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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread
- Thread starter HiResDes
- Start date
I'm sure you guys can help me... I'm fairly new at looking around at headphones, and am looking to upgrade from my cheap IEMs
I think I've pretty much made up my mind of the Audio-Technica M50s, but I wanted to see if anyone would recommend anything else over them with similar features and around the same price range.
I think I've pretty much made up my mind of the Audio-Technica M50s, but I wanted to see if anyone would recommend anything else over them with similar features and around the same price range.
A: Mainly rock, with some other stuff thrown in.Wallach said:
B: I might use them for gaming when its late so I won't bother anyone else in my apartment.
C: Pretty important since I plan on using them in public places (bus and when studying around my campus), so I don't want to bother anyone with them, nor do I want anyone to really bother me.
I have Klipsch Image X10s. Best headphones I've ever owned. Some earbuds can give me headaches because of sizing issues, but these fit perfectly. They also are great in planes for noise cancellation, and in a pinch, they'll work as earplugs when you're trying to sleep and you've got too much noise around you. And yeah, they sound great as well.
pistolpete2940
Member
I was told that I wasnt actually listening to music with my ipod earbuds :lol
What are the best headphones I can get for under $100?
What are the best headphones I can get for under $100?
Butane123 said:
If you're not into IEMs I really like the M50s at that price point, personally. Careful where you get 'em from because ATs are a common target for counterfeits. I think if you're going to be carrying them around a lot you might prefer the M50S version for the straight cord.
longdi
Banned
Thanks all i now know what to get for this month, a new pair of headphone. This thread is poisoning
I have narrowed down to Denon d1100 or d2000. Why d1100? Probably because this is for casual listening, to replace some cheapo panasonic earbuds, something to make noise from my pc and from what i read d1100 is quite bassy and with some eq tweaks, it should sound 90% as good as d2000. Its easy to drive and should do ok for pc gaming and videos.
why d2000 then? a good $100 ahead of d1100. I always felt that need to spend a little more from my budget and maximise my purchase which would last longer. from d2000 reviews, it is well built, comfy and sound a bit better than d1100 with music.
what does neogaf caners think of these 2? should i also consider the ath700 or also wait for the hd595 dropping back to $115? Budget is between $100-200. Im really drawn to the d2000 for the solid looking built.
I have narrowed down to Denon d1100 or d2000. Why d1100? Probably because this is for casual listening, to replace some cheapo panasonic earbuds, something to make noise from my pc and from what i read d1100 is quite bassy and with some eq tweaks, it should sound 90% as good as d2000. Its easy to drive and should do ok for pc gaming and videos.
why d2000 then? a good $100 ahead of d1100. I always felt that need to spend a little more from my budget and maximise my purchase which would last longer. from d2000 reviews, it is well built, comfy and sound a bit better than d1100 with music.
what does neogaf caners think of these 2? should i also consider the ath700 or also wait for the hd595 dropping back to $115? Budget is between $100-200. Im really drawn to the d2000 for the solid looking built.
longdi said:
If you're alright with spending the cash on the D2000s straight away, I would definitely consider them - just bear in mind at that price point you are again opening a lot of other options to consider. I really like D2000s and the whole line, though.
Of course, once you start getting into nicer cans you will quickly realize a nice DAC/AMP is your best friend in maximizing your experience with your new purchase. So yes... this hobby is wallet poison.
On the other hand, something like a E7/E9 combo and a pair of D2000s would be a pretty fucking nice way to open the door in the world of headphone audio equipment!
Eric WK said:
just got a pair of these for Xmas. so good. so pretty.
I couldn't afford them back when they were imported from Japan at $350 but now they're more affordable with an ESW9A model made for the states and selling for around 200 to 250. (I paid 210 plus shipping)
They're not very power hungry but they still benefit a bit from a little amp. i notice it with percussion instruments and bass. it has a bit more kick.
longdi
Banned
I wonder how does those d2000 cans sound unamp? My pc is currently hook to a marantz pm5003 and a pair of mordant short 5" bookshelves. A nice budget setup which i like for my music and passable for nearfield gaming. I also kinda got tired of turning them on everytime i need noise and my panasonic eyebuds is terrible but for the occasional porn. :lol
I bought a pair of Beyerdynamic DT990s last year, but I couldn't afford a decent amp at the time so I got the 32ohm version.
Is there any point in me getting an amp now, i.e. improved sound quality? They currently run off my PC via a Razer Barracuda AC-1 sound card.
I listen to mostly trance, but also rock, alt rock, prog rock and prog metal.
Is there any point in me getting an amp now, i.e. improved sound quality? They currently run off my PC via a Razer Barracuda AC-1 sound card.
I listen to mostly trance, but also rock, alt rock, prog rock and prog metal.
Eric WK said:
yeah, I got em from Beach (via Amazon so they'd ship to Canada).
right now I'm using a ridiculous (and temporary) setup from my iMac. it's iMac USB to nuforce icon DAC/AMP and then to a little CMOY altoids tin amp.
the amp in the nuforce icon is pretty awful, tbh. it cuts off the lower bass frequencies and adds sibilance to the highs. but I need the DAC output for convenience (speakers are connected to headphone out of iMac).
so I hook up the cmoy amp to the output of the DAC and that mellows everything out again. it's kinda close to the sound from the line out of my iphone straight to the cmoy amp.
I have a FiiO E7 DAC/AMP on order and that should arrive in a couple weeks. that should clean everything up.
Dreams-Visions
Member
I probably wrote the D1100 review you read.longdi said:
IMO, the D1100's have too much fucking bass and I don't know why Denon released them in that state. So much bass, I had to actually enable the "Bass Reducer" EQ preset on my iDevice to make them sound decent. without, EQ they're bloated, muddy and the bass affects *everything*. I tried listening to a piano solo and the bass literally destroyed the track. it was horrible from the first note to the last. and as a hip-hop head (probably 75% of my listening) who used to have a 12" woofer in the trunk of his car...there's just too much bass. That should tell you something. :lol
But with that said, if you're willing to EQ the hell out of them to tame the bass, you can make them sound very acceptable and they'll have more bass potential than just about any other portable cans on the market. but there is no way you'll listen to those cans without reducing the bass, so you just have to decide if you're willing to do that work vs. considering a different model. For my money, I'd take the ATH-M50's over the D1100s. In fact, that's what I wound up doing. I sent the D1100's back and bought some M50's. Couldn't be happier.
the D2000's, however, are very enjoyable to my ears. they can be a little harsh for my listening tastes in the highs (i find acoustic guitars to be hard to listen to at high volume levels), but otherwise, they're fantastic. really good.
Anyway, that's my thought on the audio quality reproduction. But these are 2 very different cans. The D1100's isolate better than the D2000s. The D1100's don't leak, while the D2000s leak sound quite a bit (though not as bad as open cans, of course). The D2000s are not portable, so if you envision wanting to take your cans places regularly, the D2000s are going to be a little challenging.
I'm still awaiting my D7000s and HD650's from JR.com. Wait is becoming unbearable. GAF will be the first to know what I think and how they compare to my other cans.
smallmouth
Member
longdi said:
The D2000 are anything but a solid build. They're actually quite fragile as the ear cups hang/swivel from a single screw. The D2000 are good headphones, though.
Dreams-Visions
Member
and exceedingly comfortable. the most comfortable family of cans I've had the pleasure of wearing to date. really, as long as you're not tossing the cans around, they'll be fine and will last a long time.smallmouth said:
Butane123 said:
AT M50s will suffice for rock music, but there're better choices IMHO. Grados are an easy recommendation but they're open, point C pretty much rules the Grados out. Check out the Senheiser HD25-1 IIs, they're awesome for rock music although bass is a little better on the M50s
I'm looking to expand my audio equipment collection. Have a set of Sony MDRs for earphones and I don't think I'll be needing one more for now, but my Audio Technica clip-ons have broken and I need a pair of portables.
Question: IEMs or clip-ons?
Are Shure E3Cs still some of the best IEMs on the market?
I also don't own an amp, how important is that...?
Question: IEMs or clip-ons?
Are Shure E3Cs still some of the best IEMs on the market?
I also don't own an amp, how important is that...?
AnkhWeasel
Member
This is probably a stupid question, but are there headphones with relatively low leakage while having low isolation? Or, I guess, which open headphones leak the least?
I don't always need to feel totally isolated (say I want to be able to hear the phone) - but I wouldn't want to annoy the people around me.
I don't always need to feel totally isolated (say I want to be able to hear the phone) - but I wouldn't want to annoy the people around me.
hsukardi said:
if you're looking to spend that much cash, you're in the territory of the Westone 3, Shure 535, etc
http://www.earphonesolutions.com/best-earphones-351-400.html
you'd be better off going to head-fi.org for impressions on these really high end IEMs. maybe a few gaffers have compared these multiple 500 dollar models and can comment on differences but I think that's rare.
I owned a pair of Westone 3's before and they were awesome but, honestly, wasted on me as I don't have the greatest audiophile ears. they were super comfy, though
AnkhWeasel said:
Well open ones will never have low leakage. Either it's open with sound leakage but with the ability to hear outside sounds (depending on how high the volume is) or it's closed with little to no leakage but less outside noise (depending on how low the volume is).
hsukardi said:
Ortofon is the largest producer of magnetic cartridges, so they have some weight behind their name. I've only heard of EarSonics based on reviews on multiple websites. But yeah, like above, it's probably best to do some research at a place like head-fi on the different options.
edit: eh..sorry for the double post.
Well around $500, you should probably start looking into custom iems. Done well, they provide far better fit and sound isolation which contributes to much better sound too. They're also so much more comfortable for people like me who can't stand universal iems and hate dealing with different tips.
I own the ES3X and that's beyond $500, but I think the JH5 Pro for $400 has been getting favorable reviews at head-fi.
http://www.jhaudio.com/collection-promusic.php#11
I own the ES3X and that's beyond $500, but I think the JH5 Pro for $400 has been getting favorable reviews at head-fi.
http://www.jhaudio.com/collection-promusic.php#11
hsukardi said:I'm based in Asia, have no idea where to get stuff like this done unless it's on one of my US business trips :lol
I'm really a huge music guy though, and the budget towards audio equipment is creeping along with my years in the workforce
Well I dealt directly with Westone, got my impression done locally (I'm in Asia too), and sent them the impressions. All those come with extra costs though. Your best bet is to find a local shop that does customs and inquire more. I don't think it's the best idea doing customs on a trip because they might not fit well and you might have to do some refitting and remolding (which is typically included in the price), so you want to deal with someone you can work with in a longer term.
Here's a thread with more recommendations for customs under 500, definitely research more on the ones that catches your interest.
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/502114/custom-iem-s-under-500
PumpkinPie
Banned
I currently have Sennheiser HD headphones but only listen to my music through my PC, I'm guessing that my PC is the weak link here so would I see a noticeable difference in sound quality if I used my headphones along with a hi-fi separates system?
Look at the NuForce uDAC that was linked earlier in this thread. Usually when listening from a computer source you are going to at least want a decent DAC to bring the best out of your music. The uDAC is pretty cheap (think its $99) and does a great sound for someone looking to dip their toes into the headphone game.PumpkinPie said:
Like others have said, you are starting to dip into the customs range but probably aren't quite there yet without spending a good $100-$250 more. If you really want to stay with universals you are going to want to look at the headphones recommended already (Westone 3, Westone UM3X, etc..) and the JH Audio's recommended are also a good bet. Westone is putting out their Westone 4's which are apparently the first quad driver universals (not sure if anyone can confirm this). I am super tempted to try them out coming from my Westons UM3X's but am holding out for some customs. A little more info can be found here:hsukardi said:
http://www.earphonesolutions.com/westone-4-headphones.html
HiResDes said:
I would also put the UE triple fi 10 up there as well for total accuracy. this is coming from experience.
from hearing others talk about it, the Westone UM3X are supposed to be very accurate, as well (the westone 3's I used definitely had a little boost to the low end. it made them fun to listen to, though)
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