++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ i.e. Don't start a new thread: ask for advice... - Page 1726

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielghofrani 

good day ladies and gents. I own a pair of Shure SE535 IEMs. I have to say they perform decently well with respect to their size and portability, but I am underwhelmed by their bass performance, level of detail and overall sound quality. 

 

I want to purchase a full sized headphone which can outperform my IEMs by a clear margin so I can retire my IEMs to playing music for me when Im working out. 

I have a limited budget of around $1500 for DAC/AMP/headphone but I don't know how I should allocate the budget to get the best results. 

 

I do not mind purchasing pre owned amp and dac from reputable members of this forum. I listen to classical music a lot but I also listen to Jazz. 

my source will be my computer so I will also listen to movie scores, and other computer sounds (gaming, etc)

 

I am tempted to purchase a hifiman HE-500 but I don't know if I will have enough money for amp/dac.

 

Please let me know

I think generally speaking most full sized headphones will outperform IEMs. I have the UE-10 IEM and Beyer DT1350 and the DT1350 sounds better to me, even though they cost 4x less than the UE-10. I think spending the majority of your budget on a good headphone is a good idea. 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mijka 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicko7i 

I've used the DT-770/80 for many years as my primary headphone.  It does not leak sound into the room even at the loudest levels that I use;  it has plenty of bass (possibly too much for me) but a good match for techno/trance/electro/pop.  Extremely comfortable: I can wear them all day.  I used them for daily voice chat business meetings with no problems.  They sound better when amped... and you have an amp.  

 

I haven't heard other headphones in this price range, so I can't advise you on that.  It sounds like the DT-770 is a close match to your requirements.

 

PS: you're English is fine.  I would have assumed you were a native speaker.

 

Thanks for your advice !

 

In fact a LOT of people told me to go for the DT-770, but i'm a little afraid of the "maybe too much bass" everyone speaks about. Any hints ?

 

What do you think of the HD25-1 II, or even DT-880 ?

The Senn and Beyers are excellent neutral-ish cans that are also a top pick for all-arrounders.

Quote:

Originally Posted by danielghofrani 

good day ladies and gents. I own a pair of Shure SE535 IEMs. I have to say they perform decently well with respect to their size and portability, but I am underwhelmed by their bass performance, level of detail and overall sound quality. 

 

I want to purchase a full sized headphone which can outperform my IEMs by a clear margin so I can retire my IEMs to playing music for me when Im working out. 

I have a limited budget of around $1500 for DAC/AMP/headphone but I don't know how I should allocate the budget to get the best results. 

 

I do not mind purchasing pre owned amp and dac from reputable members of this forum. I listen to classical music a lot but I also listen to Jazz. 

my source will be my computer so I will also listen to movie scores, and other computer sounds (gaming, etc)

 

I am tempted to purchase a hifiman HE-500 but I don't know if I will have enough money for amp/dac.

 

Please let me know

You should have plenty to spare--about $800 or maybe more if you can take advantage of this $629 deal on the HE 500 that is about to expire:

http://www.ttvjaudio.com/dealoftheday.asp 

Quote:

Originally Posted by gilliesjake 

Hi everybody,

 

I have hopefully a very simple question. I have a Digi 002 Rack Converter, which has a headphone amplifier which has a load of 150Ohms.

I have been looking for a good pair of closed head phones (for recording and mixing music) and have settled on the DT 770's mainly out of budget. 

A) I'm not sure whether to go with the 80Ohm or 250Ohm 770's. How far off the output load does the headphone impedance have to be before it distorts or damping happens easily? Which one would be better for a load of 150Ohms?

 

B) As I am also a guitarist so the mid's are relatively important as well, and thus am considering the 880's. How big is the difference between the DT 880 250Ohm and the DT 770 250Ohm? Also, is the spill from the 'semi closed' 880's dramatically more than the 770's? 

I'm sorry if the answers to these questions have already been answered in this thread somewhere, I am new to quality headphones and to head-fi and havent had much luck in-regards to the Digi 002. Thought it might be easier getting a direct response! 

Cheers!

That appears to be a question better placed in the Sound Science or in one of the headphone amp sections of the forum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

That appears to be a question better placed in the Sound Science or in one of the headphone amp sections of the forum.

Ok Thanks for the directions KG!

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

The Senn and Beyers are excellent neutral-ish cans that are also a top pick for all-arrounders.

Thanks for the reply ! So if i don't get more hints for others models, i will go for either DT-770 80ohms (i heard the 250 ohms version could work with the E6 amp but not at its best) or the HD 25-1 II.

Maybe one of them is better in terms of weights and size (the Senn) ? I will check some reviews while waiting for an answer =).

I'm slightly tempted at getting the Sennheiser Momentum. My main concerns for any headphone are noise and comfort and not sure if Momentum fits the criteria. Noise is my biggest problem especially when the music is quite or on pause, Want really good quiet headphones. 

The other options I have are AKG K551, Audio Techinca Quite point and M50, Sol Republic Ultra and Senns  HD 598.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mijka 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

The Senn and Beyers are excellent neutral-ish cans that are also a top pick for all-arrounders.

 

Thanks for the reply ! So if i don't get more hints for others models, i will go for either DT-770 80ohms (i heard the 250 ohms version could work with the E6 amp but not at its best) or the HD 25-1 II.

 

Maybe one of them is better in terms of weights and size (the Senn) ? I will check some reviews while waiting for an answer =).

For portable and on the go use, the Senn wins in a walk.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arondight 

I'm slightly tempted at getting the Sennheiser Momentum. My main concerns for any headphone are noise and comfort and not sure if Momentum fits the criteria. Noise is my biggest problem especially when the music is quite or on pause, Want really good quiet headphones. 

 

The other options I have are AKG K551, Audio Techinca Quite point and M50, Sol Republic Ultra and Senns  HD 598.

From Tyll:

"To summarize: the Momentum is a very light and comfortable headphone, but they must be adjusted carefully, and your ears can't be too much larger than average size (70mm top to bottom is probably the max size ear for these headphones)."

and

"Isolation and Portability
The Momentum isolates from outside noise quite well and will serve city commuters reasonably well in loud environments. With about 22 Ohms impedance and very good efficiency, these headphones will play very well from portable devices."

Link:

http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/very-adult-sennheiser-momentum

I will only add in the context of hearing them (again) just hours ago at SxSW, I am not nearly as big a fan as Tyll is with regard to their sound signature.  To my ears the Amperior flat beats them.

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!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by KG Jag 

For portable and on the go use, the Senn wins in a walk.

Yeah i will buy the HD25, thanks everyone for the help !

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

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!

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

Quote:

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

You can pick this as your amp, and this for the usb-dac