Audio Beginner Music lover

darknight286

darknight286

Recruit
Hello!

I am looking on buying a beginner audiophile setup.
Let me start with a basic intro about myself
I mostly listen to music mostly on an ipod and at times on my computer.
I have a sony srs9 system for my computer, which sounds great so far.
But I stay with my whole family, so I cant bring the volume upto the levels I want to listen at.
So I went and bought my first headphone, a sony xb400.
Wow, I mean WOW!! I practically heard music in a new light..

After a few weeks, I started wondering, if a 1500inr headphone can do this, what if I saved up some money and bought a costlier setup. And so began my journey into the world of all things audiophile.
Things I have never heard of before (DACS, Amps, impedance and other literal conundrums) popped up. But I was addicted.

Now I searched and researched a lot, but the more confused I became.
Then I happened to cross path wwith techenclave and here I am.
So please fellow gurus, please help out this noob in his confusion!!
 
Hey!
Thanks for the reply..
I guess I was a bit vague in my post.

Actually,
I am looking for an upgrade to my sony xb400.
I have a budget of 15k INR(~250USD)
I was thinking of
a. New headphone or
b. Headphone plus dac combo.
I mostly listed to my music on the go, but I sometimes do listen at home too.

I am sorry if I am still being vague.
Help?
 
"After a few weeks, I started wondering, if a 1500inr headphone can do this, what if I saved up some money and bought a costlier setup"

This thought has costed more than the loss of world trade centre :/

Anyways, for your budget, i will suggest Audio Technica ATH-M50 with a fiio X1.
 
@Jambumali and @harshit143 thanks for taking the time to help me out!!

@Jambumali Although I wish I could get the bose, they are a bit out of my league at the moment..

@harshit143 the Ath m50x are at the top of my list too..
But the thing is the lowest i could find the athm50x going for is 10k.
That leaves me with a max of 5k so the fiio x1 might not be happening either..
 
darknight286 said:
@Jambumali and @harshit143 thanks for taking the time to help me out!!

@Jambumali Although I wish I could get the bose, they are a bit out of my league at the moment..

@harshit143 the Ath m50x are at the top of my list too..
But the thing is the lowest i could find the athm50x going for is 10k.
That leaves me with a max of 5k so the fiio x1 might not be happening either..
Click to expand...

Anything lower than X1 will not be able to drive it to a good potential. I have sansa clip+ and ath-m50, but the output is just satisfactory. You may consider sansa clip+ with a fiio amp but that will also cost same. Fiio X1 is about 6k from USA, if you can source it from there.
 
@harshit143 Thanks again for the quick replies!!
So you think I should just wait a bit more boost my budget to 20k and get the fiio x1+ath m50x?
That sounds logical, I guess..
The thing is the lowest that x1isgoing for is 13k, but in that case I might as well add another 1k and get the x3..
but that makes the whole setup a bit out of my grasp..

How about the cowon series?
The reason I was enquiring about the amp is because I have an old ipod touch that I still use.. I was planning on adding an amp to it and usingit asmy primary player.
 
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darknight286 said:
@harshit143 Thanks again for the quick replies!!
So you think I should just wait a bit more boost my budget to 20k and get the fiio x1+ath m50x?
That sounds logical, I guess..
The thing is the lowest that x1isgoing for is 13k, but in that case I might as well add another 1k and get the x3..
but that makes the whole setup a bit out of my grasp..

How about the cowon series?
The reason I was enquiring about the amp is because I have an old ipod touch that I still use.. I was planning on adding an amp to it and usingit asmy primary player.
Click to expand...

I will suggest you first buy the ath-m50, then try it with your ipod touch. due to lower impedance, i guess ath will go fine with your itouch. If you still feel the room for improvements in amplification and other tid bits, you can either opt for an amp as i guess it will add enough juice, or best, a dedicated player like x1. Sorry i don't have any idea about cowon's.

13k is ebay price. I think its not updated. check snapdeal and headphonezone.in. Its 8.6k there. completely in budget. And with debit cards you can save more. And the best price is from USA i.e. 6100 :)
 
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@harshit143 Thanks on the heads up about the prices.
If I buy it from the states@6100, is that including the customs or to put it in better words, what are the other formalities to be taken care of before I get it in my hands?

Plus I have an uncle in the states, if he buys it and mails it to me, will that end up being cheaper?
 
Direct shipping to india wont be available with any site i guess. Snapdeal is the best option right now with abt 9% off using debit cards and you will get warranty as well.
Secondly, i will suggest to test with ath m50 with ipod touch first i guess it will drive them well. After that you can goto x1 if i find it not upto the mark.

Mailing is risky as it may end up with customs plus shipping costs will make you spend the same amount as buying from india. best is ask him to bring it with him when he visit india
 
Disclaimer: Donot get into this wagon mate. There's a reason every audiophile shop uses "Hotel California" as the trademark demo track. "You can check in anytime you want but you can never leave."

Back to topic: What type of music are you into?

That plays a big role in choosing your gear.
 
@harshit143 wven the global ebay site? Wow glad I didnt jump the bullet on that one.. I guess I can be patient coz he is coming in mid june..
But then its in june!!

@jit_devil2 thanks mate for the heads up!! Hehe..
What do I listen to..
I am not a choosy music listener.
But there are a few genres that I dont listen to as much such as country.
I am love trance and was introduced about a year or so ago to dnb by a belgian buddy which I now listen to a lot.. so you can call me a basshead.
But I also listen to a lot rock, rnb, blues, hiphop and so on..

So I am guessing a jack of all trades is what I am looking for..
But a bright bass will be a plus? Hehe[DOUBLEPOST=1417548769][/DOUBLEPOST]Buddy of mine recommended marshall oems..
Thoughts?
 
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Get a good pair of cans first, if not OK, then go for the amp. There are no limits in this audio set-up business. There always seems to be a better one out there. Many times people forget that the purpose of the set-up is to enjoy your music. Just like a camera, the one in your hand at that moment is the best one!
 
. Dark Knight I recommend you to reduce budget and buy some IEMs. use it for sometime. then you would know what you need. I don't recommend directly investing 20k unless you know what you are buying.
 
@onlystruggler and @Jambumali
What?!?!?
So guys I are saying I should test the waters first before jumping in head first..
Ok, I guess you guys are right, because I have no actual experience in this regard and also the fact is that whatever I buy will be a blind purchase as I wont be able to audition them.

Alright, setting my sights on a lower goal then before aiming for audiophile heaven, what would you recommend I get now?
I dont want to get an iem coz firstly I have a pretty ok set of ones (jvc hafx3x) atleast I think they are ok. Secondly, my ear starts to hurt after wearing them for 30 minutes or so. Plus I need to up the volume on my player for them to sound good but then I have play on the eq to lower the bass and stuff.

Hence the reason I was looking for an over ear.
Plus I prefer closed because I usually listen to them while I am studying and my brothers who are around studying get disturbed.. hehe

So a closed, over the ear with pretty good isolation with a slightly warm sound is the profile I am looking for.

Suggestions?
 
A closed headphone makes your options very limited.

M50 seems like the favoured choice here but will go against the tide and suggest you the Sennheiser HD 25 1 ii or the AKG 550 since you have the option of getting it from US.

Currently both are selling for 199$ on Amazon.com.

Read up on sites like head fi and decide.

Personally I am not a big fan of the m50. They surely has the wow factor initially with the heavy bass impact that will woo you for sure.

But after you listen to better headphones you do realize there is more to music than the thump and a lot of other HPs do music a lot better than the m50s can. I found them way too mechanical for enjoyable listening. The m50 has a lot of power and attack but finesse is definitely lacking.

Very personal opinion so take it with a bit of salt. Remember everyone hears music differently.
 
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