I am stranded figuring out a 600$-700$ setup

Hello,
I’ll try to make it simple.
I grew up around pretty decent equipment thanks to my father’s audiophilia however I recently moved out and I’m trying to make my own setup: I have around 600$ (a little more if something really wins me over) to spend but looking around I found myself overwhelmed with information, reviews, products, etc. and now I’m just confused.
My current audio life is 60% music and 40% gaming, I mainly play FPSs so decent imaging is definitely a plus. As for my sound signature I loves me a good soul touching bass but I’m no basshead, let’s just say I am not looking into a neutral/reference sound.
On another note, I grew up with CDs and my old DAC is ancient but since I’m not up to date I’m not even sure I need one anymore(?), I’d like to know.

TL;DR - I don’t know where to go, I need a full setup(DAC?, amp, headphones), I have 600$ and my time is spent 60/40 on music and gaming. (Preferred sound signature: emphasis on bass but not brain scrambling bass).

I know it’s a tall order but even a pointer in the right direction would be much appreciated, thank you.

Note: I’m from Europe so please don’t suggest something that is US exclusive (ie: Argons), I don’t want to be heartbroken :frowning:.

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Gotcha, well that range does have a pretty wide amount of offerings. I would say perhaps find an emu teak or fostex x00 ebony but I have a feeling that you may or may not be able to get ahold of them. The hifiman edition xx perhaps might be able to be found but I’m not sure. The lcd 2 classic used also perhaps might be a possibility.

What dac do you have? You can still benefit from a good dac for sure, but imo I would prioritize the headphones and the amp before you go in on another dac

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Honestly I don’t remember but I don’t think it matters since I’m leaving it behind at my parents house.

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Gotcha, well then I would wait on a dac and just plug the amp into a phone or pc for the time being

A good amp option is the schiit magni heresy or 3+ (pretty sure they have an eu store)

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Yup that was one of the only things I figured out: Schiit is good.

Mandatory pun intended.

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You’re in good hands with MON…what genres of music do you listen to?

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Their new stuff is good, but their older products were flawed and lackluster imo

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You’re in good hands with MON…what genres of music do you listen to?

Mostly jazz and hip-hop, but I wouldn’t make choices based on the genre since it tends to change every 6 months or so. However jazz and hip hop are always there.

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So we’ve figured out the amp, any other headphones suggestions come to mind?

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Maybe an DT 880 600 ohm or The DT1990 pro…Jazz is diverse when it comes to pinning down a preferred headphone.

Edited I like Jazz, Rap and Hip Hop amongst others lol.

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I would say the 1990 and 880 might be a bit bass light imo. Perhaps campfire cascades but going to guess too much?

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Closed backs?

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I mean perhaps a 660s if there is a good deal on one as well? (that one might be the most easily found I have mentioned besides the lcd 2 or 2 classic)

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Hopefully I’ll find a pair of lcd 2.

I heard Beyerdyamics where rather hard on the mid to high range.

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They can be harsher and more elevated in the treble, which is great if you like a bit of extra brightness and for gaming, but I don’t know if they would have the bass you are looking for (although I do like them personally)

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I personally wouldn’t say harsh but forward…depends on the amp/dac pairing…you need mid and treble to fully enjoy jazz?

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The 880 600 ohm isn’t that harsh, but the lower ohm and the 1990 can get kinda aggressive and exhibit some stronger harshness from some tracks from my experience

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I would say jazz is so erratic and artist/subgenre dependent that it makes it a really bad reference point.
The unpredictability is what defines the genre after all.

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Very true, jazz can be all over the place

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Indeed I’ve been to Ronnie Scotts in London a few times and seeing jazz live and close up is mind and ear blowing…so in many ways a great test of a headphone?

The first time at Ronnie’s I saw Arturo (not with dizzy tho :slightly_frowning_face:) two tables from the front…Man that is LOUD lol…

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