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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread

T1 + WA2 is universally praised and one of the most popular high end combos on Headfi for the T1s. You seriously can't go wrong.

As for the D7000s, the WA2s are an OTL amp and theoretically don't drive low impedance cans that well.

The A1s is a strange product - for some reason barely anyone uses it on Headfi even though its designed by Beyer especially for their cans. I can only assume they are not that great.

Understood. T1 + WA2 or WA6-SE it is.

I'll probably make those purchases this weekend when I can focus on getting a good deal on the T1's. I'll probably haggle with JR.com as usual.
 
Has anybody heard both the ES7s the M50s? If so, how would you compare their sound?

I own both but haven't really spent an extensive time with either - since i mostly use them for when I commute - but I can say that I feel that the M50s seem to have more bass than the ES7s do.
 

Gila

Member
Are we allowed to post in here saying that wee have a pair of headphones for sale? I think I've seen a couple people sell things to other gaf members

If not, let me know and I'll quickly edit
 

Ashhong

Member
Are we allowed to post in here saying that wee have a pair of headphones for sale? I think I've seen a couple people sell things to other gaf members

If not, let me know and I'll quickly edit

I have seen plenty of people post and they didn't get in any kind of trouble. Though we've never had a mod come and outright say that its ok or anything.
 
I'm looking to get new earbuds (I bought a pair of Shure in ear headphones a couple years ago and had to return them because I couldn't get them to fit right in my ears [using all different adapters]. either i'm stupid or I have a lot of ear wax) and was looking at the OP. OP suggests to get the PK3 earbuds, and looking at the price and comments, it seems like a good purchase.

Does anyone have experience with these? Are these pretty good? Currently I'm using old ass iPod headphones that literally sound like a tin can (barely have bass when the iPod is full volume) so the only place I can go is up from there.

Or are there any other earbuds that anyone else suggests? I listen to a ton of music so I can justify spending ~$130 on a pair, need be
 
I'm looking to get new earbuds (I bought a pair of Shure in ear headphones a couple years ago and had to return them because I couldn't get them to fit right in my ears [using all different adapters]. either i'm stupid or I have a lot of ear wax) and was looking at the OP. OP suggests to get the PK3 earbuds, and looking at the price and comments, it seems like a good purchase.

Does anyone have experience with these? Are these pretty good? Currently I'm using old ass iPod headphones that literally sound like a tin can (barely have bass when the iPod is full volume) so the only place I can go is up from there.

Or are there any other earbuds that anyone else suggests? I listen to a ton of music so I can justify spending ~$130 on a pair, need be

Are you looking at in ear phones/canalphones or earphones? Outside of the Yuin's and some phones from Blox, the earphone market isn't very expansive at all.
 
Are you looking at in ear phones/canalphones or earphones? Outside of the Yuin's and some phones from Blox, the earphone market isn't very expansive at all.

Earphones/buds (like the iPod ones). I would get in ear phones but I've had bad experiences with them (Also bought Sony ones after the Shure ones and they wouldn't fit right either) and I don't feel like fucking around with them in terms of returning and having to ship them back, etc.

I guess I'ma go with the Yuin PK3 if there aren't many other options... the reviews seem pretty positive and I'm not looking for anything mind blowing here
 

Setre

Member
Hey everyone, I recently bought a pair of Crossfade LP2 and really enjoy them. Before that I was using, and loving, the Denon AH-D7000 but after the LP2s I can’t go back to them. They don’t have enough bass, does that makes me a basshead? I feel kind of bad for liking the LP2 more than the D7000, I feel like I should enjoy the D7000 more because it’s a more premium product.

Anyone else had a similar experience or am I stupid and should go back to the D7000?
 

LCfiner

Member
Hey everyone, I recently bought a pair of Crossfade LP2 and really enjoy them. Before that I was using, and loving, the Denon AH-D7000 but after the LP2s I can’t go back to them. They don’t have enough bass, does that makes me a basshead? I feel kind of bad for liking the LP2 more than the D7000, I feel like I should enjoy the D7000 more because it’s a more premium product.

Anyone else had a similar experience or am I stupid and should go back to the D7000?

It probably does make you a bass head but there’s no reason to feel “bad” about it. If you really prefer the LP2 for all or most of the music you listen to, there’s no reason to hold onto the very expensive D7000. You can sell them and get back a big chunk of your money (assuming they’re beyond the store return timeframe) and there will be someone else who will get them and might love them.

I had a thousand dollar LCD2 that I enjoyed less than other headphones costing less than half that price. I sold them. I really believe you should never get caught up in how much stuff costs and trying to convince your brain you like something more than you really do because something has more prestige. That leads to a lot of muddled thoughts, cognitive dissonance and lightened wallets.
 
Earphones/buds (like the iPod ones). I would get in ear phones but I've had bad experiences with them (Also bought Sony ones after the Shure ones and they wouldn't fit right either) and I don't feel like fucking around with them in terms of returning and having to ship them back, etc.

I guess I'ma go with the Yuin PK3 if there aren't many other options... the reviews seem pretty positive and I'm not looking for anything mind blowing here

Ah, that's too bad. If you played around with the different tips I'm sure you'd find a fit that worked for you as you really cut out a gigantic portion of the market when you decide to ignore iems. I could recommend a REALLY good pair of phones at the $110 mark if you changed your mind. Anyway, I'd recommend the Blox M2C over the PK3, they are about $30-$40, and are widely regarded as the best earphones at the $50 and under price bracket.
 
Ah, that's too bad. If you played around with the different tips I'm sure you'd find a fit that worked for you as you really cut out a gigantic portion of the market when you decide to ignore iems. I could recommend a REALLY good pair of phones at the $110 mark if you changed your mind. Anyway, I'd recommend the Blox M2C over the PK3, they are about $30-$40, and are widely regarded as the best earphones at the $50 and under price bracket.

I'll look at those. Thanks!

And I really don't understand what the problem is... I bought the Shure in-ear headphones, which had 3 different rubber tips, and 3 different foam tips. I honestly spend like 2 hours fitting them in my ears trying to get it to work/sound right. After I looked at the clock and felt like a dumbass, I returned them and got Sony in-ear ones. Those didn't fit either (three different rubber tips).

I honestly don't know what I could be doing wrong... The only possible explanation I have is that I get a crazy build up of ear wax constantly (I went to an ENT for a different reason and he's like "whoah.. let's clean out those ears". Came back a month later and he said the same exact thing) so that could be fucking with it. I would love to have amazing headphones but I don't wanna order something that might not work.

Maybe if there's someone I know with in-ear I can give those a whirl, since that was a couple years ago
 
Ah, yeah, wax buildup might have something to do with it. Perhaps you just have strangely snapped ear canals? I mention that cause my left and right ears are not the same shape, and makes fitting awkward for a few pairs of phones. Like my SM3s fit flush to my right ear so I could lie down with them on, but they stick out of my left. And yeah, if you could give IEMs a whirl again that'd lay the matter to rest.
 
With it not fitting 100% all the time (like your left ear laying down), are you still happy with IEM's in general?

And thanks for the heads up! I'm going to try and get my hands on a pair of IEMs and see if it's gotten any better. If they fit, I'm sure I'll be bugging you for IEM recommendations, haha
 

AZ Greg

Member
I was in your exact shoes a couple years ago, apocalidiot. I was looking for portable 'phones and tried a bunch of IEMs with a bunch of different tips and was always able to get a good seal with my right ear but not my left. Shame too because I really liked the NE-7Ms. :(

Ended up going with the PK3s and they're awesome.
 
D

Deleted member 1235

Unconfirmed Member
I'm pretty much really happy with all my senheiser stuff I've ever purchased/used

however most of it's lower end stuff, I have some px 200 i

21V63a45tsL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


that I use for my ipod and a headset at work for talking on the phone which is AMAZING. I also use a headset for the PC which I'm not sure of make model.

anyway all this makes me wonder, what's the really fancy headphones in the senheiser range? Are they 'up there' in the audiophile world? what's the best they have to offer? Is it the 598?

also could someone laymans terms the amps for me?

exactly when/why would you use this thing?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E6K1VK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

also, 'open headphones' as opposed to closed. It's in the OP but I don't get it. is there a standard? the senheisers I mentioned are open apparently, which means they leak sound which sounds like it sucks for walking around with.
 
With it not fitting 100% all the time (like your left ear laying down), are you still happy with IEM's in general?

And thanks for the heads up! I'm going to try and get my hands on a pair of IEMs and see if it's gotten any better. If they fit, I'm sure I'll be bugging you for IEM recommendations, haha

I'm one hundred percent happy yes. I've done the full size can/DAC/amp route, and spent the last 5 years or so going through various IEMs. I currently own the Radius DDM, Sony Ex600, JVC HP-FX500, and the Earsonic SM3 but have heard a pretty fair amount of them. I actually enjoy the SM3's as much or more than my amped Sony SA5000. I spend so much time away from home that a portable set up suited me more than a full sized one anyway.

And yeah, just get a really cheap $10 pair to experiment with, if the results are good, you'll have a wealth of options at your disposal moving forward. Actually, a couple of You guys having fit issues might want to try Comply's or Shure Olives. They are foam pieces that expand to fill the contours of your ear canal. Honestly, messing with tips will yield results, but you do have to go through the trouble of acquiring them
 
I'm one hundred percent happy yes. I've done the full size can/DAC/amp route, and spent the last 5 years or so going through various IEMs. I currently own the Radius DDM, Sony Ex600, JVC HP-FX500, and the Earsonic SM3 but have heard a pretty fair amount of them. I actually enjoy the SM3's as much or more than my amped Sony SA5000. I spend so much time away from home that a portable set up suited me more than a full sized one anyway.

And yeah, just get a really cheap $10 pair to experiment with, if the results are good, you'll have a wealth of options at your disposal moving forward. Actually, a couple of You guys having fit issues might want to try Comply's or Shure Olives. They are foam pieces that expand to fill the contours of your ear canal. Honestly, messing with tips will yield results, but you do have to go through the trouble of acquiring them

Good to know, thank you!
 
I'm pretty much really happy with all my senheiser stuff I've ever purchased/used

however most of it's lower end stuff, I have some px 200 i

21V63a45tsL._SL500_AA300_.jpg


that I use for my ipod and a headset at work for talking on the phone which is AMAZING. I also use a headset for the PC which I'm not sure of make model.

anyway all this makes me wonder, what's the really fancy headphones in the senheiser range? Are they 'up there' in the audiophile world? what's the best they have to offer? Is it the 598?


also could someone laymans terms the amps for me?

exactly when/why would you use this thing?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003E6K1VK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

The high end for Sennheiser, I would say starts at the HD650 ($300), and goes on to include the HD800 ($1000), and the newly announced HD700($1000). You need high end components in your chain to get the best out of the resolution and detail retrieval out of phones like these though, so an investment in a quality DAC and amp are a given. Sennheiser also manufacures a high end line of earbuds and iems of which include the IE7, IE8, and the MX 980. And yes, these phones are "up there in the audio world".

In regards to amps, some phones need more current and can not be properly driven by say... a portable device. You will get volume out of your phones if you crank the volume on on your source, but likely elements such as the mids, bass and soundstage are not being filled out or extended. That's where an amp comes into play. An amp should ideally be "transparent", that is, not impart any sort of sound signature or "coloration" to your source of music. There are people who enjoy the euphonic sort of warmth that say, a tube/valve driven amp can bring to the audio signal though, audio as a hobby is honestly a journey filled with experimentation to find out what works for you, and what doesn't. No one can really dictate what sounds good to you, but people can share experiences to help guide you.

catfish said:

also, 'open headphones' as opposed to closed. It's in the OP but I don't get it. is there a standard? the senheisers I mentioned are open apparently, which means they leak sound which sounds like it sucks for walking around with
.
There isn't really a standard, no. Different phones are engineered differently to achieve different things. Open cans can have a wider soundstage than closed and may excel at imaging (allowing you to pinpoint the location of sounds in a virtual space), but closed cans afford you isolation, and can have a punchier bass. Of course there are exceptions to these rules, but the constant is that open cans do not isolate as well as closed and will tend to leak more sound.
 

mr stroke

Member
What would give me better results for PC audio(no music/movies, gaming only)


Headphone amp-

3SZorl.jpg



ASUS soundcard-


vzIaq.jpg



They both cost the same at $160
 

kevm3

Member
It probably does make you a bass head but there’s no reason to feel “bad” about it. If you really prefer the LP2 for all or most of the music you listen to, there’s no reason to hold onto the very expensive D7000. You can sell them and get back a big chunk of your money (assuming they’re beyond the store return timeframe) and there will be someone else who will get them and might love them.

I had a thousand dollar LCD2 that I enjoyed less than other headphones costing less than half that price. I sold them. I really believe you should never get caught up in how much stuff costs and trying to convince your brain you like something more than you really do because something has more prestige. That leads to a lot of muddled thoughts, cognitive dissonance and lightened wallets.


When it comes down to it in audio, it's all about finding the sound signature one enjoys. It can make a $80 headphone sound better than an $500 to one's ears.
 

Setre

Member
Thanks LCfiner, you made me feel better about my decision to stick with the LP2.

I’ve been looking at other basshead cans and was wondering if anyone’s had any experience with the M-Audio Q40? I’ve been told they don’t have as much “punch” as the LP2, more than the D7000 though, but their overall sound is better.
 

Yaska

Member
So got my TMA-1s few days back. I'd like to thank headphone GAF for recommending me these awesome headphones. While I lack AMP, these are still the best headphones I've ever had.
 

MrBig

Member
I got my M50s back from Audio Technica today. They ended up completely replacing it instead of repairing whatever caused the right driver to malfunction.

Pretty sweet deal, seeing as I'm getting brand new headphones for free, after sending them in for repair 8 days after the warranty expired. I was a little worried since they didn't communicate with me at all after they received them, but it turned out better than expected.

Now another year and all the padding will be just as bad as the last pair :lol (not that it actually got bad, just some visible cracking and my terrible ear stench being engrained in it)
 
So I'm caving and decided to go with the Blox M2C earbuds simply because I need new headphones sooner than later (mine are just shit) and from what I've been reading, they're pretty damn good for not being in ear.

Is this the legit website for them? http://bloxearphone.com/

I just wanted to make sure before I sent them an email saying I wanted a pair (it says they're out of stock)... since it's not on Amazon or other retailers, etc and there's a good amount of typos which makes me a little weary I guess
 
Yeah, that's their site. They're Chinese so that could explain the less than perfect English. I can't wait til their BX III phones come out, those are supposed to be something else, and way up there in SQ
 
Anyone eyeing the FiiO E17? I'm really interested after that review but $140 CAD, I don't know...
Hadn't heard about it until now, but damn, do want. I'd have to unload my E7 to really feel like pulling the trigger, but I bet I could find a taker.

Also, I hadn't posted anything since picking up the TMA-1's, but holy shit, they're great. I already have HD595's, but I always felt like they were amazing for the more traditional stuff (folk, jazz, rock), but that they weren't ideal for the copious amounts of electronic dance music in my library. They just feel like they lack low-end power, except when I really crank up the bass on my E7. The TMA-1's? They positively thump, even when I'm on the go and can't be bothered to amp them. Great recommendation, Headphone-GAF. Between the two pairs, I have a headphone that I'm happy to listen to anything in my library with now.
 
I got my M50s back from Audio Technica today. They ended up completely replacing it instead of repairing whatever caused the right driver to malfunction.

Pretty sweet deal, seeing as I'm getting brand new headphones for free, after sending them in for repair 8 days after the warranty expired. I was a little worried since they didn't communicate with me at all after they received them, but it turned out better than expected.

Now another year and all the padding will be just as bad as the last pair :lol (not that it actually got bad, just some visible cracking and my terrible ear stench being engrained in it)
How was your experience getting your headphones replaced via Audio-Technica? And how did you contact them? The right driver on my M50s died on me (it melted/burned out while connecting it to the headphone jack on a plane =P)
 

MrBig

Member
How was your experience getting your headphones replaced via Audio-Technica? And how did you contact them? The right driver on my M50s died on me (it melted/burned out while connecting it to the headphone jack on a plane =P)

I called them up to be sure that it was as simple as it seemed, but all I had to do was fill out this form from the support page, package it in with the headphones (headphones only, no 3.5mm adapter, case or anything) along with a print out of the amazon order invoice. That's it. No need to start up a repair process with them beforehand. They sent it back without saying a word to me a day after they received it and shipped it back under standard UPS shipping.

But they weren't actually new headphones. They just replaced the the earpads and the cable (which was the part that broke). What made me think it was a new pair is that it came back quite a bit looser fitting (not really loose, but it no longer clamps my ears as tight as it used to, which I like better).
 
I called them up to be sure that it was as simple as it seemed, but all I had to do was fill out this form from the support page, package it in with the headphones (headphones only, no 3.5mm adapter, case or anything) along with a print out of the amazon order invoice. That's it. No need to start up a repair process with them beforehand. They sent it back without saying a word to me a day after they received it and shipped it back under standard UPS shipping.

But they weren't actually new headphones. They just replaced the the earpads and the cable (which was the part that broke). What made me think it was a new pair is that it came back quite a bit looser fitting (not really loose, but it no longer clamps my ears as tight as it used to, which I like better).
Sounds like a fairly painless process under warranty...did you have to pay for shipping either way?

Thank you for the info! =)
 

MrBig

Member
Sounds like a fairly painless process under warranty...did you have to pay for shipping either way?

Thank you for the info! =)

Since you don't start the repair process with them before sending them the headphones, you pay for the outgoing package. They boxed and shipped it back.
 

Echoes

Member
I need some guidance.

My parents will buy me an Audeze LCD-2 for my birthday (4/Mar). I currently have Denon 2000 & NuForce Icon HDP. How does the LCD-2 fair with this combination, and does the HDP drive it better?

I'm not an audiophile but I've been eyeing it for a year or so and they decided to get it for me, so any info would be highly appreciated. I know you may wanna recommend one other forum to look at, but I really trust this thread because I have yet to be let down (2 cans, 4 IEMs).
 
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