L5730
Addicted to Fun and Learning
Apologies if already asked and discussed. I did a little search but got a bit lazy.
Seeing these reviews of Topping, SMSL, FiiO etc. DACs and JDS Labs, MonoPrice etc. headphone amps, it's pretty clear to me that there are some real bargains to be had. Sure a much pricier RME measures better, but what is available sub £200 for a USB DAC + HP amp is pretty awesome.
That is great, and I really appreciate the work that has gone into measuring those devices and discussing the pros and cons of them. There is still something missing from the budget awesome sounding rigs for students or folks who just don't want to spend that much - speakers and heaphones. To some degree speakers (active) have been touched uponb, the JBL LSR series seem favourable, and it won't take much to also see other brands of active near field monitors mentioned. A lot of good sound for not a lot of money, but still pricier than headphones can be.
Do we have much in the headphone offerings that is really any good and budget friendly? Can we form a list with comparisons and the merits of each? Is that a tough task as a major factor seems to be fit and comfort - the former having a large impact on sound, the later how long you can listen to them and ultimately whether you do listen to them much at all?
There seems to be a lot on offer in the ballpark of £100-150.
Sennheiser HD280, Beyerdynamic DT770, 880, 990, AudioTechnica ATH-M50x, AKG 701, 702 ....
I'm still struggling to see any standout models here, well, I suppose if it's restricted to closed-back it's much of a toss up between ATH-50x, HD280 or DT770.
But what about below £100 price point? Anything that really performs well, with good enough build quality*?
Is it the case that once you dip just below the price segment the fall off of what you get is too significant to recommend anything? I mean there are £5 and £10 USB DAC devices, but they just don't deliver like £65-100 gets you.
Oh, yeah and IEMs might offer more bang for buck in this, so feel free to mention those.
A nice discussion could be interesting.
* build quality seems a mixed bag. Breaking joints, failing drivers/wiring, disintegrating pad coatings. The list goes on.
Seeing these reviews of Topping, SMSL, FiiO etc. DACs and JDS Labs, MonoPrice etc. headphone amps, it's pretty clear to me that there are some real bargains to be had. Sure a much pricier RME measures better, but what is available sub £200 for a USB DAC + HP amp is pretty awesome.
That is great, and I really appreciate the work that has gone into measuring those devices and discussing the pros and cons of them. There is still something missing from the budget awesome sounding rigs for students or folks who just don't want to spend that much - speakers and heaphones. To some degree speakers (active) have been touched uponb, the JBL LSR series seem favourable, and it won't take much to also see other brands of active near field monitors mentioned. A lot of good sound for not a lot of money, but still pricier than headphones can be.
Do we have much in the headphone offerings that is really any good and budget friendly? Can we form a list with comparisons and the merits of each? Is that a tough task as a major factor seems to be fit and comfort - the former having a large impact on sound, the later how long you can listen to them and ultimately whether you do listen to them much at all?
There seems to be a lot on offer in the ballpark of £100-150.
Sennheiser HD280, Beyerdynamic DT770, 880, 990, AudioTechnica ATH-M50x, AKG 701, 702 ....
I'm still struggling to see any standout models here, well, I suppose if it's restricted to closed-back it's much of a toss up between ATH-50x, HD280 or DT770.
But what about below £100 price point? Anything that really performs well, with good enough build quality*?
Is it the case that once you dip just below the price segment the fall off of what you get is too significant to recommend anything? I mean there are £5 and £10 USB DAC devices, but they just don't deliver like £65-100 gets you.
Oh, yeah and IEMs might offer more bang for buck in this, so feel free to mention those.
A nice discussion could be interesting.
* build quality seems a mixed bag. Breaking joints, failing drivers/wiring, disintegrating pad coatings. The list goes on.