[12345142]

Quote:

Hi, 
 
First post, but have been reading and researching for a while.  I'm looking for a new set of headphones, currently using Beats Studio and although they aren't perfect they have treated me well, but it's time I upgrade and move to a better more all around headphone.  I ideally am looking for something that is very versatile, in both what can be listened to on them and places to listen.  I do listen on my iPod/iPhone a lot, but typically listen on my mac.  I would be looking for something that was ok on my iPhone, but also could be amped and played through my computers/ record player.
 
My music tastes are:
35%% Indie rock/ Rock (bands such as The National, Sufjan Stevens, The XX, Radiohead, Animal Collective, etc.)
20% Singer Songwriter (Bon Iver, Jack Johnson, acoustic music guys, blah, blah)
20% Dubstep/ modern (LCD Soundsystem, Pretty Lights, SBTRKT, etc)
20%Intstrumental/ Jam Bands (DMB, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky)
5% Hip Hop, R&B, & Jazz
 
I'm trying to stay under $400 for the headphones and amp, but can go up a little bit to get what would work best for me.  I would like a portable amp that I could take with to school and on the go, and maybe it would even work with my iPhone, iPad. I haven't really done any research on amps so any advice in that department would be great.
 
As for headphones, I have been looking into Grado's a lot and they seem to be a pretty balanced headphone that excels in rock, but I'm not sure if they would be good for the Dubstep like stuff.  I've mostly looked at the SR325is.  I've also been looking at some of the Sennheiser's, and on the expensive side for me the Denon AH A100.  I'm open to any and all suggestions though.
 
Thank you so much for any help.  This site is great and all of you seem so helpful.  I really appreciate it.
 
Garrett

 
Grados are a joke when it comes to dubstep. The A100s seem interesting, but I wonder how many people have heard them. Besides, I wouldn't use wood headphones outside - you're just asking for them to get scratched or cracked. The audio-technica ES10s have some deep bass that's not too intrusive. You could also consider the Phiaton MS400s.
 
As for portable amps, I wouldn't worry too much about one. For low impedance, high sensitivity headphones, the sound difference is incremental at best. Save your money, or get a cheap non-battery-powered DAC/amp like the Audinst MX1 for your computer, since the audio quality of computers is usually worse than that of portable devices'.
 
 

 

[RZZZA1]

Hello, I'm planning on buying new headphones on this upcoming black friday. This will be my first pair of REAL headphones (ones that cost more than $30) so I'm super excited.
 
I'm trying to decide between Sennheiser HD 518's and Audio-Technica ATH-M50's. I listen to mostly 90's rap, but I also like lots of other genres including rock, pop and even oldies. The Sennheisers are cheaper but come with a 2 year warranty, which I like. The m50's are more expensive and come with only a 1 year warranty.
 
Which of these would you recommend for my musical tastes?

 

[barnett25]

 
I am looking for headphones primarily for home use.
 
Music genres: 
40% Classic Rock (Queen, Allman Brothers, Dire Straits, ELO, Pink Floyd... a little of everything)
20% Rock/Alternative (Foo Fighters, Green Day, The Wallflowers, Goo Goo Dolls)
20% Jazz/Classical/Acoustic (John Mayer, Puccini, Mozart, Nick Drake, Madeleine Peyroux)
 
Portability: 
Portability is only a minor concern as I will mostly be listening to these at home on the couch, or in bed.
 
Price range: 
I am looking to spend under $200 if possible.
 
Closed/Open: 
Sound leakage is an issue (to my wife), so closed headphones are a must.
 
Source: 
Mostly iPhone4 > line out > mini3, but also Dell XPS laptop > mini3. I would like the cans to be drivable without amplification, but I won't do that often. Also, although I am trying to increase the quality of my music library, 3/4 of it is still 128kbps MP3. I have noticed some headphone reviews seem to specifically say that they make poor sources stand out. If I can keep from emphasizing the quality issue as much as possible that would be a plus.
 
Comfort:
Every pair of headphones I have ever owned have been uncomfortable to me to one degree or another. I seem to be quite sensitive to pressure on my ears, which has me leaning heavily toward circumaural headphones.
 
Headphone preference: 
Although my music preference would probably lend itself to a bass-light setup, on music with a notable bass presence I tend to find myself turning up the bass for a little extra thump sometimes. However I think my overall preference would be for a fairly balanced sound, with the capacity to put out a bit more bass than would be natural with an EQ change. I should also note that I would like to use these headphones for watching movies, and gaming, if that is possible. 
 
Although I have no experience to go off of (the best headphones I have are Sennheiser px200's) I do think that I would like a large soundstage (as much as possible with a closed set). Other than liking bass in some situations, I am not yet sure what my tonal preferences are.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

Hello, I'm planning on buying new headphones on this upcoming black friday. This will be my first pair of REAL headphones (ones that cost more than $30) so I'm super excited.
 
I'm trying to decide between Sennheiser HD 518's and Audio-Technica ATH-M50's. I listen to mostly 90's rap, but I also like lots of other genres including rock, pop and even oldies. The Sennheisers are cheaper but come with a 2 year warranty, which I like. The m50's are more expensive and come with only a 1 year warranty.
 
Which of these would you recommend for my musical tastes?

In general, closed cans like the M50s are going to be more versatile than open cans like the 518s, because you can use it out and about without too much sound leakage. I'd go with the M50s for that reason, and because they're generally pretty good all-around headphones. I don't know much about the 518s other than they're open and near the bottom of Sennheiser's lineup, so I can't really comment on that.

 

[RZZZA1]

How do the m50's compare to Beats by Dre? Are you at all concerned with only a 1 year warranty? I'm a bit worried about buying expensive headphones only to have them break soon after the warranty expires.
 
my bro bought some Beats and now they're broken, he owned them for only a short time. He had no warranty.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

How do the m50's compare to Beats by Dre? Are you at all concerned with only a 1 year warranty? I'm a bit worried about buying expensive headphones only to have them break soon after the warranty expires.
 
my bro bought some Beats and now they're broken, he owned them for only a short time. He had no warranty.

The M50s are definitely much better than the Beats. I've tried them out at stores, and the bass is boomy, the treble is muffled, etc. I wouldn't worry too much about the warranty, because the M50s are very solid. I don't think I've really ever heard of anyone ever breaking a pair. The Beats are another story, and are notorious for breaking really quickly and really easily. I'm sure others can back me up here.
 
 

 

[CRIOLLAZO]

gpk5003, for that kind of music taste you can not find a unique headphone but I will recommend to you the Denon AH-D5000, great development of percussion and strings, voices really clear and great bass response. For dupstep/modern, believe it or not, I can tell you the in ear phones MONSTER TURBINE will surprise you in a very good way. Grado, Sennheiser, AKG and Audeze are not for you. I'd like to test the new Sony MDR SA5000 with Radiohead, I have had 2 great references about. A good XONE like XD53 could be a good reference for your music taste, the tuning of this DJ phones is great and you save money. I'm thinking to buy the XD53 again because my Denons DJ phones sometimes are "lost in the space" in the fast response, but for real they are the most flexible DJ phones ever (DN-HP1000).

 

[12345142]

No offense, but I think you're pretty far off the mark here...the SA5000s and D5000s are not easy to drive, anything but portable, and way out of his price range. Audez'e isn't even worth mentioning in this context, and for $400, you could do way better than the Turbines. Besides, those are three specialized headphones, not one all-rounder.

 

[linuxid10t]

Don't bother with the A100.  It isn't any better than the AH-D1100, which is several times cheaper.  I own the D1100 and all the difference is the wood cups.  If you really want to get the A100, just get the D1100, you would save a lot of money and you would get better durability/portability.  That being said, I'd suggest a pair of Sennheisers.  They would be an excellent middle ground.  You really can't go wrong with the Sennheiser HD598.
 
Quote:

Hi, 
 
First post, but have been reading and researching for a while.  I'm looking for a new set of headphones, currently using Beats Studio and although they aren't perfect they have treated me well, but it's time I upgrade and move to a better more all around headphone.  I ideally am looking for something that is very versatile, in both what can be listened to on them and places to listen.  I do listen on my iPod/iPhone a lot, but typically listen on my mac.  I would be looking for something that was ok on my iPhone, but also could be amped and played through my computers/ record player.
 
My music tastes are:
35%% Indie rock/ Rock (bands such as The National, Sufjan Stevens, The XX, Radiohead, Animal Collective, etc.)
20% Singer Songwriter (Bon Iver, Jack Johnson, acoustic music guys, blah, blah)
20% Dubstep/ modern (LCD Soundsystem, Pretty Lights, SBTRKT, etc)
20%Intstrumental/ Jam Bands (DMB, Sigur Ros, Explosions in the Sky)
5% Hip Hop, R&B, & Jazz
 
I'm trying to stay under $400 for the headphones and amp, but can go up a little bit to get what would work best for me.  I would like a portable amp that I could take with to school and on the go, and maybe it would even work with my iPhone, iPad. I haven't really done any research on amps so any advice in that department would be great.
 
As for headphones, I have been looking into Grado's a lot and they seem to be a pretty balanced headphone that excels in rock, but I'm not sure if they would be good for the Dubstep like stuff.  I've mostly looked at the SR325is.  I've also been looking at some of the Sennheiser's, and on the expensive side for me the Denon AH A100.  I'm open to any and all suggestions though.
 
Thank you so much for any help.  This site is great and all of you seem so helpful.  I really appreciate it.
 
Garrett

 

 

[linuxid10t]

I completely agree with you.  BTW, since when have Denons ever been good with vocals?!?  LOL
 
Quote:

No offense, but I think you're pretty far off the mark here...the SA5000s and D5000s are not easy to drive, anything but portable, and way out of his price range. Audez'e isn't even worth mentioning in this context, and for $400, you could do way better than the Turbines. Besides, those are three specialized headphones, not one all-rounder.

 

 

[l3oS]

Hi there,
 
I am looking for new headphones around 200€ (250$). I even have not decided between in-ear and over-ear, although I tend to over-ear because I have made rather bad experiences with my super.fi 5EB concerning comfort and seal.
Mainly, I listen to jazz, fusion and progressive metal. Noise isolation is kind of important due to almost third of the time listening to music I am in rather noisy places.
I have selected ATH-M50s and possibly Sennheiser IE8s so far. What are (dis-)advantages of those headphones? How good is ATH-M50s noise isolation compared to the in-ears?
Are there better alternatives meeting my requirements?
EDIT: Durability is another important aspect. I am tired of broke Ultimate Ears cables.
 
Thank You
                                      

 

[evilshenaniganz]

So assuming I jump in "head first" to some nice fresh cans what would be a good aftermarket cable? I don't have the tools or know how for DIY. And I don't have $$$ to go all out on some moon cables. I'm currently figuring out witch cans I want. Looking at the Ultrasone's 750-900. Also doesn't need to be 10ft.

 

[Raptor66]

Hi,I'm new here so I hope your expertise will help me pick out the best possible headphones.First of all,my budget is around 300 euros and I plan tu use them with my PS3 using a turtle beach dss in order to take advantage of the dolby headphone technology.Or should I buy one of those FiiOs instead,assuming they have an optical output.I also paln to use them for listening to music so I'm  not intrested in headphones with light bass.

 

[balto]

Hey, here's a new recruit of good sound. I'm looking to buy myself first set of quality headphones. I'm looking for a good all-arounder which would serve me for couple years. I've done my homework and have read a lot reviews but still can't decide between these 2. I can get a pair of new Sennheiser HD 598s for 160euros, which is a great deal as they can go up to 250e here, or I can grab a deal for HD 650s, exhibition model with 2 year warranty for 250e (dropped from 450e). I am aware that HD 650 is harder to drive and I hardly shelled 150e for the Essence STX soundcard, but I heard mixed opinions about that card being a good pair for HD 650. I'd use these babies for all kinds of music (hip hop, rock) and games. Is it worth it to extend my tight budget for HD 650 in this case, as a long term investment? 

 

[MorbidToaster]

Well...Having heavy bass and playing games isn't usually a great idea. Though it sounds like you're more of an immersion kind of guy.
 
Either way I would recommend the HD 598. It's not bass light, but it's not super heavy either. It's my go to for gaming as it takes to Dolby very well. 
 
Quote:

Hi,I'm new here so I hope your expertise will help me pick out the best possible headphones.First of all,my budget is around 300 euros and I plan tu use them with my PS3 using a turtle beach dss in order to take advantage of the dolby headphone technology.Or should I buy one of those FiiOs instead,assuming they have an optical output.I also paln to use them for listening to music so I'm  not intrested in headphones with light bass.

Between the 598, 600, and 650 I think it's preference rather than better sound. What element of a song do you like most?


Quote:

Hey, here's a new recruit of good sound. I'm looking to buy myself first set of quality headphones. I'm looking for a good all-arounder which would serve me for couple years. I've done my homework and have read a lot reviews but still can't decide between these 2. I can get a pair of new Sennheiser HD 598s for 160euros, which is a great deal as they can go up to 250e here, or I can grab a deal for HD 650s, exhibition model with 2 year warranty for 250e (dropped from 450e). I am aware that HD 650 is harder to drive and I hardly shelled 150e for the Essence STX soundcard, but I heard mixed opinions about that card being a good pair for HD 650. I'd use these babies for all kinds of music (hip hop, rock) and games. Is it worth it to extend my tight budget for HD 650 in this case, as a long term investment?