[ahdat]

Im looking for headphones to play off of some pretty noisy sources (laptop, headphone out through my z-560 speakers, and a gameboy advance, which is REALLY REALLY bad in terms of electronical interference) I am by no means an audiophile, more of a casual gamer/music listener. I normally listen to techno, dance.... I have been searching through these forums for ages and i can't seem to find a pair of headphones that perfectly match my taste. I have the koss ksc-35's and although i like them, i wish they went a little deeper and had a little more bass presence (yes i love bass). I was leaning towards the Sony V-6 because everyone seems to love its deep bass, but it seems that it would annoy the hell out of me because of its analytical nature and is not forgiving to poor sources at all. I don't plan on spending over 100 bucks maybe even more like 60... These are the headphones I've been considering : Sony V-6 (maybe someone can tell me if its tolerable to listen to the V-6 through a laptop source), Philips H890, the Denon 5xx/7xx, and maybe even the Koss a200 (if someone can show me where they still have em for sale) any other suggestions are welcomed. And please compare its bass to the ksc-35's.

 

[Snufkin]

Philips HP890s would definately fit the bill, plenty of bass output and they sound fine from GBA and Z-560 (I've got a GBA and have access to a Z560 so I've heard both

)

How do they compare to the Koss?
Well... you could wear the Koss and put the HP890 over them at the same time, ie: completely different headphones - the Philips will completely envelop your ears so the bass response is more visceral.

 

[Hamsterball_Z]

If you're in the US the 890s are too hard to get and too expensive since they're mostly a special import. Check the reviews of the Sennheiser 280Pro by blr and delenda est Sony. Although delenda's review says he wouldn't have put them above the V6 he has since changed his mind. Guess it's because of Sennheiser's standard long break in time. They're right at the $100 mark though.

You might want to go with some version of the 60 ohm Koss phones though. Sounds like your sources tend to be on the thin side. The Koss' bass heavyness should fill in what your sources lack. You might want to get something like the KSC-50 just to get an idea of what the Kosses sound like. I only suggest the KSC-50 because they're probably the easiest to find at a local store which makes them easy to return if you don't like them.

(HBZ)

 

[KShaft]

Try to find a pair of of beyer 770 dt 250s(imp).

i have the 990s and they have incredible bass response and are very forgiving. Tomcat says the 770s are smoother and better bass response. oh yeah. baby.

k.s.

 

[mr_slacker]

I second KShafts Beyer recommendation.

I own the 990. Okay it isn't the "transparency king" but if you want something nonanalytical this is your headphone. Don't worry to much about the high impedance. Okay a MDwalkman will not power it satisfactory but I think most other amps will be fine. A dedicated headphoneamp ISN'T a must. (I own a Corda HA-1 bytheway)

Sorry I havn't heard the Koss KSC-35...

990 (open) vs 770 (closed)? Can't help you there buddy. I would love to hear the 770 one day. But I think it's a matter of taste more than quality since there seems to be no general consensus which is the better headphone.

 

[Tempus]

adhat:
>I have the koss ksc-35's...
Hamsterball_Z:
>You might want to get something like the KSC-50 just to
>get an idea of what the Kosses sound like.

I'm sorry, but isn't it more or less universally agreed
that the KSC-35 has more bass and is generally superior to
the similar KSC-50? Since he already has the 35, and wants
MORE bass than it can offer, why recommend the 50? I would
think that, if you were going to recommend something in
that line, you would recommend the Portapro or the
Sportapro, as they are both considered to have more bass
than the 35.

Am I missing something?

 

[Clubkill]

Hi,

I have the hp890's. I have killed two birds with one stone as I have run an emulator of the gameoy and other consoles through my soundcard into the 890's. It is no more or less pleasant than the audio from those things naturally is. I don't find it too annoying if kept at a low level.

Out of the soundcard the bass does is not overwhelming or boomy, but makes itself known. I cannot really say how forgiving it is or is not however for lack of many good comparisons, but I definately can hear junk from lower bitrate mp3's and the like easily. However, if I am working with high quality aiff sound, they (the phones) sound great out of my mac G3 soundcard.

Hope that helps!

P.S. Keep in mind the hp890's easily surpass the size of the gameboy, so potability would be a big problem......

 

[kelly]

I haev used the 7506 (same as V6 only more expensive) with the various Gameboys and other portables and it's pretty good at that. As you've probably heard the V6 adds emphasis to the bass which probably isn't a bad thing for the Gameboy. It's also very easy to drive which is one of the reasons I'd hung onto mine until now. I'm replacing my 7506 with the Etymotic ER-4P which is also easy to drive and portable.

Some of the other suggestions in this thread are NOT easy to drive and would NOT be good for a Gameboy without an amp. They're also a bit more expensive. If you want to go that route, you should contact JMT about getting a portable amp made. Otherwise, get the Etymotic if you can afford it ($270 at Headroom), the V6 from one of the stores on shopping.yahoo.com for $60-70 or my used 7506 for a bit less. I'm told the Koss you suggested are good too and definitely your cheapest option along with the Sony 888. For the Gameboy, I'd stay away from some of the better known easy to drive headphones like the Philips and DT250-80 simply because they don't fold and would be added bulk to carry with a portable game system.

 

[mr_slacker]

sorry missed that gameboy/price thing...

 

[Snufkin]

I would have recommended the Beyer 770pro if they weren't being used on any portable/gameboy devices

They sound great from the Z-560 headphone jack, but overall the HP890s would be the best all-rounder.

On a side note, I definately prefer the sound of the 770s to the 990s

 

[gloco]

While your at it go ahead and just yourself the AKG501's since those will suck the battery off your gameboy dry in 10 minutes.

Go with something that is easily run off of your sources. I've used my 7506's with my gameboy advance and it does emphasis the grainy nature of its sound reproduction. Top it all off, there is no deep bass in any gameboy game, so it wont matter. I don't know about the laptop though, i assume the V6's will sound just fine, since their easy to drive. Hmmm, its a tough call, maybe you should look into some of the koss cans. If it doesn't bother you too much about the GBA, might as well go with the V6's, they are worth the money.

 

[Hamsterball_Z]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tempus adhat: >I have the koss ksc-35's... Hamsterball_Z: >You might want to get something like the KSC-50 just to >get an idea of what the Kosses sound like. I'm sorry, but isn't it more or less universally agreed that the KSC-35 has more bass and is generally superior to the similar KSC-50? Since he already has the 35, and wants MORE bass than it can offer, why recommend the 50? I would think that, if you were going to recommend something in that line, you would recommend the Portapro or the Sportapro, as they are both considered to have more bass than the 35. Am I missing something?

Nope, I missed it. I thought the KSC-35s were ones he was considering, not that he already had them. Must have been up too late.

Hey, there's a bunch of people recommending Beyers when he only wants to spend $60-$100.

(HBZ)

 

[kwkarth]

I think one of the criteria mentioned was a noisy environment which leaves out all the open cans. I think for the bux you mentioned, you're best off with the Sony V6's

 

[kelly]

I actually felt like the hot bass of the V6/7506 made up for the lacking bass of the Gameboy a bit. Regardless, from another thread it seems that the original poster has purchased a V6.

We'll see if my theory is right about the ER-4P being good with portable game systems.

Incidentally, some of the GB Advance games do have pretty good music--Castlevania for instance.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly Incidentally, some of the GB Advance games do have pretty good music--Castlevania for instance.

yep, the games do kick out nice tunes (better than the 8 bit NES), but its very grainy and has a static crunch type of sound, know what i mean? At least this is how i felt after playing Advance wars with the V6's plugged in.