[Wydz]

So I don't wanna look bad being new to the forum and making multiple threads.
 
before I buy anything, I'm just curious on one thing.
 
can my Galaxy Note 2 power headphones above 80 Ohm, if I ever decide to use anything but my Klipsch in-ears out of the house?
 
I'm looking at the 80 and 250 Ohm DT770's that were recommended to me in my other thread, would my phone be taking a workload without an amp?
 
Thanks again.

 

[DrSheep]

Whoever recommend those can did not consider your power requirement, as your Note 2 will not have enough power to drive them at a decent level.  It is not impossible, but they will not sound their best.  Therefore, you will need an amp or look for a lower impedance headphone.

 

[liquidzoo]

You will be able to hear sound out of them from your Note 2, but yes you will need an external amp to really get the full benefit from them.  Even something like an E07K/E17 (though if you get one get the L7 converter with it so you're not double amping) will power them very nicely.

 

[Wydz]

Thanks for the replies guys
 
I'm also kinda worried cause im not a bass head, and i heard 770s are on the "more bassy" side, which is not what i want
 
im just so picky about everything, and since i cant use open's, its hard to find a nice pair of closed cans
 
was going to get the E11 amp

 

[liquidzoo]

E11 will work.  Most closed cans are going to be on the more bassy side, but the 250 Ohm 770s are more balanced than the 80 Ohm version.  If you're looking for something closer to neutral, go with those or look into something like the KRK KNS-8400 (never heard them, just heard that they have a more flat response).

 

[Wydz]

I'm thinking about going the 250 ohm route with an e11 and just keeping them hooked up to my laptop.
 
Wish I could use opens (hd600, sexyyyy), but Im listening to music at late hours and dont wanna wake people up.
 
besides m50's, dt770, hd380pro, is there any other nice cans for under $200? maybe $250? I know I wont be expecting Fostex clarity/quality at this price range, but im looking to get a nice pair to start out with and build my collection up...
 
maybe even the srh840s/940s? 940s look amazingly well made and apparently sound amazing too
 
being that im new to the audio scene, my ears wont pick up every little detail will they?

 

[liquidzoo]

It depends on your audio source and the recording quality.  I can pick up things that I never heard before in songs that are ~30 years old in some recordings but not others.
 
There are plenty of decent cans in the $200 - $250 price range, open or closed.  If you can demo some, that would be the best bet.  Guitar Center will have most of those (M50, DT770 (DT880 and DT990 as well), Maybe the HD380, but Best Buy has those I think, KRK, some Shure, some AKG, some have V-Moda or Ultrasone headphones as well) 
 
Open headphones may not wake people up unless you're listening to them at ear-splitting levels.  I find myself listening to my Grados (fully open) at a much lower volume than my DT770s on the same songs to get the same enjoyment.  Just food for thought.  You might want to try out the DT990 if you're set on the DT series, just to see how it is.

 

[Wydz]

  It depends on your audio source and the recording quality.  I can pick up things that I never heard before in songs that are ~30 years old in some recordings but not others.
 
There are plenty of decent cans in the $200 - $250 price range, open or closed.  If you can demo some, that would be the best bet.  Guitar Center will have most of those (M50, DT770 (DT880 and DT990 as well), Maybe the HD380, but Best Buy has those I think, KRK, some Shure, some AKG, some have V-Moda or Ultrasone headphones as well) 
 
Open headphones may not wake people up unless you're listening to them at ear-splitting levels.  I find myself listening to my Grados (fully open) at a much lower volume than my DT770s on the same songs to get the same enjoyment.  Just food for thought.  You might want to try out the DT990 if you're set on the DT series, just to see how it is.

 
Audio source as in what im playing music from?
 
I'd be using Itunes/Google Play/personal library from my note 2 or my hp g7-2323dx laptop for the majority if not all of my music
 
I'm really looking at the SRH940s, are they the same size as the SRH840s? my local guitar center by my work carries the srh840 but i'd have to drive a fair distance to try on the 940s
 
hoping I can find the 940s as low as $200

 

[liquidzoo]

Both what you're playing from and the format/quality of the files.
 
I haven't looked at any of the Shures myself, so I'm not sure of the sizes.

 

[Wydz]

  Both what you're playing from and the format/quality of the files.
 
I haven't looked at any of the Shures myself, so I'm not sure of the sizes.

 
lets say I up my budget to "$300" but i can find some of these headphones for as low as $250, what would you recommend, compared to a $200 budget?
 
Im really cautious when im spending this amount of money, since I've only bought S4i's for $50 and my X12's for gaming for $40 lol

 

[liquidzoo]

Well, you can get the 840s for $200 right now, same with the DT770s (80 Ohm or 250 Ohm) or DT990s.
 
I do know that the Beyers (those linked, anyway) will definitely benefit from an amp.  A Fiio E11 would be enough, or an E07K/E17 if you want to use it as a DAC as well.
 
The Beyer COP wouldn't need an amp, and also falls into that $200 price range (though it's a bit more on Amazon right now, you could probably find it cheaper if you looked around).
 
I own both the DT770 (80 Ohm) and a pair of Grado SR225i, which are fully open.  I listen to and love both.  You would need an adapter for the Grados if you went that way as they only have a 1/4" plug.
 
I can recommend what I listen to based on the music I love; but that might not fit what you want.  If you can, go into a Guitar Center or somewhere like that and audition a few pair of headphones to see what works for you based on the music you like.  It will also depend on if you're buying these for music, gaming, or both.  Trying them out will also help you identify features you might not like.  I was dead certain I was going to get the ATH-M50s (another one in your price range) before I tried them out.  They're highly recommended, but I didn't like the pleather pads on them.  To me, the velour pads on the DT770s were infinitely more comfortable.
 
I was cautious spending the money on decent headphones too, but I'm glad I made the investment (especially after buying an amp and DAC).  Good headphones and good source components will really help to make your music come alive.
 
Also, to add to a point about Fostex quality that you made earlier, the Fostex T50-RP are less than $125.

 

[Wydz]

  Well, you can get the 840s for $200 right now, same with the DT770s (80 Ohm or 250 Ohm) or DT990s.
 
I do know that the Beyers (those linked, anyway) will definitely benefit from an amp.  A Fiio E11 would be enough, or an E07K/E17 if you want to use it as a DAC as well.
 
The Beyer COP wouldn't need an amp, and also falls into that $200 price range (though it's a bit more on Amazon right now, you could probably find it cheaper if you looked around).
 
I own both the DT770 (80 Ohm) and a pair of Grado SR225i, which are fully open.  I listen to and love both.  You would need an adapter for the Grados if you went that way as they only have a 1/4" plug.
 
I can recommend what I listen to based on the music I love; but that might not fit what you want.  If you can, go into a Guitar Center or somewhere like that and audition a few pair of headphones to see what works for you based on the music you like.  It will also depend on if you're buying these for music, gaming, or both.  Trying them out will also help you identify features you might not like.  I was dead certain I was going to get the ATH-M50s (another one in your price range) before I tried them out.  They're highly recommended, but I didn't like the pleather pads on them.  To me, the velour pads on the DT770s were infinitely more comfortable.
 
I was cautious spending the money on decent headphones too, but I'm glad I made the investment (especially after buying an amp and DAC).  Good headphones and good source components will really help to make your music come alive.
 
Also, to add to a point about Fostex quality that you made earlier, the Fostex T50-RP are less than $125.

 
These are the responses i love to read, hopefully I can address all the points your made lol
 
I was looking at the COP's but I think I'm going to stray away from those, because I've read some reports of people having trouble with them due to their low impedance (12 ohms i think)? I'm mainly just looking into something I can use right now that won't need an amp/dac TOO badly, just something to get my foot in the audio world that I can use with something such as the FiiO E6, and then research more into DACs/Amps when I'm more comfortable and have a bigger cash pile to spend (my DREAM set up is HD 800's with the Asus Xonar Essence One ).
 
Looking into Open Cans, the main thing I'm concerned about is playing my music too loudly with them on, because I like to turn up my music and get lost in it, and I'm up til the hours of 3-4am sometimes, so I don't wanna wake up my family or my dogs and such.
 
Would you be able to explain the critical differences of Open, Semi-Open, Closed headphones to me? Those Fostex you linked look really good, maybe I'll watch some unboxing/reviews on them
 
Thanks a bunch!

 

[liquidzoo]

Those Fostex are very good headphones from what I've read, and have a huge modding following here.
 
I can take a stab at explaining the difference.
 
Closed headphones will have more bass impact (generally), smaller soundstage, and more isolation both of noise getting out and noise getting in.
 
Open headphones are just the opposite of that.  Generally less bass impact (though the quality may or may not be better), much larger soundstage, and no isolation.
 
Semi-Open seems to be a middle ground between the 2.  Not as much isolation, bass impact, or soundstage; but a good mix of all.
 
I think the COP has a resistance of 15 Ohms or something like that.  Something that is very easy to drive with anything.  If you don't want to get an amp right away (amps help with clarity, not just volume), then I would look into something with a lower resistance rating, which will give you the most out of your music.
 
On the other hand, though, a Fiio E11, which should drive any of the headphones I've mentioned, is only $56, which still keeps you within your budget.

 

[Wydz]

  Those Fostex are very good headphones from what I've read, and have a huge modding following here.
 
I can take a stab at explaining the difference.
 
Closed headphones will have more bass impact (generally), smaller soundstage, and more isolation both of noise getting out and noise getting in.
 
Open headphones are just the opposite of that.  Generally less bass impact (though the quality may or may not be better), much larger soundstage, and no isolation.
 
Semi-Open seems to be a middle ground between the 2.  Not as much isolation, bass impact, or soundstage; but a good mix of all.
 
I think the COP has a resistance of 15 Ohms or something like that.  Something that is very easy to drive with anything.  If you don't want to get an amp right away (amps help with clarity, not just volume), then I would look into something with a lower resistance rating, which will give you the most out of your music.
 
On the other hand, though, a Fiio E11, which should drive any of the headphones I've mentioned, is only $56, which still keeps you within your budget.

 
thats exactly what i was thinking each one meant, although being a beginner in audio, i dont think ill know the difference of bass impact, sound staging, mids/highs/treble right away lol
 
I'm really considering the Shure 940s with the E11, which will keep me in my $300 budget and hopefully last a while, because i dont wanna be buying new headphones after a year when i spent $250+ on them
 
Fostex I think I'll save for later down the road, because I dont like adapter-required plugs/cables, and i dont know how to mod
 
 
Would the SRH940s be a good choice for a first timer who currently uses Turtle Beach X12's for music? lol

 

[liquidzoo]

I would have to leave that question for someone who has listened to the 940s, but I would imagine that they would be leaps and bounds better than the Turtle Beach headphones you're currently using.