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

yarden24

Member
so im re posting this because no one answered...

hi audio gaf! I need new IEM's, because my old ones sadly broke.

if anyone can give me any recommendations, for something in the 100$ dollar range i would really appreciate it!

i generally listen to rock and electronic stuff.
 

MarkusRJR

Member
Ended up buying the HD518 since they are $75 ($110 in savings) at Future Shop right now. Now I just need to buy an IEM. Anyone have any suggestions? Willing to spend up to a hundred dollars.

What genres do you favor
Usually indie or light pop. Occasionally rock, but mostly rock with a lot of vocals.

Oh, and some Daft Punk and similar sounding bands.
 

Geneijin

Member
The JVC HA-FXT90 may be earphones to consider. I tend to like JVC's portable offerings though.

I ask this question in LinuxGAF but figure that I should ask here as well:
It really doesn't matter. I've experienced interesting results between coaxial and USB with my Xonar Essence STX and Matrix Cube DAC and preferred coaxial because I noticed more separation, better clarity and a wider soundstage, but even then, I was skeptical with what I was hearing...
 
I'm thinking it's time I move on from my Audio Technica ATH-M50s.

The sound is great, but I simply cannot wear them for more than an hour and a half at a time without them killing the top of my head and ears. It sucks, so I rarely use them.

I was thinking about selling them and just getting a gaming headset and use them whenever I feel like listening to music with headphones. But today I discovered Modmic which will let me use my mic with any pair of headphones, so I think I would rather get a comfortable pair of Good headphones and do that.

I'm also thinking I will want open headphones as I can't stand not hearing my own voice when i talk.

So I'm wondering what you guys would recommend to me. I would like something that sounds as good as the M50s, extremely comfortable, and probably open so I can use them comfortabley with a microphone. I would like to spend $150 or less preferably.
 

HiResDes

Member
Ended up buying the HD518 since they are $75 ($110 in savings) at Future Shop right now. Now I just need to buy an IEM. Anyone have any suggestions? Willing to spend up to a hundred dollars.


Usually indie or light pop. Occasionally rock, but mostly rock with a lot of vocals.

Oh, and some Daft Punk and similar sounding bands.
Personally I would have went with these for the cans
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005TCZJ00/?tag=neogaf0e-20

But not a bad choice
For the IEMS consider these http://www.lendmeurears.com/product_info.php?products_id=59
so im re posting this because no one answered...

hi audio gaf! I need new IEM's, because my old ones sadly broke.

if anyone can give me any recommendations, for something in the 100$ dollar range i would really appreciate it!

i generally listen to rock and electronic stuff.
I'd import these
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00F4P8C9C/?tag=neogaf0e-20
I'm thinking it's time I move on from my Audio Technica ATH-M50s.

The sound is great, but I simply cannot wear them for more than an hour and a half at a time without them killing the top of my head and ears. It sucks, so I rarely use them.

I was thinking about selling them and just getting a gaming headset and use them whenever I feel like listening to music with headphones. But today I discovered Modmic which will let me use my mic with any pair of headphones, so I think I would rather get a comfortable pair of Good headphones and do that.

I'm also thinking I will want open headphones as I can't stand not hearing my own voice when i talk.

So I'm wondering what you guys would recommend to me. I would like something that sounds as good as the M50s, extremely comfortable, and probably open so I can use them comfortabley with a microphone. I would like to spend $150 or less preferably.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009PIQUB6/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 

yarden24

Member

thank you! I was at the checkout screen already, but then i thought that maybe giving some more information would help if there is a better choice.

I headphones i had before were HiFiman, cant remember the model(bought them 2 years ago), they cost 100$ or so at the time, and some song's just sounded amazing with them, such as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64liF2VuLxI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg6BwvDcANg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOADmIrP6c

are these as good for the style?
 

HiResDes

Member
RE400 are fantastic for the genre, but you better take really good care of them considering their mediocre build. The Heaven II don't quite have as much bass but sport even better clarity especially with a small amp.
 
I'm thinking it's time I move on from my Audio Technica ATH-M50s.

The sound is great, but I simply cannot wear them for more than an hour and a half at a time without them killing the top of my head and ears. It sucks, so I rarely use them.

I was thinking about selling them and just getting a gaming headset and use them whenever I feel like listening to music with headphones. But today I discovered Modmic which will let me use my mic with any pair of headphones, so I think I would rather get a comfortable pair of Good headphones and do that.

I'm also thinking I will want open headphones as I can't stand not hearing my own voice when i talk.

So I'm wondering what you guys would recommend to me. I would like something that sounds as good as the M50s, extremely comfortable, and probably open so I can use them comfortabley with a microphone. I would like to spend $150 or less preferably.

Have you tried stretching out the headband? You can bend it a lot to reduce clamping pressure. You could also pick up some velvet ear pads.
 

I may actually order a pair of these. They seem to be exactly what I want for the most part and are a really good price. Thanks for this.

Have you tried stretching out the headband? You can bend it a lot to reduce clamping pressure. You could also pick up some velvet ear pads.

I have tried stretching the headband but it doesn't seem to help much. I haven't tried the velvet pads. Does that help a lot?

I may order what HiResDes recommended me but keep my M50s for now as well, considering how cheap those Takstars are.
 

HiResDes

Member
I may actually order a pair of these. They seem to be exactly what I want for the most part and are a really good price. Thanks for this.



I have tried stretching the headband but it doesn't seem to help much. I haven't tried the velvet pads. Does that help a lot?

I may order what HiResDes recommended me but keep my M50s for now as well, considering how cheap those Takstars are.
The only apprehension I'd have about the Takstar is that you might find them to be fairly bass light coming from the M50s, though I'd contend that they are very balanced rather than bass light. The clarity and comfort are great
 
The only apprehension I'd have about the Takstar is that you might find them to be fairly bass light coming from the M50s, though I'd contend that they are very balanced rather than bass light. The clarity and comfort are great

Honestly, if they are comfortable enough, it's not that big of a problem for me. As long as they have a good overall sound and I'm actually able to use them regularly, I don't think I'll have too many complaints. I'll give them a shot.

However, I'll definitely test the Takstars out with a lot of different music and compare it to my other headphones before I decide to get rid of my M50s.
 

TUSR

Banned
This might be the right place for this.

I bought a pair of Steelseries Siberia Elites

And its running through USB (on a laptop) for the little sound card in it, and after about 10 minutes or so the sound starts turning really tinny/static until its completely inaudible. But only when sound is being produced. And if I unplug and plug them back in, it completely fixes it.

I figure that its related to power somehow since its a laptop. Any advise or information would be helpful.

I ordered a non-bus powered USB 3.0 hub to see if that will fix any grounding issues between the laptop bus power and charging.
 
I may actually order a pair of these. They seem to be exactly what I want for the most part and are a really good price. Thanks for this.



I have tried stretching the headband but it doesn't seem to help much. I haven't tried the velvet pads. Does that help a lot?

I may order what HiResDes recommended me but keep my M50s for now as well, considering how cheap those Takstars are.

I actually just ordered those pads a few days ago so I should have them this week. I don't find the M50 uncomfortable to begin with though. I just wanted to try them out.

Have you thought about something like the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro to replace your M50? I think Beyers are pretty much the most comfortable headphones in the world personally.
 
If the Heaven II sound similar to the VI and the C/S (and they should since they all incorporate the BAM system) then I imagine they're gonna sound excellent. Seems like they're lacking a bit of the FAD "magic" in the mids according to some reviews, but it's awesome that they're trying to offer models to the mainstream. Only caveat would be that flat cable; I can't stand the thing, super annoying on the VI/S, so I wouldn't really recommend this for using on the move. Honestly, the cable on every FAD model I've come across is just whacked no matter what price we're talking
 

UrbanRats

Member
So i need a new pair of headphones, last time i asked, HiResDes pointed me towards the DIGITECH Pro Monitor Headphones, which i'm still using and i'm very happy with.

A year later, are they still the best bang for the buck, in the price range? I was about to go and buy them (i simply need a second pair of headphones, to be clear, the original ones still work great) but i figured it couldn't hurt to ask, first.
 

Beezy

Member
Guys, I recently got the Sennheiser Blue Amperiors which are my first real pair of headphones. They sound great on my PC, but like any ol' average pair of headphones through my android phone. It's annoying.

So, are there any portable amps/dacs that work well with android?
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Guys, I recently got the Sennheiser Blue Amperiors which are my first real pair of headphones. They sound great on my PC, but like any ol' average pair of headphones through my android phone. It's annoying.

So, are there any portable amps/dacs that work well with android?

I'm pretty sure android phones above 4.1 should be able to connect to any portable amp/dac via USB, problem is getting it to output to the amp/dac due to most amp/dacs use mini USB while android phones use micro USB. You can use something like a USB OTG cable to connect to your phone, then connect a USB to mini usb cable to the amp/dac. Which is fucking cumbersome thus why I gave up doing so long ago. :p

Or you can just connect it with a 3.5-3.5 plug cable if you just need more amplification, but not something you'd want to do if you want to bypass the amp and dac stage of your phone.

As for amp/dacs something like the Fiio E7 or the ibasso D zero should suit your needs well.
 

yarden24

Member
RE400 are fantastic for the genre, but you better take really good care of them considering their mediocre build. The Heaven II don't quite have as much bass but sport even better clarity especially with a small amp.

right, bought the heaven II, thanks a lot for replying des! appreciate it
 

elfinke

Member
A month or two ago I bought a pair of VSonic GR07 Bass Editions, thinking they were the answer to my desire for decent sound, solid bass, high isolation (for use while exercising or lawn mowing etc).

Turns out I hate them. Even though they shipped with several dozen different tips, I can't find a comfy fit, and even when I use the foam tips that give great isolation and a reasonable fit, I think they sound awful. Certainly, for the fuss involved in getting them to fit my ear neatly, they sound significantly worse than my Koss KSC75's, that I've lightly modded and been using for years and years now.

So, here I am again, searching for some new cans and I'm kicking around the usual group that everyone does at some stage, but am basically umming and ahhing between the Beyer C1P's or the ATH A900X, given they're both available for around $200. At that ~$200 price point, I see no reason to consider the M50s, DT770 or the SRH840's, which would normally be candidates given their price.

I primarily listen to podcasts and metal (via an iDevice), though many other types of music permeate my playlists. But as long as my metal sounds heavy, I'm fine :)
 

HiResDes

Member
w5UBoDP.png
 

elfinke

Member
[.IMG]http://i.imgur.com/w5UBoDP.png[/IMG]

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

But I want good sound noooow!

Well, in that case I may persevere out of curiosity, and see if a decent burn in application can overcome my disappointing experience. I'm currently flip flopping between a trio of rubber tips, seeking the best fit.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Have you tried the comply foam tips and see if they're compatible with your in ears? I find them to be comfortable and seal pretty well too.

http://www.complyfoam.com/

edit: oh wait, those were probably the foam tips you mentioned. I don't find comply to really affect the sound signature that much though.
 

Beezy

Member
I'm pretty sure android phones above 4.1 should be able to connect to any portable amp/dac via USB, problem is getting it to output to the amp/dac due to most amp/dacs use mini USB while android phones use micro USB. You can use something like a USB OTG cable to connect to your phone, then connect a USB to mini usb cable to the amp/dac. Which is fucking cumbersome thus why I gave up doing so long ago. :p

Or you can just connect it with a 3.5-3.5 plug cable if you just need more amplification, but not something you'd want to do if you want to bypass the amp and dac stage of your phone.

As for amp/dacs something like the Fiio E7 or the ibasso D zero should suit your needs well.

Damn. So I would be better off with an ipod classic or touch? :(
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
The cracking on my HD 555s is getting pretty bad. Okay more than pretty bad, at this point I either need to replace the cracked part or the headphones entirely. I assume you can't get replacement... housing? Or whatever that part would be.

If it would be cheap to replace it that would be the best option, it will probably be 2-3 months before I'll have money to put toward some new headphones. If it's not cheap or possible I guess it's time to start researching again.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Damn. So I would be better off with an ipod classic or touch? :(

I mean, if you're going to have a portable amp/dac it's always going to be cumbersome carrying two devices at the same time anyway. The connections are fairly manageable, it's just that I prefer to make my portable setup as uncomplicated as possible. Plus having it tied to an amp/dac makes your phone very cumbersome to use too if you want to use it as a phone.

If you're going to carry an iPod along with your phone anyway I think you could try giving a portable amp/dac a go.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Searching around it looks like replacing that part probably isn't an option, so I'm going to have to get into shopping mode.

Looking to spend about $100 or less. Not a hard limit but I'd prefer not to go over that much. Specifically need them for home use so big and open are fine, I have some portable headphones already. Don't have a portable amp or DAC, but I run the headphones through my receiver which works similarly I guess? Would like a native 1/4 inch plug, but I might have to go with an adapter. How much do those impact sound quality? I've never used one.

Use them for both gaming and music listening so I imagine a good soundstage is important. Mostly listen to rock/metal but a variety of other genres make their way into my listening too. I haven't really used enough decent headphones to say what sort of sound I like specifically, unfortunately.

Seems like Grado SR80i or Alessandro MS1 might be a good choices for me based on the music I listen to, though they would require an adapter. Open to suggestions, probably not buying until March/April since I've got other financial priorities.
 
The cracking on my HD 555s is getting pretty bad. Okay more than pretty bad, at this point I either need to replace the cracked part or the headphones entirely. I assume you can't get replacement... housing? Or whatever that part would be.

If it would be cheap to replace it that would be the best option, it will probably be 2-3 months before I'll have money to put toward some new headphones. If it's not cheap or possible I guess it's time to start researching again.
Did you try contacting Senn's customer support? I wonder if they will replace it for you.
 

chaosblade

Unconfirmed Member
Did you try contacting Senn's customer support? I wonder if they will replace it for you.

They're 4 years old, and I saw mention on another forum it was $60 to repair/replace the headphones out of warranty. I'd rather just get new ones than pay that much to repair these, especially if it will just happen again.
 

UrbanRats

Member
What would be an online store within Europe that i could look for some headphones? I bought the previous ones from Jaycar, but even though they apparently have UK stores, they ship from Australia, and i'd like to avoid having to pay customs.

Incidentally, they seem the only people to have the Digitech Pro Monitor Headphones.
 

elfinke

Member
Have you tried the comply foam tips and see if they're compatible with your in ears? I find them to be comfortable and seal pretty well too.

http://www.complyfoam.com/

edit: oh wait, those were probably the foam tips you mentioned. I don't find comply to really affect the sound signature that much though.

Yeah the grey ones on that page for the other Vsonics look very similar to the ones that shipped with my set. I'll just keep on keepin' on with them, perhaps leave them at home playing some music during the work week and see if there is a noticeable improvement.

Thanks!
 

Geneijin

Member
what do you mean before? Is there some sale price you can apply to it?
The Philips sale was when Amazon was running a Philips sales promo. The X1s at $250 now was another sales price before the last, recent sale (the Philips one).

Edit: It may or may not be a good time to get one. Beats paying $300 for them. Who knows if and when it'll hit $200.
 
Got my X1s today. How annoying, the included cable terminates on one end in a full-size connector which you connect with the adapter to a 3.5" connector. So I have this huge thing hanging off my music player (a Samsung Galaxy Note II) and I had to take the case off because I couldn't even jam the thing into the headphone jack with the case on.

I guess I have to buy a cable now. It's going to have to be a braided one though because the included one is braided and is so nice to look at.
 

SteveO409

Did you know Halo invented the FPS?
Got my X1s today. How annoying, the included cable terminates on one end in a full-size connector which you connect with the adapter to a 3.5" connector. So I have this huge thing hanging off my music player (a Samsung Galaxy Note II) and I had to take the case off because I couldn't even jam the thing into the headphone jack with the case on.

I guess I have to buy a cable now. It's going to have to be a braided one though because the included one is braided and is so nice to look at.

You could pick the cables the poster has above for about $10-$20. Could get it cheaper but personal preference
 
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