[MorbidToaster]

Quote:

Right now I have some Sony MDR-V700 DJ Studio headphones (I got these 4 years ago for christmas). I am looking to upgrade in sound quality, and i have a few questions


I like my Sony's just fine for everyday use, but I would like some thing better for music listening.

I'm a bit of a bass enthusiast, but I don't want to skip out on the highs, and I hate a fake sounding "boosted" bass, I like the real thing, just clear. In my Sony's the bass gets flat in the lower register. Fuller bass would be awesome. (quality, not quantity)

I am not sure on the sound difference of an open can compared to closed. How much sound bleeds out of the open cans? Would people hear what I was listening to if I were listening on the bus? Would I hear conversations in the hallways at college? I'd like something that I can bring with me around, but if it's going to bleed sound, than I'm ok with having them at home only and bringing my Sony's with me instead. (if it really makes a lot of difference in quality)

what does an Amplifier do for headphones? The only amplifiers I am familiar with are the ones you plug electric guitars/basses into. What do they really do for a nice pair of cans? IF I was looking for a decent but cheap portable amp for a first time rig, where would I look?

I was looking at Grados, and most reviews are glowing, but some reviews said that their sound is too bright, which I don't think i would like. I'm not sure what to trust.

My music preferences are: Rock, Jazz, Classical, Soundtracks, Metal, Electronic, Alternative, And the occasional Country if I'm feeling like listening to johnny cash.
my budget is about $200 on some headphones.
maybe $100 on a portable amp.

First question. Yes. People would hear your music clearly next to you on the bus. And you'd hear their conversations pretty well. The sound of the bus in general would also be there.
 
Question 2. Amplifiers amplify. That's all they do. The reason headphone amps make a big difference is pretty much any headphone will benefit from more power. More often than not the sound becomes cleaner and more defined. Even on a headphone that doesn't need one to get LOUDER (AIAIAI TMA-1 for example)...it benefits from having more power. The veil it has is lifted and it sounds very nice. For a cheap portable look to the FiiO E6 or E7. Great place to start. 
 
You list Electronic music in your preferences and because of that I wouldn't suggest a Grado (other than not really liking them myself ). Within your budget I'd recommend the HD 598 if you're okay with it being open. Genres you mentioned they excel at (IMO): Jazz, Classical, Sountracks, Electronic. Other than that they're a very good all rounder that works well with any genre you throw at them. I like them for rock but I won't say they excel at it because some people prefer something else. If you want a closed headphone check out the HD 25-1 II. Another very good all rounder, and it's very portable and rugged. The only problem there is I'd call the highs their weak spot (but not by any means bad). 

 

[trothad2]

 
 
[size=10.0pt]First off hello to all of you and i hope for this post to be the first of many in the community.  Secondly i really hope this hasn't been posted somewhere before in the 498 pages of this topic.  [/size]
 
[size=10.0pt]I am currently looking to upgrade my headphones.  I have a pair of BOSE tri-port headphones and am looking to get something a lot better.  I’ve been looking at the Sennheiser HD598.  I listen to a lot of different music some classical, rock, hip-hop, dubstep.  I also am looking for these headphones to be good for gaming on the pc as well.  My next question would be for a pair of headphones that would fit me would you recommend an amp and what one would work the best for me?[/size]
 
 

 

[gavinfabl]

 
 
[size=10.0pt]First off hello to all of you and i hope for this post to be the first of many in the community.  Secondly i really hope this hasn't been posted somewhere before in the 498 pages of this topic.  [/size]
 
[size=10.0pt]I am currently looking to upgrade my headphones.  I have a pair of BOSE tri-port headphones and am looking to get something a lot better.  I’ve been looking at the Sennheiser HD598.  I listen to a lot of different music some classical, rock, hip-hop, dubstep.  I also am looking for these headphones to be good for gaming on the pc as well.  My next question would be for a pair of headphones that would fit me would you recommend an amp and what one would work the best for me?[/size]
 
 

Last week I heard the Bose AE2 side by side with the Sennheiser HD558 and I think you would really love the HD558.

Good value amp. Portable Fiio E5 or desktop Fiio E9 with E7 dac if you need it. The Bose AE2 was ok, just over priced compared to the 558.

 

[MorbidToaster]

HD 598 sounds perfect. Excellent for gaming and Classical. As for Hip-hop...if you like hearing the words in the song more than the bass you'll like the 598. DubStep is a little different with the 598, but I prefer it to most SUPER BASS headphones for EDM. 
 
As far as amping goes I don't think the 598 needs one but they benefit from one. Because you're looking at open headphones I assume you're not too worried about them being portable. In which case I would recommend the NuForce uDac. 
 
The 598 and a uDac are a great place to start this hobby off, IMO.
 
EDIT: Don't take that to mean they are bass light. They are not. They have quite a healthy amount of bass.
 
Quote:

 
 
[size=10.0pt]First off hello to all of you and i hope for this post to be the first of many in the community.  Secondly i really hope this hasn't been posted somewhere before in the 498 pages of this topic.  [/size]
 
[size=10.0pt]I am currently looking to upgrade my headphones.  I have a pair of BOSE tri-port headphones and am looking to get something a lot better.  I’ve been looking at the Sennheiser HD598.  I listen to a lot of different music some classical, rock, hip-hop, dubstep.  I also am looking for these headphones to be good for gaming on the pc as well.  My next question would be for a pair of headphones that would fit me would you recommend an amp and what one would work the best for me?[/size]
 
 

 
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Okay, I have a Little Dot MKIV tube amp and a pair of FA-003 which I really love. I tried a pair of Sennheiser HD600 but I found that they weren't any better than the FA-003, in fact I preferred certain aspects of the FA-003 - the bass impact and control.

I listen to blues, jazz, classical & vocal female mainly and then everything else. I am currently trying out the Beyer DT880 600 ohm which arrived today. Like these but after a few hours the bass seems average and not enough.

Does anyone have any alternative suggestions? I'm not a bass addict, but sometimes a bit if deep stuff does add to the drama and depth of the music. Should I have got the dt990s? I have been told that these have less bass by Beyer but on here the verdict is the 990s have more bass. Are there any other options like an audio technica or akg or something else that will work?

I wanted an alternative headphone to the FA-003, budget max £100-£300, but am really struggling.

The 990 has louder bass, but I thought the 880 had better quality..
 
Some random suggestions:
Denon D2000 - good extension, mild but pleasing rumble in the low end
Ultrasone Pro 650/750 - pronounced bass rumble
Beyerdynamic DT1350 - small portable, not as much body but very strong bass extension

 

[gavinfabl]

The 990 has louder bass, but I thought the 880 had better quality..
 
Some random suggestions:
Denon D2000 - good extension, mild but pleasing rumble in the low end
Ultrasone Pro 650/750 - pronounced bass rumble
Beyerdynamic DT1350 - small portable, not as much body but very strong bass extension

Thanks. It appears that after 4 hours burn in the 880s bass has appeared and is a lot better. Still no low end rumble. May check out those options

 

[angelmyluv]

Hi ,

I'm going to choose between ATH-M50 / ATH-M50S ,or AKG 701 ..

but i'm still newbie at headphones ,
so i would like to ask you all who have purchased and played with it ,

which one would fit me? AKG , or ATH?
ah , or , maybe you can also give me suggestions , my budget is around 300 bucks ..

i'm listening to jazz , blues , maybe some oldies , instrumental ..

p.s: i don't need any "extra bass" , i guess :\
and i think i will use that headphone for a long time , so i will need something comfortable to wear ..

any suggestion? thanks for reading and answering
and sorry for my bad english english isn't my primary language at my country lol , so i still having a lot of trouble x__x

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

 Thanks. It appears that after 4 hours burn in the 880s bass has appeared and is a lot better. Still no low end rumble. May check out those options

You could also try different pads. Getting a better seal typically improves that low end sensation. I'm assuming you have the velour pads right now. Moving in degrees of seal you have the pleather --> leather --> gel. 
 
In general, closed headphones will also do a better job of giving rumble than open ones. The Ultrasones also deserve note since they direct a lot of their sound energy at the outer ear (their "S-Logic"), which in theory gives a greater sense of immersion and tactile response, but it affects people differently. 


Quote:

Hi ,

I'm going to choose between ATH-M50 / ATH-M50S ,or AKG 701 ..

but i'm still newbie at headphones ,
so i would like to ask you all who have purchased and played with it ,

which one would fit me? AKG , or ATH?
ah , or , maybe you can also give me suggestions , my budget is around 300 bucks ..

i'm listening to jazz , blues , maybe some oldies , instrumental ..

p.s: i don't need any "extra bass" , i guess :\
and i think i will use that headphone for a long time , so i will need something comfortable to wear ..

any suggestion? thanks for reading and answering

and sorry for my bad english

english isn't my primary language at my country lol , so i still having a lot of trouble x__x

For your genres, I would say the K701 is the better headphone as it will give you a much better vocal and instrument focus and significantly better soundstage. You will want some kind of amp behind it, although a receiver or decent sound card will work in a pinch. An affordable amp would be the FiiO e9. 
 

 

[Damnegy]

Hi everyone, 
 
I am looking to get new headphones, as my customs are kind of dead for now...
I want to jump into the whole classical music world, and I have no clue where to look at...
Should I look for warm sound signatures to enjoy the music, or coldish ones to get all the details of the tracks? I'd like most of the details, maybe not all if it gets too boring to listen to... 
Also, I'd like very isolating headphones as I would use them to commute (subway, car, etc.) or work (and focus on it), so I guess I should get closed cans, but at the same time, I'd like a pretty big soundstage. Thus, I post here, as I think Portable cans would not achieve that.
I may use them for some pop/rock/metal, but they would mostly be dedicated to classical music (symphonies, opera, solo piano, solo violin, etc.).
I was looking at the Portable ones first, and happened to read about Phiaton MS400 ("fun" cans, so not much for classical?) ; Sennheiser HD25 (not much for classical?) ; and the recent Beyerdynamic DT1350 (monitoring, so too cold?)
 
I am currently using slightly modded Fostex T50RP, but they should stay home...
I have a Sansa clip+ for now (but may change for the next one), iPad, Macbook unibody, Google Nexus S. I do not think I would amp my next phones, if it may help.
My budget should be around 200€
Oh and I'd rather not take IEMs, I experienced some troubles with those...
Thanks guys !

 

[Armaegis]

The DT1350 are actually very good for classical music. While the headphones themselves sound on the cooler and sterile side of things, classical music is generally recorded such that it captures the room harmonics which comes across very well on the Beyers. They are also easily portable and one of the best I've heard (or rather... not heard) short of iems. Soundstage is admittedly not the best, but runs par for closed portables. 
 
I really enjoyed the MS400 when I had them, and they do have a really fun and midbassy signature. Their isolation isn't nearly as good as the DT1350 though, and I would still give the nod to the Beyer for classical music. 
 
If you want soundstage in a closed portable (sorta big though), the Ultrasones might be worth looking into. They have good isolation, and their S-Logic creates a sense of stage. Just don't get one of the overly bassy models (like the HFi580 or Pro750/900) and you'll be fine.

 

[darkfireblade25]

I was thinking of upgrading from my humble Fiio e7 setup and is wondering if it is better to buy a e9 or a total bithead and sell the e7? I currently own a Sennheiser HD598. If anybody can tell me which combo can make the Senns sound better it would be great.

 

[12345142]

Quote:

Are these the same things as the ESW10JPN, just with a different name?  
http://www.audiocubes.com/product_info.php?products_id=2762

No, the ES10s are a completely different product. You can tell as the earcups are titanium instead of wood. I auditioned them when I was in Taipei, and I'd say they're only slightly better than the ESW9s. To be honest, it's going to be hard to find a new pair of ESW10JPNs, since they seem to have been a limited edition.

 

[Damnegy]

Quote:

The DT1350 are actually very good for classical music. While the headphones themselves sound on the cooler and sterile side of things, classical music is generally recorded such that it captures the room harmonics which comes across very well on the Beyers. They are also easily portable and one of the best I've heard (or rather... not heard) short of iems. Soundstage is admittedly not the best, but runs par for closed portables. 
 
I really enjoyed the MS400 when I had them, and they do have a really fun and midbassy signature. Their isolation isn't nearly as good as the DT1350 though, and I would still give the nod to the Beyer for classical music. 
 
If you want soundstage in a closed portable (sorta big though), the Ultrasones might be worth looking into. They have good isolation, and their S-Logic creates a sense of stage. Just don't get one of the overly bassy models (like the HFi580 or Pro750/900) and you'll be fine.

Hi,
 
Thanks for the help. I read about the Fischer Audio FA-003 and FA-002w (for wooden), have you heard them?
(by the way, are the models you quoted the overly bassy ones, or the ones I should look at?)

 

[sid12345678910]

 
i am looking for headphones for dubstep and electronica and i am considering the
 
Ultrasone HFI-580
Denon AH-D2000
XB500,700,1000
Ultrasone PRO 900
Denon D1100
SRH750DJ
Ultrasone HFI-680
 
price range from 100 to 300
i will be using them with an ipod most of the time but my computer has a xfi titanium sound card

 

[MorbidToaster]

 
i am looking for headphones for dubstep and electronica and i am considering the
 
Ultrasone HFI-580
Denon AH-D2000
XB500,700,1000
Ultrasone PRO 900
Denon D1100
SRH750DJ
Ultrasone HFI-680
 
price range from 100 to 300
i will be using them with an ipod most of the time but my computer has a xfi titanium sound card

Pro 900, XB1000, or D2000.

My vote would probably go for the 900 if you want major impact. The 1000 if you want pure depth and a very subwoofer type sound. Or the D2000 for the best comfort and amp scaling.

Basically...if you're looking to invest more in the future I'd say D2000. If not much more get one of the other 2 and a little amp and be done for awhile.