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[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

shit. if I paid $5,000 for some cans, I'd use them rarely too. but not because they don't sound as good as cheap cans, though...but because I'd be afraid of breaking/scratching them. lol

You crazy Dreams... Why you so crazy? If I'd paid that much for a pair of God-like phones, you best bet I'd use them every waking moment to get my money's worth!

 

[PflargBlarg]

I've owned a Sennheiser HD650 for about a year or so now, and I plug it directly into the source, where source = computer / receiver / zune. I've never had a problem with the volume level on any of these devices.

In regards to amplifiers, I've heard some people say they make a huge difference, and others say headphone amps are audiophile snake oil.

Will a headphone amplifier make a significant difference in the quality of sound?

Also, can someone recommend a way to try out an amp before I buy one?

Who said they were audiophile snake oil? That's a bit absurd. When I bought the LCD-2 I moved my 595s off the amp and now they're going straight from the sound card. Frankly they sound horrific now compared to what they sounded like before. And 595s aren't even high impedance really.

 

[Awesome Animals]

So, I feel that I am ready for a pair of good headphones. Up until now I have been happily using the earbuds that come shipped with an iPod or iPhone. I actually love these because they fit my ear very well, and I don't really know what I am looking for with regards to sound quality.

This interest started when I began hearing about the Beats by Dre headphones. Some research and asking around provided me with the insight that these are not great headphones for the price. I was also reccommended Sennheiser on more than one occasion.

So, while not committed to Sennheiser, it seems to be the direction I am heading. I read the OP and gathered that Low Impedance seems preferable. Additionally I want headphones, and not IEMs, because I am satisfied (for now) with the Apple stock ones; especially considering I don't use them all too much, and when I do I usually don't want noise cancellation because I'm not in an environment where that would be advisable.

I'm looking through the Lower Mid-tier Headphone list because of the price, but really don't know what I'm looking at. Also, are the headphone stands necessary, or more of a convenience?

Thanks for any and all help!

Quoted for new page

 

[Dr Stabbingworth]

Who said they were audiophile snake oil? That's a bit absurd.

and to answer the most important question: yes, the HD650's world changes with a good amp.

OK, thanks for the info. I looked this up a long time ago and remember reading a lot of mixed opinions.

I saw Dreams-Visions recommend the Icon HDP and I'm thinking of getting an Icon HD (I don't think I need a preamp or the additional connectors).

 

[Threi]

Senn PX100?

sounds about right to me...now just where to get one in Canada....

*edit*

Since PX100 is older and superseded already shouldn't it be cheaper than the PX90?

 

[the_painted_bird]

The left ear of my M50s died. But I only paid $25 for 'em so I'm not too mad.
How is the new ME line? If I like M50s, what else would I like?

 

[Dreams-Visions]

OK, thanks for the info. I looked this up a long time ago and remember reading a lot of mixed opinions.

I saw Dreams-Visions recommend the Icon HDP and I'm thinking of getting an Icon HD (I don't think I need a preamp or the additional connectors).

if you can afford the HDP, you'll be shocked to find out what your 650's could have been doing all this time.

 

[Ashhong]

The left ear of my M50s died. But I only paid $25 for 'em so I'm not too mad.
How is the new ME line? If I like M50s, what else would I like?

How the hell did you only pay 25$? Is it not under warranty?

 

[the_painted_bird]

How the hell did you only pay 25$? Is it not under warranty?

Not sure about warranty (are all MEElectronics shit covered?) but it was one of those really good deals from Amazon around Christmas.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Not sure about warranty (are all MEElectronics shit covered?) but it was one of those really good deals from Amazon around Christmas.

"really good deal" is an understatement, unless we're not talking about the same M50's.

 

[the_painted_bird]

we're not talking about the same M50's.

.

I am on drugs

Edit: M11+s

 

[Ashhong]

Yea as soon as you asked if all Meelectronics shit are covered i was like, hold on a second...

but yea I think they have a warranty on everything

 

[Cyrillus]

I have a (probably stupid) question for headphone GAF. I have a pair of ATH-AD700's that I've had for a couple years now and I love the clarity and the expansive soundstage on them. Right now, I have them un-amped, and I've started getting back into Hip Hop more and more, so I was wondering something:

Is it possible to make these headphones produce bass that I can "feel," like with a standard subwoofer? With an amp? Is it even possible to have open headphones produce the pressure level needed to feel the bass?

 

[Tigel]

I have a question for all the audiophiles out there. I'm in the market for a pair of headphones, my first one actually, so I don't have much experience in that domain.

I skimmed through the thread a bit but I'd like to hear some suggestions.

-I have a budget of 200-300$
-I listen mostly to instrumental/orchestral/soundtrack music, but I do listen to songs from time to time
-I'll use them for gaming
-I don't need anything portable, since I'll only use them on my computer

I'm also thinking of picking up a NuForce Icon uDAC-2.

Are the Sennheiser HD595 any good? I must say it's design doesn't appeal much to me though...
What about the Denon AHD2000? (I don't mind going 50$ over budget if it's worth it)

Feel free to suggest any other models that could match my needs

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Denon D2000's are awesome. Not sure if they have the midrange to really make orchestral music sound its best, but electronic music, games and movies will be epic through them.

they're easily one of the best pairs of cans on the market in that ~$200-$250 range. if they haven't gone up.

edit: see them in headroom's top 10 http://www.headphone.com/selection-guide/top-picks/10-best-headphones.php

 

[Tigel]

Thanks for the list, really interesting.
The D2000 are described as sealed headphones. What are the advantages and/or disadvantage of this type of headphones?
I always thought(maybe wrongly) that air flow = better sound.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Thanks for the list, really interesting.
The D2000 are described as sealed headphones. What are the advantages and/or disadvantage of this type of headphones?
I always thought(maybe wrongly) that air flow = better sound.

Open-air can have wider sound stage. They can sound can sound better in some cases. It depends on what your budget is. Generally speaking, Denon does a very good job of making their closed cans seem anything but "closed in".

 

[Ark]

Thanks for the list, really interesting.
The D2000 are described as sealed headphones. What are the advantages and/or disadvantage of this type of headphones?
I always thought(maybe wrongly) that air flow = better sound.

I have the D2000's, I got them for Christmas, and my god are they amazing.

The wire is huge, so they aren't portable. They're super comfortable, but sometimes the leather softening and get slightly uncomfortable if you use them for long periods of time (I usually try to take them off every 2-3 hours).

In terms of the D2000's being closed; Wearing the D2000's is probably a health risk, in that if you're listening to music, you wont hear someone breaking into your house to brutally murder you. You really can't hear anything from the outside whilst wearing the D2000.

But in contrast, they leak quite alot of sound. I have my headphones turned up to a 'reasonable' level, and people can hear my music from across the room.

The main reason I wanted the D2000's was the bass and the over-ear, many people on Head-Fi had recommended them to me so I figured I'd give them a shot (I listen to alot of electronic music, Pendulum, Trentemøller, Deadmau5, ect), and I am loving the bass. I plan to purchase myself a FiiO E7 DAC/AMP as soon as I can too.

EDIT: I haven't actually tried using these with my PS3 yet. I bought some Astro A30 headphones & AMP (and swiftly returned them for a refund), but gaming with the D2000's on my Mac, has been great. I actually have some JBL speakers that I bought for £100 two years ago that have been left 100% idle since I got my new headphones.

EDIT2: My only gripe with the D2000's, is that the actual 'clamping' on your head isn't very strong. Every so often if I have to lean down and pick something up, the headphones will fall off. But the trade-off is that they're very light.

 

[RPS37]

I got my XB500's last week. I'm liking them. I think they're a lot more comfortable than the Beats I tried on.

 

[mr stroke]

whats up with the D2000 price on Amazon. They were $199 for the longest time, now as soon as I want to buy them they have been at $350 for months

 

[HiResDes]

The DT990's suffer the same sort of high fluctuation.

 

[Tapiozona]

I have the D2000's, I got them for Christmas, and my god are they amazing.

The wire is huge, so they aren't portable. They're super comfortable, but sometimes the leather softening and get slightly uncomfortable if you use them for long periods of time (I usually try to take them off every 2-3 hours).

In terms of the D2000's being closed; Wearing the D2000's is probably a health risk, in that if you're listening to music, you wont hear someone breaking into your house to brutally murder you. You really can't hear anything from the outside whilst wearing the D2000.

But in contrast, they leak quite alot of sound. I have my headphones turned up to a 'reasonable' level, and people can hear my music from across the room.

The main reason I wanted the D2000's was the bass and the over-ear, many people on Head-Fi had recommended them to me so I figured I'd give them a shot (I listen to alot of electronic music, Pendulum, Trentemøller, Deadmau5, ect), and I am loving the bass. I plan to purchase myself a FiiO E7 DAC/AMP as soon as I can too.

EDIT: I haven't actually tried using these with my PS3 yet. I bought some Astro A30 headphones & AMP (and swiftly returned them for a refund), but gaming with the D2000's on my Mac, has been great. I actually have some JBL speakers that I bought for £100 two years ago that have been left 100% idle since I got my new headphones.

EDIT2: My only gripe with the D2000's, is that the actual 'clamping' on your head isn't very strong. Every so often if I have to lean down and pick something up, the headphones will fall off. But the trade-off is that they're very light.

There's very simple mods you can do which can significantly 'close' the headphones off. When I did the markl mods (as per head-fi.org), I also added a bead of rubber which they use to seal window screens and doors around the outer edge (on the inside of the cup) of each cup. Almost no sound leaks out and I much much prefer the sound over the stock D2000s. The bass is very tight and very clean.

 

[Ark]

whats up with the D2000 price on Amazon. They were $199 for the longest time, now as soon as I want to buy them they have been at $350 for months

For some reason the price fluctuates quite alot. When I bought mine, they had been £220 for months and months, then they fell to £180 all of a sudden so I snapped them up ASAP. Now they're back to £225, all on Amazon.

There's very simple mods you can do which can significantly 'close' the headphones off. When I did the markl mods (as per head-fi.org), I also added a bead of rubber which they use to seal window screens and doors around the outer edge (on the inside of the cup) of each cup. Almost no sound leaks out and I much much prefer the sound over the stock D2000s. The bass is very tight and very clean.

I'll definitely check this out, thanks for the tip!

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

I'm about to pull the trigger on the Earsonic SM3s. I think I'm done with the IEM realm at this point, since the only avenue left to explore is customs (Well... I am still curious about the FX700 after owning the FX500...), and at that price I can easily pick up a pair of LCD2s, Beyer T-1's or HD800s. If these don't do it for me, I'm just gonna resell them and probably pick up a pair of HD650s.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Are the Sennheiser HD595 any good? I must say it's design doesn't appeal much to me though...

Well you can get the HD 555's for cheaper, and turn them into Hd595's. It's stupidly simple to do.

 

[Tigel]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I think I'll go with the HD595. I can get them for half the price of the AH-D2000 and anyway, I doubt I'd be able to notice a sound difference that is worth their 150$ price difference (prove me wrong if I am ).

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Well you can get the HD 555's for cheaper, and turn them into Hd595's. It's stupidly simple to do.

not the same. unmatched drivers FTL.

 

[Gvaz]

Well you can get the HD 555's for cheaper, and turn them into Hd595's. It's stupidly simple to do.

Wait what? I've had my HD555s for like two years now, how do I do that?

Speaking of which, should I get some sort of a cheap amp for my hd555? I usually just stick it right in the back of my sound card, I don't know what good an amp does

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Wait what? I've had my HD555s for like two years now, how do I do that?

Speaking of which, should I get some sort of a cheap amp for my hd555? I usually just stick it right in the back of my sound card, I don't know what good an amp does

he's talking about buying drivers for a different set and mounting them on your cans.

they're called "Frankenstein's" and they're not recommended because unmatched drives can cause sound problems/imbalances.

 

[rampur]

hes talking about this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvQ8PzBrHXE

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Yeah, I was gonna say, it's the foam mod. I don't know how much stock to put into that though. Seems really fishy that there'd be such a rift in pricing and all that's different is just a mod to the foam :l I'd imagine the drivers would be completely different etc. but I don't own either the 555 or the 595s so I can't say how close they are to one another.

 

[AwesomeSauce]

http://mikebeauchamp.com/misc/sennheiser-hd-555-to-hd-595-mod/

Check out the link for the HD555-595 "differences".

Well i've had my HD555's for a few months and just a few days ago i think they are now fully broken in. Music and games sound tighter and punchier, its hard to describe how the sound just one day sounded better, or maybe i'm hearing things but i really enjoy them even more now.

 

[HiResDes]

Yeah, I was gonna say, it's the foam mod. I don't know how much stock to put into that though. Seems really fishy that there'd be such a rift in pricing and all that's different is just a mod to the foam :l I'd imagine the drivers would be completely different etc. but I don't own either the 555 or the 595s so I can't say how close they are to one another.

The drives really are the exact same, but the placement of each is slightly different. The 595's will still sound slightly better even after modding the 555's, but it does bring them closer apparently.

 

[The Holstein of Venice]

Opened this thread for the first time to look for a replacement to my old portapros (got tired of the metal band always snagging my hair and the covering on the input jack always breaking from bending).

Just wanted to compliment on the great OP - it's really accessible for people like me who don't know much jargon, but still want to understand how to get the kind of sound we desire from headphones. Much appreciated!

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

The drives really are the exact same, but the placement of each is slightly different. The 595's will still sound slightly better even after modding the 555's, but it does bring them closer apparently.

Damn... That is some shady shit man... Cause the difference in pricing is nearly double or something for the 595s. :\

Anyway, I decided to buy the SM3 after all. I figure I can just resell anyhow since demand on headfi is still very high. Seller ships on Monday, PSN is STILL down so I have nothing to distract me from constantly thinking about them :l

 

[HiResDes]

Just discovered this, an incredible awesome portable amp and a greater answer than the FiiOE5 for those that need a little boost

Bass Boost cMoy v2.03

 

[Gvaz]

he's talking about buying drivers for a different set and mounting them on your cans.

they're called "Frankenstein's" and they're not recommended because unmatched drives can cause sound problems/imbalances.

Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna touch that. I paid like $120 for these I'm not gonna mess with that.

What about an Amp? I never have had issues with sound, but you guys say they sound better? Why?

 

[HiResDes]

That's not the mod everyone is talking about, must I post this for the 50th time LOL.


...It takes all but about five to ten minutes.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

oh my bad

edit: and yea, I have one of those CMoys. it's not too bad.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Just discovered this, an incredible awesome portable amp and a greater answer than the FiiOE5 for those that need a little boost

Bass Boost cMoy v2.03

tin mint amps have been around forever haven't they? I recall seeing those back in the early 2000's

 

[Dreams-Visions]

tin mint amps have been around forever haven't they? I recall seeing those back in the early 2000's

yea, they have been. but the Bass-Bosst versions have only been around for a few years.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

yea, they have been. but the Bass-Bosst versions have only been around for a few years.

Ah, gotcha. Some of the DIY stuff is nuts though, it must be a great skill to have to be able to craft your own amp circuits. I think Poweld builds amps actually.

 

[HiResDes]

And this is probably the very best built Cmoy around for well under a $100. I also found a new quality budget DAC/AMP unit, one which I get myself.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

And this is probably the very best built Cmoy around for well under a $100. I also found a new quality budget DAC/AMP unit, one which I get myself.

Those Beyers are finally gonna get the juice they needed huh?

 

[HiResDes]

Those Beyers are finally gonna get the juice they needed huh?

maybe? They're certainly more power hungry than expected.

Edit: I might end up selling my UDAC-2 for $60 or $70.

 

[Alucrid]

Jeeze. I've stopped carrying around my Fiio E5 (Probably gonna sell it) because it's just way too much of a hassle to carry along with an ipod.

 

[Dynamite Ringo Matsuri]

Jeeze. I've stopped carrying around my Fiio E3 (Probably gonna sell it) because it's just way too much of a hassle to carry along with an ipod.

I couldn't imagine carrying around a portable amp to use with phones, cause it's just inconvenient and defeats the purpose of portability. The RE262 would make me reconsider that line of thought, though it could be rectified by simply buying more efficient phones, however those phones did have an incredible soundstage that I've never encountered in any IEMs.

 

[Alucrid]

I couldn't imagine carrying around a portable amp to use with phones, cause it's just inconvenient and defeats the purpose of portability. The RE262 would make me reconsider that line of thought, though it could be rectified by simply buying more efficient phones, however those phones did have an incredible soundstage that I've never encountered in any IEMs.

Yeah. I get why people want to do it, it just doesn't suit me. Plus I still think that my beats RE0s sound great normally. Also....I think I've gone ahead and made the RE0s my favorite headphones over the Eternas.

 

[HiResDes]

Jeeze. I've stopped carrying around my Fiio E5 (Probably gonna sell it) because it's just way too much of a hassle to carry along with an ipod.

These things can supposedly power many mid-impedance full size cans with no problem

 

[Alucrid]

These things can supposedly power many mid-impedance full size cans with no problem

To be fair carrying around full sized cans for me is also too bulky. :lol I guess that's why I stick with IEMs. Plus, headphones give me headphone hair which is never fun.