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

Hey guys, could use some advice here.

I'm looking for a pair of < $100 earbuds that are good for noise isolation as I don't want to go deaf from turning the headphones up loud to mute out other noise.

I'm using these for a PSP Go system and the Samsung Galaxy S2 to listen to music and play games on.

Any advice? I have small ears (don't know if that helps) and I don't want a pair of headphones that exceed the quality of the devices I'm using.
 

LCfiner

Member
Mutagenic said:
I figured this would be a good place to ask with all the audiophiles in here:

I recently bought a pair of Bose Companion 20 speakers for my PC, but I'm not a huge fan of Bose or the sound these generate. I was eyeing the Audioengine 5s bamboo speakers, but they're $200 more. Would I notice $200 worth of sound improvement, keeping in mind I have an integrated PC sound card and no external driver? Thanks for any help.

you’d probably have better luck asking in the pc speakers thread

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348320

also, I think the A5 non bamboo versions aren’t as expensive as the bamboo ones but sound very similar (just basing this on things I’ve read online).
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Btw, anyone in here with decent gear and a 3DS?? I'd love to hear some opinions on the sound. The original DS wasn't particularly stellar here *Golden sun DS sfx biting into ears hard*
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Gila said:
I think I'm gonna get the Sennheiser HD25-1 II

seems like the most recommended pair in my case

thanks guys
Let us know how they match up post-burn-in.
 

Mutagenic

Permanent Junior Member
LCfiner said:
you’d probably have better luck asking in the pc speakers thread

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=348320

also, I think the A5 non bamboo versions aren’t as expensive as the bamboo ones but sound very similar (just basing this on things I’ve read online).
Yeah thanks. When I got to the store I realized the bamboo ones were different in speaker housing only and went with the cheaper black version.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Btw, the new BLOX M2C earbud seems to be something veeeery special.
Eats burn in like it's nothing but man, that sound. Price? $30.
I'm not kidding. Ridiculous price/performance value.
They are also pretty comfortable and pretty efficient, something my MX-880 seriously lack.
The catch is you can only order directly from BLOX in bulks of 5 or up and shipping is on you. If 4 more eurogaffers are interested, I'll do it. Want a spare or two, those will make excellent gifts.

:-D
 

HiResDes

Member
THANKS A BUNCH, UPDATING OP
3AQmK.gif
 

Echoes

Member
My current cans are the Denon AH-D2000 and I love them so much. What would be a better progression from it? I'm thinking the 5000 might be too familiar a sound to the 2000. Any thoughts?
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
The connection on my Grados went out. :(

Right after the plug, if I wiggle it there the sound goes in and out on the left side and the right side is completely out.

Don't really have cash to send them in right now, so it'll have to wait a bit. :(
 

ElyrionX

Member
Currently I own the Beyerdynamic DT990. I'm thinking of upgrading to the Beyerdynamic T1. Does anyone here have any impressions of the T1 and how much of an upgrade it will be from the DT990?
 

Izayoi

Banned
FoxSpirit said:
Btw, anyone in here with decent gear and a 3DS?? I'd love to hear some opinions on the sound. The original DS wasn't particularly stellar here *Golden sun DS sfx biting into ears hard*
3DS sounds great... after I amp it. I don't think it's capable of providing enough power to properly drive any of my headphones. Sound is definitely a huge leap from the DS. The DAC is very capable.
 

smurfx

get some go again
hey guys whats the best 20-30 dollar earbuds/iem i can get? don't want to spend too much as i know i will probably ruin them pretty quick. any good deals out there right now?
 

Gila

Member
HiResDes said:
I'd definitely love to see you try out those new Beyers LCfiner posted.
The senn's just appeal to me and my kinda music from what I've read. But damn, those are tempting too. Guess I'll go back to more
research...but I'll still be favoring the sennheiser
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
No point in getting HD800s over HD650s unless you have a top of the line DAC & amp. Not only would the HD800s not be fully utilized, they'll probably expose the shortcomings of lesser equipment. Supercars need pure fuel and special tires, etc.
 

lord pie

Member
Hi.

I managed to pick up a pair of AKG 702s for quite cheap. I'm running them through a turtle beach dolby digital processor (DD5.1 via optical on the 360/ps3). It does a good job, however I'm wondering if I should be using a dedicated headphone amplifier?

I don't run them very loud - so I'm not sure if I would benefit from one. And it may be the TB box is doing a good enough job (?). It is listed as 35mW/ch amplification, which doesn't mean a great deal to me.

Any suggestions appreciated.
Cheers
 

Izayoi

Banned
lord pie said:
I don't run them very loud - so I'm not sure if I would benefit from one. And it may be the TB box is doing a good enough job (?). It is listed as 35mW/ch amplification, which doesn't mean a great deal to me.
35mW per channel is low for the 702s, which benefit greatly from a beefy amp. I would look into some cheaper tubes, or mid-range solid states.
 

HiResDes

Member
Little Dot MKIII would probably be good.


Cold-Steel said:
Hey guys, could use some advice here.

I'm looking for a pair of < $100 earbuds that are good for noise isolation as I don't want to go deaf from turning the headphones up loud to mute out other noise.

I'm using these for a PSP Go system and the Samsung Galaxy S2 to listen to music and play games on.

Any advice? I have small ears (don't know if that helps) and I don't want a pair of headphones that exceed the quality of the devices I'm using.

Sunrise SW-Xcape
 

SteveO409

Did you know Halo invented the FPS?
Echoes said:
My current cans are the Denon AH-D2000 and I love them so much. What would be a better progression from it? I'm thinking the 5000 might be too familiar a sound to the 2000. Any thoughts?

What kind of amp do you use with D2000? I've own D2000s for about a few months but have it hooked up with an old audio receiver. Makes the room really hot lol
 

LCfiner

Member
Echoes said:
My current cans are the Denon AH-D2000 and I love them so much. What would be a better progression from it? I'm thinking the 5000 might be too familiar a sound to the 2000. Any thoughts?

I’ve heard a lot of people say the D5000 is very similar to the D2000. I owned a D5000 and an LCD2. I would say that if you LOVE the D2000/ 5000 sound sig, the LCD2 pretty much perfects it.

more detail, more accuracy, better bass. no distortion. it’s a monster. highs aren’t as pronounced as the D5000 but the midrange is better.

they’re expensive at 1K, but if you like that bass heavy (but not bloated) sound, it’s about as high as you go in the market. it will be a big upgrade.

And they don’t require a 1000 dollar amp to sound good, either.
 

Cruceh

Banned
Read a bit about the earphones, but is there a huge difference between the MEElectronics M6, M9, and M21? Or should I just choose the cheapest option? The M6 seems to have the most reviews on Amazon.
 

leng jai

Member
LCfiner said:
I’ve heard a lot of people say the D5000 is very similar to the D2000. I owned a D5000 and an LCD2. I would say that if you LOVE the D2000/ 5000 sound sig, the LCD2 pretty much perfects it.

more detail, more accuracy, better bass. no distortion. it’s a monster. highs aren’t as pronounced as the D5000 but the midrange is better.

they’re expensive at 1K, but if you like that bass heavy (but not bloated) sound, it’s about as high as you go in the market. it will be a big upgrade.

And they don’t require a 1000 dollar amp to sound good, either.

D7000s are another option.
 

PS_John

Neo Member
Thinking of getting the Sennheiser PC 360s to go with my Astro MixAmp. Anyone else use this setup?

Or are there any better alternatives for a similar price?
 

HiResDes

Member
Cruceh said:
Read a bit about the earphones, but is there a huge difference between the MEElectronics M6, M9, and M21? Or should I just choose the cheapest option? The M6 seems to have the most reviews on Amazon.
M21 is superior in terms of clarity.
 

solarus

Member
Just got my first pair of real cans (audio technica ath-m50) after having been used to just listening to crappy stock headphones forever and HOLY SHIT 0_0. I need to re-listen to everything.
 

Echoes

Member
SteveO409 said:
What kind of amp do you use with D2000? I've own D2000s for about a few months but have it hooked up with an old audio receiver. Makes the room really hot lol
I use the NuForce Icon HDP, and it's pretty amazing. So I would love something that complements this DAC. It plays very well with the D2000 (verified by experienced GAFers) and I want my new ones to be as good with the DAC.

LCfiner said:
I’ve heard a lot of people say the D5000 is very similar to the D2000. I owned a D5000 and an LCD2. I would say that if you LOVE the D2000/ 5000 sound sig, the LCD2 pretty much perfects it.

more detail, more accuracy, better bass. no distortion. it’s a monster. highs aren’t as pronounced as the D5000 but the midrange is better.

they’re expensive at 1K, but if you like that bass heavy (but not bloated) sound, it’s about as high as you go in the market. it will be a big upgrade.

And they don’t require a 1000 dollar amp to sound good, either.
Though very expensive, I would love to check them out. Can you give me an Amazon link? As I couldn't find it there myself. Would it play nicelt with the NuForce HDP?

P.S. This thread rocks and you guys are incredible. Thank you for all the help. <3
 

LCfiner

Member
Echoes said:
I use the NuForce Icon HDP, and it's pretty amazing. So I would love something that complements this DAC. It plays very well with the D2000 (verified by experienced GAFers) and I want my new ones to be as good with the DAC.


Though very expensive, I would love to check them out. Can you give me an Amazon link? As I couldn't find it there myself. Would it play nicelt with the NuForce HDP?

they don’t sell them on amazon.

here’s the list of distributors

https://audeze.com/where-buy#North America

I can’t comment about the Nuforce HDP. Never used it.
 

Dice

Pokémon Parentage Conspiracy Theorist
Pretty sure the only way to be disappointed with those (especially considering the value) is if you hate closed cans.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
I wonder what would happen if I carry around LCD-2s in my backpack for everyday listening :-\

P.S.: I think my M2C are now mostly burned in. Not really much going on anymore. Those are freaking fantastic, and not just considering the $30 price tag. Monsters.
 

Recon

Banned
Dice said:
Pretty sure the only way to be disappointed with those (especially considering the value) is if you hate closed cans.

They are primarily going to be used for mastering and mixing. And ive never had a pair of closed cans, so i have no clue about my preference.
 
ReconYoda said:
Bought the Sony MDR-7506. Based on HiResDes and Shinobi, hopefully i will not be disappointed.

The V6/7506s are arguably the best value headphones <$100. It's hard to imagine anyone disappointed with those unless their other pair of headphones costed $300.

From the animu thread: learn me on the DT770s. Good headphones with lots of bass
is what I hear. Emphasis on lows and highs means recessed midrange. Comfortable on the head. Comes in 3 impedance flavors depending on what you plan to use to drive it. Anything else useful I should know?
 

HiResDes

Member
I've owned the 80OHM, and now own the 250 OHM.

The bass on the Pro 80-OHM is ridiculous when amped properly, but the mids as noted are highly recessed. The highs can also get a bit shrill, but female vocals sound nicely.

The Pro 250OHMs are like the more mature cousin to the 80-OHM. They really need a nice amp to help them, I use a Little Dot MKIII, which helps the midrange quite a lot. The midrange on the 250OHM seems less recessed, the highs are still quite present, but sound less shrill. The bass is there, but isn't quite subwoofer level, like the Pro 80-OHM. What else would you like to know?

They're both two of the most comfortable headphones I've ever heard, but I think if I had to do it over again I'd get the Denon D2000, because they don't need an amp to shine.
 

Kaladin

Member
I'm looking for a set of cans mostly for PC use, but I may hook them up to my phone or ipod. I'm looking at a combo of the Sennheiser HD 598 and a FiiO E7 USB DAC and Portable Headphone Amplifier. This will be the first upper tier set of headphones I'm buying and I want to make sure I'm getting a good set, and I'm getting everything I need for it.
 

ElyrionX

Member
Picked up the Beyerdynamic T1. It's awesome. Very balanced and it's really a step up from the DT990.

Also, with these, I think I can finally tell the subtle difference between 256 kbps and 320 kbps AAC. The difference between lossless formats like the AIFF and a lossy one like 256 AAC has become quite clear and distinct though. Going to do a blind test this weekend.

My dilemma now is that if I were to convert just a small portion of my collection to a lossless format, I'm not going to be able to fit my entire music collection on my iPhone. For the sake of simplicity, I don't really wish to maintain two versions of the same album/track.
 

Izayoi

Banned
ElyrionX said:
My dilemma now is that if I were to convert just a small portion of my collection to a lossless format, I'm not going to be able to fit my entire music collection on my iPhone. For the sake of simplicity, I don't really wish to maintain two versions of the same album/track.
That's why you buy this.

Please don't listen to lossy formats after buying a pair of $1300 headphones. ;_;
 

olore

Member
Got a good deal on iPhone Jays, the top of the line Fours or whatever their name is. Got the custom moulded in ear-thingies too
 

Trojita

Rapid Response Threadmaker
I think I might get the Sennheiser HD 598's that I was talking about earlier and maybe a pair of Sony MDR-750's.

I have a set of ATH-AD700's right now. I was looking for a set I could wear most places that wouldn't look odd wearing in public. I was going to get the 598's for this, they look pretty stylish and not as big as the ATH-AD700, but I think I might also get the MDR-750's and possibly use them at work or something.

Or just not get the latter or put the money for the latter into an even better Headphones. I don't want to hemorrhage too much money out of my wallet.

I already have a more than adequate speaker system at my apartment, so I'm covered there.
 

Alucrid

Banned
ElyrionX said:
Picked up the Beyerdynamic T1. It's awesome. Very balanced and it's really a step up from the DT990.

Also, with these, I think I can finally tell the subtle difference between 256 kbps and 320 kbps AAC. The difference between lossless formats like the AIFF and a lossy one like 256 AAC has become quite clear and distinct though. Going to do a blind test this weekend.

My dilemma now is that if I were to convert just a small portion of my collection to a lossless format, I'm not going to be able to fit my entire music collection on my iPhone. For the sake of simplicity, I don't really wish to maintain two versions of the same album/track.
Don't use t1s with an iphone. Heck I wouldn't even bring them outside the house
 
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