[ocnlogan]

Quote:

Your best choice from this group is the CAL!  While it's not really neutral, it has a balanced and natural sound.  The CAL! is far from basshead territory.
 
The Superlux is an excellent can for money, but it has that bright spike.
 
The bass on both is good--better than average--for a balanced can the under $100 segment. 

Thank you very much for your response. This helps out a lot.
 
 
Just a few further questions though. How does the CAL! compare to the Panasonic HTF-600, HARX700 and the monoprice 8323? Those were really the only other things that I was considering, but for some reason I didn't list them before (heard the panasonic had questionable build quality, the monoprice has zero sound stage, etc. But at the time I was looking for reviews between the 668B and them, not the CAL!).
 
Have you heard the 668B with enough burn in time? I read that the treble on them tames back quite a bit with enough burn-in time (~150 - 200 hrs). Is that assessment of yours being bright before or after burn in?
 
And finally, since most of what I'll be listening to for the forseeable future is 128bit MP3, are all of these cans going to be so "good" that I won't hear any difference between them? I'm still in school right now, and don't want to be overspending if you know what I mean.
 
Thanks again for the help

.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

Two excellent semi-open cans are the Beyer DT 880 (+/- Pro) and AKG Q 701.  Since I can't recommend the Beyer 80 Ohm version, both of these cans need to be amped.  Therefore, they probably will not work for you with your current equipment.  The AKG K 240 Studio is the next step down.  It is very good for only $61 or so that we can now snap it up in the U.S. at Amazon.  It was good in former $100 +/- range.
 
The Shure SRH 840 and SRH 940 have different sound signatures.  The 840 has a mid-bass hump and somewhat recessed highs, while still being not too far from neutral.  The 940 is very close to neutral and has great clarity.  It is my favorite closed headphone in its price class and would be a very strong choice for listening to classical music with a closed can.
 
The 8400 is more neutral than the 840.  It has less bass and is brighter.  The 8400 is the better choice for classical music.  The 8400 is a very good can in its price class, but clearly a tier below the 940 in terms of quality (and price).

 
Hmm I'm not sure what you meant by you couldn't recommend the Beyer 80 Ohm and that they need to be amped. Sorry! I just looked up the Shure SRH 940 and unfortunately it is too expensive for me. Also, I had a quick look on my favourite store's website and they do stock the DT 880 Pro, but at CHF275, it is also too high above my price range. However, they do have the DT 990 Pro for CHF190 for some reason. I presume with the higher model number, it is the better one but then it is much cheaper. What do you think? But would I need extra hardware to make these work? Otherwise, I might just go with the 8400.

The Beyer 80 Ohm does not need an amp, but has inferior sound quality to the 250 (and higher) Ohm version.  That is why I can only recommend 250 and 600 Ohm versions.
 
The DT 990 has a different sound signature from the DT 880 and will not work well for classical music.  The 880 is the superior can in terms of accurate reproduction of music (and other sounds) as they were laid down.
 
Looks like the closed 8400 is your choice. 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

Your best choice from this group is the CAL!  While it's not really neutral, it has a balanced and natural sound.  The CAL! is far from basshead territory.
 
The Superlux is an excellent can for money, but it has that bright spike.
 
The bass on both is good--better than average--for a balanced can the under $100 segment. 

Thank you very much for your response. This helps out a lot.
 
AR  
Just a few further questions though. How does the CAL! compare to the Panasonic HTF-600, HX700 and the monoprice 8323? Those were really the only other things that I was considering, but for some reason I didn't list them before (heard the panasonic had questionable build quality, the monoprice has zero sound stage, etc. But at the time I was looking for reviews between the 668B and them, not the CAL!).
 
Have you heard the 668B with enough burn in time? I read that the treble on them tames back quite a bit with enough burn-in time (~150 - 200 hrs). Is that assessment of yours being bright before or after burn in?
 
And finally, since most of what I'll be listening to for the forseeable future is 128bit MP3, are all of these cans going to be so "good" that I won't hear any difference between them? I'm still in school right now, and don't want to be overspending if you know what I mean.
 
Thanks again for the help

.

The CAL! is a serious near entry level audiophile can based on the Denon AH-D-1001.  The Panasonics, JVC (?) and Monoprice are entry level budget cans--low level claiming horses running against an allowance race horse.
 
Yes, my Superlux is burned in and it still is too bright in the area of the out of the box treble spike.  It's not as bad as it was, but its still there.  Don't get me wrong, the 668B is one of the best $50-ish cans out there. However, the CAL!, which normally costs about $25 (or 50%) more is superior--and easier to drive.
 
It your music is well recorded and engineered tracks in the form of 128 bit MP3's, you will hear the difference in quality between the claiming horses and better two cans.

 

[KLJ1992]

Hello everyone, my first time in the forums.

I'm on a search for new headphones and I need some advice. Currently I have the Bose AE 2 headphone and while I do enjoy them, I want something that has more strength in noise-canceling and isolation while not sacificing sound and comfort. Although I'm on a budget of $130-150, I would take any suggestions.

 

[ocnlogan]

Quote:

The CAL! is a serious near entry level audiophile can based on the Denon AH-D-1001.  The Panasonics, JVC (?) and Monoprice are entry level budget cans--low level claiming horses running against an allowance race horse.
 
Yes, my Superlux is burned in and it still is too bright in the area of the out of the box treble spike.  It's not as bad as it was, but its still there.  Don't get me wrong, the 668B is one of the best $50-ish cans out there. However, the CAL!, which normally costs about $25 (or 50%) more is superior--and easier to drive.
 
It your music is well recorded and engineered tracks in the form of 128 bit MP3's, you will hear the difference in quality between the claiming horses and better two cans.

Thanks again. And yes, that was supposed to be the JVC HAWX700, but apparently I can't actually type. Luckily you somehow figured out what the heck I actually meant.
 
Sounds like now I just need to see if the CAL! will ever come on sale. I heard over on another forum that they almost never do, but at various other places around I heard that they go on sale pretty regularly. Any input on that? If the price is steady at ~$75, then I guess I might as well order them soonish.
 
Thanks again for your help man. You've been answering EVERYONEs questions, I'm impressed.

 

[submor]

Quote:

Here's the problem: none of the cans you listed works well for fill you described preferred sound signature and for unamped use in both your home and on the go.  All of them are big.  Only the Pro 750 would be even OK in terms of size and design for portable use.  It has a sound signature you might enjoy if you are OK with bright headphones, but it needs an amp.
 
In my view you first need to decide whether to put your money in one can that will do all the things you want, or use it to buy two cans--one for home and one for the road.

Thank you for your reply. I mostly will use them at home and just eventually take them to a long plane flight / train ride. So, I need to be able to stuff them in a backpack or bag, without them breaking. I don't know for which one's listed this is possible, though.
I think I would like to buy a can that can do the things listed, even if I have to do a trade-off at some point. Anyway I guess I'm looking for some kind of all-rounder, something that's not that easy to grasp.
 
If you have any suggestions which cans would be better for my needs, that would be great.
 
/edit:
just read some about the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro, as they were recommended to someone else in this thread. they'd cost 210$. They look rly nice but I guess they aren't portable either.
 
Maybe I'll just have to be careful when taking the cans outside.

 

[Gowens]

Alright, I posted this in another thread, but I believe my post killed the thread, so I'll do a semi-copy:
 
I've been researching headphones for about two weeks straight. Lurking and looking through every corner of the audiophile community for an answer and these are the headphones that I'm most interested in (translation: the only ones I want which I can actually afford). I'm going to buy the Magni/Modi Stack with which ever one I choose:
 
 
Beyerdynamic DT880: 600 Ohm
AKG K702: 65th Anniversary Edition
Mad Dog By Mr. Speakers
 
 
Everything else falls a little short, but the main problem now is narrowing this list down. Anyone with input on how these compare can chime in, really anyone with an informed opinion. I will appreciate any advice.
 
Thanks 
 
EDIT: I currently own the M50. I hate them. Too much focus on the bass. I feel forced to listen to Hip-Hop and Electronic. I love Jazz and I cant seem to listen to it nearly as much with these. Even listening to something with vocals is a bit fatiguing. Previous headphones I've owned: Grado SR i60, Grado SR i80, Audio-Technica A700x. My ranking: A700x>i80=i60>>M50.

 

[cjp87]

Hi all, sorry for posting a thread about this first, I missed the recommendation thread somehow, despite the flair appended to the Subject Line, : ) Trying to fix that mistake now. 
 
Almost a year ago now, my (new at the time) dog chewed up my absolutely-superb Thinksound MS01 IEMs. Those were my favorite headphones that I'd owned.  
 
So, since I'm going to buy new headphones, I have an easy fallback plan: get the MS01s again. But, I can't just do that. Any time it's technology-purchasing time, I have to look at options and investigate something new. 
 
For the longest time, I've only bought IEMs. The reason for this is that they're small, easy to carry, and tend to be the most comfortable IMO. I love the isolation that they afford, and the small drivers don't require any sort of amplification (most of the time) to get their best sound. But I also know that there's not much substitute for the price/quality ratio of over-ear headphones, and so I think I need to investigate that side of things. 
 
I'm looking around the $100 price point, give or take (since that's what the MS01s are, and seems to be a sweet spot for quality). Things I would like to have are:
 
Excellent sound quality with an emphasis on "natural" balance and tone; warmth in the sound is also a bonus
Good isolation (doesn't have to be active noise canceling)
Closed-back
Over-ear cans, not on-ear (on-ear always hurts after awhile)
Attractive housings (subtle styling preferred)
Doesn't require amplification
Portable "enough", basically something I can take to school and out in public without too much trouble
 
The music types that are important to me as far as sound reproduction goes are as following (descending order):
 
Jazz/Instrumental
Symphonic
Classic Rock
Progressive Rock
 
Then a mess of eclectic stuff past that. 
 
I wish Thinksound would go ahead and move out into other form factors. A wood can housing with their audio quality would be perfect. But alas, that's not to be just yet.
 
Hope I had enough information, if not I'll be happy to provide some more. Thanks in advance!

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

Here's the problem: none of the cans you listed works well for fill you described preferred sound signature and for unamped use in both your home and on the go.  All of them are big.  Only the Pro 750 would be even OK in terms of size and design for portable use.  It has a sound signature you might enjoy if you are OK with bright headphones, but it needs an amp.
 
In my view you first need to decide whether to put your money in one can that will do all the things you want, or use it to buy two cans--one for home and one for the road.

Thank you for your reply. I mostly will use them at home and just eventually take them to a long plane flight / train ride. So, I need to be able to stuff them in a backpack or bag, without them breaking. I don't know for which one's listed this is possible, though.
I think I would like to buy a can that can do the things listed, even if I have to do a trade-off at some point. Anyway I guess I'm looking for some kind of all-rounder, something that's not that easy to grasp.
 
If you have any suggestions which cans would be better for my needs, that would be great.
 
/edit:
just read some about the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro, as they were recommended to someone else in this thread. they'd cost 210$. They look rly nice but I guess they aren't portable either.
 
Maybe I'll just have to be careful when taking the cans outside.

The 750 comes with a decent protective case that contains 2 removable cables in sizes suitable for home and portable use.  Check the buying link in the opening post of this thread for a little more about them and more links to reviews.  Again--they need an amp or they lose their bass, even if they are loud from an unamped source.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Alright, I posted this in another thread, but I believe my post killed the thread, so I'll do a semi-copy:
 
I've been researching headphones for about two weeks straight. Lurking and looking through every corner of the audiophile community for an answer and these are the headphones that I'm most interested in (translation: the only ones I want which I can actually afford). I'm going to buy the Magni/Modi Stack with which ever one I choose:
 
 
Beyerdynamic DT880: 600 Ohm
AKG K702: 65th Anniversary Edition
Mad Dog By Mr. Speakers
 
 
Everything else falls a little short, but the main problem now is narrowing this list down. Anyone with input on how these compare can chime in, really anyone with an informed opinion. I will appreciate any advice.
 
Thanks 
 
EDIT: I currently own the M50. I hate them. Too much focus on the bass. I feel forced to listen to Hip-Hop and Electronic. I love Jazz and I cant seem to listen to it nearly as much with these. Even listening to something with vocals is a bit fatiguing. Previous headphones I've owned: Grado SR i60, Grado SR i80, Audio-Technica A700x. My ranking: A700x>i80=i60>>M50.

Those are all very good cans.  So it comes down to what flavor you like best.  For my money, the DT 880 is fantastic all rounder and a great value for money.  See:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/634201/battle-of-the-flagships-57-headphones-compared-update-hifiman-he-400-added-12-24-12#user_DT880
 
I like it best through a hybrid amp.  They tend to mesh well with its somewhat bright nature.

 

[Jlox1]

IS there any comparison between the HDJ-1500 and the HDJ-1000/2000 . I really want an extremely comfortable bass heavy headphone, that doesn't look stupid on my head in public, unfortunately that rules out the ULTRASONES and the ATH-M50. Besides with the HFI im afraid ill end up in another dissapointed SRH750DJ. i found pioneer to be quite comfy and the 1000/2000 had a warm and nice sound signature. p.s. I LOVE A WARM SOUND SIGNATURE lol.

 

[DeafAsABat19]

Ok. I've narrowed my choice down to either the Grado Sr80 and the Sennheiser 280. I listen to mostly rock. Heavy bass is not a big deal to me. Comfort is. Recommendations?

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hi all, sorry for posting a thread about this first, I missed the recommendation thread somehow, despite the flair appended to the Subject Line, : ) Trying to fix that mistake now. 
 
Almost a year ago now, my (new at the time) dog chewed up my absolutely-superb Thinksound MS01 IEMs. Those were my favorite headphones that I'd owned.  
 
So, since I'm going to buy new headphones, I have an easy fallback plan: get the MS01s again. But, I can't just do that. Any time it's technology-purchasing time, I have to look at options and investigate something new. 
 
For the longest time, I've only bought IEMs. The reason for this is that they're small, easy to carry, and tend to be the most comfortable IMO. I love the isolation that they afford, and the small drivers don't require any sort of amplification (most of the time) to get their best sound. But I also know that there's not much substitute for the price/quality ratio of over-ear headphones, and so I think I need to investigate that side of things. 
 
I'm looking around the $100 price point, give or take (since that's what the MS01s are, and seems to be a sweet spot for quality). Things I would like to have are:
 
Excellent sound quality with an emphasis on "natural" balance and tone; warmth in the sound is also a bonus
Good isolation (doesn't have to be active noise canceling)
Closed-back
Over-ear cans, not on-ear (on-ear always hurts after awhile)
Attractive housings (subtle styling preferred)
Doesn't require amplification
Portable "enough", basically something I can take to school and out in public without too much trouble
 
The music types that are important to me as far as sound reproduction goes are as following (descending order):
 
Jazz/Instrumental
Symphonic
Classic Rock
Progressive Rock
 
Then a mess of eclectic stuff past that. 
 
I wish Thinksound would go ahead and move out into other form factors. A wood can housing with their audio quality would be perfect. But alas, that's not to be just yet.
 
Hope I had enough information, if not I'll be happy to provide some more. Thanks in advance!

Have not heard your IEM and I don't do subjective things like "attractive".  That said...  At around $100 (and less), you should consider the Sony MDR-ZX700 and the very similar with iPhone controls Sony DR-ZX701IP.  The KRK KNS 6400 is also very good, but may be too analytical or cold for you.  The CAL! is likewise very good, but is probably not durable enough or have enough isolation for you.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Ok. I've narrowed my choice down to either the Grado Sr80 and the Sennheiser 280. I listen to mostly rock. Heavy bass is not a big deal to me. Comfort is. Recommendations?

Don't buy the Grado unless you try them first.  Many (not me) find them to be uncomfortable.

 

[BetaWolf]

Quote:

I actually did start a new thread. Now I feel like an idiot for not reading the PM that was sent to me the day I created this account.
 
I'm looking for a good set of closed-ear circumaural headphones for PC gaming. They must have a good soundstage for positional audio, and have high clarity without overwhelming bass. My budget for a set of headphones, I'm going to say, is "under $400". I've currently selected the Audio Technica ATH-A900x, which I'm told is an excellent brand for gaming due to its wide soundstage.
 
I'd also like recommendations on a sound card, if any regulars of this thread are knowledgeable. I've read up a bit on the Creative Sound Blaster ZxR, and it looks to be an amazingly balanced card for both gaming and multimedia. Other cards I'm looking at include the ASUS Xonar Essence STX and HT Omega Claro Halo. The sound card I'm getting must have positional audio for headphones, and not cause any artifacts in games.
 
Also, I'm going to be using the internal op-amp on the sound card to drive the headphones. I do not currently want to purchase a dedicated headphone amp at this time. I believe all three cards I mentioned have swappable op-amps. If anyone could recommend a good combination of op-amp, sound card, and headphones, it would be appreciated

Anything on this, please?