I don't find that reasonable at all. I can't imagine it would be very difficult to just use an accurate shipping calculator. Most other websites manage to do it. If it says $20 when I check out, that's what I would've paid or they would've lost my business completely.

Agreed. The Anthology is pretty good too (in spots), but RIP is their best album IMO. It may be one of the best metal albums of all time.

Yeah, my local only had Skullcandy Aviators, Klipsch One, an assortment of Beats, and a couple of other brands that didn't impress me much because I don't remember what they are. If they had flagships available to demo, I'd probably spend a lot more time there.

I just want to throw out there that "needing an amp" isn't just about the volume level. Sometimes even though the volume is loud enough there are more dynamics to be had by upgrading to an amp with more power (and therefore more headroom) and possibly a different output impedance. Driving any...

Quote:   That's why I keep some older pairs around for comparison purposes. It helps to stifle the urge to upgrade when you realize how much better what you have now is compared to what you had then. :)    Because of my job, I also have the "luxury" of checking out some of the more...

The first time I ever listened to my 650s was through my iPod > E7. They did surprisingly well. I had to turn the volume up pretty high so battery life WILL suffer, but the E7 performed surprisingly well.

Quote:   I have. They were actually one of the first sets I used and I wasn't able to find a gaming headset that sounded even close to as good as those Sonys for even 2-3 times the money. I think they'd satisfy.

That actually sounds like a fit issue more than a sound-quality issue. I've had that happen to me, too; IEMs that get rave reviews and sound like crap out of the box because they don't fit properly. I even had an issue with my UE600s when using the stock tips. They'd sound great worn down but...

I spent some time in St. Louis this weekend and my girlfriend and I talked about the differences between urban and rural areas when it comes to headphone usage. In the more rural area where I live, you never see people walking around wearing headphones, even earbuds/IEMs. In St. Louis on Delmar...

Your story sounds a lot like mine. :) I started with speakers in stereo, then home theater, and now I've moved on to headphones. Like you, I find myself listening to a lot more music (and I'm headed to 2 concerts this weekend as an indirect result) and falling asleep with headphones on...

I vote Sony V6/7506. I own them; they sound great, they're incredibly durable, and they're comfortable.

I regret buying the Klipsch S4s, if I had to pick one (I feel bad for attempting to derail the thread with my jibber jabber). I remember them sounding both harsh and boomy at the same time. I also remember thinking that the treble had a metallic quality to it. They weren't terrible, don't get me...

  Quote:   Yeah, I know the sound of my 7506s like the back of my hand, so to speak. Even if it does have its own flavor, as long as you know how to adjust for it, you'll be fine. Or at least consistent. :)

  Quote:   If someone used Grados to mix, I would imagine that on a more neutral model the mixes would sound very dark and overly bassy. :)

  Quote:   Yeah, I've found that that is one of the things that separates good and great headphones; the ability to still sound full-bodied at low volume. It seems to be a lot harder for headphones to do than I realized before I started this quest.

  Quote:   Ya know, I'm still sort of on the fence about the UE700. I liked them for a while because of the detail, but then I made the mistake of reading a review that talked about their sibilance. Even though I hadn't noticed it before reading the article, after that it was really...

Updated: Full-Size 1. Sennheiser HD650 2. Sony MDR-7506 3. Grado SR80i IEMs 4. Klipsch x10i 5. Ultimate Ears UE600vi 6. Ultimate Ears Super.Fi 3 4 and 5 are almost a tie because their sound signatures differ quite a bit and therefore I like them for different reasons.

Wow, that's pretty nuts. Learn a lesson from this, kids; it pays to be honest sometimes.

Can we get an explanation on the fake ATs? It surprises me that the fakes outrank a couple of pairs of real ATs. :)

  Quote:   If you mean frequency range, I vote for mid-bass to low treble. :) The treble isn't super sparkly but it is still detailed. The low/sub bass isn't mind-blowing, but it is there. The range I mentioned however is amazingly natural sounding and fun to listen to.

I hate to be that guy, but those are actually the Klipsch Reference S4. The "i" implies that they have iDevice controls.

The way I've always looked at it is, that's why speakers > headphones > IEMs (and not necessarily just for gaming, I mean in general) when it comes to realism; the natural reflections are what make it sound lifelike, whether that's reflections from your ear or your acoustic space. IEMs have to...

I agree (I paraphrased your quote because it didn't carry over for some reason). I have headphones that are more expensive and are probably technically superior to my Grado SR80s, but for some folk/acoustic/live material there aren't any headphones that I've heard that do it any better by brand...

Sony MDR-7506. Built like tanks and good for all genres of music.

Quote: Gotta love the "headphones as fashion accessories" phenomenon... Half the time when you see people wearing Beats, they're not plugged in either. They're like $300 oversized necklaces. I have my fingers crossed that they'll go the way of spinning rims for your car and shoes that...