[folie]

Hello everyone. Last year i bought a pair of koss pro dj 100's, i am very disappointed in them , they sound pretty bad even for a 60€ pair, i previously had a pIr of senn hd203 ehich imo sounded better. The koss entirely lack bass ( i'm listening to hard rock , metal , etc. so i don't need something extreme ,but those sounded more like my phones speakers) , even if on my integrated soundcard realtek alc892 which i believe is awful i was ecpecting more of them than i would've from a 10$ pair if cans.

So , now , i'm looking to change them again, but this time i would like to ask your opinion also on the soundcard, amp/dac front.
I want to buy a pair of cans and whatever else neccesary to make them sound good for my needs , whch are music, skyprle and a bit of arma 3 ( military simulator they call it..) + a good microphone.
All in all , i would be willing to spend around 300€ , maybe more if it is worth it , but i don't mind if i can get some good stuff for cheaper.

Current gear:
Koss pro dj 100
zalman mic 1
Alc892 integrated soundcard

Thank you for your attention and i hope you can help me.

note: i would like to buy everything from amazon.it

Ps: i apologise for my horrible english and eventual typos, as am i typing from my phone , and i just cannot get used to the touch keyboard.

Le:I would like something that is very resistent because i use cans exclusively and for long periods of time(10 h even) the cable from my hd203's broke inside, where it enters the headphones , i would like to avoid cans that have that known problem.

 

[jodgey4]

Have you looked at http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/innerfidelitys-wall-fame-full-size-sealed#jlFcjrDDrG2Hxpll.97 and other buying guides? Fortunately, most cans with good bass in that price range don't need amps except maybe for the Beyerdynamic DT770/990 250-ohm Pros.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Hello everyone. Last year i bought a pair of koss pro dj 100's, i am very disappointed in them , they sound pretty bad even for a 60€ pair, i previously had a pIr of senn hd203 ehich imo sounded better. The koss entirely lack bass ( i'm listening to hard rock , metal , etc. so i don't need something extreme ,but those sounded more like my phones speakers) , even if on my integrated soundcard realtek alc892 which i believe is awful i was expecting more of them than i would've from a 10$ pair if cans.
So , now , i'm looking to change them again, but this time i would like to ask your opinion also on the sound card, amp/dac front.
I want to buy a pair of cans and whatever else neccesary to make them sound good for my needs , which are music, skyprle and a bit of arma 3 ( military simulator they call it..) + a good microphone.
All in all , i would be willing to spend around 300€ , maybe more if it is worth it , but i don't mind if i can get some good stuff for cheaper.
Current gear:
Koss pro dj 100
Zalman mic 1
Alc892 integrated sound card
Thank you for your attention and i hope you can help me.
note: i would like to buy everything from amazon.it
Ps: i apologise for my horrible english and eventual typos, as am i typing from my phone , and i just cannot get used to the touch keyboard.
Le:I would like something that is very resistant because i use cans exclusively and for long periods of time(10 h even) the cable from my hd203's broke inside, where it enters the headphones , i would like to avoid cans that have that known problem.

 
Are you in Italy?
 
Creative Labs Sound Blaster Z sound card
Or FiiO E10K or Schiit Fulla, both are USB DAC/amps.
Pick one of the above and spend the rest of your audio budget on headphones.

 

[obobskivich]

I find myself agreeing with PurpleAngel. You might also look if you can't find a Sound Blaster Recon3D for really cheap (I've seen them cheaper than Sound Blaster Z) - it's more or less the same card under the stickers (same Maxim IC amp, same SoundCore DSP, drivers are very similar (THX was replaced with SBX for the Z), etc).

For the headphones, must they be closed? If not, Grado. If yes, the IF article is probably as good a place as any to start. You might look at Audio-Technica but not all of their models are great for rock imho (e.g. I don't like ATH-M50 for rock, but ATH-A900X should be fine; I *love* ESW9 with older rock (e.g. Elvis Presley) but for newer rock (e.g. Marilyn Manson) I don't like them as much). For a mic, either re-use the Zalman, use the "beam forming" mic from Creative with the Sound Blaster (it works very well), or consider the Antlion ModMic.

 

[folie]

Thank you for the answers.
when i got the pro dj's i was considering the grado sr80i's ,i almost bought them but i gave up on the idea , biggest part because they are on ear and they didn't look confortable at all for prolonged use , and a very small part because they were open back , but i could get over that easily.
I will look for a SBZ or recon 3D, but which is the better amp/dac? The fiio or the schiit? Also, which pair of cans for grado should I look at? The 80i's? I could consider them again if you can tell me how they fare on the long run and if they are going to make my ears hurt after a couple hours of use. If not, could you give me a couple models to look at?

Yes , i am in italy right now.

Ps: olympus and olympus 2 for the fiio e10k, what are the differences?

 

[obobskivich]

Thank you for the answers.
when i got the pro dj's i was considering the grado sr80i's ,i almost bought them but i gave up on the idea , biggest part because they are on ear and they didn't look confortable at all for prolonged use , and a very small part because they were open back , but i could get over that easily.
I will look for a SBZ or recon 3D, but which is the better amp/dac? The fiio or the schiit? Also, which pair of cans for grado should I look at? The 80i's? I could consider them again if you can tell me how they fare on the long run and if they are going to make my ears hurt after a couple hours of use. If not, could you give me a couple models to look at?

Yes , i am in italy right now.

I don't know the Schiit or Fiio, but both of the Sound Blaster cards have built-in headphone amps (it's a Maxim IC that will output around 250 mW/ch into 32 ohms), and DACs. There's no need, from a compatibility/connectivity perspective, for any additional hardware. My advice? Go with the card and if you want to upgrade, add on to it, as it'll give you a fantastic digital source to start with. You won't be using a USB audio device with the Sound Blaster, but S/PDIF D/A converters are plentiful on the market place.

On the headphones - I haven't worn a "comfy pad" Grado in years, but remember them being even better than the "bowls." For reference, I've worn my RS-1i (which have bowls) for ~13 hours continuously without a single complaint. I find them *VERY* comfortable, primarily because they're very light and they breathe. I have never had complaints with Grado comfort. That said, and in the interest of full disclosure, some people *do* have issues with Grado comfort and there's an entire genre of modifications meant to address what some people perceive to be problems with Grado comfort. IME basically any mod will change their sound, and even the "comfy pads" impact the sound (negatively imho, but that's just my opinion) - there's a big article on InnerFidelity about Grado pads that also has measurements: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evaluation-grado-stock-and-modified-ear-pads

As far as which Grado - the SR-80 are a fine choice. Moving up the Grado line basically just means improvements on their characteristic house sound. If you like one, chances are you will like others; if you dislike one, chances are you will dislike others.

 

[folie]

Beside the price that went up since i last checked them , i see they've released the sr80e's and on the 80i's it says there's a new edition available.
ps: do the grados sound good in other genres as well? I listen to about only rock and heavy metal ,so it's just something i'm wondering.

 

[folie]

Upon research, the sr80e's are the new 80's, as the i's are oem. Imma order those and a soundblaster z , although i've seen people say the x-fi titanium are better, is that true?
Also , does anyone know how those headphones sound in games? I play a lot of arma3 , and i'd like to properly hear where i'm being shot at from.

Le: another thing i would like to know , would the open cans affect my microphone? I wouldn't like to have problems like echoing sound or ppl on the other end hearing themselves and my music.

 

[Japheel]

Upon research, the sr80e's are the new 80's, as the i's are oem. Imma order those and a soundblaster z , although i've seen people say the x-fi titanium are better, is that true?
Also , does anyone know how those headphones sound in games? I play a lot of arma3 , and i'd like to properly hear where i'm being shot at from.

Le: another thing i would like to know , would the open cans affect my microphone? I wouldn't like to have problems like echoing sound or ppl on the other end hearing themselves and my music.

Not the best imaging on the planet. The philips fidelio x2 or x1 does imaging quite a bit better and is pretty nice for games with the emphasis on the bass region

 

[folie]

Yes , but at a much higher price , would they fare as well in rock and metal? Also would a mere 80€ soundcard suffice for them? I could leave aside some upgrades for my pc and get them if they're so much better, but as i'm not rich , i can't throw away money every year , just because i dont like my previous cans.

 

[jodgey4]

X1 and X2 are easy to drive, and do well with certain types of rock/metal. That soundcard should be plenty, they don't scale up much. Most people who buy the X1/X2 get them because they don't need specialized gear to sound great. Going from my phone, to Xonar DGX card, to Audio-GD NFB-28... they weren't that much different.

 

[obobskivich]

The "e" series is the new line of Grado - they replace the "i" series. I'm not sure what you mean by "are OEM" - the "i" series were all Grado headphones until recently. IME Grados do just fine for gaming. They're good in many genres of music - the biggest shortcoming (if you will) is they don't have tons of bass (they are not boomy), so if you want a lot of thumpy-wumpy bass for EDM/dubstep/etc they may disappoint. That said, from memory even the SR-60 should better the DJ100 (I currently only have RS-1i and the Tony Bennett edition DJ100, and would say the RS-1 better the Tony Bennett headphones) for bass, and are certainly "comfortable" for all genres imho.

 

[cel4145]

Yes , but at a much higher price , would they fare as well in rock and metal? Also would a mere 80€ soundcard suffice for them? I could leave aside some upgrades for my pc and get them if they're so much better, but as i'm not rich , i can't throw away money every year , just because i dont like my previous cans.

In that case, I would get the Grado SR80e or SR80i. Very good for rock and metal, IMO, for the price. Also, you could pick up some Grado L-Cush pads. This will take the SR80 series 80% of the way to the SR225 sound.

However, don't expect much (if any) bass emphasis. That's not what Grados are about.

 

[folie]

Is there such a thing as a compromise , an allrounder with emphasis on rock at a decent price?
Also can i get a few more impressions , should i get the sound blaster z or go for a dac/amp or start with the sb then add one?
Right now i could go ahead and order the grados, but i do not want to hurry and miss a product that MIGHT be more appropriate for my needs.
I use skype and teamspeak quite a lot during my arma3 and other game sessions. I like listening to rock and metal at a reasonable volume , not too hugh , to avoid damaging my ears , and while i do like a clean sou d , i would like the bass to be atleast a little better than on my pro dj's , enough for my songs to sound good and add a little punch to the distorted guitar , currently it sounds a little too....dry. I eish i had where to test them.

 

[obobskivich]

Ultrasone HFi-2400 aren't bad as an allrounder that can rock out. Cost more than the SR-80 or DJ100 though. AKG K7xx also - similar pricing consideration as well.