In a closed headphone, the ear-cups are usually sealed to isolate other sounds from disturbing your music hence the term 'closed', but music usually sounds boxed inside a space. e.g. ATH-M50 In an open headphone, the ear-cups are either fully or partially open to give your ears the impression...

The 558's are a good pair of all rounders, in my experience they do well with all genres. The 558's are also a lot more comfortable than the M50, I can wear them for hours without much of an issue. The 558's cable is also detachable if you're looking for convenience or compact storage but bear...

Interesting observation and I wholeheartedly agree.    Music to me is different from other people, I tend to avoid vocals since I find that it distracts from my overall experience although there are a few exceptions to that rule.    Since playing the piano at a young age, I seem to have...

I'm thinking of trying or getting one of the W series, they look so damn nice and sound good from what I read, especially the W3000ANV but I can't afford them right now T_T.    I really like AT's bright sound signature, sparkly trebles and forward mids. 

Hmm... MalVeauX seemed to have a similar observation, I'll keep this in mind.

Hello   I currently own an ATH-A2000X and HD600 and I love both of their sound signatures. I was browsing through eBay and saw a T70 going for 100$ at an auction with only one bidder (yes it's real) and I was wondering whether I should go for it since I'm a bit curious about Beyerdynamic...

  Sorry. I should clarify , what I meant is that the HD598 sounds spacious but too laid-back. The HD558 was more enjoyable for me due to its more forward nature. 

I own both the M50 and the HD558 and I can say that the HD558 will probably not suit your genre of music due to its thin bass. The HD558 is also open back meaning that sound can leak through if the volume is high enough but overall offers a better perception of depth in the music. The HD558's...

Just personal preference really, I found the 598 a little bit too airy and 'veiled' for my tastes. 

I can vouch for Addicted 2 Audio, I haven't been to the actual physical store but their website is easy to use and their free express shipping is a nice extra to have, bought my M50 and Fiio E17 from them. Good prices too in relative to other stores I have browsed through.

1. Senn HD600 & ATH-2000X tied 2. Sennheiser HD558 3. Sennheiser HD598 4. ATH-ES700 5. ATH-M50 6. ATH-A700X

Sennheiser HD600 for general listening & ATH-A2000X for when I need isolation.

Yeah true, you end up with a pretty large plug that you have to insert into any device that accepts only the 3.5mm jack.   I haven't tried the AD900 so I can't really say anything about those. I also forward the notion that the Sennheiser's might sound veiled to some people, for me the...

In terms of classical music, I would recommend the Sennheiser HD558's, not so much the M50's since they're more for the faster paced genres such as pop, rock, trance and tend to be bass heavy (imo).    Sennheiser has a very open and airy feel to their headphones and are fairly soft on the...

Welcome to head-fi.   You don't need expensive gear to be an audiophile  There are certain headphones that are in the sub 150~ range that either matches or can even outclass the higher tiers.   And finally, sorry about your wallet ;).

My bad, I misread your post, I thought you meant headphones.   In terms of earphones or IEM's, I would recommend the Yamaha EPH-100 (Retail: 150$) for a balanced sound reproduction.   They are available here for about...

I would recommend the Sennheiser PC 360's but they're around 200$.   However the ATH-770COM might be a good headset for you. They haven't received much attention on these forums but AT is known to create high quality products in terms of sound and construction.    I presume you live in...

Well the Ultrasone HFI series are known to be especially good for trance/dance music.    You can get a pretty good deal on the HFI-580 for about 154$, If you're feeling ambitious however, you could get the HFI-780's for $186 discounted from their original 279$ price.   Also since both of...

Yes of course, although it is relatively cheaper than the other more expensive hobbies, headphones as a hobby will still cost you quite a bit of money if you decide to pursue it. Notable examples are the headphones in the 1000$ + range (especially the HD800, LCD 2&3, Fostex TH-900, Denon D7000...

TL;DR warning:   Forgive me if my recount does sound a little pretentious and somewhat like a biography. Funny how you mention Counter-Strike, I too was somewhat influenced by the game except it was CS Source that began my journey. About 2 & 1/2 years ago I remember playing a match...

I remember the first purchase I made was a used HD558 on eBay after browsing head-fi on the topic of the HD558 vs HD598. I still enjoy listening to music on it from time to time.   I also bought the ATH-A700X beforehand due to a review on CNET I read about the ATH-A700 - this began my...

The 'SL' stands for 'silver', there is no difference between the EPH-100 and EPH-100SL, they are essentially the same thing. Hope that helped.    Source:   

Yes I would definitely recommend the Yamaha EPH-100's, they have a good transparent and balanced sound. They also have very good isolation and come in 5 ear piece sizes for your convenience. My pair has done pretty well enduring trips to the gym.    Definitely worth the 100$ (AUD) I paid.

    A humble setup. I usually just pair my HP-A3 with my desktop computer and listen to music.