[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

It's that time where I want to upgrade again...
 
-Open Headphones
-Under $200, preferably around 130 or so
-I want these to sound great unamped
-I'm going to be listening to alternative rock on these, and maybe a little bit of rap.  Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Kanye West, Flaming Lips, etc.
-Portability is not an issue
-Looks only matter if they are horrendously ugly
 
 
Go!

I mist agree with armaegis, Grados!
seriously the sr80 and ms1 (only ones I own) comply with all your criteria.
 
IMHO i prefer the MS1 as it is more analitical and less "bass focused" MS1 does have a nice punch tho, and it doesnt lack bass, Just yesterday night i was listening to radiohead on the ms1, it was so good.

 

[TheAesirsFinest]

Takahashi - Hmm. I've heard great things about the Grados in terms of sound quality, but I've also heard bad things about their comfort. I might spring for them just for that legendary sound though. Hopefully, I can find a mod that'll make them more comfortable too. Thank you!
maverickronin, macrocheesium, skerry2006aj - I've decided to update my library solely because I don't want to be listening to sub-par quality music a couple years from now. Thanks for the replies!

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

Takahashi - Hmm. I've heard great things about the Grados in terms of sound quality, but I've also heard bad things about their comfort. I might spring for them just for that legendary sound though. Hopefully, I can find a mod that'll make them more comfortable too. Thank you!
maverickronin, macrocheesium, skerry2006aj - I've decided to update my library solely because I don't want to be listening to sub-par quality music a couple years from now. Thanks for the replies!

good choice,  as for comfort, the comfies or the senn hd414 yellow foam pads with quartermod is the most comfortable i have tried

 

[KCSpaz14]

Oops!  Just made a new thread and saw this.  Here is my post I made.
 
---
 
About 5 years or so, I purchased Sennheiser HD595 and an amp.  Sounds amazing and I love them when listening to music at home.  However, I travel quite a bit now.  About 40-50k miles in flights every year and commute about an hour a day to the office via train.  Since the HD595 is open ear, others can hear my music and it doesn't block sound, so I only use them at home.  I've been stuck using the ipod headphones for traveling and working out.
 
With my nice tax return I just received, I want to treat myself to some high quality headphones.  Looking for 2 different ones and hoping you guys can help.
 
1.  Noise canceling full headphones to use on the train and airplane.
2.  Earbuds for working out or when I need something I can just toss in my pocket when I'm done.  I have tried a few in-ear headphones before and I can't ever make them comfortable.  Always either falling out or hurting my ears after 30 minutes.  There has to be something similar to the ipod headphones with much better quality, right?
 
This is some of the music I listen to:
Phoenix
Linkin Park
Eminem
Cage the Elephant
Mumford and Sons
Taking Back Sunday
 
Headphones will be powered primarily by my iPhone 4.  Not looking to use an amp.
 
Budget - Around $300 for the noise canceling headphones and around $150 for the earbuds.  Willing to pay more if there is something out there that is really worth it.
 
Looking to make the purchase within the next few days.  Let me know if anyone needs more info from me.
 
Thanks!

 

[eucariote]

Quote:

are there any akg which are huge(big ears)... and to have good bass?....

AKG K240 have the most bass i believe.  As mentioned above, the sextetts are the most loved though they are out of production.  You might consider a Beyer if you are looking for a quality headphone with bass.
 
Told you that K271 would not have enough bass..  

 

[Dobrescu George]

aesirsfinest, great ideea... 

 

[eucariote]

 
Quote:

Oops!  Just made a new thread and saw this.  Here is my post I made.
 
---
 
About 5 years or so, I purchased Sennheiser HD595 and an amp.  Sounds amazing and I love them when listening to music at home.  However, I travel quite a bit now.  About 40-50k miles in flights every year and commute about an hour a day to the office via train.  Since the HD595 is open ear, others can hear my music and it doesn't block sound, so I only use them at home.  I've been stuck using the ipod headphones for traveling and working out.
 
With my nice tax return I just received, I want to treat myself to some high quality headphones.  Looking for 2 different ones and hoping you guys can help.
 
1.  Noise canceling full headphones to use on the train and airplane.
2.  Earbuds for working out or when I need something I can just toss in my pocket when I'm done.  I have tried a few in-ear headphones before and I can't ever make them comfortable.  Always either falling out or hurting my ears after 30 minutes.  There has to be something similar to the ipod headphones with much better quality, right?
 
This is some of the music I listen to:
Phoenix
Linkin Park
Eminem
Cage the Elephant
Mumford and Sons
Taking Back Sunday
 
Headphones will be powered primarily by my iPhone 4.  Not looking to use an amp.
 
Budget - Around $300 for the noise canceling headphones and around $150 for the earbuds.  Willing to pay more if there is something out there that is really worth it.
 
Looking to make the purchase within the next few days.  Let me know if anyone needs more info from me.
 
Thanks!

Sony MDR-NC500D are the only noise-canceling headphone that I've heard very positive comments on their sound.  Here's a great thread on iems.  It has all the information you'll ever need for choosing a set.  I *love* SE530 (actually not on the list), but they are too expensive to get sweat on. 

 

 

[macrocheesium]

The k240S by default doesn't have that much bass, but it responds well to EQ and you can really push a lot out of them, and it still sounds great.

 

[DJ McFinnigan]

Woops, didn't even see this thread until today and I made a mess of the thread I made . Anyways, this past month I've been tossing around the idea of getting a new pair of headphones. My Allen and Heath Xone XD-53 were the first pair of headphones that I actually spent real money on when I finally got fed up with all the cheap ones breaking. I've had them for about two years and while I love them to death I feel the need to upgrade.
 
I wouldn't say I need headphones that are bass heavy but they do need to have a rich bass that isn't overpowering. Nothing is more aggravating then having all the detail washed out of a song because all you can hear IS bass. A lot of what I listen to is similar to Immediate Music's Fahrenheit or E.S. Posthumus' Unstoppable, fast paced actiony, cinematic styled music.These headphones would be strictly for at home use so portability isn't an issue for me and I will not be using these to play games with. 
 
I'd probably be happy with any of these but I'd like the opinion of much more experienced audiophiles to help me decide.

My Budget: $350 but is flexible

My list:
Beyer Dynamic DT 880 32 OHM
Beyer Dynamic DT 990 32 OHM
AKG K 701/702
Denon AHD2000

I did find a used pair of AHD2000 for $250 and a pair of mint DT 880 with 1000+ hours on them for $165. I'm leaning towards the used pair of DT 800 because of the price and they come with the JDS Labs Bass Boost cMoy but my concern is that it's the 600 OHM model and I listen primarily on my Ipod touch (I know only what I've read about using amps so no real experience with them). If anyone has any other suggestions I'm all ears

 

[munchzilla]

Armaegis: I am running them from an amp and it sounds really great, but I think I'll just stick with these until I can actually try some other phones myself. I'm satisfied but always open for new things!

 

[Shad0w99]

 
 
 
Closed cans
Strictly for gaming
Looks/Size doesn't matter but dont want something that would rest on my ear.
$250. Budget can be increased if need to be.
Comfortable for long hours of gaming.
 
 
Thank you
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Oops!  Just made a new thread and saw this.  Here is my post I made.
 
---
 
About 5 years or so, I purchased Sennheiser HD595 and an amp.  Sounds amazing and I love them when listening to music at home.  However, I travel quite a bit now.  About 40-50k miles in flights every year and commute about an hour a day to the office via train.  Since the HD595 is open ear, others can hear my music and it doesn't block sound, so I only use them at home.  I've been stuck using the ipod headphones for traveling and working out.
 
With my nice tax return I just received, I want to treat myself to some high quality headphones.  Looking for 2 different ones and hoping you guys can help.
 
1.  Noise canceling full headphones to use on the train and airplane.
2.  Earbuds for working out or when I need something I can just toss in my pocket when I'm done.  I have tried a few in-ear headphones before and I can't ever make them comfortable.  Always either falling out or hurting my ears after 30 minutes.  There has to be something similar to the ipod headphones with much better quality, right?
 
This is some of the music I listen to:
Phoenix
Linkin Park
Eminem
Cage the Elephant
Mumford and Sons
Taking Back Sunday
 
Headphones will be powered primarily by my iPhone 4.  Not looking to use an amp.
 
Budget - Around $300 for the noise canceling headphones and around $150 for the earbuds.  Willing to pay more if there is something out there that is really worth it.
 
Looking to make the purchase within the next few days.  Let me know if anyone needs more info from me.
 
Thanks!

I've heard the Audio Technica ANC7b and Denon NC800. The Denon is arguably better at the noise cancellation, but is also nearly three times the price. If you don't mind iems, they typically provide better isolation overall, plus some airlines won't make you take iems out during takeoff/landing or turbulence.
 
Earbuds for working out should just be a relatively cheap sport pair. Sennheiser makes plenty of these, particular under their Adidas sport line. Consider that they will be in a sweaty environment with a much higher probability for damage, so go for the cheaper replaceable ones.
 


Quote:

Woops, didn't even see this thread until today and I made a mess of the thread I made . Anyways, this past month I've been tossing around the idea of getting a new pair of headphones. My Allen and Heath Xone XD-53 were the first pair of headphones that I actually spent real money on when I finally got fed up with all the cheap ones breaking. I've had them for about two years and while I love them to death I feel the need to upgrade.
 
I wouldn't say I need headphones that are bass heavy but they do need to have a rich bass that isn't overpowering. Nothing is more aggravating then having all the detail washed out of a song because all you can hear IS bass. A lot of what I listen to is similar to Immediate Music's Fahrenheit or E.S. Posthumus' Unstoppable, fast paced actiony, cinematic styled music.These headphones would be strictly for at home use so portability isn't an issue for me and I will not be using these to play games with. 
 
I'd probably be happy with any of these but I'd like the opinion of much more experienced audiophiles to help me decide.

My Budget: $350 but is flexible

My list:
Beyer Dynamic DT 880 32 OHM
Beyer Dynamic DT 990 32 OHM
AKG K 701/702
Denon AHD2000

I did find a used pair of AHD2000 for $250 and a pair of mint DT 880 with 1000+ hours on them for $165. I'm leaning towards the used pair of DT 800 because of the price and they come with the JDS Labs Bass Boost cMoy but my concern is that it's the 600 OHM model and I listen primarily on my Ipod touch (I know only what I've read about using amps so no real experience with them). If anyone has any other suggestions I'm all ears

 
The K701 will not be satisfactory to youro ears. I would say the DT880 is your best value, especially with the amp. Go with that and be happy.
 

 

[tyoung8]

Quote:

Audio Technica are excellent for female vocals in general. The AD700 would be the ideal model in your price range (maybe a used AD900 if you can find one at your price point). I find Sennheisers are good all-purpose headphones as well. Consider the PX100 or HD518/558.
 

Cheers.  Going to read up the AD700 now.  How do they compare to say the MS1 for femal vocals?  Come to think of it the would the Grado sound too similar to Ultrasone?

 

[Takahashi]

Takahashi - Hmm. I've heard great things about the Grados in terms of sound quality, but I've also heard bad things about their comfort. I might spring for them just for that legendary sound though. Hopefully, I can find a mod that'll make them more comfortable too. Thank you!
maverickronin, macrocheesium, skerry2006aj - I've decided to update my library solely because I don't want to be listening to sub-par quality music a couple years from now. Thanks for the replies!

They are some of my favourite cans for just being "fun." I consider them to be the headphone of choice when I'm not trying to be analytical and find every flaw in a recording, rather to kick back and just tune into whatever I'm in the mood for.

As for comfort, the SR-80i and SR-60i are absolutely comfortable for people with a medium/small head. People compain about the headband being too tight, but it can easily be bent so it doesn't "clamp" as hard on the head. All together though, for me and many others some modified Sennheiser HD 414 pads (available from the Sennheiser part store) and the stock pads are extremely comfortable for long listening sessions. Also, a lot of the complaints about Grado comfort come from the bowl pads as well as their higher end phones. The SR-325is is EXTREMELY heavy, and it puts a lot of pressure on the years with the bowls. So comfort varies along the line-up.

As far as mods go to make them comfortable, I can refer you to the Grado Mods thread that is riddled full of ideas:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/119314/post-your-grado-mods

Here is a specific thread on one way of making a more padded replacement headband:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/237221/tutorial-padded-leather-headband-for-grados-with-pics

Taking the entry level Grado cans apart is really simple and really simple to put together. Extra padding on the headband really makes a difference for some (personally, the unpadded vinyl band that comes stock is quite comfortable, but I've replaced it with a higher quality vinyl with heavy felt padding).

You're very welcome, let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[T78Power]

sorry, didn't see this thread before posting...
 
 
So, I've been reading about the UM3X and a LOT of others for a good  while and it seems to me that the UM3X has my vote so far.
 
Currently my setup is a TF10 with Westone ES cable connected to a Cowon J3 with slight EQ adjustments.
I love the Westone cable on my TF10 so that'll be a plus

 
The question is... How is the UM3X compared to the TF10 that i'm used to? (sound "type" / fit / soundstage / etc...)
Anyone that has both, or has had experience with both I would greatly appreciate your comments and input.
 
Also i'm thinking about putting in a order with Earphone Solutions tonight if I get some input on this. Are they a reputable seller?