Got my E7 in the mail today. I'm really liking it so far. Feels solid, comes with a rubber case and more volume options, plus the bass control. The Linearossa I have is good as well (it's a lot smaller) but for use on my laptop and such I'm definitely going with the E7. When out and about, I'll probably use the Linearossa with my zune as it's easier to carry in my pocket.
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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
I need to get myself some decent headphones for PC gaming...
I've currently got a Sennheiser PC 350 headset, which is barely mediocre.
I tried a Steelseries Syberia V2 tonight, thinking maybe I would give a gaming product a chance again...big mistake. Wow these things are god awful. Boomy bass, recessed mids, nonexistant highs. Back to BestBuy you go.
So I guess I might just have to deal with standalone headphones with a clip on mic.
I've got a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580, which I adore. I would definitely use them, except they get a little uncomfortable after long play sessions.
My wants:
Comfortable
Punchy bass
Silky mids
Airy presentation (not necessarily a large soundstage like Sennheisers...but transparency is a big bonus)
Any suggestions? Easy to drive would be a bonus, but I do have a Maverick Audio A1 that I could use to amp a decent set of cans...just haven't gotten around to using it yet.
I've currently got a Sennheiser PC 350 headset, which is barely mediocre.
I tried a Steelseries Syberia V2 tonight, thinking maybe I would give a gaming product a chance again...big mistake. Wow these things are god awful. Boomy bass, recessed mids, nonexistant highs. Back to BestBuy you go.
So I guess I might just have to deal with standalone headphones with a clip on mic.
I've got a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580, which I adore. I would definitely use them, except they get a little uncomfortable after long play sessions.
My wants:
Comfortable
Punchy bass
Silky mids
Airy presentation (not necessarily a large soundstage like Sennheisers...but transparency is a big bonus)
Any suggestions? Easy to drive would be a bonus, but I do have a Maverick Audio A1 that I could use to amp a decent set of cans...just haven't gotten around to using it yet.
Heh edited my post...but yeah everyone suggested DT 770 a few years back on Head-Fi. They were definitely not for me.
Since I love my Ultrasones so much, maybe I should just try to find a more comfortable pair of those. Or maybe I can mod my existing ones...
edit: actually I wish my Ultrasones had a deeper soundstage. They are very airy and transparent, but the soundstage is mostly left to right...no front to back. I wouldn't mind a bit of a projected soundstage even, like Sennheiser HD580.
Since I love my Ultrasones so much, maybe I should just try to find a more comfortable pair of those. Or maybe I can mod my existing ones...
edit: actually I wish my Ultrasones had a deeper soundstage. They are very airy and transparent, but the soundstage is mostly left to right...no front to back. I wouldn't mind a bit of a projected soundstage even, like Sennheiser HD580.
Dreams-Visions
Member
oh, they are. they have the same pads as the 5000s and 7000s. I can (do) wear them 8 hours/day.HiResDes said:
Yeah...I think I should consider Denons and AKGs. I'm kind of expecting the Denons to be a little Sennheiser like though, but warmer. Would I be wrong?
Not a huge fan of Sennheiser sound. My favorites so far are Ultrasone and Grado.
edit: god damn this Maverick A1 beats the shit out of my onboard so hard. Didn't expect much of a difference, given that these are just 32 ohm headphones. Soundstage opened up like crazy.
Not a huge fan of Sennheiser sound. My favorites so far are Ultrasone and Grado.
edit: god damn this Maverick A1 beats the shit out of my onboard so hard. Didn't expect much of a difference, given that these are just 32 ohm headphones. Soundstage opened up like crazy.
TheExodu5 said:
I have a pair of Sennheiser 555's and Denon D2000's (kind of, the headband is broken) and a pair of D7000's. They don't sound the same. The Denon's are closed, the Sennheiser's open and the sound tends to be a bit more dense/richer with a lot more bass on the Denon side of things. The Sennheiser's don't have enough bass for me and don't handle it well at all through my amp.
In other really really ironic news, the Fischer Audio Rev.1's are now in stock and will ship out next week....However, I just recently emailed Dmitry and asked him if I can cancel, so I can get the new MEelectronics CC51 on pre-order sale instead.
...Not enough smileys for this situation. If I didn't like my PL50's so much I probably would have gone crazy by now.
...Not enough smileys for this situation. If I didn't like my PL50's so much I probably would have gone crazy by now.
HiResDes said:
A lot of people find the Grados to be uncomfortable. If he's looking to wear these for long periods of time, he'll probably want to try them out before picking them up.
Edit: Well, he said he liked the sound. Exodus, have you owned a pair or did you try them out? If you haven't found them uncomfortable, they're probably a great bet if you don't mind an open headphone. The SR80i are a great pair for just under $100.
I really wouldn't disregard the DT990s if you can afford them as well, they're nowhere near as bass heavy as the DT770's and they are quite comfy.TheExodu5 said:I've auditioned the RS-1's. Not going to set my sights that high quite yet.
But no, not looking for Grado here...I just said I like their sound.
Maybe I should try the AKG701...I wonder how they would be for gaming/movies. I'm sure they'll be amazing for music.
TheExodu5 said:
Have you modded the 350s? I found it helped quite a bit with the sound. If you haven't, give it a try before you discount them entirely:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/406187/modding-the-sennheiser-pc350-headset
If you already have and still aren't happy, try and demo the new sennheiser pc360 set. They are open instead of closed and improve in pretty much every way over the 350s. Should meet your list of requirements. Much closer to the sound of the 595 then the unmodded 350s. And they're still a dedicated gaming set so they have an excellent mic. Expensive though, so you might be further ahead going the headphone + clip on mic route. I have both the 350s and 360s and love the new set much more.
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Well I got confirmation on everything and now even after the 325is and HRT Music Streamer II for my DAC, I'll be able to drop up to $500 on an amp. All I need is to drive them well (remember these are 32ohms) and also have RCA outs for my Swans. Any recommendations?
I fell in love with my M50's again while listening to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlVbEclPj4c 
I love being able to feel the music vibrating on my head and these certainly do it
I love being able to feel the music vibrating on my head and these certainly do it
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri
Member
Man... The RE262's that I sent out to a head fier for repair a month ago ends up coming back from head direct only to have him ship them to my old work address in IL where I'm no longer working. Probabaly gonna be another two weeks (or whenever my previous boss feels like shipping them out) til I receive them. I am so fucking annoyed right now :/
Dice
Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
I considered this, but they are pricey unless you find a nice used deal. I sent a PM to a trusted dude about a WA6 w/ Sophia Princess tube (and other things), which, as far as I have seen, has been the second most recommended amp for Grados. It's $100 over my range, but I had other things on my mind (a particular wireless keyboard and mouse pairing) that I might be able to forsake to get something that good. Of course, it's up to whether he wants to wait a couple weeks for me or not. We'll see how it goes.swoon said:
These Ultrasones are really something special. It's funny...their bass absolutely embarrasses the DT 770's, and yet the bass somehow does not come at the expense of mids and highs at all, like it did in the DT 770's. I'm really curious to see what high end Ultrasones sound like. If only they had lighter/comfier headphones.
The bass is oftentimes a little heavy in these headphones, which hurts them a bit in some genres like Jazz (if ever a bass guitar is playing). Still, it might be tough to go back to a neutral headphone like the K702's after getting used to this... They just make some genres of music so much fun. Deadmau5 sounds amazing.
The bass is oftentimes a little heavy in these headphones, which hurts them a bit in some genres like Jazz (if ever a bass guitar is playing). Still, it might be tough to go back to a neutral headphone like the K702's after getting used to this... They just make some genres of music so much fun. Deadmau5 sounds amazing.
StrikerObi
Member
Finally got my Bowers & Wilkins P5s on Friday. I gotta say they were worth the wait. Like I said before, I have had a couple decent pairs of IEMs in the past (Shure SE110s and the current Apple In-Ears). I liked them but IEMs never quite fit right for me. Well, the SE110s did with their custom expanding foam tips, but they hurt my inner ear after listening for too long so I never replaced them when the dog chewed them up.
The P5s are the first high-end over-ear headphones I have ever owned and they are pretty sick sounding. I guess they need some breaking in (according to the interwebs) but I think they sound damn good out of the box. I don't think I would have been happy paying $300 for them, but I got them half-off and I would definitely say they are worth $150. I haven't done any serious listening with them yet but I was cranking some Rush through them on my lunch break and was enjoying them quite a bit and was definitely picking up on little things in the songs I had not heard before.
I've heard some say they are not bass-heavy and I guess I'd agree but they are definitely not lacking in the bass department. B&W says they engineered them to try and make the sound as close to the way it sounds in the studio. Obviously I couldn't tell you if they did without going to a studio but the sound is definitely crisp and clean as fuck.
Also they are fucking beautiful looking.
The P5s are the first high-end over-ear headphones I have ever owned and they are pretty sick sounding. I guess they need some breaking in (according to the interwebs) but I think they sound damn good out of the box. I don't think I would have been happy paying $300 for them, but I got them half-off and I would definitely say they are worth $150. I haven't done any serious listening with them yet but I was cranking some Rush through them on my lunch break and was enjoying them quite a bit and was definitely picking up on little things in the songs I had not heard before.
I've heard some say they are not bass-heavy and I guess I'd agree but they are definitely not lacking in the bass department. B&W says they engineered them to try and make the sound as close to the way it sounds in the studio. Obviously I couldn't tell you if they did without going to a studio but the sound is definitely crisp and clean as fuck.
Also they are fucking beautiful looking.
StrikerObi
Member
HiResDes said:
Yep, that's where I first tried them. Like I said, I would never pay $300 for them but for $150 they were the obvious choice. All the big headphone sites seem to agree that they aren't quite up there with Grado's and the other A-List cans. The standard consumer electronics websites all love them (different standards, obviously).
But considering that I got them for half off, they easily out preform anything in the $150 price range. Also they look pretty and have an iPhone-compatible cable which are both nice bonuses.
Hari Seldon
Member
My Senn IE8 IEMs came in yesterday. Holy crap these are awesome. So much bass... such a fun listen.
ThanksVision
Member
electristan
Member
Have been following this topic for a while, and hearing all the praise for IEMs i decided to try a pair for commuting.
Picked up a pair of Sennheiser CX 300-II and am very happy with the results.
I used to avoid ear plugs sing i found them uncomfortable and they didn't sound very good (granted these were all the cheap kind), these how ever are great after a few days of getting used to them.
The only issue i had was that the used the J-Style (i think that is right) cord, this made it feel like the cable was always pulling on the left ear. to solve this i found some tips online were they did a wrap around to create a Y-Style. and the result ...
Much better
Thanks for all the inspiration people!
Picked up a pair of Sennheiser CX 300-II and am very happy with the results.
I used to avoid ear plugs sing i found them uncomfortable and they didn't sound very good (granted these were all the cheap kind), these how ever are great after a few days of getting used to them.
The only issue i had was that the used the J-Style (i think that is right) cord, this made it feel like the cable was always pulling on the left ear. to solve this i found some tips online were they did a wrap around to create a Y-Style. and the result ...
Much better
Thanks for all the inspiration people!
Alright I'm going to sound like an asshole, but if you had really been following this topic then you'd know not to pick up the CX-300's as those IEMs have some of the worst microphonics (chord noise) and no longer present the value they did 4 or 5 years ago. Just overall very very mediocre IEMs.
electristan
Member
HiResDes said:
life would not be as fun with out assholes
fair enough, i havent read every post, just stopped in every now and again to read a few pages. and i remember a few people liking them.
it was more the concept om IEMs i was sold on.
The Friendly Monster
Member
Just received my Fischer DBA-02s.
Fucking lovely, will hopefully be even better when my cold clears up.
Fucking lovely, will hopefully be even better when my cold clears up.
The Friendly Monster
Member
Yup! Shipped 8 days ago.HiResDes said:
Why are you going to rage?
They are really nice phones. It's probably because I'm paying extra special attention but I'm picking up parts in music I didn't realise were there before.
The Friendly Monster
Member
Did they send an email saying they had shipped?HiResDes said:
I've had a bit of time with the FX700's now. Now that they're all broken in and I've switched between the Linearossa W1 and the Fiio E7 amp...
Well, the difference isn't huge. $85 for the W1 vs $99 for the E7. The W1 is lighter, but more "old school" with the dial volume and no other adjustable options. The E7 has all the bells and whistles, but it's about the size of an actual MP3 player and comes with a thick rubber band for holding it to your MP3 player of choice 0_o
With the W1 I'm noticing that at the max volume there's a bit of static/distortion, but with the E7 this isn't the case. It seems a bit clearer and music, especially orchestral pieces, are a bit richer. However, it's probably not discernible by the untrained ear.
I guess for anyone that's looking to drop about $350 (includes shipping) on ear buds, you really can't go wrong with the FX700's. They really do provide a nice atmosphere and handle surround sound in movies well.
Well, the difference isn't huge. $85 for the W1 vs $99 for the E7. The W1 is lighter, but more "old school" with the dial volume and no other adjustable options. The E7 has all the bells and whistles, but it's about the size of an actual MP3 player and comes with a thick rubber band for holding it to your MP3 player of choice 0_o
With the W1 I'm noticing that at the max volume there's a bit of static/distortion, but with the E7 this isn't the case. It seems a bit clearer and music, especially orchestral pieces, are a bit richer. However, it's probably not discernible by the untrained ear.
I guess for anyone that's looking to drop about $350 (includes shipping) on ear buds, you really can't go wrong with the FX700's. They really do provide a nice atmosphere and handle surround sound in movies well.
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