[whatthenicole]

I'm try to get a hand on this whole headphone subworld but I'm totally confused by all the options!
 
I need to get my boyfriend nice headphones for christmas but my budget's limited, im hoping to spend around 50 but up to 100 is doable.
He has an ear for music, he's a musician, so i want them to impress him, he'll know if they're amazing or just so so
As for what he listens to: he loves tool and maynard, iron maiden, dj shadow, common, pink floyd, talib kweli 
 
He never uses headphones for anything but his laptop, and he rarely takes them out of the house so portability isnt an issue but it's definitely a bonus because maybe he would use them outside of the house if he had nice ones? I really dont know..
 
I thought maybe:
Sony MD V6 but then i read they're a classic but not the best in the price point
Then I thought audio technica M35 or sennheisers 2?? but there seem to be so many similar models of each that I have no idea how to pick
The AD700s are on sale for 100, maybe those? And I have to say i like the way the ATH WS55s look, but that's probably not the best reason
Grado SR 60i? i read bad things, especially about comfort but then the Head Fi Summer Guide loves them??
 
when he studies he studies for long long periods of times so i want them to be comfortable! but not ridiculous looking like those sonys in case he does want to take them in public
also he doesnt have a big head so i dont think tight would be terrible, just not cutting into his ears or anything weird
 
also should i be looking at ones that go around the ear or on the ear? what the hells the difference!!
 
Please advise me!

 

[PurpleAngel]

Quote:

Hi folks
This is my first post here, but I was reading here since a bit of time now
I thought it is time to ask you guys a little question
I own akg 271mkii cans with a fiio e11 amp, I also have a X-fi  Xtrememusic and a nexus 7 for portable playback
I m looking for an upgrade in source sound quality,so I am planning on changing the Xtremmusic for a titanium HD or trying a e17 on the computer. I am looking for Improvement on the DAC side.
So how do the e17 compare to the couple extreme music + E11 and with the Titanium HD ?
The E17 could be a good all in one but I now it doesn't work with android.
So should I buy the e17 and wait for android support ? Or should I get the Titanium HD and then choose maybe something else in the future for portable use ?
BTW my budget is around 150€
I. Appreciate your help a lot .

If you got the TiHD (Titanium HD), you would not need to use an external DAC (As the TiHD's DAC is better then the E17's DAC) as you would just need to use an external headphone amplifier plugged into the TiHD's RCA output jacks.
You could use the E17's headphone amplifier feature with any sound card (like the TiHD) but as the Fiio E11 comes with a slightly better headphone amplifier, it's not really worth getting the E17.
 
I vote the Creative Labs X-Fi Titanium (non-HD) PCI-E sound card, CS4382 DAC chip, might be able to find a used one for a good price.
Plug the E11 into the Titanium's (non-HD) headphone jack and the AKG K271MKII into the E11.
 
Refurbished Titanium (non-HD) are selling in the USA for $34.99
 
As the Titanium (non-HD) has an optical output, down the line you can add any external (optical input) DAC you like. Or any optical DAC/headphone amplifier you like.

 

[HeretixAevum]

Quote:

I'm try to get a hand on this whole headphone subworld but I'm totally confused by all the options!
 
I need to get my boyfriend nice headphones for christmas but my budget's limited, im hoping to spend around 50 but up to 100 is doable.
He has an ear for music, he's a musician, so i want them to impress him, he'll know if they're amazing or just so so
As for what he listens to: he loves tool and maynard, iron maiden, dj shadow, common, pink floyd, talib kweli 
 
He never uses headphones for anything but his laptop, and he rarely takes them out of the house so portability isnt an issue but it's definitely a bonus because maybe he would use them outside of the house if he had nice ones? I really dont know..
 
I thought maybe:
Sony MD V6 but then i read they're a classic but not the best in the price point
Then I thought audio technica M35 or sennheisers 2?? but there seem to be so many similar models of each that I have no idea how to pick
The AD700s are on sale for 100, maybe those? And I have to say i like the way the ATH WS55s look, but that's probably not the best reason
Grado SR 60i? i read bad things, especially about comfort but then the Head Fi Summer Guide loves them??
 
when he studies he studies for long long periods of times so i want them to be comfortable! but not ridiculous looking like those sonys in case he does want to take them in public
also he doesnt have a big head so i dont think tight would be terrible, just not cutting into his ears or anything weird
 
also should i be looking at ones that go around the ear or on the ear? what the hells the difference!!
 
Please advise me!

Try giving the Sennheiser HD449 a look. They look good, they're comfortable, and they're $100. 

 

[devhen]

Quote:

But are they worth it? Is there something way better for 50 or 60, maybe even 70 or 80? Just want the best i can get and i want new not refurbs

 
For about $45 the Beyerdynamic DT 235 are absolutely amazing for the price. They are several steps up in sound quality compared to every other headphone I've tried under $100. They have good sound quality throughout the spectrum and they have a particularly wide soundstage for how cheap they are. I've been severely disappointed with every other ~$50 headphone I've tried aside from the Monoprice 8323 but the 8323 has terrible comfort and a ridiculously narrow soundstage. Unless you are looking for something particularly bass-heavy I highly recommend the DT235. You might also look into the JVC HA-S400 and HA-S500 which are very highly regarded for the price but I don't have personal experience with them.
 
You might also checkout the various budget headphone threads or Doc Holliday's underachieving headphones thread:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/625124/over-performing-over-achieving-headphones-iems-for-their-price-range-top-cost-effective-cans-iems

 

[devhen]

Quote:

I haven't heard them myself, so I can't say for sure. But even if they were priced at $20 I wouldn't get them because of that cord... It's so thin that if I can see myself snagging it on a desk corner or something and snapping it in half.

 
I hear this all the time about Senn's thin cables but I recommend you withhold judgement until you've had experience with them. They are a lot sturdier than they would appear to be based on how thin they are. I used a Senn PC150 headset for many, many years. It has the same ultra thin cable. I must have stepped on that cable literally a hundred+ times while standing up to get out of my chair. The headset would *slam* off my head and onto the ground with tremendous force from having stood up quickly while standing on the cable. Every single time it amazed me that it didn't just snap in half. And every time it was perfectly fine. Still works to this day, almost 10 years later.

 

[jonnyp11]

For about $45 the Beyerdynamic DT 235 are absolutely amazing for the price. They are several steps up in sound quality compared to every other headphone I've tried under $100. They have good sound quality throughout the spectrum and they have a particularly wide soundstage for how cheap they are. I've been severely disappointed with every other ~$50 headphone I've tried aside from the Monoprice 8323 but the 8323 has terrible comfort and a ridiculously narrow soundstage. Unless you are looking for something particularly bass-heavy I highly recommend the DT235. You might also look into the JVC HA-S400 and HA-S500 which are very highly regarded for the price but I don't have personal experience with them.

You might also checkout the various budget headphone threads or Doc Holliday's underachieving headphones thread:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/625124/over-performing-over-achieving-headphones-iems-for-their-price-range-top-cost-effective-cans-iems

I am interested in some good bass, that's why the xb500's were one of my main choices, and i really want circumaural which the dt235's dont appear to be really from his comments on them. Idk why but im really wanting some sennheisers or audio technicas, not popular around here, all i see is beats and i want somethng different and actually good

 

[devhen]

Quote:

I am interested in some good bass, that's why the xb500's were one of my main choices, and i really want circumaural which the dt235's dont appear to be really from his comments on them. Idk why but im really wanting some sennheisers or audio technicas, not popular around here, all i see is beats and i want somethng different and actually good

 
The Monoprice 8323 is great for the price if you don't mind a narrow soundstage. Its got emphasized bass and is quite comfortable if you get the Beyer DT 250 velour ear pads for it.
 
Don't get me wrong, the DT235 has quality bass. It just isn't a basshead headphone. The 8323 is, to a certain extent.

 

[jonnyp11]

I hear this all the time about Senn's thin cables but I recommend you withhold judgement until you've had experience with them. They are a lot sturdier than they would appear to be based on how thin they are. I used a Senn PC150 headset for many, many years. It has the same ultra thin cable. I must have stepped on that cable literally a hundred+ times while standing up to get out of my chair. The headset would *slam* off my head and onto the ground with tremendous force from having stood up quickly while standing on the cable. Every single time it amazed me that it didn't just snap in half. And every time it was perfectly fine. Still works to this day, almost 10 years later.

If thats true then do you think the hd428's are worth 50? Idk why i just am set on Senns or Audio Technicas

 

[devhen]

Quote:

If thats true then do you think the hd428's are worth 50? Idk why i just am set on Senns or Audio Technicas

 
I haven't tried them but that's a pretty good price compared to what they usually go for. Have you used the search feature? I'm sure there are at least one or two reviews of the HD428 around here somewhere. There are a lot of crappy headphones out there in that price range but sticking with Sennheisers or Audio-Technicas is probably a pretty safe bet.

 

[jonnyp11]

I haven't tried them but that's a pretty good price compared to what they usually go for. Have you used the search feature? I'm sure there are at least one or two reviews of the HD428 around here somewhere. There are a lot of crappy headphones out there in that price range but sticking with Sennheisers or Audio-Technicas is probably a pretty safe bet.

Yeah i found one on here earlier and he said 8.5/10 for $100 and for 50 i thought they were a good deal (although someone said they had been like $36 before). I think i'm just going to go for them unless there is something really good and popular, want a bigger brand i know of and can trust, never really heard of monoprice or whatever and the other so not too comfortable buying them

 

[devhen]

Quote:

Yeah i found one on here earlier and he said 8.5/10 for $100 and for 50 i thought they were a good deal (although someone said they had been like $36 before). I think i'm just going to go for them unless there is something really good and popular, want a bigger brand i know of and can trust, never really heard of monoprice or whatever and the other so not too comfortable buying them

Sounds good. FYI-
 
Monoprice is a generic brand that happens to manufacture an extremely cheap headphone (the 8323) that sounds better than most 3 or 4 times its price.
 
Beyerdynamic is another big name, professional brand like Sennheiser and Audio-Technica and can definitely be trusted.

 

[jonnyp11]

Now my only choice is get the 428's now, or try to convince parents to throw in like 30 and get the 449's, about to go ask the possibility of that as part of christmas. Still slightly tempted to get the sony xb500's but a friend has them and dont want to copy them really, plus want a less popular thing around here.

 

[Doc-holliday]

@Jonny I would also consider the uptown while they are on sale for $65.

 

[invalid404]

How does the bass of the CAL! Compare to the bass of the M50?

 

[yezz12]

I am looking for headphones for rock/metal with a budget of 180 euro. Some bands are Metallica, Iron Maiden and Megadeth. I am new in the audiophile world so it's hard to describe/decide what i want. On one hand, i think i'd like something aggressive (especially for Metallica, just listen to Master of Puppets). I know Grado is aggressive, but i want something comfortable for long sessions. I think i want something with good sound stage so i can follow every instrument and good mids for guitars and vocals. A punchy bass would be very nice too. My current setup is FLAC>Xonar DG>Sennheiser HD201 (lol). I have read up on this website and i have come to these headphones:
 
-Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro (Maybe too hard to drive? I'm planning to buy a Fiio E7 later on because i can't afford one for now)
-Sennheiser HD598 (Maybe too neutral for rock/metal? Too recessed mids? They look good though.)
-AKG K271 MKII (Removable cable, comfortable. I've heard the AKG design is kind of dated.)
 
Or maybe i shouldn't worry about my first buy because it'll be my first audiophile headphone and i probably will be happy with it. Later on, when i have more money, i'll try out the Fostex T50RP and some Grado. What do you think?
 
Some quotes from this website that i have to agree with:
 
"I think, cans for rock need to excell at midrange (since this is where the guitars and vocals reside), can be slightly mid-bass colored (bass guitar is mid-bass), have good bass extension (kick drums need to be felt), while the high frequencies might need to be recessed a little bit to avoid sounding overly harsh."
 
"There are essentially two camps on this issue.  One believes that since metal/rock can tend to be harsh and aggressive anyway, you should get a smoother, warmer, maybe more neutral can to compensate for this.  The other camp, which is the one I'm in, prefers cans that exploit the in-your-face sound to have their music sound even more powerful and intense."