[saka-rauka1]

 
Quote:

Well other than audiogon, just be patient and see what turns up. I don't know about any European retailers unfortunately.

 

 
Well here's the thing, it's stocked by several retailers, but the prices are very high. The price on amazon.com is around $100 but for amazon.co.uk its £113. I'm getting a terrible deal going off of those figures. And it gets worse when you look at other retailers; I saw prices hovering around £130 on other retailers, that's $208. Should I be expected to pay this kind of sum? Is the amazon listing just a very good deal?

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

 
My apologies in advance for not seeing this thread before posting, as it was not stickied. I have copied and pasted what I wrote in my thread:
 
I am looking for headphones for listening at home. I will be using them primarily with my laptop while relaxing in bed, and occasionally with my desktop PC. I know that I would get better quality if I used an external DAC/AMP, but I don't like the idea of having to fuss with extra connections and wires, so I'm looking for something that sounds good being driven by a laptop or PC. 
 
I have previously owned two pairs of headphones, and I will give my impression of both of them to aid in recommendations:
 
Sennheiser HD280
Pros:
- detailed
 
Cons:
- clinical
- extremely uncomfortable
 
Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80
Pros:
- clarity
- bass feels like I have two subwoofers on my head
- extremely comfortable
 
Cons:
- muddied and recessed mids
- bass feels like I have two subwoofers on my head
 
I'm looking for something neutral, leaning towards warm if I had to choose. I listen to a lot of rock & metal so mids are important. I prefer tight, punchy bass as opposed to head-rumbling. Comfort is also an issue - I have TMJ, and I get referred pain in my left ear which is often triggered/exacerbated by headphone use. To date the DT770 is the only headphone I've been able to wear longer than 30 minutes without pain. The large, soft velour pads distribute the lightweight headphones perfectly. For this reason I'm scared too look at manufacturers other than Byer, but their lineup doesn't look like it has anything that would meet my needs other than the DT880 32 ohm. But $300 for a headphone I'll be using with a laptop? I was hoping to spend less than $200… 
 
Thanks in advance for your wisdom!
 
PS - At this point I'm deciding between ATH-M50 w/ Byer DT250 pads, or Shure SRH840 w/ SRH940 pads. Anything I'm missing?
 
 

 

 
The most comfortable full-sized headphone I have ever worn is the Phiaton PS 500. I've got a review in my profile.
 


Quote:

New to the forum and newer to the pursuit of high end headphones. I could really use some guidance from those with experience. I am a professor and recently moved to a new office on a different floor of one of buildings. Previously, I was in a somewhat secluded area and would play Pandora, basically the whole time I was in the office, at a relatively loud level b/c it wouldn't bother those with offices adjacent to mine. However, my new location is in a suite of offices that are a bit closer to each other and I want to be more respectful of others-enter the quest for a good pair of headphones.
 
My budget is flexible but I would love to stay in the 150-250 range. Ideally, I would like something that does not require additionally amplification, that has a warm sound with adequate bass response, and that works well with female vocals. I am open to either on-ear or over-ear options.
 
I appreciate a neutral sound stage in theory; however, my ears tend to prefer something warmer and with a bit more bass than neutral. The challenge is that the two main genres I listen to are a bit different and likely perform better with different cans. I primarily listen to female vocals in a British pop or indie style (e.g. Eliza Dolittle, Feist, Lenka, Lilly Allen, Regina Spektor, etc.) but about 1/3rd of the time I listen to hip hop.
 
I recently purchased a pair of KNS-8400s, but they are not doing it for me. The bass response is minimal, the mids get a bit harsh IMHO, and I do find them a little fituiging and overly birght (that is saying something coming from a life long Klipsh fan ).
 
I could really use some starting points. I have considering Denon D2000, Sennheiser 598, V-Moda V-80s (I know these are generally placed in the same category as the previous brands mentioned; however, I am have to say the warranty and supposed bass response is tempting).
 
Also, I really need comfortable cans in that I am bald and rely on the padding on the phones themselves as I don't bring any to the table myself.
 
Thanks again for any input

Some Denon and Senn are good choices. Also consider the Phiaton MS400 and maybe an Ultrasone. 
 


Quote:

im currently thinking to buy AKG k430 or Grado sr60i for my Ipod
 
i dont mind with Grado's open system, i only look for the one with better sound.
 
 
can anyone tell me the comparison between these two ? which one is warmer ? Brighter ? bass and treble ? or which one definetly better ?
 
 
FYI this is kind of song that im listening to :
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chYw9MjbGvY
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9hihPZ-qc8&feature=mr_meh&list=PLD2B932B28DBF2DCC&index=4&playnext=0
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ie9EicrLgdM

I would pick the Grados which will be more mid-centric and bright and bring out those vocals. 
 


Quote:

 
 
Well here's the thing, it's stocked by several retailers, but the prices are very high. The price on amazon.com is around $100 but for amazon.co.uk its £113. I'm getting a terrible deal going off of those figures. And it gets worse when you look at other retailers; I saw prices hovering around £130 on other retailers, that's $208. Should I be expected to pay this kind of sum? Is the amazon listing just a very good deal?

I feel your pain. I live in Canada and it's pretty much the same story for pricing. Other than trying to find a good sale or find other brands which aren't as ridiculously priced, checking ebay and the used forums here is the best way that I know of. 
 

 

[cordylidae]

ok im looking for cans for metal, punk etc ( i listen to metallica,rise against,ratm, system of a down, slipknot, stone sour avenged sevenfold and others.)  i dont want grados at the moment although i will get them in the future. ive been considering srh440's for a while however i have seen some hd595's for a similiar price which will be better?
 
im also condsidering fostex t50rp's? is there anything i should be considering?
 
Im in the uk and have a budget of under £100 so m50's are out of budget

 

[imridic]

Hello.
 
        This is my first time on this site and I will readily admit I'm not particularly knowledgeable on headphones or audio equipment hence why I am seeking guidance here. I woke up this morning to find that my roommates dog ate my headphone cord in 3 places so I am forced to purchase new headphones. Normally I would just rebuy the ones I already had except I figured maybe there were better quality ones for a similar price and set out to get as much information as I could and ended up here.
 
 
My most recent cans were AD700s and I loved them for the sound clarity during gaming as well as the fact that they were incredibly comfortable. Prior to those I had 555s which were a bit tight and left my ears very hot and squished after extended use however the bass was better in this than my AD700s.
 
I am looking for over ear headphones that will be for home use to do a variety of things: listening to music (electronica, rock, hip hop, punk, metal, essentially everything under the sun I listen to), gaming (fps and rts), and recently I have begun learning to mix and produce so solid cans in that regard would help as well. I prefer headphones that don't require additional equipment (amps/DACs) and at most can pay $150.
 
Any and all help is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ZoaKaizer]

Quote:

I would pick the Grados which will be more mid-centric and bright and bring out those vocals. 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

thanks for the advice, are you saying that Grados is really better than AKG K430 ?
 
or maybe you mean that AKG K430 may be just better in warm and bass while Grados who Brighter and mid-centric is more fit for my song ?
 


XD
 


 
 

 

[saka-rauka1]

Quote:

 
I feel your pain. I live in Canada and it's pretty much the same story for pricing. Other than trying to find a good sale or find other brands which aren't as ridiculously priced, checking ebay and the used forums here is the best way that I know of.
 

 
 
 

I'll get them for £113 on amazon then. Hopefully they're worth every penny. Quick question though: is the import series of the a700 any different from a regular a700?

 

[chemical_brother]

I've been rocking out to the same pair of Grado SR-80s (not the SR80i, if that matters) for the past 10 years.
 
I love them for their clarity and durability, but need some cans or IEMs with much better isolation and comfort.
 
I'd like a set that is offers clarity and transparency, but a more well-balanced bottom end and non-sibilant.
 
$200 is my price range. What should I be looking at?

 

[germz]

what im looking for: something that electronic music plays well on, good for portable use (sturdy, easy to move around in), comfy for very extended periods of listening time, powerful bass but clear mids and highs as well
 
i currently have the sennheiser HD380s and am pretty happy with them, just wanting to look into other options as well

 

[Cyanidev]

I'm looking for full sized open back headphones [not noise cancelling or something of that kind], they will be my first quality headphones, i don't have any DAC or headphone amp right now.
The headphones will be plugged to a computer straight into the 3.5mm jack.
I listen mainly to: Progressive rock, jazz and blues sometimes heavy rock.
My budget is 200$, the headphones I've been thinking on are:
Ultrasone pro 550
Ultrasone HFI-780
ATH-AD900
Sennheiser HD595
 
But I'm certainly open for other suggestions.
 

 

[mart1]

Without amp you need low Ohm(<=50 Ohm) headphones. I suggest buying a cheap amp like Fiio E5.
 
Without amp you might want to check out Sonys ZX700. I listened to them yesterday and bought a pair for such purposes.

 

[Eric_C]

Quote:

Without amp you need low Ohm(<=50 Ohm) headphones. 

Not necessarily true. See Sennheiser HD 25-1: it has 70 ohms, but is just fine out of portable players, laptops. Know why? High sensitivity.
 
Impedance alone does not tell the story. Having said that, even knowing the sensitivity does not tell you whether an amp is "needed" or not, but at least you know the headphone can definitely go loud enough from a portable source if sensitivity is high.

 

[b0wl1ng]

Short answer is no, get the Fostex, perform the Faust mod and prepare to be amazed, I have Grados, I have high end Denons and Senns, the Fostex (modded) are better, ridiculous but true non the less.
I have plenty of felt left over, or as you are in the UK I will do the mod for you for free, easy enough to do yourself though, check out the fostex threads. 
 
Quote:

ok im looking for cans for metal, punk etc ( i listen to metallica,rise against,ratm, system of a down, slipknot, stone sour avenged sevenfold and others.)  i dont want grados at the moment although i will get them in the future. ive been considering srh440's for a while however i have seen some hd595's for a similiar price which will be better?
 
im also condsidering fostex t50rp's? is there anything i should be considering?
 
Im in the uk and have a budget of under £100 so m50's are out of budget

 

 

[Arleus]

I'm tentatively looking for a pair of office mid-fi headphones. I can get away with open headphones, as long as they're not Grado open. I hope to avoid closed headphones / IEMS if possible. We're above an engineering lab, so when it's noisy, nothing short of ear defenders will make the noise fade away - I just need the headphones to not leak too much sound to people a couple of metres away from me.
 
Sound-wise, I'm looking for something neutral, even handed, with good soundstaging, and an 'effortless' sound. As an example, my K702s would actually be great in the office, if they weren't so big (which would be a constant attraction of jokes at my expense) and if they weren't my home headphones. My current office phones are my K81s, but the bass is just too muddy and bloated to not get on my nerves after a couple of hours. I mostly listen to classical, jazz, and a good dose of ambient / downtempo when I'm working, but I'm sure I'll squeeze some metal (symphonic / progressive) in there too.
 
Comfort is also key, as I could well be wearing these for 6 hours a day, which is another reason I'm looking to change from the K81. From this, I was thinking about the Beyerdynamics DT880s (probably the 250Ohm premium, not pro), but would welcome any confirmation or suggestions for others.
 
I'll be driving them with an E7, and I'm looking at the £200 mark roughly.
 
And as a final question, if I changed my mind at the last minute and decided to go for closed headphones, what would be the suggestion?
 
Thanks

 

[linuxid10t]

The D2000s sound ideal if you can afford them.  The HD598's bass will be significantly lacking without amplification.
 
Quote:

New to the forum and newer to the pursuit of high end headphones. I could really use some guidance from those with experience. I am a professor and recently moved to a new office on a different floor of one of buildings. Previously, I was in a somewhat secluded area and would play Pandora, basically the whole time I was in the office, at a relatively loud level b/c it wouldn't bother those with offices adjacent to mine. However, my new location is in a suite of offices that are a bit closer to each other and I want to be more respectful of others-enter the quest for a good pair of headphones.
 
My budget is flexible but I would love to stay in the 150-250 range. Ideally, I would like something that does not require additionally amplification, that has a warm sound with adequate bass response, and that works well with female vocals. I am open to either on-ear or over-ear options.
 
I appreciate a neutral sound stage in theory; however, my ears tend to prefer something warmer and with a bit more bass than neutral. The challenge is that the two main genres I listen to are a bit different and likely perform better with different cans. I primarily listen to female vocals in a British pop or indie style (e.g. Eliza Dolittle, Feist, Lenka, Lilly Allen, Regina Spektor, etc.) but about 1/3rd of the time I listen to hip hop.
 
I recently purchased a pair of KNS-8400s, but they are not doing it for me. The bass response is minimal, the mids get a bit harsh IMHO, and I do find them a little fituiging and overly birght (that is saying something coming from a life long Klipsh fan ).
 
I could really use some starting points. I have considering Denon D2000, Sennheiser 598, V-Moda V-80s (I know these are generally placed in the same category as the previous brands mentioned; however, I am have to say the warranty and supposed bass response is tempting).
 
Also, I really need comfortable cans in that I am bald and rely on the padding on the phones themselves as I don't bring any to the table myself.
 
Thanks again for any input

 

 

[linuxid10t]

I have very similar taste, and have the HD595s, they will not disappoint.  They will play all those bands without amplification just fine, but with amplification...  
 
Quote:

ok im looking for cans for metal, punk etc ( i listen to metallica,rise against,ratm, system of a down, slipknot, stone sour avenged sevenfold and others.)  i dont want grados at the moment although i will get them in the future. ive been considering srh440's for a while however i have seen some hd595's for a similiar price which will be better?
 
im also condsidering fostex t50rp's? is there anything i should be considering?
 
Im in the uk and have a budget of under £100 so m50's are out of budget