My first pair of headphones

[Vistixx]

Hi guys, I know you all must be thinking: No not another thread about those M50.. But I'm having some little pre-buying doubts as I'm buying my first headphones. I decided through a lot of reading I want these (the M50(s) (LE) ) headphones, but I'm always open to some awesome suggestions
 
Little pre-history:

1. These are my first headphones
2. I listen to electro / progressive house (deadmau5-like), dubstep (burial like mostly, but also more "populair" dubstep) mostly. Also a lot of other genres, so don't pin me down on those.
3. I live in the Netherlands
4. I'm planning to listen to these un-amped. (only desktop PC at home has little soundcard headphone amp.

 
If you really don't want to read my whole post, start here!
So my problems:

• As I'm living in the Netherlands, I find it very difficult to find a local reseller which sells it for a reasonable price. I noticed that many people recommended these headphones heavily because of their extremely low pricing for their quality, but the lowest price I've found right now is €160, which is about $210. They do come with 3 years warranty for that price though. So my main question is: Is there someone who knows where to get them cheaper. And if not, is it still worth it for that price?
• I read that the bass has a nice "umphf", but they are a bit "loosely"(?) especially when listening to my listening preferences. Is this going to be a disappointment?
• Should I listen to some headphones in a shop before buying these?
• Follow-up: Should I listen to the ATH-M50 before buying?

 
I'm sorry for the long read
 
Thanks for your time!
 
 
Edit: Changed topic title.

 

[kebbin15]

Ultrasone PRO 900 is the way to go if you love electro house music. It has the best bass for electro house especially when listening deadmau5. I know it's out of your budget but I'd save up some more for it because they're totally worth it. I love the M50s but for house music they sounded very neutral for me. The bass was lacking IMO. Or get the Ultrasone HFI-580 Ive heard they're very good for electronic music, too.

 

[Redrider469]

I wouldn't spend $210 on them. They're good but not $210 good. If you could find them for below $150 than I would say go get them but I would try to find something else for a better price.
 
I suggest trying to get something used in the For Sale Forums here on Head Fi.
Consider the Beyerdynamic DT770, Ultrasone HFi-780.
 

 

[Vistixx]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
 
@kebbin, these Ultrasone Pro 900 headphones look fantastic, but they're indeed way out of my budget. And I think if these would be my first ones, I wouldn't appreciate them as I much as I should because I haven't heard other stuff. So I think I should kinda keep my budget and come back to such headphones after a few years.
 
Those Ultrasones both look really good. I can get them for reasonable prices (580 : $164 and 780: $232). So I'm going to read about those.
 
I don't think I'm buying the DT770 as they have a 250ohms impedance, which would mean I immediatly need an amp with it.
 
If anyone else has some suggestions just let me know!

 

[MattTCG]

These used to get a lot of love around here. But now, at the price point I would look elsewhere. At the very least look on the used forum here and buy a like new pair with a good discount. I would look at:
 
Denon d2k
 
Beyer dt770
 
They are both closed phones with good bass and nice treble.
 
GL!!

 

[Vistixx]

Okay, thanks for the extra input! So now the Beyerdynamic has already 2 votes, and they are in my pricerange. Though I'm kinda having trouble to find one website, where I can compare them all to each other. Now, my opinion is just based on all sorts of random sites without any coherence.. So for example: how do the dt770 and HFi-780 compare to each other?
 
But back to the dt770, are these really worth the fact that I also would need to buy an amplifier with it (so I probably go over my budget limit)?
 
Also have been looking at the used forums around here (lots of Ultrasone Pro 900s ), but I think I need some extra info first.

 

[Redrider469]

The DT770 is more refined IMO. More balanced and "calm" sounding than the HFi-780's. The 780's though have punchy bass and sparkly highs with a kind of "in your face" sound. More aggressive. But still overall balanced and of great quality. I think it's a very fun headphone. Both are bassy cans but the highs of the dt770's are a little more refined IMO. I think you'd like both. Comfort is a concern though with the 780's. I stretched mine over a box for a night to lessen the clamping force and replaced the headband cushion with some softer foam. The comfort now is great, I almost forget that they're on my head. The DT770 though are much more comfortable and come standard with the velor pads that are much better than the 780's pleather pads.
 
The DT770 is available in an 80ohm model and you should be able to drive that with out a separate amp. Could you tell us what sound card you are using?
 
The 780 doesn't need an amp.
 
Since you'll only be listening at your computer, consider getting a FiiO E10 in the future. It will be able to drive most headphones for you and will give your better results in general than your built in card.

 

[Vistixx]

Wow thanks a lot for this explanation. Think I'm going to listen to some headphones now in the local store, just to get a little feeling about things like "in your face" sound and what I find comfortable and what not.
 
Could you also tell me how much of a difference the amp made for your HFi-780?
 
I'm probably going to listen most on my mpb, but in my PC at home I've got an X-Fi titanium, which doesn't have a built-in headphone amp to my knowlegde..
 
Oh and how come there are two models of the dt770? Is there a difference between SQ, or did they only make it more energy efficient or something?

 

[Redrider469]

As far as loudness goes for the 780's with an amp is not really all that important. These headphones can get plenty loud without an amp but that is besides the point as I don't listen to music at that high of volume levels. The biggest thing I noticed when I started using my E7 is that there was a larger separation between instruments and voices. Much more clarity in the mid range that brought out the vocals better than what my laptop sound card could. Not that my laptop's card sounded bad, just that the E7 sounded a bit more clearer. The E7 is also a bright sounding amp as it highlights the treble a little bit. Not enough to give you shrieking highs that hurt your hears IMO. You can always EQ those highs down. Overall, I'm glad I got the amp even though I didn't need one. There are tons of other amps out there though that could give you different results than mine. I would get what ever headphone you like, then get an amp if you're not satisfied, or save up some money and get a nicer amp later. Either way, don't feel you have to get both at the same time. Head-Fi does have a way of making people think they have to spend a bunch of money to get good sound when in reality, you simply don't.
 
The DT770 model differences are simply differences in impedance levels. Giving them, yes, a slightly different sound, but allowing the same model headphone to be used in different situations, ex: iPod, computer, professional hi-fi system. Just giving more flexibility to the consumer.
 
Oh yes, your x-fi titanium card sound have a built in amp. .

 

[Vistixx]

 
Okay, then I'll buy the amp later. Thanks for the help again!
 
I just saw these http://www.head-fi.org/t/604340/ultrasone-pro-750-closed-back-headphones for sale. I know it's a different model headphone then I've been considering until now, but it looked to me like a nice price for such headphones. And they would just be within my price range. Is it wise to buy such headphones, or should i listen first / are they too expensive for a "non-experienced" ear?

 

[Redrider469]

Quote:

Okay, then I'll buy the amp later. Thanks for the help again!
 
I just saw these http://www.head-fi.org/t/604340/ultrasone-pro-750-closed-back-headphones for sale. I know it's a different model headphone then I've been considering until now, but it looked to me like a nice price for such headphones. And they would just be within my price range. Is it wise to buy such headphones, or should i listen first / are they too expensive for a "non-experienced" ear?

Not at all, if those are within your budget, seriously consider them. They are more refined than the 780's and are also more comfortable. Depends on how much you want to spend though

 

[Vistixx]

Yeah, I've to consider if it's worth it for me. So like I said before, I'll go and listen to some different headphones and see if, for me, it makes a notable difference.
 
In any case, thanks again for all the information you've given me, and I'll bump this thread again when I've got some new information.