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

H

HiResDes

Member
garath said:
Good thoughts, thanks. I'm actually asking my friend to bring the 558s into work so I can test them a bit. Those keep getting recommended and the price is definitely good. I think my only concern at this point is sound leakage. If it's not too bad they'll be a win. If it's really bad then I may have to start looking for a closed pair. I don't want to disturb my family with gaming.

edit: Any thoughts on the HD380s?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UE6I0G/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Click to expand...

If you want a big bang for your buck headphone check out the Gemini DJ HSR-1000

Or you if you have a little more money to spend these are amazing and are semi-open, which means they leak but not as much as a fully open headphone:

Somic MH463, make sure you get some replacement pads though
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Saren is Bad said:
Thanks again. Before I pull the trigger, how do the Momentum compare to the V-Moda M100s? Specifically in sound leakage, if you have any knowledge of that for these phones. Going to be wearing them at work.
Click to expand...
They are both about a seven. Unfortunately most of the best sounding closed cans aren't a ten in isolation. Beyerdynamic DT250 are about a ten in isolation and sound great but are kind of ugly
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I've had the Momentum for a a little while now , and have learned that you can turn up the volume really loud before people hear your music. I'm talking volume 45 of 60 on the E17. It shocks them when I take them off and they hear how I'm blasting a playlist. But ymmv, because it may come down to the fit on your head.

Also, I went back to the TMA-1, after months of exclusivity with the Momentum, and gotdamn the ear shock was massive. I'm having a hard time believing I ever enjoyed them. They're so freaking dark. My name for them is "Bass For No Reason",
 
G

Geneijin

Member
Tommy DJ said:
The Sennheiser HD558 can be modded to be close enough to the HD598 if that means anything.

The good thing about the DT990 is that the design is pretty solid for the price so the excessive treble doesn't really have any severe negative issues like crazy driver ringing, unlike most of Beyer's more expensive headphones. The CSD plots are all pretty nice so if the treble is too excessive, equalization can probably do wonders to tackle the problem.
Click to expand...
I've listened to the HD555 mod, but I wasn't a fan. I found the highs more shrilled because of the removal.

And I never experienced driver ringing. What's that exactly?

Smurf Yetti said:
Hey guys...

I'm not too much of an audiophile, so I don't know how far I should go. I'm willing to spend some money for a decent pair of headphones (probably up to $300--maybe more if you can convince me haha). I really like the aesthetic of the Sennheiser HD800 (how they fit over the entire ear), but there is no way I'm spending that much on headphones. I know pretty much nothing about amps or if I would need one. Also, the main use for these headphones would be for my desktop computer (gaming, media, etc.), so they need to be comfortable for long periods of time. Is the Audio Technica ATH-ADG1 good?

Edit:
Also, are there any good places to test out headphones?
Click to expand...
I only know of Guitar Center.

As for a $300 headphone, well, what type of music do you generally listen to?

garath said:
Good thoughts, thanks. I'm actually asking my friend to bring the 558s into work so I can test them a bit. Those keep getting recommended and the price is definitely good. I think my only concern at this point is sound leakage. If it's not too bad they'll be a win. If it's really bad then I may have to start looking for a closed pair. I don't want to disturb my family with gaming.
Click to expand...
If you had a $200 budget, I'd just recommend the AKG-K550 (or the Philips Fidelio X1 if Amazon's price match algorithm keeps going lower :lol)

edit2:
ATH-A700x?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E9VKUQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Click to expand...
Not a fan of the AD700 and the A700. I rather get the Samson SR850 at half the price. The AD700 has the better comfort, but I much prefer the value and sound the SR850 offers, most notably the better bass overall.

HiResDes said:
If you want a big bang for your buck headphone check out the Gemini DJ HSR-1000
Click to expand...
As great as the Gemini DJ HSR-1000 are, there are a few caveats I have of them. They're smaller than the Beyerdynamic DT990. If you have a big head, I wouldn't suggest them at all. Yet, despite being small, the light clamp and soft leather pad helps mitigate it. Lastly, they're even more neutral than the traditional Sennheiser sound. It's very good, smooth sound, but I'm not sure there are many people would like such uncolored sound.
 
T

Tommy DJ

Member
Geneijin said:
I've listened to the HD555 mod, but I wasn't a fan. I found the highs more shrilled because of the removal.

And I never experienced driver ringing. What's that exactly?
Click to expand...

Driver ringing is basically distortion caused by the driver (and sometimes exacerbated by poorly designed enclosures), which are mechanical things that don't suddenly reach a stop. What happens is it still vibrates and these oscillations can cause some...unpleasant effects at certain frequencies. Ringing is for treble...I guess boominess is the equivalent for bass.

What does it sound like? Get your hands on most Grados or $500+ Beyerdynmaics with Tesla drivers. Hear that excessively sharp treble or tinny midrange? That's driver ringing and if you look at a waterfall plot, the frequencies causing the ringing will generally have awfully long decay. To show an example, let's look at the Beyerdynamic T5:

W0P9tKz.png


lDiAost.jpg


The huge 5k frequency valley is what causes the painful sharp hiss that people often complain about in regards to treble. The waterfall plot is even worse with lengthy decay everywhere. When Tyll Hertsens said these were a piece of shit, he wasn't joking because they actually measure worse than most $200 headphones.

To refer to my previous post, I don't believe the Beyerdynamic DT990s have any of these issues so the solution to the treble issue can probably be solved with mere equalization rather than actual hardware mods.

These sort of things are the reason why you look at measurements, if they exist with the headphone. They can be uncommon, because audio is basically pseudoscience for most people, but they're very good ways to tell you to stay away from certain headphones. Headphones can theoretically have these problems but still sound subjective great like most "budget" orthodynamic headphones so obviously there is a subjective factor here. The point is that if you're researching headphones, they're a useful resource to use to tell you whether or not you'll hate the shit out of a particular pair of cans Head-Fi proclaims as the next greatest thing in the world.
 
Jzero

Jzero

Member
I think i found my ideal headphones. I just received my MDR10RBT and they are the portable size i wanted for class/work while also being wireless. The sound is not as clear as my UE6000 but the bass is definitely way better and is what i felt was missing with the UE6000. Oh and they have NFC which is always awesome, too bad the only device that has NFC is my Nexus 7 and my phone does not, looks like i need a new phone now.

iB6WgXF5rAt1t.jpg


id7gUNPUFPNtl.jpg
Click to expand...
 
G

garath

Member
think the Sennheiser 558s are on the way out? Price just keeps getting lower. $127 right now at Amazon seems like a damn steal.

I borrowed my friend's 558s and tested them out. Love them. My official birthday isn't until March so hoping the X1s get another price drop (we'll see) but I'd hate to see the 558s go the way of the Sony MA900s if those are the best option for the price when I buy.
 
H

HappyBivouac

Member
What do you guys recommend for some in-ear earphones that don't isolate? I had a pair of Phiaton ps 210's before and they were easily my favorite earphones I've ever owned. Phiaton actually calls them "half in-ear." The sound was absolutely great, and they let my ears breathe. None of that pressurization of isolating IEMs that makes my head hurt. Unfortunately, the left ear on the Phiatons completely died on me, and I've been using my Final Audio Adagio III's, which sound great, but I feel like I need to take them out after ~15 minutes to let my ears breathe. Kind of gives me a headache. So, I'm in need of a new pair of something.

It's really important that I have clear, balanced sound without isolation. I know this kills the bass a little, but the Phiatons were surprisingly good in that regard. If nothing else, I might buy another pair of those, but while they were amazing in almost every regard, they only lasted a little under two years. I'd hate to have that happen again, so I'm looking for something else.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
After numerous years and countless budget cans I think I've finally figured out that I've been deceiving myself. I started out as a bass head, Beyerdynamic DT770s were my first non budget headphone, and they taught me a valuable lesson that bass quantity alone could never truly satisfy me, but they also set my comfort standard very high from the start. I bought a couple of cans with strong midrange, and I promptly realized that a strong mid section alone could never arouse me. I began to favor a V shaped sound spectrum, acquiring the FA-011s, which taught me that open headphones can have alluring bass as well. And I was finally getting closer to discovering the real truth about my tastes. But now after having acquired the X1s and being able to compare them with the Sony MDRMA900 I know exactly what I want.... I like headphones with forwardtreble that some how reaches high without ever becoming sibilant, fast impactful bass, and an extremely airy soundstage that lends the music a certain lush mystique, and I'm still searching for the perfect headphone. DT880s are close, but the bass doesn't pass.
 
B

brianmcdoogle

Member
Strange question, but is it possible to make wired headphones wireless using Bluetooth adapters? Here is what I would like to do...

I have a pair of headphones I love that have a detachable headphone cable. However, every once in awhile I would love for them to be wireless. What I am looking for if it even exists is some sort of device, or rather a pair of devices, that would work by sticking a Bluetooth adapter into the 3.5mm headphone jack in the headphones and the other Bluetooth adapter into the headphone jack of a stereo, or iPhone, or computer, or whatever device that also doesn't have Bluetooth but does have a 3.5mm jack, and have them wirelessly communicate with each other and transmit the audio.

Does this exist?
 
Jzero

Jzero

Member
brianmcdoogle said:
Strange question, but is it possible to make wired headphones wireless using Bluetooth adapters? Here is what I would like to do...

I have a pair of headphones I love that have a detachable headphone cable. However, every once in awhile I would love for them to be wireless. What I am looking for if it even exists is some sort of device, or rather a pair of devices, that would work by sticking a Bluetooth adapter into the 3.5mm headphone jack in the headphones and the other Bluetooth adapter into the headphone jack of a stereo, or iPhone, or computer, or whatever device that also doesn't have Bluetooth but does have a 3.5mm jack, and have them wirelessly communicate with each other and transmit the audio.

Does this exist?
Click to expand...

This?
 
B

brianmcdoogle

Member
Jzero said:
This?
Click to expand...

That looks perfect! (If a bit pricey). Do you think it would work with any Bluetooth receiver? I know it would work with stuff like a phone or computer since you could select the device and pair it with a pass key, but since I want this to work with devices that have no Bluetooth built in, I would need a receiver that could function without a computer and allow easy pairing (and also be small like this device). I guess I'll look around for receivers, but I don't really know much about them. Thanks for the great start!

I went ahead and ordered one very similar to that you posted. I'd like to see how it works with my phone and computer while I search for the other part I mentioned. Specifically now, I want to hook a transmitter into TV speakers and a PS4 controller, so the transmitter would need to be small or lightweight (mainly for the controller. I wouldn't care if it i was big and bulky when connected to the TV, but I don't want something really heavy on the controller).
 
P

Polishin8r

Member
Geneijin said:
No problem. I hope you enjoy them and post some impressions when you get them.
Click to expand...

hey Geneijin...my man....Those Panasonic's you suggested?.....shhhhhhieeeet are freaking awesome will now listen the crap out of them....makes me want to replay the last of us with them :0

I hope i wont go deaf XD
 
G

Gurthang

Banned
I want something for general use. Like playing games, watching videos and movies and listening to music on my laptop. What's good under 100?
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
How's Apple's EQ settings? I'm still feeling it out, but I think my music might sound better with Hip-Hop turned on. Without it, I feel like the high-end gets slightly shrill at louder volumes.

edit: Maybe this is because I'm going back and forth between earbuds and JVC SA-H500s? I'm having problems with the former, which is disappointing as they weren't cheap.

edit 2: And am I crazy, or do double-flanged tips sound a bit worse than normal tips? I feel like I'm losing something when the output isn't projecting as deep into my ear canal.
 
D

Demy

Member
I was studying at a coffee shop for about 8 hours yesterday with a friend. Had my Creative Aurvanas on most of the time while my friend wore my Noontec Zoros. Both have been great to have and both were recommended on this thread.
Just chiming in to say thanks, CansGAF. Next time, I'll spring for a little higher budget and get something real pretty.
 
G

garath

Member
I find myself wanting the X1s even though they are back up to 220. Hearing so many positive impressions.

Are they significantly better than the sen 558s I'm considering? I realize I'm not quite as much of a competitive fps player like I once was so some cans that are a little more fun than just positionally accurate would be good.

Its a solid 100 bucks more than the 558. I could get a xonar card easily with the difference.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
They're better but honestly I kind of miss my Fischer FA-011s which had a harder bass impact and slightly more extended treble. You don't realize what you have until it's gone Sometimes.
 
T

Threi

notag
Have a Superlux HD668B, I really like the sound quality but there are just two things bugging me a little about it:

1. The highs are sligtly too harsh.
2. The low end (not so much midbass but more sub bass) is slightly lacking.

I am aware that its a pretty decent analytical headphone for the money but i feel like my ideal headphone would be something (very) slightly warmer. I have enough bass monster headphones to know that i'm not looking for something that is overly boomy though.

After doing some research apparently the headphones that come the closest (within my budget) are:

1. Superlux HD681 EVO
2. Panasonic RP-HTF600-S
3. JVC HA-RX700

Im not asking which i'd like better, but rather how each of these three compare to the HD668B (sub-bass, mid-bass, mids, treble, soundstage)
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
what would be a good alternative to Sennheiser 555s that are less open, and more comfortable?

I like the sound generally, and the price is about right. But they are uncomfortable on my head after about an hour, and the open nature means I'm annoying my family if I'm trying to listen in the same room as them. I originally bought open based on being able to hear them but it has backfired on me.
 
B

Beatrix

Member
Hey guys I'm looking for a new pair of headphones. With me being indecisive I really would appreciate some suggestions.

Price range: $150-$200

Uses: Primarily music and gaming. Occasionally a movie or tv show.

Platforms of use: Mainly on my laptop/PC/PS4/phone. No real desire to get an amp.

Personal preferences: a strong bass presence but not overwhelming, over ear, durable build, cord and dark color.

Would appreciate any useful information! Thanks :)
 
H

HiResDes

Member
daveb234 said:
Hey guys I'm looking for a new pair of headphones. With me being indecisive I really would appreciate some suggestions.

Price range: $150-$200

Uses: Primarily music and gaming. Occasionally a movie or tv show.

Platforms of use: Mainly on my laptop/PC/PS4/phone. No real desire to get an amp.

Personal preferences: a strong bass presence but not overwhelming, over ear, durable build, cord and dark color.

Would appreciate any useful information! Thanks :)
Click to expand...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FC2R7ZW/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
S

Shalashaska161

Member
Anyone got any suggestions for a cheapish pair of earbuds? My girlfriend wants something new for running because her current apple earbuds fall out of her ear all the time.

Since they're mostly going to be used while running I don't wanna spend more than $40 bucks, but if there is something really good for a bit higher I'm not against splurging a little.
 
T

Talon

Member
Shalashaska161 said:
Anyone got any suggestions for a cheapish pair of earbuds? My girlfriend wants something new for running because her current apple earbuds fall out of her ear all the time.

Since they're mostly going to be used while running I don't wanna spend more than $40 bucks, but if there is something really good for a bit higher I'm not against splurging a little.
Click to expand...
These are the en vogue cheapo earbuds that are way better than their price right now: Panasonic-RPHJE120V

If they're for running exclusively, I would recommend these: Meelectronic m6
 
B

BolognaSoup

Member
Shalashaska161 said:
Anyone got any suggestions for a cheapish pair of earbuds? My girlfriend wants something new for running because her current apple earbuds fall out of her ear all the time.

Since they're mostly going to be used while running I don't wanna spend more than $40 bucks, but if there is something really good for a bit higher I'm not against splurging a little.
Click to expand...

My wife have both used the Koss KSC75 for running/workouts for about two years. They are great for that because they are cheap so no worries about ripping the cord or something, replaceable pads, GREAT SOUND, very light, and open so you can hear traffic and such. I've been using the same pair the whole time and they are holding up strong. Also could go with the slightly more expensive Koss Porta Pros.
 
T

Threi

notag
Shalashaska161 said:
Anyone got any suggestions for a cheapish pair of earbuds? My girlfriend wants something new for running because her current apple earbuds fall out of her ear all the time.

Since they're mostly going to be used while running I don't wanna spend more than $40 bucks, but if there is something really good for a bit higher I'm not against splurging a little.
Click to expand...
Philips SHE3580, JVC HA-FX40, and Meelectronics M6/M9 are all pretty well reviewed for sounding much better than their price.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
injurai said:
i don't get what is supposed to be so great about the rockets...
Click to expand...
I'm on mobile eating a sandwich and the explanation would take a while, but basically they are indestructible, incredibly tiny, feature earplug level noise isolation, innovations in comfort and stability, and sound nearly as good as the ASG-1s...Also I got mine for $130
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
HiResDes said:
I'm on mobile eating a sandwich and the explanation would take a while, but basically they are indestructible, incredibly tiny, feature earplug level noise isolation, innovations in comfort and stability, and sound nearly as good as the ASG-1s...Also I got mine for $130
Click to expand...

ShotgunShane told me they're the best phones AS has designed period, and he's owned the ASG-1, has an AS-2, heard the prototype AS-2, and borrowed the G-2 from Eke. I'm expecting a really fuckin good phone regardless of its price
 
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
I'm on my phone right now so I might say more later, but for now I can just say that I'm deeply in love with my X1's. The sound from these things pretty much nails everything I like in a single package.
 
T

Talon

Member
Unknown Soldier said:
I'm on my phone right now so I might say more later, but for now I can just say that I'm deeply in love with my X1's. The sound from these things pretty much nails everything I like in a single package.
Click to expand...
Feel bad for not pulling the trigger on that Amazon deal, but I don't really need over ears at the moment.

Please come back, deal! Come back for Black Friday!
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Buydig has for Logitech UE 9000 Wireless Bluetooth Headphones for $155 - $20 with coupon code VMEVDAY20 = $135 + free shipping w/ v.me by visa checkout. Thanks DJ3xclusive
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Currently over my friend's house listening to the Gemini HSR-1000 I gave him....Man these might be the biggest steal money can buy at $50, they remind me a lot of Pioneer HDJ-2000, with even better treble.
 
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