[CreepinDeth]

 
Hey Everyone,
 
My first post in a while! I bought my DT-880's 3 years ago and they have served me very well. But I feel it's time for a bit of an upgrade. I'm currently leaning towards the Denon D2000's or maybe some Fischer Audio's. These will be only for music and I tend to listen to a lot of genres.
 
Metal tends to be the dominant genre, but I also listen to Hip hop/Rap, Classic Rock, etc. No Electronica or similar genres with the exception of a couple of Nine Inch Nails albums.
 
Artists that reflect these genres are Opeth, older Metallica, Dream Theater, Machine Head, Tool, The Mars Volta, Ice Cube/Dr. Dre/Eazy E, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Queen, Norah Jones, Joe Satriani, Al Di Meola, Pink Floyd, Rage Against the Machine. And 99% of it is in Apple Lossless.
 
My Budget is around $250-$350. I have a Fiio E9 amp ready to go and is currently driving my DT-880's.
 
Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

 


 
 

 

[Xisdibik]

Hello Everyone,
 
I am new to the site, sent here by recommendations at [H] forums.  I am moving to Japan very soon and bringing my desktop PC with me (in parts).  I will be rebuilding it there by buying a case and monitor there.  I will be in an apartment building and so I felt buying expensive speakers that would last about 5 minutes before someone complained about the noise levels during games were not a good idea so instead I felt it wiser to invest in a decent pair of headphones.  I have no more room to buy and bring wiht me so this will be a purchase via Amazon.co.jp or found in a audio store in central tokyo (I will be close to central Tokyo).  I am looking for something that wont break my bank but I also don't mind investing a bit of money for a decent pair of headphones.  I would prefer a microphone built in (or a link to a decent mic that would go well with the headphones)  I typically find desk mics pickup the fans in the PC easily (though my experiance is from archaic logitech deskmic vs plantronics headsets so nothing nice at all.  I may later invest in a small pair of speakers for when I dont want to be wearing the headphones.  I will be using them more often for gaming than listening to music but music and movies will be listened to as well.
 
I would say a budget of around 100-150$ would be good as that will translate into a 200-250$ headset in Japan. 
 
Thanks in advance everyone
 
-Xisdibik

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

OK so I'm planning on getting a pair of Beyer DT770 PRO 80. These will be my first headphones over $60. My question is: Do these headphones need an amp? I'm new to quality audio and I've heard people say these do need an amp to sound their best, but I've heard others say they don't and that they sound fine without one. If i do need an amp i am only looking to spend  around $60 or less and one that is portable. Main ones I'm looking at: FiiO e6 or e11, PA2V2, JDS Labs CMoybb - would these work for me? My source will be an iPod nano 4th gen. with an LOD (FiiO L1)

At 80-Ohms, any headphone amplifier should be able to power the DT-770 Pro 80-Ohm headphones.
 
 

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hello Everyone,
I am new to the site, sent here by recommendations at [H] forums.  I am moving to Japan very soon and bringing my desktop PC with me (in parts).  I will be rebuilding it there by buying a case and monitor there.  I will be in an apartment building and so I felt buying expensive speakers that would last about 5 minutes before someone complained about the noise levels during games were not a good idea so instead I felt it wiser to invest in a decent pair of headphones.  I have no more room to buy and bring wiht me so this will be a purchase via Amazon.co.jp or found in a audio store in central tokyo (I will be close to central Tokyo).  I am looking for something that wont break my bank but I also don't mind investing a bit of money for a decent pair of headphones.  I would prefer a microphone built in (or a link to a decent mic that would go well with the headphones)  I typically find desk mics pickup the fans in the PC easily (though my experiance is from archaic logitech deskmic vs plantronics headsets so nothing nice at all.  I may later invest in a small pair of speakers for when I dont want to be wearing the headphones.  I will be using them more often for gaming than listening to music but music and movies will be listened to as well.
I would say a budget of around 100-150$ would be good as that will translate into a 200-250$ headset in Japan. 
Thanks in advance everyone
-Xisdibik

I've heard in Japan stores will have demo's hooked up for all the model of headphones.
 
Audio Technica just came out with new closed models, A500X, A700X, A900X.
 
 

 

[Xisdibik]

Quote:

I've heard in Japan stores will have demo's hooked up for all the model of headphones.
 
Audio Technica just came out with new closed models, A500X, A700X, A900X.
 
 

Yeah, when I have been in stores on previous visits they have them hooked up to hear music from them.  They unfortunately do not have them hooked up to gaming PC's running various games to test out how they handle gaming sounds/effects.  I was hoping to have at least a few options to hunt specifically for when I arrived there instead of going and hearing them all with only music options.
 
Thanks though for the suggestion.
 

 

[GreenTea]

I know this is a "headphone" guidance thread but just going off of the fact that someone giving advice off of headphones themselves probably has the answer to my question I'll just ask it here.
 
 
 
I have a couple of cheap headphones (MS1, HD555, planning on getting LCD-2s and IEMs are shipping) amped with a Schiit Asgard. I have 2 sources with 1 being my computer (Foobar2k) and my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2). The sound sounds a lot better coming from my phone in to the amp compared to coming from my computer. I'm using the same music files (.flac) on my phone and on my computer.
 
The big difference seems to be the bass. The highs and mids are improved as well but not as much. Not only the quality seems better but the equalization seems to actually do more in terms of changing the sound. With this being said, if I were looking for a device to help out would that be a DAC? I think just by trying these 2 sources it's really shown to me that the source does matter. I'm assuming if I get a DAC it would help not just the sound with my computer being a source but also improve on using my phone as a source.
 
If a DAC is what I'm looking for, could anyone recommend one? DACs seem to be either really cheap ($30 DIY kits) or really expensive. Price wise the HRT Music Streamer II seems to be a good price range for me, but does a DAC at this level do anything noticeably different?

 

[linuxid10t]

Built in computer audio sucks.  You really, really need a DAC or sound card for computer listening.  I personally run an ASUS Xonar DX.  It is nice in the fact that the op amps are exchangable, so you can get far better sound out of it with just a $3 part.
 
Quote:

I know this is a "headphone" guidance thread but just going off of the fact that someone giving advice off of headphones themselves probably has the answer to my question I'll just ask it here.
 
 
 
I have a couple of cheap headphones (MS1, HD555, planning on getting LCD-2s and IEMs are shipping) amped with a Schiit Asgard. I have 2 sources with 1 being my computer (Foobar2k) and my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2). The sound sounds a lot better coming from my phone in to the amp compared to coming from my computer. I'm using the same music files (.flac) on my phone and on my computer.
 
The big difference seems to be the bass. The highs and mids are improved as well but not as much. Not only the quality seems better but the equalization seems to actually do more in terms of changing the sound. With this being said, if I were looking for a device to help out would that be a DAC? I think just by trying these 2 sources it's really shown to me that the source does matter. I'm assuming if I get a DAC it would help not just the sound with my computer being a source but also improve on using my phone as a source.
 
If a DAC is what I'm looking for, could anyone recommend one? DACs seem to be either really cheap ($30 DIY kits) or really expensive. Price wise the HRT Music Streamer II seems to be a good price range for me, but does a DAC at this level do anything noticeably different?

 

 

[Armaegis]

Quote:

Hey guys newbie here lol. I've been frequenting Head-fi alot recently since I'm in search for the best sub $100 headphones and right now I'm torn between these pair of headphones:
 
Sony MDR-V6
V-Moda Crossfade M-80 or LP
Grado s60i or s80i
AKG K240
 
The reason why I'm looking at these other than the price and personal enjoyment is that I also have to use them in a recording studio. I'm a college student in the music business area at my uni and I'm about to take recording classes in the spring and I'm pretty sure none of my current collection of headphones would be good enough for recording studio use. What I personally listen to is jazz, rock, hip hop, pop and classical music. And what I'll be recording in that class is pretty much jazz and classical though in the later stages we're also supposed to dabble with rock and pop music. And as a side, I also write beats and produce stuff with Reason and Fruity Loops so it should also work well with electronic music.
 
From what I've heard from here and other places is that it seems like the MDR-V6 and the K240's are the standard in recording studios. The Grado's on the other hand are legendary as well though they tend to favor the Rock genre in terms of their sound. The Crossfade's on the other hand, I know they're sub $250 at least but I'm considering them as well simply coz I've heard so many good things about it and from what I've experienced using the Remix remote ieb's every day, you'd expect them to even perform better.
 
Lastly, my source is a Sony lappy that has some internal Realtek sound card which I'll be replacing hopefully by Christmas with a current gen MacBook Pro or Air, a rooted(not sure if that means anything lol) Android phone MyTouch 4g. And the recording studio at my uni also uses Pro Tools 8, so my other source is gonna be an M Box of some sort.
 
Anyway, excuse the really long post and thanks for the help. Looking forward to what you guys suggest.

The Sony V6 is your best option. Good neutral response, and solid build quality that will survive carting it around college. The M80 is too expensive, the Crossfade too bassy, grados far too coloured and not durable at all. The K240 is ok but also out of budget and not portable either.
 


Quote:

Hey Everyone,
 
My first post in a while! I bought my DT-880's 3 years ago and they have served me very well. But I feel it's time for a bit of an upgrade. I'm currently leaning towards the Denon D2000's or maybe some Fischer Audio's. These will be only for music and I tend to listen to a lot of genres.
 
Metal tends to be the dominant genre, but I also listen to Hip hop/Rap, Classic Rock, etc. No Electronica or similar genres with the exception of a couple of Nine Inch Nails albums.
 
Artists that reflect these genres are Opeth, older Metallica, Dream Theater, Machine Head, Tool, The Mars Volta, Ice Cube/Dr. Dre/Eazy E, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G., Queen, Norah Jones, Joe Satriani, Al Di Meola, Pink Floyd, Rage Against the Machine. And 99% of it is in Apple Lossless.
 
My Budget is around $250-$350. I have a Fiio E9 amp ready to go and is currently driving my DT-880's.
 
Any advice is greatly appreciated. 

 
The DT880 sits at a rather strong price/performance spot, and I do not feel that any of the others in the price bracket will offer a significant upgrade. If just looking for something different, then the D2000 or a Q701 would be a start.
 


Quote:

Hello Everyone,
 
I am new to the site, sent here by recommendations at [H] forums.  I am moving to Japan very soon and bringing my desktop PC with me (in parts).  I will be rebuilding it there by buying a case and monitor there.  I will be in an apartment building and so I felt buying expensive speakers that would last about 5 minutes before someone complained about the noise levels during games were not a good idea so instead I felt it wiser to invest in a decent pair of headphones.  I have no more room to buy and bring wiht me so this will be a purchase via Amazon.co.jp or found in a audio store in central tokyo (I will be close to central Tokyo).  I am looking for something that wont break my bank but I also don't mind investing a bit of money for a decent pair of headphones.  I would prefer a microphone built in (or a link to a decent mic that would go well with the headphones)  I typically find desk mics pickup the fans in the PC easily (though my experiance is from archaic logitech deskmic vs plantronics headsets so nothing nice at all.  I may later invest in a small pair of speakers for when I dont want to be wearing the headphones.  I will be using them more often for gaming than listening to music but music and movies will be listened to as well.
 
I would say a budget of around 100-150$ would be good as that will translate into a 200-250$ headset in Japan. 
 
Thanks in advance everyone
 
-Xisdibik

Perhaps the Senn PC350/360? Though I don't know how much it goes for over there.
 
 

 

[vyyye]

Hi,
 
I recently purchased a Cowon J3 and I'm looking to get some headphones for it. Essentially I'm looking at the Sennheiser HD 25 1s as that's the only portable headphone I know at all. I need something I can bring around easily, PortaPros has worked very well for that so far, can just wear them around my neck when not in use, not sure if the HD25's works for that or not.
Not looked at any IEM though, wondering if I should consider it. Budget is around the price of the HD25s, don't quite want to exceed it. Music I listen to is rock, metal and classical mainly.
 
Really just looking for advice for portable sound, not intending to get an amp at any point.

 

[veyrongatti]

Im curious should i get a t50rp save money or get the m50 limited editions?

 

[Orik]

Hey,
 
I need help deciding what headphones to buy.
 
I need ones that will be good for electronic music, that can handle lots of bass, And that will be good for rock & heavy rock / metal.
 
Any price range is good for now.
 
What do you recommend?
 
 
 

 

[linuxid10t]

What sort of music, amp, source?  The T50RPs have some very interesting characteristics.  Their mids are magical.  Not too sure how they compare to the M50, but they are a lot less expensive.
 
Quote:

Im curious should i get a t50rp save money or get the m50 limited editions?

 

 

[veyrongatti]

Quote:

What sort of music, amp, source?  The T50RPs have some very interesting characteristics.  Their mids are magical.  Not too sure how they compare to the M50, but they are a lot less expensive.
 


 

music all types basically. im thinking which one i should get m50sle for looks but the t50rps seem better

 

[linuxid10t]

I personally really like the T50RPs.  They also have GREAT moddability.
 
Quote:

music all types basically. im thinking which one i should get m50sle for looks but the t50rps seem better

 

 

[m0ar]

Quote:

 
 
You want the Sennheiser HD558's, because you described them, and they're best for exactly the kind of music you listen to.  Don't bother with any other that you put on the list except K240, none of them work very well for music you listen to, and none of them have great soundstage, also, dont bother with HD555's, since HD558's are much better, and not much more expensive.

Hi,
 
Thanks for the input. For me it seems like the HD558 is cheaper than the HD555. In what way are they different? Most people have recommended me the HD555, not the HD558. Why?
 
How is the K240 compared to the Sennheisers?