[Caffiene]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 200poundsofamp /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I haven't heard them, so someone who owns them can feel free to correct me, but if the 440s are set up at all like the 840s they'll have more midbass punch and a more forward midrange. The HFI-680's will give you more treble and a lot more sub bass, and sound sharper and more expansive, but they're also a little sibilant.
 
I'd lean towards the 440s for rock and vocals, and the 680s for electronic, but you shouldn't be disappointed with either.

Thanks!
 
Although I listen to rock more than electronica, the expansiveness on 680s generally sounds more appealing. Only problem is I hate sibilance. Plus Ive been reading that for a normal sized head the clamping can be pretty heavy... and my head is decidedly on the large side of normal.
 
Trying to find places to audtion them, but so far only found the 440s not the 680s. Cant find anywhere around Melbourne that seems to stock Ultrasone...

 

[linuxid10t]

Portability is in the eyes of the beholder...  I used to wear my Sennheiser HD595s with me everywhere.  They are full size, non foldable headphones, about the size of the AD700.  I had no problem with it, when I got my Grado SR-60is I though it was an AMAZING improvement in portability.  Most people say those are at home only phones... LOL  Anyway, there is no isolation what so ever. NONE.
 
Quote:

Thank you. Which one would you recommend?  Also, are AD700 extremely huge?  I have heard they sound absolutely great - is it worth sacrificing the sound quality with the portability? How is the isolation? 
 


 

 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Hello i'm new to head-fi and I was looking to get new headphones. I've come down to Ultrasone's Pro 900 and 2900 models, is the sound signature different? how good is the isolation on the 900? are balanced ones better? And are higher-end LODs better than Fiio's and worth the money?
 
Thanks for your help

Ultrasone isolation in general is good (assuming a good fit/seal).
 
General differences in sound for open vs closed is that closed tends to give more bass and rumble, while open gives better soundstage (though Ultrasones have a funny feeling soundstage to begin with).
 
Balanced generally gives you better separation and more power available. However, think carefully before investing into balanced. You're basically doubling the cost of your amplifiers on top of having to mod all your headphones. Like all things audio, it's a dangerous game of diminishing returns.
 
Quote:

Thanks. Those two are the ones which I have shortlisted myself. I had a question about the HD280's chord length. Do you think it's big and make it difficult for portable use?  Any other pair that you'd like to add to that list?  Thanks much!
 

The cord length is long, but I've known some people who just coil it up with some velcro or twist ties. You can also cut it down to a third by braiding it (slightly different than a typical braid, but not that difficult; see #2 here: http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Decorative.htm)
 
For isolation, the HD280 is hard to beat. The V6 and Shure 440 are decent, but don't compete. The HD380, HD25-1-ii and B&W P5 compete for isolation, but are more expensive.
 
However, iems are still hands down better for noise isolation.
 


Quote:

Those are pretty big then.
 
What kind of isolation does sony mdr zx700 provide?  Do you think it's better than HD280 or Shure 440?  Thanks!
 

Check out Joker's portable review guide. There's a chart to see relative rankings which has isolation in there.
 


Quote:

Thanks!
 
Although I listen to rock more than electronica, the expansiveness on 680s generally sounds more appealing. Only problem is I hate sibilance. Plus Ive been reading that for a normal sized head the clamping can be pretty heavy... and my head is decidedly on the large side of normal.
 
Trying to find places to audtion them, but so far only found the 440s not the 680s. Cant find anywhere around Melbourne that seems to stock Ultrasone...

While the Ultrasones do tend to clamp a bit, they have very large cups which distributes the pressure so it feels less. As always though, comfort is a tough call to make for others.
 

 

[200poundsofamp]

Quote:

Thanks!
 
Although I listen to rock more than electronica, the expansiveness on 680s generally sounds more appealing. Only problem is I hate sibilance. Plus Ive been reading that for a normal sized head the clamping can be pretty heavy... and my head is decidedly on the large side of normal.

 
np dude!
 
But that makes it easy, go for the Shures. I really like the Ultrasone soundstage myself but its really not worth the sibilance if you're sensitive to it.
 
Also the HFI-580 might be worth checking out if you like lots of bass, they're not supposed to be nearly as sibilant as the 680 and 780.

 

[Remonster]

I replaced my HD280 Pros with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s when I moved into the dorms at school and found it to be a big step up. I absolutely love the sound in all aspects, if I would change anything I would add a tiny bit of sub bass but overall I think they're great. The only issue I have with them is they're sealed and my ears get hot and sweaty after an hour, so now that I'm back at my parents' house and don't need to worry about isolation in my room I've been looking at an open headphone that sounds close to the A-Ts. My first effort is the HD558s I have on my head right now, came in the mail today and so far I think they sound ok but they're a bit bright and lacking in low end compared to the A-Ts. Do you guys think I should stick with these and burn them in or can you recommend me a good alternative under $200?
 
I should mention I'm using my iMac as a source (MP3 320s and Spotify Premium's Ogg Vorbis q9) with a Nuforce uDAC-2 which is a USB DAC and headphone amp (not entirely impressed but it's a good choice at $120).
 
To the guy asking,I've had my HD280 Pros for ~5 years now and I think they're a fine headphone, the coiled cable is pretty big but more importantly it's a little heavy which made the headphone slightly annoying to wear for me. I wouldn't consider it an ideal portable headphone. I like my ATH-M50s much better, I think it sounds better in every way and the straight cable and slightly lighter weight make it a better portable headphone.
 
 

 

[Shiryu]

Thanks Armaegis, this is helping me out in narrowing down my decisions.
 
I've already tried the K430 and wasn't impressed with the sound and comfort of them even though they were well portable. I saw K81 and K518 and they seem a bit similar and low cost, which is a plus (in a way). How is the sound quality on them though and their biggest difference apart from the cable?
A few models my friends suggested were the K142 HD and K272. I think the first one is still in my price range but didn't get much hands on time when testing it out with my iPhone.
The Sennheisers look good, the 380 is indeed quite big but I need to check it out the real thing and see how it fits. I heard the HD-25-1 II is also a good pair of headphones but can't exactly find the strengths/weaknesses of them (sound leakage/isolation, open/closed, plus they seem a bit more pricey too).
 
Sound quality wise, which of the ones said above are better? Just to have an idea what to expect/how to compare them (between eachother).
And material wise, are they all built to resist or easily breakable? I've heard Sennheisers were sometimes said to be ''cheap plastic''.
 
Anyways, if anyone has any other models (be it AKG/Sennheiser or not), I'm happy to take any suggestions. I heard Shure, Grado, Denon, Ultrasone (HFI580/680), Audio Technica (ATH-M50) ... are also good brands but I'm a complete beginner in this section and don't know which one I should be going for.
I also realised that my WeSC are semi open, so I'm still wide open to suggestions (portables/home use).
At least now, if the sound quality on all mentioned headphones is good, I'd be satisfied.
Are they better than WeSC ones I have now? Alot of people seem to say WeSC has horrible sound quality, but since they were my first pair of headphones I don't know what I might be missing out on.
 
I love the fact that they're not too wallet busting either. I'm just looking for the best bang for my buck (since I love music) and great sound quality. No preference for any brand but AKG/Sennheiser seem to be popping up the most when people are talking headphones (at least here in Belgium/France).
Not looking to spend 300€ or invest into headphone amps for a while so it has to be a pair that holds me for some time. So the headphones should still remain in my max 150€ budget (like the ones already suggested). 

 
EDIT: A very debatable question but how do the BOSE headphones retailing at about 150€ since I have a friend suggesting me those too, although I'm not sure if they have the best price/quality ratio?
P.S.: Are those K518LE headphones always folding/collapsing when around the neck or not? Just a small design question.

Quote:

 
Skip the noise cancelling for now. It's a high cost component that typically detracts from sound quality.

AKG makes some decent portables that have good isolation and strong bass. The K81 or K518 are good, as well as the K430. Sennheiser is mostly known for open headphones, though for closed there is the PX200-ii (very portable, moderate isolation), HD280 (excellent isolation), HD380 (better than the 280, but also more expensive, and also a bit bigger)

 

[jgooner]

Thanks for your reply, Armaegis.  Does HD280 come with a coiled cable? I am trying to find the cable features online but I am getting different things from different sources.  How would you rate Sony xb700 with HD280 and Shure 440.  I am going to get one of those 3, but can't decide which one.
 
Can you please post the link for the said guide?  I tried searching it here but couldn't find it.  Thanks much!

 
Quote:

The cord length is long, but I've known some people who just coil it up with some velcro or twist ties. You can also cut it down to a third by braiding it (slightly different than a typical braid, but not that difficult; see #2 here: http://www.layhands.com/Knots/Knots_Decorative.htm)  
For isolation, the HD280 is hard to beat. The V6 and Shure 440 are decent, but don't compete. The HD380, HD25-1-ii and B&W P5 compete for isolation, but are more expensive.
 
However, iems are still hands down better for noise isolation.
 



Check out Joker's portable review guide. There's a chart to see relative rankings which has isolation in there.

 

[pastuch]

1. I love my Koss Porta Pros a lot. I love to wear them while jogging but I find the cloth covers to be sorely lacking in quality. They wear out very quickly and are less than comfortable. Does anyone know of any durable, good sounding replacement pads? I see a lot on ebay but I can't tell which are good and which are bad. I live in Canada.
 
2. IEMs are driving me nuts. I bought a pair of Klipsch Image S4Is and I'm not impressed at all. I can't return them. I don't find them half as interesting as the Porta Pros. Are there any IEMs that have comparable/similar sound to the Porta Pro? I'm going to try to sell the S4Is second hand. I find I've been getting more ear/throat infections since I started wearing them so maybe I should avoid IEMs alltogether. The worst thing about the S4I is the cable noise, do all IEMs sound like this while you're moving the cable around?
 
3. My 8 year old Sennheiser HD 570s velour is wearing through and the thin cloth cover over the speaker driver at the center of the circumaural pad is falling apart. Can this be fixed? Are the parts replaceable? Is it worth doing? Truth be told, I find the 570 underwelming compared to AKG 501s.
 
4. If I am to replace the HD570s should I look for ATH-M50s or a used set of AKGs? Do they all require a dedicated amp?
 
5. For portable devices I am looking at a 5.5gen Ipod Classic 30gb (Wolfson DAC) with Rockbox firmware or a Sansa Clip+ with Rockbox firmware. Which would you choose and why? If there is a better portable audio player please advise. Note I am buying a Galaxy S II today from Bell Canada but I understand it doesn't have stellar audio quality. My current IPOD Nano 3g is getting replaced.

 

[elixile]

For question 5 there are better sounding portable players but they suffer from worse UI/reliability (Nationite S:flo 2, Hifiman etc.) although you could get a Cowon J3/S9/X7 with its superior battery life, sound enhancements, and not so bad UI. However I'd much rather enjoy the best of both worlds and stick with the iPod and invest in a nice portable amp hooked up via line out (which the Cowons don't have) to achieve exceptional portable sound quality and convenience. 

 

[Ishcabible]

Hey guys! I'm in need of some advice. I'm looking for an effortless (liquid) sounding upper end transportable headphone. I'd like bass to be very slightly more than neutral, intimate mids, and slightly rolled off highs. So far, the options I'm looking at are the Shure SRH-940, Sony Z1000, Audio Technica ES10 and ESW10JPN, Ultrasone PRO900, AKG K550, and Beyerdynamic T70. Of the ones that have been released, the ESW10JPN looks the best, but are the most expensive (not really that bad of a negative point, just will take longer to save up for). The Shures may be too boring for me, and I'm looking for something different than the rest of my headphones, the Z1000 has been said to have veiled mids compared to the SA5000, which according to koolbubbaice, were kinda sorta like the DT48 I have, and I really don't like veil, and the ES10 and Sones may be too bassy for me. The latter may be too big too.
 
Music that I'll use it with is generally indie-folk such as Bright Eyes, Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens, stuff like that, electronic such as Infected Mushroom, and OceanLab, metal like Finsterforst, Alcest, and Neuromist, rock like Tool and NIN, jazz (mainly trumpet and saxophone based, nothing weird), and female vocals like Hayley Westenra and A Fine Frenzy.
 
Source will be a Hisoundaudio Studio.
 
Budget: Well, $600 and less would be ideal. The cheaper the better though. Trying any of these out isn't an option at this point before ChiUnFi in November.
 
Thanks!

 

[DannyDanko]

With a $200 budget, im looking at 3 headphones
- Beats Pros (Can grab for $210 since i have a buddy that works there)
- Audio Technica Pro 700 MK2
- Aiaiai TMA 1
 
Which would be the best choice for someone who listens mostly to Hip Hop?

 

[WoahReQQuiem]

 
Quote:

With a $200 budget, im looking at 3 headphones
- Beats Pros (Can grab for $210 since i have a buddy that works there)
- Audio Technica Pro 700 MK2
- Aiaiai TMA 1
 
Which would be the best choice for someone who listens mostly to Hip Hop?

That is a great price for the Beats Pros. However, you might want to test out both Pro 700s and the Beats first before buying, though.
 

 

[Stitch]

I'm looking for a recommendation, again. 
I got a pair of T50RP a month ago and they are growing on me, a lot. They are fast, accurate, the lows are very punchy, mids are great. My main gripe with them is the soundstage.
 
My DT880 and SR325is havent been used for music since. Still love them though 
 
It may be impossible at the $1k mark but i'd basicly want a pair of cans that do everything the T50RP do but with more soundstage and more(detailed highs), a bit more comfort would be nice too. It may sound like a magical combo of the good stuff in both the T50RP and DT880. Music is guitar heavy(metal, rock, blues). Its sspecially the speed and timing(PRaT?) that keep me hooked to the fostex.
 
I plan on living on my own before the end of the year and I'll finally have room for speakers. For this reason i keep telling myself that i will make one last upgrade to my cans, dac and maybe the amp in the headphone world at least for this year.
Chances are the future amp will be a 3 channel B22, it it helps recommondations

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

I replaced my HD280 Pros with the Audio-Technica ATH-M50s when I moved into the dorms at school and found it to be a big step up. I absolutely love the sound in all aspects, if I would change anything I would add a tiny bit of sub bass but overall I think they're great. The only issue I have with them is they're sealed and my ears get hot and sweaty after an hour, so now that I'm back at my parents' house and don't need to worry about isolation in my room I've been looking at an open headphone that sounds close to the A-Ts. My first effort is the HD558s I have on my head right now, came in the mail today and so far I think they sound ok but they're a bit bright and lacking in low end compared to the A-Ts. Do you guys think I should stick with these and burn them in or can you recommend me a good alternative under $200?
 
I should mention I'm using my iMac as a source (MP3 320s and Spotify Premium's Ogg Vorbis q9) with a Nuforce uDAC-2 which is a USB DAC and headphone amp (not entirely impressed but it's a good choice at $120).
 
To the guy asking,I've had my HD280 Pros for ~5 years now and I think they're a fine headphone, the coiled cable is pretty big but more importantly it's a little heavy which made the headphone slightly annoying to wear for me. I wouldn't consider it an ideal portable headphone. I like my ATH-M50s much better, I think it sounds better in every way and the straight cable and slightly lighter weight make it a better portable headphone.
 
 

You will be very hard pressed to find any open headphone that matches the bass of a typical closed headphone. The best I can think of would be just a smidge above your budget with the Ultrasone HFI2400.
 


Quote:

Thanks Armaegis, this is helping me out in narrowing down my decisions.
 
I've already tried the K430 and wasn't impressed with the sound and comfort of them even though they were well portable. I saw K81 and K518 and they seem a bit similar and low cost, which is a plus (in a way). How is the sound quality on them though and their biggest difference apart from the cable?
A few models my friends suggested were the K142 HD and K272. I think the first one is still in my price range but didn't get much hands on time when testing it out with my iPhone.
The Sennheisers look good, the 380 is indeed quite big but I need to check it out the real thing and see how it fits. I heard the HD-25-1 II is also a good pair of headphones but can't exactly find the strengths/weaknesses of them (sound leakage/isolation, open/closed, plus they seem a bit more pricey too).
 
Sound quality wise, which of the ones said above are better? Just to have an idea what to expect/how to compare them (between eachother).
And material wise, are they all built to resist or easily breakable? I've heard Sennheisers were sometimes said to be ''cheap plastic''.
 
Anyways, if anyone has any other models (be it AKG/Sennheiser or not), I'm happy to take any suggestions. I heard Shure, Grado, Denon, Ultrasone (HFI580/680), Audio Technica (ATH-M50) ... are also good brands but I'm a complete beginner in this section and don't know which one I should be going for.
I also realised that my WeSC are semi open, so I'm still wide open to suggestions (portables/home use).
At least now, if the sound quality on all mentioned headphones is good, I'd be satisfied.
Are they better than WeSC ones I have now? Alot of people seem to say WeSC has horrible sound quality, but since they were my first pair of headphones I don't know what I might be missing out on.
 
I love the fact that they're not too wallet busting either. I'm just looking for the best bang for my buck (since I love music) and great sound quality. No preference for any brand but AKG/Sennheiser seem to be popping up the most when people are talking headphones (at least here in Belgium/France).
Not looking to spend 300€ or invest into headphone amps for a while so it has to be a pair that holds me for some time. So the headphones should still remain in my max 150€ budget (like the ones already suggested). 

 
EDIT: A very debatable question but how do the BOSE headphones retailing at about 150€ since I have a friend suggesting me those too, although I'm not sure if they have the best price/quality ratio?
P.S.: Are those K518LE headphones always folding/collapsing when around the neck or not? Just a small design question.

The K81/518 is like a little bass cannon... not the most articulate I've heard, but it thumps. The clamp is relatively high as well (makes for fantastic isolation, less so comfort). The full sized AKGs aren't that convenient for portable use since their headband structure is rather large.
 
The Senns HD280/380 are indeed kinda large, though not moreso than most other full sized circumaural headphones. I found the 380 quite comfortable though. The HD25-1-ii is much more portable and has excellent isolation (I would put all three Senns around the same rank, with the HD25 maybe slightly edging out the other two). It doesn't fold up in any way, but the overall size and weight is much smaller and is very durable. Soundwise, the HD25-1-ii is slightly U shaped with good punch in the lows and highs (which some find a bit fatiguing). The HD380 is just as defined but not as punchy. Comfortwise I give the nod here to the HD380.
 
As for the other brands, just keep reading!
 
In general, the WeSC/Skullcandy/iFrogz/etc are lousy headphones. Some have great warranties though, if you have a habit of breaking headphones.
 
Bose is ok, comfort generally very good, noise cancelling tech is very good, sound quality itself is nothing to write home about.

 
Quote:

Thanks for your reply, Armaegis.  Does HD280 come with a coiled cable? I am trying to find the cable features online but I am getting different things from different sources.  How would you rate Sony xb700 with HD280 and Shure 440.  I am going to get one of those 3, but can't decide which one.
 
Can you please post the link for the said guide?  I tried searching it here but couldn't find it.  Thanks much!

 

I think there might be both versions... my memory is fuzzy on this.
 
The HD280 and Shure 440 have fairly neutral frequency response, with the HD280 reaching a bit deeper but the Shure 440 more detailed. The XB700 is just a whole lot of bass rattling your head.
 
There's a list of links in the very first post of this thread.
 


Quote:

1. I love my Koss Porta Pros a lot. I love to wear them while jogging but I find the cloth covers to be sorely lacking in quality. They wear out very quickly and are less than comfortable. Does anyone know of any durable, good sounding replacement pads? I see a lot on ebay but I can't tell which are good and which are bad. I live in Canada.
 
2. IEMs are driving me nuts. I bought a pair of Klipsch Image S4Is and I'm not impressed at all. I can't return them. I don't find them half as interesting as the Porta Pros. Are there any IEMs that have comparable/similar sound to the Porta Pro? I'm going to try to sell the S4Is second hand. I find I've been getting more ear/throat infections since I started wearing them so maybe I should avoid IEMs alltogether. The worst thing about the S4I is the cable noise, do all IEMs sound like this while you're moving the cable around?
 
3. My 8 year old Sennheiser HD 570s velour is wearing through and the thin cloth cover over the speaker driver at the center of the circumaural pad is falling apart. Can this be fixed? Are the parts replaceable? Is it worth doing? Truth be told, I find the 570 underwelming compared to AKG 501s.
 
4. If I am to replace the HD570s should I look for ATH-M50s or a used set of AKGs? Do they all require a dedicated amp?
 
5. For portable devices I am looking at a 5.5gen Ipod Classic 30gb (Wolfson DAC) with Rockbox firmware or a Sansa Clip+ with Rockbox firmware. Which would you choose and why? If there is a better portable audio player please advise. Note I am buying a Galaxy S II today from Bell Canada but I understand it doesn't have stellar audio quality. My current IPOD Nano 3g is getting replaced.

1) I've heard of people replacing them with Senn PX200-ii pads.
 
2) Can't help you here, I'm not an iem guy. Check out the portables sub forum though. There are several huge comparison guides that talk about tons of iems there. Surely someone there can point you in the right direction. If you find yourself getting infections though, best to stay away from them altogether. Microphonics through the cable is inevitable, although some are better than others.
 
3) If they're underwhelming, don't bother fixing them and spend the money on something you'll enjoy instead.
 
4) Well there are tons of options... but we need to know what you like to listen to, whether you need portability, open vs closed, etc.
 
5) I would go with the Sansa. I actually prefer the Fuze (not Fuze+) for easier navigation.
 
 
Quote:

With a $200 budget, im looking at 3 headphones
- Beats Pros (Can grab for $210 since i have a buddy that works there)
- Audio Technica Pro 700 MK2
- Aiaiai TMA 1
 
Which would be the best choice for someone who listens mostly to Hip Hop?

The Pro700mk2 for tons of bass, or the TMA-1 for slightly less bass but sheer ruggedness.
 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

I'm looking for a recommendation, again. 
I got a pair of T50RP a month ago and they are growing on me, a lot. They are fast, accurate, the lows are very punchy, mids are great. My main gripe with them is the soundstage.
 
My DT880 and SR325is havent been used for music since. Still love them though 
 
It may be impossible at the $1k mark but i'd basicly want a pair of cans that do everything the T50RP do but with more soundstage and more(detailed highs), a bit more comfort would be nice too. It may sound like a magical combo of the good stuff in both the T50RP and DT880. Music is guitar heavy(metal, rock, blues). Its sspecially the speed and timing(PRaT?) that keep me hooked to the fostex.
 
I plan on living on my own before the end of the year and I'll finally have room for speakers. For this reason i keep telling myself that i will make one last upgrade to my cans, dac and maybe the amp in the headphone world at least for this year.
Chances are the future amp will be a 3 channel B22, it it helps recommondations

Well if you're playing at the $1k range, that opens up the orthos like the HE-x series and the LCD-2. Those all have their own huge threads, so you'll be better off asking in there and reading up before making such a big purchase.
 
Also, since you're planning on moving to speakers, skip the dedicated headphone amp and just get a good receiver with a headphone output.