I know, these threads get made all the time, and I hate to add to them. But I've been wanting to order a pair of cans for months now, and have continually put it off because I'm just not sure what to get.
To start, my source is a soundblaster audigy soundcard, no amp. All my music is v0 or flac.
I thought I wanted to HD555's, because everyone loves them. Then I decided the AD700's would be better since they are more comfortable and have a bit of a bigger soundstage. Then I decided I wanted to go Grado because I listen to a lot of rock. And now, I just don't know where to go.
However, I do know what I for sure want in my headphones.
-~$100
-Decent bass. Not super exaggerated, but I listen to quite a lot of hip hop, and I like the bass decently pronounced, and I really like to hear and feel the bass drum when I'm listening to hardcore. I guess that means I want both tight and punchy, and booming, which kind of contradict each other. My HD202's certainly don't have enough.
-The highs need to not be so harsh. The main genre's of music I listen to are hardcore (and it's many, many subgenre's) and skramz. I find my 202's to be quite fatiguing with these types of music, because of how harsh the highs are. I'll often find myself gritting my teeth while listening to grindcore because of that.
-Comfort is huge. I'll be wearing them for hours at a time, daily. This is another area where my 202's fail. I'd like them to go completely around my ears (circumaural?)
-Opened back or closed back really doesn't matter to me. Closed back would sure be nice to block out the sound of my family, but I understand that open backed phones provide better sound quality and that is far more important to me.
-Soundstage isn't that big of a deal to me. These phones will be used exclusively for music, so it really doesn't factor in for me.
Right now, I'm leaning toward the MS-1's. I'm worried that they won't provide enough bass for me, however. And honestly, outside of sennheiser's, grado's, and Audio Technica's lines, I know nothing about headphones. I just know there is a pair of cans out there that are perfect for me, just need to find them.
To start, my source is a soundblaster audigy soundcard, no amp. All my music is v0 or flac.
I thought I wanted to HD555's, because everyone loves them. Then I decided the AD700's would be better since they are more comfortable and have a bit of a bigger soundstage. Then I decided I wanted to go Grado because I listen to a lot of rock. And now, I just don't know where to go.
However, I do know what I for sure want in my headphones.
-~$100
-Decent bass. Not super exaggerated, but I listen to quite a lot of hip hop, and I like the bass decently pronounced, and I really like to hear and feel the bass drum when I'm listening to hardcore. I guess that means I want both tight and punchy, and booming, which kind of contradict each other. My HD202's certainly don't have enough.
-The highs need to not be so harsh. The main genre's of music I listen to are hardcore (and it's many, many subgenre's) and skramz. I find my 202's to be quite fatiguing with these types of music, because of how harsh the highs are. I'll often find myself gritting my teeth while listening to grindcore because of that.
-Comfort is huge. I'll be wearing them for hours at a time, daily. This is another area where my 202's fail. I'd like them to go completely around my ears (circumaural?)
-Opened back or closed back really doesn't matter to me. Closed back would sure be nice to block out the sound of my family, but I understand that open backed phones provide better sound quality and that is far more important to me.
-Soundstage isn't that big of a deal to me. These phones will be used exclusively for music, so it really doesn't factor in for me.
Right now, I'm leaning toward the MS-1's. I'm worried that they won't provide enough bass for me, however. And honestly, outside of sennheiser's, grado's, and Audio Technica's lines, I know nothing about headphones. I just know there is a pair of cans out there that are perfect for me, just need to find them.
