[winst]

Quote:

Well the DT770 are a good start. They obviously are not going to sound open like the 990 but they have a near open sound for a closed can IMO. Get the 80 or 250ohm and a portable amp like I mentioned in my other response.
Economical amp options to try to stay near your price range:
E11 with L9 cable $65 -- for use with your ipod only (as mentioned earlier). This is assuming your onboard sound on your laptop you are happy with.
E17 with L9 -- $140-$150 -- If you need a portable amp for the ipod that can double to replace the DAC/Amp circuit of your laptop. It plugs into your usb.
Get both the E11 with L9 cable $69 (for ipod) and E10 $65 (Dac/amp for laptop only) -- The E10 plugs into your usb and gets power that way. For use with your laptop or home computer. E11 takes batteries for use portably as an amp only for the ipod.

Thank you for the recommendations and your highly detailed response! Seeing as you have both, how do the DT770s compare to the DT990s sound signature-wise?
Will I be sacrificing a lot of bass and highs? I realize that the sound stage of the DT770s will not sound as great as those of the DT990s

 

[Doc-holliday]

Thank you for the recommendations and your highly detailed response! Seeing as you have both, how do the DT770s compare to the DT990s sound signature-wise?
Will I be sacrificing a lot of bass and highs? I realize that the sound stage of the DT770s will not sound as great as those of the DT990s

Ya it is all subjective I guess. The 990 for sure sounds more "airy" and open. The advantage of the 770 IMO is the bass impact and quality is superior due to the closed design. The one of the rooms I use my headhpones in have a wall air conditioner so in that case i appreciate the closed design of the 770 more. That all being said, I do find the signature between the two similar overall.

 

[winst]

Quote:

Ya it is all subjective I guess. The 990 for sure sounds more "airy" and open. The advantage of the 770 IMO is the bass impact and quality is superior due to the closed design. The one of the rooms I use my headhpones in have a wall air conditioner so in that case i appreciate the closed design of the 770 more. That all being said, I do find the signature between the two similar overall.

I see. I think I will go for the DT 770s. Thank you for the input!

 

[TheCaptainAudio]

Looking for a portable, low leakage headphone that has as rich textured bass as possible, for under 100 dollars, if that is possible...
Genres i listen to are House, Drum and Bass, Liquid, Real Dubstep (none of that skrillex mid frequency screeching noises),
Must leak less than Xb500s, which I have already, and smaller than the Xb500s, for portability. 
Things I don't care about: Mids and Highs, comfort, build quality to an extent, (no sketchy-shack glass headphones) brand (no beats fanboy)
 
Im open to far-fetched ideas, as this request is quite a stretch in itself. Thanks.

 

[xStreame]

Quote:

hi all
 
I've just started looking for a set of headphones but since i'm completely new to this, i'd really appreciate some feedback and suggestions.
 
The main use for the headphones would be to connect them to my Onkyo amplifier for playing games on my ps3. I currently use a Sony CD950 set but i find them quite uncomfortable to wear. Also, i might consider using them with my iPod if they prove to be comfortable to wear and a considerable improvement over the standard apple headphones (which i currently use on my ipod). I never intend to take the headphones outside and there is not a lot of noise around me.
 
I'm not an audiophile so i don't need the most expensive ones but i want to invest in a decent quality headphone nonetheless. Certainly something that is comfortable to wear for longer periods and with decent sound quality.
 
I have been searching a bit here and there and i set my eye on the Sennheiser HD598 or even the new Sony MDR-1R. So i was wondering: would that type of headphone be a good choice/price category for my intented purposes? Or am i totally missing the point? Also, if i was to buy the Sony MDR-1R, i noticed that the supplied cable is only 1.2 m (according to the specs). My CD950 has a much longer cable and i need this length when sitting in my couch in front of the tv. Are headphones like the HD598 or MDR intented for mobile use (on the road/ipod/...) or are they also intented for hooking up to an amp? Can i just buy a longer cable and plug it in?
 
Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Hello,
From personal experience i can tell you that the HD598 are indeed well suiting headphones for you, especially for home use. They are not very suitable for portable use though due to sound leakage.
 
About the cable, yes, you can simply buy an extension cable if you chose to buy the Sony's

 

[Shankster]

One last thing. im basically set on them. will they work for large ears? also what about your views on the a900x?

 

[Pual]

Got my dt990's and a nice MKIII amp. So happy!

 

[ozarkcdn]

First time poster - lurker for a while through the years... 
 
I've been the happy owner of a pair of sr60's for several... uh... well... 15 years I guess.  Couple of ear pads through the years and one re-solder job in one of the cans, but I'm pretty happy with them for the most part.... but... been lurking around so my interest is piqued... 
 
So, I was looking for something to watch movies with my tablet and not wake up my wife... 

 but that could also do a good job with listening to music.  My original idea was to look at the AT m50's, but I do get the idea that, generally speaking, open cans are 'better' than sealed cans.  I realize that hi-fidelity isn't quite required for watching netflix on a tablet, but some isolation wouldn't be bad in a noisier than home environment.  I would be in a quiet environment far more often than rare noisy ones (airplanes 1x/year maybe).  
 
I guess the question is, do you think it would be better to get a basic recommended sealed can, and then blow the rest of the budget (around $200) on a open can upgrade to the sr60's?  As far as sound goes, I listen to everything, rock to jazz to funk, like a tight bottom, but HATE veiled / cotton-in-the-ears sound reproduction & dislike fried sizzle from a harsh top end.  I always turned off Dolby on the tape deck when listening to cassettes... for those who remember those things... since I much prefered tape hiss to ear plugs   

 

[thecansmancan]

Quote:

First time poster - lurker for a while through the years... 
 
I've been the happy owner of a pair of sr60's for several... uh... well... 15 years I guess.  Couple of ear pads through the years and one re-solder job in one of the cans, but I'm pretty happy with them for the most part.... but... been lurking around so my interest is piqued... 
 
So, I was looking for something to watch movies with my tablet and not wake up my wife... 

 but that could also do a good job with listening to music.  My original idea was to look at the AT m50's, but I do get the idea that, generally speaking, open cans are 'better' than sealed cans.  I realize that hi-fidelity isn't quite required for watching netflix on a tablet, but some isolation wouldn't be bad in a noisier than home environment.  I would be in a quiet environment far more often than rare noisy ones (airplanes 1x/year maybe).  
 
I guess the question is, do you think it would be better to get a basic recommended sealed can, and then blow the rest of the budget (around $200) on a open can upgrade to the sr60's?  As far as sound goes, I listen to everything, rock to jazz to funk, like a tight bottom, but HATE veiled / cotton-in-the-ears sound reproduction & dislike fried sizzle from a harsh top end.  I always turned off Dolby on the tape deck when listening to cassettes... for those who remember those things... since I much prefered tape hiss to ear plugs   

Well, saying opened cans are "better" is kinda a subjective thing. There are plenty of fantastic closed cans. It's just they have a different sound signature. As a rule of thumb, closed has more bass, where opened has slightly less, but more air. That's very general though...and not very in depth.... anyway, it sounds like what you want is an opened sound minus the leakage. For that, I highly recommend the Shure SRH-840. They run around $150. They have a relatively balanced sound signature, so that should work well for your situation (Sound sig: slight mid emphasis, mild mid bass hump. pretty much unnoticed for casual listening...). Balance will let you cross genre. The sound stage, for being closed, and at the price, is simply phenomenal. They are fairly easy to drive, do no amp is absolutely necessary. As well, the leakage/isolation is wonderful. I use them to listen while my family watches TV right behind me....i can't hear a single explosion....oh the wonders....anyway, i highly recommend them. Any questions, feel free to pm me.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

Ultrasone HFI-780, more refined and balanced than either of those.

Unfortunately im looking to spend under $120 :/

The CAL! has dropped to $60 at Amazon.  It's a great and balanced can for that price.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

First time poster - lurker for a while through the years... 
 
I've been the happy owner of a pair of sr60's for several... uh... well... 15 years I guess.  Couple of ear pads through the years and one re-solder job in one of the cans, but I'm pretty happy with them for the most part.... but... been lurking around so my interest is piqued... 
 
So, I was looking for something to watch movies with my tablet and not wake up my wife... 

 but that could also do a good job with listening to music.  My original idea was to look at the AT m50's, but I do get the idea that, generally speaking, open cans are 'better' than sealed cans.  I realize that hi-fidelity isn't quite required for watching netflix on a tablet, but some isolation wouldn't be bad in a noisier than home environment.  I would be in a quiet environment far more often than rare noisy ones (airplanes 1x/year maybe).  
 
I guess the question is, do you think it would be better to get a basic recommended sealed can, and then blow the rest of the budget (around $200) on a open can upgrade to the sr60's?  As far as sound goes, I listen to everything, rock to jazz to funk, like a tight bottom, but HATE veiled / cotton-in-the-ears sound reproduction & dislike fried sizzle from a harsh top end.  I always turned off Dolby on the tape deck when listening to cassettes... for those who remember those things... since I much prefered tape hiss to ear plugs   

Unamped I'd recommend the open Audio Technica ATH-AD900.  They have a great sound stage and will be very complementary with your Grado.  For closed, pick up a $60 CAL! from Amazon before the price goes back up.

 

[t0xb0x47]

Hey guys, I'm pretty inexperienced with headphones but maybe you guys can help point me in the right direction. my budget is between 200-500 dollars for the headphones, and im looking for Closed headphones that are comfortable to wear, as i will be wearing them for about 4 hours at a time, 5 days a week. So far i've heard very good things about the Beyerdynamic dt 770 pros as well as the new Sony MDR-1R's. these are the two that im learning toward right now. However ive also heard good things about the AKG-K550's and the Ultrasone Pro 750's. Any and all suggestions are welcome! I'd actually prefer to buy headphones closer to the 500 range as I will probably buy a Fiio e11 in the future (ive heard its a solid amp). I used to want the D2000's but i can't seem to find them for any reasonable price. I listen a lot of genre's of music so id like a balanced headphone. I listen to mostly hip-hop, but also rock, instrumental (nujabes), vocal (adele/frank ocean), and even electronica (daft punk). so basically everything but country. looking forward to hearing some responses as im planning to search for some nice black friday deals! cheers

 

[fjeena]

Hey guys, I'm pretty inexperienced with headphones but maybe you guys can help point me in the right direction. my budget is between 200-500 dollars for the headphones, and im looking for Closed headphones that are comfortable to wear, as i will be wearing them for about 4 hours at a time, 5 days a week. So far i've heard very good things about the Beyerdynamic dt 770 pros as well as the new Sony MDR-1R's. these are the two that im learning toward right now. However ive also heard good things about the AKG-K550's and the Ultrasone Pro 750's. Any and all suggestions are welcome! I'd actually prefer to buy headphones closer to the 500 range as I will probably buy a Fiio e11 in the future (ive heard its a solid amp). I used to want the D2000's but i can't seem to find them for any reasonable price. I listen a lot of genre's of music so id like a balanced headphone. I listen to mostly hip-hop, but also rock, instrumental (nujabes), vocal (adele/frank ocean), and even electronica (daft punk). so basically everything but country. looking forward to hearing some responses as im planning to search for some nice black friday deals! cheers

I cant speak for the others, but the DT 770 is the most comfortable headphone Ive ever worn. Although it will need an amp to perform ideally. saying that, you can get away with the DT 770 + E11 for well under your budget.

 

[ozarkcdn]

Quote:

Well, saying opened cans are "better" is kinda a subjective thing. There are plenty of fantastic closed cans. It's just they have a different sound signature. As a rule of thumb, closed has more bass, where opened has slightly less, but more air. That's very general though...and not very in depth.... anyway, it sounds like what you want is an opened sound minus the leakage. For that, I highly recommend the Shure SRH-840. They run around $150. They have a relatively balanced sound signature, so that should work well for your situation (Sound sig: slight mid emphasis, mild mid bass hump. pretty much unnoticed for casual listening...). Balance will let you cross genre. The sound stage, for being closed, and at the price, is simply phenomenal. They are fairly easy to drive, do no amp is absolutely necessary. As well, the leakage/isolation is wonderful. I use them to listen while my family watches TV right behind me....i can't hear a single explosion....oh the wonders....anyway, i highly recommend them. Any questions, feel free to pm me.

Happy Thanksgiving all!
 
It sounds like you know my future... my noisemakers are 5,4, and 1.. I will check those 840's and the CAL!'s out in the meantime. 
 
I do have a question about the 840's though - one of the recommended links in the sticky was for the innerfidelity website, and he had replaced the 840's with the UE6000.  The UE6000 is $10 more than the 840's so wondered what y'all thought.
 
If the open cans would be a good supplement to something like the CAL! in the $150-200 range, I was eyeing the K167 TIESTO or AT ad700's. Unfortunately, we don't have anywhere to actually check them out in person.

 

[drumsnspace]

ok, i foolishly created a new thread without checking to see if there was anything like this thread already floating around... sheesh where are my manners? sorry guys!

 
I am currently deliberating on a set of full-size headphones. I currently on a pair of Etymotic Research ER-4P that don't really work for me. The in-ear design gives me ear-aches and one side never seals as good as the other. So that conundrum considered, I've decided to make the switch to full-size headphones. The pairs I am currently considering are the AKG K550, Sennheiser Momentums, and Sony MDR-1R. I listen to a pretty wide range of music, soft rock, hard distorted rock, jazz, classic rock, instrumental hip hop, post rock, reggae, experimental rock, ambient music, bluegrass, and so on. Plenty of varieties of rock music, with lots of hip-hop-oriented beats, etc. I need a pair of 'phones that will be fairly competent in all these genres. Looking to spend $400 or less on the headphones and amp (if necessary). Comfort is a big aspect in my decision, and I've heard good things about the Sony and Sennheiser psirs, but nothing much on the AKG's. I was looking at the AKG K701 a while ago, but I would like to stray away from anything that absolutely requires amplification. So all things considered, could you guys give advice me on the pairs I have listed, and maybe list some others if I missed anything good in my price range? Thanks for the help