[rb101c]

Quote:

Looks like another job for the Audio Technica M50s.  It didn't bother me, and I wear glasses.  Meets all your other requirements except for style.

 
It's got a pretty long cable, and I was a bit worried about that - care to comment about it?  Also, would these are comfortable enough to wear for 5/6 hours nonstop?
 
Anyone else care to mention any similarly-priced warm-sounding alternatives?

 

[slapshot30]

Yea the m50's are great. Also, they do come in a coiled cable version which I have and is perfect for portability. The bass is nice and the m50's can be easily powered through an iPod. Although, if you're really big on bass, I'd get a decent amp to go with it, maybe even just a fiio e5 to start. That way you'll be able to make the bass really bump.

 EDIT: Oh and about the comfort, I think they're great right out of the box. Some others do complain about them being a bit tight on the head though, and if you find that a problem then just stretch them out on some books or something for a few hours.
 
Quote:

Quote:

Looks like another job for the Audio Technica M50s.  It didn't bother me, and I wear glasses.  Meets all your other requirements except for style.

 
It's got a pretty long cable, and I was a bit worried about that - care to comment about it?  Also, would these are comfortable enough to wear for 5/6 hours nonstop?
 
Anyone else care to mention any similarly-priced warm-sounding alternatives?

 

[Philly boy]

OK, I am new to the forum but not new to high end audio. I am looking to get a set of cans for gaming >80% and music <20%. Gonna pick up a new sound card for my one gaming set up, which includes a Intel i7 980X and a set of EVGA GTX 580's on a EVGA Classified X58 mother board. The board has a PCI slot as well as a PCIe X1 slot so I am really open for suggestions. I am looking for recommendations for both a sound card and a set of medium high end cans. here's the cards I've come up with so far:

1. Asus Xonar DX
2. Asus Xonar D2X 7.1
3. Asus Essence ST(X)
4. Creative X-Fi Titanium HD
5. Auzentech Meridian 7.1 2G

 
Here's the cans that seem to interest me:

1. Sennheiser  HD 555/595
2. Beyer DT770/880
3. Audio Technica ATH M50
4. Audio Technica ATH-A700

 
What I am looking for is a place to go listen to more than just one set of these. My fear is that I will have to buy them 2 at a time and hook them up to my sound card and make sure I can return the ones I don't like as much. I am also looking for your opinions as to what sound card is going to sound good with what set of cans.....and why. No flame wars please, just honest unbiased opinions. Tell this former live sound engineer & audiophile what to go listen to.
 
Let the recommending begin!

 

[Eric_C]

Hi Philly boy, maybe you could help us understand what high end audio you have had the pleasure of owning/auditioning? Because the headphones you've listed run the gamut from entry/mid level, to former flagship models (Beyer 880).

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Headphones or IEMs, for 'everyday use' for ~$25...
 
I was thinking Porta Pros, KSC75, and V-MODA Bass Freq.
 
His musical tastes are here
 
http://www.last.fm/user/Kurufu
 
 

1​		Queen			2,187
2​		植松伸夫			992
3​		Nightcore			457
4​		Scatman John			412
5​		MGMT			401
6​		Styx			364
7​		Owl City			347
8​		Nivi			324
9​		C418			306
10​		Ed Harrison			261
11​		The Black Mages			257
12​		Jon Hallur			253
13​		Freezepop			244
14​		Aesthetic Perfection			178
14​		The Lonely Island			178

IMO the KSC75s preform at a level several times their price point, but the don't have even the mild HF attenuation that even most open 'phones have.  If you're in a quiet room (and not a library where someone else will be disturbed by the leakage) then they are great.  If there's much background noise then they aren't so hot unless you really crank them.
 
Never heard the others.
 
Quote:

Yea the m50's are great. Also, they do come in a coiled cable version which I have and is perfect for portability. The bass is nice and the m50's can be easily powered through an iPod. Although, if you're really big on bass, I'd get a decent amp to go with it, maybe even just a fiio e5 to start. That way you'll be able to make the bass really bump.

 EDIT: Oh and about the comfort, I think they're great right out of the box. Some others do complain about them being a bit tight on the head though, and if you find that a problem then just stretch them out on some books or something for a few hours.
 
Quote:

Quote:

Looks like another job for the Audio Technica M50s.  It didn't bother me, and I wear glasses.  Meets all your other requirements except for style.

 
It's got a pretty long cable, and I was a bit worried about that - care to comment about it?  Also, would these are comfortable enough to wear for 5/6 hours nonstop?
 
Anyone else care to mention any similarly-priced warm-sounding alternatives?

Basically that.  I had the straight able version but kept most of it wrapped up in a velcro tie-wrap.  Also, its not the most comfortable set of 'phones but the only set of closed 'phones I know of which are more comfy are the XB700s.  I like mine, but they have a limited genre bandwidth and I wouldn't want them to be my only set of good headphones.

 

[Philly boy]

Quote:

Hi Philly boy, maybe you could help us understand what high end audio you have had the pleasure of owning/auditioning? Because the headphones you've listed run the gamut from entry/mid level, to former flagship models (Beyer 880).

I used to work at a stereo outlet that sold high end gear so much of what I own was acquired thru buying and selling over the years I worked there. I own a set of Avalon Radians which are driven by a Krell 300wpc CAST amp, the matching Krell CAST Pre-amp, a Meridian digital front end, an old Dac-Man DAC, and an even older Thorens TD 295 MK IV turntable with an Infinity Black Widow tonearm and a Koetsu Black cartridge. I have a mixed bag of cables from Straightwire (Maestro's from pre to amp and DAC to pre-amp), a Monster 1000 from CD player to DAC, and some Kimber Kable Silver speaker cable from the amp to the speakers (bi-wired).
 
Back in it's day this was some pretty cool gear. The Avalons have a lush open sound and holographic imaging once set up properly. They have far better bass extension than they should due to the Krell amp kicking the woofer's butt while keeping the bottom fast and musical. My room has been treated with acoustiblok in between the studs and dry-wall. I am using a double layer of quiet rock for drywall. I have some home made tube traps for the corners and a few well placed acoustic panels in between the speakers and along the side walls to catch the early reflections.
 
But audiophile grade music is *not* my mission. When I want to listen to music I just go to the den and fire up the system mentioned above. These cans are for gaming on a fairly high end home computer. I value spatial placement, bass extension and weight, and clarity of the middle octives. I also place a high value on comfort as I game for 4-6 hours at a clip.
 

 

[Eric_C]

Philly boy: Fantastic! It's great to see someone who really knows what they want.
 
I think if you want a very decent survey of some of the worthwhile gaming headsets/headphones, you'll want to hop over to AVS forum. This thread is by Shin CZ, who goes by the name of Mad Lust Envy here on Head-Fi. He's got a lot of valuable information on gaming with headphones.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1285726
 
The Beyer 880 gets a lot of praise as gaming cans for its soundstage, or as you call it, spatial placement, but are sometimes criticized for having a somewhat recessed midrange. Their bass is by turns described as "accurate", and by turns described as lacking. I have owned them for over a year and have a preference for slightly less bass than the average consumer; I think their bass is just fine for music although I do EQ in more for gaming, just for fun.
As with nearly everyone who has tried them (or any Beyerdynamic), their comfort is unparalleled. Comfort-wise, be careful not to buy the "Pro" variants of any Beyers--these clamp harder and there is little consensus on sonic advantages.
 
I'm afraid I can't advise on the sound cards, as I'm primarily a 360 gamer.

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

Quote:

Hi Philly boy, maybe you could help us understand what high end audio you have had the pleasure of owning/auditioning? Because the headphones you've listed run the gamut from entry/mid level, to former flagship models (Beyer 880).

I used to work at a stereo outlet that sold high end gear so much of what I own was acquired thru buying and selling over the years I worked there. I own a set of Avalon Radians which are driven by a Krell 300wpc CAST amp, the matching Krell CAST Pre-amp, a Meridian digital front end, an old Dac-Man DAC, and an even older Thorens TD 295 MK IV turntable with an Infinity Black Widow tonearm and a Koetsu Black cartridge. I have a mixed bag of cables from Straightwire (Maestro's from pre to amp and DAC to pre-amp), a Monster 1000 from CD player to DAC, and some Kimber Kable Silver speaker cable from the amp to the speakers (bi-wired).
 
Back in it's day this was some pretty cool gear. The Avalons have a lush open sound and holographic imaging once set up properly. They have far better bass extension than they should due to the Krell amp kicking the woofer's butt while keeping the bottom fast and musical. My room has been treated with acoustiblok in between the studs and dry-wall. I am using a double layer of quiet rock for drywall. I have some home made tube traps for the corners and a few well placed acoustic panels in between the speakers and along the side walls to catch the early reflections.
 
But audiophile grade music is *not* my mission. When I want to listen to music I just go to the den and fire up the system mentioned above. These cans are for gaming on a fairly high end home computer. I value spatial placement, bass extension and weight, and clarity of the middle octives. I also place a high value on comfort as I game for 4-6 hours at a clip.
 

Welcome to Head-Fi PB. In my experience, spatial placement and performance in the bass region tend to be mutually exclusive in headphones considered good for gaming. Mad Lust Envy is the member you want to talk to about suitable cans. This thread may be of help as well.

 

[SECT]

Promoting this thread to a sticky would make these forums a bit more pleasing and quicker to navigate.
 
 
 
 

 

[JudgeDreadLocks]

Quote:

I plan on buying a pair of modded HD555s, will I need an amp? I'll be using them on my computer, which I'm sure has an integrated realtek soundcard, and possibly my J3.

Help please.
 

 

[eljitto]

i was looking around more on head-fi and came across two headphones which interest me, the JVC HA-RX700 's ($40) and the ATH-M30 's ($50). Im not too keen on going out of this price range.
 
I listen to most types of music, but would like a decent amount of bass, not booming constantly, but not lacking like in the hd 201.
 
 
thanks

 

[Dreaming11]

Hi guys, first post! First and foremost I'm a gamer but I do like rich sounds and nice bass. The last pair of headphones I had were a not-so-impressive Steelseries 5H|V2 which have now stopped working. I tried on a friends Audio Technica AD700 and loved the sound - the deepness and richness which was completely alien to me before - but unfortunately in the UK these are overpriced (£110, so that equates to $145 or something, compared to the $90 US price).
 
Alternatives I have considered so far: JVC HA-RX900 (£60) which seem nice and get good reviews, especially if you complete the mod (from here http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/381303/jvc-ha-rx900-modifications-a-picture-tutorial-56k-forget-about-it]).
 
However, I have a Xonar DG sound card and I've heard that using a pair of Goldring NS1000 (£53 in the UK), plus a Fiio E5 (£17) gives superior sound http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/525512/headphones-gaming-movies-for-asus-xonar-dg-soundcard.
 
Looking at comparisons to the PC350 would seem to indicate it performs slightly worse than the above two: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/475803/jvc-ha-rx900-vs-sennheiser-pc350. So at this price point I am leaning away from the Sennheiser. The 555s are a bit too expensive at approximately 50% extra over the RX900 / NS1000.
 
As I hope you can tell I have done a lot of reading about, my budget is about £50 - £85 GBP but one of the main problems is that US prices are not necessarily indicative of UK prices, as some brands (for example, Audio Technica!) are very overpriced here.
 
As above, my main use is for gaming, films, tv and music. Having a flat response or being very audiophile good is not necessarily the main thing - I want to have Dolby Headphone switched on anyway to give more depth (artificial or no - sound authenticity isn't my most important criteria, I just want it to sound nice / pleasing) to games and films. Something that is comfortable is also important! But at this price range most of them seem to be ok. Circumaural definitely and not sure if I care about open/closed cup, I've only ever had closed cup before.
 
I also have a small head

 

[Gluegun]

Sorry, I started a thread before realizing that this was here.
 
I would like <$100 if possible, <$150 at a stretch, big sounding, open headphones focused like a laser at being Really Good at female vocals, for a variety of low powered sources.  Genres are Singer-Songwriter, Opera, Folk, Jazz, etc.  Budget is after shipping to lower 48. Used is fine.  Budget is for 'after shipping'.
 
A quick search turns up these options:
 
Alessandro MS-1
Audio Technica ATH-AD500 (or maybe AD700)
Sennheiser HD-555 (or maybe HD-558)
AKG 240 Studio
 
Thoughts?

 

[Tetrahydro]

Greetings gents,
 
Sorry if I'm asking in the wrong place, but I believe this question fits the thread title, and I didn't see an appropriate one in the amplification forum:
I'm buying my first set of cans, and have already decided on the Denon AH-D7000 (I'd like to jump in head first

). I'll use them to listen to electronic music almost exclusively, and out of a computer 9 times out of 10. My issue is in regards to a dac and amp.
 
With my current budget I can allot ~ $500 on top of what I'm paying for the phones. However, I'm certain this foray into the hi-fi world won't be my last, so I'd like to spend that money on something that I'll be able to keep using in the future. So far the only piece of gear I have in my collection is an iBasso T3 portable amp: http://www.head-fi.org/products/ibasso-t3 (which I have been thoroughly enjoying using w/ my Yuin G1A while exercising).
 
 I listened to a pair of the Denon D2000's in store with this T3 sourced from my Zune, and I can say that my uninitiated ears were pretty blown away already. I understand that none of these cans are particularly hard to drive, but will gain awesome benefit from a good solid state amp. Should I expect the D7000 to be equally as "easy" to drive as the 2k's (i.e. if I hooked the 7k's up to the 2k's chain, it would sound equally good or better, barring different sound signatures of course), or are the D7000 more of a hog? As I see it, here are my options, and some of the things I've been looking at:
 
1) Purchase a decent quality DAC with my $500 and feed it to my iBasso T3 for now. I usually have a good amount of disposable income so I'd expect to get a real amp to within a couple of months. I'm still not sure if the iBasso T3 could drive the 7k's, nor if I could get a worthwhile DAC for this price. I guess I'd start by looking at the HeadRoom and Audio-gc DAC offerings.
 
2) Buy one of the DAC/AMP combos, and eventually use it as a preamp when I can get a better amplifier. I like this idea because it'd be nice to have an all-in-one slightly portable box to take to work sometimes, but I don't really want to put myself in the position of having a good amp and a crappy source (eventually). Would that probably be the case, or is it likely that the DACs in most dac/amps of this price range will last me for a good while? I've been looking at the NuForce Icon HDP (which I've read is a pretty decent source, don't really know about the amp), and also the Audio-Gd FUN. I'm sure there are others I should check out?
 
3) Buy one of the DAC/AMP combos, and be happy with it for now. Expect in the future that I will want to buy loads more stuff and probably just sell it for better components.
 
4) Wait a little bit and blow my load on a much better DAC and AMP. Source the D7000's out of a crappy sound card to the iBasso T3 for a couple of months. I can't say I'd be terribly happy about this one since I want my audio bliss now, hehe, but if it's a really good idea I can be patient.
 
 
Sorry for that wall of text, hopefully someone is willing to read it

. Also, if anyone has an recommendations about where I should get my D7000's let me know. I plan to call B&H and Headroom and see what kind of prices I can come up with...

 

[Ishcabible]

Hey guys, sorry I haven't been able to contribute much. I haven't really looked her often, and the questions usually got repetitive.
 
That being said, I have a question.
 
I have an opportunity to get a pair of K601's for incredibly cheap and in good condition. I've pretty much confirmed buying them, with the warning that I may drop out if I find that these may not completely satisfy me. Should I not bother looking for anything else because that's a screaming deal? I've spent about 5 hours reading as much as I can about them in comparison to the K501, and they seem to have different compromises.
 
I'm looking for something open, and works with mostly jazz, blues, classical and mellow indie. I'm looking for amazing mids, large-ish soundstage, don't really care for bass quantity, but I'd like if the bass wasn't smeared sounding. Treble would ideally be flat/rolled off (which these seem to have)
 
Amps/sources in the near future are in my profile, but as of now, I'm looking at vintage receivers to tide me over until then.
 
So...yeah. Good deal? If I don't like them as much as I expected, any chance of trading them for a K501/500? Or if I'm feeling adventurous, a PFR-V1?
 
Thanks!