With $200 it is possible to build a fairly good audio setup. In this post I will give an example of such a setup. First of all, I'm going to assume that the user already has a computer in which his music library is located. This keeps the total price low, as it excludes CD players and other transports.
So, what are we going to need?
- A computer: where the music is located;
- A DAC: to convert the digital data into analog (sound) signals;
- A headphone amp: to amplify the signal coming from the DAC;
- A pair of headphones: to listen to the music, how else would you?
On any audio setup, the component through which you listen to the music is the most important (speakers/headphones). So, let's give the headphones the biggest share of our budget:
- DAC - 75$
- Headphone Amp - 25$
- Headphones - 100$
The Grados SR80i are a really nice pair of headphones for the price: $99. They are acclaimed by most audiophiles to be one of the best ways to build an entry-level headphone setup. They are great for rock music, having a right-in-your-face sound that will amaze you. You can also buy some replacement pads ($12.70) to make them more confortable.
Read some reviews: Head-Fi | What Hi-Fi?
For the DAC, we're going with the Fiio E7. At $88.59, this is above our budget, but this USB DAC has a little surprise: it has a headphone amp included! This means we now have $12.41 left on our original $200 budget, which you can use to buy the replacement pads I mentioned!
I hope this small article has showed you how you can build a fairly nice entry-level audio setup for only $200. Enjoy!
great posting, thx for the info
ReplyDeleteVery informative, what are the benefits of using a DAC? I've heard of them but never used one. I have a pair of Sennheiser-HD-202
ReplyDeleteUsing a DAC allows you to get higher audio quality and detail than soundcards built into most computers/laptops. Those HD202 are really nice for the price (I have ones too!)
Deletealright bro i love music! kind of an audiophile..following & stuff +1
ReplyDeleteThat is really helpful. As an to be aspiring animator, sound editing is soon going to be a BIG deal. This will come in handy.
ReplyDeletegreat info! thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendations, I'm going to upgrade my gear in the next month probably.
ReplyDeleteNice setup
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I've been wanting to upgrade my setup for a while, but I wasn't sure what gear to get.
ReplyDeleteMusic is probably my life...now i can make it a little bit more of my life
ReplyDeleteNice setup, bro
ReplyDeleteI have VOX headphone amp and koss ur-40 headphones, its also a nice set
ReplyDeletehmmthanks for sharing all these options ill have to look into these
ReplyDeletenew follower here (wink) feel free to get back at me!
Very nice i use my sennheiser earbuds or my turtle beach lol :D
ReplyDeleteSweet set up dude. I'll def keep this in mind when I get an extra $200. Can you do a post on some killer headphones?
ReplyDeleteWill do, a post about headphones is on the works!
DeleteIf I ever had $200 (or £200 in my case) to spend, I'd definitely use this as an idea as to what to go for in the audio setup world. Thanks
ReplyDeleteVery nice thanks for the information and nice blog keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteNice setup!
ReplyDeleteNice info! I was considering getting new gear and this post helped me a lot.
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty cheap. I'll read more about these headphones
ReplyDeleteNice post. I have a DAC aswell. All I need are good Headphones. Currently have a Superlux 662B
ReplyDeletewhat's your opinion on wireless headphones??
ReplyDelete