[BigCabDaddy]

I am very much torn finding cans for general use. At present i have the Superlux 668b which i need to replace with closed cans as the wife is constantly complaining about hearing my music. My requirements can be based off my experience with the Superlux.

To me, the superlux had about the right amount of sound stage. The highs are a little on the shrilly side, kinda harsh on some things IMO. The Superlux also do not have the kind of bass i want. Now i am not a basshead and do not want bloated ugly bass. I like bass to present when its supposed to be but gone when its not. Such as say Eminem, i expect the bass to be punchy like bump bump not boomy.

I listen to rock, jazz, classical, symphony, alternative, country, techno, some dubstep, a little pop, even less rap, tons of classic rock, southern rock, some punk, and im sure i am missing other ganres but i figure you get the idea. I listen a little of everything all in FLAC ripped from cd or purchased in FLAC form. I dont like mp3 sound at least that which i have heard and itunes purchased AAC isnt any better from my ears.

As for my source i have Xonar DX, Xonar DG, ALC889A with dolby home theater, and an old pioneer vsx- 514. Of all these i prefer the sound of the DX but it does not have an amp for headphones. With the dg the superlux sound pretty descent in my ears minus the slight lack of bass and sometimes sharp highs.

My budget is slim. 100 is my max with maybe only tax going over that amount. From research i have looked at
SRH440 - im worried about the bass not being enough
KRK KNS6800- worried about the lack of reviews other than "OMG THESE ARE TEH EPIC" and "OMG TIS DA SUX"
sennheisers- all seem out of my price range for any which have a sound which seems close, based on reviews

So i am at a loss. I can use the DG if i need the amp, but them by speakers which are 2.1 dayton bookshelves with lepai 2020A+ and 10 inch sub seem to sound less than stellar. The DX sounds good with the speakers and so does onboard but headphones, not so much. Or at least with the headphones i have anyway.

So, hit me with what someone experienced with some cans in the sound area i described and please, i cant spend more so telling me to get a DAC and amp and blah will just be a waste of time.

For the record, i already searched around my home town and cannot find anywhere with the SRH440 or the KRK to test them so im hopeing i gave enough of sound sig information to get pointed in a descent direction.

JVC HA S500

 

[hewhogamez]

So I am looking for a pair of in ear phones. I recently lost my Klipsch S4i and would like to buy a replacement. I would like to see what other headphones can compete with the S4. I am looking for around the $50 range that can match or exceed the bass output or the soundstage that the S4 offers. Is there another pair of phones out there for me or should I just go for the S4 again?

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Hey KG, have you tried the ad2000x yet? 

Nope--haven't heard them yet.  I looked for them at the AT booth at SxSW, but they did not bring them.
 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

So I am looking for a pair of in ear phones. I recently lost my Klipsch S4i and would like to buy a replacement. I would like to see what other headphones can compete with the S4. I am looking for around the $50 range that can match or exceed the bass output or the soundstage that the S4 offers. Is there another pair of phones out there for me or should I just go for the S4 again?

At todays prices $50 is not enough money to get into new good full sized cans, especially without an amp.  Stick with IEM's or portable cans.

 

[viralcow]

Quote:

At todays prices $50 is not enough money to get into new good full sized cans, especially without an amp.  Stick with IEM's or portable cans.

 
He did say he's looking for IEMs.

 
@hewho, IEMS =/= headphones. Go look in the portable forum for recommendations.

 

[hewhogamez]

Derp. I'm just used to always buying full sized and forgot there was a portable section. Thanks.

 

[Nath]

I've always had problems with headphone cords. They start deteriorating, and the sound starts crackling. Then I lose sound in one ear unless I jostle around the cord, and eventually they stop working. I figured this was the problem with the line of cheap headphones I used for a few years, that I got several of for free. I ran out of them, and decided to get into nicer headphones. I bought some Sennheiser HD 448s, and was worried when I opened them and saw the spaghetti-thin cord. Now, about a year and a half later, the exact same thing is happening. The cord isn't replaceable without soldering, which I have no experience with.
 
Others I've spoken to haven't had this much of an issue with cords. They tend to get caught on things and stretched, and I've caught my cat chewing on them a couple times, but nothing too out of the ordinary. However, the cord on these is extremely thin, and the cheap headphones I've owned before this were cheap. If most quality headphones have thicker, more durable cords, I'll put it out of my mind. But I'm concerned that if I spring the money for some new nice headphones, like the Sony MDR-V6s that I was interested in, they'll just die after a couple years like these HD 448s have.
 
Apparently the Shure SRH-440s have replaceable cords, which sounds fantastic to me. But I've also read that the headphones themselves aren't that durable, and that they're uncomfortable. There's nowhere near me that I can try them out, so I'm a bit worried.
 
I need closed headphones, and while I'm not too big on bass, I'd like something balanced. I listen to a wide variety of music, but am kind of skewed toward classical and orchestral. I also use them for general computer use and some gaming. My upper limit is $100, but if I spend that much I'd really like something that will last me.
 
Thanks for your time!

 

[DiParagon]

Quote:

Describe the sound signature your are seeking.  I suspect that you may be a basshead lite--or at least close to it. 
 
Do not expect the sound stage of closed cans to be as good as open or semi-open ones.
 
If the 440's bass is not enough for you, you will probably not like that offered by the 8400--which by the way--hasn't been within your budget for many months--unless you buy used.

As i said, the 668b to me sound pretty good, but occasionaly the highs are slightly peircing and the bass is not defined well. I am definatly not a basshead not even a light. I want to hear the bass drum in the drummers set when listening to Rush, i want to hear the bump when i play some dubstep, i do NOT want to hear boom when playing dubstep unless its actualy intended to be there.I should also mention i prefer a more flat response as i want to hear all the instruments when listening to symphony music.
 
And i do get that closed headphones will not be as large of a soundstage as open but some reviews claim they come close, such as the KRK i mentioned.

 

[mathlover]

I am thinking about a Hifiman he 400. Will this work well with the O2 and ODAC or the Magi with the dac or is there a better amp/dac in the same price range? If I forgo the amp/dac I can get the he 500. Would that produce better quality music than the he 400 with amp and dac?  I mostly listen to rock, trance, and classical. Would there be a better headphone choice in the price range than the two? This would be my first open ear headphones and I am fairly new to high quality headphones. I currently own the DT 770 pro (which I just received) and HD 280.
 

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

I've always had problems with headphone cords. They start deteriorating, and the sound starts crackling. Then I lose sound in one ear unless I jostle around the cord, and eventually they stop working. I figured this was the problem with the line of cheap headphones I used for a few years, that I got several of for free. I ran out of them, and decided to get into nicer headphones. I bought some Sennheiser HD 448s, and was worried when I opened them and saw the spaghetti-thin cord. Now, about a year and a half later, the exact same thing is happening. The cord isn't replaceable without soldering, which I have no experience with.
 
Others I've spoken to haven't had this much of an issue with cords. They tend to get caught on things and stretched, and I've caught my cat chewing on them a couple times, but nothing too out of the ordinary. However, the cord on these is extremely thin, and the cheap headphones I've owned before this were cheap. If most quality headphones have thicker, more durable cords, I'll put it out of my mind. But I'm concerned that if I spring the money for some new nice headphones, like the Sony MDR-V6s that I was interested in, they'll just die after a couple years like these HD 448s have.
 
Apparently the Shure SRH-440s have replaceable cords, which sounds fantastic to me. But I've also read that the headphones themselves aren't that durable, and that they're uncomfortable. There's nowhere near me that I can try them out, so I'm a bit worried.
 
I need closed headphones, and while I'm not too big on bass, I'd like something balanced. I listen to a wide variety of music, but am kind of skewed toward classical and orchestral. I also use them for general computer use and some gaming. My upper limit is $100, but if I spend that much I'd really like something that will last me.
 
Thanks for your time!

Get the SRH 840 pads and put them on the 440.
 
The KRK KNS 6400 also has a detachable cable, but less bass than the Shure.
 
None have cords that are guaranteed to survive cat chewing--especially the ones you don't see.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Quote:

Describe the sound signature your are seeking.  I suspect that you may be a basshead lite--or at least close to it. 
 
Do not expect the sound stage of closed cans to be as good as open or semi-open ones.
 
If the 440's bass is not enough for you, you will probably not like that offered by the 8400--which by the way--hasn't been within your budget for many months--unless you buy used.

As i said, the 668b to me sound pretty good, but occasionaly the highs are slightly peircing and the bass is not defined well. I am definatly not a basshead not even a light. I want to hear the bass drum in the drummers set when listening to Rush, i want to hear the bump when i play some dubstep, i do NOT want to hear boom when playing dubstep unless its actualy intended to be there.I should also mention i prefer a more flat response as i want to hear all the instruments when listening to symphony music.
 
And i do get that closed headphones will not be as large of a soundstage as open but some reviews claim they come close, such as the KRK i mentioned.

Lesson #1: if you are not a basshead, ignore all headphone reviews by those who are.
 
Lesson #2: closed cans will almost have significantly less to noticeably less sound stage than almost all open and semi-open cans in the same price range.  However, the closed cans, especially in price ranges less than $150 to $200, very often has much more bass.
 
I don't know your equipment, so I will assume that you have no amp.  That being the case and with the limit imposed by your budget, you should consider the CAL!.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

I am thinking about a Hifiman he 400. Will this work well with the O2 and ODAC or the Magi with the dac or is there a better amp/dac in the same price range? If I forgo the amp/dac I can get the he 500. Would that produce better quality music than the he 400 with amp and dac?  I mostly listen to rock, trance, and classical. Would there be a better headphone choice in the price range than the two? This would be my first open ear headphones and I am fairly new to high quality headphones. I currently own the DT 770 pro (which I just received) and HD 280.
 

Don't buy the HE 500 unless you have a decent amp with some power.
 
With regard to you amp/dac questions, you will very likely get better and more answers by posting in the appreciation thread for the HE 400 and/or one of the amp sections of the forum.  I can tell you that both the O2 and Schiit Magni should have no trouble powering the HE 400.  What I can't tell you is whether or not one or both is a good pairing with that can.

 

[DiParagon]

Funny im looking at those right now. I have spent the last 3 days reading hundreds of reviews, dont know if its from baseheads or not.
 
I did give all my info in hte first post i made but to refresh, i own a xonar dx and a xonar dg which has the headphone amp, and i also have alc889 with dolby home theater on my mobo. All that said my current headphones are 668b which to me lack just a little on bass, not much, just want a touch more punch, not boom.
 
It seems the srh440 have what is described as the sound im looking for in most reviews, the creative seem to be also in the area but i dont want too much bass.
 
Would you say the shure are about the same as the CAl with slightly less bas or are these CAL kinda punchy there and gone bass as i am trying to discribe?
 
The reviews seem to say these CAL also have a smooth sounding high, so my disslike of the 668b being a little shrilly at times would be fixed with these also.
 
Does that sound about right from your experience?
 

 

[dryvadeum]

Don't buy the HE 500 unless you have a decent amp with some power.

With regard to you amp/dac questions, you will very likely get better and more answers by posting in the appreciation thread for the HE 400 and/or one of the amp sections of the forum.  I can tell you that both the O2 and Schiit Magni should have no trouble powering the HE 400.  What I can't tell you is whether or not one or both is a good pairing with that can.

Don't get a transparent amp like the O2 to pair with the he 400s - it'll just highlight its weaknesses, namely the treble spike.

 

[KG Jag]

Quote:

Funny im looking at those right now. I have spent the last 3 days reading hundreds of reviews, dont know if its from baseheads or not.
 
I did give all my info in hte first post i made but to refresh, i own a xonar dx and a xonar dg which has the headphone amp, and i also have alc889 with dolby home theater on my mobo. All that said my current headphones are 668b which to me lack just a little on bass, not much, just want a touch more punch, not boom.
 
It seems the srh440 have what is described as the sound im looking for in most reviews, the creative seem to be also in the area but i dont want too much bass.
 
Would you say the shure are about the same as the CAl with slightly less bas or are these CAL kinda punchy there and gone bass as i am trying to discribe?
 
The reviews seem to say these CAL also have a smooth sounding high, so my disslike of the 668b being a little shrilly at times would be fixed with these also.
 
Does that sound about right from your experience?
 

The CAL! is more refined than the baby Shure (440).  Neither is bass lite (from a neutral perspective) and from memory they are in the same ballpark with regard to the quantity of bass.  I find neither to be shrill like the Superlux can be with that peak in the high mids/low treble.  The Shure is more durable than the lightly built CAL!.  See:
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate