Hi y'all!
I got a NAD D1050 on Friday to replace an ageing (i.e. OLD) QED Digit as primary source in my equally old lounge system. As it happens the D1050 also can do duty as a headphone amp, and as a result I hooked it up to my laptop and Sennheiser HD407's for an initial shakedown. This was the first time I actually used these headphones for music rather than late night TV.
Wow, I did not expect to hear what I heard to the point that I still have not used it in my main system. I spent the weekend "surfing" my music collection using JRiver (another first for me), and I am thoroughly impressed with the sound quality and the overall experience. And I did not disturb my sound-sensitive wife one little bit!
Now the HD407's are OK, but not audiophile grade by any stretch of the imagination ... my wife got them for me a couple of years ago for my birthday to restore peace and quite in the house when I watch movies at night. They did fine for that application, and I must say they sound damn fine through the D1050, but I cant help but wondering if a better pair of phones wont reveal even more of the music ... they're definitely not the last word in transparency, and given that they were conceived for "modern" music like pop and rock, a little plummy in the upper bass / lower mids.
To make a meaningful improvement I recon I need to look at the R 2000 - 3000 price range ... what are good alternatives to audition in this price range?
Thanks,
Francois
I got a NAD D1050 on Friday to replace an ageing (i.e. OLD) QED Digit as primary source in my equally old lounge system. As it happens the D1050 also can do duty as a headphone amp, and as a result I hooked it up to my laptop and Sennheiser HD407's for an initial shakedown. This was the first time I actually used these headphones for music rather than late night TV.
Wow, I did not expect to hear what I heard to the point that I still have not used it in my main system. I spent the weekend "surfing" my music collection using JRiver (another first for me), and I am thoroughly impressed with the sound quality and the overall experience. And I did not disturb my sound-sensitive wife one little bit!
Now the HD407's are OK, but not audiophile grade by any stretch of the imagination ... my wife got them for me a couple of years ago for my birthday to restore peace and quite in the house when I watch movies at night. They did fine for that application, and I must say they sound damn fine through the D1050, but I cant help but wondering if a better pair of phones wont reveal even more of the music ... they're definitely not the last word in transparency, and given that they were conceived for "modern" music like pop and rock, a little plummy in the upper bass / lower mids.
To make a meaningful improvement I recon I need to look at the R 2000 - 3000 price range ... what are good alternatives to audition in this price range?
Thanks,
Francois
