AOwpr

EDIT: Update to save you guys time.

Alright... so I have a bit to spend, and now that I've decided not to earn up for a new laptop, I think I'll probably go for a sound upgrade. In all likelyhood, I won't be buying until mid-September, but I'd like to have an idea of what I'll be buying before then in case I need to save up a bit more or whatnot. I'll make myself a mini-questionnaire that I've seen people ask in headphone threads...

1. Budget?
Currently around $250, but I can probably push it to $300 or maybe even $350. The less the better, obviously.

2. Brand preferences?
Don't care.

3. What will you be doing with them?
I really won't be gaming much with these, mostly for music.

4. What do you listen to?
Favorite bands/artists: Beatles, Ben Kweller, Blink-182, Blitzen Trapper, The Bravery, Camera Obscura, Coldplay, Death Cab For Cutie, Decemberists, Die Arzte, Franz Ferdinand, Guster, Interpol, Keane, Killers, Matt Costa, Matt Nathanson, Modest Mouse, Muse, Pink Floyd, Police, Radiohead, Sufjan Stevens, U2, Verve, Wilco... among others lol. Pandora never ceases to amaze me. So pretty much everything except rap, though I have a particular weakness for indie-rock.

5. What audio card are you looking to buy?
No clue. I guess one that works. If the headphone price is steep though, I might put the card off for a while.

6. Comfort and build-quality/specifics?
I'll be in a dorm, so closed is best. I like circumaural, too, the HD202 cups are nice, but even bigger would be a plus.

Cheers & thanks!

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Tator Tot

I'd grab some JVC-RX900's and a Xonar D2/D2X

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AOwpr

Wait... those RX900's are compared in the Newegg reviews to A700 and HD650s... How's that possible, considering the price?

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Tator Tot

They are very good cans, more so after you do some mods to them.

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chinesekiwi

Or just buy the better sounding RX700 for cheaper...really....

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AOwpr

Hmm... I'd rather not have to mod whatever I end up buying to have it sound crisp. I'd probably end up doing it at some point, but I'd rather have it sound good by default, if you know what I mean.

Okay, wait, this is mindboggling. So you're saying the RX700's sound better than RX900's, which in turn are around A700 or HD650 quality?

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AOwpr

Okay, been browsing around on the Head-Fi forums reading more reviews, and I've made up my mind... I really like the D2000. Unfortunately, price is a bit steep, and I'd like to buy them new. Since I'm a beginner audiophile, I'll have to settle for less and I'll probably not notice much difference anyway.

So. I think I'll go with a pair AH-D1001... else HD-595's which are down to $180 on Amazon. Thoughts? I know the 595's are open-back, but are they a lot better over the D1001's so as to ignore that?

Again, I'll be using these without amp for a good while, and then probably buy a soundcard with a built-in amp.

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unl3a5h3d

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16829132001

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD5.../dp/B0001FTVDQ

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Sparhawk

I'd recommend getting a soundcard first and then upgrading the headphones.

The Auzen Forte or the Xonar Essence STX are good options.

If you want accuracy and a closed headphone I'd go for the Senn HD280 Pro. But the ones you've listed are also great headphones.

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AOwpr

For the ~$100 price range, I'd rather get the Denons because they're close-backed, but thanks.

Hmm, okay. I'll try to get a soundcard at the same time then, less shipping anyway. Yeah, I think I'll go with the Forte, not too pricey but has a built-in amp.

Would you say the HD280 > D1001 in terms of sound quality? I think I prefer the Denons a bit more because of the size and comfort, and because I read they were better without an amp. But if you can convince me, that'd save me $20.

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