A brief introduction is in order: I have been lurking around this forum (and other sites) for a coulple of weeks now. After some research and demo's I believe I have finally reached my limitation and so seek aid on this forum. Currently, I am burdened with quite possibly the most hated headphones on this site (I'll let you geuss, they aren't Bose) and wish to delve into better equipment.
Intended uses:
Two primary purposes - Gaming and Music. There is no particular order of importance, with several games I end up playing my own music in the backgroung anyway (though I play music less than i don't).
I want games to be immersive, FPS type genres are not uncommon but RTS and RPGs take precedence.
Genres for Music are semi-varied, I would say a good portion is instrumental or vocal. I can say that I don't really listen to much Hip-Hop/Pop, and that Rap and Metal are almost completely absent.
Priorities:
Price of course. My total budget is somewhat conditional, but should not exceed $350 (would prefer it to be lower, around $200, this is an absolute maximum).
Secondarily, I would like sound that is "transparent" and "neutral". I realize these terms can really only apply to phones beyond my budget, but I can futher rank sound qualities.
I am not a basshead, and do not want overbearing/strong bass, but it's still quite important (especially for gaming). I would also like to avoid sharp and harsh highs. If it comes down to it, I would prefer a darker sound to a overly bright one. I have a feeling mids are very important to my genres so I would least like to skimp on mids.
Comfort is also REALLY important, I'll have some comparisons later on.
Durability - A function of price. I'm a poor student and don't plan on buying new Headphones every year (or maybe even every five). I will very likely consider better options in the future, but for now pretend I will stay with these headphones indefinitely.
What I have considered/am considering:
Sony DRZX701* - Cheap, seemed comfortable in store, sounded alot better than what I had, from my phone no less!
Sennheiser HD 558, 598, 600, 650 - Read good things about these, however the price differences may become a prime determinant.
Shure Srh440 - Assuming I can find some, also only have read about them.
Denon - D1100* D2000* (More on these)
Beyerdynbamic DT 880 (Premium I belive).
What I am not considering:
Skullcandies, all the ones I've tried just don't seem very good. Could just be limited selection.
Bose - They sure are comfy, but very overpriced.
Beats - Surprisingly not uncomfortable (I thought they looked it). But I think why they aren't on my list is self explanatory (no offense).
Most things at BestBuy other than those prementioned Sonys.
Special Notes:
Those Sonys, being available at BestBuy, should be easy enough to use as "reference" phones for this posts purposes. Easy to get a hold of and listen to.
The store likes Jazz, and they had literally just moved to a new location.
I have only had the fortune to try out those aforementioned Denons as well as the B&W p5s.
On the B&W - I found these to be quite comfy despite the fact I hate on ear headphones (Poor Grados :( ). They seemed overly harsh but a tad lacking in detail (if that makes sense). Maybe B&W will release better phones in the future, I'm not averse to waiting a bit.
I use these examples because it is to these phones I am limited. I hope that readers are able to find similarities between these and their other experiences.
Denon D1100 (R was tagged at the end, no idea if that makes a difference). These were better, but barely, than the Sonys. This may be sure to not having a single song to refer to. Whatever Jazz track they had was detailed and clear, mids seemed a little low I think (assuming I'm hearing "mids" correctly). I found these to be as comfy as the Sony's but slightly less fatiguiging physically. Could be due to quick in store adjustments. $200
Denon D2000 - I found these to be a definitive step above the 1100's, but at a hefty price increase. In store the bands were taped so I couldn't adjumst the band properly, more on why that's not an issue in a little bit. They sounded lively, bass seemed controlled and present, but not overbearing. Mids did not suffer so much recession. I didn't really get to hear much highs with those tracks, but Cymbals sounded good at least (I really hope those qualify as highs). $350
Denon D7000 - I found these to be better than the 2000s (one would hope so!). Hard to explain how I thought they were better. They just seemed more refined in every way. I like the wood look (admittedly looks aren't really important). They also seem to be essentially the same thing as the 2000s as far as comfort and shap go, so I use them as the reference of comfort for both itself and the D2000. Initial fit was poor, but once properly adjusted to my head I hardly felt them. $1000 (I'm not even seriously considering these for that reason)
Amps and DACs:
I don't have the budget for these quite yet (though I may be able to just make my own amp) and I know that many of these (particularly the Senns and that Denon) require amplification to sound their best. DACs should also make a difference, I am currently limited to my onboard sound (which I feel is pretty decent actually) and so a new DAC isn't super important.
However, if you have any suggestions for good n' cheap ones I'd like to know.
Closing comments:
I hope that post provides sufficient information so that this forum may offer suggestions (more importantly, is motivated to do so). I will take every comment with a grain of salt. I mean no offese, but this is the Internet afterall. Laslty, this is asking for suggestions of headphones I should seek to try out, not direclty buy from the internet. I feel that I will have to at least try something similar before seperating with over $100.
Please note that the likliest candidate for purchase are those Sonys closely followed by the Denon D1100.
And with that wall of text I thank you for any comments/questions/suggestions!
Edited for readability.
Edited by AValidName - 12/4/11 at 4:20pm
