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Sony MDR-SA1000 + Amp?

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Project_2501

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Messages
1,170
Would I need an amp if I get a pair of Sony's MDR-SA1000s? It says they pull 70 ohms of resistance, is that too much to use w/o an amp? If I need an amp, I don't want to spend more than $60. DIY would be the best, only it'd be someone else's DIY as I don't want to build one.
 
Project_2501 said:
Would I need an amp if I get a pair of Sony's MDR-SA1000s?
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Yes!
Project_2501 said:
It says they pull 70 ohms of resistance, is that too much to use w/o an amp?
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Impedance not resistance. ;)


Project_2501 said:
If I need an amp, I don't want to spend more than $60. DIY would be the best, only it'd be someone else's DIY as I don't want to build one.
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It's nice to dream isn't it?
Problem comes when you wake up and realize that you were better off spending $200 on a good amp then wasting $60 on a amp that can't drive your $240 cans for beans. :p
 
lol.... I should have known better cause that was Audiocube's price. ;)
 
Project_2501 said:
Would I need an amp if I get a pair of Sony's MDR-SA1000s? It says they pull 70 ohms of resistance, is that too much to use w/o an amp? If I need an amp, I don't want to spend more than $60. DIY would be the best, only it'd be someone else's DIY as I don't want to build one.
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A few head-fi members have mentioned that it sounds okay straight out of an ipod. If you want an amp in that range, I'll suggest Pocket Amp 2 (electric-avenues) or Cmoy (ebay). These will power it just fine.
 
After spending the weekend with a Pocket Amp version 2 I only have one good thing to say about it............. Their return policy rules!
 
Mister X said:
After spending the weekend with a Pocket Amp version 2 I only have one good thing to say about it............. Their return policy rules!
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I take it then that a well-made cmoy sounds better at the same price?
 
I take it then that a well-made cmoy sounds better at the same price?
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Hell yes.... but at the $60 price point a Mint shreds both of them. :)
 
Eh, i get get the cans direct from Sony for $200. Also, If I'm willing to spend about $100, 150 on an amp, what is a good one? Or will Mister X here build me one that looks sexy?
 
Project_2501 said:
Eh, i get get the cans direct from Sony for $200. Also, If I'm willing to spend about $100, 150 on an amp, what is a good one? Or will Mister X here build me one that looks sexy?
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I'd go for $99 etronics. They have a pretty high resellerrating, and I know a few people that have successfully purchased sa1ks from them. Yes, ask MisterX on amp input. He's got some pretty sexy stuff (his amps).
 
Well, I guess I should go back to basics here.

I'm looking for headphones that are great for music, but also good for games. I play a lot of Guild Wars now-a-days, but am also addicted to FPS's. The phones need to have good positional sound, and are not 5.1 (those suck). I'm looking in the $150 - $200 range for just the headphones, and about $100 for the amplifier. Also, I'm going to be getting a new sound card for my computer, and want something that sounds good, Creative doesn't do that. M-Audio does, what model do you say?

BTW: As for the amp, I want something that is potentially portable, but this isn't necessary. Silver is nice too. :) Ah, and it will be sitting on top of my Antec Lanboy II case.
 
The Beyer DT770's, ATH-A900, HD-555, HD-580/refurbished 600 are good positional headphones. I've heard good things about the Sony SA series in positioning as well. As for amps my Mister X Pimeta is sexy silver but a bit higher than your current budget for one. Mine would be okay to take with me say on a long train ride or something but definitly not to carry around walking downtown. But the Pimeta can be put into smaller cases than the one i own to make it more portable.
 
I like how the Sonys look because the top headband looks comfortable. Comfort is a must, especially with my gaming sessions, which can easily go on for hours.

Also, the ear cups must be closed, I hate the feel of open cups.
 
Project_2501 said:
I like how the Sonys look because the top headband looks comfortable. Comfort is a must, especially with my gaming sessions, which can easily go on for hours.

Also, the ear cups must be closed, I hate the feel of open cups.
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I'm guessing what you meant here was circumnaural (however it's spelled), meaning going around the ear instead of resting on top of. The Sony pads look like pleather in stock photos, but they are actually made of comfy padded fabric that keeps ears cool.

Be warned that the Sonys are high-detail headphones with accurrate bass. It's not a basshead-phone.

I'll also second the suggestion on the Beyerdynamic DT770-80s and the AT ATH-a900s. The ATH a500/a900 are both fantastic for gaming, and require no amp to shine. The Beyers might need a little amping depending on source, and to get better performance. The Beyers are known as THE basshead can in the mid-end range, and the AudioTechnicas also have more amount of bass compared to the Sonys.

Regarding soundcard, imo a good combo attack would be Chaintech AV710 ($25) for music and Soundblaster Audigy 2 ZS oem ($65) for games. Total comes out to about the same price as a decent M-Audio.
 
I'm not really sure If I want really bass-happy phones, I would rather have an exact reproduction of what the artist wanted than some over-EQ'd stuff.

The Sony's I current have (MDR-300 whatevers) are nice for sound, a little too base happy, and aren't the most comfortable. I'm giving them to my dad, as he doesn't need the best music phones, and likes the set that I have quite a bit. I'm just looking for something better.

Also, what sounds better? An M-Audio Revolution 7.1 (or good card form them that sounds good) or that Chaintech card that a lot of people seem to like? I can afford the M-Audio paired with a Creative card. I just don't want to. :)

Also, is it effective to run two sound cards? I had never thought of it. I planned to get the new PCI-e Creative sound card when it comes out, as the motherboard that I have only has two PCI slots and not a lot of room between the bottom PCI-e x-16 slot and the PCI cards. I run my X800XL in the bottom slot. (Mobo: See DFI Lanparty NF4 Ultra-D)

And, I'd be getting the M-Audio (or Chaintech) first to listen to music, as my computer has enough horsepower to push any game I play at 1280x1024 full detail and 4x AA.

And for the last note, I'll get this money within the month (hopefully) and will be puchasing the audio equipment along with 2 gigs of ram ($300) and hopefully a Dell 20.1 inch 2005fpw (hopefully around $400).

Thanks for the help everyone, and Mister X, do you have a website?
 
Soundblaster cards have historically been geared toward gamers and mainstream consumers, so they tend to focus less on sound. Don't get me wrong: some of the higher-end offerings are good for games and also sound pretty decent (with my fairly mediocore equipment). However, there's a reason why many audiophiles bash them! Based on all the hype on the X-fi's processing power, I doubt that it was built with premium sound quality in mind. I'm not sure if it's worth waiting around for.

The Chaintech soundcard is highly regarded as a great bargain in terms of sound quality. I can't say that the Chaintech is clearly superior to the A2ZS with my lo-fi equipment, but the fact that the Chaintech can at least match and possibly exceed the sound quality of higher-end Creative offerings at a fraction of the price is noteworthy.

Judging by my readings, I'd have to say that the Emu 0404 sound card seems highly regarded as an audiophile-grade sound card in the headphone community (some would say that its $100 price tag is a bargain). Don't take my word for it though since I haven't personally used it.
 
I've searched the EMU site, and can't find the specific one from them. I can get 25% off from them, as I have an Audigy 2 ZS in another machine, and the lawsuit. That would get me an EMU for $75. It needs to be purchased from them though.
 
I've been looking at more pairs of headphones, and the Grado 225's look much better to me, imo. They're more traditional and don't have the large net-like band on the top of them. Obviously these'll need to be amped as well. What do you guys think?

Also, what is a reputable store that I could buy this kind of stuff from that has good prices (no ebay)?
 
Project_2501 said:
I've searched the EMU site, and can't find the specific one from them. I can get 25% off from them, as I have an Audigy 2 ZS in another machine, and the lawsuit. That would get me an EMU for $75. It needs to be purchased from them though.
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I thought the lawsuit only applied to the original Audigy and Extigy? If not... I wanna get on this deal too since I have an A2.

I want to cast another vote for the Beyer DT770's as great gaming and music cans. You might want to consider "closed" sets since if you are lan gaming.. you probably don't want the sound to bleed out letting everyone know what your hearing.
 
Are the beyerdynamic 770s closed? Also, what is better, the 80 ohms, or the 250 ohms model? I see both on the site for them. They also look by far the most comfortable, and the ear cushions look really plush. I don't lan, but my computer is set up to if I want to.

Also, how much do these run? I can guess about $240, right?
 
yes they are closed. most people that own them has the 80ohms, guess thats because it doesn't take much to drive them. it would still be better though to get an amp for it. If you have a Guitar Center near you, you can go there and audition one. its like $199 there, but some people actually got it for $150.
 
Project_2501 said:
Are the beyerdynamic 770s closed? Also, what is better, the 80 ohms, or the 250 ohms model? I see both on the site for them. They also look by far the most comfortable, and the ear cushions look really plush. I don't lan, but my computer is set up to if I want to.

Also, how much do these run? I can guess about $240, right?
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Yeah, the Beyers DT770s are closed. Like people said earlier.. they are bass machines.. but not in a bad way.. I mainly listen to bass heavy music and for the type of music I listen to, it sounds better with more powerful bass. It's definitely not muddy crappy bass.. the bass is clean, defined, and pretty powerful. Think about it like going to a night club.. The music just wouldn't be the same without the bass. :)

I bought the 80ohm version since I got them off ebay for about $165 NIB. Either way you go it would be beneficial to get an amp like the pimeta that MisterX is selling. You could technically get a pimeta and the DT770's for less than $275. I would get the 80ohm version anyway since you might go to lan parties... you won't have to drag your amp around with you (could get a portable tho) and no one can tell what your hearing to since they are closed.

They are great for games. I play HL2, UT2K4, BF1942, etc and the cans are detailed and crisp enough to pick up faint background sounds I never knew existed and powerful enough to actually "feel" you just got blew out of a tank. :) I would give these an A+ for gaming.

One more thing.. you are right about them being comfortable. They are even more comfortable than my Senn 580's. The cushion and velour seems a bit softer than on my 580s. Another thing I noticed also was the great sound isolation.. When I just have them on.. I barely can hear someone talking standing next to me.. I defintely can't understand what they are saying.

Keep in mind.. I am only judging them from the perspective of using an amp. I never used them for more than a couple times without it... so I don't really know what they sound like w/out one.
 
magnetik, have you tried listening to your DT770 with rock? I listen to my A900's with rock and there is something missing. the bass is not as apparent when Im listening to something like Jazz or Blues. thats why I am thinking of picking up one to compliment my A900's.
 
Bleed said:
magnetik, have you tried listening to your DT770 with rock? I listen to my A900's with rock and there is something missing. the bass is not as apparent when Im listening to something like Jazz or Blues. thats why I am thinking of picking up one to compliment my A900's.
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That is the same reason I bought the DT770s. I got them to compliment my 580's. When listening to rock you will definitely feel the kick drums if you didn't before. The 580's sounded great to me with rock but just didn't have the bass impact that I was expecting. The bass on the 770s is not "exaggerated" like many would think with most bass heavy cans.. The bass sounds like it's "supposed" to sound, it's just more "powerful." (at least to my ears) The highs and mids are also great.. maybe not as "airy" as a set of open's but pretty damn nice sounding.
 
Now i just need to find someone to buy me the cans off of ebay, my dad thinks that everything on it is a ripoff. If I could get these headphones cheaper than $200, say around that $100 there, I could get a much better amp.
 
Well, I just went to my local guitar shop and ordered an M-Audio Revolution 7.1. That should be here in about a week.

Now, I found out that I can order anything by M-Audio from them, so I'll be getting a headphone amp made by M-Audio for convenience.

And, they can also order Audio-Technica headphones. This means I have a way to get high quality headphones locally. This is nice.

So, any suggestions on an Amp/Headphones given this new information?
 
I've owned the Audio-Technica A500's for about a month before, and there was something I didn't like about the sound. I used them with a modded Audigy 2ZS and Pimeta. The sound seemed too recessed and dark. Like a faint veil was covering the sound. I'm not sure if the A900's are also like this, but it's been said that they have similar sound signature. Ironically enough, I just got my Senn HD600's (still at a warm $189.94 on Amazon) in earlier this week, and I can barely hear the veil that a lot of people seem to refer to. If you can get a chance to listen to any of these cans before buying, that would be the ideal situation (maybe the guitar place has some cans there?).
 
Those Look comfortable, and, is the extra $100 worth the slightly better specs? The range is a bit better, but I don't know if I'd notice it, and the extra money saved would go twords an amp, then my next set of higher quality headphones.

And looking at the power draw of 500mW, it isn't "amp me or be damned", right? So I won't be afraid to use the headphones before I get an amp and not liek them.
 
Project_2501 said:
Those Look comfortable, and, is the extra $100 worth the slightly better specs? The range is a bit better, but I don't know if I'd notice it, and the extra money saved would go twords an amp, then my next set of higher quality headphones.

And looking at the power draw of 500mW, it isn't "amp me or be damned", right? So I won't be afraid to use the headphones before I get an amp and not liek them.
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what are the ohms? from what I remember.. my HD580's had a draw of 2-300mw @ 300ohms.
 
I don't own a set, but it seems that others who do agree with that assesment.

Headphone Reviews :: Audio-Technica ATH-A900:

...They're also very easy to drive: they'll work fine out of a computer or mp3 player...
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...Most people seem to say that the A900 don't benefit from amplification but I find that they pair very well with my Single Power PPX3 tube amp... Overall they are above average headphones that are so versatile, due to being easy to drive, that they would be my first recommendation if someone asked me to recommend them some headphones for home use.
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They are easily powered by a decent MP3 player (iPod, Karma, IHP-140, etc...) to about 90% of their sonic capability in my opinion.
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people say that a meta42 or a cmoy would help it or something, but imo, it doesn't do squat.
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It says that fast rock isn't as nice as the Grado 225s. I had been considering these too. Hmm, Really is a tough decision for me, as I want something to last me. The 225s are about as high priced as I want to go to be honest (about $200). And I will shell out some cash for an amp, as they seem needed (about $150 I guess).

So, out of these: Grado 125/225, Sony MDR-SA1000, A-T ATH-A900, and Beyerdynamic 770m (80 ohms) what would you (any of you) choose?

I prefer the look of the Grados over the other two, and from what I hear, they're great for listening to music. I just need to find out if I can get them locally, or get my sister to get me them off of eBay.

^^ That is unless someone changes my mind. :) Feel free to try, I have a bit of time before I get these.

Cheers.

And if only I could borrow some money, and if these would stay around the same price: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=88763&item=5777647421&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW :) :)

Edited for Beyers.
 
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Well then. I suppose that everyone is different though, because many people seem to like them. But, what is it that I hear about the "veil" in the mid-range on the ATH-A900s?
 
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