Beginner audiophile setup | headphones and DACs! | Mark Ellis Reviews

I've always wondered if I'm missing out on something when it comes to headphones. So, I decided to ditch the consumer headphones for a while and build my own audiophile setup! Find out which headphones I went for, which DAC caught my eye and, crucially, what it sounds like!

CHAPTERS
00:00 - Intro
01:22 - What is an audiophile?
02:12 - DAC and headphone amp
03:41 - Headphones
06:04 - In-ear headphones
06:58 - First impressions
08:31 - The source
10:32 - Conclusion

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WHAT IS THIS CHANNEL ALL ABOUT?
I have zero interest in deep spec dives or long-winded comparisons. I review laptops, smartphones, tablets, headphones and the latest tech based on real experience. I'll tell you how it'll make you feel, whether or not it's worth your time (and money) and help you find the tech you need to get stuff done.

WHO AM I?
I'm a UK-based freelance marketer and broke free of a regular job many years ago. Watch my videos to find the tech you need, without the jargon.

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Oh, and some of the links in this description are affiliate links from which I earn a small commission!

[moondragon]

When i got myself Sennheiser 6xx and started to listen, i was blown away, no muddy bass, just pure enjoyment. The bass hits when it should and stops when it should. Going back to my pc speakers and gaming headsets is no go. I also do have xm3 and while they are good to take with you. I just dont think its a good sound.

[yanto]

Excellent video. Just as an update, Apple Music IS lossless and with quality up to 24/192. Minimum is 16/44.1 ALAC ie CD Lossless quality. It’s actually extremely good

[flabbybum]

Congratulations on explaining all of this so well. I'm a newbie to quality audio, and this made more sense than any other video I've watched.

[rags]

I am the proud owner of the following AKG headphones: K240 MII, K371, K612 Pro, K275, K245 (open/semi-open), K175 (On Ear), K92, K182. In addition I’m also an equally proud owner of the Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms, DT 880 Pro, DT 240 Pro, and the DT 990 As a classical music lover I love my Beyerdynamic and AKG headphones!

[dylon]

11:09 it is so true that it's a rabbit hole. I started looking into headphones to replace my aging turtle beach gaming headset. I didn't want much just an improvement to my not even expensive gaming headset. my budget was at most 100 bucks but after doing a lot of research, experimentation, and buying and returning headphones I finally ended up with beyerdynamic dt 990 pros for 180 dollars and I'm likely going to buy an external dac/amp for at least 60 dollars. it's still pretty budget as far as audiophiles go but the most important thing is that now I have a lot more ear for the subtleties of my music. can't tell if it's a good thing because of toll it's taken (and probably will continue to take) on my bank account but hey, at least my music sounds glorious

[DanielLundh]

I had a similar revelation when I bought my first "audiophile" headphones, the Hifiman HE400i. I bought them used (they have since come down in price to something similar to the Sennheisers you use), I'm more of a casual listener but I have fallen into the rabbit hole anyway and have upgraded headphone amps and DACs along the way. Great video!

[michaelhunyadi]

Thank you. Just taking the leap for quality headphones. Your video makes me even more excited.

[Ducatijay]

This was the best comparison between consumer and high end I've ever seen! I was searching what the difference was for few days, thanks for the amazing review, subbed 😃👌

[j.d.]

One major misconception I also fell for for a while is that a DAC/amp with too little power for a particular pair of headphones would only result in lower volumes.
In reality, it will also result in messed up sound. Sound distortions, compressed sounds, crackles and pops, lots of bad attributes of which some will be very subtle but make you feel unsatisfied with the sound.

[benkeen]

Always a good tip to go for headphones from the music production market rather than consumer or fashionable products. Sennheiser and Beyer Dynamic are a good starting point. More money on the sound rather than image and marketing.

[hugolosada]

For what it’s worth, do try to get your hands on a Grado. Of all the entry level cans I’ve tried, they can give you the most unique (and IMHO enjoyable) listening experience. Many audiophile headphones (specially Sennheisers) are too reference/flat for me and become boring quite fast. I’d like to hear your thoughts after you try any Grados such as SR60 or SR80.

[louisantonio]

I am a beginner in all this as well and I would probably stay that way for a while but my personal setup would be the Hifiman HE400SE paired with the Ifi Zen Dac. They are very competitively priced but still performs very much on par with the 560s I'd say. Heck, I do think I prefer the 400SE after demoing the 560s at the audio shop the other day. But when it comes to these things I recommend demoing it for yourself if possible.

[rags]

Hi Mark! I highly recommend you get the German made Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 ohms/DT 880 Pro 250 ohms/DT 990 Pro 250 ohms. These are fantastic investments with a superb build quality and superb sound quality. By the way Apple uses high quality dacs in their products be it iPads, Macbooks, or iMacs! You can use the Equaliser on the Sony app to tune it to the same frequency response as the HD 560s.

[Core_VII]

I would recommend you stay away from "master quality" as MQA as it actually is as a very lossy codec unlike flac. MQA adds to much static and makes your sounds kinda mushy. While if you select Hifi ifs just a flac file Wich is better than MQA. You can find a great vid by golden sounds if your interested.

[IShipley]

You have made my day!! I never realized about the quality of sound controlled by the app, so I went into my spotify and changed it to very high vs low it comes in without random stutter or cutting in and out. Thank you!

[NegativeLegend]

Great video. I only need to upgrade my headphones to complete my audio setup but I was wondering if it was worth it. You paint a great picture that other videos really dont.

[tuckertech]

I also have a headphone addiction. I have the Fiio K5 pro it’s a combo dac/amp. I like it a lot. It’s powerful enough to power my Beyerdynamics and Sennheisers.

[gem]

This video was really interesting; it was nice to hear about the basics, as there are a lot of videos that come across as being quite stuck up & don’t actually explain anything. I got the trial of Amazon HD, however I’ve just got “normal” headphones (decent but not top of the line) & I couldn’t hear any difference, so it would be interesting to hear, using a set up like yours.

[hi-fi_phile_hunters]

Zen dacs are great, but I think too many people overlook analog systems that use small tube amps to power headphones. I do highly highly recommend checking out the Little Dot mkII amp. The way this would work is it allows you to use a mixer to connect things such as a turntable, CD player, cassette and even a direct hookup for your computer through the headphone jack.

The warmth you get from analog is insane and it feels much more natural. As an audiophile myself, I prefer my analog setup vs the digital one. Ear fatigue is real and digital signal can really boost ear fatigue.

Side note, love those Sennheisers, those are absolutely fantastic as entry level!

[KeithBonedoc]

Great review thanks. Now that Apple Music is lossless the difference is amazing. Although Tidal has some hires music I find the quality with lossless/cd is excellent. With an audio quest Dragonfly red and budget earphones like the sound magic E80’s I can’t believe how much better music sounds compared to my EarPod pros. The convenience of wireless earphones can’t be denied though. I also enjoy my Grado SR 60’s but my wife gets irritated when I don’t answer her. The transparency function with the EarPods helps then but you sacrifice sound quality obviously. The answer is to have several pairs of earbuds/headphones for different occasions. What was that you said about being a headphone addict…..