Sometimes, when I listen to my HD380s lately, I hear strange "artifacts" in the sound. At first, I thought I might just be going through the whole "hearing details that I never heard before" thing, but then I realized that some of the sounds were simply wrong, and didn't fit in with the music...

I have a thing for matching components, so I would like to get a new (non-portable) CD player from a company that also makes a good headphone amp. Is Creek the only candidate, or are there others?

I haven't heard them, but they look absolutely identical to Sennheiser HD380s. (They even have the same carrying case!) I wonder if one is just a rebranded version of the other and, if so, which came first?

I have several sources, but the one I listen from the most often is a Tascam CD player.   Quote:    

Over the years, I have heard many headphones at a lot of different price points. I can certainly hear that there are differences in the sound, but I have to admit that I cannot really tell when one is inherently "better" than another (unless one has severe problems, like no bass or obvious...

I am not sure why it is considered a desireable skill for anyone other than a professional reviewer. After all, it seems likely that the main consequence will be dissatisfaction, since even the very best headphones are not perfect.

I remember being really excited by some $20 Sony "Turbo" earbuds when I was a student back in the early '80s. To reach that same level of excitement today, I would have to buy $1000+ flagships. Yeah, I wish I could go back, but I know I can't.   (Incidentally, the same observation holds...

I totally agree. I would love to see manufacturers find a way to get the sound of the very best open 'phones in a closed model, and I wish that that would be the focus of a major R&D project like the one that led to the HD800.   Also, would it be possible to have open headphones with active...

I have always been quite fickle about headphones. My usual tendency is to wear a pair for at most a few days before wanting to either switch to one of my other pairs or buy some new ones. Even my previous favorites, the Sennheiser HD380s, rarely stayed in my rig for more than a week at a...

I have heard both M-50s and DT150s (among many others.) Both were good, certainly, but not better than the QC15s in my book. They were also both a lot less comfortable.   It is sad that someone can come to this site looking for honest opinion and open-minded discussion only to find taunts...

Headphone drivers are much too small to be effective as speakers. There would be no bass at all.

Quote: I simply cannot agree.   I have been into headphones for years, and have heard a very substantial cross-section of everything that is out there. From first-hand experience I can say that none of the models commonly offered as examples of "better sound for less money"...

Quote: I have always had difficulty understanding opinions like this one. Granted, the Bose 'phones can be bettered by some high-end models, but they strike me as a very long way from "horrible". In fact, I think one would have to spend  more to get better sound, even without noise...

Quote:  Examples?   What about performance when price is not an issue?   I would love some tuly audiophile NC 'phones.

Now that I have tried them, I have a problem.   Many other headphones have better sound quality in absolute terms, but now that I have experienced listening with the noise cancelling, I can't go back! When I try A/B-ing them with one of my higher-end 'phones (A900s , for example), all the...