[aerolord]

Hello, I am rather new here... thanks to this forum, I had purchased a UM3X for my portable entertainment. However, I do want something to use at home, I wonder if HD558/598 will be an upgrade or a downgrade when compared to UM3X? My source is just an iPod touch(which I am looking to upgrade to Sony Z Series or Cowon Z2 in the future) and I might buy an amp if needed. Any help is appreciated... thanks.

 

[zeroemission]

i loved my Cowon U5, ESPECIALLY for playing WAVs and having the best user interface of anything else that i've owned, but now that that cheaper model has been dropped, i haven't been interested and prefer sansa's clip+ which has the best interface compared to the the clip zip & especially fuze+ which refuses to do folders and sansas don't do WAVs. their "house sound" is very detailed and even a bit more clinical than cowon's, but the big feature that makes me like the clip+ is that it lets you boost your memory with cheap mini SD cards. if i used my card in the clip+ i bought for just $32, i'd have a 36gb player for a little over $60 where you'll pay much more for a cowon that isn't expandable. cowons spank much butt in format capability though. the SQ is supposedly improved if you hotrod your sansa players with rockbox software.
 
i like my Cube C30 (related to hippo gumstick) even better. i got it for $45 with 4gb on board memory and a similar card slot. it has a REALLY detailed and warm sound once you break it in and has a really solid weighty feel to it. it's a little bit of a pain to get used to as it has an interface with "hidden buttons" that are part of the chrome bezel. it also has a limited monochrome display that's hard to read in full sunlight and needs to be updated to cure glitchy mp3 playback and is really annoying if you accidentally switch the language to chinese. once you get it tuned though, it makes up for being fussy with very HQ sound even with 320kbs mp3s. it also plays WAVs. the gumstick doesn't, but might be able to if you hotrod that with cube software
 
for less than the price of cowon's cheapest player, i got 2 different mp3 players and a 32gb card i can use with either one. both players are considered the best "bang for the buck" in these forums and i like them both once one switches the clip+ to WMC or something like that in settings so your PC sees it as a hard drive. as to sony... i hate them and their crappy, breaks as soon as your warranty expires gear and hostile customer service. i wouldn't trust anything they make anymore. only my 5 disc changer has worked more than a year.
 
i know you were asking about phones, but i wanted to give you a heads up on these two cheap players with nice SQ. i'll be using the card in the cube player as that one sounds better and will let me use uncompressed WAVs for best SQ and uninterrupted playback on dark side of the moon etc. i think you can get uninterrupted playback with mp3s on any player you can rockbox too.
 
i might get another cowon some day when they start offering expansion slots if they keep offering WAV support.

 

[Mackem]

 
So I am looking for some new full-size headphones. I want a pair that are going to be comfortable for hours on end for gaming/listening to music, especially since I wear glasses and have a large head/ears so comfort is important. I want the best headphones to suit my music taste. I listen to a lot of rap, R&B, dubstep, dance and techno but on occasion I do listen to rock music. I suppose in general I listen to quite bass heavy music but sometimes I do switch it up a bit. I can stretch my budget a little further but not much. Also, I am going to be using them on my iPod Touch and PC.
 
If anyone can recommend me some headphones, that would be great.
 

 

[rosen]

I'm looking for a simple headphone - comfort, build quality, clarity, instrument seperation, bass and design... in that order.
 
I just want to wake up in the morning, grab my iPhone and the pair of headphones I threw on the bed side table last night, and head out into the world and be moved by the music. No comfort issues, no crappy built headphones, no amping, no FLAC, no ugly designs, no leakage and no thin bass. Just me, my iPhone, my headphones, Spotify and the music
 
Do you audiophiles think that the Beats Studios (yeah I know that the build quality is bad) and Pros are really that bad for the price if the above scenario is what you want?
 
Or should I try the TMA-1 again even though I feel like they don't have the same comfort as the Beats line?
 
I got one more question .
 
Regarding IEM's, how much better are the sound of the top tiers with or without an amp compared to, lets say, a SE215? 50%? 20? 10?
 
Thanks in advance

 

[Almighty]

Quote:

I'm looking for a simple headphone - comfort, build quality, clarity, instrument seperation, bass and design... in that order.
 
I just want to wake up in the morning, grab my iPhone and the pair of headphones I threw on the bed side table last night, and head out into the world and be moved by the music. No comfort issues, no crappy built headphones, no amping, no FLAC, no ugly designs, no leakage and no thin bass. Just me, my iPhone, my headphones, Spotify and the music
 
Do you audiophiles think that the Beats Studios (yeah I know that the build quality is bad) and Pros are really that bad for the price if the above scenario is what you want?
 
Or should I try the TMA-1 again even though I feel like they don't have the same comfort as the Beats line?
 
I got one more question .
 
Regarding IEM's, how much better are the sound of the top tiers with or without an amp compared to, lets say, a SE215? 50%? 20? 10?
 
Thanks in advance

V-moda M-80's

Why?

1.) Under $200

2.) Sound fantastic

3.) Built like a tank

4.) Run fine off an iPod



Never ask people to justify beats on an audiophile forum . Argument boils down to the price point being substantially higher than the quality you're paying for. Better build quality/sound quality can be found at cheaper price points.

 

[rosen]

Quote:

V-moda M-80's

Why?

1.) Under $200

2.) Sound fantastic

3.) Built like a tank

4.) Run fine off an iPod



Never ask people to justify beats on an audiophile forum . Argument boils down to the price point being substantially higher than the quality you're paying for. Better build quality/sound quality can be found at cheaper price points.

I can't try the M80 here in Sweden before buying them. They look kind of funky to me as well. But since Tyll says that they sound great maybe I should buy them and try them. 
 
Which headphones are you refering to that has better build quality than the Beats Pro and are cheaper? Maybe HD25, TMA-1, D2000, DT1350, HDJ2000 or M80? They all look "flimsier" to me.
 
And again I think that if you want a bass heavy (audiophiles read: bloated .) sound then the Beats Pro are really good.
 

 

[zeroemission]

dr dre beats are for posers concerned more with showing off hip gear like the latest ipod than serious listening. all the reviews i've read for them by real audiophiles who've listened to quality gear from sennheiser, AKG, beyerdynamics & audiotechnica etc. laugh at them. they're just statements that "hey! i just spent $300 on these headphones and they match my limited edition ipod!"
 
you can get some darn good headphones for just $100 that will run circles around beats.
 
regarding v-modas... i'm not a fan of hexagons. they remind me of toy looking PC cases that gamers like because they look like transformers or something. i don't know about the SQ of v-modas, but i just can't get past they're styling. a good headphone shouldn't have to go out of it's way to look stylish.
 
are they still making skull candies? LOL

 

[rosen]

Quote:

dr dre beats are for posers concerned more with showing off hip gear like the latest ipod than serious listening. all the reviews i've read for them by real audiophiles who've listened to quality gear from sennheiser, AKG, beyerdynamics & audiotechnica etc. laugh at them. they're just statements that "hey! i just spent $300 on these headphones and they match my limited edition ipod!"
 
you can get some darn good headphones for just $100 that will run circles around beats.

Of course they are for posers and there is better headphones that are cheaper, like the M50, HD25, DT3500, M80, D2000 and so on. But get me a bass heavy, single sided cable entry, with a rugged built, that are around the ear, that you can change the cable of and sound better than the Beats Pro. Really want something like that but the only can that is something like that are the Beats Pro.
 

 

[Insetick]

Hey, new member here looking for his first set of good headphones. I've been looking for headphones in the $50 price range, and I'm really interested in getting the Samson SR850.
 
Some concerns: 1.) From reviews, it sounds like these are really good headphones for analyzing music. Are these still fun to listen to casually?
 
2.) Where can I buy replacement pads by AKG?
 
3.) Will these sound good unamped through an iPod?
 
4.) How bad is the isolation? The sound leakage? At your normal listening volume, can others hear you in a library?
 
5.) What would you recommend that are fun to listen to? How do the Prodipe Pro 800 and Senn HD428 compare?
 
Thanks!

 

[hmohammed43]

 

Hi everyone!
 
In advance, thanks for any help with this
 
In terms of the Music I listen to, I would say it's about 55% Hip-Hop/R'n'B, 15% Soul, and the other 30% comprises of some other genres like electronic music, rock, pop and so on. Also, I'm gonna be using them with my phone on the go but I have a Mini^3 amp that I'm using right now with my TMA-1's
I've already made my headphone amp so price isn't too much of an issue, definitely something under $1000 though (so it comes down to under £600 for me ) In terms of the sound, I'd kinda prefer something that's not too dark, and that's good in the whole spectrum (going from bass to treble)
 

Quote:

Perhaps the D5000s will do well with your bass-heavy genres.
 

 
     Quote:

Thanks! (that's happening next month!)

Just incase, does anybody else have any ideas? Just so I have an idea of what else is out there too? (I had a look at the M50s's too, they seem to be quite good from the info i can rustle up)
 

 

[LimeANite]

Quote:

I can't try the M80 here in Sweden before buying them. They look kind of funky to me as well. But since Tyll says that they sound great maybe I should buy them and try them. 
 
Which headphones are you refering to that has better build quality than the Beats Pro and are cheaper? Maybe HD25, TMA-1, D2000, DT1350, HDJ2000 or M80? They all look "flimsier" to me.
 
And again I think that if you want a bass heavy (audiophiles read: bloated .) sound then the Beats Pro are really good.
 

Honestly, I don't think that any of those are worse build-quality than the Beats Pros.  HD25s get thrown in backpacks all the time - I've never seen one complaint about them getting broken.  The TMA-1 may be plastic (not sure if it actually is), but it looks pretty tough to me.  The D2000s aren't really suitable for portable use - they don't clamp tight enough.  They do have one weak point (the pin between the cups and the headband), but it's not an issue if you don't bang them around too much.  The DT-1350 is very similar to the HD25s on build quality, though it's apparently a bit of a challenge to adjust properly.  The HDJ2000 looks about as beefy as the beats, just with thinner pads.  And the M80s are almost all metal - tough to beat that for durability.
 
That said, if you like the Beats and don't have a problem paying the premium for them, they're pretty good.  Most people on the site estimate the Pros value at around $200-$250, which puts them about in the same boat as the others that you listed as far as sound quality goes.
 

 

[LimeANite]

Quote:

 
 
     Quote:


Just incase, does anybody else have any ideas? Just so I have an idea of what else is out there too? (I had a look at the M50s's too, they seem to be quite good from the info i can rustle up)
 

I doubt you'll see much of an upgrade between the TMA-1 and the M-50.  I'll second the D5000 - my D2000 does everything well, and the D5000 is an improvement in every way over it.  Heck, you might even be able to pick up a D7000 in your budget.  Many people consider that to be one of the best closed headphones available.
 

 

[hmohammed43]

    Quote:

I doubt you'll see much of an upgrade between the TMA-1 and the M-50.  I'll second the D5000 - my D2000 does everything well, and the D5000 is an improvement in every way over it.  Heck, you might even be able to pick up a D7000 in your budget.  Many people consider that to be one of the best closed headphones available.
 

I'll definitely be getting them! Thanks

 

[Mackem]

Quote:

 
So I am looking for some new full-size headphones. I want a pair that are going to be comfortable for hours on end for gaming/listening to music, especially since I wear glasses and have a large head/ears so comfort is important. I want the best headphones to suit my music taste. I listen to a lot of rap, R&B, dubstep, dance and techno but on occasion I do listen to rock music. I suppose in general I listen to quite bass heavy music but sometimes I do switch it up a bit. I can stretch my budget a little further but not much. Also, I am going to be using them on my iPod Touch and PC.
 
If anyone can recommend me some headphones, that would be great.
 
Any suggestions?
 

 

 

[walden]

@Mackem. Price range would be really helpful to any potential suggestions.