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Advice needed on headphones $200

post #1 of 12
2/12/12 at 9:55am
Thread Starter 

My headphones are falling apart so its time to buy new once.

I currently own a Reloop RH-3500 which is meant for DJ'ing but I use it for listening mostly.

 

On the road I use a pair of Nuforce NE700M.

 

I like the sound on those 2, it could be a little big clearer and a bigger 'quality' overall.

 

 

I listen to house, techno, electronic, jazz, soul and hip-hop. Artists like; The Roots, Esperanza Spalding, The xx, Jill Scott, Jay-Z, Louis Armstrong. Mostly from my laptop's build in audio card.

 

  • I would like my future headphone to sound like a 'live' performance, proper bass and a wide sound stage.
  • They also have to be sturdy and well build, I want to transport them in my bag on the train.
  • They have to be comfortable to wear for extended periods, sometimes 5 hours continuous.
  • I don't really care about noise cancellation.
  • Detachable cable would be nice
  • I think I prefer over the ear, the ones I have no don't cover my whole ears but I can imagine it to be comfortable.
  • 3.5mm jack is preferred for laptop and occasional travel and usage with iPhone.
  • A nice design, natural elements and a not to plasticy feel/vision
  • No amp

 

I am not familiar with the brands available so that's what I like to learn.

I have a budget off $150-$200


Edited by oostcoast - 2/13/12 at 10:03am
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post #2 of 12
2/12/12 at 11:18am

I recommend the Sennheiser HD 598 for comfort, soundstage, bass, detachable cable and nice design. But they might be slightly above your budget, I do not know about their build quality but if you are going to be listening to them at home or in a safe environment they are a highly recommended choice. 

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sennheiser-hd-598.php

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post #3 of 12
2/12/12 at 1:05pm

M-Audio Q40 + FiiO E11 portable amp = ~$185. 

 

- Detachable cord

- No really big weaknesses (well if picky that would be low quality pleather pads and there's many reports around that the stock cable provided isn't of the best quality)

- Versatail, good allrounder

- Boosted but textured/well controlled bass (I personally don't think there's anything that can beat it in terms of quantity vs quality ratio beneath $200)

- Neutral mids/highs that are well balanced (no severe peaks/dips anywhere) => very clear, realistic sounding

- Decent isolation, barely any leakage

- Over the ear, I can wear them as long as I want (meaning sometimes almost the whole day without prob without any discomfort or sweating).

- Scales well with amping => therefore I recommend for example FiiO E11 @ $65.

- Slightly vented & big sized cups => quite good soundstage for closed/semi-closed design

- Foldable with what seems to be quite sturdy metal hinges

  

Due to the source used I think buying an amp like FiiO E11 which has a good price/performance ratio would be a wise thing and this headphone would be a good contender to pair it with.

 

FiiO E11: http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E11-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0053KWDES/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1329081293&sr=1-1

@ $65 shipped

M-Audio Q40: http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-Studiophile-Closed-back-Dynamic-Headphones/dp/B000XT8JTM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329081441&sr=8-1

Alternative link: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/529902-REG/M_Audio_9900_52308_00_Studiophile_Q40_Closed_Back_Dynamic.html

@ $120 shipped

 


Edited by RPGWiZaRD - 2/12/12 at 1:25pm
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post #4 of 12
2/13/12 at 10:10am
Thread Starter 

Thanks,

 

I have never used an amp, I don't want that my headphones sound different when I'm unable to use the amp, like incidental DJ'ing and traveling.

I'll look into the reviews of the M-audio. How is the bass? I'd like my headphone to sound soulful and smooth.

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post #5 of 12
2/14/12 at 4:19pm

If you occasionally experience bad sound quality, it will make you appreciate the good sound quality even more.  

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post #6 of 12
2/14/12 at 5:35pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by oostcoast View Post

Thanks,

 

I have never used an amp, I don't want that my headphones sound different when I'm unable to use the amp, like incidental DJ'ing and traveling.

I'll look into the reviews of the M-audio. How is the bass? I'd like my headphone to sound soulful and smooth.


Soulful & smooth is what I'd call the Panasonic HTF600 and Brainwavz HM3. The Q40 is neutral sounding in this sense, neither "warm/smooth" nor "bright/aggressive", right in-between.

 

Bass response is simply amazing on the M-Audio Q40, punchy, textured and well controlled, 3 words that describes the headphone's bass perfectly. Among the best bass response in terms of quantity vs quality, it's big, like ~10dB boost big (compare to say Bass monsters like XB500 @ 15dB or "mildly" boosted bass in the popular M50 of around 3~5dB) but obviously it has a lot better quality than XB500 and even M50 too in my ears and it has a lot better soundstage than M50 and has slightly less "metallic" sounding highs.

 


Edited by RPGWiZaRD - 2/14/12 at 5:39pm
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post #7 of 12
2/16/12 at 1:19am

Ultrasone HFI 780

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post #8 of 12
2/16/12 at 5:12am

I don't understand why most people don't start with comfort as the number one considering for buying any headphone. Doesn't that make or break any purchase ultimately? For me, I researched for weeks, laid down my hard earned money for a pair of m50's. I loved the sound signature...loved it. But I could only wear them comfortably for about 30 minutes. So it doesn't matter how good headphones sound if you don't like wearing them. 

 

So for comfort and sound quality I will suggest the Denon d2000's...

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post #9 of 12
2/16/12 at 3:07pm

I second the 598 for comfort, I can wear them for 8-10 hours with no problem, which I do often. I also have a giant noggin. I recently picked up a pair for 200 from VMI Innovations on Ebay through a best offer. Hope that helps.
 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazwarth View Post

I recommend the Sennheiser HD 598 for comfort, soundstage, bass, detachable cable and nice design. But they might be slightly above your budget, I do not know about their build quality but if you are going to be listening to them at home or in a safe environment they are a highly recommended choice. 

http://www.headphone.com/headphones/sennheiser-hd-598.php



 

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post #10 of 12
2/17/12 at 3:16pm
Thread Starter 

I listened to the HD 598, they sound great, but I think they are ugly.

 

I'm going to the music store uptown tomorrow to test as many headphones as you have suggested.

 

The Q40's sound really interesting so I hope I can find a pair to listen too. 

 

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post #11 of 12
2/23/12 at 4:07am
Thread Starter 

I listened to the M-audio and felt it was to muddy in the mids/low.

They also had the Beyer DT770 pro 250ohm and I had a listen, I really liked how clear it sounded, also the bass was perfect.

 

I bought the 770's and after a few hours of listening I felt that it's missing a bit of warmth and fullness. I looked at a couple of reviews of the Fiio E11, it supposed to add a little warmth to the sound, can someone tell me if this is what I am looking for?

I've played with the equalizer in iTunes and i found that the lower mids needed a small boost and the around 6KHz it needed to damped a bit. Is that wat the E11 can do? 

 

Equalizer

 

Also the high clamping force on the pro's is annoying. I tried bending the headband a bit but that didn't change much. I could try to roll it a bit flatter in the shop at my school or I could just make my own from a 1mm steel sheet.

 

 

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post #12 of 12
2/24/12 at 4:18pm
Thread Starter 

The headband coming together nicely, shaped a blade of a tree saw to size and going to bend it tomorrow.

 

Can anyone inform me about the Fiio E11? The warmth it is supposed to add?

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