++ FULL-SIZE HEADPHONE RECOMMENDATIONS THREAD++ CLOSED: Please post a thread in the Introductions, Help and Advice forum

[riccar]

Quote:

The Ultrasones will likely give you the bass you want, as opposed to the Shures, which are brighter and more balanced throughout the spectrum.
 
 

Thank you very much.

 

[GrandeSwag]

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on a new purchase. I've wanted to buy a pair of Grados for a while, but I'm having trouble deciding which cans to choose. I was thinking of just buying some SR-60s, just to test out the "Grado sound" but, I'd like to get the SR-225s because I will surely want to upgrade from the SR-60s at some point. I've demoed the RS-1s before, and I was blown away by their sound. I currently have HD598s and a pair of DT770s. I know the Grados will be very different from the Beyerdynamics, but will I notice a big difference between the Grados and the 598s? Is it really worth the $200, or should I go with the SR-60s if I'm just looking for a new sound? Thanks in advance.
 

 

[t-crisis]

Quote:

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on a new purchase. I've wanted to buy a pair of Grados for a while, but I'm having trouble deciding which cans to choose. I was thinking of just buying some SR-60s, just to test out the "Grado sound" but, I'd like to get the SR-225s because I will surely want to upgrade from the SR-60s at some point. I've demoed the RS-1s before, and I was blown away by their sound. I currently have HD598s and a pair of DT770s. I know the Grados will be very different from the Beyerdynamics, but will I notice a big difference between the Grados and the 598s? Is it really worth the $200, or should I go with the SR-60s if I'm just looking for a new sound? Thanks in advance.
 

 
If you follow this forum (I know, it's way long) you will find that while the SR60 and SR225 are completely different out of the pizza box. But when the SR60 is modded it will give you a very similar sound to the SR225, if not better, making the upgrade not really worth the money. An identically modded SR225 will sound a little better than the modded SR60, but really not by much.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/508459/sr60-mod
 
If you're into Grados and are a DIY guy, the mods are quite easy and cost maybe $5 total in common supplies. There's mention of upgrading to wooden cups and magnum drivers and silver cables, but you'll find out more about that later on.
 
Let me know if you want help or anything. 
 
 
... I've read that Symphones Magnum drivers in *Limba or Mahogany* wood cups, if done right, sound better than an RS1 (for $400 cheaper!). And they look better too. Sorry if that much information is overwhelming 

 

[veritas-truth]

 
Sorry if this ends up as a double post; it didn't show up in the thread earlier when I tried to post it
 
Fairly noob to head-fi stuffs but have been reading up on some of the information threads. And finally decided to come to this thread to seek advice and recommendations.
 
This semester I've got a couple media oriented classes: studio video production, and audio production and announcing. For audio production and announcing the teacher requires we have full-sized headphones for editing and such (no surprise and totally understandable to me). 
 
So here's the requirements:
 
First off price: $25-40 (MAX $50 and it has to be a good bit better than cheaper alternatives) I know this is pretty low for a lot of you but I am a broke college student.
 
Sound: Pretty good, nothing amazing; I know I'm not going to get the best stuff in this price range but I know this range doesn't have to be junk. Good enough for general recording and editing for radio, interviews, announcing, and some music for video clips, etc. I also wouldn't mind it having good sound for gaming on my PC.
 
Build quality/ features: Closed ear, maybe semi-open. Solid and durable, yet possibly fold able for convenient carrying around every week to class. One feature I'd really like is a removable cable so if it ends up shorting out I can just buy a new cable. Another plus would be a detachable mic for gaming as well.
 
A set of headphones that seem to get some respect for their great value and meet most of those requirements are the Monoprice dj headphones that are sadly out of stock until the time I need them by: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=8323&seq=1&format=3#specification
 
Some alternatives I have looked at are:
Sennheiser HD 202: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-202-Dynamic-Headphones/dp/B000065BP9/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1326944419&sr=8-15
ATH M20: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-Stereo-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00012F7G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326940558&sr=8-1
AKG K99: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K99-Headphones/dp/B001GF7WRW/ref=sr_1_16?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1326951438&sr=1-16
Superlux HD 681: http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-681-Dynamic-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B002GHIPYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1326951756&sr=1-1
 
One set I'm really interested in since it seems to cover all of my needs but I've found almost nothing about it on here or anywhere else reputable as far as sound is the Monoprice NC headphones: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=6893&seq=1&format=3#specification
A couple issues I have with those are the fact the plastic looks a little cheap and too shiny and the fact that the detachable cable has a TRRS connector for the mic signal and I'm not sure where I could find a new one like that if need be.
 
Input and suggestions welcome! Thanks guys
 
Edit: looks like Monoprice actually has the hi-fi dj headphones in stock now... Think I should just grab them? I'm still interested in the other monoprice model I linked to as well. Thoughts?

 

[jotry]

I decided to go with a pair of Sennheiser 598's for myself as well. Should I need a closed pair of cans I'll worry about it later! Thank you all!

 

[Ikkinator]

Quote:

I decided to go with a pair of Sennheiser 598's for myself as well. Should I need a closed pair of cans I'll worry about it later! Thank you all!

Do make a review

 

[jotry]

Quote:

Do make a review

I'll probably try after I get them and have time to use them.

 

[Frou]

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, now seeking some advice... about a year ago I decided to get some decent IEMs to use with my cowon D2. Until then I always used the earbuds that came included with mp3 players or just picked some cheap ones, so after some research I settled for the RE0s. I thought that I would be blown away with their sound, but when they arrived I remember thinking they were only "ok". Yes, the clarity of the sound was remarkable, the separation of the different instruments was amazing, but the lacking bass, etc, etc... in simple words, I thought what almost every non audiophile accustomed to boomy-muddy-AM radio sounding-cheap earbuds would say of the RE0s. But... I kept using them (well, I paid for them already, and It's not that I hated them, but they wasn't what I expected -even after reading for weeks here about their sound signature, I guess I had to "hear them to understand"). 
 
And then, it just happened. I don't know if it was just me getting used to the sound of the RE0s, or the time they get "burned in" or both, or whatever, but now I just can't  stand using the old cheap headphones... it's like I can't even understand or feel the music the way I like without that amazing, crystal-clear, "1080p" (lol) acquired-taste sound. You can imagine what comes next.
 
I want more.
 
Well, not exactly A LOT more, it's not like I'm ready to jump to HD800-quality or stuff like that, I prefer to enjoy the journey and burn steps before I start to think 99% of all headphones in existance sound like crap haha.
 
What I'm looking for this time is a pair of cans. Doesn't have to be portable, and I strongly prefer them to be closed. Comfort is important. Now here's the thing: I would LOVE them to sound like the RE0s with its clarity, but with a liitle more "oomph" in the bass. Not overpowering tho. As you can see from my post, I'm kind of a beginner so I don't know a lot of terms to describe the sound, that's why I'm using the RE0s as reference (as they are the only decent sounding headphone/IEM I have). The only thing I don't like about the RE0s is that sometimes I feel like the music is a little bit "compressed", like it needs some more room to stretch its legs. Now this leads me to the kind of music I listen: mostly dream pop/rock, ambient, some trip hop, and most of the bands I listen to the most have female singers, like Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto, Hooverphonic, Stereolab, The Sundays, to name a few.
 
To make it short, if it sounds good with this 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5HgIC3nIjk
then I'm a happy man.
 
I apologize for the length of my post, i got carried away haha. My thanks to any suggestion you guys may have.
 
PD: aaah, the sordid topic of coin... I will spend 180-200 bucks, not more than that... I know its not much, but it's a start. I'll probably have to spend some more money on a DAC/AMP (is the new Fiio E17 decent/good enough?) but I guess that's for another thread. Will the FA 003/Brainwavz HM5 fit my needs? (I know given my budget I will have to compromise).

 

[Tetsuma]

Got a pair of speakers from the states for use here in Australia. I've been told that I need to replace the fuses for the speakers to function in Australia (and move internal jumpers to 240, obviously).
Would anyone know what I should be changing them to?

Dynaudio BM5A MKIIs
The fuse box reads, " Max. 1.6W/10A AC 250V".
Would I need to get the fuse out, or is this enough information?

 

[GrandeSwag]

 
Quote:

 
If you follow this forum (I know, it's way long) you will find that while the SR60 and SR225 are completely different out of the pizza box. But when the SR60 is modded it will give you a very similar sound to the SR225, if not better, making the upgrade not really worth the money. An identically modded SR225 will sound a little better than the modded SR60, but really not by much.
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/508459/sr60-mod
 
If you're into Grados and are a DIY guy, the mods are quite easy and cost maybe $5 total in common supplies. There's mention of upgrading to wooden cups and magnum drivers and silver cables, but you'll find out more about that later on.
 
Let me know if you want help or anything. 
 
 
... I've read that Symphones Magnum drivers in *Limba or Mahogany* wood cups, if done right, sound better than an RS1 (for $400 cheaper!). And they look better too. Sorry if that much information is overwhelming 

Thank you for your advice. I've actually been checking that thread out a lot lately. I'm definitely the DIY type, and hearing that the modded SR60s compare to the 
225s is very reassuring.
 

 

[MastahRiz]

I'm just plain stuck. I've been looking for a good pair of over ear headphones for months now. Isolation and noise canceling are extremely important to me but I know the sound quality usually suffers as a result. I think I've narrowed it down to the Denon AH-NC800 and the AH-D5000 (if the isolation is good enough) but I'm just worried that the noise cancelling won't be what I'm looking for. Can anyone comment? I just want to stop looking and buy something already but I don't want that artificial hiss or that pressure problem that comes with the Bose QCs, even if they do kill pretty much all noise.
 
Currently I'm using a pair of monster turbine pro coppers and the isolation is just phenomenal-- I rarely hear anything other than my music.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
EDIT:
what I listen to most: live concerts, mostly rock, but plenty of other stuff too. 50% rock, 25% hip hop/rnb, 15% classical, 5% electronic, 5% today's bs.

 

[HPuser9083]

I just got myself a pair of V-moda Bass Freq's, because I wanted to give in-ear monitors another shot, and you guys have high regards towards V-moda, and I was really impressed by the bass on them, and yet the treble and midrange are a little off, whereas the V150's I've been using for a few months to about a year now seem to have clearer sound than the Bass Freq's, although they're not as bass heavy. Bass Freq's a good choice for budget-minded in-ear monitors? And this is an iPod Shuffle second-generation filled with MP3's that were encoded in iTunes using the "high" quality setting as well.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

 
Sorry if this ends up as a double post; it didn't show up in the thread earlier when I tried to post it
 
Fairly noob to head-fi stuffs but have been reading up on some of the information threads. And finally decided to come to this thread to seek advice and recommendations.
 
This semester I've got a couple media oriented classes: studio video production, and audio production and announcing. For audio production and announcing the teacher requires we have full-sized headphones for editing and such (no surprise and totally understandable to me). 
 
So here's the requirements:
 
First off price: $25-40 (MAX $50 and it has to be a good bit better than cheaper alternatives) I know this is pretty low for a lot of you but I am a broke college student.
 
Sound: Pretty good, nothing amazing; I know I'm not going to get the best stuff in this price range but I know this range doesn't have to be junk. Good enough for general recording and editing for radio, interviews, announcing, and some music for video clips, etc. I also wouldn't mind it having good sound for gaming on my PC.
 
Build quality/ features: Closed ear, maybe semi-open. Solid and durable, yet possibly fold able for convenient carrying around every week to class. One feature I'd really like is a removable cable so if it ends up shorting out I can just buy a new cable. Another plus would be a detachable mic for gaming as well.
 
A set of headphones that seem to get some respect for their great value and meet most of those requirements are the Monoprice dj headphones that are sadly out of stock until the time I need them by: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=8323&seq=1&format=3#specification
 
Some alternatives I have looked at are:
Sennheiser HD 202: http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-202-Dynamic-Headphones/dp/B000065BP9/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&qid=1326944419&sr=8-15
ATH M20: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-Stereo-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00012F7G4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326940558&sr=8-1
AKG K99: http://www.amazon.com/AKG-K99-Headphones/dp/B001GF7WRW/ref=sr_1_16?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1326951438&sr=1-16
Superlux HD 681: http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-681-Dynamic-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B002GHIPYI/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1326951756&sr=1-1
 
One set I'm really interested in since it seems to cover all of my needs but I've found almost nothing about it on here or anywhere else reputable as far as sound is the Monoprice NC headphones: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10823&cs_id=1082302&p_id=6893&seq=1&format=3#specification
A couple issues I have with those are the fact the plastic looks a little cheap and too shiny and the fact that the detachable cable has a TRRS connector for the mic signal and I'm not sure where I could find a new one like that if need be.
 
Input and suggestions welcome! Thanks guys
 
Edit: looks like Monoprice actually has the hi-fi dj headphones in stock now... Think I should just grab them? I'm still interested in the other monoprice model I linked to as well. Thoughts?

 

I would add something like the Prodipe Pro 800 to your list, which comes out to about $50. Also, don't go for the NC cans: In general for noise cancelling, you get less sound quality for more money, and if the NC doesn't work that well, you might be better of with highly isolating DJ/monitoring headphones. For your budget, though, your choices look fine. The Superluxes are supposed to be pretty good, but they are semi-open and will leak a bit of noise.
 


Quote:

Hi, I'm a long time lurker, now seeking some advice... about a year ago I decided to get some decent IEMs to use with my cowon D2. Until then I always used the earbuds that came included with mp3 players or just picked some cheap ones, so after some research I settled for the RE0s. I thought that I would be blown away with their sound, but when they arrived I remember thinking they were only "ok". Yes, the clarity of the sound was remarkable, the separation of the different instruments was amazing, but the lacking bass, etc, etc... in simple words, I thought what almost every non audiophile accustomed to boomy-muddy-AM radio sounding-cheap earbuds would say of the RE0s. But... I kept using them (well, I paid for them already, and It's not that I hated them, but they wasn't what I expected -even after reading for weeks here about their sound signature, I guess I had to "hear them to understand"). 
 
And then, it just happened. I don't know if it was just me getting used to the sound of the RE0s, or the time they get "burned in" or both, or whatever, but now I just can't  stand using the old cheap headphones... it's like I can't even understand or feel the music the way I like without that amazing, crystal-clear, "1080p" (lol) acquired-taste sound. You can imagine what comes next.
 
I want more.
 
Well, not exactly A LOT more, it's not like I'm ready to jump to HD800-quality or stuff like that, I prefer to enjoy the journey and burn steps before I start to think 99% of all headphones in existance sound like crap haha.
 
What I'm looking for this time is a pair of cans. Doesn't have to be portable, and I strongly prefer them to be closed. Comfort is important. Now here's the thing: I would LOVE them to sound like the RE0s with its clarity, but with a liitle more "oomph" in the bass. Not overpowering tho. As you can see from my post, I'm kind of a beginner so I don't know a lot of terms to describe the sound, that's why I'm using the RE0s as reference (as they are the only decent sounding headphone/IEM I have). The only thing I don't like about the RE0s is that sometimes I feel like the music is a little bit "compressed", like it needs some more room to stretch its legs. Now this leads me to the kind of music I listen: mostly dream pop/rock, ambient, some trip hop, and most of the bands I listen to the most have female singers, like Cocteau Twins, Bel Canto, Hooverphonic, Stereolab, The Sundays, to name a few.
 
To make it short, if it sounds good with this 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5HgIC3nIjk
then I'm a happy man.
 
I apologize for the length of my post, i got carried away haha. My thanks to any suggestion you guys may have.
 
PD: aaah, the sordid topic of coin... I will spend 180-200 bucks, not more than that... I know its not much, but it's a start. I'll probably have to spend some more money on a DAC/AMP (is the new Fiio E17 decent/good enough?) but I guess that's for another thread. Will the FA 003/Brainwavz HM5 fit my needs? (I know given my budget I will have to compromise).

It sounds like you're looking for more neutral headphones, so the HM5/FA-003 would be a good choice, as would be the SRH840 or maybe even the SRH940 if you can stretch your budget.
 


Quote:

Got a pair of speakers from the states for use here in Australia. I've been told that I need to replace the fuses for the speakers to function in Australia (and move internal jumpers to 240, obviously).
Would anyone know what I should be changing them to?
Dynaudio BM5A MKIIs
The fuse box reads, " Max. 1.6W/10A AC 250V".
Would I need to get the fuse out, or is this enough information?

Sorry, this is a headphone recommendation thread, so I can't really help you there. What's the AC power like in Australia?
 


Quote:

I'm just plain stuck. I've been looking for a good pair of over ear headphones for months now. Isolation and noise canceling are extremely important to me but I know the sound quality usually suffers as a result. I think I've narrowed it down to the Denon AH-NC800 and the AH-D5000 (if the isolation is good enough) but I'm just worried that the noise cancelling won't be what I'm looking for. Can anyone comment? I just want to stop looking and buy something already but I don't want that artificial hiss or that pressure problem that comes with the Bose QCs, even if they do kill pretty much all noise.
 
Currently I'm using a pair of monster turbine pro coppers and the isolation is just phenomenal-- I rarely hear anything other than my music.
 
Thanks in advance.
 
EDIT:
what I listen to most: live concerts, mostly rock, but plenty of other stuff too. 50% rock, 25% hip hop/rnb, 15% classical, 5% electronic, 5% today's bs.

From what I've heard, the D5000's isolation is not that great. However, ANC might not really be what you're looking for. What environments are you going to be using them in? If you want maximum isolation, maybe look into DJ-style headphones like the Sennheiser HD280, M50, or SRH840, or stuff like the Beyerdynamic DT770.
 

 
Quote:

I just got myself a pair of V-moda Bass Freq's, because I wanted to give in-ear monitors another shot, and you guys have high regards towards V-moda, and I was really impressed by the bass on them, and yet the treble and midrange are a little off, whereas the V150's I've been using for a few months to about a year now seem to have clearer sound than the Bass Freq's, although they're not as bass heavy. Bass Freq's a good choice for budget-minded in-ear monitors? And this is an iPod Shuffle second-generation filled with MP3's that were encoded in iTunes using the "high" quality setting as well.

To be honest, V-moda is not all that respected for its IEMs, and is only started to get recognized for their sound quality. The bass freqs aren't the best you can get with your money. I'd recommend checking out this thread to see the options you have. 
 

 

[Caratacus]

Hi, hopefully someone can help me decide on the following headphones that are in my price range.. or suggest one I've missed?
 
HD 555  £85
SHR440 £77
HD 515  £70
ZX700    £63
 
I listen to mainly Symphonic Metal such as Epica, After Forever, Nightwish, Sirenia, Within Temptation and also Prog Rock like Kamelot, Symphony X, Dream Theater and also stuff like Avantasia, Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Candlemass, The Velvet Underground, Sentenced etc. etc...
 
Sources would be my Asus Xonar DS and Sansa Clip +, playing MP3s @320.
 
The HD555 is seriously stretching my budget so lower is £ / $ is better!
 
All help gratefully received, thanks in advance...
 
 

 

[BillOhio]

Quote:

 

From what I've heard, the D5000's isolation is not that great.

Other people in the room can tell what song I'm listening to when I have the D2000's on, and I can hear them tell me whether or not they like the song... for whatever it's worth.