[ldstevens2]

Hello Folks
I am seeking some advice for new cans ~ I am in the $300 range willing to go to 400 if the difference in huge.  I am relatively clueless on this decision.  I am a deadhead.  I use a Mcintosh c39 pre amp w a mc150 amp.  I would also use them for a macbook pro and an iphone. I have three kiddos so insulation/noise reduction  is important but I do not want noise cancellation. I have researched somewhat and am leaning to AKG or Sennheiser until today my Mcintosh dealer(Audio Classics) told me to check in with you guys(also referred me to Grado and Denon) Any and all advice is much appreciated for only research and outside input will be the factor in the purchase.   cheers
 

 

[Awsomesaucer]

Hey, guys I'm looking for a good portable pair over-ear headphones. I'm not very experienced on this topic, so I came here for help.
 
I don't have much preference in either open or closed headphones, but I have a couple things I would like:
 
-Powerful bass impact
-Smooth, crisp sounding mids and highs
-Good portability 
-Comfortable fit
-Affordable (currently in school) around a $140 price range
 
As for music I listen to, I listen to a variety of music including metal, classic rock, techno, soul, funk, and hip-hop.

And as a side note: I like silver finishes
 
-Thanks

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

I dont think i will buy many headphones im trying to get a good one to stick with are there any reasons why you would recomend the 780s over the 550 also i would like to know about over ear vs on ear because the sennheisers are on ear

 
The reason I recommend trying a bunch of lower end headphones is so you can develop an ear and taste for what you like.
 
I felt the 550 had a really weird sound in the mids. Ultrasones typically have a bit of a wobbly response, but the 550 moreso.
 
On ear vs over ear is highly dependent on the person. Some find it more comfortable, others not. The same goes for isolation. Yet another reason to try several different kinds to see what you like.
 
 


Quote:

Hello Folks
I am seeking some advice for new cans ~ I am in the $300 range willing to go to 400 if the difference in huge.  I am relatively clueless on this decision.  I am a deadhead.  I use a Mcintosh c39 pre amp w a mc150 amp.  I would also use them for a macbook pro and an iphone. I have three kiddos so insulation/noise reduction  is important but I do not want noise cancellation. I have researched somewhat and am leaning to AKG or Sennheiser until today my Mcintosh dealer(Audio Classics) told me to check in with you guys(also referred me to Grado and Denon) Any and all advice is much appreciated for only research and outside input will be the factor in the purchase.   cheers
 

Well if you need isolation, then you'll want closed headphones. All the high end AKG/Senn/Grado are open, so that cuts them out. That leaves you with a Denon D2000 within your price range, which is actually a pretty good headphone. Another one to consider would be the Beyerdynamic DT770.
 


Quote:

Hey, guys I'm looking for a good portable pair over-ear headphones. I'm not very experienced on this topic, so I came here for help.
 
I don't have much preference in either open or closed headphones, but I have a couple things I would like:
 
-Powerful bass impact
-Smooth, crisp sounding mids and highs
-Good portability 
-Comfortable fit
-Affordable (currently in school) around a $140 price range
 
As for music I listen to, I listen to a variety of music including metal, classic rock, techno, soul, funk, and hip-hop.

And as a side note: I like silver finishes
 
-Thanks

 
Audio Technica M50 or Shure 750: strong lows and highs, leaner mids, good isolation
Shure 840: very good isolation, better mids than above but less impactful bass
AKG K181: lots of bass
 

 
 

 

[ldstevens2]

Quote:

 



Well if you need isolation, then you'll want closed headphones. All the high end AKG/Senn/Grado are open, so that cuts them out. That leaves you with a Denon D2000 within your price range, which is actually a pretty good headphone. Another one to consider would be the Beyerdynamic DT770.
 


 
Audio Technica M50 or Shure 750: strong lows and highs, leaner mids, good isolation
Shure 840: very good isolation, better mids than above but less impactful bass
AKG K181: lots of bass
 

 
 

Since I do have a office in home and can close myself off from rest of house I don't think I would want to sacrifice any quality for sound isolation. Do I give up quality for closed ears ~ if so I would go to open. Thanks

 

[asasin12344]

im looking for headphones with good soundstage for games like mw2 i was gonna get the razer orca they look good but the price range is 50-60 dollars us thank you.
 

 

[Awsomesaucer]

Quote:

 
Audio Technica M50 or Shure 750: strong lows and highs, leaner mids, good isolation
Shure 840: very good isolation, better mids than above but less impactful bass
AKG K181: lots of bass
 

 
 

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm interested in the AKG's and the M50 as well. Does anyone else have some useful input for me? 
 

 

[FlyBPR]

Hi guys,
 
I'm looking for a set of closed headphones around $150 or less.  I listen to mostly rock/alternative, and some jazz as well.  I've narrowed down my options (I think) to the M50 and the HFI-580. Any opinions?  FWIW, I'll be picking up a FiiO E7 as well.  Obviously this is pretty low end compared to a lot of you guys, but hey, gotta start somewhere I guess...
 
Thanks for the help

 

[Phos]

Quote:

 
I haven't heard those particular ATs but Headroom's graphs are usually right on the money.  Their write ups? Not as much.  IMO the orthos are another league compared to all but the very best dynamics.  They'll need serious amping though.  Unless you've got an old receiver with a beefy headphone out taped from the speaker terminals laying around it will probably be at least a $200 to get a strong enough amp.  If you're not up to modding up a pair of T50RPs or what not you'll have go with one of the newer offerings.  The HE-4 is the cheapest, supposed to sound very similar to the HE-5LE which I've heard and liked, but also very hard to drive.  Even with the savings from the amp bundle that HiFiMan is doing right now its still double your budget.
 
I'm not sure how they'd do with classical, but they're great with rock and metal.
 
You'll also want to check here about gaming with the HE-4.  Mad Lust recently got a pair and might have commented on gaming with them, I forget.  Also, FWIR people seem to  like the AD700 better with games and the AD900 better with music.

Classical isn't really a priority, by the way.  I bring it up to highlight the general confusion I have with these phones.  To be honest, i'm mostly tempted by the HiFiman orthos because I think they look cool, though it sounds like they wouldn't be wanting for sound quality.  I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of these phones and what genres they're good with, though.  The budget I mention is just for the phones, by the way, the source is separate.  
 
 

 
Quote:

I answered you earlier... but to reiterate: You already have some rather nice headphones (A900), but it sounds like you've now changed your mind about them because of some reviews and graphs that you've read. Were you happier before you read those reviews?
 
How do you feel about the A900? what do you like/dislike? Are you looking for something that's similar or different sounding?
 

Sorry, I missed it amids the rest of that giant post.  
 
I actually thought the bass left something to be desired when I first got them but I just assumed that it was just a limitation 
common to headphones, then I start looking for an open backed pair as see that head room finally has a response curve for them.  I tend to find myself eq'ing up the bass a bit these days.  
 
And I'm mostly looking for new headphones because the A900's are closed and they get hot during the summer, and I'd also like to try something that sounds different.  a lot of my questions pertaining to them have to do with them being my only hi-fi headphones and I'm trying to figure out where I am to know where to go.  

 

[zephyria]

 
Hiya, looking for help to choose what to get. I don't know of any models, actually..S:
 
Lost my sherwood se777, as a reference for something I like. I will use a sansa fuze with whatever I'm getting.
 
I can never really seem to figure out genres properly, but it should generally go like this: I like techno/trance/dance music, I often listen to pop/8-bit-ish?/rock as well....
I avoid genres such as  blues/jazz/heavy metal/etc.....probably classical as well...
Additionally, I think i like precise notes over say, booming bass or something. Not a basshead. x:
 
Budget under 200sgd, so I suppose that translates to under 150 dollars? I'm not too sure. So far, I only know of jaben to get earphones..
I went down to jaben to test, and realised I had no idea what to ask for. The guy gave me a atomic floyd acousticSteel, an atrios, and another earphone which I didn't ask for the name after learning it costs 300.
 
I like how clear the floyd sounds, but It feels too..cold, I think. And it feels like it'd give me a headache if I listen to it for a longer period, so I dont think I'd get it. Imo, listening to music meant for enjoyment after all, not to give yourself headaches with.
 
Unless I find something I like better then the sherwood (something easier to wear would be nice), I think I might fall back on that.
 
 
Thanks!
 
(ps: I don't want headphones, which was the reason why I wasn't sure if i should post here initially, but a couple of members directed me here anyway, so yeah.)

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

Classical isn't really a priority, by the way.  I bring it up to highlight the general confusion I have with these phones.  To be honest, i'm mostly tempted by the HiFiman orthos because I think they look cool, though it sounds like they wouldn't be wanting for sound quality.  I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of these phones and what genres they're good with, though.  The budget I mention is just for the phones, by the way, the source is separate.  
 
 

I've heard the 5LEs and the 6s. The 4s are supposed to be exactly the same as the 5LEs except less efficient because they have fewer magnets in them though I don't know how this holds up sound wise.  They're both a little bright for my tastes (I'd go for the LCD-2 if I could get much use out of an open 'phone), but I'm pretty sensitive to treble.  They're hardly ear piercers like the Beyer DT990s or something though.  I've come to like Orthos because they have speed, extension, and smoothness that doesn't sacrifice any detail.  IMO, only a few dynamic 'phones really compete (or might if I got further listening) with orthos in those departments.
 
A few people come away with a completely different impression though.  They don't just not find them to their tastes, which is reasonable and easily understandable, but describe their sound completely differently than most people so they aren't exactly a sure thing.
 
For genre bandwidth, I can really only speak to my more preferred genres lest I sound like a pompous "classical snob" who complains about things I don't know much about.  They are fast, detailed, transparent, and have very good tonality which should make them good with that but I couldn't say for sure since I don't listen to a ton.  Those traits do make them great with metal though.  Death metal blast beats aren't muddied, the occasional synth, keyboard, piano, or pan flute will come through unmolested by the heaviest guitars,  solo shreds retain all their detail, and operatic female vocals are lush and ephemeral without smoothing over any harshness from growls and screams.  For electronica, all of the new ones seem to go low enough for deepest synthesized notes along with good imaging and phase coherency for the sort of crazy effects that move all over the place.

 

[BeatDoggy]

What recommendations do you have for a pair of open back headphones that still retain some bass for Industrial music for under ~$100? Not running off of an amp just a good PC soundcard.

 

[JudgeDreadLocks]

Quote:

I answered you above already, but yes you might as well get the extra pads. The 7506 pads aren't the greatest to begin with and they tend to flake after some use.

 

Sorry, I didn't see the post. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[scompton]

 
Quote:

What recommendations do you have for a pair of open back headphones that still retain some bass for Industrial music for under ~$100? Not running off of an amp just a good PC soundcard.

I'm not really familiar with industrial music but the PX-100 has decent bass, is open and doesn't need an amp.  They're pretty comfortable and durable too.

 

[maverickronin]

Quote:

 
Hiya, looking for help to choose what to get. I don't know of any models, actually..S:
 
Lost my sherwood se777, as a reference for something I like. I will use a sansa fuze with whatever I'm getting.
 
I can never really seem to figure out genres properly, but it should generally go like this: I like techno/trance/dance music, I often listen to pop/8-bit-ish?/rock as well....
I avoid genres such as  blues/jazz/heavy metal/etc.....probably classical as well...
Additionally, I think i like precise notes over say, booming bass or something. Not a basshead. x:
 
Budget under 200sgd, so I suppose that translates to under 150 dollars? I'm not too sure. So far, I only know of jaben to get earphones..
I went down to jaben to test, and realised I had no idea what to ask for. The guy gave me a atomic floyd acousticSteel, an atrios, and another earphone which I didn't ask for the name after learning it costs 300.
 
I like how clear the floyd sounds, but It feels too..cold, I think. And it feels like it'd give me a headache if I listen to it for a longer period, so I dont think I'd get it. Imo, listening to music meant for enjoyment after all, not to give yourself headaches with.
 
Unless I find something I like better then the sherwood (something easier to wear would be nice), I think I might fall back on that.
 
 
Thanks!
 
(ps: I don't want headphones, which was the reason why I wasn't sure if i should post here initially, but a couple of members directed me here anyway, so yeah.)

 
Despite what they told you in the other thread, most of the experienced people hanging out in this one don't a ton of experience with IEMs.  You might want to check out these threads.  Your old Sherwood is mentioned in the first one so that will give you a point of comparison.  I don't have any experience with nor have I been following anything that's current and within your price range so I can't give you a whole lot of help.
 

 

[zephyria]

I see. I was looking for suggestions that I could try, though.
Won't buy anything without trying anyway, so i shouldn't really matter.


The first thread's really helpful by classifying stuff together! 
I found the second one you linked earlier, and I found the info.....kinda overwhelming.