++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ i.e. Don't start a new thread: ask for advice... - Page 442

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

Those two headphones really aren't that far apart in terms of "quality", and even pricewise they're not too far (a Beyer DT880pro is around $220, a HD380 around $180; premium models mostly just add flair)... and Sennheiser is just as "high end" as Beyer and AT. I really don't know what you're expecting here. The audio game is particularly bad for diminishing returns.

 

I'm personally not a fan of the Beyers and would pick the HD380/PXC450 over them. That said, I do prefer the Beyers out of a tube amps and think they sound terrible out of solid state (including Beyer's own A1 amp). I've heard $500 headphones, I've heard $1k headphones, I've modded my own shells, transplanted orthos, and built my own amps. Out of all that, one of my favourites is still the little Senn PX100-ii out of my Fuze or from my own cmoy style amps. There's just no correlation between budget and taste sometimes.

 

I see. Well, I already have a soundcard (not an expensive one like the Auzentech X-Fi Forte) so what's your opinion on adding an external DAC (and recommendation would be awesome as well in the case it's worth it)?

I was lucky enough to find my headphones at a store today where it was hooked up to a CD player and a headphone amp way more expensive than my E9 (Didn't write the name down...), and I'm positive they sounded way better than what I'm getting out of my PC, so I suspect there's a bottleneck somewhere? Or am I totally lost here?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Khaine775 

I see. Well, I already have a soundcard (not an expensive one like the Auzentech X-Fi Forte) so what's your opinion on adding an external DAC (and recommendation would be awesome as well in the case it's worth it)?

 

I was lucky enough to find my headphones at a store today where it was hooked up to a CD player and a headphone amp way more expensive than my E9 (Didn't write the name down...), and I'm positive they sounded way better than what I'm getting out of my PC, so I suspect there's a bottleneck somewhere? Or am I totally lost here?

 

The e9 has quite a lot of grunt behind it, so it shouldn't have any problem pushing headphones. On the other hand, it also has an output impedance of 10ohm which might make a difference compared to other amps and would have the most pronounced effect on the bass end.

Are you using the lineout of the soundcard into the e9 (assuming it has one), or the headphone out? That could make a difference as well.

Some budget dacs: Behringer UCA202, HotAudio DacDestroyer, FiiO D3

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

I've never heard the CX500 so I can't really quantify any of those sound differences for you. In a general sense though, many things contribute to different sounds. There's the raw frequency response, as well as the headphone impedance and phase curves which form a somewhat complex reaction with the amp output impedance which could easily account for different sounds. 

 

As for your other questions... well to be honest I'm having trouble figuring out what you're asking. Are you asking which headphone to keep? Or are you asking about getting an amp?

 

Ok, sorry for beeing confuse. Let me try to be clearer.

1) Would an amp make my A700 have a "stronger" bass? If it would, in a US$ 20 -120 bracket, what would be a good recomendation for a, not necessarely portable(since it is pluged primarely on my PC), amp.

2) Would i benefit from an upgrade of my sound card(or alternatives to this)?

    In this case i would basicaly use 16 bits/ 44.1 kHz flac extracted from CDs i have at home, but possibly on a (near?) future, i could use higher quality flac from some online stores i found recently. Since i work a lot on the PC, a good deal of my time is passed on it, so i would be willing to spend up to US$ 200 more or less something on a good sound solution for it. Absolutely no need for surround sound, since i'll be using it with a headphone or at max a 2.1 speaker set. I also read that there are other alternatives(DAC+amp), but i don't know how they work nor price comparison, etc.

what is "big brother of shure 440"?

shure 840 :p ? 

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhelsas 

Quote:

 

Ok, sorry for beeing confuse. Let me try to be clearer.

1) Would an amp make my A700 have a "stronger" bass? If it would, in a US$ 20 -120 bracket, what would be a good recomendation for a, not necessarely portable(since it is pluged primarely on my PC), amp.

2) Would i benefit from an upgrade of my sound card(or alternatives to this)?

    In this case i would basicaly use 16 bits/ 44.1 kHz flac extracted from CDs i have at home, but possibly on a (near?) future, i could use higher quality flac from some online stores i found recently. Since i work a lot on the PC, a good deal of my time is passed on it, so i would be willing to spend up to US$ 200 more or less something on a good sound solution for it. Absolutely no need for surround sound, since i'll be using it with a headphone or at max a 2.1 speaker set. I also read that there are other alternatives(DAC+amp), but i don't know how they work nor price comparison, etc.

In general, no, an amp will not "fix" the sound of a headphone barring those that are particularly difficult to drive (which the A700 is not). You'd notice a bigger effect with EQ or simply getting different headphones. The A700 are not known for having a "strong bass" to begin with.

A soundcard/dac is always a nice upgrade, but focus on the headphones first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

In general, no, an amp will not "fix" the sound of a headphone barring those that are particularly difficult to drive (which the A700 is not). You'd notice a bigger effect with EQ or simply getting different headphones. The A700 are not known for having a "strong bass" to begin with.

 

A soundcard/dac is always a nice upgrade, but focus on the headphones first.

 

Ok, so your sugestion would be an alternative pair of headphones?

So, what would you recomended based on my tastes + a budget on the US$ 100 - 300 bracket?(since i'm graduating on the end of the year, it would be a nice gift to ask my parents, who knows?)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

 

The e9 has quite a lot of grunt behind it, so it shouldn't have any problem pushing headphones. On the other hand, it also has an output impedance of 10ohm which might make a difference compared to other amps and would have the most pronounced effect on the bass end.

 

Are you using the lineout of the soundcard into the e9 (assuming it has one), or the headphone out? That could make a difference as well.

 

Some budget dacs: Behringer UCA202, HotAudio DacDestroyer, FiiO D3

 

 

I'm using the lineout. It hasn't got a headphone out unfortunately.

Just became aware of this thread's existence. Silly me.

Anyways, how are the Shure 440's? Are they recommended around here?

csm725 describe them what your doing with them ;) and most people will give you an answer :)

Gaming and some rock/pop music. I'm not accustomed to this type of forum, forgive me :P

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhelsas 

Ok, so your sugestion would be an alternative pair of headphones?

So, what would you recomended based on my tastes + a budget on the US$ 100 - 300 bracket?(since i'm graduating on the end of the year, it would be a nice gift to ask my parents, who knows?)

 

Some suggestions to look into:

Denon D2000

Phiaton MS400

Shure SRH840

Quote:

Originally Posted by csm725 

Just became aware of this thread's existence. Silly me.

Anyways, how are the Shure 440's? Are they recommended around here?

Gaming and some rock/pop music. I'm not accustomed to this type of forum, forgive me :P

The Shure 440 is a good all-rounder for the budget.

Okay, so I decided against the 250 ohm dt-770s that I saw. I was pretty hooked by the price though. I'm looking for open-backed headphones that are around $100-140 (on the 'bay) with a wide sound-stage, strong bass, and a coily cable (I seriously can't stand 10 feet of straight cable). Also, comfort is a must. I'm starting to get the feeling I won't find what I'm looking for, and I'll have to settle. I've been considering those Fischer Audio FA-011s that I read about yesterday, but I'm not entirely sure I want to deal with the hassle of having them shipped from Russia. Also, I don't know if they're easy enough for my computer to drive. I don't have/particularly want an amp. Just how weak is the bass on Audio-Technica's ATH-AD700s? Also, closed-back is fine if the sound-stage is there.

EDIT:
Do the AKG K 142 HD satisfy my needs?

God I wish this was like buying effects pedals. Why can't I go on youtube and just listen to a bunch of clips to figure out which one I like best..? :(

You know what? I think reading about all these headphones for a couple days without using mine has drastically improved my hearing and my opinion of my headphones. I'm not sure how you can learn about listening without listening, but it sure as hell happened.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis 

Some suggestions to look into:

Denon D2000

Phiaton MS400

Shure SRH840

 

 

Thanks a lot armaegis. The Shure was on my original list, but i'll give a look on him again, and on the others too.

Changing the subject, do anyone knows a good music store with headphones to show and sell in place in Boston or New York?

          I've been searching for a pair of headphones for a few days now and I'm stuck. I'm looking for headphones with great sound quality (nice bass); I will be mixing/mastering my own music on these (mostly dance/dubstep/electronic). Isolation is also important, I want something that can block at loud noises if I was to use these headphones for live djing/performing.

         I have heard great things about the Ath M50's being good for mixing and studio use; but I am not sure how well they would be in a djing/live performance environment with extremely loud background noise. I have also Heard good things about the Aiaiai TMA-1 and Allen & Heath Xone XD-53, but I am not sure how great/accurate the sound quality is for master/mixing.

         I'm probably asking for way too much for just one set of headphones but given my current situation I can only get one pair. If someone can please comment and recommend a set of headphones in the $200 price range it would be very much appreciated.