[headphonemania7]

M50 or HD 558 ??? please tell me........

 

[GeorgeStorm]

Man if I would kill to have that deal. Based on what I saw on the site. I would get TWO of the following if I were you:
Sennheiser HD25-1 II (for your portable pair)
Sennheiser HD598
Beyerdynamic COP (custom one pro)
OR I would buy one pair of HD650. I am uncertain if your amp will work well with these.
Any Sennheiser item you can get for 50% off will be a steal cuz it is getting harder and harder to find them on sale. Senny is cracking down.
That is just what I would do if I had the same deal. Not based on any particular knowledge of what your tastes are since you did not list them, but man that's a great deal.
I would spend more rather than less if it is a one time thing. In fact I think I would spring for the T5p for that discount.

There's not a lot of point putting much money into a portable pair, since I would hardly ever use them.
Why those? From a quick look they'll be of a similar quality to my current set?

Sadly both the HD600 and 650 are out of stock

Taste wise I listen to a wide range of music, and I watch all of my tv/film on the computer. Play various games as well, although not too fussed about game performance.

 

[Doc-holliday]

There's not a lot of point putting much money into a portable pair, since I would hardly ever use them.
Why those? From a quick look they'll be of a similar quality to my current set?
Sadly both the HD600 and 650 are out of stock
Taste wise I listen to a wide range of music, and I watch all of my tv/film on the computer. Play various games as well, although not too fussed about game performance.

The choices I gave you are all very different than your 770 with maybe the exception of the COP but even still it has the unique bass adjustment feature and nifty custom plates.

If you are happy with what you have then don't get anything at all. the 770 is a great headphone and very comfy.

 

[GeorgeStorm]

The choices I gave you are all very different than your 770 with maybe the exception of the COP but even still it has the unique bass adjustment feature and nifty custom plates.
If you are happy with what you have then don't get anything at all. the 770 is a great headphone and very comfy.

Fair enough, and I know I don't have to get anything, and I don't want to get something purely because it's a good deal.
But I thought this was a brilliant chance to potentially get an upgrade, when I wouldn't be able to afford one normally kinda thing.

Even if I don't upgrade my DT770s, I think I'll get a pair of Shure SE215s or something as a mobile pair, since they're quite cheap (at half price) and yet I've heard pretty good things about them.

 

[thestranger66]

(This is moved from a thread I started before I realized there was a designated recommendations thread):
 
 
Hey guys,
 
I have been lurking for the past month in a failed attempt to align with a set of headphones for under 250$. I have read as many reviews as I can, but I am still torn. My favorite genre is rock and I have had the chance to listen to: Bose AE2's and QC 15's, Grado sr125i's and sr225i's, some lower end akg mkII 141's, ath anc7b's, Seinheiser hd280's and hd555's, the B&W lineup at the apple store, and Beats/Soul/crap. Grado's have been my favorite but they have so many drawbacks. I love how detailed they are, but they lack comfort and they are harsh leading to fatigue. I also like movies and I am a casual gamer so a good soundstage and decent bass is important and Grado does not satisfy here. Ultimately, I'm a college kid and these will be my only premium headphones, so while I may like the Grado sound the best, I don't think I can justify 200$ for headphones that are only useful for short critical listening sessions; I need a more well rounded set of cans. Can someone point me in the right direction here?
 
Things:
 
-I set the price to 250$ to make room for the HD 598's even though I'd prefer to keep it at or under 200$. I have heard they are fragile and are difficult to drive. (I will not have an amp)
 
-Noise cancellation/isolation is not that important
 
-Comfort is fairly important
 
-Sound quality/detail is the most important to me
 
Thanks,
 
Steve


 

 

[cel4145]

Quote:

(This is moved from a thread I started before I realized there was a designated recommendations thread):
 
 
Hey guys,
 
I have been lurking for the past month in a failed attempt to align with a set of headphones for under 250$. I have read as many reviews as I can, but I am still torn. My favorite genre is rock and I have had the chance to listen to: Bose AE2's and QC 15's, Grado sr125i's and sr225i's, some lower end akg mkII 141's, ath anc7b's, Seinheiser hd280's and hd555's, the B&W lineup at the apple store, and Beats/Soul/crap. Grado's have been my favorite but they have so many drawbacks. I love how detailed they are, but they lack comfort and they are harsh leading to fatigue. I also like movies and I am a casual gamer so a good soundstage and decent bass is important and Grado does not satisfy here. Ultimately, I'm a college kid and these will be my only premium headphones, so while I may like the Grado sound the best, I don't think I can justify 200$ for headphones that are only useful for short critical listening sessions; I need a more well rounded set of cans. Can someone point me in the right direction here?
 
Things:
 
-I set the price to 250$ to make room for the HD 598's even though I'd prefer to keep it at or under 200$. I have heard they are fragile and are difficult to drive. (I will not have an amp)
 
-Noise cancellation/isolation is not that important
 
-Comfort is fairly important
 
-Sound quality/detail is the most important to me
 
Thanks,
 
Steve


 

 
I have the Grado SR225i. I definitely prefer them for rock, but the ATH-A900Xs I have do very well. Although I don't find that they have tons more bass than the Grados (just extend a little deeper). If the SR255i were that light on bass for you, you may need phones with extra bass emphasis beyond what you are thinking. 

 

[elock37]

Hey guys! 
 
I just created my account, a rather exciting experience as it means I'll finally be asking for advice as I approach buying my first pair of audiophile-quality headphones. I've been lurking here a bit, reading reviews, guides and whatnot and I finally got to the point where I had to have it.
 
Here's my biggest question: will a layman with no other experience than endless hours of music listening in nearly every genre be able to tell the difference? I've never sad down with a pair of HD650s and listened for the subtle differences in sound. I hope to someday appreciate those things but the main reason I'm searching for a pair of headphones is really to increase my enjoyment in music-listening. These headphones will see use for gaming and watching movies but 90% of their duties will be music from my desktop or phone. Genres vary from folk to dubstep, country to classical, blues to punk. 
 
Another thing I've been looking at: at what level (quality or dollar value) does an amplifier come into play? What type of difference in sound does it make from just a pair of quality headphones? 
 
I'm more of a closed-headphone person; I listen a lot in a rather noisy house and in an office. From the recommendations/buying guide/reviews, the headphones I'm interested in knowing more about are the V Moda LP2s and the Fischer Audio FA-003s (haven't been able to find these to buy). I have no real idea on price range. I probably wouldn't want to spend more than $400 on a pair of headphones, I could justify up to $1000 for an amplifier/headphone setup. 
 
So, after learning about me and my tastes, what do you have for me? 

 

[TonyRS]

Quote:

M50 or HD 558 ??? please tell me........

M50's are great. My +1

 

[steve2151]

Quote:

Hey guys! 
 
I just created my account, a rather exciting experience as it means I'll finally be asking for advice as I approach buying my first pair of audiophile-quality headphones. I've been lurking here a bit, reading reviews, guides and whatnot and I finally got to the point where I had to have it.
 
Here's my biggest question: will a layman with no other experience than endless hours of music listening in nearly every genre be able to tell the difference? I've never sad down with a pair of HD650s and listened for the subtle differences in sound. I hope to someday appreciate those things but the main reason I'm searching for a pair of headphones is really to increase my enjoyment in music-listening. These headphones will see use for gaming and watching movies but 90% of their duties will be music from my desktop or phone. Genres vary from folk to dubstep, country to classical, blues to punk. 
 
Another thing I've been looking at: at what level (quality or dollar value) does an amplifier come into play? What type of difference in sound does it make from just a pair of quality headphones? 
 
I'm more of a closed-headphone person; I listen a lot in a rather noisy house and in an office. From the recommendations/buying guide/reviews, the headphones I'm interested in knowing more about are the V Moda LP2s and the Fischer Audio FA-003s (haven't been able to find these to buy). I have no real idea on price range. I probably wouldn't want to spend more than $400 on a pair of headphones, I could justify up to $1000 for an amplifier/headphone setup. 
 
So, after learning about me and my tastes, what do you have for me? 

 
With $1000, you can buy a Ultrasone Signature Pro and have a few bucks left over. I know the retail is $1300, but I've seen places offer them as open box specials for as low as $750. You can currently get a new one for $850 from RMC Audio if you call in. It improves with a better chain but is quite easy to drive (32 ohm impedance). Take the extra $150 and buy a Fiio e17, which you can use as a dedicated amp with your phone and as a dac/amp on your PC. 
 
I do believe that open headphones sound better. You can get better SQ with something like a HE-400 or HD 650 plus a $600 dac/amp combo, but that combo is not portable, does not isolate, and the headphones don't really sound good out of a phone or mp3 player.

 

[PanamaHat]

I want a bassy headphone. I've been thinking either the Ultrasone pro900 or the he-400. I like a natural sound sig but still love me some bass for instrumentals, dub, hip-hop, etc. Open to suggestions

 

[Rhymenoceros]

so how well does AKG K81DJ fit a very, very large head?  i had the V-MODA M80 and it barely fit me when stretched to maximum.  the AKG Q460 didn't fit me at all (cups would only reach tops of my ears when fully extended).  any chance the K81DJs would fit me?  again my head is HUGE (maybe it's due to it being long vertically compared to width that is the problem, not sure).  thanks.

 

[XxDobermanxX]

Quote:

M50 or HD 558 ??? please tell me........

The hd 558 is overall better than the athm50 (with these having more bass impact because its closed), your signature thing said you are a basshead so i guess you like bass heavy headphones. based off blind assumption , you could try the beyerdynamic DT 770 or ultrasone hfi 580

 

[Uzaar]

Ok, I've lurked here for a while but decided to finally make an account. I have about ~$415 to spend on a pair of cans and a portable amp. I currently am using a pair of ATH-A700s and an Asus Xonar DG soundcard in my PC. Occasionally I like to chill on the couch listening to my iTouch so a portable amp /w a DAC would be nice (Fiio e7 maybe). Anyways I do like my A700s, but they make my ears hot and sweaty which is irritating. As my PC room doesn't have a door on it sound leaks out as it would if I were in public SO a pair of closed back headphones would be best.
Thanks for any help and looking forward to participating more in these forums :]

 

[elock37]

Quote:

 
With $1000, you can buy a Ultrasone Signature Pro and have a few bucks left over. I know the retail is $1300, but I've seen places offer them as open box specials for as low as $750. You can currently get a new one for $850 from RMC Audio if you call in. It improves with a better chain but is quite easy to drive (32 ohm impedance). Take the extra $150 and buy a Fiio e17, which you can use as a dedicated amp with your phone and as a dac/amp on your PC. 
 
I do believe that open headphones sound better. You can get better SQ with something like a HE-400 or HD 650 plus a $600 dac/amp combo, but that combo is not portable, does not isolate, and the headphones don't really sound good out of a phone or mp3 player.

 
Thanks a lot for taking the time to respond. I really chose closed headphones for their isolation. What if I were to look at two pairs of headphones? I could go with a lower-end (~$150) pair of closed headphones for travel and work and still leave myself enough money for a decent desk setup. Do you have a recommendation at that level?
 
Sound wise for the desk setup I'm looking for something neutral, maybe a slight tilt towards the low end. I'm open to suggestions of open or closed headphones and amp/DAC combinations. Do you have any recommendations for headphone and amp pairing at about $750 keeping in mind that these will be used 90% of the time to listen to FLAC from my desktop? Again, as far as genres go, I'm across the board. I listened to my country music playlist on my way home from work, I was listening to John Coltrane at my desktop last night, I'm listening to the new Mumford & Sons album at work, I'll probably listen to some Zeds Dead on the way home today and chill out with some Red Hot Chili Peppers later this evening. 
 
What general recommendations do you have for a budding audiophile? I've been reading recommendation threads all day and I'd love something to read or watch at work. 
 
Again, thank you for your input and opinions; it's helping me develop my own. 
 
EDIT:
 
After reading through the Battle of the Flagship thread, the description of the LCD-2 given seems to be what I think I'm looking for. It's slightly "darker", favoring mids and bass a little. This doesn't seem like a newbie headphone and it's a bit outside my range for what I want to do. Similarly, the Beyerdynamic DT 880s @ 600 ohm are said to be the "genre masters" and, paired with a "warm amp" could fill out the bass. These, at $349 on Amazon, paired with a quality desk amplifier could provide what I'm looking for. Any recommendations on an amplifier pair?

 

[octobre10j]

Hello.
 
I'm a bit new here and am looking for a good pair of closed cans with a mic (on the wire). I mostly listen to electronic, techno, and rock music. This shouldn't be to hard considering I am coming from the apple earbuds that came with my iPhone. So anything will do really. 
 
Thanks.