Originally Posted by danielghofrani 

thanks guys but you did not tell me which usb dac and amp I should buy to power the HE500 from my pc.

 

thanks in advance

Dan

Originally Posted by BigCabDaddy 


So theoretically, I agree with you absolutely... 100%. But here's the thing: Unless you have a dedicated listening room that you can outfit exactly as you see best fit, you have a much better chance of BETTER creating such an ideal space via headphones and various ancillaries including crossfeed. That's how I've come to head audiophilia. At first I didn't get it but then somewhere along the way the light bulb went on. I can come much closer to creating my ideal in every respect in head-fi. And not only that, I can have it be fairly portable to boot!

Originally Posted by LDonnie 

I hope some of you may have some solid advise for me. The Netherlands offer no shops for me to go to and audition a bunch of headphones. If I purchase one, it will be sight unseen.

 

Here is my wish list.

 

- Over-ear, closed design (portable is a plus).

- Good passive isolation.

- Detachable cables. I destroy them.

- I listen to diverse styles, though the lion's share lies in the rock/progressive/metal range. Tool comes to mind, A Perfect Circle, Meshuggah, but also The Script, Maroon 5, 30 Seconds to Mars, Beastie Boys... Etc.

- The sound I am looking for has tight, punchy bass. I like the bass to have depth as well, though attack has my preference. Also, I enjoy neutral mids and sparkling highs, if that makes any sense.

- The most important feature perhaps, is detail. I want to be able to easily distinguish various instruments. This is called a "soundstage"?

- Budget up to 300 euros.

 

I own an ATH-M50. I find it has deep bass, but is a bit too flabby. Also the mids are too recessed for my tastes. I like the highs.

 

So far, I have had my eyes set on the Beyerdynamic DT770's or the Ultrasone Pro 750's, but I am far from being completely sold on them.

 

Thanks in advance!
 

Originally Posted by gamingdave 

I am looking for advice concerning a new purchase of some closed back headphones. The primary use will be in an office environment during the day, but they will also be used for travelling and possibly some late night gaming or film watching. I currently own a pair of Sennheiser HD 595 which are my current late night headphones and some Etymotic HF2 which I use out and about. I like both of them but the Senns are obviously useless in any sort of noisy environment and a bit shy on bass (I compensate for this with my AV amp when watching films or gaming), and the HF2s can get a little uncomfortable when used for long periods.

 

I listen to a range of music including country, rock (all sorts), blues, soul, funk, rap, hip-hop and drum and bass with a bit of classical. I don’t listen to jazz or many female vocalists (with the exception of vintage soul like Motown and Stax) and don’t really listen to any pop and no modern R&B (to me R&B is Dr. Feelgood, Tom Jones and Otis Redding). Some listening is done via high quality Spotify but a great deal is from my own rips which are all either 320kps MP3 or FLAC with the odd high resolution download. At work my source will be my laptop, but I am planning on buying a FiiO E17 or E07k to use as an external DAC and amp. Depending how they compare to my current Sennheisers I will also possibly use them at home for films and games.

 

I’ll say now I do love my bass, but only in a controlled way. In my home cinema setup I have a 500W Monolith+ sub, but it is well balanced in the system and not used to be a dominate the overall sound, rather just to add really well controlled low frequencies with plenty of punch. I tend to like listening to music as intended but when listening on the move I have been known to slightly boost bass and treble to suit and give a bit more of a “fun” sound. I don’t want bass for the sake of it though and wouldn’t want it to either dominate to the detriment of other frequencies or come at a cost (too boomy or too slow). One thing I do appreciate is a decent soundstage.

 

Having spent the last couple of weeks looking at a lot of reviews online and reading a lot on here I have narrowed it down to a few choices and would really appreciate any input. Here is my list with a summary from what I can gleam on here, and UK prices.

 

Sennheiser HD 25-1 II - £140 – completely rebuildable and would appear to have a fun sound with a punchy bass. Most portable of my shortlist, but on ear and with a small soundstage so not great for some of my genres or all day listening.

 

Audio-Technica ATH-M50S - £125 – very well regarded and frequently recommended. A bigger soundstage than the Sennheiser with a good all round sound but can be uncomfortable for all day listening.

 

AKG K 550 - £150 – I think these look superb, but they are large so the least portable (but do rotate so are transportable). Huge soundstage and super comfy but a solid seal is really important, I have a relatively large head so hope they would fit well. A very accurate sound though some report having issues with a treble spike and a possibly weak bass (though reposts vary on this).

 

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro-80 - £130 – soundstage second only to the AKGs but still very good. Comfortable for long session, though can get hot. Mids are a bit recessed and require a long burn in but have a more balanced sound once done.

 

Price wise there is very little in it, though some came out at a considerably higher cost originally, with a lot of the (very good) reviews for the AKGs being written when they cost nearly twice as much. My gut is leaning me away from the Sennheiser as I do want them to be comfortable for all day listening and I do want a decent soundstage. Out of the remaining 3 the AKG and Beyeres are currently highest in my list.

 

A few direct questions…

 

When people talk about the AKGs lacking bass (even after getting a good seal) is this something that can be compensated for at all in EQ? Is it just that they are well balanced when run without any EQ, and that even with a slight boost from an amp or software are they still lacking energy or depth?

 

Compared to the Beyers is the soundstage of the AKGs that much bigger and are they cleaner and more accurate generally? Are they that much more “fun”?

 

I don’t intend to blast my ears all day, but sometimes I do like to pump up the volume. How do these all fair when driven harder?

 

If I am going to be using an amp (portable one at that) what are the advantages (and disadvantages) to the 250ohm Beyers over the 80ohms?

 

Generally speaking, how easy/hard is it to compensate for a particular headphones weaknesses at certain frequencies with a bit of EQ?

 

Over the last few days I keep flitting between the AKGs and Beyers. I’m sure both will sound great but would really appreciate any input into my comparisons. Obviously there are higher quality phones available, but my budget is set at this time and so comments relative to what they will cost me, not what the original retail price are what I am after.

 

Cheers

 

Dave

Originally Posted by unpimpauto 

Okay, just gonna list off stuff now.

 

Budget: $200 abs. max.

Currently looking at: Shure SRH840, Fostex T50RP w/ 840 pads, Utrasone HFI-780.

 

     I like the look of all of these headphones, but the T50RP don't look too durable/portable which isn't a huge deal. If I got the T50RP I would for s(h)ure get the 840 pads for them and maybe do a bit of modding. I am concerned about the cable, I see it is detachable but has a 1/4" jack and no 3.5mm adapter. How hard would that be to mod? I don't like the look of any of the adapters I could find. I think I would keep the SRH 840 stock. The Ultrasone I am a bit confused with, do they have a detachable cable? what is the difference between the HFI-780 and 580? On amazon the 580 is more expensive and has the 50mm drivers and the 780 has 40mm. The 580 is also $40 more. What is up with that?

 

I'm not too charmed with the Shures, I think I would have more fun modding the T50RP for that money but i am worried about the cable. The Ultrasones are sorta in the middle.

Originally Posted by Trunks159 

MDR 1R or Philips Fidelio L1 or M80s or UE6000 (dont want the senn momentum or m100)

 

Please Help, i need to choose quickly.

My favorite genres include: R&B, small amount of rap, jrock/pop, a little classical.

I will be using these on the train and bus, so portability and isolation are priorities.

Im just wondering if i should save up for the MDR 1R or settle for the Fidelio L1.  It doesn't really seem like the others even have a chance, but whatever.

 

Decision must be made within 2 days and i have $250.

 

Thanks in Advance!

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

The 580 is a basshead can.  Although the 780 has significant bass, it is not.

 

The 780's cable is fixed.  You have to go up to the Pro 750 (the brother of the 780) to get a detachable cable.

Originally Posted by lestatdi 

Hi, im from Brazil and new in the world of good headphones.

Actually, i have some low end ekips: ATH-M50, HD280Pro, etc... and im looking for better cans.

I listen to gothic, heavy, doom and symphonic metal or hip-hop, house and trance sometimes.

 

I read a lot in the forum and finished with theses options:

 

- Sennheiser Momentum

- V-Moda M100

- Yamaha Pro 500 (probably the chosen one)

- ATH-A900X

- Sony MDR-1R
 

My needs: I rly don't wanna use an amp, but if its necessary, np at all.

I prefer closed cans and im little basshead (just a little)(i had a Sennheiser HD598, loved but sold because the bass was weak to me)

I love musical fidelity, thats y i didnt even think about colored cans like beats pro.

 

Wich headphone would u pickup from the list above? Is there any other option on the market?

Money isnt rly a problem but i dont wanna spent all in a fullsize because i wanna buy some IEM too...

Ahh, im going to MIAMI... Is there any store with nice options of headphones to listen to?

 

Thanks to all opinions!

Originally Posted by unpimpauto 

Or down to PRO 550? How do the DJ1 Pros Compare? Or how much would it cost and how hard is it to rewire for a detachable cable?

Originally Posted by BiggerHead 

I'm kind of leaning back toward the koss.  I want to like the logitechs.   I like the idea of the built in amp and big enough stock pads and noise cancellation even if not amazing.  Also I did find where Tyll said exactly that the bass can "confuse" the mids. hmm maybe that's where I subconsciously got that word from anyway. That's a little different than the sports car analogy because still at some quality point I might be comparing to mids on cheaper stuff that are more confused anyway even without the bass interference. 

 

Wish I could try them out.  The UE6000 are not even available locally for mail order.  Maybe they are too new.  Logitech is everywhere.