Fruity Backstory: This is a headphone that really took me by surprise. I was out looking around in Microcenter, like one does, and found they have an isle with gaming headsets, and studio/audiophile closed-back headphones available to try. I got the chance to try them all at free will, since they were not particularly busy at the moment. I went down the line, Audio-Technica, some Blue (brand), and a few Sennheiser. The last one was the HD569. I had been somewhat disinterested by most of the headphones. Nothing stood out until the HD569. I was...

This is absolutely one of my new favorite headphones. I have danced around the mid-fi world for a while looking for something just like this. I play a lot of games. For all of my teenage years I played (on average) a very unhealthy 10 hours a day. This is what got me into the audio game. I have spent, by now, thousands of dollars building a headphone collection to feed my hobby. I had never found a headphone that i thought was truly worthy of an absolute gaming recommendation for a variety of reasons. The AD500X is the first to get my full seal of...

Design & Comfort:   Why can't you all do this? AudioQuest makes their first headphone and immediately gets so many things right that other companies seem to completely ignore. They even had the guts to experiment heavily with materials design, and even sound.   Wow. This factor is seriously real. Let’s start with the Headband. A single overhead support is not orthodox, but it works fantastically. The band is covered in woven material which gives it a nice touch. The headband itself also is backed with leather and is padded enough for my tastes...

I've been asked for recommendations for Gaming Headsets. People who do not want an external mic, or can't have one. People who don't have a ton of spare cash to blow need options too. For a closed-back gaming headset; the Hyperx Cloud II is my highest recommendation.   MSRP: $100   First, the two most important things in a gaming headset are sound, and comfort. Everything else comes second. Luckily, the HyperX Cloud II had both of these, and much more. The HyperX cloud II is essentially a Qpad/Takstar/Gemini/etc. This was an excellent choice...

If you don't have a DAC or Amp, this is a great place to start. I started off my over-ear audio journey with the Sennheiser G4me Zero (150 ohm) I immediately realized by immense lack of bass that they were not being driven correctly. Being the jobless scrub that I was, the only thing I could justify price-wise was this little Fiio E10 I found on Ebay. I do not regret it one bit, and I still use it every day.   Sound and such:   The product is straight forward with a slight twist. This is better than most* onboard audio in quality terms, and...

Holy Crap! A 5 star review from Snapacap?!? What is this?????    Anyway, I would like to thank the community here at head-fi. The helpful people over at the HD600 impressions thread recommended this amp to me. I simply asked for something more powerful than a Fiio e10 for an incoming pair of HD600s, and the list was extensive. I decided to get the Project Polaris based on two factors. I wanted a tube sound, but I also didn't want to have to deal with tubes, and the Polaris came with adjustable settings that aren't the most common in the world of...

Following the HD600s, I had simply obtained the Superlux 668b as a point of comparison and reference, as it is a well know and popular budget Headphone. My brother also uses a pair that he swears by (unless he is borrowing my SHP9500). The simple truth is that the Superlux 668b cuts through detail like a knife. Rough and tumble sound, like a cowboy; he gets the job done well with only 6 bullets, or 50 bucks, then tips his hat while he walks off into the sunset. Superlux went full high-noon and checked off all the boxes for a compelling sound without...

This is by far the closest I have come to writing a 5 star review. Of course to get that, I would have to find the holy grail of headphones for me.   I had tried the HD558, HD598, HD650, and HD700 and figured I would simply fill in my knowledge gap. I had no intention of keeping the HD600 for any length of time. I found a new pair new for $200, thought it was worth the experience. Obviously, I got more than a fleeting memory.     These headphones sound like a dance in the ballroom. Calm, composed, simply natural. No hidden tricks, but all the...

I'll try to keep this compact and to the point!   Sound: Thank goodness for quality sound under the $100 price point! The overall balance is very neutral. The overall theme and highlight is clarity! The sound is fed directly into the ears, and there isn't much soundstage, but it is noticable. The bass is not very impactful for closed back headphones, but it is tight and well balance with good extension. The bass is much like that of a closed set of headphones. The mids are smooth, and somewhat forward. The highs are detailed and a little more...

I still have yet to give anything 5 stars. The SR-202, for me, is a solid option for alternatives to the HD700, if you can find them without breaking the bank.   I will start with the things I hate, because cynicism.   1. The build material is awful   Some of the plastic, especially the forks, is beneath that of many Happy-Meal toys.   2. They clamp a bit, but not horribly so.   I am very sensitive to this, so I think many will be fine with this.   3. They are not very easy to find   Unless you know where to look, or get lucky on the...

In my time observing the qualities of headphones, I have narrowed myself down to the point where I know certain sound signatures will be to my liking, or not. The culmination of all my others pairs have led me to the HD650.   Build/Comfort: As a few know, sound quality doesn't hold much weight when the headphones are uncomfortable. Luckily, I can say that they are not nearly as uncomfortable as I thought they would be. The headband is one of the best designs I have seen, minus the fact it has little flex. It is lightweight, and leaves a gap for...

I put off this review for a while for a few reasons. First, I wanted to try these out with more than one amp before making a call on these. Second, The HD700 have some things that just generally confuse, or/and seem a bit odd/hard to describe.   The HD700 is my first venture into the >$300 price range, and I now see the potential high-end headphones really have. The scenario that has occurred while using these is confusing to say the least.   Looks: Well, the Sennheiser HD700 are one odd, strangely cool, somewhat mysterious looking headphones...

For me the HD598 was a hope that I could get nearly the same sound as the HD558 with more comfort. In short, mission mostly accomplished.   Impression/build/: The first thing I noted straight out of the box is how premium the HD598 looks (SE version) and feels The headband is bound by leatheryness, the earcups have mesh, unlike the felt-like material of the HD558 earcups. Putting them on my head, it was clear to see the lesser clamp force compared to nearly every other Sennheiser I have tried (barring the HD700). The pads also felt a bit softer as...

I got these from the forum. They are First edition.   Looks: The look is slick. Big earcups, all black, clean look. (though not important, who wants headphones to be ugly?)   Build: I very much like the overall build. The earpads are pretty good. The material is not uber cushy, but has a memory effect to it. No complaints, and quite nice. The cable is not braided  , but is removable, and still miles better than the HD558 spaghetti cable. Mini XLR connector is somewhat proprietary, but i actually love the connector style. The headband is real...

This particular pair of X2 appear to have glue only on the pegs, not anywhere else. Sound like all other good X2.   So I get the box in the mail, and upon first inspection I notice that you might have to run over these with a car to destroy them. Plenty of metal to go around.   Looks: I like the look, though they do portray a bit of a horn shape, which is kinda frowny-face. They look good overall though.   Build: Holy crap these are tough. the construction is solid. They are kinda heavy as a result. The removable cable feature is wonderful...

I think it is fair to say a quite a few of us have watched a ZeosPantera review and immediately emptied our wallets. This is one of those times.   When I first received these I was prepared with HM5 velour pads in hand and am glad i was. The first thing i noticed was how useless the stock pads are. They are too thin to be of any use, and mine smelled foul as well. I will not recommend these stock for this reason. With the stock pads it was like wearing on-ear headphones that were way too big. I then had to stretch the HM5 pads around these, which...

These were my daily driver headphones for a few years in middle/early high school. I bought them in the black/dark grey color scheme I used these when I obtained my first computer that pushed enough power to anything other than surf the web. I had cheapo desktop speakers which didn't sound very good, and also did not work well with my habit of staying up late. I had a friend who had the MDR-ZX100, and said they sound fine. Also I liked the way they look, and still do.   The build for these is actually pretty good for the price. The almost entirely...

I am gonna start this where it should. These are the best thing in audio I have found at the price-point. I recently took all the headphones I have access to, and basically did a shootout. For audio quality, these came in third out of about a dozen. The Koss KSC75 came out ahead of the Sennheiser HD558, G4me Zero, G4me One, Monoprice 8323, and some others. Purely objectively, these are crazy for the price. (The two ahead of it were the Philips SHP9500, and the Superlux 668b).   The Koss KSC75 are quite comfortable for a clip-on. They weigh about as...

In my endless search for headphones that fit, and fit, are comfy, and satisfy my sound tastes; my dumbo ears have led me to very few outlets to choose from. I chose to try the Sennheiser 558, as it gets rave reviews, and such. Before these, I had good, but not great experiences with Sennheiser products, and these changed that for the better.   My first, and most important note is that these are my new favorites of any headphone in terms of sound. 1. These have enough bass, and play that they don't sound boring. 2. There is not too much bass...

Comfort:   Being one of the elf-like people on the planet, the second thing i look at when buying headphones is earcup size. These are odd to me.   The measurements that matter are as follows: Inner Width: 54mm Inner Height: 75mm Inner depth: 17-18mm   Clearly they are relative huge, with one glaring drawback: depth. I know very few people whose ears are not touching the driver side of the headphones. There is a redeeming quality though. The clamp force is so low that it isn't that unpleasant. I also suspect it would not be difficult to mod...