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

A

Afro Samurai

Banned
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
It's weird. I never particularly cared for Daft Punk before RAM. Their music is too repetitive and structurally simplistic. I'd rather listen to Justice if we're talkin French EDM groups.
Click to expand...

This. I did find their music repetitive too, though I enjoyed them. What's Justice's Best work? I might be interested in listening to more EDM.
 
holygeesus

holygeesus

Banned
I've just bought some Beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pros and they really are some fantastic cans for anyone looking for some decent mid-priced headphones. Bought primarily for monitoring work, they are proving good all-rounders as they are great for music and film watching too. Decent soundstage for a closed back pair too. Well impressed. I've had a bit of experience with proper high-end headphones over the years, and these aren't far off them at all.
 
D

DagsJT

Member
I find RAM to be my favourite Daft Punk album. A lot of their older stuff sounds too similar to me, I love the variation in RAM.

The whole vibe and feel of RAM is great though, probably one of my favourite albums ever to be honest.
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Vincent Alexander said:
Anyone recommend a good sound card for listening to music? Not sure where to even begin.
Click to expand...

I would just get an external dac/amp honestly. It's so much more versatile, and now you can get really good ones for cheap enough that they shouldn't cost more than the ToTL soundcard.

Depending on your budget you can go:

Audioquest Dragonfly
Schiit Fulla
O2/ODac
Schiit Magni/Modi
 
D

Doombear

Member
Been a while since I graced this topic, or rather it's predecessor thread! My 12 year old just blew out the left ear of my old original Sennheiser HD 202s, and unfortunately they are a bit overpriced now.

Can anyone recommend a similar sounding pair of headphones? Ideally this would just be for PC/laptop/travel, nothing crazy. I have my Audio Technica ATH AD700s, as well as my Vsonic GR02 Bass Edition in ears. I am just looking for something simple in the 25-40 range that I can round out my little group with. That I wouldn't mind lending to my daughter when she forgets hers =P

Thanks all! Des and co. has never let me down.
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Actually just finished Discovery. Amazing fucking album!

Something About Us I had on repeat for like an hour. Damn what a tune.

Next up is Daft Club, then Human After All.

Kinda wish I owned some open back headphones right now. Discovery sounds really damn good through my PM-3s, but some open cans with a really expansive soundstage would be next level. I have half a mind to get my HE-300s fixed one last time. Nah, fuck that and those nightmarish plugs.

Unfortunately indecision has kept me from buying any. Just can't decide what I really want from open cans, and I want the first one I buy to be the last one. My journey to finding endgame closed cans has been really fucking expensive.
 
S

SolarMystic

Member
Discovery was pretty good. Daft Punk wasn't really my thing until Tron Legacy. Probably because it is quite different from their stuff prior.
 
K

Kevin

Member
Looking to upgrade my old Turtle Beach X41 headset with an Audio Technica Ath-MX40. Primary use will be for watch movies and tv shows. Though I do play some games and listen to some music.

For those with experience, would the Ath-MX40 offer better sound quality over the older Turtle Beach X41? If so then how much of a quality jump should I expect?
 
A

andylsun

Member
K.Jack said:
Actually just finished Discovery. Amazing fucking album!

Something About Us I had on repeat for like an hour. Damn what a tune.

Next up is Daft Club, then Human After All.

Kinda wish I owned some open back headphones right now. Discovery sounds really damn good through my PM-3s, but some open cans with a really expansive soundstage would be next level. I have half a mind to get my HE-300s fixed one last time. Nah, fuck that and those nightmarish plugs.

Unfortunately indecision has kept me from buying any. Just can't decide what I really want from open cans, and I want the first one I buy to be the last one. My journey to finding endgame closed cans has been really fucking expensive.
Click to expand...

I'd recommend listening to Alive 2007 before Human After All. Human After All is a great album, but the quality of the tracks doesn't really shine until you've heard the tracks on Alive 2007 - shows how strong they really are.
 
3

31GhostsIV

Banned
Kevin said:
Looking to upgrade my old Turtle Beach X41 headset with an Audio Technica Ath-MX40. Primary use will be for watch movies and tv shows. Though I do play some games and listen to some music.

For those with experience, would the Ath-MX40 offer better sound quality over the older Turtle Beach X41? If so then how much of a quality jump should I expect?
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the MX40, but they look very similar in design to my current cans, which are the ATH-M50x Ltd ed. (blue and tan leather). I've had them for a year and I love them, although initially I found them uncomfortable around my ears. Within a couple of months either they loosened or I got used to them, but worth mentioning.

I love the sound they produce - i'm not going to get too technical, as others on this thread know this subject much, much better than I do, however they sound detailed and rounded without going too heavy on the bass. I'm not saying the bass is too low, i'm merely saying it doesn't swamp everything.

If you can jack up your budget a bit I would say it's worth it for the detachable/replaceable cables alone in the long term.

Edit - didn't realise the M40 has detachable cables, so ignore the last bit.
 
3

31GhostsIV

Banned
andylsun said:
I'd recommend listening to Alive 2007 before Human After All. Human After All is a great album, but the quality of the tracks doesn't really shine until you've heard the tracks on Alive 2007 - shows how strong they really are.
Click to expand...

Alive 2007 is amazing, I love that record. Also, no love for Homework on this thread?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Doombear said:
Been a while since I graced this topic, or rather it's predecessor thread! My 12 year old just blew out the left ear of my old original Sennheiser HD 202s, and unfortunately they are a bit overpriced now.

Can anyone recommend a similar sounding pair of headphones? Ideally this would just be for PC/laptop/travel, nothing crazy. I have my Audio Technica ATH AD700s, as well as my Vsonic GR02 Bass Edition in ears. I am just looking for something simple in the 25-40 range that I can round out my little group with. That I wouldn't mind lending to my daughter when she forgets hers =P

Thanks all! Des and co. has never let me down.
Click to expand...
Are the Takstar Pro 80 too much? If so just grab some Creative Aurvana Live.
 
eerik9000

eerik9000

Member
Hi Audiophile GAF.

Looking to spend something in the range of 300-400 euros in the next couple of months on headphones and amp/DAC combo, so something in the mid-range. The plan is to get the headphones first and the amp later, as I currently have an old home-theater receiver that can do the basic job. Any suggestions and recommendations? Must be availabe within EU cause I'm totally not interested in paying customs (and additional VAT).
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Doombear said:
Showing $82 usd or so for that Takstar, Des. That a pretty normal price for those now? I don't think that is so bad at all. They look comfy as hell ...
Click to expand...
Yeah that's high they're usually fifty bucks. If you're okay paying that much get the NVX XPT100's instead. Otherwise the Creative Aurvana Live is a very nice little option.
 
K

Kevin

Member
31GhostsIV said:
I can't speak for the MX40, but they look very similar in design to my current cans, which are the ATH-M50x Ltd ed. (blue and tan leather). I've had them for a year and I love them, although initially I found them uncomfortable around my ears. Within a couple of months either they loosened or I got used to them, but worth mentioning.

I love the sound they produce - i'm not going to get too technical, as others on this thread know this subject much, much better than I do, however they sound detailed and rounded without going too heavy on the bass. I'm not saying the bass is too low, i'm merely saying it doesn't swamp everything.

If you can jack up your budget a bit I would say it's worth it for the detachable/replaceable cables alone in the long term.

Edit - didn't realise the M40 has detachable cables, so ignore the last bit.
Click to expand...

Do you think this would be an upgrade over my current Turtle Beach X41? I know nothing about headphones and I was trying to figure out if it was worth buying this new pair. :)
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
I haven't heard that particular set but I'm going to confirm that it's going to be a massive improvement anyway. ;)

Never heard a turtlebeach that sounded good.
 
K

Kevin

Member
Antiwhippy said:
I haven't heard that particular set but I'm going to confirm that it's going to be a massive improvement anyway. ;)

Never heard a turtlebeach that sounded good.
Click to expand...

Alright thanks. When I bought the Turtle Beach X41, I did so because I was more into gaming and at the time I saw those often being recommended. Paid like $140 for them and I was never really satisfied with the sound quality. It wasn't horrible but nothing special. Definitely no Bose. Almost took them back but didn't.

I had bought them for use on a computer and quickly discovered that you couldn't even use the microphone on the computer without some hacks. Also the static is a bit generic and the damn thing chews through batteries in less then a week (kept burning up rechargeables too) and that is why I figured I would look for a pair more suited for what I do most which is watch movies and tv shows as well as some light gaming and music listening.
 
eerik9000

eerik9000

Member
eerik9000 said:
Hi Audiophile GAF.

Looking to spend something in the range of 300-400 euros in the next couple of months on headphones and amp/DAC combo, so something in the mid-range. The plan is to get the headphones first and the amp later, as I currently have an old home-theater receiver that can do the basic job. Any suggestions and recommendations? Must be availabe within EU cause I'm totally not interested in paying customs (and additional VAT).
Click to expand...

Some of the candidates for headphones (that are available at local retailers):
NAD VISO HP50 (~210-250 EUR)
AKG K550 (~150 EUR)
Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7 (~200-250 EUR)

Any comments?
 
A

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
NAD Viso HP50 if you like a warm, balanced and smooth, signature with no treble glare. I like it a lot actually. Probably my favourite closed portable at that price range, too bad it makes you look like you're wearing a luggage handle.

AKG k550 is thinner sound with more extension and emphasis in the treble and a leaner and detailed bass, with thinner sounding mids. I like them quite a bit too. Their chord makes portable use a no go though. The K551 is more for portable use, but my chord did eventually split at the jacket. The K550 has thicker cables. Big soundstage for a closed portable.

MSR7 is kinda the same as the K550 with more emphasis on the upper mids (where female vocals live). I haven't had a great deal of time with them though.

So uh, depends on what you need.
 
eerik9000

eerik9000

Member
holygeesus said:
Closed or open headphones? On ear, over ear, in-ear?
Click to expand...
I failed to state the obvious but I'm looking for closed on/over ear phones. Portability won't be an issue as I plan to only use them at my home, though removeable cable might come in handy. If it helps in any way as an indication of what type of music I will use them for, then my favourite albums from last year include:
Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Everything Everything - Get to Heaven
Julia Holter - Have You in My Wilderness
U.S. Girls - Half Free
Kurt Vile - b'lieve i'm goin down...
Floating Points ‎– Elaenia
Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
Jamie xx - In Colour
Tame Impala - Currents
Miguel - Wildheart
 
holygeesus

holygeesus

Banned
The NAD VISO HP50 you mention are supposed to be decent but I've not heard them personally, although as far as I can tell from reviews, they have a neutral sound, so not one that is likely to have artificially boosted bass etc. The Shure SRH1540 get excellent reviews, but might just be out of your price range. I was tempted by them myself recently, but pushed the boat out a bit more and bought the beyerdynamic DT 1770 Pro. The Oppo PM-3 also seem well regarded.
 
B

Blitzhex

Member
Th-x00 hype deflated, they're shipping in May. Ugh, I'm still getting one. They're the closest things to th900s and those are stupidly priced for what they are.
 
S

SolarMystic

Member
Blitzhex said:
Th-x00 hype deflated, they're shipping in May. Ugh, I'm still getting one. They're the closest things to th900s and those are stupidly priced for what they are.
Click to expand...

Will explained why it would take so long, but I think they should have dropped closer to the date, like sometime in April.
 
D

disastermouse

Banned
Vincent Alexander said:
Anyone recommend a good sound card for listening to music? Not sure where to even begin.
Click to expand...
You'd do better with a dedicated USB DAC, IMHO.

Schiit makes the Modi 2 Uber. I think it's $150 or so.

I just recently upgraded to a Schiit Bifrost Multibit (R2R DAC with filter and keeps the original samples unlike Delta-Sigma DACs).
 
D

disastermouse

Banned
eerik9000 said:
Hi Audiophile GAF.

Looking to spend something in the range of 300-400 euros in the next couple of months on headphones and amp/DAC combo, so something in the mid-range. The plan is to get the headphones first and the amp later, as I currently have an old home-theater receiver that can do the basic job. Any suggestions and recommendations? Must be availabe within EU cause I'm totally not interested in paying customs (and additional VAT).
Click to expand...
Open-Back or Closed-Back?
 
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