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

John Blade

Member
Just wondering what is the best and cheap earbubs you can get for your money? Right now, I am consider to get some as something I can use on the go during the cold time and want sometime I can use on the go without fearing it will break or damage as it's cheap to be replace. My budget is less than 30 dollars and here are list of ear bubs I am looking right now as it's dirt cheap from an outlet store here.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 350
Panasonic Rp-Hje120 Ergofit Silver Earbuds
Jvc Hafr201 Xtreme Xplosives Earbuds W/Mic
Jvc Ha-Fr37b Marshmallow Blk Earbuds W/Mic+Rem
Jvc Ha-F160 Black Gumy Earbuds
Jvc Ha-Fx101 Xtreme Xpolsives Earbuds
Jvc Hafx8 Riptidz Sweatproof White Earbuds
Logitech Ultimate Ears 350Vi Noise-Isolt.Earbuds
 

maven

Member
The Magni 2 Uber would allow me to amp both my headphones and monitors yes?

magni%202%20uber%20rr%201000.jpg


Just wanna make sure before going for it

Yep - it has a line / pre out for feeding another amp or active speakers.

Just be aware that it cuts output to the speakers when you plug headphones in.
 
Just wondering what is the best and cheap earbubs you can get for your money? Right now, I am consider to get some as something I can use on the go during the cold time and want sometime I can use on the go without fearing it will break or damage as it's cheap to be replace. My budget is less than 30 dollars and here are list of ear bubs I am looking right now as it's dirt cheap from an outlet store here.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 350
Panasonic Rp-Hje120 Ergofit Silver Earbuds
Jvc Hafr201 Xtreme Xplosives Earbuds W/Mic
Jvc Ha-Fr37b Marshmallow Blk Earbuds W/Mic+Rem
Jvc Ha-F160 Black Gumy Earbuds
Jvc Ha-Fx101 Xtreme Xpolsives Earbuds
Jvc Hafx8 Riptidz Sweatproof White Earbuds
Logitech Ultimate Ears 350Vi Noise-Isolt.Earbuds

A lot of people like the Xiomi pistons + Comply tips - i think they are $30 total.
 

Waikis

Member
Just wondering what is the best and cheap earbubs you can get for your money? Right now, I am consider to get some as something I can use on the go during the cold time and want sometime I can use on the go without fearing it will break or damage as it's cheap to be replace. My budget is less than 30 dollars and here are list of ear bubs I am looking right now as it's dirt cheap from an outlet store here.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 350
Panasonic Rp-Hje120 Ergofit Silver Earbuds
Jvc Hafr201 Xtreme Xplosives Earbuds W/Mic
Jvc Ha-Fr37b Marshmallow Blk Earbuds W/Mic+Rem
Jvc Ha-F160 Black Gumy Earbuds
Jvc Ha-Fx101 Xtreme Xpolsives Earbuds
Jvc Hafx8 Riptidz Sweatproof White Earbuds
Logitech Ultimate Ears 350Vi Noise-Isolt.Earbuds

Check out Yuin Pk3 as well.
 
My first foray into this stuff: I ordered some Sennheiser HD650s the other day and just ordered my DAC and amp (Schiit Modi 2 uber/Asgard 2)

My ears are ready.
nua4BBhm.jpg

AZxILqfm.jpg

hsJragUm.jpg
 

HiResDes

Member
Just wondering what is the best and cheap earbubs you can get for your money? Right now, I am consider to get some as something I can use on the go during the cold time and want sometime I can use on the go without fearing it will break or damage as it's cheap to be replace. My budget is less than 30 dollars and here are list of ear bubs I am looking right now as it's dirt cheap from an outlet store here.

Logitech Ultimate Ears 350
Panasonic Rp-Hje120 Ergofit Silver Earbuds
Jvc Hafr201 Xtreme Xplosives Earbuds W/Mic
Jvc Ha-Fr37b Marshmallow Blk Earbuds W/Mic+Rem
Jvc Ha-F160 Black Gumy Earbuds
Jvc Ha-Fx101 Xtreme Xpolsives Earbuds
Jvc Hafx8 Riptidz Sweatproof White Earbuds
Logitech Ultimate Ears 350Vi Noise-Isolt.Earbuds
Do you want bud style in-ears specifically?
 

NotBacon

Member
Does anybody in here use Linux(Ubuntu) with a desktop DAC? Was considering JDS ODAC or Schiit Modi 2, but I don't want to purchase if they won't work properly...

My first foray into this stuff: I ordered some Sennheiser HD650s the other day and just ordered my DAC and amp (Schiit Modi 2 uber/Asgard 2)

My ears are ready.

Get some FLAC (or MP3 VBR V0) and get ready for ecstasy.
 

HiResDes

Member
Who do these guys think they are how are your first sets gonna be a pair of HD650 and mother fucking Fostex TH600, that's fucking ridiculous. The nerve of y'all. It's like getting a Ferrari for your first car.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
Who do these guys think they are how are your first sets gonna be a pair of HD650 and mother fucking Fostex TH600, that's fucking ridiculous. The nerve of y'all. It's like getting a Ferrari for your first car.

Well to my defence, I had never even heard of a Fostex before I stumbled upon this thread so I have no preconception on what kind of brand it is, Ferrari or Fiat :D

Ultimately the combination of reading reviews of all the kit mentioned in the last few pages and the realities what was available in London in any reasonable timeframe made the decision for me.

I am not entirely green what comes to spending in decent audio as I have had a Genelec setup since 2008, it's just that I have never invested in any headphones better than Sennheiser 450s before. I have never once regretted my Genelecs, and doubt I will regret these either. I drew the line to not going for Foxtex TH900s, as I do not believe my modest level of sophistication could truly appreciate the difference, based again on what I read online.
 
I see you live by the mantra of, "Go big or go home.".

not fucking around, I see. You'll be well pleased.

Who do these guys think they are how are your first sets gonna be a pair of HD650 and mother fucking Fostex TH600, that's fucking ridiculous. The nerve of y'all. It's like getting a Ferrari for your first car.

This has actually been a long time coming. I've been wanting to do a real setup forever. My dad has some hd650s and knew that I've been wanting to get something better, I just didn't know how high I wanted to go. For Christmas he bought me some hd280s ($100) and said if I didn't like them then I could return them and buy something else. He is a sound engineer so we spent the good part of the day listening and comparing the sound between different price levels of headphones. I didn't know if I would be able to hear the difference between $50, $100 or even $500 headphones, similar how I can't really tell the difference between cheap and expensive wine. My dad is a sound engineer so he had a lot of fun things to compare and test against. We had 3 headphones plugged into a multi output amp and we could swap between the different pairs. I could definitely tell a difference between the difference. And I think it was then that I fell in love with open back headphones compared to the isolated ones. Once I decided to get open backs, it was between the hd598, hd600 and the hd650. I set a deal alert on slickdeals and was checking my email constantly. Saw the other day that the hd650 was $295 so I jumped in. So in a way I know what I'm getting into because I have heard these before through uncompressed live stuff my dad had recorded, games, and even spotify streams, I was constantly impressed.
 

Waikis

Member
Sorry....ear bubs, cheap one that is somewhat decent but cost less than 30 dollars.

He's asking whether you are looking for:
a) Earbuds (sits loosely on your ear) e.g. yuin PK3.
b) Canalbuds (middle ground between earbuds and IEM, sits inside the ends of your canals) or
C) IEMs (goes deep in your ear canals)
 

John Blade

Member
He's asking whether you are looking for:
a) Earbuds (sits loosely on your ear) e.g. yuin PK3.
b) Canalbuds (middle ground between earbuds and IEM, sits inside the ends of your canals) or
C) IEMs (goes deep in your ear canals)

Sorry...I guess any of the three choice really. No too picky in earphone but I try to avoid any Apple one for now. For me, I am using the ear phone below.

900x900px-LL-85d69f0f_IMAG0101.jpeg

JVC HAFX8 RIPTIDZ

It work fine and for $12.00 CDN, it's won't break the bank if I loose it or got damage in a year.
 

Servbot24

Banned
Sorry...I guess any of the three choice really. No too picky in earphone but I try to avoid any Apple one for now. For me, I am using the ear phone below.

900x900px-LL-85d69f0f_IMAG0101.jpeg

JVC HAFX8 RIPTIDZ

It work fine and for $12.00 CDN, it's won't break the bank if I loose it or got damage in a year.

Just google "best headphones under $30". There are too many to give a real recommendation.
 

NotBacon

Member
Sorry...I guess any of the three choice really. No too picky in earphone but I try to avoid any Apple one for now. For me, I am using the ear phone below.

JVC HAFX8 RIPTIDZ

It work fine and for $12.00 CDN, it's won't break the bank if I loose it or got damage in a year.

Just get the Yuin Pk3. They're pretty well liked for a budget earbud.
 

Ptaaty

Member
I have had my Fidelio X2s for an extended weekend....simply amazing. Absolutely enjoyable from Skrillex to Jeff Buckley. Sounds great from Sansa Clip and straight out of the PC.

I'll try and do a detailed review / cross post with Head fi after my friend and I do a comparo with Schiit stack, ATH-M50s, HE-400, maybe a few others.

I am on the verge of buying another set so I have one at home and one at the office...
 
Well to my defence, I had never even heard of a Fostex before I stumbled upon this thread so I have no preconception on what kind of brand it is, Ferrari or Fiat :D

Ultimately the combination of reading reviews of all the kit mentioned in the last few pages and the realities what was available in London in any reasonable timeframe made the decision for me.

I am not entirely green what comes to spending in decent audio as I have had a Genelec setup since 2008, it's just that I have never invested in any headphones better than Sennheiser 450s before. I have never once regretted my Genelecs, and doubt I will regret these either. I drew the line to not going for Foxtex TH900s, as I do not believe my modest level of sophistication could truly appreciate the difference, based again on what I read online.

For your next upgrade get a set of Audeze LCD3-Fs...or you pay prefer the HD800s to suit your style. If you can have a listen to them you will really appreciate the difference and there is no going back. The LCD3's are the best headphones i have ever heard, period. I fell in love with them from day 1.

I dont know if there are shops where you live where you can audition equipment...but yeah, they are really amazing to hear.
 

Chittagong

Gold Member
For your next upgrade get a set of Audeze LCD3-Fs...or you pay prefer the HD800s to suit your style. If you can have a listen to them you will really appreciate the difference and there is no going back. The LCD3's are the best headphones i have ever heard, period. I fell in love with them from day 1.

I dont know if there are shops where you live where you can audition equipment...but yeah, they are really amazing to hear.

Thanks for the recommendation! I will certainly give them both a try if I come across them. I haven't yet found a place in London displaying more niche brands like Audeze but I will be in LA, SF and NYC in February so I will see if I would find a shop. I have seen your excitement over the LCD3s in the thread so am very interested to give them a go!

And testing the higher end Sennheisers are interesting given my previous less than impressive experience with their lower end kit - seeing the difference should be educational.
 
Thanks for the recommendation! I will certainly give them both a try if I come across them. I haven't yet found a place in London displaying more niche brands like Audeze but I will be in LA, SF and NYC in February so I will see if I would find a shop. I have seen your excitement over the LCD3s in the thread so am very interested to give them a go!

And testing the higher end Sennheisers are interesting given my previous less than impressive experience with their lower end kit - seeing the difference should be educational.

The Sennheiser HD800s cant be compared to their cheaper offerings - they really are such a unique sound. There is a reason why they are the flagship and have not been redesigned in such a long time. They are the most neutral and transparent headphones i have ever listened to. They do require a decent amp to run them (many people prefer tube amps because the warmth of the tube amps offsets the brightness/trebly nature of the HD800s). The HD800s are particular fussy with amps so make sure if you can audition it, you can get a good pairing.

With the Audeze..the sound is just so lovely and warm. The bass and drums are just fantastic. Such a lovely thick sound and, i just love them.

You will need a decent amount of power to run these and give them a proper audition.

Im sure london will have places that sell the Audeze.

If i was in london right now id be looking at my stereo setup :) Lots of lovely places around there. Im looking at the Devialet 120 paired with the KEF LS50 in blue and white. This is my next big purchase for hifi when i set up my dedicated stereo room when i get my new apartment.
 

HiResDes

Member
Sorry...I guess any of the three choice really. No too picky in earphone but I try to avoid any Apple one for now. For me, I am using the ear phone below.

900x900px-LL-85d69f0f_IMAG0101.jpeg

JVC HAFX8 RIPTIDZ

It work fine and for $12.00 CDN, it's won't break the bank if I loose it or got damage in a year.
Oh in that case Xaomi Piston 2.0 or Soundmagic E10 or if those are too much then grab some Brainwavz Delta. Do not get the monoprice ones they're quite uncomfortable and have a worse build. Don't listen to these budget plebs
 

Courage

Member
Can anyone here with the HE-400s (or whoever has tried them) comment on the treble and female vocals specifically? I realize there's gonna be trade-offs with headphones, and I'm willing to compromise for lesser quality as long as it's still competent. I'm only asking since a lot of people on head-fi are saying the sibilance and treble spikes become unlistenable and headache-inducing, so I'm not sure if that's audiophile hyperbole or not.

I got some FocusPad As coming as well, and supposedly make the treble a little bit more neutral.
 

HiResDes

Member
I wouldn't be too worried people on headfi either seem to be treble addicts or act like their so sensitive to treble that they want it eliminated from a headphones range altogether. If they prove to be too bright you can sell them and get the HE300, which are cheaper anyway.
 

yonder

Member
I have had my Fidelio X2s for an extended weekend....simply amazing. Absolutely enjoyable from Skrillex to Jeff Buckley. Sounds great from Sansa Clip and straight out of the PC.

I'll try and do a detailed review / cross post with Head fi after my friend and I do a comparo with Schiit stack, ATH-M50s, HE-400, maybe a few others.

I am on the verge of buying another set so I have one at home and one at the office...
I've had mine for almost a week now and I'm so happy with them. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I had some issues with the treble being fatiguing, (I think I simply wasn't used to hearing so much detail, and it all being pretty up front) but now that my ears are used to them I think they're pretty much perfect for me. Glad this thread exists – otherwise I might have stuck with cheap earbuds for the rest of my life.
 

Kipp

but I am taking tiny steps forward
Can anyone here with the HE-400s (or whoever has tried them) comment on the treble and female vocals specifically? I realize there's gonna be trade-offs with headphones, and I'm willing to compromise for lesser quality as long as it's still competent. I'm only asking since a lot of people on head-fi are saying the sibilance and treble spikes become unlistenable and headache-inducing, so I'm not sure if that's audiophile hyperbole or not.

I got some FocusPad As coming as well, and supposedly make the treble a little bit more neutral.

I'm pretty sensitive to treble, so I EQ the treble down a tiny bit through my FiiO E17 when listening to my HE-400s. Even without the EQ, it's very listenable, just slightly uncomfortable over long periods of time for me. With the slight EQ adjustment it's absolutely perfect for me.

Female vocals don't sound particularly impressive on the HE-400s, but they definitely don't sound bad. Basically, while it's not a strength of the HE-400s, it's definitely not a weakness. They're still very competent in that area.

Overall, I'd highly recommend them. I've had mine for two years and they've been brilliant.
 

BurningNad

Member
Hey guys. I need some halp. Here's the situation:

I have a Blue Snowball microphone for my PC. I want to get a pair of good headphones (well, $50 - $80 range) since I don't need a headset with a mic built in. Here's where the problem arises - I want to be able to hear myself through the headphones when I speak, like most gaming headsets have built in.

I am aware of the "Listen to this device" in Windows sound settings, but there is a .25ish second delay between when I speak and when I hear myself, as opposed to instantly with the "gaming" headsets. And it's really annoying.

Is this possible to amend? Do I just have to get a gaming headset to get it to work the way I want it to? Thanks for any help or recommendations!
 
I have had my Fidelio X2s for an extended weekend....simply amazing. Absolutely enjoyable from Skrillex to Jeff Buckley. Sounds great from Sansa Clip and straight out of the PC.

I'll try and do a detailed review / cross post with Head fi after my friend and I do a comparo with Schiit stack, ATH-M50s, HE-400, maybe a few others.

I am on the verge of buying another set so I have one at home and one at the office...

I've had mine for almost a week now and I'm so happy with them. As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I had some issues with the treble being fatiguing, (I think I simply wasn't used to hearing so much detail, and it all being pretty up front) but now that my ears are used to them I think they're pretty much perfect for me. Glad this thread exists – otherwise I might have stuck with cheap earbuds for the rest of my life.

I got mine yesterday and they are everything I hoped they'd be an more. Only had a chance to listen for about an hour or so, but every genre of music I tried sounded wonderful. I was listening through my FiiO E07K hooked up to my laptop. I finally think I found my perfect headphone, and now that I have I hope my wallet finally see some relief.
 

vertical

Neo Member
Nice to hear great things about the X2. If I didn't already have my NAD VISO HP50s, the X2 would be on my list for sure.

Hey UC, you really should pick up the X2! The X2 & HP50 really complement each other very well...you'd own a great closed and a great open headphone.

Just kidding you. Ignore my peer pressure humor.
;)
 

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
Razor Dog Audio has the El-8s up for preorder, citing early March delivery.

Ordered the opens, and will cancel if impressions come out way off from CES, or I demo them and don't love them.
 

Waikis

Member
Any idea how much I'd have to spend for a real upgrade from the Denon D2000?

Well the only options would be the usual HD800 / LCD 2/ LCD 3.

Don't be tempted to get a fancy amp / dac at this point, upgrading your headphone would provide the most upgrade. Also, look through the classified section on head-fi, plenty of good deals on there, an LCD3 is probably only around $1600, HD800 should be ~$1100.
 
Well the only options would be the usual HD800 / LCD 2/ LCD 3.

Don't be tempted to get a fancy amp / dac at this point, upgrading your headphone would provide the most upgrade. Also, look through the classified section on head-fi, plenty of good deals on there, an LCD3 is probably only around $1600, HD800 should be ~$1100.

Really? Damn, can't afford stuff like that. I was thinking of maybe an open headphone.. maybe up to $500ish? :\
 
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