[eucariote]

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Yeah i know one is closed and one is open, but people keep saying all this crazy stuff about how awesome the k702s are and that the next best thing would be 3x its price.  So I didn't want to miss out if they are worth it.
 
The dt770, would I be better off with the 80ohm or 250ohm?  I am a headphone newb so I don't really know the difference, I guess one needs more power to get its true ability?
 
Also what do you think of the Denon AHD2000?  Are they dramatically better than DT770s?

DT770-80 is terribly unbalanced- sloppy overwhelming bass, weak mids, metallic intense highs that literally hurt my head.  And they get much worse without amplification.  DT770 600 is a very different beast and has a reputation for being very well balanced overall, and I've heard some say that the 250 & 600 ohm sound very similar.  So I'd say that you will be much better off with 250 ohm.
 
Owning and comparing the two, yes, D2000/5000 are dramatically better than DT770-80.

 

[keanex]

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I may not be the most knowledgeable here, but I can say for certain that the K701/702 is a terrible choice for anyone in the past page or two.

 
Why would you say that? 

Because it was blindly suggested to two people whom would absolutely hate them. ShadowStalker not only needs isolating headphones, they also need to be roughed around. He also cares about bass and has a $300 price range. The K701/702 needs an amp of $300+ to reach it's potential, this is forgoing the fact that they are completely opposite of his listening habits/needs.
 
jimithing60089 also mentioned them, which they are also out of his budget given the need of an amp and they would be terrible for rap.

 

[xodaQo]

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LONG VERSION
Hi, guys.  I'm just a n00b looking for some guidance.
 
I need a set of usable cans in the worst way.  I can feel myself becoming an audiophile.  I'm not sure that's a good thing, considering it is very expensive.  I'm just a poor teenager!
 
I own a pair of Shure SE110 earphones, and ever since I listened to a friend's Sennheiser 202s, I don't get that sensation when I hear something awesome from an awesome pair of headphones/earphones/speakers.  (Awesome is the best word to describe it.)  I know it's a low end pair, but I like the signature of the HD202, even though they sound somewhat muffled and muddy, due to their closed nature.
 
I've been looking at a pair of HD555, which happen to be $85 on Amazon.  My only hesitation is this: will they run well from a decent sound card (I'm looking at a Xonar one, not sure what version yet, hopefully ~$100, any suggestions here?) with a custom build, or even unamped?  My current POS laptop has an EXTREMELY noisy audio-out, so would I be best to get a cheap DAC for the time being? (recommendations?)
 
 
SHORT VERSION
1.  I need a good set of cans that will run respectably unamped but also sound great when amped.
2.  I think I need a DAC, could I get a recommendation for an inexpensive one?
3.  When I do eventually build a custom computer, what sound card (Xonar looks good) can I buy for <$125 that will power cans like the HD555?  Will a good sound card even do that?
 
 
Many thanks to any and all who reply.

Spend on a proper DAC + Amp combination. That way, you could save on your sound card. 
 
Also, if money is an issue, start your journey with the budget KSC75. Just look at the raves people made on this amazing clip-ons. 

 
I saw that thread and considered it, but I really, really like the smooth, darker sound that everyone says Sennheisers have.
 
What are some of the best options on a DAC + Amp combo?  What is the general consensus on the Fiio E7 combo?

 

[keanex]

Pick up the 555's and down the road when you're feeling up to it, mod them to 595s. You definitely won't be disappointed. As for the amp, I only have the E7 and with line-out from my iPod I don't notice a huge difference when adding my AD900s to the mix. The E7/E9 combo is highly raved about though, just make sure to order a line-out for portable use, assuming you have an iPod.

 

[EternalEmpire]

Since it saves starting a new thread and on the same subject, is there any inherent downfall to buying a DAC+Amp hybrid?
 
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It doesn't have to be a hybrid, just so long as the total cost of both is under $200.
 
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I'm looking for an amp/DAC (or soundcard) combo for under $200 preferably. I'll be using them with my AKG K240 MKII. Can anyone help me out?

I tend to recommend the Audinst HUD-MX1 a lot; it gets plenty loud and sounds pretty good for the price. There are a handful of other DAC/amp hybrids out there as well, like Firestone Audio's FUBAR III and IV, and Travagan's White/Green. The MX1 is the only one I've heard, though.
 
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/img/forum/go_quote.gif

Ok, I did it, just hit the final button on the DT150. It seems that after seemingly endless reading and without the means to actually test them, you still have to trust your gut. Wish me luck and thanks for the helpful answers.

Sure, good luck, and I hope you enjoy your headphones. To be honest, I haven't heard the DT150s (although I would love to someday), but I doubt you've made the wrong choice.

 

 

[Leiker535]

 
Hi head-fier's, Im gonna make a few questions about the AD700, against DT880/990, and which beyer is better.

 

So actually I'm using a G930(G35 wireless version), the surround is very nice but these headphones doesnt have a large soundstage, and they are not well balanced, so I have saved a little money, around $330, to change the G930 for better gaming headphones.

 

I have been searching a lot, the most people here recommends AD700 for gaming, but I have also seen the people here recommend DT880 pro and the DT990, for gaming.(I dunno very much about the 990 models).

 

 

I'm thinking in buy a DT880 600 + a Fiio E9 amplifier, but I'm afraid I will pay $100 more than a AD700 and dont get a headphone that let the 700's on the ground if you know what I mean...

 

I will use the headphones for games and films, because for music I use my SRH 440. I dont care too much about the bass. And I will use the headphones in a X-fi titanium fatal1ty(yeah, I know there is just marketing in these sound cards, but when I bought it I doesnt know nothing about sound quality and all that stuff).

 

My questions is:

 

The beyer's soundstage are better than the AD700?

 

I have been seeing that the AD700 have very light bass, this is like no bass? Because people say that the guns in these headphones are like tin cans, is that true? 

 

Which version of the 990 are better for me?

 

Is it worth to spend U$260(with the G930 in the trade) in a DT880 pro or DT990 with a Fiio E9?

 

The beyer's will do a nice job with musics too? Better than mine SRH440? Because i bought them just to play guitar, cause I live in a apartment 

 

I like to listen, Metal(Iron Maiden, Metallica, Black Sabbath), Rock(AC/DC, Deep Purple, Beatles, etc.).

 

 

I listen music 60/70% of the time, and the 30/40% of the time is games
 
I only listen to lossless sounds, 1000kbps for FLAC's, and 1400kbps for WAV.
 
I know, that I will see the difference, but is this difference worth U$400?
 
I almost buying the beyers, I read your guide almost 5 times 
 
My likes and dislikes are:
 
Treble - I love it! hehe, always put the treble in 70% in the creative console , even when the EQ is on.
 
Bass - I dont like it too much, I put the bass at 30%, I hate boomy headphones, they always give me head aches...
 
Soundstage - I dunno very much about soundstage, I have never used open headphones, just noise cancelation headphones. I'll like to hear the sound depth, his detail, and separation. People say that the DT880 have a problem with sounds coming from 5 and 7 o'clock, is this true?

 

[eucariote]

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I got my HD600 a few days ago via a suggestion from this thread as an upgrade from my Ortofon EQ-5 IEMs. I hooked them up to my Fiio E9 with a docked E7 DAC and listened to Diana Krall's "Quiet Nights" album (FLAC from HDTracks). I was dissapointed by the sound. They sound too dull ... by dull I mean, there wasn't any emotion unlike when I heard the album through the Ortofon EQ-5. Am I just amping this wrong or what? This was a used pair but it has been handled by the owner quite well (No signs of scratches nor any other damage) and he said that it had already been burnt in plenty of times. I also use a Neutrik DIY Cable for this.

 
HD600 (and most Senns anyway) tend to be a bit dark. They give excellent sound-stage and smooth timbral/tonal detail resolution, making it one of the better headphone for instrumental jazz. In the case of vocal-heavy albums, like that of Diana Krall, a brighter headphone would be more suitable to bring out the treble bias in those recording. A darker headphone would only bring this frequency down, making it dull (just like what you'd stated).
 
Don't give up on the HD600 though. It is one of the better headphone I'd tried. You will definitely love it with other type of music.  
 

 
X2.  They are among the most relaxed headphones I have, and they do have fairly tame treble.  However they do sound brighter out some sources compared to others.  For example straight out my full sized amp/dac (Lavry DA11) they have more treble and clarity than my tube amp and worlds more than my portable amplifiers (uDac, D10).  Over time, I grew to appreciate their relaxed signature and now that I have adjusted to them, prefer them to any other headphone I own, including D7000 & RS-1 which sound too sharp for my liking and so are rarely used compared to the HD600.  In other words, give them a little time for burn-in to happen in your brain, which is where most burn-in takes place imo.  Don't know the specs/signature/sound of your dac/amp but you might try them with another source (at a meetup or at least a full-sized stereo) to see if you can find a better match.

 

[keanex]

I don't know about the beyers, but consider this the AD700 are ~$300 cheaper when all is said and done. Now to answer the AD700 questions:
 
The ad700 has the absolute best sound stage for the ~$100 price. I'm not sure how it stacks against the DT880, but the only headphones I've listened to that were better were the AD900s, slightly.
 
The bass is weak. It's tight and accurate, but it's weak. You definitely won't get the "enveloped" or feeling of being truly involved in something in my experiences of using them for movies/music for a year. You could EQ some in, which is what I did, but you can't add to bass that isn't there really. The Ad900 have a bit more punch to them.
 
I'm currently using my Ad900s with the FiiO E7 amp and the bass is more present now with the bass setting on 1, though it's still not something that would satisfy a basshead. If you're going to put the DT880/990 against an Audio Technica headphone you'd be best comparing them to the AD900. In regards to what you like, the AD900s fit everything you want for $300. The mids/highs are stunning with clarity, the bass is present, but definitely not in your face, the FiiO E7 definitely has brought it out a little. The soundstage is vast and everything seems to be floating around you in your head. I love the ad900.

 

[xodaQo]

 
 
Quote:

Pick up the 555's and down the road when you're feeling up to it, mod them to 595s.

 
Mod them, like this?
http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/243907/soundstage-mod-for-hd-555-595
 
 
 
Quote:

The E7/E9 combo is highly raved about though, just make sure to order a line-out for portable use, assuming you have an iPod.

 
It's actually an Android phone (Samsung Epic, in case anyone cares) which, by the way, if someone is thinking about buying a Samsung phone, don't. Ever.  Samsung provides ZERO after-release support.  The Epic doesn't support USB audio out without 2.2 (Froyo) and Samsung hasn't released it.
 
EDIT: I forgot to ask.  If I wanted to use the HD555 for a week without an amp, running off a relatively clean audio source (a different laptop), what potential of the set would I probably be using? 

 

[eriktheg]

Okay guys, I stumbled across this website... And found that the Audio Technica products are really really really really cheap...
Any ideas? http://www.byay.net/technica-headphone-c-11.html
 
I'm seriously leaning towards believing that they are fake and I bet its too good to be true, but I also gotta ask if anyone got experience with this website? If not then I might as well not even look at this website again...
 
Edit* I got the answer I needed. This is a fake website.

 

[keanex]

@xodaQo, yes that's the mod to make them sound identical to the 595s. In regards to them being amped, they are actually one of the few headphones I've not gotten to audition yet in the $100 price range of the "big names." From what I hear others say though, they do gain some benefit from amping.
 
@eriktheg, something seems too good to be true there. Looking at their Beats selection makes me weary even more so, mostly because there's no way they could discount real Beats and make a profit. The list prices are also wrong as well.

 

[smashing]

 
Quote:

 
Hi head-fier's, Im gonna make a few questions about the AD700, against DT880/990, and which beyer is better.

 

I have been searching a lot, the most people here recommends AD700 for gaming, but I have also seen the people here recommend DT880 pro and the DT990, for gaming.(I dunno very much about the 990 models).

 

 

I'm thinking in buy a DT880 600 + a Fiio E9 amplifier, but I'm afraid I will pay $100 more than a AD700 and dont get a headphone that let the 700's on the ground if you know what I mean...

 

I will use the headphones for games and films, because for music I use my SRH 440. I dont care too much about the bass. And I will use the headphones in a X-fi titanium fatal1ty(yeah, I know there is just marketing in these sound cards, but when I bought it I doesnt know nothing about sound quality and all that stuff).

 

My questions is:

 

The beyer's soundstage are better than the AD700?

 

I have been seeing that the AD700 have very light bass, this is like no bass? Because people say that the guns in these headphones are like tin cans, is that true? 

 

Which version of the 990 are better for me?

 

Is it worth to spend U$260(with the G930 in the trade) in a DT880 pro or DT990 with a Fiio E9?

 

The beyer's will do a nice job with musics too? Better than mine SRH440? Because i bought them just to play guitar, cause I live in a apartment 

 

I like to listen, Metal(Iron Maiden, Metallica, Black Sabbath), Rock(AC/DC, Deep Purple, Beatles, etc.).

 

 

I listen music 60/70% of the time, and the 30/40% of the time is games
 
I only listen to lossless sounds, 1000kbps for FLAC's, and 1400kbps for WAV.
 
I know, that I will see the difference, but is this difference worth U$400?
 
I almost buying the beyers, I read your guide almost 5 times 
 
My likes and dislikes are:
 
Treble - I love it! hehe, always put the treble in 70% in the creative console , even when the EQ is on.
 
Bass - I dont like it too much, I put the bass at 30%, I hate boomy headphones, they always give me head aches...
 
Soundstage - I dunno very much about soundstage, I have never used open headphones, just noise cancelation headphones. I'll like to hear the sound depth, his detail, and separation. People say that the DT880 have a problem with sounds coming from 5 and 7 o'clock, is this true?

I can't comment on AD700. Just gonna share my take on the Beyers.
 
Having tried all the Beyers DTXX0 (premiumline), I am definitely biased towards DT880/600Ohm. Not only are they pleasing and bright, they give lots of details and tonality that make it a joy to listen to anything, be it rock, jazz, and especially vocal-heavy mixes. And although the impedance is high, it is not hard to drive at all, doing pretty well from a cheapo Crossroad Edge amp. Much prefer to use it on tube-amp however. 
 
Lots of people accuse DT880/600 for having no bass. The thing is, although it just doesn't do as well with the lower frequency bass (e.g. bass-drum sound or electronic mixed sound), it is one of the few headphone that produce very controlled and clear basslines from the mid-range bass (e.g. sound from bass guitar and contra-bass). In other words, while it doesn't give that bass-feel that the hip-hop or electronic people are looking for, it is one of the best headphone around that is pleasurable to people who could appreciate instrumental basses.
 
DT880/600 doesn't do very well to pull apart the instruments and provide the surround sound effect one might expect. This is why DT880 will give you some issue with FPS games, where it doesn't give pinpoint accuracy in which the sound originate. However, it is not true that the soundstage of DT880 is limited. While it doesn't do very well in projecting the sound laterally (like say AKG 701 or HD650), it does give a in your face fill, and reproducing music like how one would've felt in a concert, where music comes directly from the front, tailing off from the sides.

 

[TheStig88]

Anyone know where I could find a new pair of Audio Technica ES7's? Everywhere I look shows them as out of stock, and AT's site itself shows them as discontinued. There's a few sites off google that shows has them, but they're closer $150 which is on the higher end from what I've gathered.
 
http://www.compu-america.com/audio-technica-ath-es7-stereo-headphone-ath-es7a-bk.html
 
Has them, but I'm iffy on whether or not this site is any good. Any have experience with them?

 

[keanex]

Quote:

Anyone know where I could find a new pair of Audio Technica ES7's? Everywhere I look shows them as out of stock, and AT's site itself shows them as discontinued. There's a few sites off google that shows has them, but they're closer $150 which is on the higher end from what I've gathered.
 
http://www.compu-america.com/audio-technica-ath-es7-stereo-headphone-ath-es7a-bk.html
 
Has them, but I'm iffy on whether or not this site is any good. Any have experience with them?

Be weary of Ebay as well, someone bought those headphones from a vendor with good ratings on Ebay and found out his were fake.

 

[heartbraden]

 
Hey guys, I'm new here.  A lot of people have been telling me to ask you guys before buying some headphones, so I'll let the experts tell me what kind of headphones to get.

 

I'll be using them mainly for listening to black metal, death metal and hardstyle techno, as well as playing Call of Duty.  I want to be able to hear every footstep, etc.  I would also like to be able to take them on a walk down the street.  I wouldn't take them far, just a block or two.

 

My budget is somewhat low, however, at a maximum of $200, of course lower would be better.

 

But what make/model do you guys recommend for such activities?  Thanks so much, you guys have a great community here!