The Big Rig
Member
I've been using the Meelec. CW31P's for few few months right now. They're fantastic, and the mic works well.chrisisawesome said:
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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
N Coward Parody
Member
Posted this in the 4S thread but was kindly redirected here...
Any good recommendations for reasonably-priced in-ear buds w/ a mic & button? I've owned the Apple ones in the past but they continually break down on me.
Ideally, they would cost $50 or less but I'm willing to go a little higher if it makes a big difference in quality. Thanks!
Any good recommendations for reasonably-priced in-ear buds w/ a mic & button? I've owned the Apple ones in the past but they continually break down on me.
Ideally, they would cost $50 or less but I'm willing to go a little higher if it makes a big difference in quality. Thanks!
Dreams-Visions
Member
See if you can find some Ultimate Ears Triple-Fi 10vi's on sale.N Coward Parody said:
Great sounding phones. the "vi" version has a mic on the cable with an end-call button.
edit: these - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DCBBHK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
believe it or not, those phones drop down to like $100 around Thanksgiving for a few days. Just keep your eyes open.
FloppyDelux
Member
so im going from this:
to this:
cant wait.
/brag
to this:
cant wait.
/brag
FloppyDelux
Member
yep, cant wait.Gvaz said:
FloppyDelux
Member
Gila said:
Yep there arond $10-15, not bad, but i decided to spend the money and get a better headphones for home and school.
N Coward Parody
Member
Thanks for the rec. Just ordered the M21s from Amazon...Ashhong said:
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
Received my Ultimate Ears 600vi's a few days back and I'm very impressed with the sound. I actually got them on Tuesday and immediately hooked them up to my iPod and let them run for 12-14 hours to do a little burn in. Finally sat down to actually use them last night, and thought the sound was extremely good. The integrated iPod/iPhone controls are nice too, and I could even give Siri commands through the microphone.
I'm still struggling with finding the right size ear cushions to use that mix comfort and isolation. I've been swamping them on and off, trying to find the best fit, and so far I'm not sure which way to go. Some of it comes from the fact that these are my first really nice pair of IEM's, so I have to get use to the feel over wearing headphones. Still, I've used them for a variety of purposes already, and find them to be quite nice.
I'm still struggling with finding the right size ear cushions to use that mix comfort and isolation. I've been swamping them on and off, trying to find the best fit, and so far I'm not sure which way to go. Some of it comes from the fact that these are my first really nice pair of IEM's, so I have to get use to the feel over wearing headphones. Still, I've used them for a variety of purposes already, and find them to be quite nice.
ErnieMcCracken
Member
My ears are ready...
strikeselect
You like me, you really really like me!
What are the best portable headphones on the market? I don't want something with a cord that's longer than 4 ft.
At which level of headphones should I start to worry about getting a separate DAC?
From reading the thread and looking around online it would seem that the Sennheiser PC360, for example, would be amped enough on my laptop's soundcard, or when plugged in to my phone.
The issue is that I am unsure if there would be a large drop-off in sound quality while using these sources, or if at this 'lower-end' (in the grand spectrum of 'audiophile' headphones) the differences would be small enough to not worry about.
If not, what is the most worth spending on headphones when considering no (external) DAC will be used, so I can compare the total outlay of both paths. (I appreciate much of both questions will be personal preference, but I figured I'd ask to see if there was a general consensus.)
Thanks in advance!
From reading the thread and looking around online it would seem that the Sennheiser PC360, for example, would be amped enough on my laptop's soundcard, or when plugged in to my phone.
The issue is that I am unsure if there would be a large drop-off in sound quality while using these sources, or if at this 'lower-end' (in the grand spectrum of 'audiophile' headphones) the differences would be small enough to not worry about.
If not, what is the most worth spending on headphones when considering no (external) DAC will be used, so I can compare the total outlay of both paths. (I appreciate much of both questions will be personal preference, but I figured I'd ask to see if there was a general consensus.)
Thanks in advance!
Stubo said:
Somewhere in the $200-$300 price range is where a separate DAC makes some difference (with an HD600, or AKG K701 for instance). Never enough to warrant spending more than the headphones on one though, in my opinion, as modern sources are usually pretty decent. As long as there is no obvious problem with your current DAC (like a high noise floor) you are very unlikely to hear a difference.
Start with better sources (FLAC instead of MP3 for instance) and see if you can actually tell the difference. A lot of people can't.
shira said:
Yep. IEM's FTW.
I'm going to attempt creating my own customs tomorrow, using a pair of Ety's and a DIY Ear Plug kit from Amazon. This could go swimmingly, or I could be in tears by this time tomorrow with a perforated ear drum.
Oh I have FLAC, and I always rip mp3 at 320kbps (for my phone which doesn't really have space to store much of a library in FLAC). People who don't notice the difference are usually the same kind of people who keep the headphones that come with their iPods, in my experience, anywayLordCanti said:
Thanks for the DAC advice, this makes me all the more tempted to order myself some upgraded goods!
ThanksVision
Member
Any place to look for black friday headphone deals besides amazon?
RukusProvider
Banned
Dreams-Visions said:
I bought these headphones last fall on a sale and they're AMAZING!
Highly recommended.
Stubo said:Oh I have FLAC, and I always rip mp3 at 320kbps (for my phone which doesn't really have space to store much of a library in FLAC). People who don't notice the difference are usually the same kind of people who keep the headphones that come with their iPods, in my experience, anyway
Thanks for the DAC advice, this makes me all the more tempted to order myself some upgraded goods!
If you can try a friends, it would be a good idea. There are so many things I would spend my money on first though. The difference between one DAC and another is nothing compared to the difference between two pairs of headphones for instance. Very low return on investment.
For those of you that are using earbuds, I highly recommend the JVC Victor's. I've been using the FX700's for a while now and they're the best earbuds, and closest in sound to my Denon D7000's, that I've tried.
Someone in this thread recommended them to me a while back, and I didn't regret my purchase. Try and find a deal on 'em somewhere, as they're definitely worth it. Oh, and yes, they are actually made of wood - makes for a richer sound with more bass.
Another good thing to note about these earbuds is that the cord is pretty short. This means that you don't have a ton of cord to shove into your pocket or anything, but at 5' 10" I find it just right. If you're taller than that, you may want to look into a cord extender.
Someone in this thread recommended them to me a while back, and I didn't regret my purchase. Try and find a deal on 'em somewhere, as they're definitely worth it. Oh, and yes, they are actually made of wood - makes for a richer sound with more bass.
Another good thing to note about these earbuds is that the cord is pretty short. This means that you don't have a ton of cord to shove into your pocket or anything, but at 5' 10" I find it just right. If you're taller than that, you may want to look into a cord extender.
Tralfamadore64
Banned
I'm looking for the best noise canceling headphones I can get for between $100 and $150 (preferably at the lower end, of course). Comfortable over the ear headphones are preferable, as these are going to be worn for long periods of time in my apartment to block out the sound from my loud downstairs neighbor. Any suggestions? I've poked around on Amazon, but reviews are so inconsistent that I thought I'd check here.
FloppyDelux
Member
my Sennheiser 558 came and there are great so far.
Stubo said:
I'd say at almost any level headphone, you'd hear a discernible difference between onboard audio and an external dac. The difference might be negligible with a cheaper headphone; but your source is just as important (if not more important), in many listening situations regardless of your headphone.
LordCanti said:
Hmmm I'm not entirely sure about that. I notice a very big difference between onboard and my external dac with my mediocre $100 headphones... Perhaps you are thinking of where an amp makes a difference, as a lot of high priced headhphones (but not all) tend to be high impotence as well.
Extollere said:
What was your initial source? That is very important. If it was very low quality, stepping up to an external DAC would make sense, as would a perceived increase in sound quality. I've A/B'd high end headphones through a DAC (a $250 or so Headroom model), and then through a decent sound card, and the DAC didn't hold it's weight for the price in my opinion.
Obviously this is all subjective, but in my opinion, a lot of high end audio gear exists at the intersection of placebo and group think. Is that $1000 DAC really worth it? What is it doing that a $200 DAC isn't, and can your ears actually hear it? A lot of people don't stop to ask themselves those questions before making a purchase.
Simple answer: a decent soundcard will be as good as most $200-300 DACs. The simple reason is that you save on things like power supply housing and everything needed for quality inputs. Just a card with Decoder and output stage... plus if it's like an Asus, that pushes numbers ADCs can only dream about bringing the price down.LordCanti said:
Is a $1000DAC worth it? Only if you have a $500 headamp and something like Grado SR225i upwards. And trained ears. If you frshly get into this hobby, it would be a huge waste in most cases until you are a unplugged musician and therefore already have a well trained ear for sound.
Mind you, this comment comes from me just having listened to 100k Stereo setups
P.S.: Horns are the truth
LordCanti said:
Yeah, I'm not going to argue with you about the $250 DAC vs sound card. I was talking about onboard audio - on the motherboard. Try A/Bing between onboard and any other source. Onboard will sound like shit, even with cheap headphones. Guess that's the only point I was really making.
LordCanti said:
This is the scary part of the hobby, IMO. I have a Peachtree Nova (according to reviews, it's a really good DAC + headphone amp) and a Beyerdynamic T1. On the whole, it's pretty high end equipment. And I did a blind test recently with 256 kbps AAC and lossless WAV files. I couldn't really tell the difference. When listening to them knowing which files were which, I thought I could tell. But the differences are really subtle and the blind test was really difficult.
FloppyDelux
Member
So whats a good player portable player that can play .flac ?
Many people would suggest the Cowon J3, but it's a tad expensive.
I use a rockboxed Sansa Clip+ which gives great results with my BLOX M2C headbuds.
Currently waiting for the FiiO E17 and ICS for my phone so I can use something even better once I get my Grados though
I use a rockboxed Sansa Clip+ which gives great results with my BLOX M2C headbuds.
Currently waiting for the FiiO E17 and ICS for my phone so I can use something even better once I get my Grados though
charlequin
Banned
Hey kids.
I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I am a coder and I work in a quiet office. I spend probably about 6 hours a day, five days a week listening to music. At the moment I'm still using the $10 clip-on earpads I bought for a trip a few year ago and they're quite uncomfortable, not to mention crappy.
What I'm looking for is a relatively inexpensive pair of comfortable, yet decent headphones to replace these. Both because I'll be listening for long periods and because I'll be at work (and therefore need to be aware of sound around me) any kind of around-ear or giant cans are out. Like I said, I'm not an audiophile and I'm listening to streamed MP3s (Google Music/Pandora/etc.) piped out of the headphone jack on my work PC anyway, so spending extra for top-end quality seems sort of silly, but I figure I should get something that at least sounds decent.
Amazon has these Sennheisers (HD228) for $36, which seems like a good deal given the list price. Are these a good fit for my use case? Are any of those other low-end, open-ear Sennheisers a better fit? I'm ignorant here and can't really tell how I should judge them against, say, the PX 100-II.
Thanks in advance for any help, y'alls!
I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I am a coder and I work in a quiet office. I spend probably about 6 hours a day, five days a week listening to music. At the moment I'm still using the $10 clip-on earpads I bought for a trip a few year ago and they're quite uncomfortable, not to mention crappy.
What I'm looking for is a relatively inexpensive pair of comfortable, yet decent headphones to replace these. Both because I'll be listening for long periods and because I'll be at work (and therefore need to be aware of sound around me) any kind of around-ear or giant cans are out. Like I said, I'm not an audiophile and I'm listening to streamed MP3s (Google Music/Pandora/etc.) piped out of the headphone jack on my work PC anyway, so spending extra for top-end quality seems sort of silly, but I figure I should get something that at least sounds decent.
Amazon has these Sennheisers (HD228) for $36, which seems like a good deal given the list price. Are these a good fit for my use case? Are any of those other low-end, open-ear Sennheisers a better fit? I'm ignorant here and can't really tell how I should judge them against, say, the PX 100-II.
Thanks in advance for any help, y'alls!
The you wanna get open cans, not closed ones. Open headphones basically dampen down nothing and you can hear the surroundings nice and clear.
Prolly something like the AD700 (~$105 new) would be best, very easy to drive and the most comfortable headphones around. They are large and over ear but don't block sound at all and have the feeling of putting a soft and light pillow on your head. Comfortwise they are unbeatable. They do have that Audio Technica top end my ears don't like but lots of people just love them.
Alternatively, get the AKG K 240/242 (~$150 new). Semi open with very little isolation, a more relaxed sound and also extremely light and comfy.
And don't worry about streamed music, the quality is not that bad, you will get your money's worth out of those.
I think a small investment into a device you will be using for years to come 30 hours a week is a good choice. If you really wanna stay at $30-40 I can look around.
As for the output of your work PC, most of them are okay. Not good, but nothing offensive. You could always get a FiiO E10 Dac/Amp for just $80 and use that, unless you can't select the output device on your PC. Pick a place with a good return policy and see if it works in case you go for that.
Personally I'd go for the AKG&the Fiio because it will give a great clean and relaxed sound with excellent comfort for little over $200. And it will last for many, many, many years, my K240 Sextett are now 20 years old and still run really well.
Tell me what you think
Prolly something like the AD700 (~$105 new) would be best, very easy to drive and the most comfortable headphones around. They are large and over ear but don't block sound at all and have the feeling of putting a soft and light pillow on your head. Comfortwise they are unbeatable. They do have that Audio Technica top end my ears don't like but lots of people just love them.
Alternatively, get the AKG K 240/242 (~$150 new). Semi open with very little isolation, a more relaxed sound and also extremely light and comfy.
And don't worry about streamed music, the quality is not that bad, you will get your money's worth out of those.
I think a small investment into a device you will be using for years to come 30 hours a week is a good choice. If you really wanna stay at $30-40 I can look around.
As for the output of your work PC, most of them are okay. Not good, but nothing offensive. You could always get a FiiO E10 Dac/Amp for just $80 and use that, unless you can't select the output device on your PC. Pick a place with a good return policy and see if it works in case you go for that.
Personally I'd go for the AKG&the Fiio because it will give a great clean and relaxed sound with excellent comfort for little over $200. And it will last for many, many, many years, my K240 Sextett are now 20 years old and still run really well.
Tell me what you think
charlequin
Banned
FoxSpirit said:
It's not an absolute hard limit but ultimately comfort is a lot more important to me than sound quality in this particular instance. I figure if I buy low-end headphones now I won't regret the expenditure if I decide to invest in higher-end ones for home music/gaming use a little down the road. I was originally figuring to spend like $50, the markdown on that particular set just stood out to me as I was poking around on Amazon.
I can see where you are coming from.
But since comfort is such a primary issue, I can hardly recommend something else. You could take Audio Technica AD500 which is currently $80 on amazon.
And found this offer on amazon:
AKG K-240 (not MKII) for just $98
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001ARCFA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Oh yeah, the AT have slightly more shallow bowls, some people are sensitive to that, not me though. In return, it can get slightly warm under the K240 after a few hours , but nothing bad.
Also completely forgot that you'd maybe want a $30 FiiO E6 micro amp (it's really tiny) with the AKH since most soundcards don't put out enough volume for them. Then again, since you are using them at work the output may suffice for your needs.
Besides the AKG and the Audio Technica AD series, nothing comes close in comfort. Some people might recommend Beyer but at the hours you will have them on, it won't be even close.
Worn and heard all of them, this is my personal experience.
Phew, that took a long time to compile but I hope this helps
But since comfort is such a primary issue, I can hardly recommend something else. You could take Audio Technica AD500 which is currently $80 on amazon.
And found this offer on amazon:
AKG K-240 (not MKII) for just $98
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001ARCFA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Oh yeah, the AT have slightly more shallow bowls, some people are sensitive to that, not me though. In return, it can get slightly warm under the K240 after a few hours , but nothing bad.
Also completely forgot that you'd maybe want a $30 FiiO E6 micro amp (it's really tiny) with the AKH since most soundcards don't put out enough volume for them. Then again, since you are using them at work the output may suffice for your needs.
Besides the AKG and the Audio Technica AD series, nothing comes close in comfort. Some people might recommend Beyer but at the hours you will have them on, it won't be even close.
Worn and heard all of them, this is my personal experience.
Phew, that took a long time to compile but I hope this helps
ElyrionX said:
I go with FLAC only as a placebo. I know that I'm very unlikely to notice the difference between it and 320kbps, but something in my brain tells me that I need that extra quality.
Right now I'm down to two pairs of headphones (HD555 and AKG K701). I tried to sell the K701's a while ago, but Canada Post screwed me over (tried to deliver once while buyer wasn't home, then returned to sender -_-), so here they sit (I do love them, but I wanted to pare down).
I may pick up a pair of custom IEM's after Christmas (hoping for a TF3 sale, and then to get them reshelled into a custom pair) but for now, I'm pretty content.
sixteen-bit
Member
Nice pickup!ErnieMcCracken said:My ears are ready...
The Samson SR850 can be bought from Amazon.com and it's within your budget.charlequin said:
Edit: Semi-open design, as comfortable as the AKG K271 MKII, easy to drive (32 ohms) than the AKG K240 or K271 from a portable source and computer, and one of the better budget phones you can get for both gaming and music. Try matching the Samson SR850 with a software like Dolby Headphones i.e. ASUS soundcard or a mixamp for gaming. I think you'd be surprised how well it does compared to other cheap gaming headsets around the same range.
charlequin said:
You could pick up a pair of Koss PortaPro's for $36. I don't own them but it's easy to find lots of reviews that praise their sound quality/price. They're open so you will be able to hear what is happening around you.
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