getting best output from limited sources - shure srh840 or sennhd 650

[darkpoet]

I had my heart set on some senn hd650s for 230 pounds
but I find it daunting that they need another 200 pounds of equipment to drive them

so ive decided ill probably go for some shure srh840s for 170 pounds

my source is a measly samsung r522 laptop with onboard sound, music in 320 k and flac

i also have a ps3 connected to a harmon kardon avr-can better sound be had from that?

what would you guys recommend adding to improve things

ive been looking at the cambridge audio dacmagic
or a headphone amp/dac

what differences will there be in sound between the choice of headphones

if i plan on getting amp and dac anyway is it better to invest in the senns?

i like the idea of a detachable cable and want something that will last and not want to upgrade for a good while

is it right in thinking that the shures would be complimented where the senns will be underpowered by all but the best amps
and how much of a leap is there in sound difference between the shures and the senns

[llama]

your starting the spiral of the bottomless pit of head-fi :P

The 650's are upgradable but do need an amp. For your laptop, im sure you would be more than impressed with the Shures though. It depends what you want to end up with, and how much you want to spend to do it.

Normally PC audio is resampled to 48Khz, not 44.1khz as a CD is sampled to, this cuts the quality. Some will resample (in the Xfi its a specific option you must enable for example).

Ideally, a USB DAC then to an amp could be used, can be quite economical or very expensive.

I run a slightly modified X-fi card with a pair of HD595's, bit matched playback turned on, with ASIO in Foobar2000 and full flac files. It sounds very good. I know if I wanted better cans i would be looking at a DAC and an amp and some cans then, so for me right now, its just not worth it.

I would probibly say, look at the amps for 650's and see if you can justify spending £170 on Shure's or i would guess more like £400 on the Senn's.

[darkpoet]

thanks llama
i also have foobar with asio but only onboard audio

i can see myself getting amps and dacs in future, so thats why im wondering if its best to get shures or srh840 being that they are similar priced,

[hopeless]

Is ASIO better than Kernel Streaming? A lot of the people over at Head Fi seem to think so.

I'm trying to tell the difference between them (with my X-Fi) via Foobar2000, but can't

Can someone put my mind at rest and tell me which one I should be using?

Thanks

[llama]

actually my card threw a hissy fit yesterday and had to reinstall it, so im not using ASIO again, and I cant tell much difference. :D

If you use a USB DAC, you are not fast for upgrades, so it would probibly be a good way to go. the 650's sound a little closed in some people say, with a vale on the music, they may sound totally different to the shures. i cant comment, i have not heard either.

[Drubbing]

You've done the right homework on the Senns, they could underwhelm without the right amping. And even with the right amp, a laptop or PS3 as a source is still a weak link - this will go for the Shures as well. Audio SQ is only ever as good as your weakest link.

I'd be a surprised if a ps3 would be any better than onboard sound TBH.

I have the DACmagic and its a very good value source. But has no amp, so even if your phones don't need one, you will, as the DAC has no headphone out.

llama, I think you may be confusing bitrate with sample rate. Bitrate is the amount of compression the data file has been subjected to. Sample rate is the frequency the data has been digitally recorded at.

The default for CD is 44.1, and sound cards will upsample, but if done poorly, or the software drivers aren't decent, artefact is possible. But this isn't anything to to with the bitrate, which is constant. I've never really had any issue with this; it's probably a part of the low quality sound output of onboard cards and is therefore more of a given. Added to that, laptops have all the components crammed together and some sensitive phones, like canals, can exhibit audible noise and interference from the electromagnetics. Less of an issue with full size, but it's all part of laptops being poor audio sources.

THe DACmagic upsamples, but it is a good quality product, so none of the issues with souncard SQ apply.

Really these are technical bits and bobs not really worth worrying about. The basics are a good source, which includes decent file bitrate, and knowing whether your phones need amping or not.

Can't comment on the sound sig of either phone, but Senns are known as having quite a laid back sound, and as llama said, some find them a bit distant or veiled.