Vinaaga
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2010
- Posts
- 5
- Likes
- 0
Hi all
I'm new to these forums, I was referred by a friend who considers himself an audiophile. So let me begin by telling you my story so that you can understand where I'm coming from and what I'm looking for.
During a trip to an Apple store I decided to try out the headphones they had on display. Namely I tested out the Studios and Bose Quite Comfort 15s (I think, they may have been QC 2s). I thought the sound quality from both was amazing. I have never invested in a pair of headphones for more than $50, but I was getting tired of my Skull Candy Heshes, which I bought for $35 btw and became extremely happy with the bass they produced. They had a strong thumping bass and I liked that the headphones actually vibrated by head a little when turned about 70% of the way up. But these QC15s and Studios sounded far better in comparison. Their bass was more 'refined' I would say in that it wasn't all thump, it could also better produce low, rolling bass. Of course the mids and highs were a giant leap forward as well (from what I was used to).
So when I got home I decided to do some research on finding some high quality headphones. Not necessarily bose or beats but some great sounding ones that provided great bass as well. After reading through lots of Cnet reviews (which may have be the most noobish place to find reviews, please don't judge me) I found that the sennheiser hd555s seemed to be what I wanted. So I ordered those from Amazon for around $150 shipped (and amazingly I ordered them at around midnight and they arrived at 10am same day! Of course I chose 1-day shipping, but it was only $4 extra), and when they arrived I immediately put them to the test.
Now I do the majority of my listening from either these Logitech Z-4s through my PC or though some Skull Candy INK'd buds hooked up to my Zune HD:
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Speaker-System-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B000AM6QHE/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_12
http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-INKd-Earbuds-S2INCZ-033-Black/dp/B003HKTWKO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1281126012&sr=1-1
I love the sound the Logitechs can produce, the bass is phenomenal and I've thrown epic house parties powered only by these things (2 sets of them tho), and the INK'd buds also have the bass that I'm looking for.
The sennheiser hd555 were very dissapointing to me. I understand they are open backed an all but the bass I want just wasn't there. The SQ may have been great and all, but I couldn't hear the great quality over the lack of bass (hahaha get it?)
So I decided to go ahead and send those back. I realized that when reviewers experienced in audio say some headphones are great they may be talking about the ability of the headphones to reproduce authentic sound or not blend the sound into one muddy puddle. That's great and all, and while I would like good reproduction in my headphones, I need bass like the Studios and INK'd buds.
(now take a deep breath)
I bought the Beats by Dre Studios. Yes I paid $300 hard earned dollars for them. Now I've read many posts here about the 'trash' that the studios are, and I must say that if they are trash then I might like garbage, the bass was EXACTLY what I wanted. However the mids and highs weren''t as good as I think I remembered from the kiosk. My roommate has some Panasonic HC 500s and they have better audio quality than the Studios I currenty have (I don't know about the ones in the kiosk, they may have sounded better), but their bass was lacking.
Now I'm going to ask you all to do something that may be difficult for some of you. I want you to imagine that all the headphones you can think of that currently cost less than $300, now cost exactly $300. I am asking this b/c I want to spend that much on headphones. I want the best I can get for $300, I don't care if a set that costs $100 sounds better than the Studios for their price.
Please try to subside your hate for Beats by Dre, and please don't just post something like "ATH AD700". Please only provide advice if you have physically placed the Beats by Dre on your head before and can compare them to other headphones you have also placed on your head. Please don't tell me what other people think or what you've heard about the Studios, I have read many threads here and I know that they are overpriced for their quality.
So I have 3 questions:
1) Do you think I need to burn-in the Studios to get the mids and highs to sound like I remember?
2) Do you think I simply need an amp? Because I've heard that the kiosk powering the Studios may have an epic amp. And if it does, what pocket amp would be suitable.
3) What other comparable headphones could I buy instead of the Studios (remember under $300, but once under $300 I don't care about the quality/price ratio)? These headphones need to be portable in that they need to end in a 3.5mm jack, need to not leak sound (i use them in libraries, so no open-backed), need to have reasonably short cables, need to be comfortable(the Studios were extremely comfortable) and need to not scare away all the hotties.
Thank you for bearing through all that. Hopefully the length of it scared away all the trolls
Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!!!
I'm new to these forums, I was referred by a friend who considers himself an audiophile. So let me begin by telling you my story so that you can understand where I'm coming from and what I'm looking for.
During a trip to an Apple store I decided to try out the headphones they had on display. Namely I tested out the Studios and Bose Quite Comfort 15s (I think, they may have been QC 2s). I thought the sound quality from both was amazing. I have never invested in a pair of headphones for more than $50, but I was getting tired of my Skull Candy Heshes, which I bought for $35 btw and became extremely happy with the bass they produced. They had a strong thumping bass and I liked that the headphones actually vibrated by head a little when turned about 70% of the way up. But these QC15s and Studios sounded far better in comparison. Their bass was more 'refined' I would say in that it wasn't all thump, it could also better produce low, rolling bass. Of course the mids and highs were a giant leap forward as well (from what I was used to).
So when I got home I decided to do some research on finding some high quality headphones. Not necessarily bose or beats but some great sounding ones that provided great bass as well. After reading through lots of Cnet reviews (which may have be the most noobish place to find reviews, please don't judge me) I found that the sennheiser hd555s seemed to be what I wanted. So I ordered those from Amazon for around $150 shipped (and amazingly I ordered them at around midnight and they arrived at 10am same day! Of course I chose 1-day shipping, but it was only $4 extra), and when they arrived I immediately put them to the test.
Now I do the majority of my listening from either these Logitech Z-4s through my PC or though some Skull Candy INK'd buds hooked up to my Zune HD:
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Speaker-System-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B000AM6QHE/ref=pd_rhf_shvl_12
http://www.amazon.com/Skullcandy-INKd-Earbuds-S2INCZ-033-Black/dp/B003HKTWKO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1281126012&sr=1-1
I love the sound the Logitechs can produce, the bass is phenomenal and I've thrown epic house parties powered only by these things (2 sets of them tho), and the INK'd buds also have the bass that I'm looking for.
The sennheiser hd555 were very dissapointing to me. I understand they are open backed an all but the bass I want just wasn't there. The SQ may have been great and all, but I couldn't hear the great quality over the lack of bass (hahaha get it?)
So I decided to go ahead and send those back. I realized that when reviewers experienced in audio say some headphones are great they may be talking about the ability of the headphones to reproduce authentic sound or not blend the sound into one muddy puddle. That's great and all, and while I would like good reproduction in my headphones, I need bass like the Studios and INK'd buds.
(now take a deep breath)
I bought the Beats by Dre Studios. Yes I paid $300 hard earned dollars for them. Now I've read many posts here about the 'trash' that the studios are, and I must say that if they are trash then I might like garbage, the bass was EXACTLY what I wanted. However the mids and highs weren''t as good as I think I remembered from the kiosk. My roommate has some Panasonic HC 500s and they have better audio quality than the Studios I currenty have (I don't know about the ones in the kiosk, they may have sounded better), but their bass was lacking.
Now I'm going to ask you all to do something that may be difficult for some of you. I want you to imagine that all the headphones you can think of that currently cost less than $300, now cost exactly $300. I am asking this b/c I want to spend that much on headphones. I want the best I can get for $300, I don't care if a set that costs $100 sounds better than the Studios for their price.
Please try to subside your hate for Beats by Dre, and please don't just post something like "ATH AD700". Please only provide advice if you have physically placed the Beats by Dre on your head before and can compare them to other headphones you have also placed on your head. Please don't tell me what other people think or what you've heard about the Studios, I have read many threads here and I know that they are overpriced for their quality.
So I have 3 questions:
1) Do you think I need to burn-in the Studios to get the mids and highs to sound like I remember?
2) Do you think I simply need an amp? Because I've heard that the kiosk powering the Studios may have an epic amp. And if it does, what pocket amp would be suitable.
3) What other comparable headphones could I buy instead of the Studios (remember under $300, but once under $300 I don't care about the quality/price ratio)? These headphones need to be portable in that they need to end in a 3.5mm jack, need to not leak sound (i use them in libraries, so no open-backed), need to have reasonably short cables, need to be comfortable(the Studios were extremely comfortable) and need to not scare away all the hotties.
Thank you for bearing through all that. Hopefully the length of it scared away all the trolls
Looking forward to hearing what you have to say!!!