Quote: This kind of price fixing is never a good thing for the consumer, 'thankfully' the retailer can still charge less but I have no idea how they indicate this to the consumer other than on the bill. I find it really sad that this kind of stuff goes on, Sennheiser seems to think they...

Quote: Reading that I am amazed at the amount of control Sennheiser imposes on the retailer.   Cannot apply generic discounts to MAP products retailers can sell it at a price less than MAP however they cannot indicate this on the product page, no 'click for lower price' or anything...

Quote: Make sure it's as blind as can be, don't want a bias 'losing' this A/B for us... :D

Quote: I quite like http://headphones.com.au   Specifically the fact that they have free shipping and a 20-day return policy where you get store credit for the value of the headphones you return http://headphones.com.au/FAQ/#5

Quote: hahaha awesome, thankfully audiophile-grade headphones can also be pretty :D

Quote: I know exactly how you feel, often buying things from the US are 1/2 if not 1/3 the price of buying them locally, and that is including shipping and the possible tax hit at the border if the items are over a certain price. So I am used to often being out of warranty.

Quote: Using a small amount of foam would probably be ok, it would most likely change the sound signature somewhat but this shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as making them fully closed.

Quote: Sound advice (excuse the pun), $10 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.     http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-media/product-gallery/B004444O4G/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_0?ie=UTF8&index=0&isremote=0 is a little off putting.. although buying them from china would be no better.

Quote: hahaha "I can work better with headphones, but if you insist on poor productivity you're the boss..." 

Quote: What makes it even better is that he got them and they broke, he managed to convince the retailer to replace them under warranty    I have considered getting him some alphas/betas for a while, but part of me thinks he won't notice the difference and may just respond with "but I...

Quote: If the headphone was tuned to be open and you make it closed it can sound horrible, for example with my grados if you cover the outside with your hands the sound goes thin and tinny.

Quote: That is worrying, it seem she must have bought them solely on looks.   I wasnt criticising the OP :) I have a friend who uses $3(nzd, $2.36usd) ear buds... probably should surprise him for his birthday by 'splashing out' on some $40 brainwavz.

Quote: At the end of the day if he is happy with his purchase then that is all that matters, regardless of how wasteful that is. Not everyone is destined to experience audio nirvana.

"EarPollution" Quote: Comment of the day.

Quote: If they are local is it possible for you to go into the store and listen to them yourself?   First hand experience is always preferable, that way you can be sure that you will like them rather than *guessing* based on our recommendations.

Most headphones that sound fine without an amp sound better with an amp. From memory many use the m50s driven out of a portable device so you should be fine. You could always invest in a cheap portable amp like the fiio e11 further down the track if you feel like it.

Probably better suited to the recommendations thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/529144/recommendations-thread-i-e-dont-start-a-new-thread-ask-for-advice-here-please-read-op   Also check out the first post as it links to two guides for headphones by price range.

Quote: Noise cancellation is a little different. Noise cancelling means that they have an electronic circuit to remove noise, this is usually achieved by recording the sound outside the headphones and then 'subtracting' it from the sound output by the speaker, the effect is that your...

Quote: The sennheiser 5xx series are quite popular around here. Easy to drive means they are low impedance so you can drive (run them nicely) from almost any device (ipod, pc sound card, etc.).

Quote: I think part of this comes down to people not being aware of the audiophile niche and brands like turtle beach being pushed pretty hard among gamers.   The other thing I would put it down to is they have the '<insert console here> compatible' sticker on the boxes so they are a...

Quote: They are not the *same* in that they are not branded as Fischer, they do not come with velour pads or the shorter cord... They are the same in terms of them sounding the same (I havent heard them, based on many opinions from the FA003 thread).   I imagine the jaycar employee...

The asus sonar STX is a very popular card (built in headphone amplifier), the STX and ST are the same except the STX is pcie whereas the ST is pci.   From memory the DG has the same DAC as the Essence ST/STX, but the latter has a headphone amplifier.   Reviews say that the pro 900 does...

Quote: You just dont get the nice fischer velour pads.   Also with the jaycar you only get one cable (the longer 3m one I think) whereas with both the other models you get two cables, however you can buy the shorter cables from...

There are some who own both and say they are the same over in the FA003 thread http://www.head-fi.org/t/491632/review-fischer-audio-fa-003-a-neutral-champ/2520#post_8435188   The jaycar versions others have bought are branded digitech, yoga is the OEM and both fischer and brainwavz buy...

Quote: It wont fit a cable as thin as an ipod headphone, it could clip on to your shirt though. The opening can fit something 3-4mm in width, it clips on to my grado headphones quite nicely.