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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC

H

HiResDes

Member
DT880 and HP200 deserve to be up there as well, especially the former. Sony MDRMA900/AKG K162 Pro just outside the top five in that range.
 
T

Tommy DJ

Member
The changes to the HD650 has no real impact on the quality of bass. The only major differences is a change to baffle material and earpad thickness that reduces some of the midrange and treble recession so it sounds closer to the HD600. If you have an old HD650, the sound signature is basically the same as a new one if you merely replace the earpads with new ones.

Detailed bass is what exactly? Compared to headphones that have some balls down low like the TH900 or an actually good full range speaker system, the HD6XX's bass is slow, soft, lacking real heft, and it's basically all midbass. It's not good at all even if you think the bass isn't one note.
 
F

Fevaweva

Member
Recently my headphones - Hisoundaudio PAA 1-PROs - have broken for the second time and I am coming to the end of my tether. They are superb headphones but the build quality is absolute ass.

So I am looking for some more headphones, problem is...I only really like earbuds. I find the big over ear headphones to be waaay too bulky and sweaty whilst in-ear headphones I find to be uncomfortable and too noise cancelling.

Now before you say "Fevaweva, just buy more earbud headphones", you would be surprised at the complete lack of earbuds anymore. Almost everything is either in-ear or the bigger over ear headphones. I have to buy my earbud headphones from a Hong Kong website for fucks sake!

I need some advice. Do I bite the bullet and buy some more earbud headphones and hope that they will be different or try something new?
 
J

Junior Mint

Member
Long shot but does anyone have an unneeded pair of comply t-150 tips they want to sell? The pricing on the comply site is insane... $30 after shipping and exchange rate for some tips...
 
Bloodember

Bloodember

Member
Fevaweva said:
Recently my headphones - Hisoundaudio PAA 1-PROs - have broken for the second time and I am coming to the end of my tether. They are superb headphones but the build quality is absolute ass.

So I am looking for some more headphones, problem is...I only really like earbuds. I find the big over ear headphones to be waaay too bulky and sweaty whilst in-ear headphones I find to be uncomfortable and too noise cancelling.

Now before you say "Fevaweva, just buy more earbud headphones", you would be surprised at the complete lack of earbuds anymore. Almost everything is either in-ear or the bigger over ear headphones. I have to buy my earbud headphones from a Hong Kong website for fucks sake!

I need some advice. Do I bite the bullet and buy some more earbud headphones and hope that they will be different or try something new?
Click to expand...

There are many earbuds available and are still pretty popular. Heres a link with some great suggestions http://www.head-fi.org/t/441400/earbuds-round-up-update-april-25th-2015/0_50

If you want inexpesive but awesome sounf try the Venture Electronics VE Monks. They are $5.00 plus shipping from VE on their aliexpress store. Very good earbuds for the money, I own a pair.
 
A

aznpxdd

Member
Got a new line out cable for the ZX2, nice!

95cba124_SAM_0587.jpeg
Click to expand...
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I can't mess with the 400i, as it has those screw-on plugs which still give me nightmares, from my experiences with the HE-300. Them shits broke on me so many times, made me write off the whole brand.

I'm so glad everything starting with the 400S and newer has actual plugs, it means I can come back to the Hifiman fold again.

Other issue I have with the 400i, is that it lost the amazing bass of the o.g. 400, which they brought back with the 400S. If I want neutral, I'll reach for the NAD Viso.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
K.Jack said:
I can't mess with the 400i, as it has those screw-on plugs which still give me nightmares, from my experiences with the HE-300. Them shits broke on me so many times, made me write off the whole brand.

I'm so glad everything starting with the 400S and newer has actual plugs, it means I can come back to the Hifiman fold again.

Other issue I have with the 400i, is that it lost the amazing bass of the o.g. 400, which they brought back with the 400S. If I want neutral, I'll reach for the NAD Viso.
Click to expand...
400s has like no sub-bass breh unless you mod.
 
E

elfinke

Member
I'm after some sitting down and listening to music/games headphones.

I currently listen to stuff while on the move (travel/walking/gardening) via some GR07BE and a FiiO11 with everything turned to the max (well, except volume), I love the inherent isolation in-ears provide while mowing or working in the shed.

But I'm finding at the moment that I have the opportunity to listen while stationary (work especially - I don't share an office, sound leakage isn't an issue), so am thinking about grabbing some complimentary sounding cans. Complimentary in the sense that they would have a similar (or more!) amount of bass, for example. Metal all day every day (well ok, mixed with some other stuff too, but it's the metal that must sound metal-y - I can deal with Regina Spektor not being faithfully reproduced.)

Any suggestions in the, let's say, $250AUD range? And yeah, they need to be purchasable by an Aussie, so postage and shipping has to be factored in, which curtails a few suggestions. Given the limited budget, should I just grab a pair of ATH-M50xs and be done with it? Is it worth hanging out for cheap Custom One Pros (they were ~$160US on Amazon last week, for example), or is there another suggestion altogether?

Ta!
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I'd say that if you can swing an extra $50 get the Audio technica msr7. I think that they are pretty good for metal. Depends on which part of australia you are you can go give them a demo too.

I really liked my alessandro MS1 for metal too except fuck me grado pads are like rubbing sandpaper on my ears. Most people seem fine with it though so I dunno if you'll be too bothered by it. Maybe look for some grados. The Alessandros are rebadged (with slightly different tuning?) grados.

Senn HD251-II too but that's starting to verge on the more portable side which you're not looking for? Very good, tight aggressive sound, though some people can find the treble fatiguing, but for metal I feel that aggressive treble really complements the energy of most metal songs. Depends on what you want really.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
I also think these are good for metal, depending on what you can find in your range price given the AUD price hike in some places:

Grado SR225e
Soundmagic HP200
Yamaha MT-220
Beyerdynamic DT 770 (Pro 80)
Sennheiser Amperior/HD25


...The Audio Technica rec is probably a good one too as their typical house sound would probably suit metal fairly well. You're basically just looking for an aggressive sounding headphone with a somewhat in your face soundstage and a sound signature that's somewhat V-Shaped.
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Haha, you really don't like the AT house sound do you HiResDes?

I do have a soft spot for Audio technica though. My first 2 phones were ATs. SQ5 and ES7. They were pretty damn good too.
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
HiResDes said:
400s has like no sub-bass breh unless you mod.
Click to expand...

I'd read and have been told that it's an issue with the stock pads, and that adding the Focuspad-A somewhat mitigates the issue. The mod takes the bass even a step further, of course. At 30-40% off, I'd be fine with it.

Currently all I'm praying for is a ~$250 deal on the OPPO PM-3 though.
 
R

RS4-

Member
I think I might just buy the T50RP MK3s.

DT880s are still a bit pricey, as is the HD600 lol. I wouldn't mind the original/mk2 T50 if I could find them for half the price of the MK3, then just mod it from there.
 
B

br0ken_shad0w

Member
Antiwhippy said:
Haha, you really don't like the AT house sound do you HiResDes?

I do have a soft spot for Audio technica though. My first 2 phones were ATs. SQ5 and ES7. They were pretty damn good too.
Click to expand...

AT is love-hate. I will say they work very well with the genre of music I tend to listen to which is why I keep my AD2KX around.
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Noble audio is doing a 20% off everything with free bts BTW for black Friday.

If I want so keen on getting the aurisonic harmony and a empire ears supra II I would consider one noble 4 with a wizard design.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
RS4- said:
I think I might just buy the T50RP MK3s.

DT880s are still a bit pricey, as is the HD600 lol. I wouldn't mind the original/mk2 T50 if I could find them for half the price of the MK3, then just mod it from there.
Click to expand...

DT880s can be had for around $190 now.
 
S

snacknuts

we all knew her
Any headphone geeks here who can help me find what I'm looking for? When I'm at work, I use the packed-in earbuds that came with my Galaxy S6. They don't sound amazing (I have nicer headphones at home), but the earbuds are shaped to fit my ears (pic here) and they're very comfortable for wearing all day. I would like to get a set of the bluetooth headphones that rest around your neck and then have wired earbuds that go from the end of the "horseshoe" up to your ears, but I want them to be shaped to fit my ears like my cheap Samsung earbuds. All that I've seen so far have the simple, round earbud shape.

Thanks in advance for any help.
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
snacknuts said:
Any headphone geeks here who can help me find what I'm looking for? When I'm at work, I use the packed-in earbuds that came with my Galaxy S6. They don't sound amazing (I have nicer headphones at home), but the earbuds are shaped to fit my ears (pic here) and they're very comfortable for wearing all day. I would like to get a set of the bluetooth headphones that rest around your neck and then have wired earbuds that go from the end of the "horseshoe" up to your ears, but I want them to be shaped to fit my ears like my cheap Samsung earbuds. All that I've seen so far have the simple, round earbud shape.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Click to expand...

It's kickstarter so who the hell knows how it'll turn out but this seems to fit what you want perfectly.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/revols/revols-premium-quick-custom-fit-wireless-earphones

I'll say that KS physical projects are better than IGG at least because you have to present a working prototype for KS.
 
T

Tommy DJ

Member
SolarMystic said:
Well, looks like I will be trying out the 400i. Is this only from their main webstore? I almost got those instead of my HD650 I have now. The only thing that stopped me was the $500 price (got my HD650 on sale).

Anybody have impression comparisons between this and my HD650?
Click to expand...

Better bass extension and bass that is, generally speaking, less muddy and slow. Basically, it hits harder and clearer.

Besides that, the 400i does nothing better than the HD650 in my opinion. The magic of the HD650 is that practically flawless midrange, that treble isn't excessively rolled off, and that midbass isn't too exaggerated that its *too* problematic with exaggerated bass material. The bass is still pretty average but I don't think its a deal breaker when everything else about it is exceptional.

Its also one of the few headphones with spare parts literally everywhere for relatively low prices.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Electronic music in particular isn't that great on the HD650 IMO. So if that's one of your favorite genres the 400i would be better. It's also a bit more efficient I believe.
 
S

SolarMystic

Member
Tommy DJ said:
Better bass extension and bass that is, generally speaking, less muddy and slow. Basically, it hits harder and clearer.

Besides that, the 400i does nothing better than the HD650 in my opinion. The magic of the HD650 is that practically flawless midrange, that treble isn't excessively rolled off, and that midbass isn't too exaggerated that its *too* problematic with exaggerated bass material. The bass is still pretty average but I don't think its a deal breaker when everything else about it is exceptional.

Its also one of the few headphones with spare parts literally everywhere for relatively low prices.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm really tempted to try them out. I'm just afraid it would be mostly a waste of money for me.

So it would really be more of a side grade, than an upgrade for me?

HiResDes said:
Electronic music in particular isn't that great on the HD650 IMO. So if that's one of your favorite genres the 400i would be better. It's also a bit more efficient I believe.
Click to expand...

I listen to some, but by far isn't my most listened to genre. Most of my small electronic collection is rather chill without a big beat anyways.
 
O

opticalmace

Member
I think I'm going to go for an HE-400s as my christmas gift (or at least split it with the SO). Unfortunately in Canada I can't get in on some of the great deals you have down in the US, otherwise that 400i looks tasty.

Would make a nice complement to my Denon D2000, I think.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
SolarMystic said:
Thanks, I'm really tempted to try them out. I'm just afraid it would be mostly a waste of money for me.

So it would really be more of a side grade, than an upgrade for me?



I listen to some, but by far isn't my most listened to genre. Most of my small electronic collection is rather chill without a big beat anyways.
Click to expand...

Dude not many things are going to be a complete upgrade from a HD 650, like maybe the HE-560 and the like, but we're talking about spending twice as much as what you can get an HD 650 for these days.
 
T

telasoman

Member
Hi All!!

I won a 200 dollar amazon gift card at work, and decided to spend it on the HD 598s that amazon has on sale today. This will be my first pair of better quality headphones.

I have been using the Sennheiser RS120s at work for a year now, and the quality seems ok to me.

I'm hoping that I get the euphoria that some people seems to get from having high quality sound.

Guess I should spend my weekend ripping my CD collection.


My question is though, if I should get an AMP or not. I will be mostly having these plugged into my desktop at home, into the headphone slot on my sound card I bought a few years ago. I linked it below. Should this be good enough for now, or will I be doing myself a disservice by sticking with this?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00654PUPA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
G

GSR

Member
Hey Phone-GAF,

I'm trying to find a good pair of headphones as a gift for someone. The ideal pair would be:

  • Noise-canceling
  • Light/low-profile
  • Comfortable while wearing glasses
  • Solid audio quality (not extreme high-end, but definitely better than a run-of-the-mill pair.)
I know this person used to use Sennheisers, but I'm really not familiar with their current line-up. Before I go digging (and probably getting lost), thought I'd ask if anyone has a go-to pair that would meet the above criteria.

Price range is probably $100-$200.

Thanks for any advice!
 
H

HiResDes

Member
telasoman said:
Hi All!!

I won a 200 dollar amazon gift card at work, and decided to spend it on the HD 598s that amazon has on sale today. This will be my first pair of better quality headphones.

I have been using the Sennheiser RS120s at work for a year now, and the quality seems ok to me.

I'm hoping that I get the euphoria that some people seems to get from having high quality sound.

Guess I should spend my weekend ripping my CD collection.


My question is though, if I should get an AMP or not. I will be mostly having these plugged into my desktop at home, into the headphone slot on my sound card I bought a few years ago. I linked it below. Should this be good enough for now, or will I be doing myself a disservice by sticking with this?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00654PUPA/?tag=neogaf0e-20
Click to expand...
That'll do fine for those particular headphones. And believe it or not but V0 MP3 and 256 AAC is just fine bro
 
N

Night Hunter

Banned
Night Hunter said:
GAF, please help a rookie out here.

I started working a few months ago and have about an hour of commute in total each day, which is very, very boring to say the least. My old in ear headphones don't really work any more, so I thought about getting new ones.

Now I found the Sony MDR-1A and the MDR-1ADAC. As I understand it, these are basically the same headphones but the 1ADAC has a DAC built in and costs 50€ more.

What I don't really get is: What does the DAC actually do and is it worth the higher price? I mean I know it converts the analogue signal into a digital one, but what would the effects be?

As I said, I'd mostly use the headphones on the commute to work with my phone and about the same time with my PC and only occasionally on an actual stereo. So it's going to be a mix from youtube and MP3s to FLAC and CDs.
Click to expand...

Quoting myself from what I have been informed was the old thread.
 
E

elfinke

Member
Antiwhippy said:
I'd say that if you can swing an extra $50 get the Audio technica msr7. I think that they are pretty good for metal. Depends on which part of australia you are you can go give them a demo too.

I really liked my alessandro MS1 for metal too except fuck me grado pads are like rubbing sandpaper on my ears. Most people seem fine with it though so I dunno if you'll be too bothered by it. Maybe look for some grados. The Alessandros are rebadged (with slightly different tuning?) grados.

Senn HD251-II too but that's starting to verge on the more portable side which you're not looking for? Very good, tight aggressive sound, though some people can find the treble fatiguing, but for metal I feel that aggressive treble really complements the energy of most metal songs. Depends on what you want really.
Click to expand...

HiResDes said:
I also think these are good for metal, depending on what you can find in your range price given the AUD price hike in some places:

MS-1 - $150
Soundmagic HP200 - $330
Yamaha MT-220 - $300 (and hard to find a local supplier, though hilariously, there was a clearance sale of these for $120 not too long ago I missed out on...)
Beyerdynamic DT 770 (Pro 80) - $250
Sennheiser Amperior/HD25 - $350/$300, but at least available locally.


...The Audio Technica rec is probably a good one too as their typical house sound would probably suit metal fairly well. You're basically just looking for an aggressive sounding headphone with a somewhat in your face soundstage and a sound signature that's somewhat V-Shaped.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recs, lads, appreciate it (answers above in italics. It seems like the MS-1 would be ideal, but I'm not a fan of the on-ear design, unfortunately. Looking into some of the other suggestions and they veer into either (or both) territories of not available locally, or slightly too expensive. That said, given we're heading into a traditional shopping period, I'll keep close tabs on the DT770s and even the MSR7s, which I think at some point in the past I may have shortlisted for this purpose and then forgot about.

Thanks again.
 
Nameless

Nameless

Member
Sup Cans GAF. Wondering if anyone is aware of a better value(either now or BF) than Amazon's current sale on 598s?

Edit wrong link
 
H

HiResDes

Member
elfinke said:
Thanks for the recs, lads, appreciate it (answers above in italics. It seems like the MS-1 would be ideal, but I'm not a fan of the on-ear design, unfortunately. Looking into some of the other suggestions and they veer into either (or both) territories of not available locally, or slightly too expensive. That said, given we're heading into a traditional shopping period, I'll keep close tabs on the DT770s and even the MSR7s, which I think at some point in the past I may have shortlisted for this purpose and then forgot about.

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

How much are the Shure SRH840 where you're at those sound pretty good with rock music.
 
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