ZarakiSan
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2007
- Posts
- 459
- Likes
- 13
Yeah, hi, welcome to this corner of the universe.
Edit: I was told that my post was too long, so I'll be summarizing it.
I'm looking for a new headphone, full-sized one to be exact. I listen to rock most of the time and I like detail and power, not just sheer bass. I would prefer it to be closed, but I'll consider open phones as well. I won't be using an amp with this, apart from my AVR-130 (Harman Kardon), and I've come up with a few candidates, actually, only two truely interest me.
- HD595 - it's got great looks and more comfort than the one below, it's open, supposed to have a great sound.
- K271 - Good looks as well, also very comfortable, closed, auto-mute feature, sound should be good for a closed.
I am leaniong towards the latter one right now because it actually blocks out sound. I don't seem to really like open headphones.
However, any other tips are welcomed, I want to hear what you have to say, please!
Old, longer version that has way more inmformation.
I want to start this thread with some facts. About, what I own, and my preferred type of music, not to mention, sound. Then, maybe, you can pass judgement before reading my own thoughts. That might help
I've never gotten very far into 'phones. I have bought, oh, I dunno, maybe 8 of them.
- Mx400. Rubbish now, I don't even know where they are or what I did to them.
- EX71's. Broke. See below.
- PX100's. Broke in a day, I didn't like the openness, a cord went down.
- PX200's. I still have them, and I bought them to replace the PX100's. I don't like their sound. I'm no basshead, but they have none, and they are simply annoying to listen to.
- KSC-50's/55's (Clip-ons). I like those, but they hurt my ears. Sound is nice and detailed, and these aren't as annoyingly open as the PX100's were for a reason. I didn't try them in a noisy bus, though. Seems on some songs, they can't handle sudden stress, but that's nitpicking and could be my source (PC-digital out) or something else. More on that later.
- CX-300's. Probably my favourite pair yet. And still, they don't sound as good as the above. They were a replacement for the EX-71's and they sound much better, and serve their purpose well, for in-ears.
I have also listened to my dad's HD-25 a lot as well. I like it's sound and fit, they can be worn as neck-phones becuase of their extremely good headband. However, they're not very comfy.
My music style: Well, I'm into anything musical. 80's-90's, 70's or other Rock, from Elvis Presley to the newest album from Venice, all kinds of folk, country and other mixes interest me as well. But, I like my music energetic, alive. I also like detouring once in a while, Mika is nice and The Rasmus had a nice album if you ask me, Dead Letters sounded great. I'm an oddball and can change music styles, but I only listen to real music, so no rap/hiphop/computer generated drumbeats. Drummers rock and add a lot to any band.
My listening style and preferred sound: Well, I'm pretty awkward. I don't like bass particularly much, but I want to hear it and I still want cans to sound alive, powerful, kicking my butt when I turn up the volume. I'm not a loud listener, but sometimes, you just need to relief some stress.
I like detail. I want to hear a lot. I want to be there, right between the musicians, hearing the guitarist's fingers slip just a little bit and instead of draining the musicality, add warmth and humanity.
Grado. Sounds like grado. Well, first, I can't get them. You cans ee the list of brands I can get further below. And the fact that they're not full-sized (Below, below!) also makes them a non-candidate.
I want an easily powerable pair. Not something that requires an amp. Also, my ears won't hear much of a difference, most likely, between a good amp and my iPod (Rockboxed, below again) or my PC. Therefore, no amps.
I want a full-sized pair of phones. I have something I can always take with me already, and I want these phones to be portable, but not small or anything. Long wires, huge phones, goofy looks, they're all fine. Also, because I want extreme comfort, I don't want anything on my ears, like HD-25's. Besides, I might get my dad's pair, so I certainly don't want those.
Let's describe both my setups:
I have a PC, and it has a decent sound-card, using digital out. It's a Terratec something, but it's firmware-modded to an Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 or something similar, anyway, I have no doubt it's okay. It'll suit me fine. It's connected digitally to my Harman Kardon AVR-130, an older amp from their newer series. It's also powering speakers, but I also use it's headphone out. It's no doubt a weak link in the chain, but I'm not shelling out the money for amps yet, though I've thought of a CMOY and connecting that to my amp. That may come some time.
Edit: Also, is an X-MOD any good for simply powering phones? I could use that, but I don't trust all that crystalizer business. I bet it sounds real crystal-like: No bass whatsoever. And I don't like that either.
I also have a Rockboxed iPod (80 gigs 'with video'). Yes, it matters, even though I do _not_ want to use the EQ. I prefer my battery life to more than two hours. It does sound very good compared to the ugly Apple firmware, that one sizzles a lot. I'm actually quite happy with the sound from the iPod.
I'm thinking of buying another player, some flash dap that I can Rockbox, for a small amount of money. Sandisk Sansa or an iPod Nano, first edition, for not much money. But, this is what I have, at least.
Then there's the brands I can get.
- Sennheiser. Duh.
- AKG
- Beyerdynamic
- Shure (But only in-ears, you'd really have to amaze me with their new models, I didn't like their old ones, I tried E3 and E5)
- Audio Technica.
The giants, but unfortunately, that's all. Then there's budget. Well, say about the price of a HD595. A bit more, and I'd have to work long to get one. I'm working for a phone, most likely.
My own thoughts on a few phones.
Sennheiser HD595: Comfortable, I've tried it. Sound should be great, but I couldn't try that, still, it should be exactly what I want. However, they're open and they're definately for home use. The latter doesn't really matter, but the former is bad. I don't really want an open phone, I couldn't take it with me. Pure sound alone is nice, but in the bus, I can more easily listen to other cans.
AKG K-271. Fit these as well, but couldn't listen. I heard their bass-range was rather low, that would be a shame. However, they're clsoed, don't come with a large jack and they look cool. I could wear those in public. Also, they have a mute feature and they're something different from Sennheiser, but the latter is just the desire to change something. These are high on my list.
Beyer Dynamic's DT770's. These look comfy, but they're pricey. I've read little on the sound and I've never seen the 2005 model in real life, only the old one.
Audio-Technica ATH-A700: I believe these have recieved high marks as well. They look comfortable and pretty, but again, I cannot say much of the sound.
I'm all out for now, idea-wise. Ask any questions you desire, please, just talk to me! I'm lonely!
Recommend anything else to me, or just tell me your thoughts.
Edit: I was told that my post was too long, so I'll be summarizing it.
I'm looking for a new headphone, full-sized one to be exact. I listen to rock most of the time and I like detail and power, not just sheer bass. I would prefer it to be closed, but I'll consider open phones as well. I won't be using an amp with this, apart from my AVR-130 (Harman Kardon), and I've come up with a few candidates, actually, only two truely interest me.
- HD595 - it's got great looks and more comfort than the one below, it's open, supposed to have a great sound.
- K271 - Good looks as well, also very comfortable, closed, auto-mute feature, sound should be good for a closed.
I am leaniong towards the latter one right now because it actually blocks out sound. I don't seem to really like open headphones.
However, any other tips are welcomed, I want to hear what you have to say, please!
Old, longer version that has way more inmformation.
I want to start this thread with some facts. About, what I own, and my preferred type of music, not to mention, sound. Then, maybe, you can pass judgement before reading my own thoughts. That might help
I've never gotten very far into 'phones. I have bought, oh, I dunno, maybe 8 of them.
- Mx400. Rubbish now, I don't even know where they are or what I did to them.
- EX71's. Broke. See below.
- PX100's. Broke in a day, I didn't like the openness, a cord went down.
- PX200's. I still have them, and I bought them to replace the PX100's. I don't like their sound. I'm no basshead, but they have none, and they are simply annoying to listen to.
- KSC-50's/55's (Clip-ons). I like those, but they hurt my ears. Sound is nice and detailed, and these aren't as annoyingly open as the PX100's were for a reason. I didn't try them in a noisy bus, though. Seems on some songs, they can't handle sudden stress, but that's nitpicking and could be my source (PC-digital out) or something else. More on that later.
- CX-300's. Probably my favourite pair yet. And still, they don't sound as good as the above. They were a replacement for the EX-71's and they sound much better, and serve their purpose well, for in-ears.
I have also listened to my dad's HD-25 a lot as well. I like it's sound and fit, they can be worn as neck-phones becuase of their extremely good headband. However, they're not very comfy.
My music style: Well, I'm into anything musical. 80's-90's, 70's or other Rock, from Elvis Presley to the newest album from Venice, all kinds of folk, country and other mixes interest me as well. But, I like my music energetic, alive. I also like detouring once in a while, Mika is nice and The Rasmus had a nice album if you ask me, Dead Letters sounded great. I'm an oddball and can change music styles, but I only listen to real music, so no rap/hiphop/computer generated drumbeats. Drummers rock and add a lot to any band.
My listening style and preferred sound: Well, I'm pretty awkward. I don't like bass particularly much, but I want to hear it and I still want cans to sound alive, powerful, kicking my butt when I turn up the volume. I'm not a loud listener, but sometimes, you just need to relief some stress.
I like detail. I want to hear a lot. I want to be there, right between the musicians, hearing the guitarist's fingers slip just a little bit and instead of draining the musicality, add warmth and humanity.
Grado. Sounds like grado. Well, first, I can't get them. You cans ee the list of brands I can get further below. And the fact that they're not full-sized (Below, below!) also makes them a non-candidate.
I want an easily powerable pair. Not something that requires an amp. Also, my ears won't hear much of a difference, most likely, between a good amp and my iPod (Rockboxed, below again) or my PC. Therefore, no amps.
I want a full-sized pair of phones. I have something I can always take with me already, and I want these phones to be portable, but not small or anything. Long wires, huge phones, goofy looks, they're all fine. Also, because I want extreme comfort, I don't want anything on my ears, like HD-25's. Besides, I might get my dad's pair, so I certainly don't want those.
Let's describe both my setups:
I have a PC, and it has a decent sound-card, using digital out. It's a Terratec something, but it's firmware-modded to an Audiotrak Prodigy 7.1 or something similar, anyway, I have no doubt it's okay. It'll suit me fine. It's connected digitally to my Harman Kardon AVR-130, an older amp from their newer series. It's also powering speakers, but I also use it's headphone out. It's no doubt a weak link in the chain, but I'm not shelling out the money for amps yet, though I've thought of a CMOY and connecting that to my amp. That may come some time.
Edit: Also, is an X-MOD any good for simply powering phones? I could use that, but I don't trust all that crystalizer business. I bet it sounds real crystal-like: No bass whatsoever. And I don't like that either.
I also have a Rockboxed iPod (80 gigs 'with video'). Yes, it matters, even though I do _not_ want to use the EQ. I prefer my battery life to more than two hours. It does sound very good compared to the ugly Apple firmware, that one sizzles a lot. I'm actually quite happy with the sound from the iPod.
I'm thinking of buying another player, some flash dap that I can Rockbox, for a small amount of money. Sandisk Sansa or an iPod Nano, first edition, for not much money. But, this is what I have, at least.
Then there's the brands I can get.
- Sennheiser. Duh.
- AKG
- Beyerdynamic
- Shure (But only in-ears, you'd really have to amaze me with their new models, I didn't like their old ones, I tried E3 and E5)
- Audio Technica.
The giants, but unfortunately, that's all. Then there's budget. Well, say about the price of a HD595. A bit more, and I'd have to work long to get one. I'm working for a phone, most likely.
My own thoughts on a few phones.
Sennheiser HD595: Comfortable, I've tried it. Sound should be great, but I couldn't try that, still, it should be exactly what I want. However, they're open and they're definately for home use. The latter doesn't really matter, but the former is bad. I don't really want an open phone, I couldn't take it with me. Pure sound alone is nice, but in the bus, I can more easily listen to other cans.
AKG K-271. Fit these as well, but couldn't listen. I heard their bass-range was rather low, that would be a shame. However, they're clsoed, don't come with a large jack and they look cool. I could wear those in public. Also, they have a mute feature and they're something different from Sennheiser, but the latter is just the desire to change something. These are high on my list.
Beyer Dynamic's DT770's. These look comfy, but they're pricey. I've read little on the sound and I've never seen the 2005 model in real life, only the old one.
Audio-Technica ATH-A700: I believe these have recieved high marks as well. They look comfortable and pretty, but again, I cannot say much of the sound.
I'm all out for now, idea-wise. Ask any questions you desire, please, just talk to me! I'm lonely!
Recommend anything else to me, or just tell me your thoughts.
I can't get anything but the brands on the list due to the way I'm 'buying' (I'm literally working for them and getting them from my employer if all goes well) the phones. Sony might be possible, but V6's don't appeal to me.
