[dragonlong]

Here's a little background info to help you understand the criteria. I listen to a lot of music using the computer. My speakers are the Klipsch Promedia 2.1 (I'd get a system with more speakers, but there's no room to put them.

). The subwoofer is amazing on this thing. Even set to the recommended level for the subwoofer, it's already too deep and pumps out more air than a lot of people can handle.

Here's the problem: my room is on the second floor, and my mom can't stand loud music and very often comes up to tell me to turn it down... I have these awesome speakers and subwoofer, yet I can't even enjoy them at the default setting!

I listen to a lot anime/japanese music, as well as some "exciting" orchestral music (such as from such RPGs as Xenogears and Xenosaga for those who know what I'm talking about), dance mixes/Eurobeat, some fiddly/celtic, occasionally slow/calm/relaxing music.

Awesome bass is what I'm going for, but my range of musical taste is quite wide, so mid and treble are definitely important too, especially since many japanese singers have very high voices. Many people can't stand their voice, but my tolerance is good enough, so I still wanna hear everything crystal clearly if possible. Orchestral music means that soundstage is very important too.

Also, is there any good set of headphones that I can get that would reproduce the bass "effect" that my subwoofer produces without someone complaining about "loud music"?

I'm a newbie with headphones. The only thing good that can even be considered as "headphones" that I own is the ER4P, and that definitely does not reproduce anything that anyone can mistaken as coming out of a subwoofer. I understand that headphones can't produce the air of a subwoofer, but bass is mostly felt by the body/bones, so there's something that can produce that in headphones, right?

Criteria:
1. Ultra good bass
2. Good mid, treble too
3. Crystal clarity
4. Awesome sound stage
5. Subwoofer feeling/effect?
6. Comfortable to wear and listen for long periods of time (such as for dozing off, minimal to low headache effect, not heavy)
7. Best closed, or open with very small leakage
8. Durable so that I won't get worried about breaking it
9. Not old/retro or stupid (definitely not ping eggos!!!) or ugly looking
10. Budget of about $200 to $300 US (but will consider more expensive models if worth the price)

I realize criterion 10 is a bit lacking in many audiophiles' standards, unless I go many months without spending on anything fun at all.

This time, portability is not such a big deal as long as the comfort level of the headphones is good enough.

I don't really have any home amp, but the wattage of my Klipsch is pretty good, so if necessary, I can plug the candidate headphones into the headphone port that's at the side of my right speakers.

I think that's all the info that I can think of as criteria. If you need more info, just reply here and let me know. I realize that it's probably very hard or expensive to find headphones that meet most the criteria simultaneously, so I'm opened to suggestions, especially concerning the budget if it's too low for something good.

Cheers!

 

[Xecter]

HEY!

I also listen to MP3 on the PC. Anime music and RPG music own, as do eurodance and whatnot.


Very similar listening styles, i may be of help.


I have Klipsch 5.1s on this PC, which has great bass imo.

But, try out the BeyerDynamic DT770s, excellent phones, however, extremely power hungery. Amp is required for the wicked bass. I use them with a Headroom Little. Nice set i guess. A little out of the $$ range at 170 for the phones and 250.


Try out the HD280 + Amp for a cheap and effective set.




oh... by the way, after geting ur phones. Get the hell away from this website. Seriously. I was saving up to get new Rims and Tires for my bmw, now im screwed spend it on headphone stuff.

Run please.

 

[Guyferd]

It can all be summed up in 2 words:
Beyerdynamic DT770pro/DT770

Closed headphone. Bass is equal to the klipsch(unless you set the bass setting on the promedia to max level.. which I don't think anyone can handle

). Soundstage is surprisingly good for a closed can. Vocal is slightly recessed... but that's if you compare them to a better headphone.. to me, the beyer is just nice.
Very very durable.built like tank.
the only thing that you need is an amp. try to get meta 42 or creek obh-11. coz the beyer is 250 ohm.. so I don't think your klipsch headphone jack would do them any justice.
Also, please.. for godsake.. skip the klipsch headphone jack.. it sounds sucky. I would rather plug them straight to the soundcard than through it. It sounds thin and shrill through klipsch.

The total should come up nicely to 300( if you get meta42 or 2nd hand obh-11 and the beyer).

 

[Guyferd]

Quote:

Originally posted by Xecter oh... by the way, after geting ur phones. Get the hell away from this website. Seriously. I was saving up to get new Rims and Tires for my bmw, now im screwed spend it on headphone stuff. Run please.

too late xecter... he is now ours ..

welcome to head-fi. Sorry about your wallet!!

 

[dragonlong]

Hey, Xecter!

Wow! Hard to find someone with similar music taste (except for in anime IRC channels). And you have a better Klipsch too!!!

BTW, do you like music from Initial D, .hack//sign, Hikaru no Go, and Mahoromatic (first and second season)? So far, I haven't heard of anyone disliking .hack//sign music.

The only amp that I have is the Total Airhead. I don't really want to buy an amp due to lack of space and budget, so I guess the DT770 is out of the question.

I've read mix reviews about HD280, not sure what to think about it.

Amp is very important, but not of absolute importance. I did list it as criteria #1, but that's mostly because I'm thinking of subwoofers. Bass is awesome on the subs, but that's only because they interfere much less with the rest of the music than headphones that project sound in a small amount of space. Some bass is so overbearing that it masks the mid and treble when heard from near the ears. That's definitely not the effect that I'm going for. I still want to enjoy higher pitch voices and crystal clarity sound too, which can easily get muddied by bass. In short, very good (tight?) bass, but not overbearing bass. Oh, and don't forget soundstage too. ^_^;;

Know of any other headphones I might be interested in with the above under considerationthat does not require an amp (or at least one that I can be powered by my Total Airhead)?

And yes, you're right about getting away from this Web site. I'm already tempted to buy all the cheaper portable headphones (especially the Sony's such as D66, E888, and EX71).

 

[Guyferd]

well.. the total airhead should have no problem driving the beyer dt770pro..as long as it's an amp.
The hd280pro to me is bright, good bass, but the impact is nowhere near dt770pro.
trust me on this, I always listen to jpop/rock and some anime songs...
full metal panic's op(mikuni shimokawa - tomorrow) never sound so good before.. the drum is v realistic on my beyer dt770pro.
minaya naomi's tooki no machide(ccs movie) sounds fine and smooth, her voice well projected, while the bass is not overpowering.Blends very well with the music.
One piece's memories, the drum is v full and the vocal is sweet.. abit dry perhaps(to me), transition is very smooth.

I can rattle on with other anime's ost.. but I don't think you have time to read all right

 

[radrd]

The Sony V6 ($70) (not V600!) is a good affordable headphone with very good bass and it can be driven from a portable if necessary. Another one with good bass that is easily driven is the Beyer DT250-80 (~$170) from what I have read. The HD280 does not have bass that is as good as the V6 IMO.

 

[dragonlong]

If the DT770Pro's bass isn't overbearing, then awesome!

My Total Airhead is a portable amp that smaller than a walkman cassette player. It runs on 3 AAA batteries, although I have the option of running through an AC Adapter. It's a portable amp that I bought from HeadRoom. Here's the link with all the info on it:

http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?...tID=0010010006

Since it's a portable amp, is it good enough for the DT770Pro? Also, what's the diff between the Pro and non-Pro versions?

Is the V6 hard to find these days? It's a discontinued model, isn't it? I haven't heard much about the DT250-80, but I'll check it out too.

Now only if there's a good audio specialty shop that has many good headphones to try. Most so-called "hifi" shops here only concentrate on home and car speaker systems and don't have much for headphones. GRRRRR!

 

[Guyferd]

dragonlong,
as I understand, the beyer is more for home can. So you gotta use the adapter to power them.. unless you got tons of batteries

Also, it will benefit from more power..

hm.. you can search the post/review of dt770pro. many cannot stand the bass. But if you are the type who are used to promedia 2.1 bass, I will guarantee that the dt770pro is the bass for you.I owned the 2.1 before.

Difference between pro and non pro:
-pro is cheaper, but the clamp is tighter and more pressure on your ear. Non pro is the revised version, exactly same sound, but less clamping force and more comfortable.But non pro is more expensive.

Yeap, my suggestion is to try these cans:
beyer dt770/pro , dt250-80 , sony V6
these are the 'notorious' ones.. damn good in bass. I owned both the beyers before.. dt250-80 is good and can be used as portable.Better midrange than 770, but less impactful bass. Both should be ard the same price though.
V6 is cheaper.. but the soundstage sucks compared to the 2.. as far as you are concerned.

 

[dragonlong]

Whoa! The impedance for DT770Pro is 600 Ohms! I think that might be too much for my Total Airhead to handle.

My Total Airhead might do its purpose very well (portable amp), but it's a little guy and I doubt it'll be able to handle the big 770. Man, it might die out on me and I'll feel like I lost a pet that I haven't spent as much time with as I should.

...

What's the best place to get the DT770Pro in terms of price and shipping to Canada? If my TAirhead is not powerful enough, then I'll also need to buy a good amp that I can use for the 770 and also for any higher end headphones that I might get in the future.

Man, just when I thought I have a good thing narrowed down, I still have to do more and more research for its "accessories". Speaking of which, you might as well tell me other things I need to consider about the 770, such as pads, cords, etc. I don't have any experience with this kind of stuff, so some things that are common sense to you might not be common sense to me.

Oh yeah... how well built is the 770? Will some parts of it "cracK" like some other headphones that we've heard about in this forum?

 

[Guyferd]

I don't understand...
were you referring to the dt770 from headphone.com?
they didn't update it. It's 600 ohm(old version)..
RIght now all dt770pro sold are 250 ohm.. I know this is confusing.
The new 250 ohm is supposed to sound better anyway.

With your total airhead, it should be no problem.
How well built? well.. the cups are very solid.. although it's plastic.. I've ever squeezed them in my backpack when I travel and they survived. It's very rugged.Not like some cheapo <50 headphones.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by dragonlong Oh yeah... how well built is the 770? Will some parts of it "cracK" like some other headphones that we've heard about in this forum?

You could hammer nails with the earcups on the Beyer 770's...seriously.

 

[TravelLite]

Well, unfortunately an AirHead/Total AirHead is going to do a pretty lousy job driving the DT770 from a line-level source.

Even when powered at 12-15VDC, these little amps really don't have enough output voltage.

If you're on a super-tight budget, try to find a used AC-powered DIY or commercial amp with at least an 18-24VDC power supply.

TravelLite

 

[Mike Scarpitti]

Quote:

Originally posted by dragonlong [B Cheers! [/B]

I think Sony makes or did make a speaker system that went around your shoulders. I don't know whht it was called, but you may want to look on their web site.

 

[dragonlong]

Yeah, I didn't think my lil TAirhead would handle it. Any suggestions for alternatives for the DT770Pro, perhaps something that can be driven by my lil TA or not requiring an amp at all? Not sure if the DT250-80 is a good choice.

How good is the D66 powered by the TA? Good enough bass, clarity, and soundstage?