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"Entry" audiophile computer setup for music listening?

V

Volume

2[H]4U
Joined
Jan 17, 2004
Messages
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I recently bought a new headset, Corsair HS1, and I realize that associating this headset with the word "audiophile" is sacrilege. To me, however it's the best sound I've heard from a "gaming" headset, and sadly, from any headset to this day other than Bose (and again I can picture you cringing). This got me thinking... if the HS1 sounds so clear and amazing to me, I can't wait to see what better things I've been missing in terms of audio.

What I'm looking for is a headset that will allow me to take advantage of a good dedicated computer soundcard (I've been looking at these sound cards) and provide amazing sound for music and movies. Gimmicky surround-sound is not important to me, just a great-sounding stereo headset that is worthy of being in at least an entry-level audiophile category.

Will I also need an amplifier to plug into the sound card in order to drive most of these higher-end headphones? If so, what are some popular choices?

And also as far as headsets go, what are some specific models you'd recommend? I mostly listen to electronic/techno/trance and rock music. Not much jazz or classical, but that's not to say that I'm looking for punchy bass, I just want to hear music the way it was meant to be played.

/end of half-conscious post, off to bed

Thanks!
 
The Asus Xonar STX ($199) is a good entry level soundcard. Any higher and you will want to be looking at dedicated external DACs and AMPs which can get rather expensive for uncertain gains in SQ.

For headphones I do recommend the Ultrasone Pro900's ($350) because in order to get a pair of headphones that are definitively better and not just a different flavour per say you have to go the 1k+ level (which is a very nice level I might add). Do the Kees mod and you will have one of the best headphones under 1k money can buy.

They should work nicely with those genres and they shouldn't be too bad for gaming either. People complain about the comfort but its just a matter of wearing them in.
 
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What's your budget?

I'd consider a nuforce udac2 for ~$130 and perhaps a set of Beyerdynamic DT990's.
 
Beyerdynamic DT770 for bass that hits hard when music demands it but still lets all the details shine through.
They are what I'm using at home and I love 'em.

One all in one option for soundcard+amp is one of these cards.
If you are mainly going to run stereo the $199 one is the best of the two for those needs.

You could also go the separate route and get a USB DAC and external amp. This setup *should* work on any computer as well.
But I can't really recommend much without knowing your budget ;)
 
Grado are not so great for comfort though. I would never buy a pair for that reason. Both Sennheiser HD800 and beyerdynamic T1 are probably better than anything Grado makes but both are well over 1K too.
 
I have a cheap Behringer mixer hooked up to my onboard sound via analog, and I run Beyerdynamic DT990s from the headphone out of the mixer. It sounds great. No hiss at all. You do NOT need a $199 sound card for headphones.

mortonP: Grado makes the RS1 which is pretty awesome, too. AKG, Audiotechnica, Beyerdynamic, Grado, Sennheiser... All great brands. Some people might find some more comfortable than others and some people would prefer the sound of one of those, but they all make great products.
 
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I second the beyerdynamic suggestions.

DT770 for starters, DT990 for midrange, T1 if you're in a splurging mood.

Denon AH-2000/7000 are epic as well, I'm looking forward to getting the 2000 soon :D
 
I use a Maverick TubeMagic D1. Big head-fi thread on it. USB DAC that also has a good headphone amp, connects with USB or optical or coax (and also had two analog inputs to just use the headamp stage).

I have it connected via one PC with USB and another PC using optical out on a Chaintech AV-710 (I'm an old-school head-fier and the legendary Chaintech AV-710 is my sound card)

The best thing to do is listen to a bunch of different ones. As you get into the $100+ range, chances are that two comparatively priced cans from different companies each have strengths and weaknesses vs. each other, rather than one being clearly superior or clearly inferior.

I like Grado. Try them before you knock the comfort. They are supraaural, not circumaural, but if you adjust them properly they sort of rest on your head and apply a minimal amount of pressure on your ears, despite having just a thin foam padding. On the other hand, some heavily padded circumaural ones may make your ears hot and sweaty after extended use.

I use Grado SR-60s (killer entry level headphones, best under $100 IMO) at work. Best work cans IMO. They're open, so you don't have a ton of sound isolation so if your manager comes up behind you at your cube, you can hear him and not require a shoulder tap. Grado design keeps your ears cool, so they're comfy for long amounts of time. They're not super fancy and expensive looking, so you don't have to be paranoid about someone snatching them when you are at the coffeemaker.

At home, I use AKG K340s. They're the best headphones ever. Not the best sounding, but the best overall package. They made me quit head-fi, because after having attended a dozen meets (and hosting one in my house), and listening to everything from the stupid cheese earbuds to the Orpheus, the AKG K340s got me in a spot where I would need to spend a huge sum of money to do any better.

Unfortunately, K340s are hard as hell to find now, since they've been out of production for so long. Very unique and awesome set of cans though. AFAIK, the only ones to have two-way drivers with electrodynamic woofers and electrostatic tweeters with a built in step-up transformer so they don't need an electrostatic amp.

A close friend of mine has DT-770s and loves them. He prefered them over the K340s. I strongly preferred the K340s. Different people have different preferences. Best thing to do is try to see if you can find a place to listen to all of these headphones, and make your decision off of that, not what other people say.
 
I had ATH-AD900s which had very low clamping force and were large enough to be circumaural but the padding wasn't thick enough so they ended up making my ears hurt even though the clamping force was so low. Ugh! But, yeah, they're subjective like that.
 
Thanks for the very informative replies so far! I may "settle" for Grado 80's so as not to break the bank too badly. I currently have onboard sound, but would like to get a decent sound card, nothing too crazy. I just want something that will let the Grados shine.
 
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The HD280's are pretty much entry level, and I personally couldn't stand the vise like clamping on my head.

I for one love the Sennheiser sound. And depending on your budget (hell 75-13000 dollars, depending on your tastes!) can get some pretty good bang for your buck headphones. I current own the HD650's and they are just short of perfect for my genre of music. (R&B mostly)

Grado sounds more to your taste though. Though I agree with Morton, they are not even remotely the most comfortable cans out there. I personally didn't like my music when I tried them out, but my bud loves almost the same genres as you and swears by them. And I easily could see why.

I would personally go for a DAC instead of a soundcard if music is purely your interest. I also own the D1, and it's pretty damn sweet, and light on the wallet. (BTW a dollar amount would help a lot)I have never sampled the Omega cards, nor do I know anyone who owns one, but those reviews sparkle. Try one out man. Get back to us.
 
index1489 said:
Look up grado, they make the best headphones.
Click to expand...

no. no. no.

1000 times no.

there is no best [yes, there. is. no.] anything when you're talking about sound, sound is completely relative to the listener

i myself like my sound slightly dark and punchy - are grados dark? no, so if i bought them cause someone said they were the 'best' id be a little miffed

grados are amazingly transparent, but they do so at the cost of being bright - hi hats and cymbals and female vocals [etc] can be very fatiguing with extended listening

also grados are not the most comfy cans out there ...

im not bashing your suggestion nor grados - i am saying you should never suggest a 'best' anything that is related to sound

i have modded sennheiser 555's and grado sr-125's - i wouldnt give up one for the other, but if i was forced at gunpoint to pick a set of cans, it wouldnt be the 125's

to the op - every can listed is great - my personal choice? the senn 555's with the 595 mod - you can turn your $75 cans into $180 cans in 3 minutes

but they are a little dark and moody ... so buyer beware :)

as far as soundcard vs dac/amp - totally up to how you listen to music - half the time these $200 dacs that everyone loves has a c-media chip in it just like most soundcards

that being said i use both, at home i have ht omega claro halo - great card for music, switchable op amps, built in head phone amp etc

at work i have a dac and and an amp - i can easily move my dac around from pc to pc, same with my tube amp - what i cant easily do is open my case, disconnect my sound card and go traipsing around with it...

so, do a ton of research, poke around headfi and welcome to the world of picky people :)
 
For the money show me other pair of headphones better then the SR-80?

Thats what I meant when I said BEST.

Sorry I didn't clairfy.
 
dandragonrage said:
Not cheap and not necessary for almost anyone. Not many phones are going to require 24 volts.
Click to expand...

For higher end headphones a computer sound card alone just doesn't have the umph to truely drive the headphones. And all things considered $277 for a amp with a built in dac isn't too bad a deal, especially if it's a higher quality dac.

BTW the 24 voilts is needed to power the amplifier & DAC inside. 24 volts will not be directly powering the cans. Just like 120v directly from the wall won't directly be powering the cans.

**Edit:
I came across this amp a while back
http://cgi.ebay.com/AUNE-Mini-USB-D...925?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3cb06bed7d
just pop a usb connector in it from your computer and bam, instant high quality sound.
 
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A DAC won't require 24v. You'll need a minimum of maybe 5V on a DAC. Any more will simply allow it to "process" a higher voltage signal. That thing would need some damn high impedance headphones to be of use.
 
I have been beyond impressed with my Audiotrak Prodigy HD2 DE.

And no, im not using cheap speakers. Its used in conjunction with a pair of Ascend Acoustics CMT-340 SE's, Cambridge Azur 540A V2 Integrated and Outlaw LFM-1 Compact sub.

I have yet to hear such an open, detailed sound card that presents such a broad sound-stage. It all but made my speakers disappear. It also has changeable OpAmps and a built in headphone amp. You can snag these for about $100 on Ebay. Give it a look.

http://www.audiotrak.net/products/prodigyhd2/

Edit: Damn look at this one http://www.itemaudio.co.uk/prodigy_hd2.html
 
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This is actually the DAC/Amp I own:
http://www.travagans.com/eshop/?p=111

I use it to drive my Sennheiser HD600s and I absolutely love it. I think it was a great value at $290.

Although, that one is really just an entry-level piece of equipment.

I'm really looking at getting one of these in the not to distant future:
http://www.benchmarkmedia.com/dac/dac1-pre

Around that time I would also love to upgrade to the HD800s. I completely fell in love with them when I first heard them. The HD600s are definitely excellent, but the HD800s are just something else entirely. It's quite hard to compete with the HD800s especially for a person who just loves the Sennheiser sound.
 
What is wrong with too much power? My Stax run on 120 watts per lol. My amp/dac is 80 lbs.

Anyway, the Ultrasone Pro 900 or Beyer 880 (COMFY) are both awesome and can be run on a sound card until you can upgrade that part.
 
450 said:
http://www.alessandro-products.com/headphones.html
Alessandro MS1

Koss PortaPro for $30 is pretty amazing too.
Click to expand...
Alessandro are essentially Grado
nalc said:
I use Grado SR-60s (killer entry level headphones, best under $100 IMO) at work. Best work cans IMO. They're open, so you don't have a ton of sound isolation so if your manager comes up behind you at your cube, you can hear him and not require a shoulder tap. Grado design keeps your ears cool, so they're comfy for long amounts of time. They're not super fancy and expensive looking, so you don't have to be paranoid about someone snatching them when you are at the coffeemaker.
Click to expand...

The Grado SR60 and SR80 are without question the best entry level headphones out there. They may look like a WW2 radio operator headphones, but they sound excellent. If your looking for a foot in the door pair, the low end Grado(or Alessandro) headphones will give you sound quality many multiples their cost.

spaceman said:
What is wrong with too much power? My Stax run on 120 watts per lol. My amp/dac is 80 lbs.

Anyway, the Ultrasone Pro 900 or Beyer 880 (COMFY) are both awesome and can be run on a sound card until you can upgrade that part.
Click to expand...

Stax, im jelly. :p
 
For an internal soundcard for headphone use, the Xonar Essence STX is pretty much the best IMHO.

Past that, I would try this for a big step up for a combination USB sound card, DAC, and amp. It would be large improvement over a $200 sound card and a $200 amp IMHO.
http://www.audio-gd.com/Pro/Headphoneamp/FUN/FUNEN.htm

Regardless, the headphones themselves will make the biggest difference. I'd start looking at something like this:

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/grado-sr-225i.php
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sennheiser-hd-25-1-ii.php
http://www.headphone.com/headphones/beyerdynamic-dt-770.php

If you are looking for a headset with a mic built in, the Sennheiser PC-350 is the closest to audiphile you will get. If that is the case, I wouldn't get anything more than the Essence STX to drive it.
 
Are you looking for accurate signal production or subjective pleasure?

I laugh at those that say "x,y, or z is best" and the others that say "there is no best". If you're looking for most accurate none mentioned in this thread are, and if you're looking for subjective enjoyment then, and only then, is there "no best".
 
dandragonrage said:
mortonP: Grado makes the RS1 which is pretty awesome, too. AKG, Audiotechnica, Beyerdynamic, Grado, Sennheiser... All great brands. Some people might find some more comfortable than others and some people would prefer the sound of one of those, but they all make great products.
Click to expand...

Never said they don't and I own decent headphones from audio-technica, beyerdynamic and SHURE, have also owned Sennheiser. But Grado are known for lack of comfort so they are a non-contender for me. Yes, I am headfi member too so do know my headphone shit. HD800 and T1 are the cream of the crop right now for dynamic headphones but are too pricey for me to buy. If I was buying another headphone today I think I would go with Senn HD600 or HD650 because from what people say they have the SQ I tend to like.
 
To give you an idea of my price range, the Grado sr125i headphones are as much as I'd like to spend on headphones. Do I need an amp to get the most from these? I'd be playing music from my computer, so I need to know if a soundcard or amp would be best. I know nothing about these amps, and would like to keep either card or amp under $150 for now.
 
Volume said:
To give you an idea of my price range, the Grado sr125i headphones are as much as I'd like to spend on headphones. Do I need an amp to get the most from these? I'd be playing music from my computer, so I need to know if a soundcard or amp would be best. I know nothing about these amps, and would like to keep either card or amp under $150 for now.
Click to expand...

get the sr80i's and plug 'em straight to the sound card
if you feel they are underpowered, get yourself a nice little headphone amp
 
-velour ear muffs
-closed

Those are my suggestions for a comfortable and immersive gaming experience.

Edit: for listening to music only, go open...provide u have a quiet environment.
 
Jodiuh said:
-velour ear muffs
-closed

Those are my suggestions for a comfortable and immersive gaming experience.

Edit: for listening to music only, go open...provide u have a quiet environment.
Click to expand...

Only problem with closed headphones is that they tend to get hot after a while, and I don't like it when my ears get so hot.
 
I had some Sony V6's and hated the pleather. Even after putting somereplacement Beyer 250 pads on, they were still too close to my ears. But I've worn the 770's for hours without issue. They're huge, fluffy, go around my ears, don't touch, and do not get uncomfortably warm. They're my favorite piece of kit for LANs.
 
Jodiuh said:
I had some Sony V6's and hated the pleather. Even after putting somereplacement Beyer 250 pads on, they were still too close to my ears. But I've worn the 770's for hours without issue. They're huge, fluffy, go around my ears, don't touch, and do not get uncomfortably warm. They're my favorite piece of kit for LANs.
Click to expand...

The problem with the DT-770 Pro (80 ohm) for me was that I felt that it was lacking without an amp of some sort. Bass actually felt thin without an amp. (however, my computer at the time was a Dell Vostro 1500 laptop)

Were/are you satisfied with unamped DT770's?
 
I got them awhile back, so they're the 250 ohm version circa 2004. So they've always been amped and "thin" would definitely not be a word I'd use to describe them out of the forte's ded hp Jack.
 
Audeze LCD-2 (Planar Magnetic Headphone)
http://www.audeze.com/
http://www.head-case.org/forums/headphones/8346-audeze-lcd-2-a-36.html
> They have recieved some of the best reviews out there from both consumers and pros.
> They have an almost ruler flat midrange response, which means they are very neutral.
> They also produce great defined bass which is unusual for a planar magnetic headphone.
> These cost a G-note and there is about a month long waiting list right now because everyone is trying to get their hands on a pair. People are comparing these to headphones in the $2,000.00 price range.

Burson Audio HA-160 or HA-160D
http://bursonaudio.com/products.htm
> One of the best solid state desktop amps in production right now according to many pro reviewers. The amps are claimed to reproduce the same warmth as tubes without losing any fine detail and they are a bargain in their price range.
 
LCD-2 appears to be the Holy Grail of headphones for price/performance. Yeah it's $1000 but worth it to those who care. NOT entry level though.

I want a pair bad btw.
 
I been searching around this forum for a pair of headphones to buy as a Xmas gift. This girl has a Macbook and Iphone/ipod, and I want to buy her a spanking pair of headphones that will be compatible with those.

Can someone suggest something for under $100?
 
hAppy said:
I been searching around this forum for a pair of headphones to buy as a Xmas gift. This girl has a Macbook and Iphone/ipod, and I want to buy her a spanking pair of headphones that will be compatible with those.

Can someone suggest something for under $100?
Click to expand...

Audio Technica ATH-AD700
 
Certainly take a look at the Peachtree Audio Nova. It combines a high quality DAC, preamp, and amplifier in one unit, and takes a variety of inputs. There is no "best" anything when it comes to high quality audio, only what suits your needs and preferences best.

If you actually want to record anything and high fidelity, I advise careful research. I wanted to be able to record at high quality 24/192 so ended up getting a Lynx L22 Studio sound card which has pretty amazing 2 channel analog output quality as well. It is the best for the job I wanted, which is recording and playing back Vinyl records I own at the highest sampling rates I could afford. The L22 is generally considered a step above the Xonar cards, which are also excellent. The L22 is considerably more expensive though.

I also highly recommend the Audio Technica ATH-M50 headphones. They are extremely comfortable and provide truly great audio for the price (you can find them for around $100). Audio Technica is a great brand that has recognition among audiophiles but because it does not have the brand power of Bose or even Sennheiser, I feel that you pay less for what you get.
 
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