HD555 + xfi xtrememusic... need an upgrade

One_Hertz · 04-21-2007, 11:28 AM

Had this combo for some time and now have some extra money to upgrade the sound... Overall price range is ~$1000 for everything (amp + sound card + headphones) but I can go higher if necessary so yeah I am looking for some high end stuff here. I game a lot so the sound stage is important. For music I listen mostly to metal. The amp must be portable as I go to lans frequently. Can someone steer me in the correct direction?

ooeric · 04-21-2007, 05:47 PM

lol HD650(cardas, moon audio, etc) . ppa2 or ppa . any envy24gt/ht based card. interconnect cables

thats already gonna set you back 1000$ or roughly over it. with everything, probably up into the 1300$ range
if your really gonna go high end. you go high end. you sacrifice portability.

do you believe its worth it?
i just say stick with what you have. its the most portable solution and cost effective.

or just buy an amp, HD555 rocks on amp. i had a pair on a pimped PPA.
side note. portable amps suck BTW,

adamsleath · 04-21-2007, 07:15 PM

yup get a good amp; and maybe a slightly better pair of phones.

beyerdynamic open dt880 are excellent. (better than hd600's from sennheiser)

get a big enuf amp and youll be able to blow your own head off

adamsleath · 04-21-2007, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by adamsleath

yup get a good amp; and maybe a slightly better pair of phones.

beyerdynamic open dt880 are excellent. (better than hd600's from sennheiser)

get a big enuf amp and youll be able to blow your own head off

i wouldnt bother with headphone amps
i would get a good stereo/surround amp and plug your hphones into it

oops i didnt mean to reply to myself

..and keep the sound card you already have.

HiJon89 · 04-22-2007, 03:43 PM

I would suggest:

Sennheiser HD650 w/ Upgraded cable
Heed CanAmp (Read the threads over at Head-fi, it's getting absolute RAVE reviews)
Sound Card: This is more a matter of personal preference, you often have to compromise in this category. To date there isn't a card that supports the newest EAX effects while having superb sound quality, but the new Auzentech looks promising.

afireinside · 04-23-2007, 09:51 PM

Metal and gaming... Welcome to my nightmare. Grados are the only cans that do metal right... but they SUCK for gaming. My solution? K701s for gaming, SR225s for music. Portable amp for LANs (probably an ibasso p1 or something cheap). Now I just need to order the rest of it.

And I'm sure more than a few people will e-smack me for using K701s purely as gaming headphones.

One_Hertz · 04-25-2007, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by afireinside

Metal and gaming... Welcome to my nightmare. Grados are the only cans that do metal right... but they SUCK for gaming. My solution? K701s for gaming, SR225s for music. Portable amp for LANs (probably an ibasso p1 or something cheap). Now I just need to order the rest of it.

And I'm sure more than a few people will e-smack me for using K701s purely as gaming headphones.

Got the K-701s after hours and hours and hours of reading. For amp got the Xenos 1HA-EPC. Looking forward to their arrival

adamsleath · 04-25-2007, 05:41 PM

the 701s look impressive (reading some reviews) wish i had some myself....should last you a long time.

high end phones need good amps.

zoob · 04-28-2007, 10:05 PM

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=229350

Mod your X-Fi

Shaz · 05-02-2007, 06:05 AM

Look for a a Tapco soundcard, with the right cables and amp they're really nice and cost about $200 if you get them there. Really portable and are complete plug and play.