[some1else]

Hey guys! Since I'm not really familiar with good headphones I'd like to get advised by some of the audio gurus here. I'm looking for headphones entirely for music, no other purpose. They do not need to be portable. I don't plan on bringing them out at all so looks don't matter. I guess I kind of prefer if they can isolate but I'm not really insisting on it. Anyways my budget is around $200 more or less. I took a glance at the hd 598s and they've been a consideration for me. Problem is they're kind of more expensive, here, in Norway (around $250, depends on the place you get em from). I can still get them, but I want to know if it's worth the price. Basically I want headphones that can block outside noise and just ''send me to a different place'' with crisp and clear sound (bass presence preferred). I listen to mostly electronic stuff like house, trance, progressive house, dubstep etc. I hope you'll excuse my lack of knowledge and educate me a bit.

 

[TwelveTrains]

I find the HD 598 might be a *tad* bass shy for the kind of music you like. They are also not going to block outside noise if you live in a noisy environment.
 
 
I think you might be happier with the Beyerdynamic DT770 in 80 Ohm. These sound very best with an amp, but they are still good with a lot of computers as long as your sound card/onboard audio isn't complete crap. They sound fine out of my Dell laptop, and even my iPhone 4.

 

[some1else]

Great, I might just give em a try. Can you give me some names/info on amps as well? I've never had to use one so I'm pretty clueless.

 

[TwelveTrains]

Do you listen to music from a computer? What's your primary source?

 

[some1else]

Yeah. Mainly going to be using them on my PC and sometimes laptop. Rarely, if never, on my phone.
EDIT: I searched around a bit and read that the FiiO E17 might be a good pick up. Let me know if you know anything about it.

 

[TwelveTrains]

The e17 is more of a portable amp, I've never used it though.
 
 
I'm really bad with recommending amps, because I've never found something cheap with a good potentiometer. The cheapest thing I've heard with a good potentiometer is the Schiit Asgard 2, but that's 250 USD!

 

[TheGiantHogweed]

I use the FiiO E10 as my desktop headphone amplifier. The E10k is out now and I assume it will be better. It had a nice analoug dial which gives it a nice feel. I have the AKG K550s which have a good soundstage considering that they block out sound around you quite well and also don't leak much. I mainly use my K550s on the move and use the open backed Audio Technica ATH-AD700s at home with my E10.
 
They are the only two decent headphones I have got and only one of them does a good job of blocking sound both ways and that is the K550s. You could maybe look into them.

 

[sinnottj]

+1 on the Fiio E10 / E10K
 
For desktop-only use it is amazing value. Powered by the USB port, capable of driving all but the most difficult of dynamic headphones, has a bass boost that actually works (rather than causing bass distortion) and a line-out for feeding speakers (or another headphone amp, if you just want to use the DAC).

 

[TwelveTrains]

The Schiit Fulla is coming out soon... also looks interesting.

 

[some1else]

I did some more research and people say that the treble in the dt770 80 ohms is a bit too harsh and can hurt your ears during long listening sessions. Also a lot of people say it's really hard to bring out their sound even with the usage of amps. Still taking them into consideration but I would appreciate some more ideas for headphones.
EDIT: Seeing some pretty good opinions about V-Moda's M80s and Crossfade LP2. Goes pretty well with electronic music.

 

[TwelveTrains]

I've personally compared the DT770's to the V-Moda's, and found I liked the Beyerdynamics way more. That's just me though. I found the DT770's to have an open an airy soundstage with plenty of bass and sparkly but not too harsh of treble. The comfort of the Beyerdynamics blows the V Moda's out of the water as well, with the soft pads that encompass the entire ear. No hot sticky pleather/leather.
 
Just my 2 cents.

 

[Socrates138]

I have the Sennheiser HD 598's and as another user already pointed out the HD 598's would probably not be a satisfactory headphone for the kind of music you listen too. The HD 598's lack the bass that make those genres of music great.
 
In fact I actually bought another pare of headphones after I bought the 598's precisely to listen to electronic music, progressive house, etc, etc.
 
I ended up getting the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro's, they're only a bit more expensive than the 598's (roughly $60 more on amazon) but they're better for the kind of music you listen to because they emphasize bass much more than the 598's. 
 
Although I'm actually in the process right now of looking for even more bass heavy headphones for the same kind of music you listen to. I still don't think the DT 990 Pro's have a enough bass in my personal opinion (the problem though I'm having is trying to get headphones with more bass but also bring out great detail + soundstage in the music that my DT 990's do). But there's a lot of people on here who think that the DT 990's are the best headphones for electronic music, so how much bass you want exactly is something I can't really say. It's up to personal taste.
 
The only thing I could say even if it's in vague terms is that if you're a basshead then the DT 990's aren't going to have enough bass for you, but if you're the type of person who likes headphones that emphasize bass but do not silence mids and highs too much, then I'd say you should look into the DT 990's.
 
I would recommend the DT 990 Pro's over the 598's if I had to pick between the two, I think the 990 Pro's are great headphones and I just like them more than my 598's because they're much more fun headphones. Just a warning though the DT 990's are open back, so you can hear what's going on around you. I think it's worth it though because the really really like the soundstage in the DT 990's, I think it's one of the key ingredients that make the headphones great. The great soundstage just adds another dimension to music.
 
I've been hearing a lot of people recommend that HiFiMan HE-400's, that's another headphone you could look into that may be good for your genre of music.

 

[some1else]

Well guess I have to narrow it down to the dt770s or the dt990s. Are the 990s also in need of an amp to bring out their ''potential''?

 

[Socrates138]

Well I don't know about the 770's, but for 990's there's different models with differing ohm's (impedance). In a nutshell the higher the impedance (measured in ohm) the more power is needed to drive the headphones, meaning you'll need an amplifier to bring out the best sound quality in the higher impedance headphones.
 
My DT 990's have 250 ohm, which is high, so I've never used them without an amplifier. But I'm assuming just based on the fact that they are high impedance headphones that they wouldn't sound very good without an amp.
 
But like I said, there's different models of the 990's, just make sure that if you aren't getting an amp that you do not get headphones with a high impedance (a high ohm number).

 

[money4me247]

for a new person coming into this hobby on a budget, I would strongly recommend getting a pair of headphones that do not require an amplifier. Amplifiers start at $100 and really kills your budget of $200. I would stay away from headphones with high impedance that require amplification as that is just unnecessary additional spending as higher impedance does not correlate to improved sound quality. If you were going to spend $300 on a $200 headphone+$100 amp, I would tell you that you will get better overall sound spending all $300 into a nice pair of headphones.
 
For headphone impedance, something with an impedance between 16-32 ohms would be ideal, so you can use it connected to anything. Lower than 80 ohms with a sensitivity of 100 dB/mW should generally work without an amplifier. Basically, almost all closed portable headphones on the marketplace should fit these specs, but just something to double check. Not really specs to obsess over as these specs do not correlate with sonic performance, just want kind of other components you need in your chain.
 
Also, consider this: Closed headphones will give you noise isolation and generally speaking more bass response. Open headphones will sound more natural and realistic with a better sound stage. Generally, open headphones give you better overall sound quality if you do not require noise isolation or crave a bass-heavy sound signature. However, most open headphones are designed to require an amplifier.
 
At $200, there are many great closed headphone options. 
 
CLOSED OPTIONS:
1) The most commonly recommended budget sub-$200 pair of headphones are the Audiotechnica ATH-M50/M50x ($120ish-$169ish, the ATH-M50x is currently available at buysonic for a discounted price of $140, but be aware that this flash sale site does not allow returns for non-defective products). V-shaped sound signature that is very popular and pleasing to listen to. The often recommended pair of headphones to newbies. Just do a quick google search and they pop up on top lists all over the place.
 
Some of the popular closed $200 to $300 headphones that are a few years old are now, so you can find them at discounted prices nowadays. 
2) Most inexpensive: The cheapest well-reviewed closed option may be currently discontinued Logitech UE600 that was favorably compared to other $300 headphones. Since they have been discontinued, you can find them for sub-$100.
3) Most comfortable: The Sony MDR-1R can be easily found for sub-$200 nowadays, they are a lush rich mid-centric with a mid-bass boost, extremely comfortable (most comfortable pair of closed portable headphones I have tried). Replacement Sony MDR-1A model has just been released.
4) Audiophile sound: The AKG K545 can be found at sub-$200, very neutral pair of headphones with a slight bass boost as well. Great sound stage. I would consider this to be the best neutral-oriented sound quality you can get at the sub-$200 price. 
 
Your choices: The V-Moda M80 are on-ear headphones, so they will not noise isolate as well. The Crossfade LP2 have a very significant bass-boost that does overshadow the rest of the frequency response (depends on what you are looking for if you will enjoy this). For their price point, I think there are better sonic options out there. Note I have tried both and they are not very comfortable to wear for extended listening sessions.