[mattxo]

Hi!

I’m in the market for some headphones and possibly an amp. Budget is about USD$300 give or take.

I mostly listen to nu-metal bands like Slipknot, Kittie, Mudvayne, Static-X, Coal Chamber on the heavy end of my spectrum, Nirvana, Seether etc in the middle and folky stuff like Iron and Wine, Pernice Brothers, Simon and Garfunkel, even The Beatles when the mood strikes, but it’s mostly the metal stuff I want to sound even better.

I mostly listen on Google Play on the computer and have some Bose desktop speakers I thought may work adequately as an amp.

I’ve never owned a set of headphones worth more than 30 bucks and, living in rural Thailand probably won’t get the chance to try before I buy unfortunately.

I think what I mostly want more of is really thick, detailed, distorted guitar and rich clear vocals. I don’t listen to dance music, or rap music.

Top of my list at the moment after reading and reviewing are DT 770 Pro 250ohm but I’m worried (perhaps unnecessarily) about sibilance and harshness of the high end and whether my desktop speakers would drive them adequately.

Anyhow, thanks for all the great information on this forum and if you have any recommendations I’d love to hear them!

Cheers,
Matt

 

[Monsterzero]

Hi

BKK has a ton of headphone shops where you can go and listen prior to buying,though the prices of gear in LOS is absurd.

Also for Nu metal you want something v-shaped(lots of bass thump and treble energy). For folk you want the exact opposite,something with very nice mids. Hence why many of us own several pairs of headphones.

EDIT: Regarding the DT770 250 ohms... The sound sig of those would be good for numetal,not so much for folk. Also speakers do not drive headphones of the 250ohm variety. Perhaps the 32 ohm version,maybe. Yes,they can be bright in the treble region.

Im assuming they have HP out,but that cannot be relied upon to be a great amping option.

 

[mattxo]

Thanks Monsterzero,

Yep, about double the price here in the Kingdom judging from Lazada.

I’m out in the Roi Et rice farms making a trip to BKK a little time consuming. I may do it, but I’ve also got a hankering for instant gratification.

Ah nuts, I thought maybe because the speakers are Bose and powered and yep, have HP out they might do an adequate job.

Anything else aside from the DT-770’s you think I should consider?

I’ve read here that Grado’s are well regarded for the genre, as are HD-600’s. Not quite sure what would or should sway me in another direction short of trialing them in person.

 

[Monsterzero]

HD600s need a solid amp.
Grados are an option. IIRC they have Alessandros in Thailand rather than Grados...theyre essentially the same thing,both made by Grado. They would come close to doing both genres reasonably well. You can also look into the 1More Triple Driver over ear. Another option is the V-Moda M100,but they wouldnt be too great for folk.

I dunno how youre going to get gear in Thailand w/o buying from a shop. I wouldnt trust Thai postal. They stole all sorts of stuff from me when I lived there.

 

[mattxo]

Ah... yes I excluded the V-Modas as sexy looking as they are because they seemed more targeted towards EDM and rap.

1More isn’t one I’ve read about... will look into now.

I’m not averse to buying an amp, though wifey may have other thoughts. Though maybe it’s better to spend a little less on the phones and put some towards an amp?

Haha yeah, ordering stuff overseas is probably a bit like running a gauntlet. I haven’t had any issues thus far though. What part of the kingdom were you in?

And if I bought the DT770’s and a small amp, what are the odds that I’d prefer the sound less than my bottom of the barrell Sennheiser HD202’s you reckon?

EDIT: Probably eBay or Amazon, unless I can stomach the LOS markup and order from Lazada

 

[Monsterzero]

yes I excluded the V-Modas as sexy looking as they are because they seemed more targeted towards EDM and rap.

True,but they also can do nu metal well,lots of bass and treble.

What part of the kingdom were you in?

Split my time between BKK and Koh Samui.

And if I bought the DT770’s and a small amp, what are the odds that I’d prefer the sound less than my bottom of the barrell Sennheiser HD202’s you reckon?

Ive never heard the HD202s,perhaps another member can assist there.

 

[mattxo]

Is there any way for a layperson like me to make a reasonably informed decision without hearing them in person you reckon?

Is it a stupid question to ask what you’d spend a few hundred dollars on if you were me?

 

[Monsterzero]

I'd invest in a solid small amp(something like the Schiit Magni 3,or something similar thats available in Thailand.) and a decent headphone,perhaps the Alessandro Ms1,or Grado 80e.

Another option would be like the Dragonfly Black(assuming youre using a computer) and the above headphones. The Dragonfly is an amp/DAC. The Magni 3 is just an amp. Grados/Alessandros are easy to drive,but do benefit from an amp,as opposed to other headphones youve mentioned that require an amp.

 

[mattxo]

Ah.. so that’s sounding like a pretty good option, I just read the MS-1 review here https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/alessandro-ms-1.12237/reviews

And at that price, no problem to throw in an amp too.

But... I just read this too! https://www.head-fi.org/threads/grados-sr80is-vs-grados-sr225is.593886/page-2

AzraelDarkness listens to the exact same bands as me and went from Grado SR80 to DT880 just to throw another spanner in the works.

Which makes me wonder if I should do the same. That said... wifey will be happier if I go the more affordable Grado route, and Azrael loved them until they got a hold of the DT880’s... *brain melting*

Would you say the Grado/Allesandro’s are better for the genres overall, if that’s even a comparison that can be made, or more that they’re simply a better choice for the budget specified?

Just trying to figure out if whether it’s worth spending a little extra and risking the wrath of my lady... I’m sure you already know, but hell hath no fury like an angry Thai lady!

 

[Monsterzero]

but hell hath no fury like an angry Thai lady!

Tell her Sabai,sabai

DT880s are incredibly unexciting,pretty much dead neutral(read bass light)except for that ubiquitous extra helping of Beyer treble. I have a pair and gave it to my son so he could use them to help with picking apart guitar pieces.

Also the Grados have undergone a few driver adjustments over the years. The "I" and "IS" seem to be a bit more spikey than the current "E" series drivers. Theyre still peaky in lower treble and upper mids,but to my ears they do rock and folk much better than the DT880s. If youre sensitive to treble I would look long and hard at the 1More Triple Driver I suggested prior. Theyre quite warm with nice thick bass.

 

[mattxo]

Methinks her reply would be “ja tee pee ah khun” haha

Hmm... I’d have to say I *think* I am somewhat treble sensitive. Haha every time I think I’ve got a winner my mind changes.

Ok.. will look more into these 1More’s, they don’t seem to have as much hype surrounding them, for better or worse.

 

[mattxo]

Ermagawd! Just found them on YouTube on Z-Review...



I don’t know if it’s the source or what’s happening, the same tracks on Google Music sound lifeless but that sounds absolutely exquisite.

I must own these.

 

[mattxo]

Apologies for the lengthy delay in responding!

So, I wound up getting a really good deal on some Beyer DT770's 250ohm and paired them with a DX-Audio DAC-X6.

I have to agree with the MonsterZero, they definitely are "boring" on the majority tracks I listen to. It's almost like a sterile kind of sound. For some reason I thought that would be kind of be a good thing, but what really ends up happening is that tracks just don't pop. The drop's that should give you goosebumps are underwhelming.

The bass is deep and clear, in fact, the whole presentation is very clear and I can hear parts of tracks I've never heard before but it doesn't... it kinda recesses the vocals and somehow strips emotion from songs.

That said, they are extremely pleasant to listen to. My old bottom of the barrel headphones made my brain hurt after an hour or so, but these guys I can listen to for 8 hours straight no problem.

Overall I'd have to say they aren't really to my taste and I wish I'd hadn't pinched penny's in hindsight and went with the 1More's.

The little DAC I bought is freaking awesome tho! I love that little thing! If it didn't play out of the headphones AND the speakers at the same time it'd be damn near perfect haha.

 

[Monsterzero]

Did you ever try Grados/Alessandros? They do rock and folk very well...and if the treble of the DT770s isnt bothering you,than most likely you wont have any issues with the Grado peaks either.

The DT series lacks texture to my ears,so chucky guitars get glossed over to an extent,which for me,is a major buzzkill.

Fret not though,trying different gear is the beauty of this hobby. Im currently listening to a pair of as of yet unreleased ZMF Verite. Sooooo damn good! Its going to kill my wallet when I buy them,but worth it.

 

[mattxo]

Did you ever try Grados/Alessandros?

Sadly not, I’ve had to spend some money on various other non-audio related things, tho wifey did agree to let me spend some money on an amp and car speakers.

I shied away from the Grados because I was scared of their reputation for being too bright, perhaps I shouldn’t have been if they’re in the ballpark of the DT770s, the treble bothers me not at all with them.

Treble murder is far more of a problem with the Focal car speakers I bought, though I have a nagging suspicion it may be the cheap head deck that’s to blame. Dunno. Reckon a car head unit would screw with sound signature if it was playing via AUX?

I will try a pair of Grados next, but first, I think need an Edifier S350DB for the TV. We’re saving to build a house but I allotted myself 10-ish thousand baht to make the TV audio bearable. I was leaning towards some studio monitors but... I’m worried they’ll be too sterile like DT770s.

I did pick up the Koss KSC-35’s since they’re practically free (and ZReviews said they’re great).

They’re a bit awkward to wear but they’re pretty darn good for the price to my ears. They sound richer and fuller and I dunno, kind of lazier or slower than the DT770s, like it takes a few extra milliseconds to produce a note. They’d probably get a lot more use them more if they weren’t such a pain to wear.

Wish I had the budget to experiment more but wifey says the house must be built first!