[kiteki]

Hello BioRaver.
 
The beats by Dr. Dre Studio are horribly overpriced for how they sound, I'm not being a snob I just listened to them and was really surprised at the pricetag I'm sorry =)
 
1. What music do you listen to, and do you want detail and clarity or just bass and warmth?
 
2. Do you only want headphones, or will consider IEM's?

 

[ProcessJunkie]

Ok guys, first post here. So here i come.

I'm finally getting my first pair of quality cans. I live in Brazil, and i do not have a international credit card neither good friends that can lend me one, so i have to buy from local shops, and they just put their prices HIGH on imported products. My choices are kinda limited.

I have two options:

Grado SR60i (converting to US dollars, will cost me around $190) - legal store, official warranty and everything.

Grado SR80 (not the prestiege edition) (converting to US dollars, around $165) This one does not have warranty, the guy bought a few pieces in a trip to US and it's selling it here.

I dont have a DAC, or pre-amp or anything, just a desire for good, clean sound.

Thoughts?
 

 

[sidel]

^look for Alessandro MS1s instead.  They're usually more affordable than Grados outside the U.S.  The prices you listed are insanely high.

 

[kiteki]

I don't think you need a credit card to use paypal, you just link it to your bank account, right? Then you can buy a good headphone for a good price (from amazon.com for example).

 

[jcamui420]

Hi. I'm looking for good portable closed headphones for that i can find for about £100 / $150 or less. The genres i listen to are as follows:
 
J-Rock : Bands like Gackt, Abingdon Boys School, Miyavi, Dir en Grey, The Gazette etc
 
Lighter JRock : Bands like Asian Kung-fu Generation, The Pillows, Yui, NICO touches the Walls, FLOW, SID
 
 JPop/Jrock stuff like Yui, Ikimono Gakari, Sukima Switch, etc
Usually most bands that have done Anime Openings and endings aswell.
 
Anime Soundracks and Video Game soundtracks : Stuff like Fullmetal Alchemist, Sengoku Basara OST, Naruto Ost, Cowboy Bebop OST, Grave of Fireflies OST, Final Fantasy Soundtracks, Guilty Gear XX Ost etc.
 
Basically anything Japanese!!
 
I created a thread before and got recommended Audio Technica's like ATH-M50 and iBasso T3 for portable amp.
 
I think Audio Technica's would be good because they supposedly colour the mids which is most japanese music i've heard. Although apparently the ATH-M50s do lack a bit in mids so i was wondering if anyone else had any other suggestions. Also i'm not sure if they are portable enough to walk around with outside.
 
Looking at other threads for Jrock and JPop, the headphones reccommended were ATH-ES7 and Koss HP100 DJ. I've also read that Roland something 300 and Shure SH840 were better than ATH-M50 , although i'm not sure for JRock and other japanese music as japanese music is more vocally focused than western rock and metal.
 
I would like the headphones to be portable but i don't mind full size aslong as they aren't too huge to wear in public and walk with. The headphones i currently have now are Sony MDR-V150. They are ok , its just the bass is all mushy and there isn't much seperation or soundstage.
 
Most of my music collection is in 320 kbps with some flac files, but since finding out about this site and rockbox and plan to update my collection to mostly FLAC and buy an iPod 80Gb 5.5G and Rockbox it
 
I hope this is enough information. 
Thanks

 

[kiteki]

 
Quote:

Hi. I'm looking for good portable closed headphones for that i can find for about £100 / $150 or less. The genres i listen to are as follows:
 
J-Rock : Bands like Gackt, Abingdon Boys School, Miyavi, Dir en Grey, The Gazette etc
 
Lighter JRock : Bands like Asian Kung-fu Generation, The Pillows, Yui, NICO touches the Walls, FLOW, SID
 
 JPop/Jrock stuff like Yui, Ikimono Gakari, Sukima Switch, etc
Usually most bands that have done Anime Openings and endings aswell.
 
Anime Soundracks and Video Game soundtracks : Stuff like Fullmetal Alchemist, Sengoku Basara OST, Naruto Ost, Cowboy Bebop OST, Grave of Fireflies OST, Final Fantasy Soundtracks, Guilty Gear XX Ost etc.
 
Basically anything Japanese!!
 
I created a thread before and got recommended Audio Technica's like ATH-M50 and iBasso T3 for portable amp.
 
I think Audio Technica's would be good because they supposedly colour the mids which is most japanese music i've heard. Although apparently the ATH-M50s do lack a bit in mids so i was wondering if anyone else had any other suggestions. Also i'm not sure if they are portable enough to walk around with outside.
 
Looking at other threads for Jrock and JPop, the headphones reccommended were ATH-ES7 and Koss HP100 DJ. I've also read that Roland something 300 and Shure SH840 were better than ATH-M50 , although i'm not sure for JRock and other japanese music as japanese music is more vocally focused than western rock and metal.
 
I would like the headphones to be portable but i don't mind full size aslong as they aren't too huge to wear in public and walk with. The headphones i currently have now are Sony MDR-V150. They are ok , its just the bass is all mushy and there isn't much seperation or soundstage.
 
Most of my music collection is in 320 kbps with some flac files, but since finding out about this site and rockbox and plan to update my collection to mostly FLAC and buy an iPod 80Gb 5.5G and Rockbox it
 
I hope this is enough information. 
Thanks

Where did you discover NICO touches the walls?  I like that band.
 
Anyway the best stuff for your tastes is the Sony MDR-E888 or the Hifiman RE0, those are my top picks for J-rock.
 
For portable closed headphones the only one I heard that did really well with J-rock was the Fostex T-5, haven't really heard many portable headphones though.
 
You could check out the Sony ZX700 as well.
 
I can sell my Fostex T-5 if you're interested in it.
 
 

 

[ProcessJunkie]

I seriously didn't know that. I thought it was credit card only, i just linked my bank account. YES.

Thank you so much for shinning this light on my life.

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Can anyone with personal experience compare the comfort level of the RX700s with that of the HD668Bs?

Maybe try asking this in the big superlux thread. You'll get a better response there.
 


Quote:

Curious Im about to buy some Ad700's, a mixamp, and an E7 to use them with my laptop, phone and eventually a sansa clip. Why are Ad700's only normally recommended for gaming and never music? What are they lacking for a good music experience, and what would you recommend for around $100 - $220 for a good portable music set? I was thinking about K701's but not sure how portable they are.

Most "modern" music tends to be bass heavy, and the AD700 does not have the punch to satisfy the average consumer. On the flip side though, it is this lower bass which is partially responsible for the excellent detail and soundstage which makes the AD700 so popular for gaming. One genre that the AD700 (and its bigger brothers) excels at though is vocals and acoustic. They're quite good for classical as well.
 
The K701 are a bit too big for portable. You want something smaller, with a moderate clamping force so it stays on your head, and some decent isolation. Joker's massive portables review thread is a good place to start. 
 


Quote:

Hi, I own a large range of AKG Headphones (and some other phones as well)
 
in order of purchase:
 

1. Koss Porta Pro
2. Grado SR 60i (sold)
3. AKG HD K242 (sold)
4. AKG K701 (sold TODAY)
5. AKG K141 600 ohm Baby-Sextetts
6. AKG K240 Sextetts MP

 
Of all the headphones I owned, the hardest to love phone was the K701, completely broken in and properly amped I was quite impressed at first. Details, Positioning, Soundstage and quite neutral. But the upper mid and tremble spike is what really killed them for me.
The bass was quite OK, bass heavy version? But I couldn't wear them for long because they were to shrill. (No, the bumps in the headband were no problem -> knife).
And the worst feature of this headphone: Almost no body at all.
 
TL;DR
-sold my K701
-want a more laid back headphone with more body.
-no tremble extension, a tad recessed is OK with me
-I really dig the AKG mids, I listen to a lot of classic~ish music
-I'm no bass-head, K701 had enough to please me.
 
I was thinking of either buying a
-K601 or
-Fostex t50rp
 
budget = ~200€
 
 
what do you guys think of that, are there different headphones to look into?

I was just thinking you should start digging into the K500/600 before I even read that part.  The T50rp is fun though it needs a bit of power behind it, although if you already have an amp for the Sextetts then you should be fine. 
 


Quote:

Im fairly new at the choosing a headphones thing. ive mostly just used the ones that came with my mp3 or ipod. but one of my freinds recently bought some bets by dre studio's n i thought hey these are over priced there probably better out there. But i dont have a clue about this stuff so i was hopping for some advice. what i basically want is headphones that are like the beats by dre studio's with the thick headband, preferably noise cancelling and if possible they fold in like the beats by dre but i dont necessarily need that.
 
thanks

 
With active noise cancellation:
Audio Technica ANC7b
Denon NC800
Sennheiser PXC 350/450
 
Good passive isolation, no active circuitry:
Shure 840
Audio Technica M50
Sennheiser

 

[ProcessJunkie]

I know the prices are ridiculous, but right now it's the only option i have, at least if i want to stick with Grados (no, i never listened to one of then, but after all the reviews and topics here and HIFI awards, they must be doing something right. Plus, i like the WWII look, i'm a pretty oldschool guy when it comes to design.)

There's such a difference between the SR80 and the SR60i? if the 80's where the prestiege series, i wouldn't even think about, but i read a lot of stuff about the prestiege improvements and this is really bugging me.
 
Quote:

Ok guys, first post here. So here i come.

I'm finally getting my first pair of quality cans. I live in Brazil, and i do not have a international credit card neither good friends that can lend me one, so i have to buy from local shops, and they just put their prices HIGH on imported products. My choices are kinda limited.

I have two options:

Grado SR60i (converting to US dollars, will cost me around $190) - legal store, official warranty and everything.

Grado SR80 (not the prestiege edition) (converting to US dollars, around $165) This one does not have warranty, the guy bought a few pieces in a trip to US and it's selling it here.

I dont have a DAC, or pre-amp or anything, just a desire for good, clean sound.

Thoughts?
 

 

 

[sidel]

^The Alessandro series are modified grados.  They look nearly identical and also get very good reviews;  many prefer them.  Paying the premium without at least looking is silly.

 

[kiteki]

 
Quote:

I seriously didn't know that. I thought it was credit card only, i just linked my bank account. YES.

Thank you so much for shinning this light on my life.

No problem.
 
What kind of music do you like? What kind of sound do you [think] you like? If you're willing to spend up to $190 you should do some more research and not only limit yourself only to Grado, and now that you have access to paypal you have many more options.
 
Even if amazon.com doesn't want to ship a headphone to you in Brazil, I think you're safe using www.viaddress.com as the middle-man in the transaction, this even works from the Japanese www.amazon.co.jp with www.tenso.com as the middle-man.
 
If you like the WWII look perhaps you should check out Stax SR-404.... just kidding
 
Really though you can do a lot better than the SR60i now if you're willing to spend up to $190.  Or you could just buy them now for $79 and be done with it, pretty good deal, I've heard them briefly and AFAIK they sounded nice/cool, I listened to a friends pair, however his pair broke so not sure about the build quality. :/
 
I think you should check out Fostex T50RP and Sony ZX700, AFAIK they are the kings of sound quality in cheaper headphones.
 
 
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

I know the prices are ridiculous, but right now it's the only option i have, at least if i want to stick with Grados (no, i never listened to one of then, but after all the reviews and topics here and HIFI awards, they must be doing something right. Plus, i like the WWII look, i'm a pretty oldschool guy when it comes to design.)

There's such a difference between the SR80 and the SR60i? if the 80's where the prestiege series, i wouldn't even think about, but i read a lot of stuff about the prestiege improvements and this is really bugging me.

 
Quote:

^The Alessandro series are modified grados.  They look nearly identical and also get very good reviews;  many prefer them.  Paying the premium without at least looking is silly.

As mentioned, Alessandro is the far more sensible choice outside of the US. Differences in sound are a slightly tamed treble and perhaps fuller midrange. 
 
I have owned several iterations of the 60/80/MS1 and have not heard any appreciable difference between the standard and "i" series. 

 

[jcamui420]

 
Quote:

 

Where did you discover NICO touches the walls?  I like that band.
 
Anyway the best stuff for your tastes is the Sony MDR-E888 or the Hifiman RE0, those are my top picks for J-rock.
 
For portable closed headphones the only one I heard that did really well with J-rock was the Fostex T-5, haven't really heard many portable headphones though.
 
You could check out the Sony ZX700 as well.
 
I can sell my Fostex T-5 if you're interested in it.
 
 

Thanks for the reply!
 
I only discovered Nico Touches the Walls quite recently as the song 'Hologram' was one of the openings for the anime Fullmetal Alchemist!!
I've only heard a few more of their singles but I think 'Nico Touches the Walls' and another japanese band called 'FLOW' (you should check them out) are what rock should sound like. Which album for Nico touches the Walls do you think is worth getting?
 
Now back to headphones. I haven't considered earphones/IEM's for jrock much but since checking out other posts on MDR-E888 they might be worth considering instead of headphones. I've read about the RE0's before but the microphonics(?)/crackling puts me off.  What is it about E888 that is good for jrock? Also would the E888 be could for soundtracks which include classical instruments, and softer jrock.
 
EDIT:How to the  Fostex T-5 compare with E888s. also have you heard any audio technica. They are apparently good for Jrock/Jpop. One user uses CK1000 but i think thats more for Jpop, and queit a few recommend ES7.
Is the crackling noticeable with RE0's 'cos they are rated as one the best IEMs
 
 

 

[Hawaiiancerveza]

Hey Armaegis, I was lookin at the bottlehead crack as an amp for the hd650.  I believe you had or have that as well.  How do you like it? =)

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Hey Armaegis, I was lookin at the bottlehead crack as an amp for the hd650.  I believe you had or have that as well.  How do you like it? =)

Had one, sold it, used the funds to buy another, will probably repeat 

 I just like building things. The Crack is an excellent amp and pairs very well with the large Senns. Here's my latest build... (with my Sextetts)