Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!

post #1 of 36
8/20/07 at 10:27pm
Thread Starter 
WOW . . .

Wow . . .

wow . . .

Thank you head-fi for turning me on to headphones. I've never bought a quality pair of headphones ever. To be honest I never felt the need. I had a pretty good set of klipsch speakers for my computer, I had a quality car audio system, and a nice home theater set up (my dad's at home). Recently I moved to NYC and got an mp3 cell phone (nokia 5300 free from wirefly, recommend it) so that I would be able to take my tunes with me on the subway (now that I did not own a car). I had been using the stock nokia ear buds that came with the phone. Then, one day I decided I needed something more to drown out the sound of my daily 40 minute commute when I was stuck in a train with a screaming baby. I tried the bluetooth route b/c my phone was A2DP ready, but it was dropping out too much. Today I stopped at JR electronics and bought a pair of Sennheiser HD-515's for around $74 (is this a good price?), and wow; I never believed sound like this was possible with headphones. I'm hearing background harmonies that I never knew existed in songs I've been listening to for years. I would rather listen through these than any speakers I have (plus I can listen to music/movies/games while my gf is sleeping!). The sound through my cell phone is great, it may not be audiophile level, but it sounds a thousand times better than those ear buds, and isn't really distinguishable from sound played from my computer.

Now for a question. The Sennheiser's are 1/4" with a 3.5mm adapter, which I then have to plug into a 3.5mm to mini-jack to fit my phone. This is way to much for my pocket. Can anyone suggest a headphone in the same quality/price range that comes with a stock 3.5mm connection? I like the circumaural construction, and I need something that will work good for many types of music (rock, hip-hop, jazz, classical, swing). I'd spend up to $80 if I had to.





Thank you Head-Fi!
Reply
post #2 of 36
8/20/07 at 10:31pm
Welcome to head-fi. Sorry about your wallet. YES!! finally did it.

VERY sorry about your wallet man.. Before I officially joined head-fi, I had been reading for a while and had already spent about $500 on headphones BEFORE I EVEN JOINED HEAD-FI, mind you.

Good luck not succumbing to the addiction
Reply
post #3 of 36
8/20/07 at 10:42pm
check out the grado sr60 or Igrados, the both terminate to a 1/8 plug and are under 80 bucks, and youd be hard pressed to find one negitive review about either of them. They are not circumaural, but they both are comfy, and sound amazing without an amp.

edit/ sry, didnt read the subway bit, you probobly want IEMs, they work like earplugs and all go to a 1/8 jack, and work unamped well. I can only speak to the UE sf 5pro which i like, but is above 80$. Look at Jays, Ultimate Ears, or Etymotics, they are all writen up well on this site.
Reply
post #4 of 36
8/20/07 at 10:51pm
Can't you replace the cable quite easily with one that terminates in a 3m5mm jack?? I know that cable replacement is fairly simple with HD555 and HD595 and judging from the picture, it looks like it would be similar with your headphone.
Reply
post #5 of 36
8/20/07 at 10:51pm
You mean you wear those Senns on the subway?
Reply
post #6 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:16am
There are many recommendations for that price range, but when you add circumaural, I would recommend you the Sennheiser HD280s or the Sony MDR-V6. I have a pair next to me that belongs to my roommate, and I previously owned a pair of the HD280s and I feel that they can both handle most types of music efficiently enough. But if you want more isolation in a headphone, then go for the HD280s. People complain about the strong clamp but I personally LOVE it. They are both terminated to a 1/8" jack (3.5mm), with an included 1/8" -> 1/4" jack.
Reply
post #7 of 36
8/21/07 at 4:00am
Welcome to the party! For subway noise isolation and low-profile portability in the big city, take a long look at IEMs, including Etymotics, Shure, Westone, Ultimate Ears, and Future Sonics.


__________________________
Phones (in order of purchase):
Sony MDR71, Sony MDR51, Etymotic ER6, Panasonic RP-HJ50, Shure E3C, Koss PortaPro 2, Creative EP630, Etymotic ER6i, Sennheiser PX-100, Sennheiser HD555, Future Sonics Atrio M5
Reply
post #8 of 36
8/21/07 at 5:01am
Thread Starter 

not self conscious

No, I haven't worn those senn's on the subway, but yes I would. Come on, it's the NYC subway, I doubt that anyone would give me a second look. . . or that I would much care if they did. I enjoy music.

I don't like the IEM's very much. They seem to produce a wierd pressure difference in my ear or something. It becomes uncomfortable after awhile.

I tried a pair of Bose Tri-port circumaural headphones at JR Electronics ($126 out of my range), they sounded good, the bass seemed heavier than on the senn's. But the biggest thing was the comfort. They use a soft leather for the ear cup that feels a lot better than the foam on the sennheiser's. Can I get that in a headphone without paying out the ass?

Also, is there anything with good sound and active noise canceling around $80?

Right now I'm looking at the AKG K66 ($50) or the Sony MDR-D777LP ($75) for circumaural, and the sennheiser PXC150 ($75) or AKG K28NC ($100) for active noise canceling, any comments/suggestions? I'm going to get one of these tomorrow afternoon when I take back my Sennheiser 515's.

Any other comments about the Senn 280's? I've been reading that they have cracking problems with the plastic headband?

Thanks,

Dan
Reply
post #9 of 36
8/21/07 at 7:10am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancoulter View Post
Also, is there anything with good sound and active noise canceling around $80?herefor $53 (after shipping)
If isolation from ambient noise is important you, you could look at sealed headphones. The Sennheiser HD 280 is well-lauded at its price point, as is the AKG K 81 DJ. If you're willing to break the bank a little, you could try the HD-25-1.
Reply
post #10 of 36
8/21/07 at 12:23pm
Thread Starter 

noob question

Does a lower impedance mean that I will be able to reach higher volumes on my portable mp3 player?
Reply
post #11 of 36
8/21/07 at 12:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancoulter View Post
Does a lower impedance mean that I will be able to reach higher volumes on my portable mp3 player?
Generally, yes. But, besides impedance, take a look at sensitivity, which should be measured in db and available on just about every major headphone manufacturer's website (except Bose ). The higher this number, (especially when coupled with a low impedance) the louder the volume you'll get on your player.

As for headphone recommendations, if you don't need noise cancellation and don't mind looking like a fool on the subway, I'd suggest getting a pair of Grado SR-80's, or SR-60's with bowl pads. (find them for cheap at TTVJ.com) However, look into the PXC 200's by Sennheiser if you want to drown out the sometimes deafening background noise on the train, and retain at least some notable sound quality.

Hope this helps,
Nick
Reply
post #12 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:20pm
Thread Starter 

ok

So I've found that the sony MDR-D777LP's have an impedance of 24 OHMS and a sensitivity of 106 dB/mW. Does this sound correct? If so, they have the lowest impedance of all the phones I've been looking at, and one of the lowest sensitivities (the Grado's come in at 98dB/mW but aren't circumaural like I want, and the Senn HD280's come in at 102dB/mW but 64 OHMS). Are the Sony's any good quality/sound wise?
Reply
post #13 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:33pm
You can chop that big mutha plug off and replace it with a nice svelte 'Switchcraft' jobbie.



Black dude on my 595s. I got it free, as a Switchcraft factory is near me.

You can get a smaller one.
Reply
post #14 of 36
8/21/07 at 1:43pm
Thread Starter 

hmmmm

Thanks for the idea, but I think I'm going to try some of these others out before I go hacking my wires up. I'm not completely sure of my wire modding ability.

However, if none of these sound like the sweet sweet butter that came out of my 515's, I'll be picking up the knife in a hurry.
Reply
post #15 of 36
8/21/07 at 2:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dancoulter View Post
However, if none of these sound like the sweet sweet butter that came out of my 515's, I'll be picking up the knife in a hurry.
Do you know any Electirimagicians?

Luckily, my Dad was the boss of a load of them. So they did it.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Headphones (full-size)
Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Headphones (full-size) › I HAVE SEEN THE LIGHT!