NimbleRabit
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Oct 23, 2009
- Posts
- 139
- Likes
- 11
This is probably going to get away from me and become rather long, but in the interest of being thorough and getting the best recommendations possible I'm going to be long winded today. If anyone sticks it out and reads this, thanks, and if not that's understandable.
It's been a few years since I first found head-fi, and I finally have a good idea of what I'm looking for in my headphones. It really does seem to take some time to adjust and learn -- this definitely isn't something you can just jump into and figure out right away. I think it's interesting how when I first started I just sort of assumed there were worse headphones and better headphones, and you just had to figure out which ones were the good ones. Now I understand it's all about preference and taste. I suppose most things are that way, the more you learn and the deeper into something you get, the more you come to learn that nothing is perfect.
Every purchase I've made blew me away at first, and initially seemed liked the pinnacle of sound. But as I spent more time with each item, I grew to understand the things I liked about it as well as the things I disliked. I'm now at a point where I have an idea what I want, but I'm unsure which headphones I should try to get me there.
What I'm looking for:
Clarity, detail, and speed are very important.
Good instrument separation and transparency.
Crisp, clear treble. Perhaps slightly bright is the word (sparkly sounds true to me, even though I'm not 100% on what it means). Just below the level of being sibilant, near the edge without going over (sibilant prone tracks would be sibilant).
Tight, controlled bass. I prefer good extension and quality over quantity, with fast impact and decay. That said I don't want something overly anemic (e.g. ad700). I feel more is better where possible, just as long as it meshes well with the overall sound and doesn't become boomy or interfere with the mids.
Midrange should be balanced well with the rest of the phone, perhaps slightly forward and definitely not recessed. I enjoy a touch of smoothness or thickness in the mids, but nothing overwhelming.
I want to mention speed again, this is something I've discovered I really enjoy.
Comfort. Obviously this is subjective, but I wear my headphones for hours at a time and want something pretty damn comfortable.
Because I've learned everything is about compromises, I'll also put what things don't appeal to me or aren't as important to me. I'm willing to sacrifice on these to gain the parts I do like where needed.
What I don't like or care about:
Large amounts of bass. The phone doesn't need to have a lot of bass.
Not a fan of too much of a mid-bass hump. To me this tends to make things sound more bloated and have more bass than needed, while making it harder to appreciate the rest of the bass that's there.
Soundstage. I like some amount of soundstage, but it's not a high priority by any means.
Naturalness/Timbre - I'm not especially concerned with the sound being "correct". I don't play any instruments and have found I can easily adjust to things not being quite right, or slightly artificial.
Isolation/Sound Leak. This is not a factor for me, since I use IEM's in any situations where these would matter.
Music I listen to:
I listen to lots of metal, rock, symphonic/melodic metal, pop, alt rock, indie, electronic, and some hip-hop. Basically a wide range of genres, but I don't listen to much classical or jazz which I feel I should mention since those are pretty big around here.
Budget and Source:
My source is currently an Audinst HUD-MX1, a combined DAC and Amp. I'm open to headphones that require a better amp or dac than this if needed, but I'll have to factor that into my budget. My max budget is $750 right now, perhaps I can spend more later on source components.
Current Phones:
I currently have an MS1000 (modified MS1). To me the MS1 is pretty good and has a lot of qualities I like. At the same time I feel that there is a bit too much of a mid-bass hump on these which can be a bit overpowering. Some of this might have to do with the MS1K mod, but even before the mod I just think the bass left something to be desired. They also don't have the level of detail or clarity that I want. It's hard to compare full sized headphones and IEM's, but my CK10's are much more in line with what I'm looking for in the detail and clarity department.
I wish I could just go down to a store and try out all the wonderful headphones people talk about here. It's so frustrating to only be able to make a decision based on others opinions and thoughts, but sadly there aren't any physical locations near me to try out high end headphones (that I know of). Perhaps I'll try to buy used so that I can resell without much loss, and begin the journey to find my personal headphone nirvana. Anyways, if you're still reading then you really are a patient person . . . thanks for putting up with me. What headphone would you recommend?
It's been a few years since I first found head-fi, and I finally have a good idea of what I'm looking for in my headphones. It really does seem to take some time to adjust and learn -- this definitely isn't something you can just jump into and figure out right away. I think it's interesting how when I first started I just sort of assumed there were worse headphones and better headphones, and you just had to figure out which ones were the good ones. Now I understand it's all about preference and taste. I suppose most things are that way, the more you learn and the deeper into something you get, the more you come to learn that nothing is perfect.
Every purchase I've made blew me away at first, and initially seemed liked the pinnacle of sound. But as I spent more time with each item, I grew to understand the things I liked about it as well as the things I disliked. I'm now at a point where I have an idea what I want, but I'm unsure which headphones I should try to get me there.
What I'm looking for:
Clarity, detail, and speed are very important.
Good instrument separation and transparency.
Crisp, clear treble. Perhaps slightly bright is the word (sparkly sounds true to me, even though I'm not 100% on what it means). Just below the level of being sibilant, near the edge without going over (sibilant prone tracks would be sibilant).
Tight, controlled bass. I prefer good extension and quality over quantity, with fast impact and decay. That said I don't want something overly anemic (e.g. ad700). I feel more is better where possible, just as long as it meshes well with the overall sound and doesn't become boomy or interfere with the mids.
Midrange should be balanced well with the rest of the phone, perhaps slightly forward and definitely not recessed. I enjoy a touch of smoothness or thickness in the mids, but nothing overwhelming.
I want to mention speed again, this is something I've discovered I really enjoy.
Comfort. Obviously this is subjective, but I wear my headphones for hours at a time and want something pretty damn comfortable.
Because I've learned everything is about compromises, I'll also put what things don't appeal to me or aren't as important to me. I'm willing to sacrifice on these to gain the parts I do like where needed.
What I don't like or care about:
Large amounts of bass. The phone doesn't need to have a lot of bass.
Not a fan of too much of a mid-bass hump. To me this tends to make things sound more bloated and have more bass than needed, while making it harder to appreciate the rest of the bass that's there.
Soundstage. I like some amount of soundstage, but it's not a high priority by any means.
Naturalness/Timbre - I'm not especially concerned with the sound being "correct". I don't play any instruments and have found I can easily adjust to things not being quite right, or slightly artificial.
Isolation/Sound Leak. This is not a factor for me, since I use IEM's in any situations where these would matter.
Music I listen to:
I listen to lots of metal, rock, symphonic/melodic metal, pop, alt rock, indie, electronic, and some hip-hop. Basically a wide range of genres, but I don't listen to much classical or jazz which I feel I should mention since those are pretty big around here.
Budget and Source:
My source is currently an Audinst HUD-MX1, a combined DAC and Amp. I'm open to headphones that require a better amp or dac than this if needed, but I'll have to factor that into my budget. My max budget is $750 right now, perhaps I can spend more later on source components.
Current Phones:
I currently have an MS1000 (modified MS1). To me the MS1 is pretty good and has a lot of qualities I like. At the same time I feel that there is a bit too much of a mid-bass hump on these which can be a bit overpowering. Some of this might have to do with the MS1K mod, but even before the mod I just think the bass left something to be desired. They also don't have the level of detail or clarity that I want. It's hard to compare full sized headphones and IEM's, but my CK10's are much more in line with what I'm looking for in the detail and clarity department.
I wish I could just go down to a store and try out all the wonderful headphones people talk about here. It's so frustrating to only be able to make a decision based on others opinions and thoughts, but sadly there aren't any physical locations near me to try out high end headphones (that I know of). Perhaps I'll try to buy used so that I can resell without much loss, and begin the journey to find my personal headphone nirvana. Anyways, if you're still reading then you really are a patient person . . . thanks for putting up with me. What headphone would you recommend?
