++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ i.e. Don't start a new thread: ask for advice... - Page 1124

Hey everyone. I currently have a Fiio E17 paired with Yamaha EPH-100 and VSonic GR-07 IEMs. I enjoy the sound signature on both of these IEMs for different reasons, but am looking for something similar. I have had the same headphones for years that I purchased cheap from New Egg as I dont use full size headphones quite often, Sennheiser HD202. I have recently purchased a new laptop and would like the option to use full size headphones when I want to. 

Any recommendations? I would prefer to keep the cost around $150 or lower, but will entertain costs as high as $250. Music taste is all over the board, but generally more classic rock, modern rock/alternative. I will be using them every now and then for games, but that is not my priority. 

Hi, ladies and gentlemen.

I will ask for suggestions in here. I'm looking for some headphones that allows me to listen to my music the way I like it. I'm new to this world of headphones and I like several kinds of music, from classical to death metal, with a lot of stuff in between, but I mainly hear rock. I really like the usage of bass (I mean the instrument, the bass guitar) in rock, and so, I love to hear it in my songs. It doesn't really matter if the bass makes you feel a vibration like when you're listening to speakers with a subwoofer. I would like some headphones in which I could hear all the instruments clearly, specially the bass .

I know it strongly depends on the quality of the recording, but assuming that the source is good, what heaphones would help me to follow the bass in a song?

They should be on-the-ear or around-the-ear (prefereably on-the-ear), beacuase I find earbuds and in-ear uncomfortable. They should also be closed-back. I have a couple of headphones that are enough when I'm on the go, so portability would be a "pro" but not a "must". My budget is for $100. If it is really-really worth it, I could make it to 150, but not much more I guess.

What else... mmm... Just a couple of representative examples of songs in which I love the sound of the bass:

- The Mission - Severina

- Nirvana - Lounge act

- Aterciopelados - Baracunata

- Creed - What if

- Concrete Blonde - Heal it up

I also like the "bass boosts" some players give to music.

So, what do you people think??

thanks in advance. cheers to all.

@ rough Jaco

What is your source?  Any amp?

Quote:

Originally Posted by devhen 


Since you're on a budget the Fiio E17 might be a good choice since it could double as both a portable amp and a desktop/laptop DAC and its fairly cheap.

An alternative that I think may be a better choice would be the HRT Headstreamer.  That would allow you to bypass the poor headphone out and use usb to go to the dac/amp.  Another choice would be the more expensive Audioquest DragonFly which is getting good review, although I have not heard it.  I did a review of the HRT on my blog if you wish to get some opinion on it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipster2010 

I recently got the HRT Headstreamer DAC/amp and it is a very noticeable difference from the laptop headphone jack. The bass tightens up, instruments are a bit more separated, and flaws in my audio files are revealed. I had the FiiO E7/E9 and it was nice, but the DAC portion was not up to the level of the Headstreamer. I would great;y recommend getting some sort of DAC/amp to compliment your headphones.

Glad to hear someone else feels the HRT is a good first step dac/ amp combo.  I never did get all the hype on the Fiio stuff.  Maybe because it was one of the only low price options for such a long time.  I wonder, has anyone tried the Behringer uc-202 dac with a simple but good cmoy like the JDS labs?

This would seem to be a no brainer for folks starting out on computer audio.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GrahamDBraun 

Hi, I'm new to Head-Fi, and high-end audio in general. I guess you could call me a wanna-be audiophile.

Here's my current schtick:

 

I'm planning on buying my first set of expensive headphones (relative to my other purchases). I hope one of you guys can point me in the right direction. I'd like headphones that:

-Have a fairly flat frequency response, so no exaggerated Bass or anything (Sorry to dumb it down, I just want to make sure I explain myself well in case my terminology is all wrong).

 

Other things that I would like, but could do without are headphones that are:

-Portable and comfortable

-Look cool. (I'm afraid I might get shot down for this one).

 

My planned spending on the headphones was the $200 - $400 range.

 

So far, my considerations have been the:

-Denon AHD-2000s

-HiFiMan HE-300s and HE-400s

 

I'm not against a headphone amp, I'll buy one if I have to, but only a portable one.

Any help is appreciated. 

Sorry no one has responded to you, at least I think I didn't see any posts.  The Denons are a very good headphone value.  They do have a bit of a warm slightly exagerated bass and the mids are a bit recessed but overall a nice balanced headphone.  Certainly a lot better sounding to me than many in that price range.  The HiFiman headphones are gonna need an amp.  They sound good but not sure of which amps to drive them.  I would look to see if anyone has them with the JDS c421 amp. 

You did not tell us your source but if it portable the Denons could be driven from most ipod like devices but would benefit from an amp.  On the budget side the JDS labs cmoy blows away most of the competition under $100.  Other cans to consider might be the Shure 840s.  That and the little cmoy would fit your budget.

Any reason you are not looking at top notch iems instead if it is for truly portable use?

Reposting this from another thread because nobody replied:

I bought my Shure SRH440 a year ago for just 70 bucks in amazon. Been working great and I bought the 840 earpads as well. Not sure what happened exactly but starting this morning I noticed that my right driver is not working, I narrowed the problem down to the cable connecting the left and the right drivers. Twisting and fiddling the cable can sometimes result in the right driver working again. But even then it now has an intermittent interference every few seconds which is extremely distracting.

Here is an image of the problem area :

Do you guys know how to fix this ?

I already sent an email to Shure and its well withing the two year warranty but I really dont want to have to live without my headphone for a week or two (not living on mainland, shipping time can be ridiculous). More so since I dont even have a speaker.

If there is no easy way to fix it myself I can raid my bank account, up to 200 bucks or so.

What headphone would you recommend that fits these requirements :

- First priority : Sound isolation

- Second : Comfort (the 440 headband is meh!)

- Third : Build quality (exactly to avoid this kind of situation)

- And of course sound quality but I dont think my ears are very discerning

Dont have a headphone amp just yet, I do have a Vox AC30 headphone electric guitar amp

which helps boost the volume on my headphone when needed.

Thinking of the SRH840 or even the 940 if it truly is worth the cost.

However I havent been very impressed with 440's sound isolation.

Advice please !

Send it back to Shure they are great to work with.  I  had a problem on my Shure 840s and they sent me a brand new pair.

As for upgrade options, I would probably grab the 840s.  They have gone down significantly in price since I bought them right after they first came out.  I use them almost daily on my pc.

Quote:

Originally Posted by urbanhusky 

Hi,

 

I'm looking for a new pair of headphones to be driven by my ASUS Xonar Essence One DAC.

The DAC seems to have a lot of power and the lower volume settings are already way too loud with the Sennheiser, so I'm sceptical if easy to drive headphones would be a good idea.

I mostly listen to all kinds of electronic music (but other genres as well) and prefer well defined/sharp transients but don't want to miss out on the bass (AKG k701 are lacking in bass too much for me personally, currently I'm using Sennheiser HD 25 II which aren't as well defined though).

I tend to listen to my music very analytically and seem to prefer detailed, analytical headphones.

 

They should have velour pads and be comfortable enough to be worn for long periods of time. I'm wearing glasses and am a bit of a short person.
 

For reference: currently using Sennheiser HD 25 II (lacking in mids and definition imho), using AKG k420 for portable use. I'm only listening to lossless audio formats.

I plan to try a few headphones soon but won't be able to drive them with me own setup in the shop - also narrowing down the selection would help :)

 

I'm looking forward to your suggestions.

 

regards,

urbanhusky

 

Edit: budget is <380€, Austrian/German shops preferred.

Don't know about the fit with your sound card, but the Beyer DT 880, probably in its 250 Ohm version, would appear to meet your needs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasta01 

 

Thanks man!

Superlux 631 will be available here in our country before the end of this month its like a big brother of Superlux 661 ..

 

http://www.superlux.com.tw/productInfo.do?pdctid=18341738-90a4-498e-a9ff-c336a5671481&pdkid=9ffc28bb-12a0-473e-b35f-6c03e036bc9e&level=2&lv0=1

 

check the link to get more information about the superlux 631 :) its gorgeous looking dj headphone!

I was looking deeper into the Superlux product line and it appears that they offer two Beyer clones (probably of the DT 770 & 990).  That was news to me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hipster2010 

My understanding is that the DJ100Pro really shine with an amp, so if you aren't using one, then the 661 might be the better option.

 

Also, I had the Samson SR850 which is the same as the Superlux 668 and it does leak sound, though a bit less than I had expected from a semi-open.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

 

Aren't the 661's 150 Ohms?  Will they work unamped with your computer?

 

I know that the the Koss is borderline with many portable unamped devices--don't know about yours though.

I'm using an MBP though - I thought they were supposed to have good soundcards (at least enough to drive the DJ100s)?  And I'd be up for the SR850s if you think they'd be an improvement over the 668B's (though they're pretty much the same?)  All I know is that these headphones will get a lot of usage in the library, so I want something that will leak minimally.

Also, is there anything in the Superlux line that looks better than the 661/668s?  I'm open to suggestions.

EDIT: Also, what about Sennheiser HD205s or the ATH-M30s?  They can be found for the same price point as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BullHorn 

I'm looking for a pair of headphones and still can't decide.

 

1) Circumaural

2) Closed/Semi-closed

3) Can be driven without an amp

4) Fit for reference/tracking/recording

5) Relatively comfortable

6) Under $300.

 

Currently, what I have my eyes on are: 

 

Audio Technica ATH-A900X

Audio Technica ATH-M50

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80ohm version)

 

Halp?

Of the three you have mentioned, the A900X (I have the earlier 900 version) best meets your requirements.  However, the old 900 needed to be amped in order to extend its bass and sound stage.

You might also want to look at some Sonys that fall within your budget.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

 

I was looking deeper into the Superlux product line and it appears that they offer two Beyer clones (probably of the DT 770 & 990).  That was news to me.

reason why i like the Superlux its because of its price and portability! i dont like big bulky headphones because im gonna use it for travelling .. . any alternative choices that you can suggest will be much appreciated!

thanks man!

Quote:

Originally Posted by BullHorn 

I'm looking for a pair of headphones and still can't decide.

 

1) Circumaural

2) Closed/Semi-closed

3) Can be driven without an amp

4) Fit for reference/tracking/recording

5) Relatively comfortable

6) Under $300.

 

Currently, what I have my eyes on are: 

 

Audio Technica ATH-A900X

Audio Technica ATH-M50

Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80ohm version)

 

Halp?

What about the Shure SRH840?

Also, you could consider the Sony MDR V6 or 7506 and get the Beyer DT250 velour pads for added comfort