[arcenite]

Hey guys I've just got about enough of ordinary headphones so I've just entered this world of audiophiles. I already got myself a set of D3 Pythons, but I can't really tell the difference with regular headphones at the moment. Or maybe I just need more burn-in with the D3's ? I'm currently looking for a decent headphone to buy, I listen generally to rock and dance music. With of course the occasional pop music. I have about a 100usd-200usd budget range and I've been looking all over head-fi's reviews etc. But I still have no idea how to tell which headphones would suit me best.

Hopefully the more experienced guys on this forum are able to help me out on this, it's driving me crazy lol.

Anyhow, is there a link to someplace that has easy explanations to a headphones specifications ? Like what'd i expect out of higher/lower impedence, input power, frequency etc. etc. like everything you need to know about headphones kind of thing.

All help is appreciated !

 

[euphoracle]

Products - HeadRoom - Right Between Your Ears

Headroom got me started.

 

[mbd2884]

Hello. Which headphones did you get? The differences are always huge, and not for everyone. Head-Fi is a great place to get your information. I use Head-Fi + Wikipedia, and then google for further explanations. HeadRoom is great, but their only advantage I think are a few graphs, and well written reviews, but you can find those here also. Just realize who is giving the review, impression or comparison. For example, someone who believes cables have different sound, I don't take their opinion as well as someone who doesn't. People who think like you do, you will most likely relate to in their reviews, and remembering that this is all personal/subjective helps discern what information is helpful to you.

 

[arcenite]

It was just those average headphones you'd get when you know nothing of the sort about the quality of music. It was some really old panasonic headphones i got about a year or 2 ago. Would really wanna replace them. Yeah i checked out headroom thanks good reads on the various headphone types. Still trying to absorb information though, there's just so much to learn x_x.

 

[esien]

i would heartly recommend hd595s.
great headphones for a great price.

 

[mbd2884]

Arcenite, I suggest thinking about your current headphones. Figure out what you like, and what you don't like. This way Head-Fiers may be able to narrow down some suggestions. Also try to audition an Open Air headphone and then a Closed headphone and what you determined you liked and didn't, cause I believe Open v Closed makes a huge difference.

 

[arcenite]

That's true... I've yet to sample open and closed headphones within my price range. That's why I'm so confused as to what to really get. It's like a little bit of this and that everywhere. I own a set of Panasonic RP-HTX7, I suppose that 's a closed set ? And I(being a gamer) use a set of Razer Carcharians. Well I'd suppose those two are a joke to whatever you guys are using atm lol.

 

[arcenite]

At the moment I can't detect a difference even when I plug my RP-HTX7 into my D3 but i'm currently still using the 3.5mm jack from the ipod not the cable extension. Is there anything in particular I should look for in a cable extension ? And will it produce a significant difference ? Or is there something that I'm not doing right ?

 

[esien]

i own the Panasonics as well and Grados have a similar kind of sound with a lot more refined, open, faster response.

 

[mbd2884]

I suspect the reason you don't hear much difference is because they probably aren't that different. Trying auditioning an Open Air and compare them to the Panasonic, I'm sure you will hear a difference in soundstage, clarity and emphasis on Mids. I find mids to be recessed in closed headphones and the bass to be more bloated, the bass more refined, and true in open air. But Closed have their purposes.

 

[arcenite]

hmm but with regards to the D3 ? Supposedly it should decode the music to produce a much more clear/smooth output right ? I see.. So if I were to get an open air headphones it would sound much more different ? I'm also wondering.. based on what you said, that if i were to buy say a set of HD595s, would the D3 have a bigger impact on it ? Because I'm thinking about how does the D3 improve the quality of my music then ?

 

[abellaw]

well i think that the difference you will observe amp vs unamped is heavily dependent on the headphones that you are using. Like when i first got my nuforce icon mobile i tried i buds, some regular creative headphones trying to hear a difference but to my ears there just wasnt any.

But on my other headphones i could really notice a difference everything was tighter and smoother and just all in all felt more full if you know what i mean...sorry i cant be more specific

 

[arcenite]

No it's alright I get what you mean perfectly, yeah I think I gotta try more headphones out there. I'm looking for headphones that're really rich in clarity. Like not too much bass such that it masks the mids and highs too much. But I usually listen to rock most of the time and I don't really wanna just hear like a bunch of instruments playing cuz it just sounds like a mess half the time. After reading these forums for abit I kind of realised that there're headphones that could really make wonders out of the sort of music I'm currently listening to. I'm more fixated onto quality of the headphones. Of course still within my budget range of 100-200$ since it's my first time taking audio seriously I'd want to take things a step at a time y'know ? And are there any recommendations for the cables I should use along with my ipod ? I read that copper goes well with mp3s is that true ? Sorry if i sound like really lost n all lol cuz i really am.

 

[arcenite]

Oh yes and I forgot to add, something that goes well with amps, for this situation in particular the D3. All tips are appreciated ! Thanks for the responses so far guys !

 

[arcenite]

Okay I've decided on a couple, maybe those who own these models could share with me their insights on them ?

I couldn't resist the temptation and decided to raise my budget hehe.

The ones i've been looking into are the;

Open

AKG 702
HD 595
SR-325i

Closed

A900
d2000
ESW9

I'm looking more for the audio quality mainly for dance/rock music and a little pop here and there. Also something that would go really well with my iBasso D3s.