Sebastian
It’s Wool…
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Equipment Recommendations - The Home For New System and Upgrade Advice
- Thread starter Joe Mac
- Start date
apholden
Active Member
What effect would a negative review have on these sorts of deals? Obviously, in theory, it shouldn't matter, while my cynical expectation is that anything less then 5 stars means the last thing you ever hear from the manufacturer is a demand for the immediate return of everything they've ever given you.
Where in the middle does the truth lie?
Where in the middle does the truth lie?
Hey guys so I have been driving my fiancé nuts this quarantine with the amount of records I play regularly through out the day and it would appear it is time I build out my headphone listening set up. I’m wondering what’s the best value I could get with a $300 budget for a headphone amp and headphones. I feel like that’s a small budget for two items but trying to get something in quickly for her sake so I can’t stretch a huge budget for it currently. Thanks for all recommendations and your help!
My current set up is:
Fluance RT85 -> Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS -> Klipsch R-51PM
My current set up is:
Fluance RT85 -> Musical Fidelity LX2-LPS -> Klipsch R-51PM
A good indication are those reviews where the reviewer has purchased the review sample at the conclusion of the review. A reviewer isn’t going buy gear that they don’t really like at any price.
This of course assumes we are talking traditional magazine reviews or those on internet review sites.
Some of the other arrangements as @displayname has described? To me, those have less value but can still be used as a data point. I wouldn’t base a buying decision on a YouTube video. I’d give much more weight to something from Stereophile, Tone Audio etc.
Either way, you want to ultimately try something at home with a money back guarantee. Reviews just help nail down what piece you being home for audition.
debianlinux
Well-Known Member
I am curious to see answers here mainly because you also want/need an amp. A headphone amp dramatically opens your options but really eats your budget thus dramatically limiting those same options. Excuse my ignorance, do the R-51PM not have a headphone out?
To answer the question as posed, though I might consider a JDS Labs Objective2 amp which is a pretty decent amp you can generally acquire for $100 if you look in the right places and are willing to go used (or willing to DIY, haha). That leaves $200 for phones which is still a good number of decentish cans. The Massdrop HD-6xx are just over at $220 and would not disappoint I think. The 6XX are comfortable enough for all day listening, too.
I’d say the Schiit Magni heresy would be a solid option for $99. It has a preamp out too which would go to your powered speakers. The only potential issue would be adding an extra volume pot to your powered speaker set up.
That would give your $201 for headphones and the extra rca cable that you’ll need and I agree with @debianlinux that your best bet then is massdrop.
That would give your $201 for headphones and the extra rca cable that you’ll need and I agree with @debianlinux that your best bet then is massdrop.
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kvetcha
Well-Known Member
imo, Schitt Magni + Meze 99 Noir (via drop.com) would fit the bill nicely.
trickyseven
Well-Known Member
+1 for the Schiit Magni. Nice that it also has an rca output so you don't have to change cables, just crank the volume and unplug headphones to use your speakers. Don't forget to turn it down!
If you need to save a few bucks, go to Schiits website and check current deals, they may have some discounted that have minor cosmetic damage.
+1 also for the 6xx. Love my pair. I've been using mine a ton while at home.
If you need to save a few bucks, go to Schiits website and check current deals, they may have some discounted that have minor cosmetic damage.
+1 also for the 6xx. Love my pair. I've been using mine a ton while at home.
dansomeone
Well-Known Member
I see you have Klipsch speakers. Steve Guttenberg recently compared the sound of Grado headphones to that of Klipsch horn speakers in a youtube review of the new Grado Hemp. Those are over your budget, but the Grado SR225e headphones are well-regarded by @Ed Selley and cost $200. These plus the $100 Schitt Magni amp would fit your budget.
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You guys are once again absolute champs when it comes to handing out knowledgeable recommendations! Seems like the Schitt Magni is the king of budget amps so I’ll definitely be shooting for that and I’ll take some time to mull over the different headphone options presented. Anybody heard of Nuraphones (Nura Subscription | Pay As You Play) and have any experience trying them out? Buying them straight is way out of budget but you can “rent” them for $10/m which I wouldn’t be opposed to oddly lol. They’ve got some fascinating tech in them that is definitely piquing my interests but I worry they may end up being too colored and I’m guessing the options presented by you all are more on the reference end? Just to clarify I should be fine to just hook this into my existing set up and get listening right? It will look like
Fluance -> LX2-LPS -> Schitt Magni -> R-51PM?
I wouldn’t have to remove the headphone amp each time I want to listen through my speakers?
Exactly like that. The Magni has a pre-amp out on the back that you’d connect to the kilpsch with a standard RCA cable. You’d just need to select headphones or that on it. One thing though is that 2 different volume controls can be a pain. My take would be turn the speakers up to max volume and then use the knob on the front of the schitt to take control of the volume levels. I don’t know what other people’s take on that would be!
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kvetcha
Well-Known Member
The Mezes are definitely a little colored, but in a way I find extremely pleasant to listen to. They’re not flat/neutral headphones in the least.
debianlinux
Well-Known Member
I would not drive the Klipsch amp to max. Pick something that seems reasonable with the range offered on the magni controls and go from there using the magni controls as the main volume control. Setting the Klipsch to max has a real possibility of elevating noise in that amp's signal that would have otherwise been below the floor. Note that this is an inherently noisy chain with effectively 3 amplifiers in it so Id try to mitigate that as much as possible. Furthermore, if the Klipsch is at max and you do little things like unhook the speakers you will make some potentially damaging loud sounds in the process.
I would probably lean towards setting the magni to max and then adjusting the Klipsch to the point that I could hardly take it. Then I'd bump the Klipsch another 15-20% of whatever it landed on so that I'm not pushing the magni near max all the time. I'm going to guess they both land around 75% on the volume knob for the max volume desired (if not, you probably need a more powerful or efficient system to begin with).
trickyseven
Well-Known Member
Yes, although the way the Magni works is the preamp out is only active when the headphones are disconnected, no switch to deal with. I think you turn the Magni up to max then adjust on the speakers.
debianlinux
Well-Known Member
Yeah, that changes the considerations about the volume settings.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Provided of course you do not forget the Magni is set to max and blow your eardrums with the headphones.
Got it. So if there’s no headphones connected it will automatically default to whatever preamp it’s connected to, so it seems to be a pretty intuitive plug and play experience. Finding the right volume sweet spot will be a headache but nothing too bad. I just went ahead and ordered the HD 6XX, apparently they’ve been selling out like mad so I actually had to preorder them but they should be getting out soon here. Going to go ahead and pull the trigger on the Magni Heresy as well! Thanks for all the help guys, made these decisions incredibly easy
debianlinux
Well-Known Member
The 6xx are unbeatable at that price or really anything near it. Their only "fault" is they are power hungry to get full performance from. Properly driven they are absolutely stunning in my opinion. Also, I wear mine 8-10 hours a day so I can attest they are comfortable as hell. In short, you have chosen wisely and will be richly rewarded, haha.
Will the Magni be able to power them properly? Glad to hear that, seems to be the consensus around the web as well. I’ve never owned an open back headphone, only have owned Beats Solo 3s lol which are fun for running around the city and working out but I don’t get the idea they’d work with vinyl
. Excited to immerse myself back into a pair of headphones and give my lady a much needed break.
kvetcha
Well-Known Member
Will the Magni be able to power them properly? Glad to hear that, seems to be the consensus around the web as well. I’ve never owned an open back headphone, only have owned Beats Solo 3s lol which are fun for running around the city and working out but I don’t get the idea they’d work with vinyl
The Magni is a very beefy headphone amp.