Nebster173
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- Thread starter Nebster173
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Nebster173
New Head-Fier
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walls
100+ Head-Fier
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Im a metal guy as well, and surprising enough, a big Sennheiser fan. I have the HD280's, HD555's, HD598's and a pair of HD650's.
My least fave is the HD280's, but they are good for laying in bed and watching TV when the wife is sleeping. When I am in a Cannibal or Morbid mood I turn to the HD598's, I think if you can save up for these you will be VERY happy. I already had the 555's (which are good too) and the 650's (my absolute fave headphone) and swore I wouldnt buy another pair, until a family friend got a pair of the 598's as a gift and didnt want them so he offered them to me for $150 so I snatched them up.
I lot of metal guys like the Grados, I did not. I found them to be bass lacking and WAY uncomfortable.
The 555's can be had pretty cheap these days and are good right out of the ipod without an amp, but IMO for you tastes and budget I would really look into the 598's.
My least fave is the HD280's, but they are good for laying in bed and watching TV when the wife is sleeping. When I am in a Cannibal or Morbid mood I turn to the HD598's, I think if you can save up for these you will be VERY happy. I already had the 555's (which are good too) and the 650's (my absolute fave headphone) and swore I wouldnt buy another pair, until a family friend got a pair of the 598's as a gift and didnt want them so he offered them to me for $150 so I snatched them up.
I lot of metal guys like the Grados, I did not. I found them to be bass lacking and WAY uncomfortable.
The 555's can be had pretty cheap these days and are good right out of the ipod without an amp, but IMO for you tastes and budget I would really look into the 598's.
Nebster173
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AyeVeeN
100+ Head-Fier
Quote:
If you're listening to headphones at moderate / "normal" / non-damaging levels then noise leak is usually negligible unless your roommates or whomever are very irritable. Open headphones will generally be able to be heard across the room, but from my experience, it's usually hard to tell what song someone is listening to unless they're blasting it. Through the door, if you're blasting it then they'd probably be able to hear it but at a moderate level, most likely not unless your door is thin.
If you need them for a library or something then I wouldn't recommend open unless you have them really low though
If you're listening to headphones at moderate / "normal" / non-damaging levels then noise leak is usually negligible unless your roommates or whomever are very irritable. Open headphones will generally be able to be heard across the room, but from my experience, it's usually hard to tell what song someone is listening to unless they're blasting it. Through the door, if you're blasting it then they'd probably be able to hear it but at a moderate level, most likely not unless your door is thin.
If you need them for a library or something then I wouldn't recommend open unless you have them really low though
flipper2gv
100+ Head-Fier
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Quote:
I find them to be too strident for metal. Around the same price and portable, the momentum work much better IMO. Also, m-100 (if you don't mind really punchy and strong double bass drums), UE6000 (on passive mode) MDR-1R are good choices too for metal.
Source: I tried all these and I listen 95% of the time to metal (from Negura Bungdet to Blind Guardian).
I find them to be too strident for metal. Around the same price and portable, the momentum work much better IMO. Also, m-100 (if you don't mind really punchy and strong double bass drums), UE6000 (on passive mode) MDR-1R are good choices too for metal.
Source: I tried all these and I listen 95% of the time to metal (from Negura Bungdet to Blind Guardian).
Theogenes
Headphoneus Supremus
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I have the HD25-II and listen to primarily metal. For the money, I think they are pretty fantastic. They have punchy sound that just works great with metal. Haven't heard the ATH-M50, but they seem to get a lot of good feedback around here. A couple of things to consider:
Isolation: You mentioned being concerned about others being able to hear you. If you plan on using headphones in environments where there is an appreciable amount of noise, you probably want to block that out as well. If either of these two situations apply to you, you probably want to look for closed cans. The 598, 600, and 650 are all open (as are most higher-end cans). The HD25-II is closed.
Comfort and Fit: This can vary from person to person, but as a general rule, circumaural (around the ear) are more comfortable the supra-aural (on the ear). The 650, for example, is incredibly comfortable, while the HD25-II can start to hurt your ears after a while. Also, if you plan on using these while moving around, you probably want something that grips fairly tightly, but if you're pretty much sitting down the whole time, it won't matter much. (Random: I got my sister a pair of HD25-II, and she literally ran a half marathon wearing them. Those suckers have a death grip on your head, for better or worse).
Amplification: You don't mention an amp, so I'm assuming you're running yours from a mobile device or soundcard, correct? If so, you probably want to stay away from the harder-to-drive cans for now (HD600 and 650 are both 300 Ohms, so harder to drive; the HD598 is 50 Ohms and the HD25-II is 70 Ohms, so easier to drive). Of course, if you scored a good deal on some headphones, you could look into some of the more cost-effective amplifiers (Fiio and iBasso both have some good stuff) to properly drive them.
Other: There are a bunch of other things that may or may not be important to you (looks, compatibility with mobile phones, carrying cases and other accessories, durability, etc), and you just need to figure out what those things are.
I will throw one other headphone out there for your to consider: the V-Moda M80. In comparison to the HD25-II, I like them both roughly equally, although they do sound a bit different. I'll say that the HD25-II isolates better than darn near anything, but that the M80 is much more comfortable, and is MUCH better thought-out ergonomically than pretty much any other device on the market (gorgeous design, customizable, compatible with mobile devices, comes with a great carrying case, mil-spec toughness, etc etc). I can say that I've picked up no less than 4 HD25s and 3 M80s in the past as gifts for others, and everyone has absolute LOVED them both, but both of the people I got the HD25-II and the M80 for generally prefer the M80 due to all the extras.
Anyway, I hope this helps and doesn't just confuse you further. It looks like all the headphones you're looking at are pretty well-regarded, so I don't think you're going to be disappointed-- just make sure you get one that fits your lifestyle and usage.
Best of luck, man!! Let us know if you have any other questions!!
Isolation: You mentioned being concerned about others being able to hear you. If you plan on using headphones in environments where there is an appreciable amount of noise, you probably want to block that out as well. If either of these two situations apply to you, you probably want to look for closed cans. The 598, 600, and 650 are all open (as are most higher-end cans). The HD25-II is closed.
Comfort and Fit: This can vary from person to person, but as a general rule, circumaural (around the ear) are more comfortable the supra-aural (on the ear). The 650, for example, is incredibly comfortable, while the HD25-II can start to hurt your ears after a while. Also, if you plan on using these while moving around, you probably want something that grips fairly tightly, but if you're pretty much sitting down the whole time, it won't matter much. (Random: I got my sister a pair of HD25-II, and she literally ran a half marathon wearing them. Those suckers have a death grip on your head, for better or worse).
Amplification: You don't mention an amp, so I'm assuming you're running yours from a mobile device or soundcard, correct? If so, you probably want to stay away from the harder-to-drive cans for now (HD600 and 650 are both 300 Ohms, so harder to drive; the HD598 is 50 Ohms and the HD25-II is 70 Ohms, so easier to drive). Of course, if you scored a good deal on some headphones, you could look into some of the more cost-effective amplifiers (Fiio and iBasso both have some good stuff) to properly drive them.
Other: There are a bunch of other things that may or may not be important to you (looks, compatibility with mobile phones, carrying cases and other accessories, durability, etc), and you just need to figure out what those things are.
I will throw one other headphone out there for your to consider: the V-Moda M80. In comparison to the HD25-II, I like them both roughly equally, although they do sound a bit different. I'll say that the HD25-II isolates better than darn near anything, but that the M80 is much more comfortable, and is MUCH better thought-out ergonomically than pretty much any other device on the market (gorgeous design, customizable, compatible with mobile devices, comes with a great carrying case, mil-spec toughness, etc etc). I can say that I've picked up no less than 4 HD25s and 3 M80s in the past as gifts for others, and everyone has absolute LOVED them both, but both of the people I got the HD25-II and the M80 for generally prefer the M80 due to all the extras.
Anyway, I hope this helps and doesn't just confuse you further. It looks like all the headphones you're looking at are pretty well-regarded, so I don't think you're going to be disappointed-- just make sure you get one that fits your lifestyle and usage.
Best of luck, man!! Let us know if you have any other questions!!
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