[scuttle]

Quote:

I've been "lurking" around here for about the past two weeks gathering information on which headphone to buy, 'til I ran across this thread.
 
Budget: Around $200.00
 
Use: 85% Music/15% gaming 
 
I literally listen to music all day at work and have been looking to  dip into the higher end headphone. I mainly listen to Rock/Punk genre of music - Set Your Goals, Four Years Strong, The Wonder Years, A Day to Remember, Riverboat Gamblers, Rise Against, Close Your Eyes, etc.
 
 
Source: I'll mainly be listening to it from my cell phone[HTC Inspire], iPod, or Macbook Pro
 
Closed/open: No preferences - they MUST be comfortable though, since the majority of my day is spent with headphones on.
 
I appreciate any and all advice.

Spending $200 on headphones to use with a smartphone is a bit of a mismatch. Look up reviews of the Koss Portapros and Superlux 668B. Both receive big love and cost a fraction of your budget. 
 

 

[scuttle]

Quote:

I already said I'll be using them with my PC. Right now I ain't got a sound card, it's the other thing I'm buying next, but first I'd like to know what headphones do you recommend. 

The Superlux's are what, the fourth highest rated headphone on head-fi? They're said by people who have both to be sonically indistinguishable from akg 240 studio monitors. I'd take a rare chance at a bargain and put the money saved into a decent dac.
 
 

 

[Raysito22]

Well as I already said, I can get an Asus Essence ST or even a Nuforce uDac2. Whichever is most recommended.
 
Are the Superlux really that good? I've never trusted <25 € headphones, but what I've read well...they look good (though some people say they are not that good). It really is hard to believe (specially when comparing price with my IE8's, and I'm not looking for worse sounding equipment of course).
 
Would Superlux 668B + Asus Essence ST (or Nuforce uDac2) be better allrounder for what I've said I'll be listening to than Senn HD 598 + Asus Xonar D1 for example?
 
Thanks

 

[vincent824]

Hi guys. I am a total newb so I need help with headphones and amp
Price range- $250 max for headphones   amp- $100
Id prefer a stronger bass (but not too crazy) ( i listen to a lot of trance, house, pop, dubstep, and classical music)
 
minimal to no sound leakage (dont want to bother my fellow students)
noise isolation would be a bonus  (so my fellow students dont bother me)
I will be using the headphones with my laptop (i have no idea what soundcard it is using, i think it doesnt have one, and the laptop says its using realtek high definition audio) and also my ipod touch.
I really dont care about portability. 
comfort of course would be nice. 
 
from my little browsing, I have come across the denon d2000 as a nice choice, but you guys know alot more than me
if theres a really good option that fits all the criteria but is a bit pricier, I would love to hear about it. 
also, i saw the denon d2000 on crispdeals.com for $225. how reliable is that site?
 
thanks

 

[kchapdaily]

Quote:

Hi guys. I am a total newb so I need help with headphones and amp
Price range- $250 max for headphones   amp- $100
Id prefer a stronger bass (but not too crazy) ( i listen to a lot of trance, house, pop, dubstep, and classical music)
 
minimal to no sound leakage (dont want to bother my fellow students)
noise isolation would be a bonus  (so my fellow students dont bother me)
I will be using the headphones with my laptop (i have no idea what soundcard it is using, i think it doesnt have one, and the laptop says its using realtek high definition audio) and also my ipod touch.
I really dont care about portability. 
comfort of course would be nice. 
 
from my little browsing, I have come across the denon d2000 as a nice choice, but you guys know alot more than me
if theres a really good option that fits all the criteria but is a bit pricier, I would love to hear about it. 
also, i saw the denon d2000 on crispdeals.com for $225. how reliable is that site?
 
thanks

i can almost guarantee your laptop has a soundcard. if it didnt, then there would be no built in speakers, no headphone jack, etc. you may want to consider a dac though. a decent dac is probably going to be alot better than a stock soundcard.
 
i think the denons would be a good choice for you. they do have good bass, a slightly recessed midrange, and good highs. their not quite as detailed as id like, but have a great musicality to them. 
 
as for an amp, its going to be tough to buy a quality amp for 100$. you could go the diy route and build a 12au7 starving student (or maybe a cavalli CTH) for under or about 100. and theres always the cmoy. if you want to go a bit above your budget ive heard good things about the nuforce udac2. has a built in dac with the amp. amazon has it for 130$.
 
ive never dealt with crispdeals but it looks legit. not listed as an actual denon dealer though. amazon has them used for about 200 and you could probably find them alittle cheaper on the for sale forum.

 

[jmarsiglio]

If I were to hook up the Ultrasone Hfi 580 (headphones I am considering -- i have a taste for electronic generally) to a 2007 imac, what DAC/AMP setup would you recommend that nears the cheaper side, as I am guessing that the onboard sound card is useless... Thanks
 
edit: cheaper being $150-$200
 
or should I just buckle up, and wait to blow money on a really good DAC/AMP setup when I am ready to buy high-end earphones because the difference between no-amp and amped HFI 580 is minimal? You tell me

 

[tdockweiler]

Is there a headphone with the bass of the Ultrasone HFI-580, but with more forward mids? I don't mind giving up some treble for more forward mids. It seems that you can't have everything! I felt as if the HFI-580 would have been the perfect headphone if the mids were better and its soundstage wasnt so goofy.
 
Maybe the DT-770 Pro? I imagine it's not going to be the Pro 900. Loved the bass on the HFI-580 for some reason, but the headphone lost out to the M50 and DJ100.

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

If I were to hook up the Ultrasone Hfi 580 (headphones I am considering -- i have a taste for electronic generally) to a 2007 imac, what DAC/AMP setup would you recommend that nears the cheaper side, as I am guessing that the onboard sound card is useless... Thanks
 
edit: cheaper being $150-$200
 
or should I just buckle up, and wait to blow money on a really good DAC/AMP setup when I am ready to buy high-end earphones because the difference between no-amp and amped HFI 580 is minimal? You tell me

 
iBasso D2/D4
Leckerton UHA-4
HotAudio DacDestroyer/Dac-Extasy/Bit-Perfect
Nuforce uDac2
 
 

 
Quote:

Is there a headphone with the bass of the Ultrasone HFI-580, but with more forward mids? I don't mind giving up some treble for more forward mids. It seems that you can't have everything! I felt as if the HFI-580 would have been the perfect headphone if the mids were better and its soundstage wasnt so goofy.
 
Maybe the DT-770 Pro? I imagine it's not going to be the Pro 900. Loved the bass on the HFI-580 for some reason, but the headphone lost out to the M50 and DJ100.

Pioneer HDJ-500/2000
Phiaton MS400
Denon D2000
 
The mids on the DT770 felt sucked out for me next to the heavy bass. The DT880 is better in this regard.
 
 

 

[Tacoboy]

 
Quote:

Well as I already said, I can get an Asus Essence ST or even a Nuforce uDac2. Whichever is most recommended.
 
Are the Superlux really that good? I've never trusted <25 € headphones, but what I've read well...they look good (though some people say they are not that good). It really is hard to believe (specially when comparing price with my IE8's, and I'm not looking for worse sounding equipment of course).
 
Would Superlux 668B + Asus Essence ST (or Nuforce uDac2) be better allrounder for what I've said I'll be listening to than Senn HD 598 + Asus Xonar D1 for example?
 
Thanks

The Asus Xonar D1 should work well with headphones up to 150-Ohm.
My Xonar DX (PCI-E version of the D1), works fine with my DT-770 Pro 80-Ohm, the DT-770 250-Ohm barely work at max volume.
I've been using my new HD-668Bs for the past week, wish I had bought them before my way more expensive namebrands.
The Superlux's may not survive the normal life long wear and tear like the more expensive namebrands.
But you can order two because of the great price.
 
 

 

[Ramen1020]

Alright, so i think i'm ready for some new phones to compliment my sr225i's. I've done a lot of research, but i can't find a phone that exactly matches my criteria, so i might have to make a few sacrifices. Here's what i'm looking for...
 
-A slightly laid back sound signature.
-Decent soundstage
-Non-fatiguing highs. I'd like them to be detailed, but in no way harsh
-Good mids overall
-Slightly emphasized bass. Preferably smooth. Shouldn't bleed into mids or be overpowering. 
 
I listen to a lot of music, but this phone will mainly be for rap, folk, soft rock, and movies. As i mentioned earlier, i already have a pair of grado's so this will be my relaxing/comfortable headphone. 
 
My price range is around $200-$300, but i'll take any suggestions. 
 

 

[nickman98]

Well i have been doing a ton of reading already and my brain is numb. So im gonna be "that guy" and ask which headphone is best for me.
 
I will mainly be using these for music either on ipod or off my laptop, so mostly stationary, i have in ears for working out and such. I tend to listen to metal and rock mostly, but i do slip in some rap and techno from time to time. i know i dont want open headphone because i will be using them in the library or around other students who might not share my taste in music. Also i have come to the understanding to stay away from beats and skullcandy as they are mostly overpriced for what they do. i have been looking at Sennheiser HD 380 Pro at newegg. My price range is $200 but less would be ideal, haha. Hoping for good base and all around sound, so hopefully you guys can help me out.

 

[dleblanc343]

 

 

Hello fellow Head-fier's. As a young audio enthusiast with reasonable experience with headphones, I feel the need to move up the scale a bit. The audio store I work at holds many brands and I've had the privilege to try out many headphones such as the whole grado line, as well as sennheiser hd600, hd650, hd25-1 ii and the hd800, and so on. 
 
I absolutely love the grado headphones, they are truly unique and very colorful , but maybe just slightly too much for my tastes at times. (the 325i's, which interested me the most, are a bit too forward with certain music). This is what led me to Alessandro's, I've never had the chance to demo them, but they are tweaked grado phones with a slightly more neutral frequency response. I'm looking for a fun headphone that can also be reasonably analytical and work with more genres, rather than excelling in a couple. It seems the ms2i's would be a great choice. Otherwise, I am opened to recommendations! P.S: Mids and detailing are more important to me than bass frequencies.
 
I also tried the new Shure srh940's through my amp (brought to work), really enjoyed it, but like the 325i's, it can get very high pitched. But these headphones are very well built, come with accessories and being Shure's, easy to deal with for warranty/issues and concerns and whatnot. 
 
So really, I'm torn between ms2i's, and Srh940's, which are arguably different headphones. I would like a nice soundstage as well. If anyone out there has both these pairs and read this, please help me out!
 
I am looking to pay between 225-300. 
​

 
​

 

[toshiya]

Hello, I've had a look thru Joker's comparison thread and narrowed down to the following list,
but having trouble deciding among them.
 
Here is my list:
AKG K430 / Beyerdynamic DTX 300 p / MEElectronics HT-21 / Sennheiser HD228 / Denon AH-P372 / Yuin G2A
 
I listen to mostly dance music and metal, so I'd like a good bass.
Also this is for portable use, so nothing circumaural or too difficult to drive.
And it is important that that it doesn't leak sound.
(am not considering IEMs at the moment)
 
Which of these look like they would fit my needs better?
Or do you have better suggestions?
Appreciate any input~

 

[Raysito22]

Quote:

 
The Asus Xonar D1 should work well with headphones up to 150-Ohm.
My Xonar DX (PCI-E version of the D1), works fine with my DT-770 Pro 80-Ohm, the DT-770 250-Ohm barely work at max volume.
I've been using my new HD-668Bs for the past week, wish I had bought them before my way more expensive namebrands.
The Superlux's may not survive the normal life long wear and tear like the more expensive namebrands.
But you can order two because of the great price.
 
 

 
And that's exactly what I did, I ordered one 681 and a 668b. I've heard good things about both, some people prefer one, some people prefer the other, I guess I'll like both. For what I've read the 668b is more balanced which will be perfect for my soft rock music and also some editing, while 661 looks like a good candidate for games and movies. Also ordered the AKG 240 velour pads as recommended everywhere. I just can't wait!
 
BTW how do the 668b work with the Xonar DX? I've heard that though they are listed as 56 ohm, they are a bit power hungry. How about the 3D sound when using Dolby Headphone, is it worth it for games and/or movies? Thanks.

 

[keanex]

The Superlux HD668b should be powered sufficiently by the Xonar DX, my FiiO E7 handled it sufficiently.
 
As for the 681/668b, a friend has the 681 and is falling more and more in love with them. I love my 668b, almost comparable to my Ad900 after the foam mod, minus the comfort of the Ad900. Both are excellent headphones for the price.