[fomoz]

Hello Head-Fi!
First Post, New User and all that.
 
I need new headphones!
I have had my Sennheiser 280 Pros for the past.... 9-10? or so years and they have been great! I love them! BUT!
I have worn them out. I have replaced the ear cushions, and after a few years the headband plastic started to crack, and a couple months ago the headband metal broke in half!
I have rigged them up with a nail bent over holding them together so they are still usable but I want to replace them.
 
I have been reading up on the forums for the past couple hours or so looking for a good replacement.
 
First off my birthday was a couple days ago and I got $200 in Amazon gift cards! (yay)
I am willing to put $100 on top of that so my price max is $300
So I would like to choose from the selection of headphones available from Amazon.
I currently have tabs open for:
 
AKG K272 HD
Sennheiser HD 380 Pro
Beyerdynamic DT 770
Audio Technica ATH-A900
AKG K271MKII
 
One thing you may notice is all (I think) of these are Closed and Over Ear headphones.
Those two stipulations are very important to me. I am in a room with loud things like a window AC unit and computers.
Over the ear is for my comfort.. I have a hard time with on the ear headphones.

Honestly I am not as worried about sound quality as I am build quality.
I would like these headphones to last for the next 10-15 years, with drops, knocks and other manhandling being a nearly daily occurrence.
 
My listening habits are, almost everything but country and rap, but mostly Rock, Classical, Jazz, Techno (ha), Electronica (ha ha)
90% of the time they will be plugged into my Kenwood receiver, which is plugged into my PC. The other 10% of the time they will be plugged into my phone.
 
I am leaning towards the Sennheisers since I have enjoyed my 280Pros so much, but I am worried about their build quality... because of the 280pros.  Also I think I am one of the weird people who like the curly cord of the Sennheisers.
I like the look of the AKG's but I cannot really tell a difference between the 272's and the 271s?
 
.... I know this is getting a bit long by now, sorry
 
I am also looking at earbuds (IEM's?) But I find it difficult spending that kind of money on something so small/fragile/loose-able?
 
Cliffs:
Need new headphones since my reliable Sennheiser 280Pros broke
Up to $300 from Amazon only
Closed and over the ear only
Durability is number 1 important, sound quality is 2nd, comfort is 3rd.
 
If you got this far, thanks for reading!
Thanks in advance for any replying posts!

since you're considering IEMs, SQ wise nothing in that price range will come even close to the Westone 3 ($340). they have a U-shaped sound which is great for rock and electronic. they won't last 15 years tho lol!

 

[thefinalorange]

hi, 
i'm going to new york next week, and i figured i would check out some local stores there. anyone know what stores would hold westone? i found that b&h has westone, but it says you can purchase a 2 year warranty. does that mean they don't already come with the 1 year warranty from westone? also, i've read that the westone have really durable cables.  are they better than getting the shure se215s durability wise? 
thanks!

 

[thefinalorange]

^never mind about the warranty question. i didn't see on the side of the page it said what's in the box, including a one year warranty. sorry about that

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Hey everyone!
 
I'm a budding audiophile who is currently shopping for a good starting pair of headphones. I have some decent-for-the-price Sony MDR-150's, but I think it's time to kick things up a notch and I've been told that Sennheiser is the way to go.
 
However, in exploring and doing some research, I find myself stumped as to whether or not to purchase either the Senn. HD-202 or the HD-203. In reading the reviews, I have read nothing but good stuff about both models (in equal amounts), and I have had a few friends rave about the HD-202's as being better than some of the best cans you can buy under $200. Unfortunately, none of my friends have experience with the HD-203's, so that's why I'm coming to you guys. Here are the factors I need for deciding:
 
Musical Tastes: Everything, (and I mean EVERYTHING), but my core ones are:
-Classical (esp. Medieval/Renaissance)
-Industrial (mainly EBM, Aggrotech, Futurepop)
-Black Metal
-Gothic Rock/Darkwave
-Synthpop/New Wave
 
Specs:
-Should be closed sound, people shouldn't be able to hear what I'm listening to
-Relatively comfortable, appearance doesn't matter
 
So what'll it be? 202, or 203? Thank in advance for y'all's help!
 
 
 
-------------------------
(as an aside, if you guys known of an even better set of cans that fit my specifications that are under $150, I'd love to know... I looked at the Senn. HD-580's, but they were open air!)

For $200 you can do much better than the HD202/203. For a closed Sennheiser, you can get a HD25-1-ii or HD380pro which play well across most genres. You can also get a Beyerdynamic DT770pro within budget, though that would not be my first choice for classical. A Shure SRH840 is another good choice, and you might even be able to find a used Denon D2000.
 
 
Quote:

Sup guys. Im going to buy new headphones. I listen to rap/hiphop and I will use the headphones on my iphone and computer. I've heard that Audio Technica ATH M-50 is good but when I asked a guy in a music shop, he said that M 50 are really  bad for hiphop listening. In sweden the M50 cost about 250$. 

As I said before Im going to buy new headphones and I only listen to Hiphop. 

Thanks

The M50 is fine, though not worth $250. The Shure 840 is better, but I'm not sure if it'll be any cheaper for you. The M-Audio Q40 might be more affordable, or the Sennheiser HD25-1-ii.
 


Quote:

Hello Head-Fi!
First Post, New User and all that.
 
I need new headphones!
I have had my Sennheiser 280 Pros for the past.... 9-10? or so years and they have been great! I love them! BUT!
I have worn them out. I have replaced the ear cushions, and after a few years the headband plastic started to crack, and a couple months ago the headband metal broke in half!
I have rigged them up with a nail bent over holding them together so they are still usable but I want to replace them.
 
I have been reading up on the forums for the past couple hours or so looking for a good replacement.
 
First off my birthday was a couple days ago and I got $200 in Amazon gift cards! (yay)
I am willing to put $100 on top of that so my price max is $300
So I would like to choose from the selection of headphones available from Amazon.
I currently have tabs open for:
 
AKG K272 HD
Sennheiser HD 380 Pro
Beyerdynamic DT 770
Audio Technica ATH-A900
AKG K271MKII
 
One thing you may notice is all (I think) of these are Closed and Over Ear headphones.
Those two stipulations are very important to me. I am in a room with loud things like a window AC unit and computers.
Over the ear is for my comfort.. I have a hard time with on the ear headphones.

Honestly I am not as worried about sound quality as I am build quality.
I would like these headphones to last for the next 10-15 years, with drops, knocks and other manhandling being a nearly daily occurrence.
 
My listening habits are, almost everything but country and rap, but mostly Rock, Classical, Jazz, Techno (ha), Electronica (ha ha)
90% of the time they will be plugged into my Kenwood receiver, which is plugged into my PC. The other 10% of the time they will be plugged into my phone.
 
I am leaning towards the Sennheisers since I have enjoyed my 280Pros so much, but I am worried about their build quality... because of the 280pros.  Also I think I am one of the weird people who like the curly cord of the Sennheisers.
I like the look of the AKG's but I cannot really tell a difference between the 272's and the 271s?
 
.... I know this is getting a bit long by now, sorry
 
I am also looking at earbuds (IEM's?) But I find it difficult spending that kind of money on something so small/fragile/loose-able?
 
Cliffs:
Need new headphones since my reliable Sennheiser 280Pros broke
Up to $300 from Amazon only
Closed and over the ear only
Durability is number 1 important, sound quality is 2nd, comfort is 3rd.
 
If you got this far, thanks for reading!
Thanks in advance for any replying posts!

Durability and isolation seem to be key points. The Beyer DT770pro is definitely a tank and will take a beating. The lows are a bit overwhelming to me, but many enjoy that bass punch. The Senn HD380 is also good and has great isolation as well. A couple more to consider: Senn HD25-1-ii and Pioneer HDJ-2000. Both are DJ headphones though not as heavily U shaped as others, with great build quality and isolation.
 

 

[AndreiKuznetsov]

Quote:

For $200 you can do much better than the HD202/203. For a closed Sennheiser, you can get a HD25-1-ii or HD380pro which play well across most genres. You can also get a Beyerdynamic DT770pro within budget, though that would not be my first choice for classical. A Shure SRH840 is another good choice, and you might even be able to find a used Denon D2000.
 

Unfortunately, $150 is my absolute limit. All of those sound rather nice though.
 
Back to my main topic, though: what are the differences between the HD202 and the HD203, and how would they compare to the genres I mentioned in my original post?

 

[boirefish]

Okay, moving my first post here
 
 
I'm addicted to this forum, even though I'm really new to the whole audiophile concept. I love music, and some of my friends do too, but most survive on $20 earbuds whilst appreciating my interest in a polite way. I really want to take the plunge into Audiophilia. At the moment I'm using some Able Planet sound clarity's, which are not audiophile by anyone's standards, but I got them for cheap. Not sure where they scale, but I feel a coming of age upgrade into something gateway is necessary...

I'm willing to spend around 0-$300 (with emphasis on that 300 limit. ie the cost of used senn hd650's probably my cap) for some new/used headphones.

 

have looked into the senn series, from hd500's to 600's

the ATH-AD700's, beyer's dt880/990, denon d2000

 

and in-ears (dba-02, SM3's, IE8's)

 

tried some bose qc3's at the apple store a while back, and I thought they were alright, dare I say nice, compared to my current phones.

If anyone has gone through my phase/still is going through such a phase, please shed some light in this general direction.

 

opinions such as "you don't need to upgrade/buy a cheap amp first" are also a great heads up for me, because I'm at the very foundations of knowledge here, and money is always an issue for us uni students.

 

Speaking of amps, i just ordered a Fiio E5. Yep, cheap as it gets.

also, if there's any other information you want me to include, I'd gladly add that in. for now:

 

age: 20

headphone STYLE preference: generic/mainstream atm (enjoy shiny smooth things like senn's atm, but would like to develop a broader appreciation)

music preference:

-instrumentals and classical,

-mainstream stuff you have on your average phone (base thumping r&b, ne-yo, t-pain, jpop & kpop sometimes)

-some alt (the fray, the script, the killers, simple plan),

-love older stuff too (mj, savage garden, b-52, bloodhound gang)

*I listen to almost everything

 

current setup: E5 amp when that arrives, phone/laptop/$400 sony hifi system bought from the good guys (can I use that as a home amp/DAC? I have no idea...), cx300-ii's and able planet's

 

thanks for your time guys!

 

oh and, if you've got something to sell, hit me up. I live in Sydney.

 

[Kwich9]

accurate, and then I can not find them by myself in Italy, so I was undecided on those models.

Or something else but that dela size of philips

 

[robmacros]

Hi, this is my first post on Head-Fi.
 
I have been looking into buying a pair of headphones for around $100. I have manly been looking into getting Sennheiser HD448's, but i have read that they aren't good with bass and need an amp to get good bass.
 
Are there better choices for that price range that i should look into?

 

[Nom de Plume]

I'm willing to spend around 0-$300 (with emphasis on that 300 limit. ie the cost of used senn hd650's probably my cap) for some new/used headphones.

If you're willing to spend only $300 in total, don't invest in the HD650. The HD650 needs an amp, and your budget can't afford that.
 

 

[WoahReQQuiem]

Which of these budget amp can drive the AKG K701 (while still sounding good) the best?

FiiO E9
FiiO E11
Little-Dot MK1

Many recommend the E9, although if the E11/MK1 can come close to the E9 in terms of SQ, then I have to pick from those two, especially since I prefer my amp to be rechargeable.
I am on a $130 budget for amps, so..

 

[brianchia]

hey. looking to buy some headphones with a budget of sgd350 (usd 280).
using it for like 10 hours per day, so i need them to be very comfortable.
listening to queen, 70/80s rock bands. will use it on my macbookpro
 
any recommendation?

 

[koolkat]

Good morning

I'm quite new to the head-fi scene. I've been using cheap stock in-ear ones for forever, but now I've decided to buy not-so-cheap over-ear ones. My budget is S$100 max which is about US$80.
 
My first not-stock headphones are Audio Technica ONTO headphones.

 
It was also uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Felt like they were clamping too tight on my head.
The bass didn't feel good enough, and there was slight crackling when I turn the volume up high, which is unacceptable because I take the train to school and there's a lot of ambient noise. 
 
What I want in my new headphones: that bass feeling, comfort, durability, clarity and no distortion/crackling.
I've looked through a few websites, and I found the Sennheiser HD418. Does anyone have experience with this model?
If you do, please share. I need to know how the bass is, how durable it is, and whether there is that crackling sound when I'm playing music at higher volume and also if the music sounds all squashed and flat. 
 
I don't mind if the music leaks out of my headphones, but I don't want them into my ears when I'm listening to music.
Do these do the job well? 
 
I usually listen to music like Arctic Monkeys, a little dubstep, Angus and Julia stone, acoustic songs, A7X, etc.
I listen to music on my Motorola Defy and my Acer laptop. 
 
This is the HD 418

This looks like the headphones that will suit my needs. Single cable makes the whole set-up neat, "bass-driven" [not too sure what that means], within my budget, felt comfortable when I tried it on and stylish. I prefer the sound of the Sennheiser HD418 to HD428 as the 418 feels like it has more "oomph"
 
Well if no one here has experience with the HD418, can someone give things to look out for while auditioning headphones?
 
 
Edit: I'm not a fan of "use the Search function" type of replies. It'd be real helpful if you could post me the actual links instead. Thx
 

 

[indy5]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armaegis /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Looking at budget headphones, check out Joker's massive portables review thread for other options (link is in the very first post of this thread).
 
They will be just fine coming out of your soundcard. If you're looking for a cheap upgrade, the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro II is a great investment at $25, and as a bonus it's also an optical converter if you ever get into bigger DACs in the future.

Unfortunately, Joker's thread doesn't help me much. I'm looking for a pair of full-size headphones, not something portable.
 
As for your soundcard suggestion, thanks, I'll look into it.
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Okay, moving my first post here
 
 
I'm addicted to this forum, even though I'm really new to the whole audiophile concept. I love music, and some of my friends do too, but most survive on $20 earbuds whilst appreciating my interest in a polite way. I really want to take the plunge into Audiophilia. At the moment I'm using some Able Planet sound clarity's, which are not audiophile by anyone's standards, but I got them for cheap. Not sure where they scale, but I feel a coming of age upgrade into something gateway is necessary...

I'm willing to spend around 0-$300 (with emphasis on that 300 limit. ie the cost of used senn hd650's probably my cap) for some new/used headphones.

 

have looked into the senn series, from hd500's to 600's

the ATH-AD700's, beyer's dt880/990, denon d2000

 

and in-ears (dba-02, SM3's, IE8's)

 

tried some bose qc3's at the apple store a while back, and I thought they were alright, dare I say nice, compared to my current phones.

If anyone has gone through my phase/still is going through such a phase, please shed some light in this general direction.

 

opinions such as "you don't need to upgrade/buy a cheap amp first" are also a great heads up for me, because I'm at the very foundations of knowledge here, and money is always an issue for us uni students.

 

Speaking of amps, i just ordered a Fiio E5. Yep, cheap as it gets.

also, if there's any other information you want me to include, I'd gladly add that in. for now:

 

age: 20

headphone STYLE preference: generic/mainstream atm (enjoy shiny smooth things like senn's atm, but would like to develop a broader appreciation)

music preference:

-instrumentals and classical,

-mainstream stuff you have on your average phone (base thumping r&b, ne-yo, t-pain, jpop & kpop sometimes)

-some alt (the fray, the script, the killers, simple plan),

-love older stuff too (mj, savage garden, b-52, bloodhound gang)

*I listen to almost everything

 

current setup: E5 amp when that arrives, phone/laptop/$400 sony hifi system bought from the good guys (can I use that as a home amp/DAC? I have no idea...), cx300-ii's and able planet's

 

thanks for your time guys!

 

oh and, if you've got something to sell, hit me up. I live in Sydney.

The Sennheiser are a safe bet for all-rounders. If you don't want to bother with a big amp yet (especially within budget), stay away from the HD600/650. Consider the 555/558 or 595/598 family. Read up on ways to mod the formers in the latters. The D2000 is also a nice entry into headfi.
 


Quote:

Hello everyone, as you see I'm new, I would have intension to buy a pair of headphones for the ipod, my choice had fallen between them.

AKG K404 Headphones
Sennheiser HD 201
Sennheiser HD 218
Philips SHL 9600

what do you recommend?

The portable AKGs all tned to be quite bass heavy if you're into that. I haven't heard the others.
 

 
Quote:

Hi, this is my first post on Head-Fi.
 
I have been looking into buying a pair of headphones for around $100. I have manly been looking into getting Sennheiser HD448's, but i have read that they aren't good with bass and need an amp to get good bass.
 
Are there better choices for that price range that i should look into?

The HD438 is better in the bass. You might also consider an AKG K518.
 


Quote:

Which of these budget amp can drive the AKG K701 (while still sounding good) the best?

FiiO E9
FiiO E11
Little-Dot MK1

Many recommend the E9, although if the E11/MK1 can come close to the E9 in terms of SQ, then I have to pick from those two, especially since I prefer my amp to be rechargeable.
I am on a $130 budget for amps, so..

You might have better luck asking on the specific amp threads rather than here.  The E9 has a lot of good reviews, but the E11 is still fairly new so you'll have to dig through the threads to find impressions there.
 


Quote:

hey. looking to buy some headphones with a budget of sgd350 (usd 280).
using it for like 10 hours per day, so i need them to be very comfortable.
listening to queen, 70/80s rock bands. will use it on my macbookpro
 
any recommendation?

Do you need open or closed? The most comfortable closed full sized I've ever worn are the Phiaton PS500, but any closed headphone starts to get warm after a while.
 


Quote:

Good morning

I'm quite new to the head-fi scene. I've been using cheap stock in-ear ones for forever, but now I've decided to buy not-so-cheap over-ear ones. My budget is S$100 max which is about US$80.
 
My first not-stock headphones are Audio Technica ONTO headphones.
 
It was also uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Felt like they were clamping too tight on my head.
The bass didn't feel good enough, and there was slight crackling when I turn the volume up high, which is unacceptable because I take the train to school and there's a lot of ambient noise. 
 
What I want in my new headphones: that bass feeling, comfort, durability, clarity and no distortion/crackling.
I've looked through a few websites, and I found the Sennheiser HD418. Does anyone have experience with this model?
If you do, please share. I need to know how the bass is, how durable it is, and whether there is that crackling sound when I'm playing music at higher volume and also if the music sounds all squashed and flat. 
 
I don't mind if the music leaks out of my headphones, but I don't want them into my ears when I'm listening to music.
Do these do the job well? 
 
I usually listen to music like Arctic Monkeys, a little dubstep, Angus and Julia stone, acoustic songs, A7X, etc.
I listen to music on my Motorola Defy and my Acer laptop. 
 
This is the HD 418
 
This looks like the headphones that will suit my needs. Single cable makes the whole set-up neat, "bass-driven" [not too sure what that means], within my budget, felt comfortable when I tried it on and stylish. I prefer the sound of the Sennheiser HD418 to HD428 as the 418 feels like it has more "oomph"
 
Well if no one here has experience with the HD418, can someone give things to look out for while auditioning headphones?
 
 
Edit: I'm not a fan of "use the Search function" type of replies. It'd be real helpful if you could post me the actual links instead. Thx
 

For your budget, you should be able to get the HD438 which would be a step up from the 418 you're considering.
 

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Unfortunately, Joker's thread doesn't help me much. I'm looking for a pair of full-size headphones, not something portable.
 
As for your soundcard suggestion, thanks, I'll look into it.
 

 
Some of the headphones on that thread are full sized.  They either fold up or have short cables to make them compatible with portables devices in a pocket.  For instance, the last 2 reviews he added are both full sized, circumaural headphones.