Headphone gear help please! (noob)
Dec 23, 2008 at 7:21 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 19
Bradan

Bradan

100+ Head-Fier
Joined
Dec 23, 2008
Posts
138
Likes
13
Hey guys, I'm new here on Head-Fi and I've been really impressed on the quality and amount of information available on your forums.
icon10.gif


I use headphones for games, music and the odd time movies.

Music is 192k,256k,320k, and about 1/8 is FLAC.
I'm going to be getting as much FLAC as possible though, and possible buying audio DVDs.

Movies are all AC3 Dolby audio.

Games, I'm not so sure, but I play TF2, CSS, UT3, crysis, Company of heroes (yay), and similar games.

I've thoroughly listened to my Px100's/Cowon, HD 555, and my Logitech-Z5300E/Audigy4.

I'm considering buying some headphones with a new soundcard and possible a headphone amp if necessary.
My budget is around 250-350$.

First off, I live in Canada, and all things you direct to must be available or affordably avaible in Canada(or to Canada). Thanks for your undertsanding on that.

Sennheiser is affordable in Canada, generally:
HD 555 for $120CAD
HD 595 for $250CAD

I am interested in:
hd 555/595
Beyerdynamic DT 770/880
Audiotechnica A700/A800

Sound cards i've been looking at are xonar dx and x-fi's

I've heard about having spdif out to an external decoder/amp, though i dont really know anything about it.

I just need some description of the headphones, pros/cons and some justifications for whichever purchase.

Thanks guys, I'll enjoy my stay I'm sure!
beyersmile.png
 
Dec 23, 2008 at 8:45 AM Post #2 of 19
sorry for the bump, but I found The DT 770 pro (250 ohm) for 230$CAD, how much will an appropriate amp cost, if the sound card had 116db SNR?

What range of headphone is the best deal for CD quality audio?
 
Dec 23, 2008 at 1:29 PM Post #4 of 19
Rock, Soft Rock, Hard Rock, Metal, Thrash metal, some 80's stuff, though im in a sort of techno-like phase (beck/nine inch nails/ deepache mode), some Ragae(sp?),

also stuff like Dire Straits, Eagles, Don Henly, The Trajically hip. These have allot of guitar.

So if I was to choose three types I'd say:
Rock, allot of rock.
Metal
Synth-ie stuff + Raggae.

What's really important to me is clean sharp sound, smooth bass, and crispy highs. I want to hear all instuments clearly really. Sound stage is semi-important though, I like full stage.

Noise isolation isnt important at all.

I use Z5300E 5.1 speaker set for general use, and they get pretty loud.
 
Dec 23, 2008 at 2:19 PM Post #6 of 19
The Sennheiser HD-595's are pretty good. I used a pair for a couple years before I went the Grado 325i, AKG 271s, and AKG 701 route. I did pick up a pair of Beyerdynamics ST 770, 250 ohm model a few months ago and think that they are fine. Good bass, fair midrange, decent highs. Compared to my AKG 271s, they delivered more satisfying bass, but something was lacking in the mids. Could I live with the Beyer DT 770's? Yes. On the whole, these are really nice closed cans. They are comfortable and overall the sound quality is very good. Do I like them better than the Sennheiser HD-595's? I think that for rock, the Beyer's win, but for jazz, the Sennheirer 595's win. For classical, I'd probably lean toward the Senns, but the Beyer does a fine job with it too.

Either the 595's or the 770's (250 ohm model only--the 80 ohm is too bassy) would be fine.

You'd need to amp the Beyer 770 (250 ohm) to work well. You can forgo the amp with the Senn 595's. Ampng any phone usually results in better sound, but the 595's do well sans amp (amping still brings about some sonic improvements).

If you were in the US, I'd recommend Grado SR-225's (around 200 US). And no need to amp until you are willing to go that route for better sound.
For comfort, I'm fine with grados, but I usually don't listen with phones for more than an hour at a time. The Beyer's and Sennheiser models that you are interested in are all pretty comfy and if you are into long sessions with cans, you might want to consider those offerings.

Cheers!
 
Dec 23, 2008 at 2:34 PM Post #7 of 19
Thanks for your reply yash, it was very helpful since you speaking from experience.
normal_smile .gif


I'm not really into jazz or orchestral. I play games allot, about 3 hours a day. Gaming and music are both important though.

I've narrowed it down:

DT 770 80 ohm + Xonar DX
Sennheiser HD 555 + Xonar DX
DT 770 250ohm + amp(?) + Audigy 4 SE

I'm a total noob on amps, how much is an appropriately paired one, and where do I purchase it?

What is the sole purpose of the amp anyways? Is it for increased signal strength, proper function of the headset or just for that added "Analogue warmth" (filling in digital gaps and smoothing the sound)?
 
Dec 23, 2008 at 5:14 PM Post #8 of 19
Quote:

Originally Posted by Bradan /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hey guys, I'm new here on Head-Fi and I've been really impressed on the quality and amount of information available on your forums.
icon10.gif


I use headphones for games, music and the odd time movies.

Music is 192k,256k,320k, and about 1/8 is FLAC.
I'm going to be getting as much FLAC as possible though, and possible buying audio DVDs.

Movies are all AC3 Dolby audio.

Games, I'm not so sure, but I play TF2, CSS, UT3, crysis, Company of heroes (yay), and similar games.

I've thoroughly listened to my Px100's/Cowon, HD 555, and my Logitech-Z5300E/Audigy4.

I'm considering buying some headphones with a new soundcard and possible a headphone amp if necessary.
My budget is around 250-350$.

First off, I live in Canada, and all things you direct to must be available or affordably avaible in Canada(or to Canada). Thanks for your undertsanding on that.

Sennheiser is affordable in Canada, generally:
HD 555 for $120CAD
HD 595 for $250CAD

I am interested in:
hd 555/595
Beyerdynamic DT 770/880
Audiotechnica A700/A800

Sound cards i've been looking at are xonar dx and x-fi's

I've heard about having spdif out to an external decoder/amp, though i dont really know anything about it.

I just need some description of the headphones, pros/cons and some justifications for whichever purchase.

Thanks guys, I'll enjoy my stay I'm sure!
beyersmile.png



The new sound card by Auzentech, the X-Fi Forte 7.1 looks to be a good sound card with a built in headphone amp.

For headphones, how about the Audio Technica ATH-AD700s "open" or the JVC HA-RX900s "closed"
 
Dec 24, 2008 at 1:14 AM Post #10 of 19
A headphone amp adds fullness to the music. Better bass, more dynamics, better soundstage, mids, highs, transparency--it allows the headphones to sound much better. High ohm headphones seem to be more in need of amplifcation than low ohm phones--usually. It seems that all phones tend to benefit from amplifcation. What to buy is another issue. Some are happy with the Fii0 E3 (very cheap) and others like me drop $300 or more for something more upscale (i.e, Decware Zen Head) and as you can imagine, the sky's the limit. If using a computer, one may want a DAC built in to one's headphone amp. Pico makes a nice one. On a budget, the Total Bithead is very nice (I use one with my laptop). The DAC allows one to bypass the internal sound card. Of course, if one has a really good soundcard (and one that amps), one may forgo the amp/DAC. Now if you are into portable applicatins with a mp3 player, you just need an amp (or not depending on the phones you use).

I like the Beyer DT 770, 250 ohm model. It sounds fine and is comfy. This is a closed set of cans so you won't annoy others around you. And they are really comfy with their velour ear cushions. The other options may be fine. It would be nice if you could preview so you could gage first hand on what you like.

Some like the sound of open cans. I prefer them to closed. But then I'm usually a Grado animal. Next time you are in the US, score a pair of Grado SR 60's--great open cans and pretty comfortable and light and only 70 bucks US. Best bang for the buck. (I do have a pair).

The JVC HA-RX900 are a pretty good buy. If the ear cushions are velour, they may be a good cheap choice. I had a pair of JVC HA-RX700's (sort of open, but looked closed) that were pretty good--and cheap at around 35 bucks a pair--which I gave to my student assistant). I don't know the AD700's but I've read nice things about them.

Good luck in your search.
 
Dec 24, 2008 at 2:11 PM Post #11 of 19
apparently I can get the Grados headphones in canada, I found a shop locally that sells them, but prices are pretty steep, they are a mainstream AV store.

They sell Denon AH-D2000 for 399$ (300 online)
Senns go for 395$ as well. (250 online in canada)

I'm not sure about the gradas (33ohm), but the denon have an impedence of 25ohm, so no amp either really.

still unsure, i think im goona go on boxing day, try out all the headphones with my cowon d2 and some of my favourite flac, see what i like, and see if i can get a deal on some.

Definitely looking forward to trying some grados, but they are kinda ugly i may change my mind in person.

Probably picking up HD595, grados80/grados220, or the Denons.

It's really likely I'm goona get the senns for 273$ shipped+tax from this site in canada though.
 
Dec 25, 2008 at 4:30 AM Post #12 of 19
The Senns are decent. Even though my 9 year old son has squirrelled them away in his top bunk, I listen the jazz through them (when he offers to share) and really enjoy the sound. I like the 595's, but would maybe consider the 600's. If you have a decent amp. Try them out if you can. I think these are a bit better than the 595's and they shouldn't be much more lolly.

I really like the Grado stuff--yah, they're ugly, but they grow on you. Of all the cans that I have (and I have too many), my Grado 325i's are my favourites. You should really give the SR-60's a go, for they are giant killers. I still enjoy listeing to them and use them when travelling.

Enjoy the sales. This is the year of the Nintendo Wii and I just set it up for tomorrow morning. Wow. It is so cool. I got the kids the Mario racing game with 2 wheels. On Boxing Day, I'm gonna get two more and two more remote controllers. My wife and I and our two sons will race!! The Wii is so much nicer than the xBox.

Anyway, you can't go wrong with the 595's.

Happy Holidays!
 
Dec 26, 2008 at 2:56 PM Post #15 of 19
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top