[pejoti]

Hi!
I'm looking for full-sized headphones and my budget is about 70$ [if it is REALLY worth it i can stretch it to 100$].
Mostly music, movies from time to time. My problem is that these headphones have to be all-round - I listen to diverse genres. I can make some sacrifices to get good, deep bass though, since I'm pretty much addicted to drone music and dub techno.
I don't care if they are open or closed, although closed ones would be better.
 
right now I am considering:
Shure SRH-440
Sony MDR-V6
 
any other suggestions? opinions on these 2?

 

[rcacha]

Hey every one, first of all i love this website, someone from youtube talked about his website, and just WOW. So my previous head phones have been the QC2 and QC3 (mainly for the noise cancelling at University) and now i need to get a real pair of headphones. I listen to a lot of different genre's, right now dub step mainly, but alot of alternative as well. my budget is around 3-400 at the max.
 
I commute on the bus and so i need something that can't be heard by other people, but something that i can connect to my laptop and my home theater.
 
Ive been looking around the forums, and when ever i see something interesting, there always something wrong with them, no bass or they dont exist (jk)   but any help in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
 
Thanks

 

[matryx]

Quote:

The ad700s and the m50s are completely different in every aspect. Ad700s have a huge soundstage, great clarity, but lack bass. The Ad700s also leak sound and would be bad if you intend to use them on the go. I loved mine, but I could imagine others not liking them because of the lack of bass. The AD900s have better bass and are on Amazon right now for $209 new. If you jump on them and only intend to use them at home you won't be disappointed.

How would you compare the AD900's for gaming? Do they have a big sound stage like the AD700s? I'm still waiting for a deal on the Beyer DT990 but if the AD900's are on par or better for my needs I would definitely pick it up for $200. I'm going to be using it for movies, gaming and house music.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Hi,
 
I'm fairly new to Head-fi, so obviously I'm not a audiophile. I'm looking for a good pair of starter headphones around the $100-300 range. I listen to a variety of music, ranging from Trance, Hip-Hop, Instrumentals, to Rock. I looked through the website, and I really like the retro look of a few models I browsed upon. I'll mainly use the headphones for my desktop. Any inputs would be appreciated.

You'll probably want deep bass for trance and hip-hop.  The Denon D2000 or Beyerdynamic DT770 (32 or 250 ohm) would be good choices since they don't sacrifice much in the rest of the spectrum for it and work with diverse genres as well.
 


Quote:

Hi!
I'm looking for full-sized headphones and my budget is about 70$ [if it is REALLY worth it i can stretch it to 100$].
Mostly music, movies from time to time. My problem is that these headphones have to be all-round - I listen to diverse genres. I can make some sacrifices to get good, deep bass though, since I'm pretty much addicted to drone music and dub techno.
I don't care if they are open or closed, although closed ones would be better.
 
right now I am considering:
Shure SRH-440
Sony MDR-V6
 
any other suggestions? opinions on these 2?

If that's your limit then the V6s would be the better choice since they have deeper bass.  If you can find them used and in your price range the Audio Technica M50s go even deeper and similar genre bandwidth.

 

[keanex]

Quote:

Quote:

The ad700s and the m50s are completely different in every aspect. Ad700s have a huge soundstage, great clarity, but lack bass. The Ad700s also leak sound and would be bad if you intend to use them on the go. I loved mine, but I could imagine others not liking them because of the lack of bass. The AD900s have better bass and are on Amazon right now for $209 new. If you jump on them and only intend to use them at home you won't be disappointed.

How would you compare the AD900's for gaming? Do they have a big sound stage like the AD700s? I'm still waiting for a deal on the Beyer DT990 but if the AD900's are on par or better for my needs I would definitely pick it up for $200. I'm going to be using it for movies, gaming and house music.

 
I've not used mine for gaming actually, but the AD700s are regarded well for gaming due to the soundstage, but don't have the bass. The AD900s have a better more punchy bass presence with a soundstage just as big as the Ad700s. In-fact the Ad700s do nothing better than the Ad900s, except possibly comfort very slightly. They aren't the best headphones for electronic music, but I feel they handle it sufficiently well when I listen to a well produced Drum & Bass album. In-fact the other day I put on a Limewax album and was blown away at how they handled it, the bass was very controlled and punchy without ruining the mids/highs at all. When using them for movies it felt slightly like surround sound at times. I've not heard the 990s, but for $200 right now on the Ad900s I find them really hard to beat. Usually new you won't find them under $250.

 

[R-Audiohead]

For the GMPs you'll have to order through amazon to demo them and eat the shipping to send them back if you don't like them.
 
10 bucks is always worth peace of mind though
Quote:

thanks again R-audiohead. this is definitely the type of input and information I was looking for.
now the biggest obstacle for me is to find some of these headphones and/or amps out here. our guitar center equivalent doesn't carry them unfortunately. hoping one of the hi-end stores might.
 

 

[Merilious]

Over the past couple of weeks I've read enough info on this awesome website to atleast know what I'm sort of looking for. Long story short I could use a little help deciding on a set of cans.
Guidelines:

1. Closed - Looking for good isolation to disappear from college when I need to without bothering anyone in a quiet library = )
2. Over ear(circumaural) - I don't know if this is implied because of the closed setting, but figured I'd be safe and say it. Don't really like the on ear and I want a good set of cans before I venture to the IEMs.
3. $350 is the highest I can go though I think I can sweet talk another $50 outta my accountant aka wife if it warrants it lol
4. I don't have a high end amp but I do own a new NuForce Icon Mobile. I'll either be listening to music on an iPod Classic 6th gen 160GB, HTC Evo, or off either my server with an old school Audigy 2 zs platinum pro, or my Lenovo y460 lappy using the DAC
5. This is my first good set of cans, I listen to a wide variety of music that consists of classical (I love strings = )  ), jazz/pop, slow jazz, rock, and a little bit of rap or soul on the side. I also have a very nice collection of flacs and high bitrate mp3s. On the contrary, I also enjoy gaming on my pc's and ps3 (just got through dead space 2 (hello nightmares!)) as well as action movies such as Gladiator (my fav = )  ).  I know what I listen to (highs and mids) favors that which what I game and watch normally doesn't (which would be the mids and boomy lows (correct me if I'm wrong)).

 
I ordered a Denon AH-D2000 since after alot of research I thought those would be a great start, but I ordered from a company I'm not familiar with though they were a great price ($224 new). They're now suspiciously on "back-order" and I have till around Feb. 19th (est. ship date, I ordered on the 29th of Jan) to either keep my order or cancel. There's so many selections I've gotten so lost trying to make a solid decision lol so I figured I'd ask the experts like so many others have.
 
I made a spreadsheet with headphones/impedance/price/site/info and here's what I have so far.
 

Denon	2000	25	$   223.00	crispdeals.com	Doesn’t need amp,  great lows/bass,
Audio Technica	ATHESW9A	40	$   199.00	Buy.com	Very warm sound, great isolation,
Shure	SRH-840	44	$   163.00	Amazon
Audio Technica	M50s	38	$   110.00	Ebay	Great all around
Beyerdynamic	DT770 Pro	80	$   167.00	Ebay	BASS!!! Great soundstage for a closed can. Very good movie and gaming can.
Beyerdynamic	DT770 Premium	32	$   166.00	Amazon (Used)	Less Bass, Fuller Sounding, Low Soundstage
Beyerdynamic	DT770 Pro	250	$   170.00	Amazon (Used)	Good isolation, Great impact on bass, decent sound-stage, extremely comfy, recessed mids, lots of highs
Skullcandy	Roc Nation Aviator	65	$   150.00	Skullcandy.com	Decent sound, looks AMAZING, isolation could be better

 Denon   D5000       25           I've read that these are outright amazing. The bass might be too much for some but it could be great for my gaming and movies and couldn't I just EQ tweak when listening to my music? I have a friend that I might be able to get to sell me his as he said he "doesn't need them" for whatever reason. If I offer $335 he'd prolly bite, would it be worth it given the price of the others?
 
I don't have a problem buying used (less breaking in I have to do lol). I'm just too new to the audiophileverse to be certain on my decision(s). Just like all the other sites I'm a member of I knew I shouldn't just blatantly post a "help me" without even doing any research of my own and not use the search. There aren't any places nearby where I live that I'm aware of that I can try ANY of these headphones. Closest I have is a best buy an hour away (Brownsville, TX) where they have tattered Beats by Dre (shudders). A great friend of mine has a pair of those that he uses with his home studio and they sounded pretty good, but I knew better being a long time musician and like to think I have a "keen ear." After reading all the reviews here I felt pretty good with my assumptions. Anywho, should I just wait for the Denons or should I cancel and order something else? PLEASE feel free to suggest any other headphones that meet the criteria and highly reccommend. Thanks for taking the time reading. I actually took out 2 paragraphs before I posted it lol. It's just too exciting to not go on forever when it comes to this!

 

[Tordenskjold]

So... as the german post lost my DT150s (pay-on-delivery fortunately) I'm back to square one. Doubts have set in anyways, and after fiddling a bit with the whole sound-software (e.g. deactivating anything except volume-regulation) the HD25 shines like never before. All I yearn for now is this feeling of missing or veiled treble: It's like the thing simply cannot deliver the last 20%. I tried a parametric EQ and bumped the  heights, but it really seems to be the headphone limiting. Wasn't so sure that DT150s were the way to go anyways and reading this board doesn't help either. (so many headphones and so many opinions). Someone suggested HD-250s, but those are long out of production.
 
As for what I'm looking for: the lower end of the HD25 is spectacular. Precise, reveiling, open, energetic. Could be a bit more clear imho, but thats splitting hairs I think. The problem is the upper end, more clarity is needed there. It's like most instruments are cut off, as if the "spikes" of the frequencies are capped. I want something airier, while retaining that amazing precise bass. Somewhat of a bigger soundstage would be nice too. I'm open to anything now, budget would be EUR200 (~USD275) 
    

 

[Armaegis]

Get the D5000, spend the last few shreds of your money on some nice J$ leather earpads (link), then run far far away from this place and don't look back.

 

[Merilious]

Too late! I'm hooked before I even owned anything. Went ahead and cancelled the D2000s and gonna go for the D5000. I gotta go for a good amp next but that's another thread. Though, I do have another question. I want to get my daughter a good set of headphones. She's a classical music finatic just like her dad ; )  and I don't want something too bassy but maybe something with good soundstage that really separates the instruments with minimal simbilance (did I spell that right?). Any recommendations for under $100?

 

[R-Audiohead]

Quote:

Too late! I'm hooked before I even owned anything. Went ahead and cancelled the D2000s and gonna go for the D5000. I gotta go for a good amp next but that's another thread. Though, I do have another question. I want to get my daughter a good set of headphones. She's a classical music finatic just like her dad ; )  and I don't want something too bassy but maybe something with good soundstage that really separates the instruments with minimal simbilance (did I spell that right?). Any recommendations for under $100?

Senn HD 448, absolutely
 
My thoughts here: http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd448-around-the-ear-headphones/reviews#4486

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

So... as the german post lost my DT150s (pay-on-delivery fortunately) I'm back to square one. Doubts have set in anyways, and after fiddling a bit with the whole sound-software (e.g. deactivating anything except volume-regulation) the HD25 shines like never before. All I yearn for now is this feeling of missing or veiled treble: It's like the thing simply cannot deliver the last 20%. I tried a parametric EQ and bumped the  heights, but it really seems to be the headphone limiting. Wasn't so sure that DT150s were the way to go anyways and reading this board doesn't help either. (so many headphones and so many opinions). Someone suggested HD-250s, but those are long out of production.
 
As for what I'm looking for: the lower end of the HD25 is spectacular. Precise, reveiling, open, energetic. Could be a bit more clear imho, but thats splitting hairs I think. The problem is the upper end, more clarity is needed there. It's like most instruments are cut off, as if the "spikes" of the frequencies are capped. I want something airier, while retaining that amazing precise bass. Somewhat of a bigger soundstage would be nice too. I'm open to anything now, budget would be EUR200 (~USD275) 
    

Perhaps a Beyer DT990? It has a strong bass and treble response and pretty decent stage. I prefer it out of a tube amp rather than solid, but if you're looking for strong highs then a solid state might suit you better (that's only from my limited experience with a few amps though; of course indivdual amp pairings will vary).
 
 

 
Quote:

Too late! I'm hooked before I even owned anything. Went ahead and cancelled the D2000s and gonna go for the D5000. I gotta go for a good amp next but that's another thread. Though, I do have another question. I want to get my daughter a good set of headphones. She's a classical music finatic just like her dad ; )  and I don't want something too bassy but maybe something with good soundstage that really separates the instruments with minimal simbilance (did I spell that right?). Any recommendations for under $100?

Given their sensitivy and low impedance, Denons tend to pair well with low gain amps. High gain ones will make it difficult to control the volume (gain switches notwithstanding).
 
For ~$100, you could stay within the Denon family with a D1001 (if you can find it) or the D1100 which replaced it. There's also the Creative Aurvana Live (aka "CAL") which is essentially the D1001. You can find them for a shade over a $100. Some of the small Sennheisers are also nice for classical, such as the PX100 or 200, HD228/238. If you can find them, a used HD555 or 580 will also come in under $100 and are easily upgraded to higher models for very little cost.

 

[Tordenskjold]

 
Quote:

Quote:

So... as the german post lost my DT150s (pay-on-delivery fortunately) I'm back to square one. Doubts have set in anyways, and after fiddling a bit with the whole sound-software (e.g. deactivating anything except volume-regulation) the HD25 shines like never before. All I yearn for now is this feeling of missing or veiled treble: It's like the thing simply cannot deliver the last 20%. I tried a parametric EQ and bumped the  heights, but it really seems to be the headphone limiting. Wasn't so sure that DT150s were the way to go anyways and reading this board doesn't help either. (so many headphones and so many opinions). Someone suggested HD-250s, but those are long out of production.
 
As for what I'm looking for: the lower end of the HD25 is spectacular. Precise, reveiling, open, energetic. Could be a bit more clear imho, but thats splitting hairs I think. The problem is the upper end, more clarity is needed there. It's like most instruments are cut off, as if the "spikes" of the frequencies are capped. I want something airier, while retaining that amazing precise bass. Somewhat of a bigger soundstage would be nice too. I'm open to anything now, budget would be EUR200 (~USD275) 
    

Perhaps a Beyer DT990? It has a strong bass and treble response and pretty decent stage. I prefer it out of a tube amp rather than solid, but if you're looking for strong highs then a solid state might suit you better (that's only from my limited experience with a few amps though; of course indivdual amp pairings will vary).
 
 
.

I tried the DT990 now finally and - blech! (Hifi-store, from V-can-amp) Bloaty bass, imprecise, slow, albeit the heights were pretty good. Not quite as clear as I might like, but pretty good indeed. But that bass was just a drone, terrible. As if it had been amplified until it was a bloaty mass, horrid. Especially the vvery deep end. Budget goes up to 250€, but thats absolutely the maximum.  

 

[Armaegis]

Heh, I'm not a fan of the entire Beyer DT lineup, but they're fairly popular on the forum so I thought I'd mention them. I'm happy with my Pioneer HDJ-2000, but I don't think that will have quite enough "bite" for what you're looking for.
 
Maybe the Phiaton PS500? Check my profile for a review of the Phiaton family.

 

[Tordenskjold]

 
So...call me presumptious, but I dedited a nice green line of what seems to me the ideal. The DT-880 seems to be pretty damn close, and that there is the "normal" version, 250Ohm I believe. Treble seems (at least according to these graphs) right, bass...probably as well. DT880s - the weay forward? Or do I interpret too much into these curves?