s are around 160 canadian (retail), how many times better than the ipod defs?
The astro a40 headphones are about 300us, how about these?
Any examples would be cool.

And oh, weiman, in another thread, you guys were talking about that dude's tube amp from hong kong. How does that help with computer audio?

[Weiman]

K, first things first.

Those labels you see of 'x times better then y' are specs and marketing. And marketing and specs do not equal real world performance, it's as simple as that.

The thing with Audio is that it's purely subjective. In my opinion, the ibuds are over 100 times worse then the HD 555's because I've heard them both and can make a subjective comparison for myself. When I let my sister listen to them she won't relaly care, and like hell will she spend the money on it.

It's simply not possible to compare audio equipment like that. Audio is preference based and subjective. Everyone can post their own experience and opinions and give you a pretty good idea. But that's as far as it gets.

Oh, and tube amps are used to drive headphones like the HD555 and higher which benefit from it in terms of sound quality.

[grael]

sweet, thanks weiman.
Im heading downtown this weekend to check out the different headphones for myself and compare them personally and subjectively.

[Weiman]

Don't forget to bring your own (high quality) music. A CD should do.

[TEH PuBLIK ENEMI]

Looking at purchasing a computer speaker system. I can't really decide I want a 5.1 or just a 2.1 though. I understand for gaming the 5.1's would be good but I almost never watch movies on my PC, but I do play my xbox on my monitor and my ghetto setup I have going on now doesn't really cut it. For a 2.1 system I have been looking at the logitech Z-2300. If I got a 5.1 I am stuck between the Z-5500 and the G51.

I like a lot of bass without it being too muddy. From some of the youtube vids I watched they all sounded pretty muddy (could be their shit ass cameras but still.) Heres the questions I need answered.

Pretty much I want to be able to impregnate all kittens within a 20 mile radius and be able to make not only my self go deaf when I get flashed in CSS, but also my family with out the bass sounding like shit. Will these do it?

Is there any other brands besides Creative (eww imo) and logitech out there for computer speakers that I should look at?

Should I look into a new sound card? I have a creative Audigy 2 ZS with "homebrew" drivers that makes it like an X-Fi... I guess, but they are sorta buggy plus another problem mentioned in the next question

Is optical better than just using the 6 channel direct jacks? I plan on using optical for my xbox fo sho but should I upgrade my sound card for optical through my PC?

[DHC]

snip

a budget helps, as does telling us what kind of sound card you currently have - both of these will help answer most of your questions

[TEH PuBLIK ENEMI]

Max is about 400 bucks with a sound card if needed. Sound card is Audigy 2 ZS as stated above.

[Weiman]

I'm bidding locally (Dutch Ebay) on a HD 650 and emailed the seller directly. Fingers crossed I'm getting it for €180!

[DHC]

I'm bidding locally (Dutch Ebay) on a HD 650 and emailed the seller directly. Fingers crossed I'm getting it for €180!

good luck!

[BlG_BALLS]

I'm bidding locally (Dutch Ebay) on a HD 650 and emailed the seller directly. Fingers crossed I'm getting it for €180!

Is that new or used,and what's that amount equate to, in US dollars?

[DHC]

Is that new or used,and what's that amount equate to, in US dollars?

id bet it's used, since the cheapest you can find them for these days is ~220 euros


since youre too lazy to use XE.com, ill tell u now:

180 euro = ~$230
220 euro = ~$285

[BlG_BALLS]

Not lazy lol.....I've just never had a need to convert money etc. I've only used dollars,even when on cruises etc.

I believe I paid 399 US dollars for mine over a year ago,new. I purchased mine from the egg,which was running a special on em. I think they still go for 499 on the egg.

And Mr P, Thx

[DHC]

J&R had them for something like $330 a few weeks ago - i cant believe newegg is still charging $500! thats ridiculous

[Kazzerax]

J&R had them for something like $330 a few weeks ago - i cant believe newegg is still charging $500! thats ridiculous

Newegg is good for hardware and little else. They had ATH-A700s for $150 or so when I bought mine. I got mine from J&R for $120.

[DHC]

if anyone in the Continental USA wants some used HD600's for an AMAZING price, NOW IS THE TIME!!!

[PwntToast]

Lol @ a post underneath it.

"Hi I'm interested.

Could you ship to Sweden?"

[BlG_BALLS]

J&R had them for something like $330 a few weeks ago - i cant believe newegg is still charging $500! thats ridiculous

That's a great price for em!! I just checked out J&R,and ordered my wifey a pair of Senn HD595. They have em there currently at 169 smackers. Couldn't pass up on the great deal on em.

J&R's current pricing for the HD650's is 499.

Again,I paid 399 for my pair of HD650's,new,on sale at the egg over a year ago. I haven't seen em on sale at the egg in awhile.

[Weiman]

This guy's selling SR-60's for $50: http://www.head-fi.o...do-sr60-409611/

And it looks like I'm gonna be in luck. The guy got like 15 other offers, but he's holding for me until he puts a few more pictures up. Probably because I mentioned I use a LD MKIII with it and he starts rambling about his gear, a musical fidelity x-can v3 with Philips ECC 88 tubes. Lucky me I might pick em up in person, though it's an hour travel.. but I travel by train for free anyway. student ftw.

[Weiman]

I'll be picking up the HD 650's next Saturday for only €150! I can't believe my luck!