[AHorseNamedJeff]

i fricken love my HD518's. ($130) they are VERY easy to drive, quite balanced, and fro the price, they are more than worth it. ive done several 7+ hour listening sessions, only prob is, they can get hot on your ears after the 3 hour mark. a burn in does help with these cans. very nice cans for the money.

 

[countolaf]

How about Shure SRH 840? Although on some reviews, I heard they're slightly inferior than M50's but they're not as colored I guess.

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

If you can't find the FA-003, take a look at the Brainwavz HM5. It is literally the same headphone. Just a re-brand. I know I know, I feel bad buying re-brands too, but it's really Fischer's fault at this point.
 
 
 
Of course! No problem. And yes, AKG's site is pretty dang jacked. If you want to find a specific headphone from them you're better off googling them.

http://www.jaycar.us/productView.asp?ID=AA2065&keywords=Pro+Monitor+Headphones&form=KEYWORD



These, the Brainwavs, the Lindy Premium Hi-Fi, the Fischer's, and some headphones by this company called SoundMagic are all actually the Yoga-CD880, which is a model by a Taiwanese OEM. They're pretty much the same in every regard, just different pricing.

 

[countolaf]

Quote:

http://www.jaycar.us/productView.asp?ID=AA2065&keywords=Pro+Monitor+Headphones&form=KEYWORD



These, the Brainwavs, the Lindy Premium Hi-Fi, the Fischer's, and some headphones by this company called SoundMagic are all actually the Yoga-CD880, which is a model by a Taiwanese OEM. They're pretty much the same in every regard, just different pricing.

This brought me to a more general question. When talking about OEM's, are they usually just the same in quality as with the manufacturer itself? I mean are OEM cheap because they are inferior? Here in my country, a lot of people are selling oem products although i never bought any before.

 

[CashNotCredit]

ote:

This brought me to a more general question. When talking about OEM's, are they usually just the same in quality as with the manufacturer itself? I mean are OEM cheap because they are inferior? Here in my country, a lot of people are selling oem products although i never bought any before.

There can be differences. The Jaycar, for example, only comes with one cable and one extra set of earpads. The Fischer has two, and two extra sets of pads. The big companies sometimes have better support/warranties. A lot of "OEM" products aren't even OEM products! 
 
OEM products are cheap because there is little marketing and support. 

 

[LithosZA]

Quote:

definitly the Ultrasone 580's. Known to be MUCH better than the m50 and any other headphone under $150 easily. just look at reviews.

 
or the HFI-680. I would take the HFI-680 over HD558/598.
 

 

[PatBrand69]

Well, I finally settled for the Fischer FA-003's, rebranded as Brainwavz. They should ship by the end of this week, I may post about the sound/build quality, etc. once i've tried them out.

 

[PatBrand69]

The headphones shipped today, and after a few hours of listening, I can say that these headphones are simply amazing. A few minutes into listening, I realized that they sound best with absolutely no equalizing. They're great with any genre, I've listened to rock, D&B, Psychill, Goa-Psy, classical, and so far it handles them all perfectly. If you are thinking of getting them for mobile use, only do so if you plan on getting a portable headphone amp, maybe the Fiio e5 or e6. I listened on my ipod for a few minutes, and it sounded... strange. Most of the sound was still there, but the 20-40 hz range was missing, and it sounded kind of tinny. Ipods just cant power high-impediance headphones like these (64 ohm). As for the build quality, most of it is built of rigid plastic, but the joints are made of a flexible metal (my guess is a high grade aluminum). They feel a lot more sturdy than my old JVC's, which broke because of the swivel joints. The headband is leather or pleather on top, and padding on the bottom. The cords are nice and thick, and go into their joints in the headphones with a good click. Unfortunately I can't keep listening, I have stuff to do, and its time to let them burn in.

 

[UnluckyShot]

Quote:

Well, I finally settled for the Fischer FA-003's, rebranded as Brainwavz. They should ship by the end of this week, I may post about the sound/build quality, etc. once i've tried them out.

Excellent choice! I actually traded my HD558 for a pair of HM5s. The 558s just need too much power. I can't afford an amp for these things, and the open design bugged the crap out of my parents. lol. HM5 is a step up IMHO. Naturally neutral FTW!

 

[pataburd]

The Ultrasone HFI-780 currently on discount through Amazon.  : )