[lukassz]

Ok, maybe supremacy to me but definitely not people on here. I'm no audiophile, I still don't know what soundstage is,even though I have an idea, and anything above the $3 ipod ear buds is a step up for me.

What brought me here was, about 2 weeks ago I put the beats by dr dre studios on my head in best buy and was blown away by what I was missing with my crappy ear buds. I was ready to drop the $300 on the spot which I'm sure most suckers do. Then my intuition struck and I got to wondering. Are these professionally EQed? Is there some sort of power source down there that I'm obviously not going to get out of my ipod?

So here I am, I've been researching for days and the possibilities are overwhelming! The phones primary use will be with an ipod/iphone, obviously not amped, and I will use them in public areas, so I've determined my first set at least will have to be closed low impedance set. I like bass, and want a headphone that can produce a decent amount. Obviously I want the best mix of mids and highs while maintaining a decent amout of bass. I listen to a mix of rock, alternative, radio hits/pop, and some hip hop/r&b. I was ready to drop $300 on the dre's so that is my budget but obviously the less I spend the better. Remember I NEVER plan to power these other than with an ipod.

So the grand list is:
audio-tech ATH-M50 I'm leaning toward there
ultrasone 780
sennheiser hd25-1II

I'm hoping that anyone of these will hold its own, or preferably beat the dre beats studio. And yes I have read the beatdown they were given on this forum, but other than the fact that they are grossly overpriced, which is why I'm here, some of the pros/mods on here have said they actually sound pretty good. So any help, pros/cons of my selections would be great. I'm not really looking for advice on other headphones. Thanks guys/girls!!

Here are

 

[chinesekiwi]

Good on ya, a smart consumer! (Which unfortunately is getting rare these days).

Have you thought of IEM's / canalphones?
That will run better for exclusive iPod use and will isolate much more.
There is a sub-forums dedicated to this here so it's best to ask there

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f103/

Anyway, it is known that the Best Buy stands are heavily EQ'ed in the bass + there is unjustified hate on the Beats for a number of reasons but everyone agrees that they are overpriced.

 

[laboitenoire]

I agree that an IEM pair would be to your benefit. For the amount of money you appear willing to spend, you can score some really nice pairs, such as the Etymotic ER-4P.

That being said, I just bought a pair of ATH-M50 cans to replace my Bose TriPorts for dorm-room listening. Needless to say I'm quite excited

 

[lukassz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good on ya, a smart consumer! (Which unfortunately is getting rare these days). Have you thought of IEM's / canalphones? That will run better for exclusive iPod use and will isolate much more. There is a sub-forums dedicated to this here so it's best to ask there Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio Anyway, it is known that the Best Buy stands are heavily EQ'ed in the bass + there is unjustified hate on the Beats for a number of reasons but everyone agrees that they are overpriced.

Oh I forgot to mention, I have tried countless IEMs and can't seem to like them. I think my ear was designed wrong as they never stay in even if I'm simply walking. I guess I lied saying I have never had better than ipod headphones. I used to have $75 creative labs IEM's and they wouldn't stay in either. Will the audio techs at least compete with, or hopefully be better than the dre studios? Any reason I should go with the other two?

 

[debitsohn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinesekiwi /img/forum/go_quote.gif Good on ya, a smart consumer! (Which unfortunately is getting rare these days). Have you thought of IEM's / canalphones? That will run better for exclusive iPod use and will isolate much more. There is a sub-forums dedicated to this here so it's best to ask there Portable Headphones, Earphones and In-Ear Monitors - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio Anyway, it is known that the Best Buy stands are heavily EQ'ed in the bass + there is unjustified hate on the Beats for a number of reasons but everyone agrees that they are overpriced.

+1 on the Smart consumer. but... youre on head-fi now.
wooo i get to say it. welcome to head-fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[lukassz]

haha funny enough I'm very obsessive with my hobbies! I once bought the first digital canon rebel when it first came out. needless to say 2 months later I had a canon 10d a speedlite and 4-5 lenses. I do it with everything! So most likely after I fall in love with the audio techs, a month later I will be curious, sitting in my living room, hearing some grado RS2i's pushed by an amp and higher bit rate cd's telling my girlfriend she "has to hear this"

 

[debitsohn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lukassz /img/forum/go_quote.gif haha funny enough I'm very obsessive with my hobbies! I once bought the first digital canon rebel when it first came out. needless to say 2 months later I had a canon 10d a speedlite and 4-5 lenses. I do it with everything! So most likely after I fall in love with the audio techs, a month later I will be curious, sitting in my living room, hearing some grado RS2i's pushed by an amp and higher bit rate cd's telling my girlfriend she "has to hear this"

seriously... good luck haha! im like that also but on a smaller budget than you... it seems much smaller.
i picked a perfect time to get into audio... unemployed, recent college grad, 10 month old daughter, wife...

 

[Force]

Yeah, the Audio-Technica M50 is a good 'phone. You should also check out Denon AH-D1001 & Audio-Technica ES7. They are both easily powered by an iPod, and has similar sound quality as the M50.

Hope I helped,
Force.

 

[lukassz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Force /img/forum/go_quote.gif Yeah, the Audio-Technica M50 is a good 'phone. You should also check out Denon AH-D1001 & Audio-Technica ES7. They are both easily powered by an iPod, and has similar sound quality as the M50. Hope I helped, Force.

the ES7 looks a LOT more portable and comfortable than the M50. Any idea on which is going to sound better? If the M50 sounds better will it be better enough to warrent not going with the ES7? The ES7 deserve the adjective sexxie if I might say so.

 

[earthpeople]

Most people do not find the ES7s comfortable stock. They are supraaural and clamp pretty strongly.

However, there is an easy adjustment you can make, where you bend the metal rods in the headband so they fit better. Afterwards, you can swap the earpads with a few different kinds if they're still uncomfortable.

Haven't heard the M50, but I thought the ES7s were a fun listen and nice to use for portable.

 

[anetode]

The HD25s are the least flashy of your choices but they also produce the most neutral/accurate sound and they are easily driven by an ipod.

 

[wantmyf1]

I have the German Maestro GMP 8.35D's. There is a thread here with a lot of information on them. They sound great, very warm and lush with plenty of bass. And I believe they are $250 USD so a little below your budget. They are also easily driven from a mass-market audio device.

I don't know how/where you will be using them but I'll tell you, they are quite ugly IMO. If you care what people think, you may not want to wear them in public! I did have someone tell me that they liked the retro type look of them, but I really don't see how. Also the stock pads can make your ears quite sweaty. I've heard both that they do and don't for certain people, but they certainly made mine sweaty. I've heard that there are other ear pads you can get that don't produce sweat, but I've never tried them.