[zloy loup]

Quote:

One thing that might fit is the Koss Pro DJ100.  It has great mids, and though the bass is a tad emphasized, it's not bloated and (in my opinion) doesn't bleed into the rest of the spectrum.  Some have said that they don't sound very good without an amp, but I think they work fine out of onboard sound.  An amp and/or DAC does improve them, but not as much as some make it out to do.  They do lack for soundstage a bit, but then all of my other headphones are fully open, so it's hard to make a good comparison.
 
As far as size and weight go, they're not particularly big or heavy, though the cups are aluminum instead of plastic, which does increase the weight a bit.  Not to the point of being uncomfortable though.  the cups are a bit shallow, but this can be improved by stuffing some padding (or in my case, a strand of network cable) under the earpads to lift them a bit.  With them like this, I regularly listen to them for 8 hours straight at work.
 
They retail for around $80.
 
You could also try the Creative Aurvana Lives, which are a popular recommendation in this price bracket.  There's even a comparison thread between them and the DJ100s somewhere on the forum.  I haven't heard them though, so I can't really comment on comfort or sound.

Thanks for the quick reply! I read some reviews for both, and they seem fitting. Some people seem to be complaining about the cable durability of the CAL though. Does the Koss Pro DJ100 have a spiral cable?
 
 

Do you need them to be portable? On the portable end, I haven't really heard of any headphones known specifically for soundstage... A couple options to look into might be the Creative Aurvana Lives (CAL!), which are closed or the Superlux 668B, which is semi-open. Both go for around $60 and have good reputations.

No, I wasn't looking for necessarily portable ones since I mostly use them for home listening. By soundstage do you mean a distinction between the instruments?

 

[jesb]

Quote:

Considering it is motherboard audio, it is a real toss up.  I would suggest the Xonar DS.  It is PCI so compatible with just about any computer, it also has swappable op amps, so you can make it sound significantly better at a very little total increase in price.
 


 

Is that this one?  http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=40&item_id=028753
 
Isn't that one much worse than the titanium hd, considering the price.
 

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

Thanks for the quick reply! I read some reviews for both, and they seem fitting. Some people seem to be complaining about the cable durability of the CAL though. Does the Koss Pro DJ100 have a spiral cable?
 
 
No, I wasn't looking for necessarily portable ones since I mostly use them for home listening. By soundstage do you mean a distinction between the instruments?

Yeah, like your ability to kind of hear where the instruments are and hear them outside your head, if that makes sense. Also, yeah, I forgot about the Koss ones, I've heard good things as well. And I don't think they have a coiled cable but I could be wrong. EDIT: I defer to those with superior experience

 

[Throdd]

There looks like a lot of traffic here, so I'll try this thread!


A little bit about me:
 

1. Mostly listening to symphonic/melodic metal and rock.
2. Currently own Bose QC15's and Shure SRH840's.
3. Currently using FiiO E7/E9 combination.
4. I listen to music on a desktop PC and laptop PC, no MP3 player or other portable equivalent.
5. 95% of my music is 320 or lossless, played through foobar2000.

 
My SRH840's were my first real venture into head-fi, and my E7/E9 followed shortly afterward.  I had always loved my QC15's (they were a nice Christmas gift) and I still honestly do, they're a lot more comfortable than my SRH840's and they have a warmer, more inviting sound to them.

My SRH840's seem to give me a lot of detail, and I love them for it.  I love vocals and I love detail, I enjoy bright-sounding music and I tend to prefer treble over bass.  However, the SRH's are quite uncomfortable--I've gotten used to them in the last year or so, but they're rather unnecessarily heavy and their headband has a particular spot that causes too much pressure on my skull and it hurts after a while unless I position the band just right.
 
I have a worry that my family might give me funny looks if I start accumulating too many pairs of headphones.  I was already chastised for buying my Shures while I still had my Bose. 

  But that's a minor concern.
 
I do not know what I'm looking for.  Between my headphones, I can see myself taking my QC15's to the university and what-not for their noise cancelling feature and style, and using my SRH840's at home when I really want to listen to my music in vivid, bright detail.

However, I feel like I need a headphone that gets me pumped up, that is comfortable to wear and very fun to listen to, that doesn't require batteries and has audiophile sound without being too analytical.  I want cans that will give me the vocals and highs loud and clear, and the bass punchy but not boomy.  I'm not a basshead.

Ultimately, something that might fit squarely between my SRH and QC.  I strongly prefer around-ear design and open-back is not an option--I definitely need closed cans (unless you can tell me the leakage doesn't go more than a foot beyond my ears).  I am not aware of anywhere in my city to test audiophile headphones before I buy them, so I'm just trying to gather as much information as possible before I dive into something.
 
Fire away.  You guys were superbly helpful the first time I came here, and I'm incredibly happy with my SRH840's--I just wish they were more comfortable!  I hope for a repeat performance

Thanks!

 

[LimeANite]

Quote:

Does the Koss Pro DJ100 have a spiral cable?
 
 
By soundstage do you mean a distinction between the instruments?

Yes, the Pro DJ100 has a spiral cable.
 
And soundstage is a little more than space between instruments (that's separation), but they're related. Soundstage is more like the size of the "stage" that your music plays on in your head.  Closed headphones tend to have a smaller soundstage, which usually leads to less instrument separation because everything is crammed onto a smaller "stage."  It also makes the music feel more intimate, so it's somewhat of a tradeoff if you like to be up close and personal with the music.
 
Open headphones don't have to deal with as much reflection off the cups, so the soundstage is usually more expansive.  In most cases, this also results in excellent instrument separation.  Sometimes the instruments can sound too far away though.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

There looks like a lot of traffic here, so I'll try this thread!


A little bit about me:
 

1. Mostly listening to symphonic/melodic metal and rock.
2. Currently own Bose QC15's and Shure SRH840's.
3. Currently using FiiO E7/E9 combination.
4. I listen to music on a desktop PC and laptop PC, no MP3 player or other portable equivalent.
5. 95% of my music is 320 or lossless, played through foobar2000.

 
My SRH840's were my first real venture into head-fi, and my E7/E9 followed shortly afterward.  I had always loved my QC15's (they were a nice Christmas gift) and I still honestly do, they're a lot more comfortable than my SRH840's and they have a warmer, more inviting sound to them.

My SRH840's seem to give me a lot of detail, and I love them for it.  I love vocals and I love detail, I enjoy bright-sounding music and I tend to prefer treble over bass.  However, the SRH's are quite uncomfortable--I've gotten used to them in the last year or so, but they're rather unnecessarily heavy and their headband has a particular spot that causes too much pressure on my skull and it hurts after a while unless I position the band just right.
 
I have a worry that my family might give me funny looks if I start accumulating too many pairs of headphones.  I was already chastised for buying my Shures while I still had my Bose. 

  But that's a minor concern.
 
I do not know what I'm looking for.  Between my headphones, I can see myself taking my QC15's to the university and what-not for their noise cancelling feature and style, and using my SRH840's at home when I really want to listen to my music in vivid, bright detail.

However, I feel like I need a headphone that gets me pumped up, that is comfortable to wear and very fun to listen to, that doesn't require batteries and has audiophile sound without being too analytical.  I want cans that will give me the vocals and highs loud and clear, and the bass punchy but not boomy.  I'm not a basshead.

Ultimately, something that might fit squarely between my SRH and QC.  I strongly prefer around-ear design and open-back is not an option--I definitely need closed cans (unless you can tell me the leakage doesn't go more than a foot beyond my ears).  I am not aware of anywhere in my city to test audiophile headphones before I buy them, so I'm just trying to gather as much information as possible before I dive into something.
 
Fire away.  You guys were superbly helpful the first time I came here, and I'm incredibly happy with my SRH840's--I just wish they were more comfortable!  I hope for a repeat performance

Thanks!

In terms of circumaural headphones, I'm afraid that a lot of what you'll find is similar in size and weight to the SRH840s, and depending on your personal anatomy and preferences, similar in comfort. One headphone that fits your requirement is the M50, which is similar to the shure. However, i have heard fewer complaints about comfort regarding the M50s, and I can personally attest that my M50s are quite comfortable for a couple hours. However, they're a but bulky as well, and might not be the best for out and about use.
 
For that, you're looking at more portable sets, but most of those tend to be supra-aural, or barely enclose your ears. Depending on your budget (which would help narrow it down), you could look into the Sennheiser HD25-1s or Beyer DT1350s, which have a sound sig similar to what you are looking for. Others to consider might be the Vmoda M80s, Koss DJ100s, or maybe even one of the Phiaton models (MS300/400/PS320). 
 
If you like your QC15s though, you might be better off sticking with those as your portables.

 

[zloy loup]

Quote:

Yeah, like your ability to kind of hear where the instruments are and hear them outside your head, if that makes sense. Also, yeah, I forgot about the Koss ones, I've heard good things as well. And I don't think they have a coiled cable but I could be wrong.

 

Quote:

Yes, the Pro DJ100 has a spiral cable.
 
And soundstage is a little more than space between instruments (that's separation), but they're related. Soundstage is more like the size of the "stage" that your music plays on in your head.  Closed headphones tend to have a smaller soundstage, which usually leads to less instrument separation because everything is crammed onto a smaller "stage."  It also makes the music feel more intimate, so it's somewhat of a tradeoff if you like to be up close and personal with the music.
 
Open headphones don't have to deal with as much reflection off the cups, so the soundstage is usually more expansive.  In most cases, this also results in excellent instrument separation.  Sometimes the instruments can sound too far away though.
 

I see what you mean. The reason I asked about separation was because my hobby involves listening to music and recreating it in MIDI by ear. So a good soundstage is something that will benefit that?
 
Now that I think about it, though, I was pretty happy with how my AKG k430 worked, and they aren't nearly as popular or praised as the Pro DJ. So I guess my standards aren't really that high.

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

 
I see what you mean. The reason I asked about separation was because my hobby involves listening to music and recreating it in MIDI by ear. So a good soundstage is something that will benefit that?
 
Now that I think about it, though, I was pretty happy with how my AKG k430 worked, and they aren't nearly as popular or praised as the Pro DJ. So I guess my standards aren't really that high.

Well, does the recreation involve reproducing/mixing the stereo channels, instrument locations, etc. as well? Because if you're just working in mono, it's not as important. 
 
 

 

[zloy loup]

Quote:

Well, does the recreation involve reproducing/mixing the stereo channels, instrument locations, etc. as well? Because if you're just working in mono, it's not as important. 
 
 

No, it's mono. I mostly just need the ability to hear individual instruments well rather than perceive their locations.

 

[Throdd]

Quote:

In terms of circumaural headphones, I'm afraid that a lot of what you'll find is similar in size and weight to the SRH840s, and depending on your personal anatomy and preferences, similar in comfort. One headphone that fits your requirement is the M50, which is similar to the shure. However, i have heard fewer complaints about comfort regarding the M50s, and I can personally attest that my M50s are quite comfortable for a couple hours. However, they're a but bulky as well, and might not be the best for out and about use.
 
For that, you're looking at more portable sets, but most of those tend to be supra-aural, or barely enclose your ears. Depending on your budget (which would help narrow it down), you could look into the Sennheiser HD25-1s or Beyer DT1350s, which have a sound sig similar to what you are looking for. Others to consider might be the Vmoda M80s, Koss DJ100s, or maybe even one of the Phiaton models (MS300/400/PS320). 
 
If you like your QC15s though, you might be better off sticking with those as your portables.

Yeah, I like my QC15s enough to keep them as my portables.  I'm not looking for a new set to take out and about.

I'm basically looking for a set of cans that I can pick up when I just want to have fun with my music and be comfortable.  Not to replace either my SRH840's or my QC15's, unless it's really blows me away to the point that I have a reason to entirely retire my SRH840's.

My SRH840's are wonderful, but exhausting.  The weight of the cans and their poorly designed headband coupled with the cold, analytical presentation of the music wears me out.  To be clear: I absolutely love the sound, because I want to hear that detail and I love the vocals I get from these guys.

But I'd like something a little warmer that might not expose as much detail but be more aggressive, punchy, in-my-face and easier to wear and just enjoy.  I feel like I have to put too much effort into listening to my SRH840's.

I'd be all over open-ear if I could, but I don't live alone and I need to be considerate.  

  After all, that's why I use headphones in the first place!

How would you describe the ATH-M50's?  I hear them raved about a lot here, but I can't quite figure out if I'd like them.  Lots of mixed opinions.  I want something that sits squarely between my QC15's (warm and inviting, punchy, but a little muddy for me and the highs aren't represented well) and my SRH840's (cold and analytical, but wonderful vocals and highs, just the right amount of sparkle, but heavy and somewhat painful).

I'm also not much of an audiophile (yet) because I only have real experience with two headphones, both of which I still own and haven't replaced outright... so I'm not even sure if those descriptions are accurate, but I'm trying.  

 

[zhenya]

 
 
 


Quote:

Yeah, I like my QC15s enough to keep them as my portables.  I'm not looking for a new set to take out and about.

I'm basically looking for a set of cans that I can pick up when I just want to have fun with my music and be comfortable.  Not to replace either my SRH840's or my QC15's, unless it's really blows me away to the point that I have a reason to entirely retire my SRH840's.

My SRH840's are wonderful, but exhausting.  The weight of the cans and their poorly designed headband coupled with the cold, analytical presentation of the music wears me out.  To be clear: I absolutely love the sound, because I want to hear that detail and I love the vocals I get from these guys.

But I'd like something a little warmer that might not expose as much detail but be more aggressive, punchy, in-my-face and easier to wear and just enjoy.  I feel like I have to put too much effort into listening to my SRH840's.

I'd be all over open-ear if I could, but I don't live alone and I need to be considerate.  

  After all, that's why I use headphones in the first place!

How would you describe the ATH-M50's?  I hear them raved about a lot here, but I can't quite figure out if I'd like them.  Lots of mixed opinions.  I want something that sits squarely between my QC15's (warm and inviting, punchy, but a little muddy for me and the highs aren't represented well) and my SRH840's (cold and analytical, but wonderful vocals and highs, just the right amount of sparkle, but heavy and somewhat painful).

I'm also not much of an audiophile (yet) because I only have real experience with two headphones, both of which I still own and haven't replaced outright... so I'm not even sure if those descriptions are accurate, but I'm trying.  

Look at the Denon D2000/5000/7000 - whatever your price range is.  Much lighter and more comfortable than the 840's, and a totally different listening experience.  They don't sound at all like monitoring phones.
 
 

 

[zhenya]

Quote:

 
 
It seems to have been buried under the posts and I thought you guys might have missed it (my apologies if that's not true!). Again, thanks in advance for any advice. 

Sony MDR-V6/7506 is hugely popular given your requirements, and for good reason.  No replaceable cable, but the stock one is extremely durable.

 

[BillOhio]

I can't can't make comparisons to the others as I haven't heard them, but it's hard to imagine anyone getting the D2000's as a first set of cans and feeling like they'd gone wrong. They do have some bass for sure but I'm listening to Pachelbel's Canon in D as a write this and it sounds pretty good to me. I just finished  '46 and 2' by Tool and that sounded good too. I think the D2000's have a reputation as a good 'all around', fun phone that are easy to drive if you want to take them somewhere and I can say first hand that they are very comfortable. 

 

Quote:

 
 
Denon AH-D2000
B&W P5
Grado SR325is
Sennheiser HD650
 
Can anyone comment on the sound characteristics of these? Obviously there are two open and two closed, but I would like more detail than that since it's not that likely that I'll be able to test the Sennheisers (I think the HD650s are now discontinued) or the Grados (can't find them in any store).

 

 

[50an6xy06r6n]

Quote:

No, it's mono. I mostly just need the ability to hear individual instruments well rather than perceive their locations.

I'm not sure soundstaging will be too important to you in that case, so you might expand your selection to really any of the headphones that have been mentioned in the last couple pages. The ability to hear the sounds separately is more a product of driver speed and detail than soundstage. Maybe look into the Koss DJ100 or Superlux 668B. If you can stretch your budget, the SRH840s or Brainwavz HM5 might be good too. They're all known for being detailed headphones as well as good all-around.

 
Quote:

Yeah, I like my QC15s enough to keep them as my portables.  I'm not looking for a new set to take out and about.

I'm basically looking for a set of cans that I can pick up when I just want to have fun with my music and be comfortable.  Not to replace either my SRH840's or my QC15's, unless it's really blows me away to the point that I have a reason to entirely retire my SRH840's.

My SRH840's are wonderful, but exhausting.  The weight of the cans and their poorly designed headband coupled with the cold, analytical presentation of the music wears me out.  To be clear: I absolutely love the sound, because I want to hear that detail and I love the vocals I get from these guys.

But I'd like something a little warmer that might not expose as much detail but be more aggressive, punchy, in-my-face and easier to wear and just enjoy.  I feel like I have to put too much effort into listening to my SRH840's.

I'd be all over open-ear if I could, but I don't live alone and I need to be considerate.  

  After all, that's why I use headphones in the first place!

How would you describe the ATH-M50's?  I hear them raved about a lot here, but I can't quite figure out if I'd like them.  Lots of mixed opinions.  I want something that sits squarely between my QC15's (warm and inviting, punchy, but a little muddy for me and the highs aren't represented well) and my SRH840's (cold and analytical, but wonderful vocals and highs, just the right amount of sparkle, but heavy and somewhat painful).

I'm also not much of an audiophile (yet) because I only have real experience with two headphones, both of which I still own and haven't replaced outright... so I'm not even sure if those descriptions are accurate, but I'm trying.  

The M50s are interesting. I would describe them as having a slight edge on the highs, and punchy bass with a bit of a midbass hump, but also extending down pretty low. The midrange is a bit strange though, I would describe it as a tad bit metallic or hollow sounding. Overall it's good for rock, but less so for classical-type music. They are pretty comfortable IME. Compared to the QC15s, which I demoed once (so I'm not the most reliable) The highs were a lot less peaky, it's less warm, and the bass extends lower. The M50s might work for you, but they have some flaws. 
 
Based on sound signature, it sounds like you're looking for something a bit v-shaped and fun, with a bit of treble and bass emphasis. That describes a lot of headphones, but a lot of those are supra-aural portables. Besides the M50s, there are the SRH750 DJs, maybe the Phiaton MS300/400, and a couple others maybe. Go research these and see what other names pop up.
 
EDIT: Oh yeah, forgot about the Denon models

 

[jesb]

Still unsure of what direction I should go.  I currently have HD 555's, but I'm using onboard sound.  Should I be investing in a high end sound card to get the most out of these headphones, or a mid level card?
 
I'd like to spend at the most $150-200.
 
But I don't want to buy something high end and not get use out of them because my headphones are not good enough.