Hello,
I’m using SHP9500 and V-moda Boom pro combo for some time now. First I wanted to upgrade, but after some research and for various reasons, I came to a conclusion that it might be better to get some Amp/DAC rather.
I mainly play Battlefield and MMO’s quite competitively, but I also love to listen to the music of all kinds (hip hop, rock, pop anything really…)
Since I’m a newbie to this I’m looking for recommendations. The budget is 100$ but if the argument is strong I could upper it.
Thank you very much.
I had that combo a few years back, it was my first openback experience and it was nice for gaming and music. I just ran it straight off my motherboard, and it was more than enough power. You really don’t need amp/dac for the SHP9500, and it definitely wouldn’t be an upgrade. You probably wouldn’t even notice a difference and just be disappointed. The only reason to get amp/dac would be if you experiencing some sort of distortion/interference with your current setup, or for whatever reason the built in amp in your motherboard is not getting them loud enough. Which I wouldn’t think would be the case since they are 32 ohm.
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I wanted to write the same thing, basically, if you don’t have technical issues you should be fine, otherwise I’d put the money into better headphones in this price range, it really pays off.
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Those cans don’t need an amp – very easy to drive.
Save your $100 and upgrade your headphones. The SHP 9500 are fine as very entry-level open-backs, but they’re nothing special.
Spend in the $125-200 range, and you’ll have a huge upgrade. Something like the Sennheiser HD 560s ($179) could still be used without an amp – it’s better with one, though – and be a big improvement in all sonic areas.
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Apple dongle tbh in case your motherboard audio is particularly bad
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Ah ok, thanks everyone. So could you recommend what headphones should I look for if I decide to upgrade them?
Sennheiser HD 560s would be an ideal next step.
Here’s the caveat to most of the next headphone reco’s that you’re going to get…
You’ll also want a dac / amp for them. 