[lepermessiah]

@ Figment571
 
Seems like the Grado SR60i would be a perfect choice for you. I listen to a fair amount of classic rock myself with these cans and I love it. The SR60i is an open headphone and while it sounds airy and speaker like, I don't think it has a very wide soundstage. However, it should be better than the PX200 IMHO. The SR60i was bright sounding out of the box, but after a fair degree of use and burn in, the highs have become less 'hot'. Midrange is the best part of these things I like. I find the bass response more than adequate even though it is open- I was a bit of a basshead earlier, but I felt right at home with the Grados even out of the box.
For better bass response, I think that the SR80i would be more apt and the Alessandro Grado MS1 sounds more balanced than the aggressive SR series. Do try them out as some folks do not like the aggressive sound signature of the SR60/80 or with the fit and comfort with them. Still, for rock and metal, I don't think one can go wrong with these.

 

[RLight]

Hello everyone,
 
Am a newbie to the form though I have been following various threads diligently for quite some time now.
 
I am looking to buy a portable HPs. Though not very adept at describing the technicalities of sounds, I will try my best to phrase my preferences to give everyone a fair idea. My requirements:
 
1. I am by no means a bass head but I prefer warm, mellow sounds.
2. I am very sensitive to harsh treble. I experience fatigue very soon if the treble is harsh. In fact, it is to the extent that I just cannot bear to listen to any music through headphones for quite a while after that.
3. Sound stage : I feel that I am relatively inexperienced to completely understand my preference. However, from what I have read on the forum, a wide sound stage is highly rooted for. At this stage, I do not have enough experience to gauge the sound stage I would be happy with.
4. The kind of music I listen to would mostly be soft, a little Jazz, classical (Indian Classical), instrumental that may stretch towards spiritual kind of music, vocals, veda readings ( I am not sure how many people would be familiar with this), chants and prayers and some Indian movies kind of music. Am a big fan of contemporary, Ballet dance music too (Not sure what genre that would be).
5. Budget : 350-400 USD
 
 
After reading a lot (and I mean A LOT of research on this forum), and looking up a lot of stuff, HD 25-1 II seem to be recommended by a lot of people for the reasons of being nice all round HPs. However, I have seen many people talk about the treble harshness of the same. So I am really concerned about that. DT1350 is recommended by a lot of people but many claim it is not really portable. But, I am not sure that it fits my requirements.
 
Are these the only options, or is there anything else I can look at? Any advice would be appreciated.
 
Thanks,
RLight.

 

[fchampishere]

 guys i need your help. i am considering to buy ie 60 can any of you tell how is it and i havent used any expensive iems till date and only other iem i haved is s5i. earlier i was considering ie 80 but then i thought buying high end iems directly i wont be able to appreciate its quality and would i have wasted 450 $. can anybody please tell is it worth 250 $.

 

[munchzilla]

fairly neutral, with smooth midrange (wouldn't mind a little bit forward) and not harsh treble or overpowering bass IEM's
want something really comfortable, with preferably detachable cables. I tend to lose seal with my ATH-CK100s and sony hybrids, plus the sound is a bit fatiguing. way too mid forward/trebly for long listening sessions... 

 
basically: don't really care about bass quantity as long as it's tight and not too overpowering, mids should be smooth and not sibilant, treble nicely detailed but not harsh in the slightest.
quick to put in and get a good comfortable seal for loooong hours, cables replaceable.
 
budget: $500 perhaps? willing to buy used, however no customs.
will be my only 'phones for quite some time so I MIGHT be willing to stretch budget.
 
thanks!

 

[PakoBoy]

Quote:

fairly neutral, with smooth midrange (wouldn't mind a little bit forward) and not harsh treble or overpowering bass IEM's
want something really comfortable, with preferably detachable cables. I tend to lose seal with my ATH-CK100s and sony hybrids, plus the sound is a bit fatiguing. way too mid forward/trebly for long listening sessions... 

 
basically: don't really care about bass quantity as long as it's tight and not too overpowering, mids should be smooth and not sibilant, treble nicely detailed but not harsh in the slightest.
quick to put in and get a good comfortable seal for loooong hours, cables replaceable.
 
budget: $500 perhaps? willing to buy used, however no customs.
will be my only 'phones for quite some time so I MIGHT be willing to stretch budget.
 
thanks!

what do you think aboutt the shure se535

 

[swamper]

Hello everyone,
 
  I am new to the forum but have been looking around a bunch these past few days.  I am having trouble finding a good pair of cans to fit my tastes as most of the recommendations either don't fit my budget or are better matched to different music.  My requirements are that they be somewhat portable, circumaural, closed back, less than or around $100, with good imaging and soundstage.  They will be used with a my phone for the foreseeable future as well as home listening while on the cpu.  My music tastes are: pop synth, folk, indie, electronic, jazz, instrumental, and whatever Tom Waits would be. I'm not a bass head, but do appreciate the foundation. 

 

[mrcool63]

ok my second post 

 i was wondering if pl21 for $16 was better than es18 for relatively $11. more of a mid kind of guy.. more emphasis on treble than bass.. any others within $20 worth the buy?
 
im still an amateur at audiophyling 

 
at my place audio-technica, soundmagic and brainwavz are available easily

 

[munchzilla]

Quote:

what do you think aboutt the shure se535

I've heard the 530 which are similar apparently, but I thought they were a tad too bassy. I don't know if that might be a good thing for portable use though. it's still on my list but I'd like to know other options too. 

 
thanks

 

[Velorium]

Hello,
 
A year and a half ago I bought a set of thinksound Rains based on comparing reviews on ljokerl's thread. I turned them in for warranty twice, once because of the sound being unbalanced and once because the headphone jack shorted. The jack then died again so I then bought a second pair in early summer thinking that I was just being too hard on my headphones, despite my Zune Premium V2 having no problems for over 4 years which also had an I plug (Of course after the thinksounds, I could never go back). This new pair then had the unbalanced issue so I sent them in, and the second pair came back still unbalanced, but nowhere near as noticeable. About 4 months later the jack has died again despite no obvious external wear. I feel as though I've used up enough warranty claims and that it's time to move on even though I could probably solder a new plug. I fear returning to thinksound as a brand because out of breakage worry, but perhaps that's my fault.
 
Regardless, in this new pair I'm looking for something that's quite sturdy, balanced range, and has decent separation (to my ears) like the Rains without being too analytical. I listen to many genres but mostly electronic, acoustic, and rock; a warm sound without being boomy is ideal to me. I understand that nothing is going to match the Rains signature exactly, but I loved them greatly for what they were and would like to find something close.
 
My maximum cap is $150 but I'd strongly prefer to stay under $80 if possible. I'm interested in the MC3 but worry that they may be too analytical from the reviews I've read. The Fischer Audio Eterna rev.2 and Ultimate Ears SF3 also looks interesting but hard to find. Other considerations right now are various MEElec IEMS for their build quality, and the HiFiMan RE262 although I wonder how they compare in treble to the Rains and they're a bit more expensive than what I plan to spend. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
Thanks in advance!

 

[BrandonDouglas]

Hello!

I've been researching the interwebs alot (often coming back round to this forum) for a good set of over-ear headphones that have a strong bass end that doesn't comprimise the middle and higher frequencies.I've read through a few of the similar threads 'Best Dubstep Headphones under $200' etc. but I'm yet to come to a conclusion, it would seem one headphone cannot triumph another completely. And I have no idea where I can go to test them out for myself, as none of my local shops stock the headphones I'm looking at (to my knowledge).

From my 'research' I'm currently looking at a few headphones;

ATH M50 £133.99
Ultrasone PRO750 - £221 Over budget but may get away with it...
ATH-PRO700MK2 £149
Ultrasone HFI 780 £149

They must be closed as I'll be listening to them at school on the train etc. and don't want to be getting funny looks from people who can hear the odd sounds of Dubstep leaking through. I'll be listening to them through my Laptop and Samsung Galaxy SII (Android Phone). It is to my understanding that I would benefit from an amp, considering the size of the devices doesn't allow for a large, high quality sound card or whatever. As my family isn't the most well off, I have little lee-way for going over £200... so I can't be splashing out on great headphones if i cant afford an amp that will actually make them sound worth the money.

I have no idea if one of the cheaper Fiio amps would work or not, I was looking at the Fiio E7 on Amazon for £60 which allows me £140 for headphones, which may work, with the above listed headphones being close to that figure.

My reason for upgrading;

I currently own a pair of Sennheiser CX-870 which are a brilliant pair of in-ears with a respectable punchy bass, however I lost the small buds and cannot for the life of me find replacements online, and the medium size falls out of my ear alot even when walking! They're also somewhat uncomfortable to have in your ear. I decided I'd rather have over-ear headphones so I dont have to put up with them not fitting my ear canal and falling out etc. and the larger driver meaning I get better over-all sound quality (theoretically).

I'll end this here before it turns into an Essay, in-fact, I think I've written shorter Essays -.-I'm sure I can provide any extra info you may need that I may have missed, hope you can narrow my selection and advise me on the whole amp situation. Thanks!

 

[MetalGearEH]

Will the Klipsch Image X5 IEMs be a significant sound quality boost from my Shure SE215's?

 
I can get pair of Klipsch Image X5's for a $130. I want to know if they will be a significant sound quality boost over my Shure SE215's that I paid $80 for? Are they worth the money?
 
I listen to all genres of music and am capable of enjoying flat or warm sounding signatures.

 

[lewblock]

Hi Everybody,
 
Brand new here, glad to find your forum, sorry my first post is to ask advice...
 
I am not a huge audiophile, but I am a HUGE road warrior. Last year was 250,000 miles on planes.
 
I carry an iPhone (with a Mophie, because one battery charge per day doesn't cut it for me) and am looking for a new set of headphones.
 
For me, the biggest concern is the size of the headphones when folded up in their case. I can't give up much real estate in my briefcase for something giant like Bose, and I do not want in-ear, I have those.
 
Right now, I am using AKG K430, but am unsatisfied and want a new set, because they don't have a phone microphone. So now, when I am listening and get a call, I have to unplug and hold my phone. I might also like some sort of noise cancelling for when I am on planes or mowing the lawn.
 
(By the way, for simple phone hands free, I use the regular Apple headphones, but cut off the left ear at the Y, and just use the one with the mic). Have not tried my wife's new style set that came with her 5)
 
The size of the AKG's is great, and I am good with their audio quality, really I just need a microphone (and maybe a tad longer cord). Their size and case is perfect for me.
 
I hit their website, but was not able to find info about a similar model with a mic.
 
Budget is about $100, but I'd go higher if there were a compelling reason.
 
Thanks again!
 

 

[waynes world]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lewblock /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
I carry an iPhone (with a Mophie, because one battery charge per day doesn't cut it for me) and am looking for a new set of headphones.

 
Sorry for going on an OT rant, but what was Apple (aka Steve Jobs) thinking when they decided to not allow for the battery to be replaced? If it weren't for that, I might have an iPhone today. But for mainly that one reason, I couldn't even consider the iPhone and went with a Samsung Galaxy S2 instead. I bought 3 spare batteries (and charger) on ebay for $10. It takes 20 seconds to replace the battery if/when required, and I couldn't live without that capability. End of rant!
 
Edit:
 
Quote:

Right now, I am using AKG K430, but am unsatisfied and want a new set, because they don't have a phone microphone. So now, when I am listening and get a call, I have to unplug and hold my phone. I might also like some sort of noise cancelling for when I am on planes or mowing the lawn.

 
Why do you have to unplug? My headphones don't have a phone mic, but when a call comes in, I don't unplug my headphones - I listen to the call with my headphones (I do though have to ensure that the phone is within a few feet of my mouth though so that the caller can hear my voice). Just curious.

 

[Golila3]

Quote:

Will the Klipsch Image X5 IEMs be a significant sound quality boost from my Shure SE215's?

 
I can get pair of Klipsch Image X5's for a $130. I want to know if they will be a significant sound quality boost over my Shure SE215's that I paid $80 for? Are they worth the money?
 
I listen to all genres of music and am capable of enjoying flat or warm sounding signatures.

 
Nope.. I wouldn't expect major boosts in quality. I am currently using a SE 215 because my old IEMs broke and my custom is going to take a while to arrive. Those image X5s, in my opinion, is also quite bass strong just like the SE215. I've only heard my friend's X5 for a few minutes but I can tell you that there will be no major improvements and your SE 215 would also do much better in terms of isolation and comfort.

 

[Shevanel]

Hey all, first time registerer and semi-long time lurker here. I've spent a lot of time on these boards the past couple weeks and I'm looking for a new pair of IEM's. I currently own a pair of the Hifiman RE-ZERO's (not the RE0!). I'm looking for a bit of an upgrade. I love the IEMs, but feel as though they lack in bass quantity. I'm not a basshead but I definitely appreciate it haha. I feel as though the RE-ZERO's have incredibly accurate bass, but there's just not enough of it for me. I bought a pair of cans, the Audio Technica M50's since they seem raved about. While I definitely enjoy them, they don't seem like as detailed and accurate as the RE-ZERO's and I like the RE-ZERO's better as a result. So, I think the sound signature I'm looking for is one that is a mix between balanced and analytical as possible across the spectrum while remaining accurate and true to sound with a good soundstage. I've done a little bit of research and feel as though the Ortofon eq-5's seem to fit the bill, but I'm not sure, hence why I'm here . Could anyone recommend me some IEMs that match my sound signature with a budget of around $200. I'd be willing to spend an extra 20-30 if it's really worth it. Thank you!
 
EDIT: Comfort, isolation, microphonics, etc aren't that big of an issue to me, but they should be decent at worst. I believe with the budget there shouldn't be too many issues finding a good IEM, I'm mainly focused on the sound here, not other factors.