Need a Headphone for 7-8 K and an affordable Amp for 3 K

S

siddharchris

Broken In
Dear Experts,

Help me choose a good personal audio setup. The requirements and listening types are as under.

Headphones

1. Over the Head, wired
2. Great Soundstage. Needs to be more musical.
3. No Bass Head, possibly a Bass neutral capable of thumping when amped
4. Will be watching a lot of movies, concerts and some games, so need them to be in perfect surround sense with something like Xonar U3
5. Lightweight, comfortable and Long living
6. Will be used only with Laptops (HP Pavilion G6 2005 AX and Asus Pentium Dual Core) at Home. Not for travelling or workouts

Amp / Soundcard

1. Looking at something like Asus Xonar U3

Listening Types

1. Lots of Movies with Dolby 5.1 Surround, Flac recordings of Yanni, Enya, Kitaro, Vangelis and other OSTs, MJ's Pop, Christian Rock and Indian Music

2. Games like Crysis, BF3, Skyrim, etc..

Headphones circled on

Here I need your recommendations. After going through the websites for quite a lot of time, I've only managed to select these. Help to either select any among these or suggest something more fitting my requirements. The more VFM the more better, you know :-D

1. Sennheiser HD 518 - *www.flipkart.com/sennheiser-hd-518...b_26&ref=a78a7a52-f6c3-4562-a67c-b85ff8635e9f

2. Audio Technica ATH AD 700 - *www.amazon.in/gp/product/B000CMS0XU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AS4TABXU41Y7A

3. Denon AH-D320 - *www.junglee.com/Denon-AH-D320-BUEM-On-Ear-Headphone/dp/B00B2X1RAQ

I really hope to see a flood of suggestions to get my first ever good headphones. Since all I own is crappy, you might imagine how itchy I am to listen to something more real as the music sounds !
 
A

AbhMkh

Ambassador of Buzz
siddharchris said:
Dear Experts,

Help me choose a good personal audio setup. The requirements and listening types are as under.

Headphones

1. Over the Head, wired
2. Great Soundstage. Needs to be more musical.
3. No Bass Head, possibly a Bass neutral capable of thumping when amped
4. Will be watching a lot of movies, concerts and some games, so need them to be in perfect surround sense with something like Xonar U3
5. Lightweight, comfortable and Long living
6. Will be used only with Laptops (HP Pavilion G6 2005 AX and Asus Pentium Dual Core) at Home. Not for travelling or workouts

Amp / Soundcard

1. Looking at something like Asus Xonar U3

Listening Types

1. Lots of Movies with Dolby 5.1 Surround, Flac recordings of Yanni, Enya, Kitaro, Vangelis and other OSTs, MJ's Pop, Christian Rock and Indian Music

2. Games like Crysis, BF3, Skyrim, etc..

Headphones circled on

Here I need your recommendations. After going through the websites for quite a lot of time, I've only managed to select these. Help to either select any among these or suggest something more fitting my requirements. The more VFM the more better, you know :-D

1. Sennheiser HD 518 - *www.flipkart.com/sennheiser-hd-518...b_26&ref=a78a7a52-f6c3-4562-a67c-b85ff8635e9f

2. Audio Technica ATH AD 700 - *www.amazon.in/gp/product/B000CMS0XU/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AS4TABXU41Y7A

3. Denon AH-D320 - *www.junglee.com/Denon-AH-D320-BUEM-On-Ear-Headphone/dp/B00B2X1RAQ

I really hope to see a flood of suggestions to get my first ever good headphones. Since all I own is crappy, you might imagine how itchy I am to listen to something more real as the music sounds !
Click to expand...

+1 to the HD518, I have the HD558 and they sound fantastic,H518 is on the same lines.

Also might I suggest the Klipsch Image One II.As for amps I dunno much about desktop amps but I have a portable headphone amp called the Soundmagic A10.

Note : I am a little short on cash, so I am willing to let go of my Sennheiser HD 558's for 8K if you are interested.They are allmost in mint condition since I hardly use them(after buying them I realized that I preferred IEM's).

Reviews of both headphones

*www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409401,00.asp

*www.trustedreviews.com/sennheiser-hd-518_Headphones_review

Cheers!
Abhijit
 
OP
S

siddharchris

Broken In
AbhMkh said:
+1 to the HD518, I have the HD558 and they sound fantastic,H518 is on the same lines.

Also might I suggest the Klipsch Image One II.As for amps I dunno much about desktop amps but I have a portable headphone amp called the Soundmagic A10.

Note : I am a little short on cash, so I am willing to let go of my Sennheiser HD 558's for 8K if you are interested.They are allmost in mint condition since I hardly use them(after buying them I realized that I preferred IEM's).

Reviews of both headphones

*www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2409401,00.asp

*www.trustedreviews.com/sennheiser-hd-518_Headphones_review

Cheers!
Abhijit
Click to expand...

Thanks Abhijit ! HD 558 is quite impressive. The one you have is under warranty ?

sandynator said:
@ siddharchris


IMO Audio technica Ad700 is gr8 buy but need to invest more for good Amplifier.
Click to expand...

How about the one I've selected ? After reading this I'm very much confused ! *linustechtips.com/main/topic/51187-sennheiser-hd-518-vs-hd-558-and-sound-card/.

I dont need blaring amplification, but I need a soundcard that'll help me provide wider soundstage for Movies, Concerts and Games. Is Xonar U 3 not worthy at all ?
 
A

AbhMkh

Ambassador of Buzz
siddharchris said:
Thanks Abhijit ! HD 558 is quite impressive. The one you have is under warranty ?







How about the one I've selected ? After reading this I'm very much confused ! *linustechtips.com/main/topic/51187-sennheiser-hd-518-vs-hd-558-and-sound-card/.

I dont need blaring amplification, but I need a soundcard that'll help me provide wider soundstage for Movies, Concerts and Games. Is Xonar U 3 not worthy at all ?
Click to expand...

Yes it is and I have the original retail box and accesories along with it.If you are interested I can post some pics and we can discuss it further,do let me know.

Cheers!
Abhijit
 
OP
S

siddharchris

Broken In
AbhMkh said:
Yes it is and I have the original retail box and accesories along with it.If you are interested I can post some pics and we can discuss it further,do let me know.

Cheers!
Abhijit
Click to expand...

Thats Good ! Do share it with us. If not me someone else may be interested :)

Now Community, kindly read through and suggest a good pair and share a word on the soundcard !
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
iedigcom said:
Generally, headphones should be able to reproduce richer low end since they have larger drivers than earphones and they don't rely on an in-ear seal to deliver sound. Some listeners also find headphones just plain more comfortable to wear, and easier to put on and take off, than they do earphones. When it comes to consumer headphones, several companies stand out, including Beetal, Creative, Edifier, F&D, Hytech, Lenovo, Logitech, Odyssey, PHILIPS, Portronics, Quantum, Tricom, UMAX, iBall. But Think about F&D and Edifier. Booth are having own music lover customer. also i am using f&d Headphone. Lots of Online Shopping Selling Headphone and offering good deal and Discount Coupon but i suggest if you want to buy look on this Online Shopping site its having big store of Headphone and also proving deals and discount. Gudden-Online Shopping India
Click to expand...
Oh wow, I never knew that companies like Beetel, Hytech, Lenovo, Logitech, Portronics, Quantum, Tricom, Umax and last but not least iBall made such good headphones. Thanks for the info, I'll toss out my Koss PortaPro right now and go get myself an iBall headphone.
 
OP
S

siddharchris

Broken In
tkin said:
Oh wow, I never knew that companies like Beetel, Hytech, Lenovo, Logitech, Portronics, Quantum, Tricom, Umax and last but not least iBall made such good headphones. Thanks for the info, I'll toss out my Koss PortaPro right now and go get myself an iBall headphone.
Click to expand...


:-D

Since u have Koss Porta Pros, can u share some of your experience so far ? Heard a lot of stories about this amazing product. Can you say about its soundstage, ability in sound reproduction, and compatibilty with sound cards ?

Thanks for dropping by !
 
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tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
siddharchris said:
:-D

Any suggestions for me bro ?
Click to expand...
Since you'll be using with Laptop, that tosses out the questions of any internal soundcard, and most good external DACs like FiiO Alpen series is out of your budget, if you want to enjoy a pseudo 7 channel I can suggest this, it works good: *www.ebay.in/itm/STEELSERIES-SIBERI...nsoles_Accessories&hash=item338955de45&_uhb=1

So that leaves you with ~9k, I can suggest a few headphones based on reviews I'd seen earlier, I strongly suggest you to do your own research:
*www.proaudiohome.com/Grado Prestige Series SR-80i
*www.proaudiohome.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=615
*www.proaudiohome.com/sennheiser-hd-518-Over-the-ear-headphone

Slightly cheaper:
*www.proaudiohome.com/Audio-technica-ATH-AD700-Dynamic-Audiophile-open-back-Headphone

Now I use proaudiohome site as a reference, I have no idea about their site, I have never bought from their site, only through eBay, I've seen mixed reviews about them, so I won't suggest you to buy from them, but their stock is beyond good. And they used to be known as Pristinenote in eBay(still is) and Techenclave forums.

My personal choice is the Audio Technica M50(based on the M35 that I used to own), and Koss PortaPro.
 
OP
S

siddharchris

Broken In
tkin said:
Since you'll be using with Laptop, that tosses out the questions of any internal soundcard, and most good external DACs like FiiO Alpen series is out of your budget, if you want to enjoy a pseudo 7 channel I can suggest this, it works good: *www.ebay.in/itm/STEELSERIES-SIBERI...nsoles_Accessories&hash=item338955de45&_uhb=1

So that leaves you with ~9k, I can suggest a few headphones based on reviews I'd seen earlier, I strongly suggest you to do your own research:
*www.proaudiohome.com/Grado Prestige Series SR-80i
*www.proaudiohome.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=615
*www.proaudiohome.com/sennheiser-hd-518-Over-the-ear-headphone

Slightly cheaper:
*www.proaudiohome.com/Audio-technica-ATH-AD700-Dynamic-Audiophile-open-back-Headphone

Now I use proaudiohome site as a reference, I have no idea about their site, I have never bought from their site, only through eBay, I've seen mixed reviews about them, so I won't suggest you to buy from them, but their stock is beyond good. And they used to be known as Pristinenote in eBay(still is) and Techenclave forums.

My personal choice is the Audio Technica M50(based on the M35 that I used to own), and Koss PortaPro.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your suggestions ! Seems I have very limited options to choose from !

Now regarding Soundcard, would you recommend the same if I say, that my listening will be - 50 % Movies (HD , 5.1) + 40 % Good Quality Music + 10 % Games. I'm not a hardcore gamer so I'm more inclined to a soundcard which enhances both the musical tonality and the surround sound capability.
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
siddharchris said:
Thanks for your suggestions ! Seems I have very limited options to choose from !

Now regarding Soundcard, would you recommend the same if I say, that my listening will be - 50 % Movies (HD , 5.1) + 40 % Good Quality Music + 10 % Games. I'm not a hardcore gamer so I'm more inclined to a soundcard which enhances both the musical tonality and the surround sound capability.
Click to expand...
As for external soundcards go, unless you invest a lot, you won't get your prices worth, I suggest go with Siberia to get virtual surround, ofcourse there are true surround headsets(like roccat, forgot model), but to use those you'll need an USB dac with surround output, very limited options and all are significantly costly, here is the cheapest model, but as you can see that cuts down your headphone budget by a lot: *www.proaudiohome.com/Amp-Dac/Asus-XonarU7-SurroundSound-USB-Soundcard-headphone-amplifier

On the other hand, siberia offers your virtual surround, not bad, but not that good either, but for 1.3k its absolutely worth it, been using it for over 2 yrs.
 
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S

siddharchris

Broken In
tkin said:
As for external soundcards go, unless you invest a lot, you won't get your prices worth, I suggest go with Siberia to get virtual surround, ofcourse there are true surround headsets(like roccat, forgot model), but to use those you'll need an USB dac with surround output, very limited options and all are significantly costly, here is the cheapest model, but as you can see that cuts down your headphone budget by a lot: *www.proaudiohome.com/Amp-Dac/Asus-XonarU7-SurroundSound-USB-Soundcard-headphone-amplifier

On the other hand, siberia offers your virtual surround, not bad, but not that good either, but for 1.3k its absolutely worth it, been using it for over 2 yrs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the personal testimony! Since this brand Xonar is more appealing I'm getting dragged there ! Is Siberia one on par with Xonar U3 ? Coz I can see more reviews for Xonar but very less for Siberia. Any comments ?
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
siddharchris said:
Thanks for the personal testimony! Since this brand Xonar is more appealing I'm getting dragged there ! Is Siberia one on par with Xonar U3 ? Coz I can see more reviews for Xonar but very less for Siberia. Any comments ?
Click to expand...
Xonar is a lot better than siberia, but the price is also 4 times higher, if you can spend that much on a dac, Xonar is a good idea.
 
tkin

tkin

Back to school!!
siddharchris said:
I'm looking at this

Asus Xonar U3 *www.amazon.com/ASUS-Xonar-Sound-Cards-XONAR_U3/dp/B0054L8GVK at 3K
Click to expand...
Don't get that one, apart from being stereo it isn't that good: *www.amazon.com/built-speakers-head...cd_dp_aar_al_a?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B0054L8GVK
 
The Incinerator

The Incinerator

Human Spambot
For your purpose just avoid the Senns , I would say get ATH-M50 ,its still the king of the hill.If your headphone aint up to the mark then no amp or dac will help your cause,no matter what you get.Get a great headphone first and then the amp.
 
OP
S

siddharchris

Broken In
tkin said:
Don't get that one, apart from being stereo it isn't that good: *www.amazon.com/built-speakers-head...cd_dp_aar_al_a?_encoding=UTF8&asin=B0054L8GVK
Click to expand...

Is it not worth the price ? Does the Siberia has a better VFM factor than this one ?

The Incinerator said:
For your purpose just avoid the Senns , I would say get ATH-M50 ,its still the king of the hill.If your headphone aint up to the mark then no amp or dac will help your cause,no matter what you get.Get a great headphone first and then the amp.
Click to expand...

Thanks for dropping by ! Can you pls tell me more in detail on why I should avoid Senns and Choose ATH M50 ? Budget can be extended if the HP is worth it. Read abt Audio Technica's quality but how superior are they over Senns ?

whatthefrak said:
I am happy with my E11.
Click to expand...

Sounds so good ! But I dont think can afford that if I take M50 as per Incinerator's advise.

Any more suggestions pls ?
 
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