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

mr stroke

mr stroke

Member
Starsunder said:
Just some glamour shots of the HE-500's.

Used my phone so forgive the quality.

PR9zmCSl.jpg


J0urEf9l.jpg



Really love these things. Sounds leaps better than my 880's, which I was skeptical of.
Click to expand...

those hifiman's look amazing

2 questions

do the planar magnetic drivers make a massive difference in audio quality

and do they require an amp to power them properly(would a MacBook Pro/iMac be enough?)
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
mr stroke said:
those hifiman's look amazing

2 questions

do the planar magnetic drivers make a massive difference in audio quality

and do they require an amp to power them properly(would a MacBook Pro/iMac be enough?)
Click to expand...

Yes and YES

a macbook alone won't do
 
S

Servbot24

Banned
H

HiResDes

Member
$100 ain't nothing for an amp, you'd probably be shelling out at least $200 for anything adequate to power them...When you get that high up in headphones you can expect that.

Servbot24 said:
And they're now shot, after minimal use. Stay away from these. Worst product I've purchased in a while.
Click to expand...

PM me your address I got a present for you.
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
As long as noise isn't an issue, the Schiit Vali should be enough to drive most cans really. I'll be getting the FX850 in a few days. Eager to see how they stack up against my other stuff
 
R

Robobandit

Member
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
As long as noise isn't an issue, the Schiit Vali should be enough to drive most cans really. I'll be getting the FX850 in a few days. Eager to see how they stack up against my other stuff
Click to expand...

A Schiit Magni has more power than the Vali for driving headphones, but I do love the sound of the Vali quite a bit.

Hard to wrong with either amp, really. Especially at their price points.
 
S

Starsunder

Member
mr stroke said:
those hifiman's look amazing

2 questions

do the planar magnetic drivers make a massive difference in audio quality

and do they require an amp to power them properly(would a MacBook Pro/iMac be enough?)
Click to expand...

Yes the planar magnetic drivers are fucking awesome. Like, seriously.

And yeah they're recommended to be used with an amp. Mines just a FiiO E9 though, which is nothing special, and it does a wonderful job of driving these IMO.

These were well worth the money.
 
A

Afro

Member
garath said:
I'm falling down the rabbit hole. I want to buy accessories for my accessory.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004LPZBD6/?tag=neogaf0e-20
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BJ17WKK/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I really want that headphone stand. I have no real place to put my headphones right now other than resting them on my desk. Not a lot of real estate on my desk so the hanging off the side is a great solution.
Click to expand...

Don't spend $26 on a stand.

Pay less than half and get a banana holder or hose hook. Not sure if these two are particularly great, just two examples.
 
mr stroke

mr stroke

Member
Starsunder said:
Yes the planar magnetic drivers are fucking awesome. Like, seriously.

And yeah they're recommended to be used with an amp. Mines just a FiiO E9 though, which is nothing special, and it does a wonderful job of driving these IMO.

These were well worth the money.
Click to expand...

is a small FiiO E6 enough to power the HifiMan HE-400's?

I don't have a problem buying a nice amp, its that I use my Macbook 90% of the time mobile or on the couch/bed and I really don't want to lug around a desktop amp :\
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
mr stroke said:
is a small FiiO E6 enough to power the HifiMan HE-400's?

I don't have a problem buying a nice amp, its that I use my Macbook 90% of the time mobile or on the couch/bed and I really don't want to lug around a desktop amp :\
Click to expand...

Just get a DAC, like the FiiO E07K.

You spent $$$ for the headphones, might as well come correct.
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
So today I discovered something very weird, and a little depressing. I had never actually opened my iPhone's earpods until just now (I'm letting my girlfriend borrow them). To my surprise, they sound better than these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VHAJJU/?tag=neogaf0e-20

I bought them based on the reviews/general reception, and I swear they have less bass and shittier treble than the Apple earbuds. Am I crazy? Do they need to burn-in more?

Bah!
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Apple earpods are actually quite good, but no they don't have more bass than the Victors. I'm pretty sure the fit doesn't agree with your ears.
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
HiResDes said:
Apple earpods are actually quite good, but no they don't have more bass than the Victors. I'm pretty sure the fit doesn't agree with your ears.
Click to expand...

Weird. The double-flanged tips I bought are comfortable but sound like ass, while the stock tips sound decent-ish (the treble is pretty shrill). Do you have any other suggestions?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Jimmy Stav said:
Weird. The double-flanged tips I bought are comfortable but sound like ass, while the stock tips sound decent-ish (the treble is pretty shrill). Do you have any other suggestions?
Click to expand...
Hmm not sure man, I might just try and sell them. I've had fit problems with IEMs in the past sometimes they are meant to be inserted deeper than you think, sometimes the opposite, and sometimes the awful truth is that you'll never find that perfect seal.
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
HiResDes said:
Hmm not sure man, I might just try and sell them. I've had fit problems with IEMs in the past sometimes they are meant to be inserted deeper than you think, sometimes the opposite, and sometimes the awful truth is that you'll never find that perfect seal.
Click to expand...

Bummer.

I was interested in the HA-FXD80, initially, so maybe I should just try those? Or will I be running into the same problem?
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
Jimmy Stav said:
So today I discovered something very weird, and a little depressing. I had never actually opened my iPhone's earpods until just now (I'm letting my girlfriend borrow them). To my surprise, they sound better than these:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004VHAJJU/?tag=neogaf0e-20


I bought them based on the reviews/general reception, and I swear they have less bass and shittier treble than the Apple earbuds. Am I crazy? Do they need to burn-in more?

Bah!
Click to expand...

That is really god damned weird. The JVC house sound has got gobs of bass. Hell I have to EQ the low end on the FX500 by a factor of -8 (out of 10!) on my Sony Walkman's bass settings just to get them resembling something neutral.

The EarPods are damn good though, and better still with some foamies slapped on em.

Anywho, FX850 comin in tomorrow. Expecting gobs of bass, so I'll be modding/EQing them cause the JVC FX wood phones usually have great timbre. Gonna see how they stack up against the SE846. The loser gets sold
 
S

Splash Wave

Member
HiResDes said:
Gonna be the exact same thing lol. They're the exact same shape and have less bass actually as cited in numerous comparative reviews.
Click to expand...

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
That is really god damned weird. The JVC house sound has got gobs of bass. Hell I have to EQ the low end on the FX500 by a factor of -8 (out of 10!) on my Sony Walkman's bass settings just to get them resembling something neutral.

The EarPods are damn good though, and better still with some foamies slapped on em.

Anywho, FX850 comin in tomorrow. Expecting gobs of bass, so I'll be modding/EQing them cause the JVC FX wood phones usually have great timbre. Gonna see how they stack up against the SE846. The loser gets sold
Click to expand...

False alarm, for the most part. I no longer have the EarPods with me as a point of comparison, but I dug out the larger tips and they sound waaaay better. The bass is huge, and the treble isn't sounding as shrill. These things are fucking tight in my ears.

I'm still not a huge fan of the highs on these, even if there's been an improvement. Might it just be that I listen to music extremely loud? And am I doing myself a disservice by using my iPhone's "Hip-Hop" setting? It lowers the treble and as a result makes my music (mostly Hip-Hop) sound a lot better.
 
T

Tonza

Member
Bought a pair of Logitech UE6000 even though my 2 main headphones are in the same price range and closed as well. (V-Moda M-80 and Sennheiser RS170)

But they were cheap... I really shouldn't have bought those M80's last month. Sparked my headphone interest again. Now I want to buy Philips X1's too.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
HiResDes said:
Good idea as long as you'll be amping them with something.
Click to expand...
Remember I have a Schiit Asgard which is plugged into a MSII+ and presently I am using some quarter cut softie Grado 325is but I want to liven my life with some closed cans. I'm thinking of using some tax return for the Mad Dogs.
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
Jimmy Stav said:
False alarm, for the most part. I no longer have the EarPods with me as a point of comparison, but I dug out the larger tips and they sound waaaay better. The bass is huge, and the treble isn't sounding as shrill. These things are fucking tight in my ears.

I'm still not a huge fan of the highs on these, even if there's been an improvement. Might it just be that I listen to music extremely loud? And am I doing myself a disservice by using my iPhone's "Hip-Hop" setting? It lowers the treble and as a result makes my music (mostly Hip-Hop) sound a lot better.
Click to expand...

Could be, either that or insertion depth (the highs are affected by how far you've got em in your ears, whether deep or shallow). Anyhow, I'd recommend downloading an equalizer app and taking down 5-7 KHz. or 8-10 KHz. If you're getting shrill treble it's either one of those frequency ranges that are settin you off. Headphone manufacturers usually bump or spike the aforementioned frequencies to accentuate edge and presence which contributes to the sensation of increased "detail". Especially if the low end has been crazily boosted as is often the case with JVC's IEMs, you'll need more decibels there so that you're not left with a muddy sound.

Oh yeah, probably goes without sayin but I'd watch the volume if I were you. Tinnitus and hearing damage ain't something you want if you plan on listening to music into old age, either that or listen for shorter sessions if you gotta have it up loud. You can check your hearing range with a tone generator app like Tone Gen on the App Store
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Dice said:
Remember I have a Schiit Asgard which is plugged into a MSII+ and presently I am using some quarter cut softie Grado 325is but I want to liven my life with some closed cans. I'm thinking of using some tax return for the Mad Dogs.
Click to expand...

I forgot, you have a better setup than me I'm just using a Schiit Modi/Magni combo, sold my HIfiman EF2A. Mad Dogs gonna sound great

Jimmy Stav said:
False alarm, for the most part. I no longer have the EarPods with me as a point of comparison, but I dug out the larger tips and they sound waaaay better. The bass is huge, and the treble isn't sounding as shrill. These things are fucking tight in my ears.

I'm still not a huge fan of the highs on these, even if there's been an improvement. Might it just be that I listen to music extremely loud? And am I doing myself a disservice by using my iPhone's "Hip-Hop" setting? It lowers the treble and as a result makes my music (mostly Hip-Hop) sound a lot better.
Click to expand...

I don't use EQ settings at all.
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
The description of Mad Dog Pro is tempting, as in, fitting to my most common listening, but with the cable you have to buy with it that's $100 over the original. Since I don't know how satisfied I'll be with the originals I can't justify a 33% cost increase.

So I tried to buy Mad Dogs... but the site is giving me errors when I try to go to checkout in both browsers.

Edit: And I tried to email them about it and it said the reCAPTCHA wasn't entered correctly... there was no reCAPTCHA. I don't have adblock or anything that would prevent it from displaying if there was.
 
G

Got the Shakes

Member
The VC1000 and the GR07 BE are basically the same price at this point. I listen to a pretty wide variety of music (basically everything except for country). Thoughts between those 2?
 
Dice

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Okay, my cart timed out or something and I guess that reset whatever error it had. Mad Dogs ordered. ^__^

I was debating whether to get those or one of the mics I need for the studio I hope to complete some day, but I won't be able to complete that until quite a bit later (2 years?) so I prioritized to what I'll be using everyday rather than maybe screwing around with for a podcast or two/voice chat/other non-music-recording purposes.
 
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