Headphone rig help

[jai1611]

Folks,

I am seriously considering the addition of a headphone rig. Due to my new job, the only free time I seem to have is late in the night. However, my current listening room is rather large and needs higher volumes. This has limited the amount of time I am able to spend listening to music. To get around this situation, I am planning to set up a bedside headphone based rig. I already have some source components that I can use (one spare CD player, a laptop and two DACs will mix and match to see what sounds best).

I am looking for help on selecting suitable headphone and a headphone amp. My budget for the two together is a maximum of Rs35,000 (incl shipping costs etc). I will mainly be listening to jazz, vocals and some soft rock on the setup. The main things I am looking for in the rig are:
- Neutrality : nothing too coloured. Slight bit of warmth is fine but no syrupy sweetness please
- Good soundstaging. Preferably something that can give a speaker like sense of space
- No overbearing bass (the low end sennheisers have this and I find it very annoying to listen to)

I would prefer to stick to products that can be demoed in Mumbai for the headphones. Am open to imports as far as amplifiers go. The initial headphone choices I narrowed on were the AKG K701/702 and Sennheiser 600/650. Dont know if either brand is available for demo in Mumbai though.

Any suggestions and tips on equipment and where to demo it would be much appreciated.

Thanks
Jaibir

 

[Kittu]

This thread and the OPs should be able to help you choose the right rig...


http://www.hifivision.com/audio-vid...rthodynamic-headphones-all-things-planar.html

Spend some time here and PM the experts ...

 

[anm]

ibasso balanced amp for $230 is a great option that is getting rave reviews these days on head-fi, with senn 650 ~23k in India. I have senn 650 and I am looking to buy this soon. Just waiting for my CC to arrive to be able to order.
Demo with dealers is difficult, if not impossible for 650. Maybe some fellow member in mumbai can help.
Another option is to go for an existing headphone amp out from avr or stereo amp, and invest in higher end headphone.
I hope you are fine with open headphones as they leak a lot of music. A person next to you in the bed will not be able to sleep with you blasting on an open headphone.

 

[jai1611]

@Kittu, Thanks for the tip. I've read through that thread. The reason I started a separate one is that I want a more mainstream rig. I wont have the time to mod or tweak headphones. Also, prefer not to get used headphones.

@Anm, thanks for the suggestion. I wouldnt really want to spend more than what the HD650 sells for on the phones anyway. Plus, the only amp I have with a competent headphone out is due to be sold in the next couple of weeks. I'll try and get in touch with Sennheiser to see if there is some way to get a demo.
No real issues with open headphones. I have a pair of Grado SR60s and have also used an AD700 in the past so familiar with the leakage issues. Given my requirements for soundstaging, closed phones probably wouldnt suit me.

Edit: Just spoke to the Sennheiser rep in Mumbai. Apparently a demo may be possible. Will update this thread with details if it gets set up

 

[iaudio]

What about the Pico dac+amp with hd650?

 

[jai1611]

Dont really need the DAC bit so rather get a dedicated headphone amp

 

[anm]

panditji got my hd 650 from HK for ~17k. See if a friend is traveling to HK you can get a great deal.
Amp again - the balanced toucan from ibasso is getting great reviews - for $230.

@Kittu, Thanks for the tip. I've read through that thread. The reason I started a separate one is that I want a more mainstream rig. I wont have the time to mod or tweak headphones. Also, prefer not to get used headphones.

@Anm, thanks for the suggestion. I wouldnt really want to spend more than what the HD650 sells for on the phones anyway. Plus, the only amp I have with a competent headphone out is due to be sold in the next couple of weeks. I'll try and get in touch with Sennheiser to see if there is some way to get a demo.
No real issues with open headphones. I have a pair of Grado SR60s and have also used an AD700 in the past so familiar with the leakage issues. Given my requirements for soundstaging, closed phones probably wouldnt suit me.

Edit: Just spoke to the Sennheiser rep in Mumbai. Apparently a demo may be possible. Will update this thread with details if it gets set up

 

[jai1611]

Good news - I managed to find a place in Mumbai that has the AKG K702 and may be willing to allow a demo. The same store also stocks the Denon D2000 and Sennheiser HD 650. It'll involve a trek to Vashi but I think it'll be well worth the effort to get things settled once and for all.

Still awaiting a reply from the Sennheiser rep.

@Anm, I read up on the balanced toucan. Seems like a great piece of kit and a big step up from the regular Ibasso amps. My only worry with it is talk of a upper midrange hump. Any thoughts on the Matrix M-Stage?

 

[anm]

not much idea these days. not too active on forums. the midrange hump in hd650 or the toucan amp?

 

[rikhav]

Good news - I managed to find a place in Mumbai that has the AKG K702 and may be willing to allow a demo. The same store also stocks the Denon D2000 and Sennheiser HD 650. It'll involve a trek to Vashi but I think it'll be well worth the effort to get things settled once and for all.

Still awaiting a reply from the Sennheiser rep.

@Anm, I read up on the balanced toucan. Seems like a great piece of kit and a big step up from the regular Ibasso amps. My only worry with it is talk of a upper midrange hump. Any thoughts on the Matrix M-Stage?

Hi Jai
I think the dealer you are talking about in Vashi who has AKG and Denon is a member here too. He was active for few days and then has not posted for a while
Have heard that he has a vast music collection
All the best with the demos

 

[jai1611]

@Anm, from what I read the hump is in the toucan.

@ Rikhav, he also sells on ebay. Thats how I found him.

 

[anm]

Is it pristine notes?

 

[rallynut]

@jai1611,good to hear u r also getting on this gravy train !!!a nice headphone setup can do so much.its quite startling as to just how good sound can get once u take the room outta the equation .how about the mmm for an amp?or better still,the beta 22 :licklips:?the 701/2 should be a nice buy indeed.cheers

 

[jai1611]

@Anm, yes it is indeed pristine note

@Rallynut, thanks. Unfortunately DIY seems unlikely for me for some time to come. Already have too many half-finished projects lying around to bother with a new one

 

[rallynut]

jai,the mmm/m-cube can be had completely built with a separate psu as well by commisioned builders on the AMB site .cheers

 

[sivakuru]

May I suggest you this:

Head-Direct.com | YUIN

The pre-order does include a RE 262.

That said, there is risk involved. Some one on TE got tea bags instead of something
else ordered on MP4Nation. Looks like some one in the middle (postal/customs)
changed the contents. However the combination of the HM602 and the RE 262
does entice me a lot.

 

[anm]

hmmm - can you please point me to the source. There is a thread on head-fi for toucan - iBasso Boomslang and Toucan balanced portable dac and amp . silver and black pg 1, 19 , 25, 26 . . . . - Page 29 - Head-Fi.org Community

@Anm, from what I read the hump is in the toucan.

@ Rikhav, he also sells on ebay. Thats how I found him.

 

[anm]

lot of stuff happening at postal. My friend got an iphone from canada and received an empty package.

May I suggest you this:

Head-Direct.com | YUIN

The pre-order does include a RE 262.

That said, there is risk involved. Some one on TE got tea bags instead of something
else ordered on MP4Nation. Looks like some one in the middle (postal/customs)
changed the contents. However the combination of the HM602 and the RE 262
does entice me a lot.

 

[jai1611]

Quote: "The sound is very smooth, unlike previous Ibassos Ive tried. The PB1 coloration is the first of its kind that Ive heard on amps. Normally amps with midrange colorations adds the boost on the lower mid to bass regions. But the PB1 adds a small boost on the upper and middle midrange. Its very pleasing, and the boost is very mild that I dont find it to be an annoyance either. "

source: IBasso PB1 Toucan Unboxing | Headfonia

I generally dont believe any opinions I read on Head-Fi. I've found that people on that forum seem to get very excited about almost every other product. Having personally tried some of these products subsequently (a couple of dacs in particular), I found very little connection between what I read and what I heard.

hmmm - can you please point me to the source. There is a thread on head-fi for toucan - iBasso Boomslang and Toucan balanced portable dac and amp . silver and black pg 1, 19 , 25, 26 . . . . - Page 29 - Head-Fi.org Community

 

[jai1611]

I finally went to Prisitine Note yesterday to demo the headphones. I had taken two headphones along (Audio Technica AD700, Grado SR-60i) and heard three more there: Audio Technica M-50, AKG K702 and Sennheiser HD650. Sources used for the demo were the Maverick D1 DAC and Essence STX sound card. Amps used were the built in amps of these two and an Edge headphone amplifier.

I first spent a few minutes listening to the two headphone I was familiar with to set a reference point. After that I heard the AKG K702 and lst Sennheiser HD650. Came back to the M50 at the end to reestablish the reference point.

My brief listening impressions were as follows:

All three cans allowed me to hear things which are only audible with top class speakers in a well damped and silent room otherwise. They are all great cans and anyone looking to set up a headphone rig should demo all three.

1. Audio Technica M50: closed headphones . Very clean and neutral sound but with what seemed like a slight bump in the bass frequencies. If I hadnt heard the other two, I would have been perfectly happy taking these home.

2. AKG K702: Very open sound. Great separation. Didnt seem as outright detailed as the M50's. Nice midrange and highs, base that was present and extended but unobtrusive. My only issue with them was a slight hint of brightness that I felt would not go well with the source I have in mind.

3. Sennheiser HD650: Great set of cans. Slightly more relaxed highs than tha AKG and the bass seemed a bit better (subjective and hard to describe). What really stole the show here was the midrange - vocals to me sounded absolutely beautiful.

To reestablish the benchmark, I came back to the M50's after the 650's. They are perhaps better for someone looking for a simler setup (they are eary to drive) and are possibly the better bang-for-the-buck. However, to me the price difference was justified given the amount of time I plan to spend listening to the headphone setup and my listening preferences. I settled on the HD650's and picked up a pair. Now the search for a suitable amp will start. Any suggestions on amps in the sub US$300 range from HD650 owners?

A word about the experience at Pristine Note. This is a great place to go to if you are looking for headphones. Gautam, who owns it, is a knowledgable and helpful person. This is not his primary business and it is clear that he does this more out of passion than for commercial reasons. The music collection, both CDs and on the pc, is exceptionally large. If visiting, you should also have a listen to his DIY speakers.