Hi all! New here. I love my music a lot and I bother enough to get good headphones for them. However, I'm really not exposed to hi-fi sound so I need you guys to point me in the right direction.
I don't claim to be an audiophile as all I really know is what sounds better; at the same time, I don't really know much beyond that.
Anyway, going straight in to what I need, first of all: I don't know what the differences are between the sound from headphones/earphones/in-earphones/IEMs, so if any, could someone point it out to me? I know what they are, I just don't know if they generally sound a specific way.
Second of all: I'll need you guys to recommend me two items. The reason for that is it would be my first experience with hi-fi equipment, and I'm not really ready to spend a lot of money on high-end headphones just yet. So I'll just get one pair for use first, and I'll save for a second, better pair that would better fit my usage.
Budget and range for first pair: USD 30 max, low-end range. I know it's pathetic. (It's actually USD 30 x3 for my currency, after exchange rates)
Budget and range for second pair: USD 50, maybe? Mid-range is fine. How far would this get me? Would I need to spend more money than this?
***
My headphone usage:
Daily, so it must be rugged enough. I'm not spending any more money on something that's going to break after a few months.
Mostly for surfing (watching YouTube videos, movies, the like) so accurate vocal sound is important. Only one pair of my headphones have been able to produce a person's voice accurately like they're speaking in the same room, and not through a hollow tube. (Layman's terms, point and laugh at it if you want, I don't mind :D It is kinda funny imo.)
Music. I listen to rock, metal and pop. I love bass, but not too much bass like in hip hop. I find that I'm not able to hear anything else. My only request is that I need to be able to pick out one sound from another. The bands I listen to seem to add lots of layers to a lot of the music I enjoy listening to. (Evanescence, among many other bands and artistes.)
Gaming - I play FPS, so directionality is really, really important. What kind of headphones/earphones might be good for these? I have always been using headphones, but I'd really want to try using in-earphones as the headphones get heavy. My concern with in-earphones is that brushing sound when I inevitably touch the cable, and its durability with what are very thin wires.
Colour emphasised for skimmers!
***
To give you an idea of where I'm coming from, I have owned quite a few pairs of headphones albeit horrible ones. Whole story started when I wore a headset to Skype my friends many, many years ago. I guess I used it for music, and noticed immediately what I could not hear on speakers and stuck to headphones ever since. I never thought to shell out more money for a professional pair, as I was just a casual user so I did the rookie mistake of buying a new $10 pair every time it broke. Eventually, I got a little wiser and I got a pair of reliable headphones (Somic headset) which made me really picky afterwards.
I own or have owned:
Phillips earphones - They came free with my MP3 player and it sounds nothing like Apple's earbuds.
Sony in-ear earphones - Again, free when I got my Walkman phone four years ago. This pair was where I learnt in-ear earphones make brushing sounds when its wires are touched and listening to yourself breathe isn't very fun.
Sony MDR-Q140 - They're pretty nice, I can hear a lot of things most of my headphones/earphones can't pick up, but it's way too soft.
AVF HMV-889 headphones - my best pair yet, but I'm sure/hope it's nothing compared to hi-fi equipment.
Somic headset - I saw some reviews of Somic headsets here, but I can't remember which I had. I think it had a fake wood pattern on the outside. Plugged into USB, had its own drivers like every other pair. It was the best quality I've ever paid for but the sound was nothing to brag about. If I'm going to pay top money for hi-fi equipment, I do expect it to be as high quality as Somics are.
Skullcandy headphones - given to me with the Phillips MP3, and would you be surprised to know that the Phillips earphones actually sounded better and lasted longer... From what I've read so far on Head-Fi, you're probably laughing at me for owning a pair of these. XD To be fair though, they do fold up and they are flashy? Nerr.
And at least 5 pairs of cheapy headphones that broke.
Thank you Head-Fi members for reading this much nonsense and for replying!
