[johnstac]

Real quick, if anyone has any other suggestions, can you please add a little bit more info about why you're suggesting the particular model? I appreciate all suggestions. I just want to make sure that they meet the most important criteria which in my case is the comfort on a large head and sound quality being a distant second.

 

[TimeLord]

Depending on whether you want open back or closed for the prices cant really go wrong with the dt 990 or if you want to put a little money into them the HE-400i. 

In a head-to-head comparison I did, I found the K7XX to be superior to the HE-400i (I own both pairs). And the K7XX is less than half the price to boot.

As for the DT-990, from what I remember, its highs are quite harsh. This is typical of most beyer cans with the exception of the T5p and possibly the retuned T1 2nd Gen.

 

[noclevername]

Can you be a bit more specific about why I can't go wrong with the DT990. Honestly, I haven't even looked them up yet but I just wondered if you suggested them for any particular reason. Was it that they fit people with larger heads? Do you own them? Soundstage? Quality?

I saw you mentioned the HE-400i and while I'm not familiar with them myself, I have seen them mentioned many times in the forums. I think it's a HiFi Man product? I guess I'll ask the same questions of this product as well. Thanks.

The DT 990's for the price are in my opinion very clean and well rounded. They lack a little in the mid's but are a great music headphone. For gaming I tend to use my Sennheiser HD555's. The 990's are a comfortable fit, great sounding headphone for the price tag. 
 
The HE-400i for the price they go for are, in my opinion, one of the best balanced, great sound stage, open back pair of cans out there. I know not everybody will agree with that, but to each his or her own. Different ears have different tastes. The HE-400i just seems to encompass everything I was looking for in a pair of headphone. The lows, mids, and highs are prominent, but aren't to much. The sound stage is amazing. When playing say Counter strike I am able to hear sounds (footsteps, running, gunshots) in a very precise direction. When listening to music I find I am not having to worry about having one set of cans for say rock and one for rap. The headphones just seem, again for me, to encompass a great sound for anything I want to use them for. 

 

[noclevername]

In a head-to-head comparison I did, I found the K7XX to be superior to the HE-400i (I own both pairs). And the K7XX is less than half the price to boot.

As for the DT-990, from what I remember, its highs are quite harsh. This is typical of most beyer cans with the exception of the T5p and possibly the retuned T1 2nd Gen.

I never had a chance to try the K7XX. Something I will have to look into. As for the harsh highs on the DT-990's I am not very treble sensitive so I haven't had any issues with them.

 

[johnstac]

I use them with a desktop setup, but since you'll be using the HA-2, I just tested that setup to make sure the HA-2 doesn't have any issues driving the K7XX. The HA-2 had no problem driving them and they sounded very good.

I'm really glad you mentioned this because after reading the first several reviews on Head-fi, it seemed I would need some huge amp to run these K7XX. I feel much better now. I read about burn in time. Did you experience that? They mentioned 200 hours. That seems really long. Frankly, I'm not familiar with the burn in process but I get the impression that they won't sound right till its done. I also wasn't familiar with Massdrop before you mentioned it but after checking it out and reading the other reviews, I'm ready. Thanks for the advice!

 

[cel4145]

What is a Nad HP50? Headphones? What do you like about them and why would they be good for me? Just curious if you have the time. Thanks.

Google is wonderful for finding out what things are. And if you add "head-fi" to the keywords, you will typically find impressions threads/reviews on the forum

 

[Mr Head P Hones]

Yes it is a very good clothes back headphones easy to drive. It is the Nad viso HP50

 

[johnstac]

Google is wonderful for finding out what things are. And if you add "head-fi" to the keywords, you will typically find impressions threads/reviews on the forum

Thanks, I'll do that.

 

[johnstac]

Yes it is a very good clothes back headphones easy to drive. It is the Nad viso HP50

Many thanks sir.

 

[johnstac]

Get The 7xx in you should have enough left to get the Nad hp50

Well, I read the reviews for these headphones and I was nearly ready to buy my second set in the same day. That is, until I read a particular review that got me worried. As you all know, my biggest concern here is that they fit my head, particularly my ears. I read the following from a Headfi review:

"These headphones sound extremely well for the price range, but they might get uncomfortable over time depending on your head/ears. When I use them I feel the pressure coming from the top of the of the pads, and on the bottom they are not properly sealed. My ears also stick out a little bit, so over time I can get an aching pain in my ears because of the headphones pressing on top of them."

This is unfortunately a deal breaker for me. I picture myself having the same problem. I don't want to go through that again. Shame though because they would have been otherwise perfect.

 

[cel4145]

"These headphones sound extremely well for the price range, but they might get uncomfortable over time depending on your head/ears. "

This is true for any and every headphone on the market. Everyone's heads and ears are shaped differently, and then what people demand in terms of comfort is different. It's always a risk, and if you are worried about that, you can't buy any more headphones. Sorry (lol)

 

[MaggotBrain]

I have owned the Ultrasone 8s for five years now - they were my first quality headphone. I was frustrated after having headphones with plastic headbands snapping - and figured there were gains to be made in sound quality. I am a pretty active guy, and they have lasted through marathons, inclement weather - you name it. I visited Tokyo once intent on finding a closed headphone that was better than the ultrasone 8 and couldn't find one. Keep in mind my other headphones are Abyss and Stax SR009, so I like to think I am pretty picky when it comes to headphone quality.

The only downside of the ultrasone edition 8 is the fact that the cable is attached, which can become a problem if you are clumsy like me. I ultimately did pay BTG audio about $200 to convert them to detachable cables, and it was one of the best investments I have made.

The only reason I mentioned IEMs was the fact that you said you liked to listen while the misses was sleeping. You can listen to the Edition 8s and not worry too much about sound leakage, but you may have to gauge the volume a bit. I was listening to the Edition 8s in bed with a sleeping Mrs. MaggotBrain when I was responding to your post last night. Mrs. MaggotBrain has ears like a bat and can hear a gnat fart, so there you go. I have not heard an IEM that has the same quality sound at the equivalent price, but you are gaining in portability and sound isolation.

 

[TimeLord]

I'm really glad you mentioned this because after reading the first several reviews on Head-fi, it seemed I would need some huge amp to run these K7XX. I feel much better now. I read about burn in time. Did you experience that? They mentioned 200 hours. That seems really long. Frankly, I'm not familiar with the burn in process but I get the impression that they won't sound right till its done. I also wasn't familiar with Massdrop before you mentioned it but after checking it out and reading the other reviews, I'm ready. Thanks for the advice!

There are certain areas in this hobby where the community is less than unanimous. Burn-in happens to be one of those things. I have owned, relatively, a lot of gear. To date, burn-in has made no difference to equipment I have heard. The K7XX sounds the same from the moment I opened the package upon release of the product to now.

I think burn-in is psychological and if anything is getting burned-in, it's your brain becoming accustomed to the sound of new gear. YMMV

 

[johnstac]

This is true for any and every headphone on the market. Everyone's heads and ears are shaped differently, and then what people demand in terms of comfort is different. It's always a risk, and if you are worried about that, you can't buy any more headphones. Sorry (lol)

I'm not sure why you didn't include his entire quote but he stated that his ears stick out a bit. That there was clamping pressure from the pads. Of course everyone has different ears. The entire premise of my thread is that my ears are large also. It stands to reason that I wouldn't but headphones where I know of someone else who is having the same issue. There are other headphones that I've read reviews on where I found no one complaining about clamping, or the pads fitting around the ears. Those are likely headphones that I will take a closer look at.

Yes, I'm concerned about it but you're stating that if I am worried about it, I shouldn't buy any? Lol. Sure, okay. I should give up then. I shouldn't look or read reviews or try any to see if they fit? Cmon already.

 

[johnstac]

I have owned the Ultrasone 8s for five years now - they were my first quality headphone. I was frustrated after having headphones with plastic headbands snapping - and figured there were gains to be made in sound quality. I am a pretty active guy, and they have lasted through marathons, inclement weather - you name it. I visited Tokyo once intent on finding a closed headphone that was better than the ultrasone 8 and couldn't find one. Keep in mind my other headphones are Abyss and Stax SR009, so I like to think I am pretty picky when it comes to headphone quality.

The only downside of the ultrasone edition 8 is the fact that the cable is attached, which can become a problem if you are clumsy like me. I ultimately did pay BTG audio about $200 to convert them to detachable cables, and it was one of the best investments I have made.

The only reason I mentioned IEMs was the fact that you said you liked to listen while the misses was sleeping. You can listen to the Edition 8s and not worry too much about sound leakage, but you may have to gauge the volume a bit. I was listening to the Edition 8s in bed with a sleeping Mrs. MaggotBrain when I was responding to your post last night. Mrs. MaggotBrain has ears like a bat and can hear a gnat fart, so there you go. I have not heard an IEM that has the same quality sound at the equivalent price, but you are gaining in portability and sound isolation.

Okay I understand now why you recommended the IEMs. I am resolved to the fact that since I am going to try out these AKG K7s, I won't be listening with them in bed. They haven't even arrived yet and she has already warned me not to even try it. Guess I'll be stuck with the QC-25s for a bit longer. I'm not giving up on the closed back though. I will find some that fit my ears even if I have to try a dozen or so. I saw a Newport Beach headphone show coming up and I'm thinking it might be a good opportunity to try some out there.