[roguegeek]

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I'm actually not, yet. I have an X-Fi Titanium soundcard right now and they do sound really good. I'll be upgrading to a ZxR or Claro Halo sometime this year and enjoying the onboard amp from there. It's going to be a while before I get a dedicated amp, unfortunately.

 
If you are not using an amp with your K702, you are not getting an optimized output from it. Still, the amp will not address your other need for a different signature.

 

[KG Jag]

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P.S. I assume that you are amping them now, based on your description.  If not, you're not getting the full benefit of using them and what they can deliver to your ears.

I'm actually not, yet. I have an X-Fi Titanium soundcard right now and they do sound really good. I'll be upgrading to a ZxR or Claro Halo sometime this year and enjoying the onboard amp from there. It's going to be a while before I get a dedicated amp, unfortunately.

If your sound card includes an amp, then you are amping--at least to some degree.

 

[KG Jag]

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None of these--or likely anything in the price range is as good as what you have.  However, you may the prefer the sound signature due to your personal taste.  It is also possible that if you have on board audio it is not powerful enough to drive the Superlux.
 
Bottom line--raise your budget or you're just looking at bottom of the barrel cans.

 
Thanks for the input, this is kind of what I was afraid would be the case.  I am using on board audio, although the electra is the same impedance (32 ohm) and sounds better with the on board.  It may still be worth trying a source upgrade, since I'm guessing even if I go to more expensive headphones that will still be a barrier.
 
So.. to upgrade my source, is it better to go with an external Amp, soundcard (ie Asus Xonar DG), or external DAC/Amp?  I was thinking an external Amp as this would give me more flexibility to use it with sources other than my PC...

I am not a computer audio guy, so can't help you with that (there's a section of the forum that deals with computer aduio).
 
The Ohm rating of a can won't tell you the whole story.  You also need to know the sensitivity rating.  Here's some conservative advice by an engineer:
 
If you’re looking for headphones to use with a portable player or laptop, stick to the range of 16 – 32 ohms with a sensitivity (efficiency) rating of at least 100 dB/mW. There are some higher impedance headphones, up to 80 ohms or so, that are efficient enough to work well with at least some portable gear—especially if you don’t like it very loud. But, in general, the lower the impedance the better the match with battery powered devices.

 

[Zubaru]

Im searching for a good amp for my srh840, anyone that knows one?
 

 

[roguegeek]

Quote:

If your sound card includes an amp, then you are amping--at least to some degree.

 
Unfortunately, the X-Fi Titanium that he has does not have dedicated amplifier circuitry for headphones. I have the X-Fi Titanium HD and connecting the K702 directly to it is not enough. An external amp is needed.

 

[Fiend]

I know this site and its followers are not fans of beats by Dre, and I'm not either. But i just acquired pair beats executive for a price i couldn't pass on. I'm asking for any help. The 1/8 stereo connector has been severed. I am attempting to solder a new connector, but the wire has 5 leads and the only connector i can get my hands on is a 3 pole stereo connector. Using that connector can i somehow wire it up so that the headphones work? Also i believe that these particular ones was a working display model. Does anyone have a wiring diagram that i could follow? Anything would help, any suggestions greatly appreciated.

 

[HamilcarBarca]

Quote:

 

Low ohms = more current. High ohms = more voltage.

 
No.
 
That's not how electronics, in general, or headphones, in particular, perform. For example, IEM's have very impedance and require very low current. The misapplied concept here was how electrical power is computed.

 

[maprale]

Well time to introduce myself to this forum by asking a question. I wanna buy a pair of headphones and i could use some suggestions. The fact is I want to use them at work as well but part of my job consists in conf-calls so i would need a microphone as well. I could go for a headset but it wouldn't be too practical for me. So the question is what headphones with an inline mic would you recommend me. Also i am wondering for a pair of headphones with a detachable cable could it be possible to swith the default cable with a cable that has an inline mic? I know for example that Bose is selling cables like this for their QC15 headphones. I want the headphones for the audio quality, but the microphone feature is also very important for me and i would not want to spend big bucks on a pair of headphones like Bose QC15. Really hope that someone could help me

 

[BigCabDaddy]

I am not a computer audio guy, so can't help you with that (there's a section of the forum that deals with computer aduio).

The Ohm rating of a can won't tell you the whole story.  You also need to know the sensitivity rating.  Here's some conservative advice by an engineer:

If you’re looking for headphones to use with a portable player or laptop, stick to the range of 16 – 32 ohms with a sensitivity (efficiency) rating of at least 100 dB/mW. There are some higher impedance headphones, up to 80 ohms or so, that are efficient enough to work well with at least some portable gear—especially if you don’t like it very loud. But, in general, the lower the impedance the better the match with battery powered devices.

And how do you calculate the amp needed? I'm tempted by the DT880 Pro 600 ohm but would be hooking them to my iPhone regularly.

 

[UnknownAX]

Last summer, I bought my first "real" headphones, the Sony mdr-xb500's.
They're just great, if you listen to the right music. But I constantly find myself listening to something between pop/country and other quite relaxed stuff...
Equal makes them better for that, but ideally I'd like something I don't need to eq. Something clear and with good soundstage. Good isolation would be a plus.
I'd be willing to spend up to 100$/70€.

Btw. How much do you need to spend to get a better sounding headphone than the superlux hd681?

 

[BigCabDaddy]

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Not necessarily. The tube amp is going to give it the much needed voltage swing, those cans can reach almost 400ohms at their peak, thats where a budget solid state will whimper, but not a tube amp. This can can probably go about 600 ohms without breaking a sweat. The 600 ohms beyers can reach an 800ohm spike. You will need a serious voltage swing to keep them fed. In the budget realm of amps, solid state amps provide more current and tube amps provide more voltage. Low ohms = more current. High ohms = more voltage.

 
OK, so I need to find out the output of all my devices both in current and in voltage based on this. I guess I can probably do that... it's something manufacturers readily state I take it? (In my case we're talking Nuforce for my udac-2, Apple for my iphone 4s, and Logitech for my Squeezebox Classic) But then I still don't know how much is "enough." You say Beyers (DT880 Pros?) can spike to 800 ohms, so exactly how much voltage would I need? I'm gathering that most portable devices put out a reasonable amount of current because I see low ohm cans recommended for them. Am I right in this guess? I'll look it up after I send this, but I'm inferring my ESW9s must be pretty low ohms because all my devices drive them just fine?

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for recommendations on over ear headphones for use at my home computer.  I listen to a variety of music; rock, pop, dubstep, etc, also do some PC gaming.  I'm looking for some well balanced headphones, but with my budget I'm not going to be too picky....
 
  I just bought the Superlux 681, and was very unimpressed with them.  By no means do I have a trained ear, but I don't like the sound quality on them.  Main comparison is to my wife's Razer Electra, I feel like those have better sound quality than the 681s.  I have burned the 681s in for about 20 hours, I know this is below the recommended amount of time (still burning them in), but I don't see them improving enough for me to be happy with them.  The only real way I can quantify what I don't like about the 681s is to say they sound "muddy" and there isn't enough bass.  I tried some EQ settings but not a big help...
 
After trying out the semi-open 681s, I'm now leaning towards closed, but am really just looking for better sound quality and would consider open or closed.
 
Looking for something <$40.  I was looking at the Monoprice 8323.  Would these be a good option or anything else in my price range I should consider?  Or maybe the JVC HARX700?

 
Under $40, I don't know if you would really find anything that would be that great. At least go up to $50, I read good things from the JVC HA-S500 as a bassy pair of headphones for ~$50. Koss PortaPro is $34 and I read good stuff about it on the internet (although I don't know what Hi-Fi people think of it).
 
I remember reading pricing-based headphone recommendation articles around here, so do a search and that should turn up.
Closed usually sound more open/natural with better soundstage, but have bad isolation (people can hear what you are listening too and you can hear outside noise). If you will be using them as a portable, open may not be a good option.
 
While you are on a tight budget, I personally think that you really need to hit $100-150 before you get to any good equipment. In my personal option, I believe that at any lesser price point, you just get decent sound for the price, so maybe good value for the sound, but the sound will not blow your mind.
 
For a FREE way to upgrade your audio quality, try getting better source material. Rerip your CDs (get CDs from the library) at 320kbps lame mp3 or FLAC (if you have large storage space or a media player that can handle lossless). If you are only listening at your home computer and have a large hard-drive, definitely rip lossless. However, the difference between 320kbps & lossless probably cannot be heard without a lot more expensive headphones.

 

[jayiszraw]

hey guys what's up i'm new here so let me put out a little history. 
 
i've had ultimate ears 700s which i loved but i felt they lacked in the mid bass bass area
 
currently have beats solo's but the sq is nowhere near that of the ue 700s
 
I'm hoping for some help on finding an over ear setup with closed cans that will give me at least the sq of the ue 700 or better, and the bass output of the beats studios and the like. i'm not familiar with brands of headphones but i know sq as i'm big on it with car audio. so any help would be appreciated. and i know this is the wrong forum but if you could also recommend an ear bud setup similar to my requests while being as comfortable as the ue 700 it would be greatly appreciated. i'm hoping to keep it under $150 for each but if its only a few bucks more for that much of a greater product i'd consider shelling out the extra cash. oh yeah and i primarily listen to hip hop, spanish, dubstep and looking for them to be portable.  Thanks

 

[money4me247]

Quote:

 
Thanks for the input, this is kind of what I was afraid would be the case.  I am using on board audio, although the electra is the same impedance (32 ohm) and sounds better with the on board.  It may still be worth trying a source upgrade, since I'm guessing even if I go to more expensive headphones that will still be a barrier.
 
So.. to upgrade my source, is it better to go with an external Amp, soundcard (ie Asus Xonar DG), or external DAC/Amp?  I was thinking an external Amp as this would give me more flexibility to use it with sources other than my PC...

omg... noooo! From your $40 headphone budget, you are definitely looking at this wrong.
 
1.) Ensure your audio files are high-quality. This is usually just involves re-ripping your CDs and is FREE!! This change is the biggest & easiest change to perceive. after you reach 320kps, the upgrade in sound is very hard to hear.
2.) Increase your headphone budget. I would get a $100-150 pair of headphones that are generally thought of as a good value per dollar. Spending anymore will probably be decreasing returns per dollar, but any less, you probably can perceive the lower sound quality.
Example would be the Audio-Technica M50. I've never heard them, and I do kinda think they are over-hyped, but the general consensus is they offer incredible sound quality for the price point. They are $122 on Amazon right now. There are probably a ton of other great options at a cheaper price point, but none so universally loved. lol. Instead of buying two crappy $50 headphones, you can just get one nice pair of headphones.
3.) Use a equalizer to tune the sound signature to what you like.
 
Sit back & enjoy.
 
Sound cards, amps, and those things make a really small change in sound quality for the amount of money you need to throw into them. That is the same thing as buying a super high-end AV receiver but using VHS (audio file) on an old box crt TVs (headphones). The two biggest factors is audio source file and actual speakers/headphones. Everything else is limited by those two things.
 
That is why the first thing people do who want better sound is simply buy better headphones! Not new computers/sound cards or amps. Think about the sound-cards/amps in portable media players. Definitely not as good as a cutting edge dedicated sound card, but hard-core audiophiles are still can get great sound using them. 

 

[thoughtcriminal]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for recommendations on over ear headphones for use at my home computer.  I listen to a variety of music; rock, pop, dubstep, etc, also do some PC gaming.  I'm looking for some well balanced headphones, but with my budget I'm not going to be too picky....

  I just bought the Superlux 681, and was very unimpressed with them.  By no means do I have a trained ear, but I don't like the sound quality on them.  Main comparison is to my wife's Razer Electra, I feel like those have better sound quality than the 681s.  I have burned the 681s in for about 20 hours, I know this is below the recommended amount of time (still burning them in), but I don't see them improving enough for me to be happy with them.  The only real way I can quantify what I don't like about the 681s is to say they sound "muddy" and there isn't enough bass.  I tried some EQ settings but not a big help...

After trying out the semi-open 681s, I'm now leaning towards closed, but am really just looking for better sound quality and would consider open or closed.

Looking for something <$40.  I was looking at the Monoprice 8323.  Would these be a good option or anything else in my price range I should consider?  Or maybe the JVC HARX700?

No, you don't. Want balanced headphones that is. What you are most likely enjoying more about the electra is the V-shaped or "fun" frequency response. There is nothing inherently bad about liking this sound. You're the one spending the money and you're the one who has to listen to the headphones.
Koss portapros, JVC ha-s400/500, monoprice 8323, grado igrado, panasonic rp-htx7, Panasonic rp-htf600 may all suit your tastes better. Buy from somewhere you can return them