[KG Jag]

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Hi guys
I'm planning to get a new headphone
I listen mostly to classic rock,power ballad and some country
the budget is about $500-$1000
any recommendation?
I prefered closed back since I already have NAD RP18 which is open
thanks

Your favorite genres are close to mine.  I think you'll love the Dennon AH-D7000.  You can spend even more money and get either the HiFi Man HE 500 or Audez'e LCD-2--both of which are currently outside my experience (except for a few minutes at the Austin meet).

 

[NAYOSO]

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Your favorite genres are close to mine.  I think you'll love the Dennon AH-D7000.  You can spend even more money and get either the HiFi Man HE 500 or Audez'e LCD-2--both of which are currently outside my experience (except for a few minutes at the Austin meet).

Actually some of my friends owns LCD2 both rev 1 and rev 2 and I like the rev 1 but it's not available anymore
I'm also have a chance to try Hifiman HE500 it sounds very good but my experience with hifiman build quality is very bad
I've a Hifiman HE5 which have a wood crack, my RE-ZERO TRRS to TRS adapter is broken and my RE-262 plug isn't working very well sometimes the sound become imbalance (only right or only left sound) and I must rotate the plug to get back the balanced sound and my friend's RE262 cable is leaking out and the last problem is my friend's HE500 housing holder(the one holding the driver to the headband) is cracked so I decided not to get any hifiman product for now despite their very good sound quality
and for denon D7000 I still haven't get any chance to try it but my friend lent me his denon D5000
can you give me comparison between denon D5000 and D7000?
thanks

 

[KG Jag]

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Actually some of my friends owns LCD2 both rev 1 and rev 2 and I like the rev 1 but it's not available anymore
I'm also have a chance to try Hifiman HE500 it sounds very good but my experience with hifiman build quality is very bad
I've a Hifiman HE5 which have a wood crack, my RE-ZERO TRRS to TRS adapter is broken and my RE-262 plug isn't working very well sometimes the sound become imbalance (only right or only left sound) and I must rotate the plug to get back the balanced sound and my friend's RE262 cable is leaking out and the last problem is my friend's HE500 housing holder(the one holding the driver to the headband) is cracked so I decided not to get any hifiman product for now despite their very good sound quality
and for denon D7000 I still haven't get any chance to try it but my friend lent me his denon D5000
can you give me comparison between denon D5000 and D7000?
thanks

I only have heard the D7000, so I can only compare the D5000 from what others say about it.  The bass on the D5000, while good, is said to be enhanced over neutral and a bit out of control (not as bad as phrase suggests, but gets the point across).  The D7000 is said to be a bit more neutral, with increased clarity and detail.

 

[NAYOSO]

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I only have heard the D7000, so I can only compare the D5000 from what others say about it.  The bass on the D5000, while good, is said to be enhanced over neutral and a bit out of control (not as bad as phrase suggests, but gets the point across).  The D7000 is said to be a bit more neutral, with increased clarity and detail.

I see I see
I think I'll try to get some more impression about D7000 before buy it
thanks!

 

[Darkblade48]

Hi everyone, new to Head-fi, though I have been reading the various threads around the forums for a bit now (give or take a month).
 
I currently have the following sets (either bought, gotten from friends, or even picked up from the trash (!!!)):
 
Audio technica CKM55
Hifiman Re0
Audio technica ATH-SJ55
Audio technica ATH-A700X
 
And of course, the standard iPod/airplane ear buds.
 
I'm interested in purchasing a new pair of full-sized headphones; here is some information that should help with the decision making process:
 
Preferred: Closed, full-sized headphones
Price: 300 USD or under
Place of use: Home
Type of music I listen to: Classical (Mozart symphonies, piano sonatas, concertos etc, early Beethoven piano sonatas, etc), Opera (Mozart, Mitridate re di Ponto, Die Zauberflote, etc), Chinese/Japanese/Korean Pop (? I am not sure if you can classify it as such, I have included some links below for reference)
 
Korean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBynjhUknzI
 
Japanese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa7orJX6LQY
 
Chinese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDL5LAuqRQs
 
And for the opera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02yf6RHIQjQ
 
Sorry for the bad quality, being Youtube videos and such.
 
Listening source: Laptop (Asus N53Sv), On-board sound card, no other amplifier/DAC
Files: 320 kbps minimum, FLAC otherwise.
 
Having the various headphones, here is some things that I like/don't like about each one:
 
Audio technica CKM55: Bass heavy, and decent sound stage. However, the buds don't fit into my ears at all, so...
Hifiman Re0: One of the first headphones I purchased off of a recommendation from a friend; prior to this I was using iPod headphones...bass is a bit weak, soundstage seems narrow
Audio technica ATH-SJ55: Bass is strong, soundstage is not as wide as I would like.
Audio technica ATH-A700X: Bass is stronger than the Hifiman, but weaker than the other Audio technicas. Best soundstage of the 4 pairs I own.
 
While I am looking for a new pair that are (exclusively) for home use, I still would like a closed pair, mainly because outside noise is an issue (I live by myself, but next to a baseball diamond (Baseball field?), tennis courts, etc, so it can become quite noisy at times). A wide soundstage is preferred, though I know that wanting closed headphones and a wide soundstage is contrary.
 
I would prefer that the headphones not require an amplifier/DAC, but would be willing to spend ~200 USD (i.e. Fiio E17/E9 combo?) if required.
 
Anyone have any suggestions? I have a few in mind (AKG K550, DT770 Pros 80 Ohm), but still am not sure what is best.
 
Finally, I apologize for any spelling/grammatical mistakes I might have made; English is not my first language
 
 

 

[esse09]

Hello,
i always get a bit scared when i browse this forum since there is much more to the world of headphones than what i know... 

I wanted to ask this: right now where i live Akg K701 can be found for ~300 $ - which is a LOT less than the Q701 (420$) or the HD650 (500$).
Since this seems to me like a good deal i am about to buy them, but right now i cant spare much for a dedicated amplifier.
So i wonder: will i miss out much if i power them through my home cinema ampli (onkyo tx-nr609) for a while?
 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hello,
i always get a bit scared when i browse this forum since there is much more to the world of headphones than what i know... 

I wanted to ask this: right now where i live Akg K701 can be found for ~300 $ - which is a LOT less than the Q701 (420$) or the HD650 (500$).
Since this seems to me like a good deal i am about to buy them, but right now i cant spare much for a dedicated amplifier.
So i wonder: will i miss out much if i power them through my home cinema ampli (onkyo tx-nr609) for a while?
 

Not sure where your price references are from, as those in the U.S. are different.  I can tell you that my Q701 sounds good from my Yamaha RX-A800 receiver, but better with a headphone amp--either the one built into my CD recorder or my little entry level stand alone.

 

[esse09]

Rough conversion euro to usd, italy lowest prices.
I have also just found a thread about K550 and been reading it. (even if the K701 have always been kind of a "dream" to me xD )
 
 
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Not sure where your price references are from, as those in the U.S. are different.  I can tell you that my Q701 sounds good from my Yamaha RX-A800 receiver, but better with a headphone amp--either the one built into my CD recorder or my little entry level stand alone.

 

 

[Kippington]

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Lol, nice pic
 
If you listened mainly to electronica, then going with Ultrasones would be a good idea, and since you can stretch your budget for quite a bit, you might want to consider the Ultrasone Pro 900. It has emphasized bass and a lot of clarity at the same time. It is also quite good for gaming in terms of immersion and handles competitive gaming reasonably well. But if competitive gaming is the bulk of your gaming, then you might want to look for a different pair.
 
IMHO, you should aim to leave around $100-150 aside for a nice soundcard, as those values allow you to get the best internal soundcards currently available, namely the Creative X-Fi Titanium HD and the Asus Xonar Essence STX. If you do a fair share of gaming, you will want to go with the Titanium HD, as it is a card with the complete advanced gaming audio feature set, while the Essence STX is more geared towards music and movies. Do note that they both stand on equal grounds in terms of sound quality.

The Ultrasone Pro 900's seem great, but I would have to stretch my budget a bit as they seem to run ~$450 at the cheapest in Aus, and then the X-Fi Titanium HD and the Essence STX are both around ~200 each. I guess I could look at getting them sent to a friend in the US who is coming to visit soon, if they're cheaper over there.
 
If I was to go for something slightly cheaper, should I just look at something else in the ultrasone pro line?
 
Thanks for the suggestion though, they seem pretty spot-on so long as I can find them at a reasonable price.
 

 

[lamnk]

I need a headphone for work
 
Budget: under $150
Music I listen to: mostly rock/metal, occasionally whatever the top billboard is playing
 
Since I will wear this headphone at work for long hours, closed cans with good comfort and don't need amps to power them are preferred. I'm considering the following:
 
* Audio Technica M50
* Sennheiser HD 25 II
* Sennheiser HD 380 Pro

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

I need a headphone for work
 
Budget: under $150
Music I listen to: mostly rock/metal, occasionally whatever the top billboard is playing
 
Since I will wear this headphone at work for long hours, closed cans with good comfort and don't need amps to power them are preferred. I'm considering the following:
 
* Audio Technica M50
* Sennheiser HD 25 II
* Sennheiser HD 380 Pro

Add the Shure SRH840 for consideration.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

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this seems to be the thread for it - I am looking for advice in buying a set of headphones
 
for the most part I listen to jazz, funk, blues, rock, but also some electronica, punk, ska. When previewing stereo gear my go-to cd's / albums are Stanley Turrentine - "Cherry" (Japanese version) Stanley Turrentine " Don't Mess with Mr. T" and Papa Mali' "Do Your Thing".
 
Listening to various genre's I tend to like accuracy - if it's bassy I want to hear that, but if it's a more mellow track I want to hear that too.
 
I started out with Sony MDR 7506 many years ago, and I liked them for what they were which was back then a $90 pair of foldable headphones with decent if not great sound. Been reading here for a while and now I'd like to get something a bit better I am still not sure of the price range to be in figure in the $300 plus / minus range.
 
To give you an idea I started looking at this forum looking for IEM's in the $200 range (max) well I ended up with a P-51 amp and Westone um3x-rc's. I really like the sound from this combination. It also means I have an amp to use so it opens a lot of headphone options, hence my looking for advice
 
I am now looking for cans to use at home - typically late night when I can't just listen to the stereo. (ahh apartment life) I am open to open back designs as well as full cans as I don't think even the open cans will really bother the neighbors too much. So recommend away, thanks.

Look into the HD598s, HD600s, and Q701s as far as accurate goes. Open headphones, though prone to leakage, don't leak nearly enough to bother people through walls. 
 


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those are nice headphones but coiled cords are a no-no for me since I use my nano as a watch, so imagine what I'd look like using those types of phones. haha. any recommendations for straight corded phones? or is CAL! enough?

Have you considered In-Ear Monitors? Very portable, and they can still deliver top-notch sound, as long as you're comfortable with the fit. 
 


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How does the m50 compare with the 
rezero/re0 (I know they are different IEMS)
triple.fi 10 
CAL!
Shure SRH440
Shure SRH840
anything else
 
I know I'm comparing IEMS with over ears but I don't care which one I have, though IEMS are obviously more portable. 

M50 will probably be the bassiest out of all of them, but is a step up detail-wise from everything but the SRH840s. Between those two, it will probably be a matter of personal preference, as the 840 strives or a more neutral sound versus the M50's "fun" sound.
 
 


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Alright thanks guys. Really, it's a lot of help. Just for clarification purposes the prices I will try to buy the headphones will be as follows (because I know the cost can vary greatly for headphones):
 
rezero ($60-70)
re0 ($40-50)
triple.fi 10 ($100, from FS/FT here)
CAL! ($55 Amazon) 
Shure SRH440 ($60-70 online)
Shure SRH840 ($100, from FS/FT here)
 
Also, I am able to audition the m50s since a few stores in my area have them. However, I only have the cash to buy one pair of headphones, so which pair do you I should purchase to compare? And I understand few, if anybody has all these headphones, but if you have two or more, could you please compare them to each other or link me to a comparison? Thanks. 

For comparison, I'd get the 840 to see which sound sig you like better.
 


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I'm looking for some around ear (I don't like on ear) headphones that are closed and possibly noise canceling. I got the new iPad and would like some decent headphones for my business trips.
I don't really care if they're very portable or not. I just want to keep the price under $100 if possible. I have hd595's for when I'm at home but thy're open air and would not work well on a plane. If the pair you recommend need need to be driven by an amp, I'd like the total price to be around $100.
Thanks ahead of time!!

self-bump + another question
 
would audio-technica ATH-M30's be ok?  they're not noise cancelling but they're closed ear--which i hope will suffice on a plane
 
are there any similar headphones in performance/price (and that will work on a plane, either from being closed or from having noise cancelling)?
 
what about the ATHANC7 from audio technica?
 
i dont' know crap about noise cancelling because i've never had to buy headphones for a noisy environment (airplane) so i'm not sure where to start.
 
thanks!
 

If you're looking for high passive noise cancellation under $100, maybe you should give IEMs a look.
 


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That's a pick 'em on value (assuming you mean the 440 with the 840 pads).
 
I'd go with the 840--but reasonable minds will differ.

Maybe i can go enough to get the M50S. Which is better for sound stage, bass and vocals M50S or Shire 840

M50s will have more prominent bass, but the vocals are a tad recessed, though I don't know about the 840's vocals.
 


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Just broke my ATH-ES7's looking to upgrade to something under £200 ($370) need to be portable so if any IEM's are a good idea let us know but still want the full sound quality of the ATH-ES7's or better. Listen to Drum and Bass, Jazz, general rock (Gorillaz, The Clash, The Stones). Liked the look of TMA-1's but have no idea about them, thanks all help appreciated.

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As in the ATH-ES7's have a very broad sound compared to the thin and often slightly painful sounds you get from lower end 'phones, these were my first good pair of cans so I can't pick much out, the bass felt deep and solid mids and well higher than average highs in clarity. Just someething similar yet better and suits the music I listed really

 

For your budget, you're in the range of some top-tier IEMs, which can definitely deliver that full sound you're looking for, as long as you get a good seal. Personally, I'd recommend going that route, unless you're uncomfortable with putting things in your ears, as the selection of portable on-ears tops out at around $300.
 


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I'm pretty sure that there's a general agreement that the Shure SRH880 sounds much better than the M50 for around the same price, and the Beyer DT770s sound even better than that at around $30 more

I disagree. Between the SRH840s and M50s, I think it's a matter of personal preference as far as sound signature goes, and there are plenty of credible people who have reported hating their 840s as well. 
 


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50an6xy06r6n : thanks for the recommendation!  I don't think I like Sennheiser very much. Tried it on at Bestbuy and didn't think they were very comfortable. 
 
 
I just placed an order for CAL!  Very excited to get it soon. I just went to Guitar center today hoping to try on some of the ones I'm interested in. They have ATH M50, but all of the headphones are in boxes. The employee there said he'd let me try the one I want and would even connect it to a computer for me to try the sound. I didn't. Felt kinda bad if I made him do that and then not buy it. They were a lot more expensive than from Amazon anyway. Guess I can't try any out. I'll just have to hope I like my CAL!

Eh, if you can try it out, I say go for it. They're probably used to dealing with this kind of thing, and if they offered to take one out for you, it's worth it to try it out.
 


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Hey Head-Fi ers, I am planning to buy a new pair of cans.  My choices are the grado SR80i and HiFiMan HE-400.  I know the price difference of these candidates are quite a bit. 
 
The reason why I'm asking is because I've never heard a pair of Grados in my life, and it's praised all over the internet in reviews.  Should I start off with SR80i then slowly move my way up?

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Everyone needs to have owned at least one Grado.  The 80 is a good place to start.
 

I mainly listen to electro/house/trance music, but I've read from a few other sources that the Grados are known to not please consumers who frequent these genres.  

Is this true? Or ignore?

Just fair warning, though Grados are solid headphones, their sound signature can be polarizing and some find them harsh. They also might not have the subbass body and impact you're looking for for electronic music, though that depends on your preferences.
 


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I just auditioned the ath-w1000x and the denon 5000, does it seriously require me a desktop amp to bring out the potential in them or can i have a portable amp.

At that range, you'll probably need a desktop amp to harness their true potential, but there are some very powerful portable amps that can probably suffice.
 


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Hey Head-Fi - I guess I'll preface this post by saying I'm farily new to actually thinking about higher end audio, and I'm a little lost. I've had a look at the buying guides on here and also had a bit of a lurk around other forums, but I still don't feel nearly confident enough to buy anything.
 
I'm looking to spend around 400-500 AUD to upgrade my computer audio setup. I'm currently using a pair of Sennhesier's wireless RS-140 cans (that I recieved as a birthday gift), but after borrowing a friend's ATH-AD700's for a few days the difference in sound quality and comfort was obvious, so I've decided it's probably worth investing in a slightly nicer setup.
 
When it comes to music I'm sort of all over the place, but I do listen to a lot of electronic music - DnB, dubstep, electro house, trance and techno. At the same time, I listen to quite a bit of other stuff, and I'm a sucker for acoustic guitar, so I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking for. I also do quite a bit of gaming (RTS/MMO/FPS), but nothing where crazy positional audio is required.
 
Portability isn't really a factor.
 
I've seen the ATH-M50's recommended quite a bit for people with my tastes just getting into higher-end audio, but I'm unconvinced about the construction (swiveling earcups and the folding headband seem inconvenient and a possible point of breakage, but I haven't really looked into it that much). I also had someone suggest the Vmoda crossfade LP2's over on reddit's /r/headphones subreddit, but I understand that the original crossfade LP's had quite a few sound and construction issues, and I've been unable to find much discussion on the LP2's.
 
Should I be sinking all of my budget into a nice pair of headphones and then just using onboard sound, or should I be looking to get a pair of cans and then a soundcard or a combo DAC/amp or something? This is something I'm pretty confused about, and I wasn't exactly sure which subforum I should ask in.
 
If at all possible, recommendations relevant to Australian retailers would be great, since prices seem to vary quite a bit between here and other countries.
 
Sorry for the long-ish post and thanks in advance for any and all help, this is how I feel right about now.

If you liked the AD700s, you might be looking for something more neutral like the AKG K701s as opposed to the bassy M50s or even bassier LP2s.
 


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Are the P5's a good deal at around $200-$230?

It depends on what you prioritize. For sound alone, definitely not. However, they offer an unmatched balance of style, portability, comfort, usability, and an unoffensive sound signature that may appeal to you.
 


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Hi everyone, new to Head-fi, though I have been reading the various threads around the forums for a bit now (give or take a month).
 
I currently have the following sets (either bought, gotten from friends, or even picked up from the trash (!!!)):
 
Audio technica CKM55
Hifiman Re0
Audio technica ATH-SJ55
Audio technica ATH-A700X
 
And of course, the standard iPod/airplane ear buds.
 
I'm interested in purchasing a new pair of full-sized headphones; here is some information that should help with the decision making process:
 
Preferred: Closed, full-sized headphones
Price: 300 USD or under
Place of use: Home
Type of music I listen to: Classical (Mozart symphonies, piano sonatas, concertos etc, early Beethoven piano sonatas, etc), Opera (Mozart, Mitridate re di Ponto, Die Zauberflote, etc), Chinese/Japanese/Korean Pop (? I am not sure if you can classify it as such, I have included some links below for reference)
 
Korean:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBynjhUknzI
 
Japanese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa7orJX6LQY
 
Chinese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDL5LAuqRQs
 
And for the opera:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02yf6RHIQjQ
 
Sorry for the bad quality, being Youtube videos and such.
 
Listening source: Laptop (Asus N53Sv), On-board sound card, no other amplifier/DAC
Files: 320 kbps minimum, FLAC otherwise.
 
Having the various headphones, here is some things that I like/don't like about each one:
 
Audio technica CKM55: Bass heavy, and decent sound stage. However, the buds don't fit into my ears at all, so...
Hifiman Re0: One of the first headphones I purchased off of a recommendation from a friend; prior to this I was using iPod headphones...bass is a bit weak, soundstage seems narrow
Audio technica ATH-SJ55: Bass is strong, soundstage is not as wide as I would like.
Audio technica ATH-A700X: Bass is stronger than the Hifiman, but weaker than the other Audio technicas. Best soundstage of the 4 pairs I own.
 
While I am looking for a new pair that are (exclusively) for home use, I still would like a closed pair, mainly because outside noise is an issue (I live by myself, but next to a baseball diamond (Baseball field?), tennis courts, etc, so it can become quite noisy at times). A wide soundstage is preferred, though I know that wanting closed headphones and a wide soundstage is contrary.
 
I would prefer that the headphones not require an amplifier/DAC, but would be willing to spend ~200 USD (i.e. Fiio E17/E9 combo?) if required.
 
Anyone have any suggestions? I have a few in mind (AKG K550, DT770 Pros 80 Ohm), but still am not sure what is best.
 
Finally, I apologize for any spelling/grammatical mistakes I might have made; English is not my first language
 
 

Perhaps also check out the Denon D2000s.
 

 

[JdmKicks94]

Quick question, how much would the sr80i's leak being played at 50% volume on the iPhone? Just wondering, thanks in advance

 

[Kippington]

Quote:

If you liked the AD700s, you might be looking for something more neutral like the AKG K701s as opposed to the bassy M50s or even bassier LP2s.

 
I enjoyed the AD700's, but only because they were (what felt like) a significant step up from what I'm currently using. I'm probably looking for something quite a bit bassier, but I haven't really listened to that many pairs of headphones to have a good reference on what different sounds are out there.

 

[Serprah]

Are the ATH-M50 good? I'm thinking about ordering them. I see good reviews everywhere about them.