Hi all iam looking to buy new headphones + a good companion amp. I will be using my iphone to play music. I listen to mainly rock but i dabble in all genres. My budget for both the headphones and amp is £250. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks in advance Oli
Looking for new headphones+amp budget=£250
- Thread starter popoli20
- Start date
For that budget I would probably be looking at working up the Grado range (SR 125 perhaps) with an accompanying headphone amp. I'll let someone else recommend such an amp.
As for the split, I would lean towards weighting it more in favour of the headphones.
Is this going to get used as a portable rig (I ask because of the iPhone source)?
As for the split, I would lean towards weighting it more in favour of the headphones.
Is this going to get used as a portable rig (I ask because of the iPhone source)?
If your are going to be using the 'phones in the car you are probably going to want either closed backs or IEMs. A battery powered portable headphone amp will also be necessary.
Got any thoughts on whether your would prefer closed back headphones or in ear monitors?
Got any thoughts on whether your would prefer closed back headphones or in ear monitors?
Grados are a very good suggestion. I use SR125s at home, but the open-back means they're not great for journeys. There are a couple of IEM Grado options; the older GR8s (£299rrp), the brand spanking new GR10s (£395rrp) or the entry-level iGis (£89.95rrp). I can't say I've tried any of the IEMs, but Grado are renowned for consistently awesome products, and if the over-ear iGrados are anything to go by, entry-level price does not mean entry-level performance. (The iGrados are a bit of a strange product to me - designed for portable use but extremely leaky, which seems to rule out a lot of their potential uses.)
For an amplifier, I don't think you can go wrong with the FiiO E7 - it's portable (rechargable via USB), drives an IEM like the iGis easily, and sounds fantastic. You can buy a dedicated line-out cable for iPhone as well, which will further enhance the sound, and the styling matches Apple products perfectly. It also functions as a USB DAC, meaning that if you want to listen to music from a PC/Laptop at a better quality, it'll help you out with that too - just plug it into your USB port and change the audio output in control panel on Windows. Link it up to the desktop Fiio E9 to drive some badass full size headphones like the Grado SR series and you'll really be laughing (I know I am, everytime I use it
). You can get the E7 for £47.44 on Amazon, E9 for £80.56, and the cable for iPhone connectivity for only a couple of quid.
For in the car, I'd say you won't do better than IEMs, as they help to block out extraneous noise, meaning you'll get the most out of the FiiO gear, and the headphones themselves. I use the FiiO E7 on the train with my iPod classic and Beyerdynamic DTX100s, currently on sale for £54.95 on hifiheadphones.co.uk, standard rrp £75.95. They're likely to be a close competitor to the Grados, but either way you'll be hearing some sweet sounds. You could easily set yourself up for under £150 for your purposes - if you're listening at home and want something full-size then adding in the FiiO E9 and getting a pair of the Grado SR80s or SR125s is the way to be comfier and hear even more. This is what I run, and on a student budget I managed to buy the whole rack in a year, and it's improved my listening experience immeasurably, especially when out and about.
Happy shopping!
For an amplifier, I don't think you can go wrong with the FiiO E7 - it's portable (rechargable via USB), drives an IEM like the iGis easily, and sounds fantastic. You can buy a dedicated line-out cable for iPhone as well, which will further enhance the sound, and the styling matches Apple products perfectly. It also functions as a USB DAC, meaning that if you want to listen to music from a PC/Laptop at a better quality, it'll help you out with that too - just plug it into your USB port and change the audio output in control panel on Windows. Link it up to the desktop Fiio E9 to drive some badass full size headphones like the Grado SR series and you'll really be laughing (I know I am, everytime I use it
For in the car, I'd say you won't do better than IEMs, as they help to block out extraneous noise, meaning you'll get the most out of the FiiO gear, and the headphones themselves. I use the FiiO E7 on the train with my iPod classic and Beyerdynamic DTX100s, currently on sale for £54.95 on hifiheadphones.co.uk, standard rrp £75.95. They're likely to be a close competitor to the Grados, but either way you'll be hearing some sweet sounds. You could easily set yourself up for under £150 for your purposes - if you're listening at home and want something full-size then adding in the FiiO E9 and getting a pair of the Grado SR80s or SR125s is the way to be comfier and hear even more. This is what I run, and on a student budget I managed to buy the whole rack in a year, and it's improved my listening experience immeasurably, especially when out and about.
Happy shopping!
If you do decide to go down the Grado route they don't need amping.
I use my 80i's on a Nokia E52 (hardly a music centric phone) for MP3 downloads and that has
more than enough power to drive them. Even out of my Nokia the SQ is surprisingly very good indeed, and I can only imagine that the iPhone will drive them to a far higher level.
I use my 80i's on a Nokia E52 (hardly a music centric phone) for MP3 downloads and that has
more than enough power to drive them. Even out of my Nokia the SQ is surprisingly very good indeed, and I can only imagine that the iPhone will drive them to a far higher level.
eggontoast
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- Feb 23, 2011
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popoli20 said:
Since you want to use them in the car IMO you would be better off with closed backs. Grado's don't have any isolation so you can hear outside noises and you passengers will here you tinny music. I would suggest trying a pair of Denon AH-D2000 combined with a Fiio E7 connected to you phone via an LOD, you should be able to source all three for your budget.......just. You could also try some Beyerdynamic DT770 they tend to have a slightly bassy presentation but it is well controlled. You need to try them for yourself, just use Amazons excellent returns policy ;-)
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