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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
That's what I did. The biflanges come apart?! (edit: just checked and no)
I started by putting the edge in first then turned it into the tube and repeatedly pressed down on all sides at once until it was evenly around. It does take quote a lot of pressure and if you don't properly do the last part, one side might be folded in and pop it back off.
Edit: Holy shit, I just realized they can get way deeper in my ear than I thought. The biflanges are the only ones really able to do this properly, and they sound amazing when I do this, it's just the pressure is pretty tight. Hopefully the foam ones can get this deep without the pressure.
Especially because they pulled right off the tips and I had to use tweezers to get them out, lol!
Edit 2: Despite the outstanding soundstage, they still don't come close to the beauty of my Grados. Though, I'd be pissed if they did because my Grados cost me $300.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Seems like my post didn't get any replies. I wonder whether that means that it's actually something that is a bit difficult to think about it?
I think I'll ask something a bit simpler: What's a good starter headphones that are around $100 at maximum?
I think I'll ask something a bit simpler: What's a good starter headphones that are around $100 at maximum?
Do you still want me to answer this?
Not a huge fan of those, but the 449 is the slightly newer and more improved model.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
(Feel free to throw in your own recommendations, but I'd prefer it to be at most the price range of the above headphones.)
The phones that came with the 900 are just... good enough. Better than whatever that came with the iPod, but... it's just adequate. Not bad, but not good, either. At least it works with everything.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
*opens iTunes*
Lots of Taiwanese pop that leans on the slower, more acoustic side
Carly Rae Jepsen, Owl City, Kelly Clarkson, One Direction, Taylor Swift
A bunch of chiptune albums
Playing video games on a Nintendo DS and the laptop (Pokemon Black/White, Pokemon Black 2/White 2, Skyrim, BIT.TRIP series)
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Do you have experience with any of them?
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Hmm...
Are any of these phones comfortable to use for long periods? Keep in mind that I'll be listening to music on bed, too. Any reviews for these phones? (Aside from these on eBay and Amazon, that is)
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Hmm, but I have a pretty big head. It looked like the DT235 might not fit well...
If you were to speak your own opinion, what you'd rather have me get?
Choices, choices. Which one out of them block sound really well? Public transport here is super-noisy.
EDIT: I bought the DT235. Might as well go on in seeing the amount of positive reviews.
The CADS block noise better as they are circumaural (they cover the entire ear rather than just rest on the ear). Sorry it was five in the morning I had to go to bed.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
I'd gladly trade off some noise-blocking if it does mean some more comfort. Besides, the CADS can't ship to my address, while the DT235 can be shipped to my address, so CADS is not an option, I'm afraid.
RoninChaos
Member
anybody?
Cute Dragon Here
Member
It's going to be several weeks before they arrive. International shipping is a bit expensive. I suppose the average portable device can drive it as it's iDevice-friendly, huh?
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Heh. This is actually my first time bothering with headphones that are more than the run-of-the-mill throwaway stuff, so anything's probably better than what I'm using right now. It might also be the first time I'm able to ascertain audio quality differences between different hardware and audio bit rates above 192 kbps.
The Big Rig
Member
It's more than that. Good cans bring out different parts of the music, giving an old song new life. I'm so confused at how many people walk around my campus with the iBuds. Now they're probably listening to shitty music anyway, but it just seems like a waste to listen on incompetent hardware.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
Different people have different tastes on music. That, I've noticed. What someone loves, might be something that the other utterly despises.
Now, I'm beginning to imagine what I might be missing all around.
A few days ago, I went out and tried out some headphones. One pair of headphones that I've tried was a Monster headphone - not exactly what you'd call "reasonably" priced. Suffice to say, loading it up with acoustic music was its undoing.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
At least the new earpods are legitimately good sounding phones. I'm honestly pretty shocked by how good they sound, even compared to two pairs of $150 phones I've got (FX500 and Radius DDM).
The Big Rig
Member
Good, hopefully the Beats revolution gave people a more discriminating ear for quality sound.
Cute Dragon Here
Member
I've noticed that these days it seems like Beats and Monster are everywhere.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
I thought I was possbily nuts for preferring them to the FX500, but I hopped on head fi and there was one guy who said he preferred them to a silver cabled pair of TF10s he had, so I felt better with my assessment lol. I don't think the earpods have the resolution and speed of BA based phones, but the tone and balance are very nice, and the soundstage width is more than decent. It's the average imaging that holds them back from being really immersing; you don't get the most convincing sense of 3D space, but it's still better than some sub $100 phones I've heard that sound very flat with little depth. Bass response is tastefully done, good midbass that isn't overwhelming, and sub bass is actually damn good if you push them up against your ear (which really surprised me), you can get more bass response out of them if you slap some foamies on them. So they do get a lot right for the money. I'd have zero qualms with recommending them to anyone looking for a good pair of phones in the sub $100 bracket. They're practically beastly at $30
Oh and Monster makes good phones. They're just overpriced, buy em second hand and they're a good value. It's the Beats line you want to avoid
Oh and Monster makes good phones. They're just overpriced, buy em second hand and they're a good value. It's the Beats line you want to avoid
Cute Dragon Here
Member
I guess sometimes personal experience determines a lot. Not with my kind of music it seems.
I just hope that the new phones don't also make me feel nauseous.
I have the Sennheiser HD555s (the older model) for gaming. They are pretty much perfect. You can wear a pair all day and not have sore ears. People often criticize Sennheiser for being too exact and cold, but that's just what I want from a pair. I can hear footsteps in CSS nice and crisp.
The only criticism is that, being open, they sound like you have the volume cranked to 100 until you put them on your ear. People in the same room trying to read might get annoyed.
[Edit: also the things are built like tanks. They constantly fall off my table onto the ground and nothing is wrong. It also doesn't look like the plastic will ever split on the arch.]
Anybody have any recommendations? This will be my first pair of headphones. I'm looking for closed headphones probably and something at $120 at the maximum. I listen to a lot of different genres (rock, jazz, jazz-hop, classical kinds of stuff, and lots more) so I'm not sure if naming genres will be of much help but I provided some just in case. Thanks in advance.
Koss Pro DJ100
Are they comfortable? I would be using them often for long periods of time so I'd rather not have any ear pain.
Also, I completely forgot to mention I'd be using them for handhelds and PC games too. Would you still recommend the same pair?
Well the Creative Aurvana Live definitely sound better unamped, but their build quality isn't as good. Both are quite comfortable though. I think those are your best choices though. Oh yeah and Beyerdynamic Dt 235s might also do the trick if you don't need a lot of bass.
Hmm... that's a tough choice. I think I am leaning toward the Koss Pro DJ100s though. Again, this is my first pair of headphones so I think I'll be pretty pleased.
Thanks for the recommendations!
polyh3dron
Banned
So I've had my Ultrasone Pro 900 cans for a couple days now.. Still waiting on my Fiio E17 amp to get in next week, but initial unamped impressions of this pair of cans plugged straight into my MacBook Pro are:
-where the fuck is the midrange
-they don't fit over my entire ear like my Sony MDR-7509 phones do, is this bad?
-comfort wise, the velvet pads get a bit itchy after a while
But yeah the bass response is great, I'll give you that. And they sound amazing even unamped when I play some good electronic shit like this.
-where the fuck is the midrange
-they don't fit over my entire ear like my Sony MDR-7509 phones do, is this bad?
-comfort wise, the velvet pads get a bit itchy after a while
But yeah the bass response is great, I'll give you that. And they sound amazing even unamped when I play some good electronic shit like this.
Canis lupus
Member
Ain't nothing like the good old reference Trio headphones.
They're supposed to be circumaural, as in they're supposed to cover the entire ear. The midrange will be improved when amped.
The only other comparable headphone in their price range, which is now about $350 street are the Denon 2000, but their durability kept me from recommending them and the fact that they don't isolate quite as well.
joeygreco1985
Member
I posted this in the PC thread to no avail... hopefully someone here can assist.
I've been using the Corsair Vengeance 2000 headphones for a few months now and they've been incredible. Great sound, great bass, super comfortable, no hissing or disconnections, great battery life. They're my main for music and gaming on my PC.
If you get them just make sure you don't install the Corsair software, just use the default Windows sound drivers. Just plug the USB dongle in and you're ready to go.
Psychotext
Member
Thanks. They look pretty big, are they heavy?
yeah they're heavy, but they don't slip down...at least not yet. I've had them for about a year. Bought em for $40 or $50 during a sale at frys.
joeygreco1985
Member
They legitimately sound better without the Corsair drivers. Give it a try and you'll see
joeygreco1985
Member
Heavy compared to regular sized headphones yes, but they're lighter than other wireless sets I've tried
RoninChaos
Member
Thanks, man.
mhayze
Member
Shit! I think my AKG 242HD's are about to break. They're $260 too.
It's possible. I would recommend checking the DIY sub-forums on Head-fi or Headwise. You would need to be handy with a soldering iron, and you may need to replace the cable. A common DIY replacement cable is Mogami star quad, as is Cardas (more expensive). If you have a multimeter, you can test point to point for breaks in the cable.
I needed some new closed headphones for work so I picked up some AKG K550s and I'm really enjoying them.
Does anyone know of some kind of case for them? They're pretty massive.
Glad you're enjoying your K550s, I've heard good things (for a closed pair of 'phones). I have an extensive collection of open and semi-open 'phones myself, but only a couple of closed headphones. The best ones I've heard are Audio Technica woodies (W1000x, L3000, W5000) and Denon D7000, but both are quite expensive. In a smaller size, I've looked into the smaller Beyers (DT1350 etc), the Sennheiser HD25-II and some V-Modas, all of which are quite highly regarded (especially the HD25-II, for value / flexibility / portability).
Regarding a case: http://www.head-fi.org/t/613364/travel-case-for-akg-k550-and-high-quality-cable-turtle
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Ehhh... Well it's not as good as when I had the biflanges way the fuck in my ear. If I set these to go way the fuck in my ear, they need some EQ but then they are golden. Problem is, even these are too big for being that deep and it starts to hurt. So, I put them in normally (not around the back/upside down) and they go normal depth SUPER comfy, and the sound needs some EQ to calm the mids and bring out the treble. Once I do that, though, it sounds really good.
The foam got rid of the liquid tone, so it's back to the airy tone I like, which is better even without EQ. The highs are also lacking some sibilance I was getting (yeah, coming from a 325is owner, I know, but the quarter cut softies fixed that) with the silicone tips. Obviously with IEMs the soundstage is going to be better, but the overall sound quality on a $30 pair of IEMs just isn't going to match a $300 pair of traditional headphones.
The important stuff is there:
-No suction effect
-Comfy amount of pressure on walls of ear canal
-Great isolation
-Clear, airy tones
-Solid bass
-Lively and engaging soundstage
That's enough to melt away in my music on the bus, so it's all good.
The foam got rid of the liquid tone, so it's back to the airy tone I like, which is better even without EQ. The highs are also lacking some sibilance I was getting (yeah, coming from a 325is owner, I know, but the quarter cut softies fixed that) with the silicone tips. Obviously with IEMs the soundstage is going to be better, but the overall sound quality on a $30 pair of IEMs just isn't going to match a $300 pair of traditional headphones.
The important stuff is there:
-No suction effect
-Comfy amount of pressure on walls of ear canal
-Great isolation
-Clear, airy tones
-Solid bass
-Lively and engaging soundstage
That's enough to melt away in my music on the bus, so it's all good.
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