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

H

HarryDemeanor

Member
HiResDes said:
I honestly don't know of a pair of more comfortable closed headphones in the price range, besides maybe the Sony XB500 and those have lackluster sound quality in comparison.

...Hmm, you might like the JVC HA-RX700 more, they have more lush padding, but they get really hot fast.
Click to expand...
Ah okay. I'll do some research into the JVC and decide. I may just end up keeping these and probably changing out the padding later if I can.
 
G

Geneijin

Member
HarryDemeanor said:
I received my ATH-M30s on tuesday and while I really like them I think I might return these to Amazon to get something else. After listening to music for an hour while gaming they start to become uncomfortable on my ears. I noticed when I received them that there was barely any padding for the speaker and my ear rests right on it so it starts getting irritated when I wear it over time.

I'm not sure what I'm going to replace them with. I may spring for a pair of open or semi-open headphones if that helps at all but I still want to go with a closed pair. I want to keep the budget between $30 - $40.

I'll be checking out the OP for suggestions but if anyone has suggestions of their own feel free to post them.
Click to expand...
I find the Superlux 668b to be very comfortable. Semi-open and outside your price range ($50) however.
 
L

LCfiner

Member
pax217 said:
Dynamite, Des, Hix, LC,

Is the Woo Audio "Fireflies" going to be overkill on a pair of Mad Dogs?
Click to expand...

Hard to say as I've never heard it. power-wise, it's got enough and people on head-fi seem to like the amp and dac portions (and the looks, of course).

But the mad dogs do not require a $1000 amp/dac to sound great. Get the WA7 because you want the WA7, not because you think it's needed for the MD.
 
A

Aadil

Banned
andylsun said:
I picked up my HD25-I II last month - a few weeks breaking in and for the headband to loosen (they clamp pretty tight fresh out of the box) and they are amazing. Can be driven fine from ipod/iphone to high volume, and they isolate well. Leave them stock for a good while, as a lot of people on head-fi obsess about the steel cable, but it's really not an issue.

I listen to electronic mainly and they are awesome for that. The bass isn't goosed, but when it's there it goes low (e.g. Limit to your Love sounds awesome). Yet to find anything I don't enjoy listening to them with (including classical, rock, vinyl rips etc)

The HD25 SPII are a completely different/cheaper headphone and not as good. Worth saving up for the HD25-I. The 'II' at the end means they come in new packaging, with an extra set of pads (pleather and velour) and a carry bag. The headphones themselves are pretty much unchanged since their introduction in the late 80's.

I like them so much now that I also use them at home instead of my HD560 and HD555's. You'll be surprised!
Click to expand...


wicked. cheers man. you mentioned blake so ill take the advice.

theres an adidas limited edition HD25 that i'll prob try and get.
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
HiResDes said:
You could probably just rock the JDS O2+ODAC and it would be adequate.
Click to expand...

Yep, sounds good. Just my super humble Little Dot II does a fantastic job of powering the MDs. I'm sure the Leckerton UHA 6S MKII would fare just as well whilst providing more utility on the go though. Someone over at HF mentioned that it was actually powerful enough to satisfactorily drive the AKG K-1000
 
R

Ristlager

Member
Looking for a new headset. A local store is selling the akg k551 for 999 NOK (equalent of 99$) are they worth it? Wanted them to have noise cancelling, but it says in the reviews that they have passive noise cancelling, what is the difference?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
They have these for $99?....HOLY SHIT, I would buy a hundred and resell them all for $150.

Passive noise cancellation just relies on the fit and thickness of the pads to block out sound, while active noise cancellation relies on the production of an"anti-noise" current to block outside noise. Most audiophiles or even audio enthusiasts prefer passive noise cancellation as the headphones usually have less distortion and the tiny buzzing noise that many of the active noise cancelling headphones generate can become quite annoying after a while.
 
S

Septimius

Junior Member
Ristlager said:
It shure looks like it :)

http://www.elkjop.no/cms/s-S22sGQVu...etelefoner?scid=EXT_NEWSLETTER_PP_SB_1_W18-13

Straight conversion rate is not really 99$, but norwegian prices is usually 10 times the dollar price no mather the exchange rate.

But I'll buy a set for a late birthday present. Thanks for the replies :)
Click to expand...

Well, I can't say conversion rate is 10 times with audio equipment. DT880 as an example is 300-350$, and you can get them for 2000-2500kr here. It's pretty much normal with audio equipment it seems. It's probably closer to 130-150$, but still.

Oh, yeah, stop buying into this active noise canceling stuff. I'm so tired of seeing everyone with this. It's the Beats and the Bose with noise canceling. Both 400$ equipment with the sound of 50-100$. It ruins the sound and it's not really useful. Unless you've been addicted to heroin for the last 15 years, the center of your brain that ignores unwanted sound will function perfectly. Passive means it's the padding of the headset that keeps the noise out.

And active sends destructive interference into your ear of what's going on outside. It'll mess with the sound to some extent, as the technology isn't perfect.
 
B

BolognaSoup

Member
HiResDes said:
They have these for $99?....HOLY SHIT, I would buy a hundred and resell them all for $150.

Passive noise cancellation just relies on the fit and thickness of the pads to block out sound, while active noise cancellation relies on the production of an"anti-noise" current to block outside noise. Most audiophiles or even audio enthusiasts prefer passive noise cancellation as the headphones usually have less distortion and the tiny buzzing noise that many of the active noise cancelling headphones generate can become quite annoying after a while.
Click to expand...

Who has them for $99??
 
F

Fusebox

Banned
Septimius said:
Well, I can't say conversion rate is 10 times with audio equipment. DT880 as an example is 300-350$, and you can get them for 2000-2500kr here. It's pretty much normal with audio equipment it seems. It's probably closer to 130-150$, but still.

Oh, yeah, stop buying into this active noise canceling stuff. I'm so tired of seeing everyone with this. It's the Beats and the Bose with noise canceling. Both 400$ equipment with the sound of 50-100$. It ruins the sound and it's not really useful. Unless you've been addicted to heroin for the last 15 years, the center of your brain that ignores unwanted sound will function perfectly. Passive means it's the padding of the headset that keeps the noise out.

And active sends destructive interference into your ear of what's going on outside. It'll mess with the sound to some extent, as the technology isn't perfect.
Click to expand...

Active noise-canceling keeps me sane on flights.
 
E

Edag Plata

Banned
So I got that Playstation Pulse headset for a really good deal a month or two ago to use for my PC gaming. Granted, I haven't had much time since then so I only tried to use them yesterday. The things wouldn't pick up sound at all so I said screw it. I had been using it as regular headphones but it really wasn't blowing my mind either.

For about $100, what is a great, simple pair of headphones I should get? It doesn't need to have a mic on it, I'm sure I can get a mic separately. I need one for recording anyway. I just want something that'll make the music sound nice. :)
 
S

Septimius

Junior Member
Fusebox said:
Active noise-canceling keeps me sane on flights.
Click to expand...

While flying it's useful, by all means. You can sacrifice quality on a plane, anyway. It all comes down to how often you fly. If you fly 1-2 times a year, and you're using the same headphones normally, you've likely bought the wrong kind of headsets, as you've sacrificed too much of the sound quality for normal listening sessions.
 
K

kr2t0s

Member
I have a pair of Blox TM5 for sale if anyone is interested. I'm the 2nd owner (therefore you would be the 3rd). Plenty of hours of listening to them through a FiiO. Nothing wrong with them - just found myself not using them very often these days. Figured someone else might want them.

$175 or obo.

(hope it's ok to sell them here?)
 
T

this_guy

Member
Anyone here tried the Beyerdynamic DT1350? I have the Sennheiser HD 1-II, and very happy with them for portable use. The Beyerdynamic set was the other one I was considering at the time, and now that theyre on sale at amazon for $199 I might look into them again.
 
L

LCfiner

Member
this_guy said:
Anyone here tried the Beyerdynamic DT1350? I have the Sennheiser HD 1-II, and very happy with them for portable use. The Beyerdynamic set was the other one I was considering at the time, and now that theyre on sale at amazon for $199 I might look into them again.
Click to expand...

I had them for a while. With proper positioning and seal they have a nice flat response. Not very exciting sound but a good reference.

Buuut, it took me a long fine to find a good seal. I thought I had one for a while and the alike was hollow and tinny. Took me many more tries to get them properly covering my ears and that improved the mids.

For 200 they're a good deal but watch out for the positioning issues.
 
G

Gorillaz

Member
Looking through the OP but didn't see much about....Headphones with the best wires along with low leakage, and true sound for any genre? Wires are the most important because I can't find anything really durable.

EDIT: I have Sol Republics v8 but I didn't know if it was worth just upgrading to Tracks HD or Ultra since I don't want to pay over 200
 
T

this_guy

Member
LCfiner said:
I had them for a while. With proper positioning and seal they have a nice flat response. Not very exciting sound but a good reference.

Buuut, it took me a long fine to find a good seal. I thought I had one for a while and the alike was hollow and tinny. Took me many more tries to get them properly covering my ears and that improved the mids.

For 200 they're a good deal but watch out for the positioning issues.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your impressions. Doesn't sound like an upgrade from my current sennheiser HD 25 1-II. What set are you using now for your portable/smartphone use?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Gorillaz said:
Looking through the OP but didn't see much about....Headphones with the best wires along with low leakage, and true sound for any genre? Wires are the most important because I can't find anything really durable.

EDIT: I have Sol Republics v8 but I didn't know if it was worth just upgrading to Tracks HD or Ultra since I don't want to pay over 200
Click to expand...

DJ headphones usually sport good durability and low leakage, but I wouldn't say many are "true sounding"

Some decent DJ headphones around the $200 mark are:

Sennheiser HD25
AIAIAI TMA-1
V-Moda M80
Audio Technica M50
Pioneer HDJ-2000
Phiaton MS400

The Pioneer are on sale right now for a little over $200, as they usually hover around the $300 mark, and I'd say they might be the most "true sounding" out of all those.
 
G

Gorillaz

Member
Good looking out HRD, I'm eyeing the audio technicas (loving that pure white design they are selling on amazon) along with the pioneer. Gonna do a lil thinking and head to best buy/order online sometime this week
 
L

LCfiner

Member
this_guy said:
Thanks for your impressions. Doesn't sound like an upgrade from my current sennheiser HD 25 1-II. What set are you using now for your portable/smartphone use?
Click to expand...

it's a very different sound. the HD 25 is more exciting, the DT1350 is more relaxed. more of a side-grade than an upgrade.

My current go-to portables are the tralucent 1plus2 IEMs (so good i might make them my only earphone for home and away) Sound is ridiculous, but it's not what I would call reasonably priced.

I had the sennheiser momentum and those were probably my favourite portable headphones but their sound is very different from the HD 25. much more bass extension, much less treble. might not be what you're looking for.
 
L

LCfiner

Member
HiResDes said:
Wouldn't the Amperior be closer to the HD25 in sound?
Click to expand...

yeah, the amperior is the more finely tuned big brother of the HD 25. I heard it at an Apple store and thought it was good but don't think it's worth $350 if someone already owns the HD 25. If he could get one for $220 or so then I would say to jump on one and sell the HD 25.
 
E

eemijun

Neo Member
I need suggestions for a new pair of headphones. I want a pair of headphones for everyday use on my computer. Good for gaming, music, and movies. I want them to be closed and wrap fully around the ears. My budget is around $100, can go higher don't wanna spend over $150

Audio Technica ATH-A700X have been suggested to me.
 
G

Geneijin

Member
Edag Plata said:
So I got that Playstation Pulse headset for a really good deal a month or two ago to use for my PC gaming. Granted, I haven't had much time since then so I only tried to use them yesterday. The things wouldn't pick up sound at all so I said screw it. I had been using it as regular headphones but it really wasn't blowing my mind either.

For about $100, what is a great, simple pair of headphones I should get? It doesn't need to have a mic on it, I'm sure I can get a mic separately. I need one for recording anyway. I just want something that'll make the music sound nice. :)
Click to expand...
Edit: Ah, screw it. The Samson SR850 are what I would suggest. No need to search through ebay for some of the more niche phones.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Giant killer potential:

TAKSTAR HI-2050

61414156.jpg


AlexRoma of Headfi said:
Takstar HI 2050 performance change pretty evident during burn_in !

Out of the box we have a baby DT990 , after 150 hours however, Takstar lose that ala DT990 bass, acting more like a baby DT880 (32ohm version).

I've ended up using some extra damping to reduce_treble/increase_bass, after that, DT880pro balance has been finally achieved.

So yes, these headphones look and feel so much like the DT880 indeed. But you wouldn't get Premium DT880 600ohm performance out of HI 2050, no matter what mod you try, 600ohm bayers remain unbeatable reference.

So, I find Takstar HI 2050 a perfect gaming/youtube headphone, with better then average ~150$ product package, built, comfort, performance, neutrality, extension, sensitivity and price .

Nowadays it's almost impossible to achieve all those goals under 100$ price tag. Sennheiser HD558 are no match in my opinion.

Verdict : Giant Killer
Click to expand...




Superlux HD681 EVO

45346d1358985598-superlux-hd681-hd662evo-img_hd681evo_web_l.jpg
img_hmc681_web_l.jpg


4nradio of Headfi said:
I've been enjoying the HD681 EVO for a couple of weeks now. I received an introductory priced pair ($39) shipped very quickly from AudioHipster (thanks, Doyen!) and the headphones were well packed, too. I purchased the black model and I think it looks classy.



Considering the low cost of these headphones, the packaging is very nice. In fact, every aspect of the HD681 EVO belies its cost... this is definitely one headphones model that's a very good value. I also like the two removable cables and adapter supplied... a nice touch.



I have burned in the EVOs over one hundred hours using a combination of white and pink noise, frequency sweeps, percussion, and various music genres. There did seem to be a small improvement to the high frequencies but not as much as with some other models (I thought my former AKG K550s showed more change during burn-in).



Again, considering the low cost, I feel the EVOs are quite well balanced and do justice to all frequency ranges except the treble range. Cymbal strikes and brushes, and snare drums sound blurry and artificial to me, but again, keep in mind the EVOs price and that I was pitting them against a pair of Audeze LCD-2 Rev. 2 headphones. The sound stage is reasonable, and isolation acceptable considering the EVOs are semi-open headphones.



I find the stock ear pads to be too firm and non-resilient for my liking; it would be nice to know if there are some memory foam pleathers out there which fit this model. Perhaps the stock pads will soften up with use. I also needed to do some careful tweaking to the over-the-headband wires that provide the clamping force for the EVOs. By slightly bending the wires just above the plastic channels the headband slides into, I changed the tilt of the ear cups and the headphones then sealed much better than they did out of the box.



These new EVOs are an excellent deal at AudioHipster's $44 USD regular cost. Their shortcomings can be forgiven since they are such a value. The HD681 EVO would make a great gift to a budding audiophile, or to take along in situations where you don't want to risk your more expensive headphones to theft, damage, etc.



Thanks, Doyen, for making this new model available at such a dynamite price!
Click to expand...




SOMIC MH463

MH463-detail-6.jpg
502921463_448.jpg


sfwalcer of headfi said:
I used to have both of the 668Bs and MH463s, the somics are leaps and bounds better than the 668Bs in not just built quality but sound as well. The entire package of the superluxes including sound were so meh. Nothing in them really stands out sonically while the mids in the somics are really nice along with great amount of sub/ mid bass. Just too bad the highs on the somics are pretty dry and unrefined. But yeah these somics blows the superluxes outta the water in all respects. I too am curious on how the Takstars stack up to the somics as well.
Click to expand...
 
S

Septimius

Junior Member
So I've bought Beyerdynamic Tesla T1 :D It'll be waiting for my arrival at my hotel in Tokyo when I get there! Super-excited. Always knew I'd end up getting these headphones, and the cheap price there had me sold. Also picked up ODAC and O2 (seperate, so I can use the DAC later). I think I'll be moving into the tubed amps after a while, but for now, this is a sufficient hit to my wallet.
 
E

eemijun

Neo Member
I've narrowed it down to Audio Technica ATH-A700X or Audio-Technica ATH-M50 Professional Studio. Both seem good and are good priced. Any suggestions? Wanna order them today

Edit: Went for the M50's.
 
Z

zon

Member
Would Crossfade M-100 be a good choice for gaming and music? Or are there better choices in that price range (~$300)?
 
G

Geneijin

Member
Edag Plata said:
I mean, are the Pulse ones good too? Is it worth trying to exchange them first?
Click to expand...
Why would you exchange them?

I have no opinion on the Pulse headset really. Gaming headsets tend to have a dished midrange, so I feel they are inadequate for music listening. The qualities people look for in a gaming headset can also be found in a quality headphone personally. The main difference is what's known as "surround sound," which can be found in the equivalent CMSS3D or Dolby Headphone software. If you're console gaming and you must have it, a mixamp would be a compromise as you're still better off buying the headphone separately than the bundle as the headset in that package deal is probably worth less than the mixamp.

Edit: I'm also not a fan of the noise sharpening or whatever it's called for gaming headphones. Highs just become easily fatiguing, and you can damage your hearing like that.
 
D

DunderHassan

Member
Okay, now it have happened, was just about to start up La-Mulana to whip some asses, when the cable to my Beyerdynamic dt250 (80 Ohm) gave up.
The bass is nonexistent and I can't wiggle the cable a bit to get back the sound anymore :(

Luckily enough, it's very easy to just replace the cable, but there's a catch, the price.
The cable cost freaking 300 SEK (~ $46), which just seems kinda stupid.
I like the headphones very much, but it feels like I could just as well try some new headphones, because honestly, is it worth paying almost half the value of the headphones for just a simple cable?

Looking around in this thread, there seems to be a few excellent choices for sub-$100, even for almost the same price as the replacement cable.
For $60 I can buy that Takstar HI 2050 a few posts back (thanks HiResDes), which seems very interesting.
Are there any more info/reviews about it? How well do you think it performs compared to dt250?
It seems to lack a bit in bass, which would kinda be a dealbreaker.
Maybe I should just go with a more established brand, like Audio Technica to play it safe?

Not looking to throw my dt250 away, just to buy a new pair of headphones to use until I find a replacement cable for a reasonable price.
Also want a nice backup pair, so I won't be without headphones like now.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
The Takstar need to be amped a bit to sound their best, but yeah the sound would be similar to the Dt250 though I believe they are semi-open so the isolation wouldn't be as good. Also the Takstar apparently are a bit bass light.


If you're going to amping them maybe check out the Superlux HD660
 
D

DunderHassan

Member
HiResDes said:
The Takstar need to be amped a bit to sound their best, but yeah the sound would be similar to the Dt250 though I believe they are semi-open so the isolation wouldn't be as good. Also the Takstar apparently are a bit bass light.


If you're going to amping them maybe check out the Superlux HD660
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply.
Won't run them through an amp, my X-Fi XtremeMusic will have to do, even if it obviously won't be as good.
I guess the HD660 would be out of question then due to the high impedance?

Right, the reports about the light bass kind of make me lose interest in them.
I looked a bit into the Somic MH463, which I can get for the same price here in Sweden as the replacement cable (crazy!).
From that thread in head-fi, it seems like the audio is better than Takstar, but the comfort sucks.
The ATH-M50 pads apparently fit the MH463, which make it a very interesting alternative nonetheless and hopefully comfortable enough when the pads are replaced.

Superlux 861 Evo is sexier though, but there are not many reviews.
Comfort, as usual, isn't that great and I'm not sure what can be done about it.
How the audio compares to MH463, I have no idea.

Somic MH463 with ATH-M50 pads would be around $66 and Superlux 861 Evo vanilla $57.
What do you guys think?
 
G

Geneijin

Member
I'd go for the Takstar Hi-2050 honestly if they're more comfortable. You'll be wearing them for how many number of hours? It's why I tend to avoid on-ear headphones unless they're portable as I won't wear it long enough for the discomfort to start.

Edit: Scratch that. I rather file a dispute through ebay than some possibly questionable site.
 
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