Senn 280s ---> (amp'ed) Senn 5x0's or 600's, worth it?

[Gurck]

Just curious, I guess I've been bitten by the SQ bug, would this be a worthwhile upgrade? Further, would there be a "bottleneck" caused by compression of any kind (128-320bit mp3 or 192-220bit ogg) or by my soundcard (audigy 2 ZS - yes I know it's not exactly an audiophile card, I bought it because I primarily game)? ie. Would it be worth it only if I had more CD/flac/miscellaneous lossless music and/or a more musical card like the M-Audio or TBSC?

 

[0roo0roo]

i think hardware is more limiting then the compression. with the nicer headphones u'll get to listen to the max quality of your files. i'm sure you aren't now.

 

[spunkz]

im gonna piggyback ur thread and ask another question. whats the highest senn. headphone model that can deliver great sound without an amp

 

[Gurck]

Originally posted by: spunkz
im gonna piggyback ur thread and ask another question. whats the highest senn. headphone model that can deliver great sound without an amp

Well, brand name is subjective... I'll say the ones I have - the Senn 280s. They have 64-ohm impedence, which AFIAK is low enough to not require an amp to sound good (I posted a thread on this very subject not 1-2 months back). Other brand names may offer similar price/performance, though you shouldn't under any circumstances buy Sony products. If you go much higher, you're looking at impedences which may benefit more than marginally from amplification. Grado sr 60s and/or 80s may also fit the bill, though they have a rep for being physically uncomfortable.

 

[UncleWai]

There are a lot more choices out there then just sennheiser.

I've owned hd280, hd600, beyer dt770, beyer dt880, audio technica ath-a500.
I find the ath-a500 provides very good performance and a real step up from the hd280.

I don't think hd580/600 will do you any good in your situation, because you will be forced to upgrade soundcard, get an amp (which I think is really overrated, source is far more important).

spunkz
You should try to look for the hd555, or hd590.

 

[UncleWai]

Oh, here's a link to the ath-a500

Linko

 

[BaboonGuy]

Text

Do your research. IMO the HD-580/600/650 isn't worth it because you have to spend so much money on cables and amps. I would STRONGLY suggest looking at the Beyerdynamic DT series, search head-fi. I have DT-440s and they are pretty incredible.

 

[Algere]

Originally posted by: spunkz
im gonna piggyback ur thread and ask another question. whats the highest senn. headphone model that can deliver great sound without an amp

HD-595

 

[James3shin]

I suggest you go and try out/audition those headphones before you buy them at a local audio store...I have 580's and even without an amp, sound very impressive.

 

[Imyourzero]

Originally posted by: BaboonGuy
Text

Do your research. IMO the HD-580/600/650 isn't worth it because you have to spend so much money on cables and amps. I would STRONGLY suggest looking at the Beyerdynamic DT series, search head-fi. I have DT-440s and they are pretty incredible.

You don't HAVE to spend money on anything with the 580/600/650. They are more than worth the money as is. Have you actually owned one of them or are you just spouting off what you've read in a forum? I owned the HD 580 and although it is somewhat source dependent (it sounded like ass through my Audigy 2 but absolutely wonderful through my AV-710) it absolutely did not "need" a cable upgrade or an amp to sound good. Sure, either of those 2 would yield an improvement in sound quality, but by no means did it need anything extra to sound great.

You can go to head-fi.org where the audiophiles roam...a lot of those guys go on and on about the improvements from aftermarket headphone cables that cost several hundred dollars. But keep in mind many of them have headphone rigs that consist of cans, amps, and interconnects that can total $1,000-$5,000+. To the average Joe, the stock Sennheiser cable will sound just fine and will be a VAST improvement over anything he/she has previously heard.

 

[Gurck]

Well, BaboonGuy and spunkz might be interested - I was reading up on the 595s, they're just about universally considered to be excellent cans (if the nuts on head-fi agree on it, you know it's true 😛) and have a 32ohm impedence, which is low and shouldn't need to be amped. They're around $200 or $250 US. Yes, I know there are other brands, I'm not claiming Senn is the only or best brand, though I do like them generally.

 

[hoppa]

im gonna piggyback ur thread and ask another question. whats the highest senn. headphone model that can deliver great sound without an amp

im gonna have to agree with the HD595 suggestion. ive got a pair of 590s, which i love and are (generally) accepted as really great cans... one bastard on head-fi seems to be fighting a one man war against them though. but even he agrees that the 595s are an excellent 'phone, and it is universally agreed that they are an improvement. you can get em for around $200, though it seems they are a tad hard to find. they dont need to be amped.

as others said, senn isnt the only brand out there... ive heard great things about audio-technica A900 and sony CD3000, though i believe the ladder is more needing of an amp and will cost you a pretty penny 😉

in case you are interested in something that could be used portably as well, check out etymotic IEMs (in ear monitors). er-6i and er-4p both sound fabulous and don't need amps.