++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ CLOSED: Please post a thread in the... - Page 1425  

hi all :)

I've just started looking for a set of headphones but since i'm completely new to this, i'd really appreciate some feedback and suggestions.

The main use for the headphones would be to connect them to my Onkyo amplifier for playing games on my ps3. I currently use a Sony CD950 set but i find them quite uncomfortable to wear. Also, i might consider using them with my iPod if they prove to be comfortable to wear and a considerable improvement over the standard apple headphones (which i currently use on my ipod). I never intend to take the headphones outside and there is not a lot of noise around me.

I'm not an audiophile so i don't need the most expensive ones but i want to invest in a decent quality headphone nonetheless. Certainly something that is comfortable to wear for longer periods and with decent sound quality.

I have been searching a bit here and there and i set my eye on the Sennheiser HD598 or even the new Sony MDR-1R. So i was wondering: would that type of headphone be a good choice/price category for my intented purposes? Or am i totally missing the point? Also, if i was to buy the Sony MDR-1R, i noticed that the supplied cable is only 1.2 m (according to the specs). My CD950 has a much longer cable and i need this length when sitting in my couch in front of the tv. Are headphones like the HD598 or MDR intented for mobile use (on the road/ipod/...) or are they also intented for hooking up to an amp? Can i just buy a longer cable and plug it in?

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

What would be a close competitor to the RE0 in-ear headphone?? I will listen to mainly electronic music, so I need a flat EQ in mids and trebs but a little bit more punch in the bass. Thanx!

Hi guys,

Hope you can help me. I am looking for some headphones to buy but because of all the possibilities I need some help, so thats why i'm here.

My maximum budget is $200 (maybe 250 if it's really worth the extra costs).

The music I listen to varies from Miles Davis to Jay-Z to Jimi Hendrix to acoustic guitar, so basically I will need an allround headphone to connect to my iphone. 

Another important thing to know is that the headphone needs to be easy to travel with. I'm planning on using it mostly on the streets or train. From what I understood this means I will probably need an closed headphone right? Because I also don't want to the guy who bothers everybody else on the train while listening to my music. Also I read somewhere that the noise cancellation headphones have a lower sound quality? In that case the noise cancellation is a no-go because sound quality is important for me (and also the train doesn't make that much noise where I live). 

If possible I would prefer headphones that aren't that big (foldable isn't a requirement) and can be placed around the neck while talking to somebody or when I just don't feel like listening to music at that moment.

So basically:

- Maximum budget: $200

- Type of music: Allround

- Closed (I think? Please correct me if i'm wrong)

- Comfortable while listening to music but also comfortable while placed around back of my neck (meaning I can still move my head normally)

- Not to big

I really hope you can help me with some good options because, like I said, the amount of possibilities is making me dizzy.

Thanks,

Jalb

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc-holliday 


Well the DT770 are a good start. They obviously are not going to sound open like the 990 but they have a near open sound for a closed can IMO. Get the 80 or 250ohm and a portable amp like I mentioned in my other response.
Economical amp options to try to stay near your price range:
E11 with L9 cable $65 -- for use with your ipod only (as mentioned earlier). This is assuming your onboard sound on your laptop you are happy with.
E17 with L9 -- $140-$150 -- If you need a portable amp for the ipod that can double to replace the DAC/Amp circuit of your laptop. It plugs into your usb.
Get both the E11 with L9 cable $69 (for ipod) and E10 $65 (Dac/amp for laptop only) -- The E10 plugs into your usb and gets power that way. For use with your laptop or home computer. E11 takes batteries for use portably as an amp only for the ipod.

Thank you for the recommendations and your highly detailed response! Seeing as you have both, how do the DT770s compare to the DT990s sound signature-wise?

Will I be sacrificing a lot of bass and highs? I realize that the sound stage of the DT770s will not sound as great as those of the DT990s

Quote:

Originally Posted by Doc-holliday 


Ya it is all subjective I guess. The 990 for sure sounds more "airy" and open. The advantage of the 770 IMO is the bass impact and quality is superior due to the closed design. The one of the rooms I use my headhpones in have a wall air conditioner so in that case i appreciate the closed design of the 770 more. That all being said, I do find the signature between the two similar overall.

I see. I think I will go for the DT 770s. Thank you for the input!

Looking for a portable, low leakage headphone that has as rich textured bass as possible, for under 100 dollars, if that is possible...

Genres i listen to are House, Drum and Bass, Liquid, Real Dubstep (none of that skrillex mid frequency screeching noises),

Must leak less than Xb500s, which I have already, and smaller than the Xb500s, for portability. 

Things I don't care about: Mids and Highs, comfort, build quality to an extent, (no sketchy-shack glass headphones) brand (no beats fanboy)

Im open to far-fetched ideas, as this request is quite a stretch in itself. Thanks. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wouwie 

hi all :)

 

I've just started looking for a set of headphones but since i'm completely new to this, i'd really appreciate some feedback and suggestions.

 

The main use for the headphones would be to connect them to my Onkyo amplifier for playing games on my ps3. I currently use a Sony CD950 set but i find them quite uncomfortable to wear. Also, i might consider using them with my iPod if they prove to be comfortable to wear and a considerable improvement over the standard apple headphones (which i currently use on my ipod). I never intend to take the headphones outside and there is not a lot of noise around me.

 

I'm not an audiophile so i don't need the most expensive ones but i want to invest in a decent quality headphone nonetheless. Certainly something that is comfortable to wear for longer periods and with decent sound quality.

 

I have been searching a bit here and there and i set my eye on the Sennheiser HD598 or even the new Sony MDR-1R. So i was wondering: would that type of headphone be a good choice/price category for my intented purposes? Or am i totally missing the point? Also, if i was to buy the Sony MDR-1R, i noticed that the supplied cable is only 1.2 m (according to the specs). My CD950 has a much longer cable and i need this length when sitting in my couch in front of the tv. Are headphones like the HD598 or MDR intented for mobile use (on the road/ipod/...) or are they also intented for hooking up to an amp? Can i just buy a longer cable and plug it in?

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Hello,

From personal experience i can tell you that the HD598 are indeed well suiting headphones for you, especially for home use. They are not very suitable for portable use though due to sound leakage.

About the cable, yes, you can simply buy an extension cable if you chose to buy the Sony's

One last thing. im basically set on them. will they work for large ears? also what about your views on the a900x?

Got my dt990's and a nice MKIII amp. So happy!

First time poster - lurker for a while through the years... 

I've been the happy owner of a pair of sr60's for several... uh... well... 15 years I guess.  Couple of ear pads through the years and one re-solder job in one of the cans, but I'm pretty happy with them for the most part.... but... been lurking around so my interest is piqued... 

So, I was looking for something to watch movies with my tablet and not wake up my wife...  but that could also do a good job with listening to music.  My original idea was to look at the AT m50's, but I do get the idea that, generally speaking, open cans are 'better' than sealed cans.  I realize that hi-fidelity isn't quite required for watching netflix on a tablet, but some isolation wouldn't be bad in a noisier than home environment.  I would be in a quiet environment far more often than rare noisy ones (airplanes 1x/year maybe).  

I guess the question is, do you think it would be better to get a basic recommended sealed can, and then blow the rest of the budget (around $200) on a open can upgrade to the sr60's?  As far as sound goes, I listen to everything, rock to jazz to funk, like a tight bottom, but HATE veiled / cotton-in-the-ears sound reproduction & dislike fried sizzle from a harsh top end.  I always turned off Dolby on the tape deck when listening to cassettes... for those who remember those things... since I much prefered tape hiss to ear plugs   

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozarkcdn 

First time poster - lurker for a while through the years... 

 

I've been the happy owner of a pair of sr60's for several... uh... well... 15 years I guess.  Couple of ear pads through the years and one re-solder job in one of the cans, but I'm pretty happy with them for the most part.... but... been lurking around so my interest is piqued... 

 

So, I was looking for something to watch movies with my tablet and not wake up my wife...  but that could also do a good job with listening to music.  My original idea was to look at the AT m50's, but I do get the idea that, generally speaking, open cans are 'better' than sealed cans.  I realize that hi-fidelity isn't quite required for watching netflix on a tablet, but some isolation wouldn't be bad in a noisier than home environment.  I would be in a quiet environment far more often than rare noisy ones (airplanes 1x/year maybe).  

 

I guess the question is, do you think it would be better to get a basic recommended sealed can, and then blow the rest of the budget (around $200) on a open can upgrade to the sr60's?  As far as sound goes, I listen to everything, rock to jazz to funk, like a tight bottom, but HATE veiled / cotton-in-the-ears sound reproduction & dislike fried sizzle from a harsh top end.  I always turned off Dolby on the tape deck when listening to cassettes... for those who remember those things... since I much prefered tape hiss to ear plugs   

Well, saying opened cans are "better" is kinda a subjective thing. There are plenty of fantastic closed cans. It's just they have a different sound signature. As a rule of thumb, closed has more bass, where opened has slightly less, but more air. That's very general though...and not very in depth.... anyway, it sounds like what you want is an opened sound minus the leakage. For that, I highly recommend the Shure SRH-840. They run around $150. They have a relatively balanced sound signature, so that should work well for your situation (Sound sig: slight mid emphasis, mild mid bass hump. pretty much unnoticed for casual listening...). Balance will let you cross genre. The sound stage, for being closed, and at the price, is simply phenomenal. They are fairly easy to drive, do no amp is absolutely necessary. As well, the leakage/isolation is wonderful. I use them to listen while my family watches TV right behind me....i can't hear a single explosion....oh the wonders....anyway, i highly recommend them. Any questions, feel free to pm me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dessius 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roller 

Ultrasone HFI-780, more refined and balanced than either of those.

Unfortunately im looking to spend under $120 :/

The CAL! has dropped to $60 at Amazon.  It's a great and balanced can for that price.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozarkcdn 

First time poster - lurker for a while through the years... 

 

I've been the happy owner of a pair of sr60's for several... uh... well... 15 years I guess.  Couple of ear pads through the years and one re-solder job in one of the cans, but I'm pretty happy with them for the most part.... but... been lurking around so my interest is piqued... 

 

So, I was looking for something to watch movies with my tablet and not wake up my wife...  but that could also do a good job with listening to music.  My original idea was to look at the AT m50's, but I do get the idea that, generally speaking, open cans are 'better' than sealed cans.  I realize that hi-fidelity isn't quite required for watching netflix on a tablet, but some isolation wouldn't be bad in a noisier than home environment.  I would be in a quiet environment far more often than rare noisy ones (airplanes 1x/year maybe).  

 

I guess the question is, do you think it would be better to get a basic recommended sealed can, and then blow the rest of the budget (around $200) on a open can upgrade to the sr60's?  As far as sound goes, I listen to everything, rock to jazz to funk, like a tight bottom, but HATE veiled / cotton-in-the-ears sound reproduction & dislike fried sizzle from a harsh top end.  I always turned off Dolby on the tape deck when listening to cassettes... for those who remember those things... since I much prefered tape hiss to ear plugs   

Unamped I'd recommend the open Audio Technica ATH-AD900.  They have a great sound stage and will be very complementary with your Grado.  For closed, pick up a $60 CAL! from Amazon before the price goes back up.