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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
You have any experience with that? I was looking at the JDS C421... wondering if its worth springing an extra $130 or so for. I haven't heard anything by FiiO in person.
Well if you're going to spend that much you should get a Headphone amp with a built-in DAC, whereas that c421 just is an amp. If you're willing to spend that much consider the Sparrow.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Ideally, amps and DACs are supposed to be as transparent as possible, so in your case, I'd just EQ to taste.
Edit: The C421 is supposed to be a pretty transparent amp as well, so I don't think you'd notice any difference beyond your phones being driven better
Anyone?
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
http://www.head-fi.org/t/540472/any-sennheiser-cx870-or-cx880-impressions
$179? Sennheiser iems seem to have terrible valuations relative to everything else performance wise
Well I would never pay $179 for them. But I got 'em for $69 and hoping I'm getting a good deal.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
I'd read that impressions thread. The sibilance out of the box is concerning. Depending on how sensitive you are to that, it might be worth thinking over before opening.
if the QC15 are the best thing ever as your first major headphone, wait till you see what else is in store.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
... I'd say that if the QC15 is the best thing you've ever heard, be content in that and run away and never look back while you've still got your money and sense :l
QualityPixel
Banned
I had the Beyerdynamic COP's over last weekend, and I don't have a lot of good to say about them. Even after as much time for break in as I gave them I found them to sound muddy across the whole range no matter what "bass setting" I used. I think this is when I learned I didn't like close back headphones, but everybody has their preference. I did have a chance to listen to the Beyerdynamic DT770's for a few minutes and I found them to sound more awake and the "velour" pads relieved the pressure a bit.
On another note, I got my Sennheiser HD598's today and I absolutely love them! They sound alive with awesome range from lows to highs. I loved my HD555's so much I have no idea why I thought I could live with something else.
Got some Philips CitiScape Uptown headphones for Christmas. Not sure how good they are in the pantheon of headphone quality but they're certainly a big upgrade from the $5 buds I got at Grocery Outlet.
Klipsch X10s on sale @ amazon....85 bucks!!!!!.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WAHFBK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WAHFBK/?tag=neogaf0e-20
RukusProvider
Banned
My HD280's have gone to shit for the PC.
Looking for a replacement. Anything good on sale?
Mainly for gaming/youtube.
Looking for a replacement. Anything good on sale?
Mainly for gaming/youtube.
Same price range?
Azzurri
Member
How good are these?
Does anyone have any good guides for computer audio setups? I've been wanting to upgrade but I don't really know where to start.
Right now I have Sennheiser HD555 headphones (with the 595 mod) and I'm listening via integrated sound on my PC. I'm mostly curious about soundcards, DACs, and amps. What difference will these make? Is there any benefit to having the DAC and amp separate rather than combined? Is any of this even worth bothering with with the headphones I have right now?
Right now I have Sennheiser HD555 headphones (with the 595 mod) and I'm listening via integrated sound on my PC. I'm mostly curious about soundcards, DACs, and amps. What difference will these make? Is there any benefit to having the DAC and amp separate rather than combined? Is any of this even worth bothering with with the headphones I have right now?
I've never noticed any. Sounds silent when I'm not playing anything.
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
They're good phones, definitely tilted towards mids/bass, not much treble to speak of, and kinda muddy, but super comfy for sure. You could probably do better these days for the money though. The build quality of the X10 doesn't really inspire confidence either
You probably have a decent onboard soundcard so I'd say no it's not necessary with those phones...And the whole separate DAC versus integrated DAC is kind of a complicated one, it depends. You'll never really need anything better than say an O2 DAC, while amps are a different story depending upon which phones you have. I like the way my Fischer FA-011's sound with my two hundred dollar EF2A, but they're really power hungry phones that have me considering selling things to upgrade to something more powerful.
My motherboard was pretty good when I bought it but I have no idea how to compare the quality of onboard soundcards. It's an ASUS P8P67 Deluxe if that makes any difference.
So does it make the most sense to first buy the higher end headphones before any other components then? I have a $100 Amazon giftcard that I was thinking of spending on audio gear but if it won't make any difference to me I suppose I could hold off or do something else with it.
Well I mean there's no right or wrong. It depends on the phones you want. Not all higher-end phones are going to be super power-hungry but you'll still probably want to get a budget DAC/Amp combo sooner or later.
You could however get an E10 or Total Bithead in preparation with that money right now.
You could however get an E10 or Total Bithead in preparation with that money right now.
All style, very little substance, I'm afraid. My wife bought a pair and trying them on revealed a surprisingly flabby sound. You'd assume a Marshall-branded headphone to be tuned for rock music, but the bass in the Majors is terribly muddy and smears itself across its sound signature. The treble is also weak, if you're looking for a pair of cans for rock music you'll be horribly dissapointed. I actually find these a better fit for dance music, which is rather pathetic, considering the branding.Bömb;45888629 said:
My AKG 480 NC broke recently and I've been looking around for something new. What's the general consensus on the Marshal Majors? They look beautiful enough..
For the Majors' pricerange try the V-Moda M-80, much better build quality, more balanced sound. Also quite stylish!
Hmm, of those two only the E10 appears to be available in Canada (and it costs almost twice as much). I think I'll look into the E10 a bit more.
Thanks for the advice.
Good enough for 85 bucks, though.
Adorama has it for $52.99. Not sure how much shipping would be to Canada however.
forknknife
Banned
Hey guys, I found a very cheap set of sennheiser ocx 880 Earphones with ear hooks and I am super happy with the way they sound but not to sure about the hooks... do you guys know if it is possible to modify them and remove the ear hooks? it seems like the cable just runs inside the ear hooks but is not attached to it so think it might be possible. has anybody done that before?
RukusProvider
Banned
No. I don't mind if they're more or less. Just something good and conformable. A step or 2 up from the 280pro's would be fine. Again, gaming and youtube use only.
I'll be using onboard mobo audio so no sound cards and such.
I can vouch for the M80s. Got a pair myself and absolutely love them.
Are the Zinken from:
http://www.urbanears.com/
Good heaphones? Or are there better headphones for that budget. I was thinking of beats by dre but i heard those are horrible.
http://www.urbanears.com/
Good heaphones? Or are there better headphones for that budget. I was thinking of beats by dre but i heard those are horrible.
mhayze
Member
So I got Sennheiser Momentums for Christmas. Here are some thoughts:
First impressions - this a clean sounding headphone, with well resolved, slightly enhanced bass. Emphasis is definitely in the upper end of the bass, or lower mids, however you want to think of it. There is noticeable shelving in the treble.
Comfort is good, but like most people, I'm wearing these headphones on-the-ear - they are not true circum-aural headphones. They provide a decent amount of sound isolation, and clamping force is adequate while remaining comfortable, for me.
They look great, and the packing materials, including case are very nice, if a little too large to carry comfortably in a laptop bag. They also do not have the ability to sit on one ear, DJ-style. Of course I knew this when I bought it, and it isn't a real knock, just something to keep in mind when comparing to some other larger portable options.
They come with two cables, one with a pivoting mini jack (1/8" stereo + microphone). NONE of the reviews mentioned the microphone in the cable or how usable it is as a phone headset. Answer - it's usable, if you're sitting still. If you walk about the movement of the cable will make the sound waver to the person on the other end. Finally, it isolates so much you may be talking louder than you think - a common issue with stereo phone headsets.
The second "pure" stereo 1/8" cable was broken out of the box. Shoddy cable quality and very microphonic. I will contact Sennheiser to get a replacement. I wonder how these headphones would sound with a decent cable. Some Sennheisers like the 650s are legendary for their improvements in balanced rigs, and I am quite curious to see how these would sound properly recabled. Probably not the best idea in this price range / SQ band.
After connecting it to my home rig and running it through a good DAC / headamp, I like the sound more, but in this sort of setup, it is put to shame by the other (much more expensive) headphones I run on my home rig. No shame there. Main takeaway is it improves greatly with good amplification, another common feature of Sennheisers.
Overall, my near term impressions are that these are one of the better 'fashion-phones', but not a true high end choice. If you put sound quality first, you wouldn't choose these. If you value mobility and 'knock it about' usefulness, again, you probably wouldn't choose these. They are best as office or library phones, and if you have a portable amp or work-rig-amp, then they do improve. The biggest downside is that despite the isolation, they do not do well in low-level listening, no doubt a consequence of the treble. The mids are OK, but due to the enhanced bass, they seem a little low-level too. With some equalization, I could see that they do have good mids, when the bass is tamed. I wish they were a little more neutral, and I'm disappointed to have received a bum cable.
Otherwise, though, this a beautifully designed, well isolating portable pair of headphones, with a grown up sound signature that sounds best at mid to loud levels and does a good job with mid-fi pop music, making it palatable.
First impressions - this a clean sounding headphone, with well resolved, slightly enhanced bass. Emphasis is definitely in the upper end of the bass, or lower mids, however you want to think of it. There is noticeable shelving in the treble.
Comfort is good, but like most people, I'm wearing these headphones on-the-ear - they are not true circum-aural headphones. They provide a decent amount of sound isolation, and clamping force is adequate while remaining comfortable, for me.
They look great, and the packing materials, including case are very nice, if a little too large to carry comfortably in a laptop bag. They also do not have the ability to sit on one ear, DJ-style. Of course I knew this when I bought it, and it isn't a real knock, just something to keep in mind when comparing to some other larger portable options.
They come with two cables, one with a pivoting mini jack (1/8" stereo + microphone). NONE of the reviews mentioned the microphone in the cable or how usable it is as a phone headset. Answer - it's usable, if you're sitting still. If you walk about the movement of the cable will make the sound waver to the person on the other end. Finally, it isolates so much you may be talking louder than you think - a common issue with stereo phone headsets.
The second "pure" stereo 1/8" cable was broken out of the box. Shoddy cable quality and very microphonic. I will contact Sennheiser to get a replacement. I wonder how these headphones would sound with a decent cable. Some Sennheisers like the 650s are legendary for their improvements in balanced rigs, and I am quite curious to see how these would sound properly recabled. Probably not the best idea in this price range / SQ band.
After connecting it to my home rig and running it through a good DAC / headamp, I like the sound more, but in this sort of setup, it is put to shame by the other (much more expensive) headphones I run on my home rig. No shame there. Main takeaway is it improves greatly with good amplification, another common feature of Sennheisers.
Overall, my near term impressions are that these are one of the better 'fashion-phones', but not a true high end choice. If you put sound quality first, you wouldn't choose these. If you value mobility and 'knock it about' usefulness, again, you probably wouldn't choose these. They are best as office or library phones, and if you have a portable amp or work-rig-amp, then they do improve. The biggest downside is that despite the isolation, they do not do well in low-level listening, no doubt a consequence of the treble. The mids are OK, but due to the enhanced bass, they seem a little low-level too. With some equalization, I could see that they do have good mids, when the bass is tamed. I wish they were a little more neutral, and I'm disappointed to have received a bum cable.
Otherwise, though, this a beautifully designed, well isolating portable pair of headphones, with a grown up sound signature that sounds best at mid to loud levels and does a good job with mid-fi pop music, making it palatable.
Thanks!
Yeah, I've been reading up on them and it seems like they're a reskin of the Urbanears Plattan. It's the same company that makes both (Zound Industries).
A shame. A damn shame.
So been using these for about a week. Very happy with them.
I've also noticed that they're great for movies/TV and gaming. I think because they sound fairly neutral...not sure if that's the correct term, but they don't emphasize the bass or anything like that like some other headphones I've had. Just straightforward sound.
I'd recommend setting them on something to stretch the headband a bit the first few nights, though. They have a really nasty pinching effect out of the box. Right on the top of your jaw because of how big the headphones are :lol
I've also noticed that they're great for movies/TV and gaming. I think because they sound fairly neutral...not sure if that's the correct term, but they don't emphasize the bass or anything like that like some other headphones I've had. Just straightforward sound.
I'd recommend setting them on something to stretch the headband a bit the first few nights, though. They have a really nasty pinching effect out of the box. Right on the top of your jaw because of how big the headphones are :lol
Sounds like clipping. I'm guessing it's the recording. Could also be an amping issue, though I'm a bit doubtful since it's happening on iems, which are usually pretty easy to amp. You may not be noticing it on your speakers because they are less revealing than headphones.
rykomatsu
Member
I'm using a Fiio E17 for both AKG K701s and TripleFi Pros...I think those should be enough. It's a little unnerving as I'm hearing it from an SACD album as well
Sucks if it's the recording...Similar threads
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