[Jason Bourne]

Hey everyone, 
 
I was re-directed to this forum for advice by a few people (that said this was the place for headphone's on the net) and need some advice or guidance in the right direction if you will in regards to getting a set of capable headphone for my home theatre setup. Basically Im in dire need of a set of cans to enjoy my blu-ray movies and the odd gaming session on my ps3. My surround sound system simply put is too loud for everyone else in the house. My budget right now is kind of slim but its not that anemic either that I cant get something decent I hope. Im not sure if I can even afford an amped setup or what an amp could do for me (sorry headphone amp newb here) in my situation as the headphones will be strictly be for movie viewing and not really music listening. But if its something I should consider in the future or future proof myself for now please suggest away.
 
Ill consider maybe saving up for it if the benefits will be that great. So needless to say these headphone's are never leaving home and will just be used inside my theatre room (with my ps3 as source or the a/v receiver I guess that the ps3 is connected to for audio right now) exclusively so I have no need for noise cancelling either. I guess what Im hoping for from the headphone's is the best possible re-creation of 5.1 (possibly 7.1?) surround sound with some good bass (im not a bass-head so just some nice bass that gets the intended impact of the scene across) and nice quality audio. Budget is around $150-$220 at the moment... I know its not much and I have a lot of requirements, lol, but Im hoping something in that range will deliver what Im looking for. I assume an amped setup is out of the question in that price range for the moment but I don't mind suggestions for amped setups to keep in mind for later. I have read there are actual headphones with 5.1 setups inside them?!
 
I have seen the Sennheiser HD 558 & 598 seen as good recommendations multiple places online... would those be a suitable candidate for my use?
 
Im eternally grateful for any responses to help me out in advance and I hope I have given enough information for proper advice. So Thanks and I hope to participate in the community here and learn more!

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Sorry I should have posted here and not have made a new thread.
 
I've been all about IEM's and have had quite a few but now I'm looking for a good full size headphone and I really don't know much about full size cans at all.  The Denon AH-D7100, Sennheiser HD 700 or Grado PS1000 are 3 I was looking at and are all around $1000.  I'm open to suggestions but want to keep it under $1500.  I'm really not picky when it comes to sound signatures, as long as they're balanced (mids can be a little forward) detailed with a large soundstage that has good imaging and separation.  So if anyone has heard the 3 I've mentioned or has others in mind that might work for me please  let me know, thanks.

While some of the folks here might know enough to comment on one or two of those cans, you're really on the turf/price range best covered in the Summit-Fi section of the forum that deals with high end cans.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Thanks for the advice. As long as the bass on the HD 558 is still good, and by that I mean "accurate" then I'm pretty sure I will be fine as my music already puts bass above everything else. I have read on here at least twice that too much bass can lead to "fatigued listening sessions" or something like that. And I am starting to think that in addition to my headphones already being uncomfortable, maybe the added bass isn't helping...
So with that in mind, I am starting to lean towards the 558s. The only thing that I am worried about is that they are open and will have sound leakage. As far as I know, the 449s are closed which I have also heard can lead to more bass. And if they are in the same category when it comes to comfort, I am stuck between those two.
And I totally agree, trying them out somewhere would be ideal. Do you know of a common retail store that might have them?

To me the bass on the HD558 is "good enough", not a headphone for bassheads, but the bass is good enough for Joe average.

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

Thanks for the advice. As long as the bass on the HD 558 is still good, and by that I mean "accurate" then I'm pretty sure I will be fine as my music already puts bass above everything else. I have read on here at least twice that too much bass can lead to "fatigued listening sessions" or something like that. And I am starting to think that in addition to my headphones already being uncomfortable, maybe the added bass isn't helping...
So with that in mind, I am starting to lean towards the 558s. The only thing that I am worried about is that they are open and will have sound leakage. As far as I know, the 449s are closed which I have also heard can lead to more bass. And if they are in the same category when it comes to comfort, I am stuck between those two.
And I totally agree, trying them out somewhere would be ideal. Do you know of a common retail store that might have them?

The HD558 is great and most people will like them. I don't know much about the HD449 but I can tell you just by looking at them that they will not be as comfortable. They might still be ok, but they have pleather earpads and head cushion while the HD558 has velour earpads and head cushion. Some people are fine with pleather, but after you've tried velour it's hard to not notice the difference.
 
The only major retail store that I know of that will have either headphone available is Guitar Center. I know they carry the Beyers, but I don't know if they will have any to test out in store.

 

[strausd]

To me the bass on the HD558 is "good enough", not a headphone for bassheads, but the bass is good enough for Joe average.

The HD558 is great and most people will like them. I don't know much about the HD449 but I can tell you just by looking at them that they will not be as comfortable. They might still be ok, but they have pleather earpads and head cushion while the HD558 has velour earpads and head cushion. Some people are fine with pleather, but after you've tried velour it's hard to not notice the difference.

The only major retail store that I know of that will have either headphone available is Guitar Center. I know they carry the Beyers, but I don't know if they will have any to test out in store.

So how bad would the sound leakage be? If I were listening to them at a medium level and somebody was sitting just a few feet away from me, would it be an extremely faint sound, slightly apparent, completely obvious and annoying, or somewhere inbetween? Or would it sound as if the headphones were just resting around my neck and never up against my head, sort of just like having mini speakers on? Because if they are too loud to everyone else, I can imagine that being quite annoying, as I often need to use my headphones when around others.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

So how bad would the sound leakage be? If I were listening to them at a medium level and somebody was sitting just a few feet away from me, would it be an extremely faint sound, slightly apparent, completely obvious and annoying, or somewhere inbetween? Or would it sound as if the headphones were just resting around my neck and never up against my head, sort of just like having mini speakers on? Because if they are too loud to everyone else, I can imagine that being quite annoying, as I often need to use my headphones when around others.

Slightly apparent?
If your in a noisy area and playing with volume on low, most reasonable people would not be "bothered" by your audio.
But as your around others in public places, best to get closed headphones.

 

[hipster2010]

Quote:

So how bad would the sound leakage be? If I were listening to them at a medium level and somebody was sitting just a few feet away from me, would it be an extremely faint sound, slightly apparent, completely obvious and annoying, or somewhere inbetween? Or would it sound as if the headphones were just resting around my neck and never up against my head, sort of just like having mini speakers on? Because if they are too loud to everyone else, I can imagine that being quite annoying, as I often need to use my headphones when around others.

Because the back side of the cups is open, just about the same amount of sound will go outside as is going into your ear. If you listen at low volumes, then other can probably hear a bit of what you are listening to, but it may not be bothersome. If you like to listen at high volumes, then the sound that is leaking will be fairly loud. 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hey everyone, 
 
I was re-directed to this forum for advice by a few people (that said this was the place for headphone's on the net) and need some advice or guidance in the right direction if you will in regards to getting a set of capable headphone for my home theatre setup. Basically Im in dire need of a set of cans to enjoy my blu-ray movies and the odd gaming session on my ps3. My surround sound system simply put is too loud for everyone else in the house. My budget right now is kind of slim but its not that anemic either that I cant get something decent I hope. Im not sure if I can even afford an amped setup or what an amp could do for me (sorry headphone amp newb here) in my situation as the headphones will be strictly be for movie viewing and not really music listening. But if its something I should consider in the future or future proof myself for now please suggest away.
 
Ill consider maybe saving up for it if the benefits will be that great. So needless to say these headphone's are never leaving home and will just be used inside my theatre room (with my ps3 as source or the a/v receiver I guess that the ps3 is connected to for audio right now) exclusively so I have no need for noise cancelling either. I guess what Im hoping for from the headphone's is the best possible re-creation of 5.1 (possibly 7.1?) surround sound with some good bass (im not a bass-head so just some nice bass that gets the intended impact of the scene across) and nice quality audio. Budget is around $150-$220 at the moment... I know its not much and I have a lot of requirements, lol, but Im hoping something in that range will deliver what Im looking for. I assume an amped setup is out of the question in that price range for the moment but I don't mind suggestions for amped setups to keep in mind for later. I have read there are actual headphones with 5.1 setups inside them?!
 
I have seen the Sennheiser HD 558 & 598 seen as good recommendations multiple places online... would those be a suitable candidate for my use?
 
Im eternally grateful for any responses to help me out in advance and I hope I have given enough information for proper advice. So Thanks and I hope to participate in the community here and learn more!

Don't know much about the subject, except the Ultrasone S-Logic tries to capture surround sound.  Also these links to products may hold some interest for you:
 
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Surround-Sound-Headphones/ci/16225/N/4220238603
 
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRDS6500-Digital-Surround-Headphones/dp/B004P15HD0

 

[David164v8]

Hey, I'm buying a new set of headphones for gaming and music. I have around £85 to spend on the headphones, I was looking at a pair of HD555 as they seem pretty good and aren't too expensive. Is there anything better I could buy for under £85? I live in the UK and I'm using an Asus Xonar DG at the moment.

 

[SLUAP]

Anyone tried the Ultrasone Pro 550 or Pro 750? Appreciate any feedbacks about these cans. THanks

 

[strausd]

Because the back side of the cups is open, just about the same amount of sound will go outside as is going into your ear. If you listen at low volumes, then other can probably hear a bit of what you are listening to, but it may not be bothersome. If you like to listen at high volumes, then the sound that is leaking will be fairly loud. 

Slightly apparent?
If your in a noisy area and playing with volume on low, most reasonable people would not be "bothered" by your audio.
But as your around others in public places, best to get closed headphones.

Thanks for the advice guys. I really appreciate all the help you have given me.

I think I'm gonna go for the HD 449 and try those out as they are cheaper and a lot of amazon reviews praise the comfort and bass. The good thing is I will be able to tell in just a few days if they are comfortable enough to keep. If not, I'll return them and go for the 558.

Thanks again guys

 

[ferday]

I'll start with a word on warning.  In my experience the headphone out of an Onkyo A/V receiver is very weak.  It probably won't adequately power an HD 650 and certainly won't drive most if not not all planars.  It's not like the 70's and 80's when receiver headphone jacks could power about anything you plugged in--and included 600 Ohm dynamic headphones.

If you want a quality and affordable portable amp that will drive almost anything except planars, the HeadRoom Total Airhead is still on sale for half price ($49.00):

http://www.headphone.com/headphone-amps/amplifiers/headroom-total-airhead.php

You should plan on getting a desk top amp at minimum and perhaps an amp/dac in either one piece (purchase) or two.  I'm old school and still do my serious music listening on CD & vinyl.  So for me, the amp alone is enough.  My guess is that you will end up with both (perhaps in a combo unit).  Good desktop equipment that will push planars starts at about $225 to $250 a pop.  Some (among many) examples are the Schiit Asgard amp & Bifrost dac, Matrix M Stage and Audio-gd NFB 12.1 (amp + dac).  What you select will greatly depend on how it pairs with the cans you ultimately buy.

With regard to cans--the HD 650 (and older more neutral) HD 600 are classics and still hold up very well.  Above them the best buy new is the HE-500.

Thanks kindly for the advice, it sounds like I'm better off to save my $ for now and research a little harder. $250 isn't bad at all for a good amp! I'd rather be able to drive some good planars

This site is great!

 

[yezz12]

I need new headphones for around 100-150 euro. I'll be using them for 60% music and 40% gaming with my Asus Xonar DG. I listen to rock/metal, examples: Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne...
 
I have taken a look at the AD-700s and the Grados. The AD700s seem to be only good for gaming and the Grados only for rock.
 
Also, will a Fiio E10 be a big improvement over the Xonar DG? I'm thinking of buying one, but i'd still use the Xonar for gaming.

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

I need new headphones for around 100-150 euro. I'll be using them for 60% music and 40% gaming with my Asus Xonar DG. I listen to rock/metal, examples: Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne...
 
I have taken a look at the AD-700s and the Grados. The AD700s seem to be only good for gaming and the Grados only for rock.
 
Also, will a Fiio E10 be a big improvement over the Xonar DG? I'm thinking of buying one, but i'd still use the Xonar for gaming.

Takstar Hi2050 (Technical Pro HPT990) headphones, semi-open. sells in the USA for $50.
For the kind of headphones I'm recommending, just keep using the Xonar DG.
Have you tried the "Unified Xonar Drivers" from Brainbit?

 

[yezz12]

Quote:

Takstar Hi2050 (Technical Pro HPT990) headphones, semi-open. sells in the USA for $50.
For the kind of headphones I'm recommending, just keep using the Xonar DG.
Have you tried the "Unified Xonar Drivers" from Brainbit?

Isn't there anything better? I can spend more. Do those have a wide soundstage?
 
Now that you mention - i'll try them.