• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

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

The million dollar question here: does it sound similar to the K240 as they have the exact official specs and the overall aesthetic/design as the M220? Only asking because the M220 is difficult to find, being a Massdrop exclusive from memory.

I never actually heard the K240s, but judging from what I've heard people say about them, I think so.

And while I think they might have been a Massdrop exclusive at one point, I don't think they are now, as I bought mine from Amazon. They were even eligible for Prime. While they were a little more expensive than the K240s ($75 vs $55), I think the added price is worth it for that sweet, sweet white.
 

Kermy

Member
Thoughts on Mojo vs HA-2? Debating whether or not the Mojo is worth 2x...going to be using it with the Beyer DT 1770 and SE846.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Had both, I'm not going to say it's worth 2x, but it's more about what you're looking for. The ha-2 sounds pretty good, but there's still a bit of that sabre glare where the highs can sound sharp, and I much prefer the transients/decay on the mojo. If you want it strictly for portable use the ha-2 has the superior form factor, but the mojo presents a lot more functionality for me due to its optical input. Not to say it's bad portable use, but it's not as pocket friendly as the ha-2.
 
Thoughts on Mojo vs HA-2? Debating whether or not the Mojo is worth 2x...going to be using it with the Beyer DT 1770 and SE846.

How are the DT1770s? Ever since getting the T5Ps I've been interested in trying out more of Beyer's tesla line, but I've heard about issues with QA in regard to the DT 1770s.

Not gonna lie, though, every time I browse Amazon or something and see them, I can feel my wallet trying to escape my pocket.
 

Tommy DJ

Member
Eh, to be fair on the kannon impressions, it's less about those useless phrases and more about the tactile feel from the haptic vibrators, which is what bassheads there are looking for. People there already described the sound as m50-esque which is what made me reluctant to put down so much money for something relatively untested, because I still prioritise sound over head-shaking bass. Though if that haptic technology is proven to be awesome once more people get it in I'd be down for one, especially if they can update their drivers with a better sound.

Properly tactile bass on headphones is so poorly done most of the time. For IEMs it's easier because it creates a closed environment with your canals, but obviously IEMs has some trade-off vs full sized cans.

Taction is 100% using Audio Technica as their OEM...they have an open headphone prototype that uses the same chassis as one of the open Audio Technicas. Their frequency response graph basically confirms that they're using the Audio Technica M40x as the base - same upper midrange/lower treble dip and high treble peak. People do say that the "head shaking bass" does make it a whole lot more exciting though...headphones that follow the B&K curve are dead boring but speakers are a lot more exciting following that target curve because they have a whole lot more impact and image a whole lot better.

Still wouldn't drop $260-300 USD on what is essentially a pair of Audio Technica M40x headphones though, even if the bass is good.
 

Antiwhippy

the holder of the trombone
Pretty much my thoughts for now. I'll wait a couple of revisions to see if they'll update it with more "audiophile" drivers so to speak, but I'm happy just to observe them for now.

Would be nice if it's possible for them to sell a kit for modders, but I'm assuming that integrating the crossover would be kind of impossible for most users.
 

Tommy DJ

Member
How are the DT1770s? Ever since getting the T5Ps I've been interested in trying out more of Beyer's tesla line, but I've heard about issues with QA in regard to the DT 1770s.

Not gonna lie, though, every time I browse Amazon or something and see them, I can feel my wallet trying to escape my pocket.

Ignore, just get any other closed headphone on the market. Same piercing treble peak as my HD800s, horrible midrange timbre, and bass that isn't good compared to other bass heavy closed headphones. Its so expensive so why bother when the Fostex TH-X00 pretty much give you the same sort of W shaped sound signature without the distortion?
 

Onemic

Member
Koss Pro DJ 100s are probably the most well-rounded and best headphone in the sub-$150 price range, so that would be my recommendation without knowing what kind of music you listen to.

Not sure what Canadian prices are like, but I think you should easily be able to find them within your budget.

Listen to a lot of different genres. Hip hop, classic rock, alternative/indie rock, electronic, jazz, some metal, RnB/Soul. Pretty much everything minus country.

Creative Aurvana Live

How's the durability on those? Ive gone through two MDR-7506's in 2 years and those were supposed to be durable as hell.
 
Ignore, just get any other closed headphone on the market. Same piercing treble peak as my HD800s, horrible midrange timbre, and bass that isn't good compared to other bass heavy closed headphones. Its so expensive so why bother when the Fostex TH-X00 pretty much give you the same sort of W shaped sound signature without the distortion?

I'm pretty sure you said exactly the same thing about the T5Ps that I love to death, so I'd like to maybe hear from someone who has some love for the line.
 

Xander51

Member
Picked up a pair of Blue Lolas after enjoying the Mo-Fi's in spite of their weight.

The good news is that the Lolas are indeed lighter and a bit more comfy. The bad news is that one of the hinges on my pair is stuck/broken, and I'm now dealing with their support team. Their support has been responsive and friendly in the past, and they have a two year warranty which is great, but I'm still a little bummed. Guess it's a symptom of building such an elaborate headband.

I was able to listen to a couple of things even with the headband grinding against itself, and the Mo-Fi signature sound is still very much there. It's a bit warmer and bassier than traditional studio headphones, but I love the character of it.
 

HiResDes

Member
Listen to a lot of different genres. Hip hop, classic rock, alternative/indie rock, electronic, jazz, some metal, RnB/Soul. Pretty much everything minus country.



How's the durability on those? Ive gone through two MDR-7506's in 2 years and those were supposed to be durable as hell.
Not that great but not many things are in the range, I think you would destroy anything in the price range eventually if that's how you handled the Sony
 

Onemic

Member
Not that great but not many things are in the range, I think you would destroy anything in the price range eventually if that's how you handled the Sony

The first one was my fault, but the second one wasnt. The first one had audio that stopped coming out of one ear after the cord was yanked slightly while I was playing the drums and the second ones audio jack kept popping out of audio ports for absolutely no reason after 8 months of use.

Whats funny is that my Sony MDR-V55 have had much worse punishment in terms of it being yanked and it still works perfectly. I just hate that the design is completely over ear so it puts pressure on my ears that gets annoying after an hour of use.
 

FoxSpirit

Junior Member
Yeah for some of the overly hyped things it's better to translate their descriptions like this:

Musical = Excessive midbass non existent treble
Micro detail = Excessive treble, weak bass
Instrument Separation = Flat boring headphone that just happens to also be open
Musical is my favourite word. "Vienna Acoustics speakers are just so musical". If drowning everything in warm pleasantry is your thing, musical it is.
 
Anyone here have the Beyer Dt770 80 Ohms? Got these as a replacement for my ATH M50x because they hurt soooo much. Im using a Focusrite 2i2 audio interface and suprised to see testing side by side the M50's have a better bass, as in hip hop songs the kick drum hits alot louder than in my Beyers. Is this normal? I heard the beyers were supposed to have a better bass
 
Anyone here have the Beyer Dt770 80 Ohms? Got these as a replacement for my ATH M50x because they hurt soooo much. Im using a Focusrite 2i2 audio interface and suprised to see testing side by side the M50's have a better bass, as in hip hop songs the kick drum hits alot louder than in my Beyers. Is this normal? I heard the beyers were supposed to have a better bass

DT770 Pros have better sub-bass, and better bass quality. M50s have more thumpy bass because that's basically all they can do.
 

Xander51

Member
Yeah for some of the overly hyped things it's better to translate their descriptions like this:

Musical = Excessive midbass non existent treble
Micro detail = Excessive treble, weak bass
Instrument Separation = Flat boring headphone that just happens to also be open

This is a hilariously accurate summary.
 

HiResDes

Member
Anyone here have the Beyer Dt770 80 Ohms? Got these as a replacement for my ATH M50x because they hurt soooo much. Im using a Focusrite 2i2 audio interface and suprised to see testing side by side the M50's have a better bass, as in hip hop songs the kick drum hits alot louder than in my Beyers. Is this normal? I heard the beyers were supposed to have a better bass

Neither have much in the way of subbass quality or depth in my experience, but the Beyerdynamic definitely benefits quite a bit from amping, whereas the M50 doesn't scale quite as much. I'd describe the M50 bass a slight rumble and the DT770 more of as soft bulbous boom.
 

Xander51

Member
Has anyone heard of or have a BoomStick? I saw it on Uncrate this morning. Curious if its any good.

Seems like it's just a headphone amp that's also doing some EQ tweaking to the audio signal. Most folks probably wouldn't want something that messes with the source audio, and I'd be more willing to trust it if they told you exactly what frequencies they were EQing.

They have a sample thing on their web site where you can "try" it out. Sounds like they're just adding a bass and high mid boost. No thanks! But that's just my opinion. :)
 

SugarDave

Member
I assume this is the correct thread to ask this in so here goes. I bought a FiiO E10K DAC to pair up with my Sennheiser HD 558's for use on my PC about a month ago and I've noticed that while scrolling on web pages with lots of images, I can hear a faint buzz from the headphones. It doesn't occur at any other time so I found it odd and thought somebody here might know what's causing it. I just plugged it in and started using it immediately so did I perhaps forget some part of the setup process? This is the first one I've owned.
 

Doombear

Member
Would anyone mind offering some alternatives to a pair of earbuds that I used to love, but unfortunately don't so much any longer?

Recommend by Des years ago, I picked up a pair of VSonic GR02 Bass Editions. Loved em. I used them quite often on my phone and portables for 2 and a half years and then... left them a bar one night.

I replaced them with another pair, but they had made some minor changes. The cable was no longer the same, it tangled and picked up so much more cable noise while walking. Sadly even after accepting those issues, the cable came loose from the plug after just 6 months of use.

So I am curious if there are other decent recommendations for similar sounding earbuds (I also really liked the triple flanged tips) or if I should try my luck once more with those. Thanks all. FYI for me they are currently $30, fulfilled by Amazon.
 

Chuckl3s

Member
I assume this is the correct thread to ask this in so here goes. I bought a FiiO E10K DAC to pair up with my Sennheiser HD 558's for use on my PC about a month ago and I've noticed that while scrolling on web pages with lots of images, I can hear a faint buzz from the headphones. It doesn't occur at any other time so I found it odd and thought somebody here might know what's causing it. I just plugged it in and started using it immediately so did I perhaps forget some part of the setup process? This is the first one I've owned.

I have a different DAC but i was having the same issue. My fix was I just got a cheap aftermarket sound card. My DAC was hooked up directly to the on-board sound from the motherboard and that is what was causing the noise. Hope this helps.
 

Xander51

Member
I assume this is the correct thread to ask this in so here goes. I bought a FiiO E10K DAC to pair up with my Sennheiser HD 558's for use on my PC about a month ago and I've noticed that while scrolling on web pages with lots of images, I can hear a faint buzz from the headphones. It doesn't occur at any other time so I found it odd and thought somebody here might know what's causing it. I just plugged it in and started using it immediately so did I perhaps forget some part of the setup process? This is the first one I've owned.

You're hooking the DAC up to the PC through USB correct? If so, then it could be bad/muddy USB power. I don't know. Ideally you shouldn't be hearing any interference like this through a USB connection.

Chuckl3s, I hate to break this to you, but if you were hooking a DAC up to your on-board sound port...that was a complete waste of the DAC. A DAC will work as a sound card through a USB connection, when you had it hooked up in that way, you were still just using the DAC inside your motherboard and basically not using your external DAC at all save for as a second amp.
 

Chuckl3s

Member
You're killing me, Xander51! JK. I do apologize. It wasn't a DAC. I had an Headphone Amp, this bad boy, hooked up to my pc and it was buzzing. I fixed it by just using a cheap sound card. Would it be suitable just to use a DAC instead of an AMP?
 

Xander51

Member
You're killing me, Xander51! JK. I do apologize. It wasn't a DAC. I had an Headphone Amp, this bad boy, hooked up to my pc and it was buzzing. I fixed it by just using a cheap sound card. Would it be suitable just to use a DAC instead of an AMP?

Ah right on! That makes sense then. :) You need both a DAC and amp to hear sound (right now your sound card is serving as the DAC), but there are a great many units out there that combine them into one box, no additional hardware needed. The FiiO that Sugardave mentioned is one of hundreds of examples. There are some DACs that need a separate amp, but combo units are super popular right now and easy to find in all price ranges.

The DAC takes the digital files on your PC and turns them into analog audio signals, and the amp powers your headphones and makes them play said analog signals.
 

LQX

Member
Massdrop has a new collaboration with HiFiMAN...

We’re excited to announce two new custom products, made in collaboration with HiFiMAN and based on feedback and requests from the Audiophile Community. Both are reboots of discontinued favorites, featuring everything you loved about the originals, plus a few awesome updates and a more accessible price.

Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350: Entry-level audiophile headphones, $99.99
Massdrop x HiFiMAN RE-00: Entry-level audiophile IEMs, $34.99

These products will be available for purchase exclusively on Massdrop this Wednesday, April 27 at 9 a.m. EST / 6 a.m. PST. In the meantime, visit the drop pages to read the full story, see product photos, and join the discussion. Hit the request button on either page, and we’ll notify you directly once it’s live.


Massdrop x HiFiMAN RE-00
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-re-00

Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350
https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he-350
 
Going to get the re-00. I don't use iems much, but I really don't like my se215 as they are too bassy.

For $35, why not.

This is really making me hungry for a collaboration on the original he-400. I got super hyped when I read the header of the email. When I found out it was just a revision of the he-300, I was super disappointed.
 

LQX

Member
How were the 300 to your ears? I'm reading a lot of positive stuff about them so I'm thinking of jumping on both. I love the look of the 350 as it looks just like 400i minus the fucking scratch magnet shiny part which I hated.
 

HiResDes

Member
Would anyone mind offering some alternatives to a pair of earbuds that I used to love, but unfortunately don't so much any longer?

Recommend by Des years ago, I picked up a pair of VSonic GR02 Bass Editions. Loved em. I used them quite often on my phone and portables for 2 and a half years and then... left them a bar one night.

I replaced them with another pair, but they had made some minor changes. The cable was no longer the same, it tangled and picked up so much more cable noise while walking. Sadly even after accepting those issues, the cable came loose from the plug after just 6 months of use.

So I am curious if there are other decent recommendations for similar sounding earbuds (I also really liked the triple flanged tips) or if I should try my luck once more with those. Thanks all. FYI for me they are currently $30, fulfilled by Amazon.
I would probably recommend waiting for the Shozy Zero to become widely available, impressions seem genuinely quite positive from notable sources. DRM was right as always
 
How were the 300 to your ears? I'm reading a lot of positive stuff about them so I'm thinking of jumping on both. I love the look of the 350 as it looks just like 400i minus the fucking scratch magnet shiny part which I hated.

I've never heard the he-300. I'm tempted to try a dynamic hifiman, but I'll probably pass. I actually really liked the finish on the 400i. It's the same finish that's on my HE-X I'm demoing for a couple weeks.

Already everyone is asking if they will beat the hd650. Sigh...

MD-17347_20160425222258_cb5ba75e2aa13f59.jpg

Very sleek looking. Looks nicer than the silver finish of the 400s imo.
 

Tommy DJ

Member
The original HE-300 sounded like garbage for $250 USD headphones. Some pretty low-fi mid-range timbre. Apparently there was a revision that improved everything?

That being said, $100 for an open dynamic with removable cables and a relatively alright frequency response (well not liking that dip into 5khz hump) isn't anything you can really complain about though.
 
I would probably recommend waiting for the Shozy Zero to become widely available, impressions seem genuinely quite positive from notable sources. DRM was right as always

You can actually order it off of EBay this very second. $50 shipped. Still haven't received my pair. Hoping to get it in by the end of this week.
 

Tommy DJ

Member
SBAF impressions and measurements confirm nasty ass 5khz peak for HE-350. Measurements also confirm that toilet paper will kill the peak.

Looks like a winner for $100.
 

gngf123

Member
I was just wondering, does anyone know a good place to get the foam/felt material to make the dampening/lining material that often comes with replacement pads? The disk things?

I have recently got some replacements but the lining material is thicker than I'd like and dampens out a lot of the highs. Could I just get some 1mm felt sheet from an arts and crafts store or what? Removing them entirely is an option but the treble then becomes very fatiguing. Somewhere half way between the two would be perfect.
 
Well, after 8 months of use, I'm thinking about selling my ATH-M50X.
The sound is great, but they're really uncomfortable. :(
I wear glasses and they really press hard (which is noticeable after a longer gaming session).
I got them last September for 100 pounds (via amazon.co.uk; they're 125 now) so I think I could get a good price for them (they never left the gaming room, are in pristine condition).

Since my primary use is gaming, I was thinking on getting Sennheiser 598.
Heard great things about them, especially for gaming.
They'll be in use for PC gaming only, hooked up to an oldie but goldie Pioneer VSX-D814 amp (connected via TOSLINK to my PC).
I need the comfort and sound quality.
Thoughts?
 

LQX

Member
Well, after 8 months of use, I'm thinking about selling my ATH-M50X.
The sound is great, but they're really uncomfortable. :(
I wear glasses and they really press hard (which is noticeable after a longer gaming session).
I got them last September for 100 pounds (via amazon.co.uk; they're 125 now) so I think I could get a good price for them (they never left the gaming room, are in pristine condition).

Since my primary use is gaming, I was thinking on getting Sennheiser 598.
Heard great things about them, especially for gaming.
They'll be in use for PC gaming only, hooked up to an oldie but goldie Pioneer VSX-D814 amp (connected via TOSLINK to my PC).
I need the comfort and sound quality.
Thoughts?

The Sennheiser 598 sound amazing and they are unbelievable comfortable. I think they sound better than the ATH-M50X but you will will lose the close nature and bass of the M50X. Also maybe consider the Philips X2 if you want better bass than the 598 as they are about the same price in the UK.
 
The Sennheiser 598 sound amazing and they are unbelievable comfortable. I think they sound better than the ATH-M50X but you will will lose the close nature and bass of the M50X. Also maybe consider the Philips X2 if you want better bass than the 598 as they are about the same price in the UK.
I'm not a basshead, so that's not really the problem. :)
 

Xander51

Member
I'm not a basshead, so that's not really the problem. :)

Then the 598's are an excellent choice! Especially if you're looking for a good, not super expensive open headphone.

And I agree with you on the M50X's, they can be pretty clampy with glasses. Heck, they can feel clampy without glasses. I really had to give mine a good breaking-in before they felt comfy, and sometimes if it's later in the day I still find them fatiguing.
 

Doombear

Member
I would probably recommend waiting for the Shozy Zero to become widely available, impressions seem genuinely quite positive from notable sources. DRM was right as always

Thanks Des. I may just do that. I am covered by warranty for the GR02s so maybe I will just return them and use the replacements until I can get the Zeros. Hopefully sooner than later. Did some reading up on them and they look pretty nice for the price.
 
Top Bottom