How to get the most out of your headphones

M

MikeEffay

New member
Allright, so I just received my first pair of quality headphones, the AKG K712 Pro. The sound quality is definitely good, but when im enjoying other people's music, i'd like it to be louder.

Im on a MacBook pro (3 weeks old), i have no additional sound card, audio interface, AMP or DAC.

My question is, how do i get the most out of my headphones, what should i buy first, and how much should i pay?

Shops recommend that I pay like 500$+, but that's way too much for me right now.

I have been looking at the Schiit Magni/Modi and Vali/Loki stacks. Thanks for your time fellows!
 
It's on max. At this volume, my old gamer headset (1/4 the price) is way louder. Anyone with anything useful to say on the topic? :)
 
MikeEffay said:
It's on max. At this volume, my old gamer headset (1/4 the price) is way louder. Anyone with anything useful to say on the topic? :)
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You need something that can drive the headphones. There are some solutions if you search the web, like headphone amps (even DIY ones) and obviously an audio interface.
 
Like written in the post, i know that, but thanks anyway. The thing is i need guidance on product choice and combination :)
 
I'm wondering if I should buy an amp, dac og an audio interface first. What has the largest impact on my current setup? Thanks :)
 
MikeEffay said:
I'm wondering if I should buy an amp, dac og an audio interface first. What has the largest impact on my current setup? Thanks :)
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Depends on how you plan to use your headphone. The links I posted are for amps that are small enough so you can use the headphones on a daily basis. For production, I'd advice you to get an interface.
 
It's for production in Ableton. I've been producing for fun for a couple of months but im getting way more serious now. Still recommend an interface? To me it looks like FireWire (but its crazily expensive) is the best solution and that USB is the cheapest. At what price range do i get the most for my money, and what kind of interface should i get?
 
MikeEffay said:
It's for production in Ableton. I've been producing for fun for a couple of months but im getting way more serious now. Still recommend an interface? To me it looks like FireWire (but its crazily expensive) is the best solution and that USB is the cheapest. At what price range do i get the most for my money, and what kind of interface should i get?
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I have a M-Audio USB interface and it works just fine. But when I asked people on other forum about it, most of them told me to get one that had it's own power supply as the Sapphire 2i2 (which is more expensive). Both of them should perfectly drive your headphones.
 
@Drdream thanks, i appreciate it.

@SwagProductionz i expected a little more 'fill' and loudness than i got with my current setup, and i wanted to know if it was the limit of the headphones or if i simply needed additional gear in order to unlock the full potential of my headphones.
 
Komplete 6 is on sale for $199.00, I think it is really good for the money. I have a set of behringer Dt770 pros, and there is no need to crank up the volume it is very load, and has a great range of frequencies response.
 
The AKG K712 are rated at 62 Ohms impedance, which should be fine driven from a laptop or mobile device. However, they will have a lower volume than your typical consumer headphone.

For increased volume, a portable or studio headphone amp, depending on your user requirements, will be beneficial. Also, an external soundcard with a headphone input jack will work fine as well.

Also, as a big fan of AKG professional headphones, I find that they, more than any other brand of headphones that I have used, require a decent burn-in period of about 60 hours before they start to show their true potential.
 
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MikeEffay said:
Allright, so I just received my first pair of quality headphones, the AKG K712 Pro. The sound quality is definitely good, but when im enjoying other people's music, i'd like it to be louder.

Im on a MacBook pro (3 weeks old), i have no additional sound card, audio interface, AMP or DAC.

My question is, how do i get the most out of my headphones, what should i buy first, and how much should i pay?

Shops recommend that I pay like 500$+, but that's way too much for me right now.

I have been looking at the Schiit Magni/Modi and Vali/Loki stacks. Thanks for your time fellows!
Click to expand...

If all you need is more volume, I'd definitely go with the Schiit Magni.

A better solution for the long term, however, might be to just pick up any audio interface with decent microphone amps.

-Ki
Salem Beats
 
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