[xkonfuzed]

Hey Grayson73!

1) DT880 Pro 250Ω - Desktop only cans driven by either the LD MK IV or the E09K, these are the most comfortable headphones I own, excellent for everything but electronic IMHO.
2) Ultrasone HFI-780 (HM5 Pads) - EDM, DnB, Dubstep, Trance and anything electronic.
3) SOMiC EFi-82MT - An great all round headphone that I use quite often, a little more bass than the HFI-780's but has a real annoying plastic creaking noise while wearing them.
4) JVC HA-S500z - I take them everywhere I can either with the C3 or iPod, grocery shopping, coffee shops and malls... Stock all the way.
5) Koss Porta Pro - These are my take to work headphones, open so I can hear the phone or a co-worker needing assistance.
6) Monoprice 8323 (Headband & Velour Pads) - These would be up there in the number 3 spot for their sound, amazing for the price but the only problem with them is the way they sit squarely on your head. The wife laughs every time I wear them.   
7) Koss TBSE1's ($29.95 on Clearout) - A really nice comfortable headphone that's all about the mid range, just not enough bass in them for me. 
8) JVC HA-RX300H ($9 at XS Cargo one day) - These have a really bad muted sound and very uncomfortable, I use them as the sacrifice when testing new tubes in the LD in case of problems...

Well there you have it, sorry it's not much in the way of a sonic analysis but there are many, many reviews out there that can describe the sound of all the above headphones much better than I can. I factor some bit of functionality into headphones as well.

From what I read about the Takstar Pro 80's they will probably slide into my list in the 2 or 3 spot. A closed headphone with the beyerdynamic build style, so if it is anything like the DT880 it will be perfect. 

Great 'phones (especially the 880's ! I envy you with that budget-oriented list
Would you say the Somics have more bass than the S500's? Is it basshead level ?

 

[TrollDragon]

Great 'phones (especially the 880's

! I envy you with that budget-oriented list

Would you say the Somics have more bass than the S500's? Is it basshead level ?

 
Thanks Bro!
I asked that same question in the BassHead thread and never received an answer...
 
They have more bass than the S500 but they are really creaky with every turn or movement of your head. Yawn or move your jaw a little and they creak. It could just be my pair as I got them all apart from another Head-Fi'er who was going to mod them.
 
I'd ask that over in the SOMiC thread as bhazard there has just about all the major SOMiC and Takstar versions.
 
For a budget portable the Porta Pro's have a surprisingly decent amount of bass to them, I really like the sound but they are open and leak so they will not work in a library situation etc. 
 
Also not having or hearing a pair of BassHead cans like the XB500's etc I can't honestly tell you where these all lie on the WUB WUB scale. 

 

 

[Kierkes]

Dang Troll. That's a sexy list. Wondering if you've ever heard the HD 598's. I had them for about a week until I realized they were too magnificent to do rough mixes with. Apparently the 880's don't have that problem.
 
I also heard in the Somix EFi-82 thread that there are some springs you can remove to get rid of the cheapy creak-o noise.
 
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In other news, the WS55 pads arrived Friday and I've had a day now to compare their experience to the stock pads. My first thought wearing them was, "These don't have nearly the padding." I was disappointed for all of two seconds before it dawned on me that the stock pads were too stuffed and the WS55 pads are, to use the best two words, generally inoffensive. That's a great descriptor for headphone pads. They don't do much to increase comfort like the HD598's, which I wanted to have on my ears just because. These get hot, but compared to the stock pads which I had gotten used to, my ears feel less "jailed" than before.
 
The descriptor of how these fit on my ears translated predictably to their effect on the sound. I fired up the two songs I use for testing. (YouTube compression somewhat ruins how well these actually work.)
 
First, the soundstage. I discovered Dredg's "Drunk Slide" while reading reviews about the Equator D5 monitors. Someone wrote that this is one of the best-produced albums he/she had ever heard, so I started using this instrumental to evaluate soundstage.

What I ended up realizing was the S500's with the WS55 pads were freed from their comparatively boxed-in sound using the stock pads. It wasn't that the stock pads produced a poor soundstage, but even the hard-panned snare hits still sounded like they were pounding on my left or right ear. The WS55's made the instrumental sound "huge." I loved it. I will have to admit that I missed the oomph of the smaller sound, but it's an appreciated trade-off.
 
Next, tonal balance. I came across Super Junior's "Sexy, Free & Single" when I was writing my senior thesis on the evolution of boybands and their reflection of geocultural trends. Having listened so much to the song, I realized that there were some magnificently-subtle elements of the production that I could use to test balance.

Listen for the very quiet vocal octaves in either direction of the lead melody line. They are HARD to hear, so depending on which headphones I use, I can hear upper-octaves, or lower-octaves. Sony MDR-7506's never produced the lower octaves. More interestingly, neither did the Monoprice 8323's. Both of them overproduced the higher registers. Only two cans, the HD598's and the stock S500's, and my old Prodipe Pro Ribbon 8 monitors, ever created a nice balance with these subtleties.. The WS55 pads somewhat make these lines harder to hear, but they're still a more enjoyable listen: even though this song was clearly mixed to translate to unbalanced cans (read: cheap-o earbuds and Beats), the mid-centrism of the WS55 pads and the increased soundstage made me hear some things I've never heard before. Maybe I just never noticed it, but some of the actual harmonies (read: not octaves) came out clearer and some of the things I used to think were harmonies were just spoken lines. Again, I traded oomph for this, but it's been worth it.
 
So all in all, fantastic pads that reveal the potential of these CNT drivers for even-handed sound. After putting them on, I got what I expected with the sonic differences. They pads push the ears less, so the "bass chamber" sound is diminished. In return, you get a spacier sound, and less exacerbation of your seborrhoeic dermatitis. Totally worth it.
 

 

[xkonfuzed]

Thanks Bro!
I asked that same question in the BassHead thread and never received an answer...

They have more bass than the S500 but they are really creaky with every turn or movement of your head. Yawn or move your jaw a little and they creak. It could just be my pair as I got them all apart from another Head-Fi'er who was going to mod them.

I'd ask that over in the SOMiC thread as bhazard there has just about all the major SOMiC and Takstar versions.

For a budget portable the Porta Pro's have a surprisingly decent amount of bass to them, I really like the sound but they are open and leak so they will not work in a library situation etc. 

Also not having or hearing a pair of BassHead cans like the XB500's etc I can't honestly tell you where these all lie on the WUB WUB scale.   

Oh, the creakiness, I have the same issue (if not worse) with my Sony PS3 headset. That thing is the worst built headphone I have ever used for more than $50. Even the lightest touch to the mute button, and it will squeak xD.

I was thinking of the xb500 but I want something with tight and controlled bass, but still huge in quantity. I've also heard some good things about the M-Audio Q40.

Appreciate the help bro

 

[7S Cameron]

@Kierkes I lost you at "less exacerbation of your seborrhoeic dermatitis."

 

[Kierkes]

 

 
Hehehehe. I'm glad I had you for most of it. 

 I mentioned on the last page that the reason I was buying them was because the stock pads were making a flare-up worse. I can guarantee that the WS55's also improve dermatological health. 

 

 

[TrollDragon]

Hehehehe. I'm glad I had you for most of it. :evil:  I mentioned on the last page that the reason I was buying them was because the stock pads were making a flare-up worse. I can guarantee that the WS55's also improve dermatological health.   

Wow Kierkes that is some really not nice stuff... I'm wondering if a velour pad would be better for your condition?

No I havn't heard the 598's, they were on my short list before the 880's. At the time they were $100 more than the beyer's and couldn't be shipped to Canada from B&H or other online places.

 

[vvaisakh2006]

Which is the best...JVC HA S400B or JVC HA S500B or JVC HA S600B ???
 
Genre : Soft,Rock
Requirmnt : Great sounding n quality

 

[TrollDragon]

  Which is the best...JVC HA S400B or JVC HA S500B or JVC HA S600B ???
 
Genre : Soft,Rock
Requirmnt : Great sounding n quality

 

[Kierkes]

Wow Kierkes that is some really not nice stuff... I'm wondering if a velour pad would be better for your condition?

No I havn't heard the 598's, they were on my short list before the 880's. At the time they were $100 more than the beyer's and couldn't be shipped to Canada from B&H or other online places.

 
I did try velour pads before; they were pretty nice. But not on the 500's. The 598's are pretty "creamy."
 

  Which is the best...JVC HA S400B or JVC HA S500B or JVC HA S600B ???
 
Genre : Soft,Rock
Requirmnt : Great sounding n quality

 
Well, .

 

[Achmedisdead]

  Which is the best...JVC HA S400B or JVC HA S500B or JVC HA S600B ???
 
Genre : Soft,Rock
Requirmnt : Great sounding n quality

 
I don't have the S400, but I can say that the S500 is much better than the S600.

 

[jwong]

Personally I much preferred the S500 to the S400, but there are people on the forum that feel the opposite. I have a pair of S400's in my closet that get no use, but they're too cheap to bother reselling.
 
I gave my daughter a pair of white S400's that have hundreds of hours on them now. I should probably borrow them and compare again now that they are well burned in and see if my opinion has changed.

 

[7S Cameron]

  Which is the best...JVC HA S400B or JVC HA S500B or JVC HA S600B ???
 
Genre : Soft,Rock
Requirmnt : Great sounding n quality

Definitely the S500s. The S400s are a little bit more neutral sounding, but they sound cheap to me. Not to mention they feel a lot cheaper as well. In my opinion the S400s get old, but the S500s are always exciting.

 

[Syndicat3]

I've been using my S500s with the Adidas pads for several months now and loving them. 
 
I wonder if it's time to get another pair and different pads to go with them... 
 

 

[shockdoc]

HM5 pads are very comfy but make these over ear (helps isolation but doesn't look as nice by any means). There is an AT pad (can't remember which one but it's in this thread as well as the S500 thread) that keep them on ear and are supposedly comfy.