[dwatanabe]

I agree with the v6 or mdr7506 suggestion. Probably the best bang for your buck cans and they are pretty flat with some eq, the freq response graph for these is very well known and it's really easy to get a flat sound with some eq.

 

[nikkojames15]

Have you considered the Sennheiser 280 Pro's? I notice they are your display photo, and they are some of the most linear and lowest distortion headphones avaiable at any price; I certainly can't see you getting any better for sub $100.

Check out the headphone datasheets at Inner Fidelity. They will tell you alot about many different models of headphones.

LOL, really? I had no idea what those phones actually were.. They are probably the most common Sennheiser cans I see on stores.. I'll have to check reviews and audition them just to be sure, but these will probably be the ones I'll buy.

I agree with the v6 or mdr7506 suggestion. Probably the best bang for your buck cans and they are pretty flat with some eq, the freq response graph for these is very well known and it's really easy to get a flat sound with some eq.

Sad to say all we have here locally are Chinese imitations, and Sony isn't supplying the V6 and 7506 here anymore. Ugh, this low demand and limited models is making things difficult. :mad:

 

[cheul]

Since the Brainwavz HM5 were cited, there's also the cheaper alternative, Studiospares M1000, which share the same OEM design it seems. Problem is : do they have the same FR curve ?
 
Even then I don't know if they're available at your place.
 

 

[nikkojames15]

So.. The HD280 Pro are being compared to the HD555 a lot. And the price difference is quite small.. So, what are the differences between these headphones? (except from open vs closed) The comparisons seem to be varied.

 

[olsenn]

Quote:

So.. The HD280 Pro are being compared to the HD555 a lot. And the price difference is quite small.. So, what are the differences between these headphones? (except from open vs closed) The comparisons seem to be varied.

First off, DO NOT buy the HD555. It has largely been replaced by the HD598 which can be had for roughly the same price and is considered vastly superior; I will instead be comparing the HD598 with the 280 Pro. I have never listened to the HD598 (although I do own and have extensive listening experience to the 280 Pro) so my comparison of these two are purely speculative.
 
As you mentioned, the 280 Pro's are a closed design; this means that sound will not leak out which is convenient for use in public places, and it just as importantly doesn't let external sound in! In addition to being closed, the Sennheiser 280 Pro also has some of the best isolation of any headphone I have ever tested... if you are not going to be listening primarily in a dead silent setting, definately go with the 280 Pro over the HD598.
 
The 280 Pro has better bass and a more linear frequency response up until around 11 KHz, at which point the HD598 takes over in superiority. Since frequencies higher than 10KHz don't add much detail, this translates into the HD598 sounding more open, and having a wider soundstage. However, the 280 Pro will accurately portray a wider selection of instruments. In general, I would say the 280 pro is better for listening to music and the HD598 is better for watching movies and playing video games. Both cans are fairly decent in terms of distortion.
 
Lastly, the 280 Pro sells for significantly less than does the HD598 ($100 vs $300). As with all full-sized headphones you will need an amplifier; however, both of these cans are fairly easy to drive and can be adequately powered by a $30 cMoy amp.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

First off, DO NOT buy the HD555. It has largely been replaced by the HD598 which can be had for roughly the same price and is considered vastly superior; I will instead be comparing the HD598 with the 280 Pro. I have never listened to the HD598 (although I do own and have extensive listening experience to the 280 Pro) so my comparison of these two are purely speculative.
 
As you mentioned, the 280 Pro's are a closed design; this means that sound will not leak out which is convenient for use in public places, and it just as importantly doesn't let external sound in! In addition to being closed, the Sennheiser 280 Pro also has some of the best isolation of any headphone I have ever tested... if you are not going to be listening primarily in a dead silent setting, definately go with the 280 Pro over the HD598.
 
The 280 Pro has better bass and a more linear frequency response up until around 11 KHz, at which point the HD598 takes over in superiority. Since frequencies higher than 10KHz don't add much detail, this translates into the HD598 sounding more open, and having a wider soundstage. However, the 280 Pro will accurately portray a wider selection of instruments. In general, I would say the 280 pro is better for listening to music and the HD598 is better for watching movies and playing video games. Both cans are fairly decent in terms of distortion.
 
Lastly, the 280 Pro sells for significantly less than does the HD598 ($100 vs $300). As with all full-sized headphones you will need an amplifier; however, both of these cans are fairly easy to drive and can be adequately powered by a $30 cMoy amp.

how did you manage to compare the 2 of them without listening to the latter? but since i haven't heard the HD280 pro i cant really comment about it though

 

[nikkojames15]

First off, DO NOT buy the HD555. It has largely been replaced by the HD598 which can be had for roughly the same price and is considered vastly superior; I will instead be comparing the HD598 with the 280 Pro. I have never listened to the HD598 (although I do own and have extensive listening experience to the 280 Pro) so my comparison of these two are purely speculative.

As you mentioned, the 280 Pro's are a closed design; this means that sound will not leak out which is convenient for use in public places, and it just as importantly doesn't let external sound in! In addition to being closed, the Sennheiser 280 Pro also has some of the best isolation of any headphone I have ever tested... if you are not going to be listening primarily in a dead silent setting, definately go with the 280 Pro over the HD598.

The 280 Pro has better bass and a more linear frequency response up until around 11 KHz, at which point the HD598 takes over in superiority. Since frequencies higher than 10KHz don't add much detail, this translates into the HD598 sounding more open, and having a wider soundstage. However, the 280 Pro will accurately portray a wider selection of instruments. In general, I would say the 280 pro is better for listening to music and the HD598 is better for watching movies and playing video games. Both cans are fairly decent in terms of distortion.

Lastly, the 280 Pro sells for significantly less than does the HD598 ($100 vs $300). As with all full-sized headphones you will need an amplifier; however, both of these cans are fairly easy to drive and can be adequately powered by a $30 cMoy amp.

First off, DO NOT buy the HD555. It has largely been replaced by the HD598 which can be had for roughly the same price and is considered vastly superior; I will instead be comparing the HD598 with the 280 Pro. I have never listened to the HD598 (although I do own and have extensive listening experience to the 280 Pro) so my comparison of these two are purely speculative.

As you mentioned, the 280 Pro's are a closed design; this means that sound will not leak out which is convenient for use in public places, and it just as importantly doesn't let external sound in! In addition to being closed, the Sennheiser 280 Pro also has some of the best isolation of any headphone I have ever tested... if you are not going to be listening primarily in a dead silent setting, definately go with the 280 Pro over the HD598.

The 280 Pro has better bass and a more linear frequency response up until around 11 KHz, at which point the HD598 takes over in superiority. Since frequencies higher than 10KHz don't add much detail, this translates into the HD598 sounding more open, and having a wider soundstage. However, the 280 Pro will accurately portray a wider selection of instruments. In general, I would say the 280 pro is better for listening to music and the HD598 is better for watching movies and playing video games. Both cans are fairly decent in terms of distortion.

Lastly, the 280 Pro sells for significantly less than does the HD598 ($100 vs $300). As with all full-sized headphones you will need an amplifier; however, both of these cans are fairly easy to drive and can be adequately powered by a $30 cMoy amp.

Thanks for that. What about the HD518? I upped my budget seeing as it's rather difficult to find decent cans under that price point. Besides, the HD280 is at Php5,850 and the HD518 is at Php6,290 (144.50 USD vs 155.50 USD) Overpriced, I know.

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Thanks for that.

What about the HD518? I upped my budget seeing as it's rather difficult to find decent cans under that price point.

HD518 is rather dark sounding and kind of on the bassy side though overall neutral and having decently good soundstage. not sure if that is what you want. the treble is not fatiguing though since the treble is not prominent compared to the rest of the spectrum

 

[nikkojames15]

HD518 is rather dark sounding and kind of on the bassy side though overall neutral and having decently good soundstage. not sure if that is what you want. the treble is not fatiguing though since the treble is not prominent compared to the rest of the spectrum

Well, it somewhat fits my description of neutral/flat+bass.. So I'll look into both cans.

 

[Arkyle]

I have both the HD 598 and the HD 280 Pro. They can't compare. They 598 kill the 280 in everything but isolation (duh!), and the price of the 598 is totally out of your range. Still, the 280 are really good for the price. The earpads are comfy but are not high quality. It helps that everything about this headphone can be replaced by the user. The cable is coiled and about 1 meter when not extended (heavy, BTW). They are "portable", meaning that they fold flat and tuck inside the headband, but neither of these configurations is what you'd call compact. Out of the box the 280 have harsh highs, but mellow with time and offer a reasonably balanced response for the price. The V6 sound more "fun", but the 280 offer fuller bass without making it boomy or overpowering. I can recommend these. I think the build quality is better than the ATH30 and have been able to handle a lot in my bag. The isolation is fair, too. You can compare them with the ATH50 on headroom and you'll find that the impedance of the 280 tends to change drastically through different frequencies, as well as a higher impedance, but still gets pretty loud from portable sources.

 

[nikkojames15]

I have both the HD 598 and the HD 280 Pro. They can't compare. They 598 kill the 280 in everything but isolation (duh!), and the price of the 598 is totally out of your range. Still, the 280 are really good for the price. The earpads are comfy but are not high quality. It helps that everything about this headphone can be replaced by the user. The cable is coiled and about 1 meter when not extended (heavy, BTW). They are "portable", meaning that they fold flat and tuck inside the headband, but neither of these configurations is what you'd call compact. Out of the box the 280 have harsh highs, but mellow with time and offer a reasonably balanced response for the price. The V6 sound more "fun", but the 280 offer fuller bass without making it boomy or overpowering. I can recommend these. I think the build quality is better than the ATH30 and have been able to handle a lot in my bag. The isolation is fair, too. You can compare them with the ATH50 on headroom and you'll find that the impedance of the 280 tends to change drastically through different frequencies, as well as a higher impedance, but still gets pretty loud from portable sources.

Well, I was kind of interested in the V6s but i found out they had a roll-off in he lower frequencies.. Not exactly balanced+bass.. I know, I'm picky.

 

[machoboy]

The v6s don't have a low frequency roll off. Quite the opposite. They sound decently balanced until something triggers the sub-bass then they're bothersomely bassy (to me).
 
They are a great bargain at the price but the sudden boominess at very low freq is probably why I won't end up keeping them long term.

 

[nikkojames15]

The v6s don't have a low frequency roll off. Quite the opposite. They sound decently balanced until something triggers the sub-bass then they're bothersomely bassy (to me).

They are a great bargain at the price but the sudden boominess at very low freq is probably why I won't end up keeping them long term.

Hmm.. that's interesting.. Does the circumaural earcup increase bass output, even if the FR curve starts rolling off below 50Hz? Making it more "boomy" because of the cushions or something?

 

[olsenn]

Trust the Frequency Response graphs and nothing else! Subjective interpretations are meaningless... an oscilloscope connected to a precision microphone can see sound better than the human ear can hear it! Graphs don't lie... as much.
 

 

[streetdragon]

Quote:

Trust the Frequency Response graphs and nothing else! Subjective interpretations are meaningless... an oscilloscope connected to a precision microphone can see sound better than the human ear can hear it! Graphs don't lie... as much.
 

but graphs don't tell you everything, its a machine, not a man, and a machine cannot experience music the same way a man does (if the man is an experienced one)