Best can for up to $300 ? - Page 8

Originally Posted by TheReem 

Also good choice on the mad dogs, they are easily driven any Fio amp will do it even e5/e6 and they can work without one fine.

Originally Posted by disastermouse 


Even an E7? I thought I'd have to wait for the E12 to drive these buggers for portable use.

Originally Posted by reddragon 


i messaged dan before when i had an e17 that if the e17 can drive the mad dog, he said yes

Originally Posted by disastermouse 


I don't have an E17, I have an E7.

Originally Posted by disastermouse 


Even an E7? I thought I'd have to wait for the E12 to drive these buggers for portable use.

Originally Posted by wolfetan44 

I wouldn't say the Mad Dogs are portable.

Originally Posted by money4me247 

hey bro,

 

i think you might be getting kinda carried away by people's recommendations. yea, the mad dogs are supposed to be a great pair of headphones, but they don't really fit your original goal of a portable (non-amp required) headphones.

 

I think you should legit go and try the multitude of great closed portable headphones that don't need an amp, and if you think that there is still something missing & you can tell what change in sound signature you want in comparison to the headphones you tried, come back & research to see if Mad Dogs or whatever else fits that change.

 

I mean, what happens if you go to the store and find that you like the additional bass of something like the Ultrasone Pro 900 over the AKG K550?

Originally Posted by Greed 

Yes the Mad Dogs can be run from a E7. It works fine with some of the lowest power outputs like the E5/6, so your E7 should be fine.

 

 

 

Overall the Mad Dogs are quite efficient for being a ortho design. I think they are superb for a portable setup, especially for when the OP plans on using them. They isolate decent, they are comfortable, and they aren't terrible hard to drive. Not a bad looking headphone either.

 

 

I think that the OP is taking what he has and thinking on it, which is fine. Obviously take all of what we recommend with a grain of salt, do your own research, and get more than one person's review/opinion on a particular headphone. When I started out, I did tons of readings, but not much auditioning because there isn't a huge presence of Hi-Fi where I live. A few consumer shops with high end brands, but they are all swayed more towards speakers... so many of my purchases where through reading and testimonies of people that have owned or extensively heard the products I was interested in. Best Buy or any other retail store more than likely won't have huge selection and their workers know nothing and aren't educated to answer any real questions... so to me reading on these forums are much more informative and helpful.

Originally Posted by reddragon 

 

 

 

i also think auditioning can only go so far, one has to actually own the headphone so he can do extensive listening

Originally Posted by classics 

I think im pretty much sold on the Mad Dogs. I am doing a little research on an amp now. iBasso looks like they have some really good ones, I have no clue what to look for so if you guys have any suggestions that would be great. I know the E11 is supposed to be good but what would I be benifiting from if I got the iBasso T5 for example or the D6 ?

Originally Posted by Trunks159 

Just got these in the mail. I won't comment on the sound but these are definitely the most comfortable cans I've ever worn! That spot used to only belong to the DT770s, but they've been replaced.

Originally Posted by Impulse 

This thread's been all over the place, no offense... There's a difference between portable and transportable IMO.

The Beyers and MD are transportable, i.e. reasonably rugged so as not to get destroyed in a bag even without a case; but I'm not sure they're something you'd be comfortable wearing around your neck for more than a a few min and they're gonna fill up half a backpack...

Don't get me wrong, I love my DT 880 and I find them incredibly comfortable to actually wear. They're open tho, forget that semi-open nonsense, you're right to steer away from them for portable use... Whomever called them closed on the 1st page can't have ever used them. The Beyers are relatively compact for full size headphones so if you're after a transportable setup the 770 are a good value. I'm actually looking at the Mad Dogs myself for living room use, for the sound signature they seem to deliver as well as the isolation factor...

Not quite sure if the MD are any more compact than Beyers (doubt it), but I'm not sure I'd ever travel with either anyway. Maybe if it's a long trip or whatever and I'm mainly using them in a hotel or wherever I'm staying...

For portable on the go use, walking around town or short trips etc I'm much more at ease with something like my V-Moda M-80 (or something like the UE600 or Momentum, tho the latter are larger), they're much smaller than you'd think from looking at pictures. I can slip them into a messenger bag next to a laptop and still have plenty of room for other crap, no real need for an amp, perfect degree of isolation vs awareness for me, very durable, can leave them around my neck if talking with someone, great overall package tbh.

Completely different category and class of headphones tho. If you find on-ears uncomfortable or you want something that's more transportable then the MD seem like a strong value, can't wait to try them myself. You could try the M-80 at any Radio Shack or Microsoft store. You could try the Momentum at Apple stores or Magnolia Best Buys, you could try the UE6000 at any Best Buy. Guitar Center should have the DT 770, and finally Dan has a pretty good return policy on the MD. You can find the M-80 online for as little as $150...

I'd recommend at least taking a look at some of the more portable alternatives to see if you really wanna go with full size circumaurals or whether you'd be satisfied with something lighter even if it's a step down.