audiophile headphones for laptop under 2k

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nit_dat

Apprentice
I know audiophile headphones and 2k cannot go together, but I believe you guys will come up with a solution. I am casual listener and have particular interest in trance, electronic and ambient music. Recently though I have fallen in love with dub-step and chill-out. strange hmmm:ashamed:.. I listen to the music on my Vaio (no Amp/DAC) and iPod nano using my creative headphones (they are decent but lack bass :angry:).. my budget is limited to 2k but I can stretch to 2.5k if required...I'm also not from big city, so won't get a chance to test'em :(, I can just read reviews and watch videos on Youtube.. so I ask you guys what would be the best headphones which will satiate my listening thirst... It may not necessarily be audiophile headphones but should give justice to the genres (electronic and ambient) I had mentioned earlier

Thnx in advance
 
Sennheiser HD 202 is awesome..
unfortunately its discontinued
the new one is HD 202 II..
specifications appear same to me.. still new one costs few hundreds extra.
 
I strongly advice you to invest in a DAC-hp amp combo first (like the Fiio E10) before going for a good pair of cans. The on board audio doesn't do justice to even the cheapest of headphones..
 
xenaxance said:
Thanks Kris.
i'm planning to buy Fiio E6...
any suggestions for DAC-hp amp combo under 2k
Click to expand...
OT, this should have been under "Audio Zone" section.

At your budget, it would be difficult to get a DAC that would outperform your onboard sound. I'd suggest going with HeadPhones for now, and upgrading to a better DAC when you have the budget for it.

At an entry level, Fiio E10 (DAC+Amp) seems decent at around ~4.5k. A good step-up would be the Audinst MX1 at around ~10k. I think E10 & MX1 would be equally placed in terms of DAC output, but MX1 has a better Amp. Both of these should be available with PristineNote.

NwAvGuy has done a technical review of the E10, and overall, it seems decent. The only thing that stands out to me is that the E10 has some channel imbalance at low volumes. This problem seems endemic to many 'budget' DACs as they use cheap volume potentiometers.

NwAvGuy: FiiO E10 DAC
 
I have an E10, paired with an A900, it sounds amazing. When you have the budget, go for it. For now stick with a solid HP.
 
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