[olor1n]

Quoting myself again as I'm certain people just post here without reading the last few pages or the OP.
 
Quote:

Guys, this is the Headphones (full-size) area. Please direct more specific enquiries about iems, portable cans, dac/amp recommendations etc to the relevant subforum. Doing so will likely get your questions answered sooner by someone experienced with said gear.

Also, we can only get you started on this, you need to scratch below the surface to search out the more detailed reviews and discussions. If you spend a few minutes reading other threads you'll notice that certain (entry level) cans always get mentioned as "safe" options ie MS-1i, SR-80i, SRH840, SRH750DJ, Senn HD25, M50, CAL etc. There will of course be disagreement, but there is also value in consensus.

Remember that it's usually hyperbole when a headphone is said to be great for one genre but crap at another. The M50 for example, won't suddenly sound like an ibud when you listen to rock music, just because there are other headphones that may do rock "better" (Grados). No headphone is great at everything. The ones recommended here are likely great for some things, but merely just good at others. "Good" in this instance is far from crap.

At the end of the day though, only you can determine what's right for you. Getting bogged down in endless discussions won't change this reality.
 
 
One more thing. Before posting please read the last few pages. It's likely there'll be a recent post relevant to your question.

 

[Cdis99]

Throw out the ATH-AD700. Since you are listening with an iPod, they will perform poorly with bass. To compensate for this you would need an amp, powerful DAP, or headphones like the M50 that have enhanced treble and bass to make it wound better without an EQ or AMP. Soundstage (how large and spacious/3D they aound) goes from the AD700 with the highes, to the closed M50 with the HD555 between them.
 
 
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Currently using Lenntek Sonix Micro, which are great, but I'm looking to upgrade with some leftover Christmas money.
 
I've narrowed it down to these three choices:
 
Audio Technica ATH-M50
Audio Technica ATH-AD700
Sennheiser HD555
 
They will be used mostly for listening to music from my ipod/computer.
 
Hoping to get a few opinion's of the best out of the three since my experience with higher quality headphone's is limited, at best. Thanks.

 

 

[Ishcabible]

Modskwod, uhh if you want something with those genres, Brainwavs M3?
Iluv: x2 on the. K240. But some sound will leak in...otherwise they'd be great.
James: I really wanna say Sextett...but your amp might not like them. And might not be the best for gaming. Look for an old DT990?

 

[Cdis99]

Sorry about the double post, not sure why text isn't showing up in the post above.
 
stevenswall,
 
That's for your input. The AD700's were at the bottom of my list anyways. I'm leaning towards the M50's as of now.

 

[Coupe]

All great options.
 
The HD-555 are a solid candidate with an open stage and good bass.  They do have that Senn soft upper end (people call it a veil).  They don't require an amp, but they benefit greatly from it.  The 555's sound better with the tape mod.  They are reasonably comfortable and attractive and a headphone that does everything well, but nothing great.
 
The AD700 has a huge soundstage and great mids and treble.  The bass is present, but doesn't have the impact that the other two cans offer.  It is a great value.  The soundstage is absolutely amazing.  You can get lost in there.  They are extremely comfortable.  They are ugly as sin.
 
The M50 has a good soundstage for a closed can.  Avg isolation.  They benefit greatly from the Shure 840 pads, in comfort and soundstage.  They don't require an amp, but if they are amped they can go to ANY volume with 0 distortion.  They have solid mids and clear highs with good bass.  They are bassy balanced.  I was amazed with master of puppets on these.  My ears hated me when I amped them and blasted!

 

[12345142]

 
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Any more recommendations for this ? I'm gonna look into the Shure SRH440
.
Music Genres: Mostly rock, a mix of old school and modern with little outside this category
Portable: Not specifically, but he will be carrying this around with his ipod/phone.
Price Range: <150$
Amped: No, and I don't think he will become much of an audiophile.
Closed/Open: Closed
Headphone Preference: None, he is a newb but the AKGs appeal to him.

AKG 240 studio fits all that except the "closed" part. and those are great for Rock and mostly metal, also the grado's sr80i.
 
if he likes punchy strong bass: Equation RP15 (foldable) , RP21 and RP22x, all have detachable cords.
 
if eerything fails, go with the flow, M50s sometimes gets as low as 104$ in amazon

Honestly, what part of 'closed' didn't you read? I thought of a few more- M-Audio Studiophile Q40s and Sennheiser HD280s should be fairly good.
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I need some recommendations as well.
 
Music Genres: Mostly Progressive Rock, all kinds of prog metal mostly instrumental prog metal. nice bass would be fine.
Games: YES want this for games more than music actually, but i might be listening music in them if sounds fine enough.
Portable: No.
Price Range: <120$
Amped: I have a HeadAmp4, does the business with all i have put into it...so far.
Closed/Open: Must be Open
Headphone Preference: I have some closed. i want to try some good quality open back, the only Open i have is the Grado SR80i, and AKG k240 semiopen.
 
I've been reading and have come to these options HD555, HD595, ATH AD700 and Beyer DT440. but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

You might want to look into the updated versions of the HD555s and the HD595s, the HD558s and the HD598s. The AD700 might not have enough bass for metal. Don't know anything about the Beyers, but they seem to be a plenty solid choice if you don't like the Sennheiser sound.

 

[Kitsune]

 

Hey there, I need some suggestions for a pair of full size headphones. A bit new to the audiophile thing, I am.
 

Music Genres: Mainly Rock (Alternative, Progressive, Classical), Indie, Instrumental & Electronic. A bit of pop and hip hop here and there as well. 

Games: Mostly looking for cans that work well with the music I listen to, but if they work well for games too, that'd be a nice plus.
Portable: I'm not planning to shove these inside a bag, so anything that can go around my neck is good. On another note, I wear glasses, so minimal interference with those would be great. 

Price Range: Less than $160

Amped: Nope

Closed/Open: Closed

Headphone Preference: I've heard a lot about Sennheisers in particular (HD 25 II, HD 650/600); I was thinking of getting an HD 448, HD 280 Pro, or perhaps a Shure 440. Any other suggestions would be great, too. 

 

[12345142]

 
Quote:

 

Hey there, I need some suggestions for a pair of full size headphones. A bit new to the audiophile thing, I am.
 
Music Genres: Mainly Rock (Alternative, Progressive, Classical), Indie, Instrumental & Electronic. A bit of pop and hip hop here and there as well. 

Games: Mostly looking for cans that work well with the music I listen to, but if they work well for games too, that'd be a nice plus.
Portable: I'm not planning to shove these inside a bag, so anything that can go around my neck is good. On another note, I wear glasses, so minimal interference with those would be great. 
Price Range: Less than $160
Amped: Nope
Closed/Open: Closed
Headphone Preference: I've heard a lot about Sennheisers in particular (HD 25 II, HD 650/600); I was thinking of getting an HD 448, HD 280 Pro, or perhaps a Shure 440. Any other suggestions would be great, too. 

I hope you read the last few posts, there are some headphones that would fit your criteria there. HD6xx series are not worth it unamped. HD25 does well with rock, but for hip-hop the bass doesn't have enough weight. M-Audio Q40, HD280, SRH440 are nice choices, although I think the SRH840s are within your budget at that point, which outperform the SRH440s and would scale nicely if you get an amp in the future.

 

[swbf2cheater]

I need help, so I'll play along
 
Im in search of a small full sized closed back set with a short cord around 3.5ft long with good clarity and amazing immersion and staging.  I've pretty much owned every dang set imaginable that even remotely fits this bill, however I am looking back at the Beyer DT-770.  It has been so long since I heard it, I forgot what it sounds like exactly.  My problem is I know the DT770 isn't that much nicer than the DBI pro 705, which I currently have which leaves me with a lacking feeling.  Basically I am really looking for pure audio clarity and supreme immersion and staging and I've not a clue where else to look to ;P  

 

[wind016]

Have you looked up the Beyer T50P? It's cord is 4 feet though. I have no idea how it sounds XD but people seem to say it's like the T1
 
Quote:

I need help, so I'll play along
 
Im in search of a small full sized closed back set with a short cord around 3.5ft long with good clarity and amazing immersion and staging.  I've pretty much owned every dang set imaginable that even remotely fits this bill, however I am looking back at the Beyer DT-770.  It has been so long since I heard it, I forgot what it sounds like exactly.  My problem is I know the DT770 isn't that much nicer than the DBI pro 705, which I currently have which leaves me with a lacking feeling.  Basically I am really looking for pure audio clarity and supreme immersion and staging and I've not a clue where else to look to ;P  

 

[Kitsune]

Quote:

 
Quote:

 

Hey there, I need some suggestions for a pair of full size headphones. A bit new to the audiophile thing, I am.
 
Music Genres: Mainly Rock (Alternative, Progressive, Classical), Indie, Instrumental & Electronic. A bit of pop and hip hop here and there as well. 

Games: Mostly looking for cans that work well with the music I listen to, but if they work well for games too, that'd be a nice plus.
Portable: I'm not planning to shove these inside a bag, so anything that can go around my neck is good. On another note, I wear glasses, so minimal interference with those would be great. 
Price Range: Less than $160
Amped: Nope
Closed/Open: Closed
Headphone Preference: I've heard a lot about Sennheisers in particular (HD 25 II, HD 650/600); I was thinking of getting an HD 448, HD 280 Pro, or perhaps a Shure 440. Any other suggestions would be great, too. 

I hope you read the last few posts, there are some headphones that would fit your criteria there. HD6xx series are not worth it unamped. HD25 does well with rock, but for hip-hop the bass doesn't have enough weight. M-Audio Q40, HD280, SRH440 are nice choices, although I think the SRH840s are within your budget at that point, which outperform the SRH440s and would scale nicely if you get an amp in the future.

Thanks for your two cents. And yup, I looked over the last 10 pages or so, but I thought I'd ask anyway. I'll check out the M-Audio Q40, but I'm pretty sure I"m going with the Shures. Do you know how the HD 448s sound, by any chance? 
 
Oh, and happy new years!

 

[olor1n]

Quote:

I need help, so I'll play along
 
Im in search of a small full sized closed back set with a short cord around 3.5ft long with good clarity and amazing immersion and staging.  I've pretty much owned every dang set imaginable that even remotely fits this bill, however I am looking back at the Beyer DT-770.  It has been so long since I heard it, I forgot what it sounds like exactly.  My problem is I know the DT770 isn't that much nicer than the DBI pro 705, which I currently have which leaves me with a lacking feeling.  Basically I am really looking for pure audio clarity and supreme immersion and staging and I've not a clue where else to look to ;P  

You should be GIVING advice in the thread.

 

[Coupe]

Edition 8?
 
Quote:

I need help, so I'll play along
 
Im in search of a small full sized closed back set with a short cord around 3.5ft long with good clarity and amazing immersion and staging.  I've pretty much owned every dang set imaginable that even remotely fits this bill, however I am looking back at the Beyer DT-770.  It has been so long since I heard it, I forgot what it sounds like exactly.  My problem is I know the DT770 isn't that much nicer than the DBI pro 705, which I currently have which leaves me with a lacking feeling.  Basically I am really looking for pure audio clarity and supreme immersion and staging and I've not a clue where else to look to ;P  

 

[12345142]

Can't say he's wrong about that, the Ed. 8 fulfills all your requirements. Maybe an Ultrasone with a price that stays in the stratosphere?.

 

[jelt2359]

Quote:

Thanks for all your advice. Turns out I picked up a used pair of ATH AD1000PRM at a firesale price (the guy was heading overseas). They sound AMAZING.
 
Then I made the mistake of walking into an audio shop and they suggested I try the T1's. Wow. The clarity and detail on those are out of this world. So, new question. Following my practice of buying in threes (I have the RE252, UM3x and JH13- one budget, one mid-range, one high-range), I'm now thinking of getting a high-range pair of cans. I already have the SR60i and these ATHs. The T1s sound amazing, but the HE-6 and LCD-2 are cheaper. Among the three, which one should I go for clarity and detail?
 
I am looking into a home amp for purchase too, so I'm not worried about the HE-6s being tough to drive. I'll buy something that can drive them well.

Those are all top tier headphones. Check out DavidMahler's thread; he's one of the few people who has heard those three and compares them:
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/524569/review-20-headphones-compared.
 
If you're throwing down that kind of money, consider the following deals:
Head Direct: http://www.head-direct.com/product_detail.php?p=93 , HE-6 and EF5 together for $1.3k
Meier: http://www.meier-audio.homepage.t-online.de/ , buy the HD800 or T1 or T5p and get 20% off an amp plus a free HeadSix (and I'm willing to bet if you throw in a bit more he'd make that a Stepdance)
 

Thanks for your advice! I checked it out and decided to get the HE-6s. Now onto the amp purchases..
 
BTW, for anyone looking for cheap headphones, the Grado SR60i's sound simply amazing after doing a few mods to increase their bass (remove cloth, punch holes, stick blutack on button). I have them plugged into my HM801-> TTVJ Millet Hybrid Portable (I find the tubes mellow out the top-end harshness very well). now, and they are very obviously the best $60 purchase in Audio that I've ever made. By far. My AD1000PRMs and JH13s are getting no burn now.