[alex6990]

Hello friends, I'm looking into buying my first ever pair of decent quality headphones and I was hoping you could help me choose the one best suited to my needs. I mostly listen to a mix of experimental/psychedelic rock, hip-hop, funk, soul and jazz. A lot of this stuff tends to be moderately bass-heavy, so I'm looking for a pretty versatile headphone that can handle relatively bassy stuff without compromising the treble/mids too much. I don't know of any stores in my area that carry a good selection of headphones, so I've had to go mostly by internet reviews thus far (but if anybody knows a place in the Boston area please let me know!). So far I've heard pretty good things about the Audio Technica M50 and the Shure SR 840. From what I've gathered, the SR 840's have the most balanced sound of the two, but I've heard people say that the low end is somewhat lacking. By contrast, I've heard that the  M50's have very powerful bass and treble but are weaker in the midrange. So my question is: has anybody here owned/used either of these headphones, and could you address whether or not the impressions I have of them are accurate? Which one do you think would work better for the types of music I mentioned? Also, I'm not committed to choosing between these two, so if you think there's another model that would suit me better feel free to contribute as well. I've heard that the Ultrasone HFI 780's are similar to the the M50's, and I've even heard people say that they're superior. However, a common complaint people seem to have about these is that they are very uncomfortable, which would be a big problem for me because I plan to use them for extended periods of time while studying/on the train. Could anybody who's used the Ultrasone's speak to this? Thanks in advanced guys!

 

[Tarheelvolvo]

Alex,
 
I've listened to both and based on your music choice I would think the M50 would be the best choice for your needs. It's an amazing headphone and one of my faves. Very comfortable, good soundstage, and comfortable to wear. The 840's, while equally amazing, wouldn't give you the best experience. The mids are stronger on the 840, but at the sacrifice of the bass response IMO. Also, the soundstage on the 840's seems smaller to me. The treble are about the same on both cans so you'll hear voices quite well. The main sticking point is the heft of the 840's...they are much heavier than the M50's and I don't think I could wear them for an extended period of time (my testing has only been max an hour at any given time). 
 
I'm sure others will chime in with additional suggestions and hit up the search function as well as this is a well debated topic.
 
-JS

 

[alex6990]

Thanks for the reply, Tarheelvolvo! Yeah, I think I am starting to lean towards the M50 a bit. But my only concern is, just how lacking are the M50's mids? As I said before, bass is important to me, but not enough seriously sacrifice the quality of the mids. I've heard that the Ultrasone HFI 780 has stronger mids than the M50, could somebody confirm/refute this?

 

[Sycho]

In my own experiences with the M50, the M50 is very neutral, and without a decent source, the bass could sound a bit weak, but still with more bass compared to the SRH840. I have only owned the SRH840 for a week before trading it for the ATH-M50s so I cannot give you all the details perfectly from what I've heard.
 
The big point about the M50 in my opinion is that it is basically THE headphones for listening to almost all genres of music; it has a good soundstage, yet closed and ready for bass-ier music for universal compatibility. The SRH840 would sound more warm, but closer to neutral, and wouldn't be the headphones for you who want a more emphesized soundstage, bass, and treble. Although you are correct about the mids being "recessed", a bit of tweaking with an EQ and you should be able to fix the mids. ATH-M50 is a combo between hi-fi (highs) and real bass.  The SRH840 is more smooth, has good bass, but wouldn't sound as fun when it comes to the highs.
 
If you really focus more of the jazz, post-rock, instrumental, the Sennheiser HD 558 or 598 are for you. The bass is present, though it sounds more spacious if that is what you would want in your music. Being able to listen to the 555s myself, the music sounded amazing when playing post-rock (Kashiwa Daisuke), and jazz (Nujabes). Only problem with those headphones are that when I listen to music focused on more closed headphones or with more bass, they sound separated.
 
When it comes to bass, it's not about quantity, it's all about the quality, form, and if it sounds natural to the music.

 

[KG Jag]

I assume that you want closed cans, as the three you mentioned are all closed.  If so, that knocks out the Senns, which are good open cans, provided you are not a bass head.
 
Get the M50's if you want powerful bass and highs, but at the price of a hole in the mids where jazz, guitars and vocals live.  You will still here them, but they will be well recessed.  They are the most comfortable of the three.
 
Get the 840 if you want somethng neutral-ish with a mid-bass hump. They have the best mids.  While they have good bass for their class, they are not for bass heads.  If you want to hear music closist to the way it was recorded, this is the can for you.  They have a detachable cord.
 
Get the Ultrasone HiFi 780 if you want something close to the bass of the M50, but with better mids.  They are more balanced than the M50, but less so than the 840.  They are the easiest to drive of the three and the best designed for on the go use, but the least comforatable for long listening sessions (although I would not call them uncomfortable).  If you can spend more and have an amp, get the the Pro 750, which improve the sound, comfort, build quality and isolation.

 

[alex6990]

Hm,  now I I'm starting to think the 780's or something similar would be best for me... does anybody have any other suggestions? BTW I definitely am looking for closed back headphones because like I said, I plan to use them in public areas, and I've heard that open back's tend to leak a lot of sound.

 

[senson]

For me 780 and M50 both felt they had similar clamping forces which for me is not very comfortable for long time(I'm talking about more than 3 hours of uses) for reference I wear 7 3/8 fixed hat/cap if it helps. Also I heard M-audio Q40 has pretty good Bass but I've never tried personally.

 

[alex6990]

How are the V-Moda M80's compared to the M50's and the 780's?
 
Edit: How about the Philips Citiscape Uptowns?

 

[alex6990]

bump

 

[Lazwarth]

I also suggest the AKG K550, although they might be a little bit above your price range.
 
The Sennheiser HD25-1 ii is a good-ish choice too, they seem too have all the characteristics you were looking for.
 
For the Hfi780 and the M80, I couldn`t help you though.

 

[eric0531]

I've owned both the M50 and the SRH840.  Sold the ATs, still have the Shures.
 
I would agree that the bass is a touch better on the M50s but overall I like the sound of the Shures quite a bit more, especially the highs which I found a bit artificial on the M50s.
 

 

[DemonFox]

Quote:

Hello friends, I'm looking into buying my first ever pair of decent quality headphones and I was hoping you could help me choose the one best suited to my needs. I mostly listen to a mix of experimental/psychedelic rock, hip-hop, funk, soul and jazz. A lot of this stuff tends to be moderately bass-heavy, so I'm looking for a pretty versatile headphone that can handle relatively bassy stuff without compromising the treble/mids too much. I don't know of any stores in my area that carry a good selection of headphones, so I've had to go mostly by internet reviews thus far (but if anybody knows a place in the Boston area please let me know!). So far I've heard pretty good things about the Audio Technica M50 and the Shure SR 840. From what I've gathered, the SR 840's have the most balanced sound of the two, but I've heard people say that the low end is somewhat lacking. By contrast, I've heard that the  M50's have very powerful bass and treble but are weaker in the midrange. So my question is: has anybody here owned/used either of these headphones, and could you address whether or not the impressions I have of them are accurate? Which one do you think would work better for the types of music I mentioned? Also, I'm not committed to choosing between these two, so if you think there's another model that would suit me better feel free to contribute as well. I've heard that the Ultrasone HFI 780's are similar to the the M50's, and I've even heard people say that they're superior. However, a common complaint people seem to have about these is that they are very uncomfortable, which would be a big problem for me because I plan to use them for extended periods of time while studying/on the train. Could anybody who's used the Ultrasone's speak to this? Thanks in advanced guys!

 
 
I'm actually looking at the exact same sets of cans right now but what I can tell you is that I own the HiFI 780's and let me tell you man that are amazing!! And I have no Idea who think that these things are not comfortable because they definitely are!! I'm wearing them right now as we speak. I have a new bar for sound because of these things. The sound they produce with out any amp is simply amazing!! Now I do have a e11 that I like to connect them to just for fun but it all reality they dont need them to rock. I have no idea why I want another pair after hearing these but I just have to see what else is out there which is why I'm looking for another sub $150 (US) pair to compliment these beast. I listen to a lot Dub, rock and Hip-Hop and I love what how these bad boys bring the music to life unlike anything else I've ever heard before. Plus my favorite part of the cans is that they DO NOT LEAK!! AT ALL! So when you are on those long commutes you can listen at high volumes with out "tripping out" (pun intended 

) to your music. Because lets be honest we're all a little nutty but that doesnt mean everyone else has to be involved with what we are listening to. So I would give the Ultrasone's a try because right now they are in the same price range as what you are looking at (Amazon). 
 
Cheers

 

[DemonFox]

Quote:

How are the V-Moda M80's compared to the M50's and the 780's?
 
Edit: How about the Philips Citiscape Uptowns?

 
 
Now I keep hearing about the M80's every where but I've owned the Crossfades and they really were not as impressive as everyone makes them out to be so are the m80's that much better?? Plus they are on ear not over ear so the thought of comfortability (If thats a word??) comes to mind here.. Please help me out here

 

[alex6990]

Well, I was at Best Buy yesterday and I saw that they had the Philips Citiscape Uptowns, so I made a kind of spur of the moment decision to buy them. I've seen a couple really great reviews of them online, and I figured I can just return them If I'm really unsatisfied because Best Buy has a 30 day return policy. But so far I'm really impressed by their sound; the bass sounds very clear, and the treble and mids sound really warm and defined. I almost feel like the bass could be a little punchier, but its definitely not a deal breaker. I'm not totally sure I'm gonna keep them though because I do have a couple of concerns. For one, I'm kind of unsure of the build quality; the headphones themselves are decently solid, but the cable feels like a flimsy piece of crap. It almost seems like I could tear it off of the headphones with only a moderate amount of force, which makes me kinda nervous. They're also not collapsible, and I feel like both of these things will affect their portability. I wanna make sure I'm getting the best headphone for my money, so could anybody speak to the durability/portability of the Ultrasone's and Shure's?

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Well, I was at Best Buy yesterday and I saw that they had the Philips Citiscape Uptowns, so I made a kind of spur of the moment decision to buy them. I've seen a couple really great reviews of them online, and I figured I can just return them If I'm really unsatisfied because Best Buy has a 30 day return policy. But so far I'm really impressed by their sound; the bass sounds very clear, and the treble and mids sound really warm and defined. I almost feel like the bass could be a little punchier, but its definitely not a deal breaker. I'm not totally sure I'm gonna keep them though because I do have a couple of concerns. For one, I'm kind of unsure of the build quality; the headphones themselves are decently solid, but the cable feels like a flimsy piece of crap. It almost seems like I could tear it off of the headphones with only a moderate amount of force, which makes me kinda nervous. They're also not collapsible, and I feel like both of these things will affect their portability. I wanna make sure I'm getting the best headphone for my money, so could anybody speak to the durability/portability of the Ultrasone's and Shure's?

 
The Sony MDR-ZX700 is my favorite under $100 neutral oriented, durable, efficient, well isolating set ofr travel cans that don't fold up into a small package.  They are currently under $80 shipped through Amazon.