[Euphorical]

Alright guys, so I was originally looking for new headphones and the Numark Red Waves caught my attention but then i realized that they weren't really good build quality and had a lot of bass.
 
I listen to metal more on the heavy side and a lot of my tracks are MP3's that aren't the best quality...
 
What i really like is the size of the Koss and apparantly it has really good quality but it lacks in bass and needs an amp
 
I use a Zune HD and If i go for the Koss headphones what amp should i get and how do i connect it?
 
In short im looking for good portable/reliable headphones Thanks!

 

[biggbenn74]

Hmm... Good portable, reliable, bass heavy headphones... I wouldn't get the Koss DJ's, as they are more neutral sounding. I would highly recommend the Red Waves to you. I own a pair. They are amazing headphones, especially for the price. If you get them, you won't regret that decision, I promise. Check them out.

 

[Zombie_X]

Hi,
 
The PRODJ100 does not need any amp at all. It functions just fine without one. All the talk about them needing an amp is bollocks IMO. They are a warm headphone with more bass than neutral. The treble is smooth and detailed. They do work really well with metal and I should know since I've owned two pairs. 
 
The Zune HD has a pretty powerful amp in it (I have one again 

) and is able to drive them very well. If for some reason you need an amp, look to get a FiiO E5.

 

[smedley]

  For a real sonic treat plug the DJ100's into a good stereo  receiver with a 12 band equalizer . They sound phenomenal.
 

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Hi,
 
The PRODJ100 does not need any amp at all. It functions just fine without one. All the talk about them needing an amp is bollocks IMO. They are a warm headphone with more bass than neutral. The treble is smooth and detailed. They do work really well with metal and I should know since I've owned two pairs. 
 
The Zune HD has a pretty powerful amp in it (I have one again 

) and is able to drive them very well. If for some reason you need an amp, look to get a FiiO E5.

 
Saying the DJ100 does not need an amp is like saying the HD-600 doesn't need one either IMO. Sure, both sound good without one, but who wants to use the HD-600 ampless? There's more than enough volume. An amp is cheap and can benefit nearly every headphone, so why not?
 
Saying the DJ100 does not need an amp is kind of general statement. There's like a million different portable players out there. Have you tried them all? How many people have the Zune HD or an Ipod Touch? How do you know what device they have or how much power the device has? For all you know they could be trying to drive it from a 512mb $10 player. Who knows. Chances are that your Zune HD drives it just fine. Try it with a Cown Iaudio 7 and you can't say the same. Not even the Sansa Clip seems to be enough. That thing does an even better job at driving headphones than the Ipod Touch.
 
I've probably listened to the DJ100 more than anyone else here most likely (since the day of release) and compared different portable devices with it for hours. Sure, you don't NEED one, but people say that about the DT-880 32 ohm and M50 as well.
 
Here's a little fact: Since owning the DJ100 i've never liked how it sounds unamped. It's good, but without an amp it's just not the same for me. I would say if I had to use it with a portable device, the Clip+ does a pretty good job.
 
BTW i've actually find this $55 DJ100 benefits more from amping than even my HD-598! Crazy! Even my HRT DAC improved it even further. Mostly when it came to detail and size of it's soundstage.
 
I've never considered the DJ100 on any amp a warm headphone. Less warm IMO than the SRH-840, M50, HD-598/600/580. I would say definitely warmer than the KRKs! Fairly similar to the K240 sextett.
 
When going unamped, the mids aren't as full sounding, the sound is a little more fatiguing and the bass isn't as controlled. Even the soundstage is larger (try the E11 vs ampless). When very well amped, no frequency seems to be jumping out at me.
 
I don't even think a LOD cable + E5 is enough for it to be at 100%. I prefer the internal amp of a portable player AND an amp such as the E11. My Q701 also can't be driven well with the E11 when using a LOD cable, so I also have to use a headphone out from my portable device, which seems to usually be a major no-no, but it just sounds better. Same with the DJ100.
 
When I use my E11 with my Sansa Fuze and DJ100 I even use the headphone out instead of the LOD. It just sounds better. Wonder why? Could be A) DJ100 likes that extra power or B) the headphone out just sounds better (highly unlikely). I'll never be able to figure this out.
 
Sorry for my long winded response..i'm really bored. Best thing for someone to do is to compare the difference with their own ears. DJ100 definitely sounds best for ME with an amp. Love it with the Total Airhead.

 

[Zombie_X]

Yo Travis,
 
But the PRODJ100 doesn't need an amp. With one they do sound better but it's not like they are dependent on one. They sound great out of mostly all my stuff, even my PSP and 3DS. I never noticed any of the issues you ever listed and the bass is always present. I have a Clip PMP now and it did a great job with the DJ100, in fact nothing ever seemed to under power them.
 
I know we've butted heads before about our differing opinions but it's not like I am saying your wrong, I simply don't agree with your opinions for what it seems as being most of the time. It's funny but that alone shows how different we all hear things and how one might perceive things. This hobby alone is a giant can of worms! Wouldn't you agree?
 
Quote:

 
Saying the DJ100 does not need an amp is like saying the HD-600 doesn't need one either IMO. Sure, both sound good without one, but who wants to use the HD-600 ampless? There's more than enough volume. An amp is cheap and can benefit nearly every headphone, so why not?
 
Saying the DJ100 does not need an amp is kind of general statement. There's like a million different portable players out there. Have you tried them all? How many people have the Zune HD or an Ipod Touch? How do you know what device they have or how much power the device has? For all you know they could be trying to drive it from a 512mb $10 player. Who knows. Chances are that your Zune HD drives it just fine. Try it with a Cown Iaudio 7 and you can't say the same. Not even the Sansa Clip seems to be enough. That thing does an even better job at driving headphones than the Ipod Touch.
 
I've probably listened to the DJ100 more than anyone else here most likely (since the day of release) and compared different portable devices with it for hours. Sure, you don't NEED one, but people say that about the DT-880 32 ohm and M50 as well.
 
Here's a little fact: Since owning the DJ100 i've never liked how it sounds unamped. It's good, but without an amp it's just not the same for me. I would say if I had to use it with a portable device, the Clip+ does a pretty good job.
 
BTW i've actually find this $55 DJ100 benefits more from amping than even my HD-598! Crazy! Even my HRT DAC improved it even further. Mostly when it came to detail and size of it's soundstage.
 
I've never considered the DJ100 on any amp a warm headphone. Less warm IMO than the SRH-840, M50, HD-598/600/580. I would say definitely warmer than the KRKs! Fairly similar to the K240 sextett.
 
When going unamped, the mids aren't as full sounding, the sound is a little more fatiguing and the bass isn't as controlled. Even the soundstage is larger (try the E11 vs ampless). When very well amped, no frequency seems to be jumping out at me.
 
I don't even think a LOD cable + E5 is enough for it to be at 100%. I prefer the internal amp of a portable player AND an amp such as the E11. My Q701 also can't be driven well with the E11 when using a LOD cable, so I also have to use a headphone out from my portable device, which seems to usually be a major no-no, but it just sounds better. Same with the DJ100.
 
When I use my E11 with my Sansa Fuze and DJ100 I even use the headphone out instead of the LOD. It just sounds better. Wonder why? Could be A) DJ100 likes that extra power or B) the headphone out just sounds better (highly unlikely). I'll never be able to figure this out.
 
Sorry for my long winded response..i'm really bored. Best thing for someone to do is to compare the difference with their own ears. DJ100 definitely sounds best for ME with an amp. Love it with the Total Airhead.

 

[KG Jag]

Unamped mine don't get the volume I want out of my iPhone 4 when I'm in a noisy environment--e.g. on an airplane, especially when sitting anywhere near an engine.

 

[reddragon]

i have a pair of koss tony bennett which is said to have the exact same sound as the dj100, my impression of it is fairly neutral sounding and a bit mid forward, the treble is present but not emphasized. to me its not warm at all!!! at least not comparing to my beyerdynamic dt990 pro 250ohms... my source is an ipod classic 160gb and my amp is fiio e17 (i use a lod, i never double amped) and i didnt mess with the eq on my ipod nor my amp. i usually listen to female vocals.

 

[MattTCG]

I feel obligated to say that the dj100 didn't do it for me on any level. Sound quality, comfort...I resold them after one week.

 

[jerrikai]

did tdockweiler change his avatar? i think it's the end of the world.

 

[Euphorical]

Buying headphones is really hard because of all the different opinions and views on things ;L... I'm not an audiophile so I don't think i'll need an amp exactly and somebody complained about the comfort, that worries me...

 

[tdockweiler]

Quote:

Buying headphones is really hard because of all the different opinions and views on things ;L... I'm not an audiophile so I don't think i'll need an amp exactly and somebody complained about the comfort, that worries me...

 
Comfort isn't that bad. If you have larger ears it may be a problem. The pads are round and many people with larger ears might have a problem getting a good seal. I'd say with 90% of everyone the stock pads will be OK. Some people stuff material under the pads. I actually prefer to use the M50 pads which are $20 and worth every penny.
 
I actually think the DJ100's sound is held back very slightly with the stock pads. If they were deeper it'd and a little wider it'd help out a lot.
 
I want a ProDJ1000 with memory foam pads

 
Too bad Koss could offer better pads for them as an upgrade on their webpage or something.
 
BTW with stock pads they seem to get more comfortable after the first week.
 
It seems there's a few others that think they don't need an amp. I just prefer to use them with an amp since that sounds best for me. Weird me uses the HD-598 unamped all the time and it has a nearly 300ohm spike at 80hz or so.
 
I've got something else weird to say too...
 
 
I'm using a Cardas HP1 headphone cable with my Tony Bennett and straight from my Sansa Clip+ they get about 5% louder than when using my stock cable. Can be measured with a sound meter I think. Why is this? I have no idea. BTW I got the Cardas cable from headroom for $35 in their open box section. It's really high quality and doesn't ever tangle or have any issues with microphonics. ALO SXC is good too...or possibly any other silver plated copper DIY cables. I only bought the Cardas because I wanted a high quality straight cable.
 
The Sansa Clip+ needs to be at about 90% volume with stock cable. Classical and other music maybe maxed. I actually don't use an amp for more volume, but sound preferences.

 

[MetalHealth30]

I don't wanna hijack this thread, I just wanna ask a quick question: how durable are the ProDJ100's and how well do they isolate sound (in a noisy environment for example). Thanks.

 

[MattTCG]

Quote:

I don't wanna hijack this thread, I just wanna ask a quick question: how durable are the ProDJ100's and how well do they isolate sound (in a noisy environment for example). Thanks.

 
They seemed to do both pretty well when I owned them. 

 

[Canuck99]

I use my TBSE with a PAV2v2 and havnt touched my HD448 since I got them. Bass is good on mine. With my home receiver they dont do well muddies the sound too much bass, they are better straight from my Zune HD or iPod Nano using headphone out into PAV2v2.