Vigil
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jul 30, 2013
- Posts
- 2
- Likes
- 0
Hello, I'm Vigil and I'm looking for advice on buying over-ear headphones.
I'm no audiophile (yet) but I always try to get 320 kbps / FLAC versions of songs I really like to enhance the experience. Now, I've been using the same basic headset
(Trust HS-2800) for over 5 years now and I've never had any complaints, but I feel there is so much more out there and I don't know how good top audio can really be.
After so many years I think it's time for a step-up in audio quality so I'm trying to find some headphones that will redefine my listening experience.
It's not like I'm in desperate need for good audio, my current cans do fine, so I'm not looking to spend a whole lot of cash on them. Probably under $100.
I take decisions like these seriously, so I've been doing some research on the web, checking reviews on sites like Newegg and Amazon, and this site.
With my limited audio knowledge I can't really pinpoint what is good or not, but I do know what I don't like. I'm not a basshead, I can appreciate some heavy bass
but this depends on my mood. I listen to rock mostly but also some pop, goth and metal. Tears for Fears, Pink Floyd, Toto, The Sisters of Mercy, Dire Straits etc.
Mainly classics, I rarely listen to contemporary music (even though I'm 23). So no hip-hop, trance or dubstep for me.
I always listen at home at the PC in my room, a low-noise environment where I won't bother other people. I considered open-ear phones but none of them were
in my price range. My current headset is on-ear, but I've always been curious about over-ears since I thought they would be even more comfortable, noise-isolating
and create a more "surrounding" listening experience. I think this is called soundstage, so I've considered that in my research. I care about my hearing so I've
avoided earbuds, in-ears and canal devices, and I think over-ear must also be better than on-ear to avoid damage to my hearing. I like clear, balanced audio where
I can hear individual instruments and subtle sounds, without any frequency dominating. I don't use an amplifier (should I?) and just plug into the PC.
Now, on to the headphones. I browsed the web and selected 16 headphones based on price (<$100), position (on-ear or over-ear) and quality (clear, balanced).
After reading through the reviews and visiting my local audio shop for some testing of the cans they offered, I was able to rule out 6 of them
(tinny, muddy, too much bass, speaker housing pressed against my ears) which left the Pioneer HDJ-500, AKG 420, AKG 450, Sennheiser HD 215, Sennheiser
HD 428, Sennheiser PX-100 IIi, Koss PortaPro, and the 3 listed. Then I considered "would I really buy these if I had to choose" and ended up with:
- Sennheiser HD 449 (about $ 99)
- Sennheiser HD 439 (about $ 84)
- JVC HA-RX 700 (about $ 53)
I'm trying to get the highest quality audio for the money I'm willing to spend and these 3 really stood out according to the reviews. All 3 have balanced, clear audio
with the 439 having stronger bass and softer pads. I'm really impressed with the reviews for the JVC's, the audio quality seems to be supreme, but I have tested
the Sennheisers at the store and I can tell they have great quality as well.
I'm trying to compare these three, but it's hard to tell from reviews alone. I'm thinking about ordering the JVC's then visiting the store to compare them on-site, but
I'm not sure if Amazon appreciates me doing that then sending them back if they fall short. So in the end I need a professional opinion, I don't know these headphones
as well as you do. Can you tell me about their subtleties and recommend a course of action? Thanks!
I'm no audiophile (yet) but I always try to get 320 kbps / FLAC versions of songs I really like to enhance the experience. Now, I've been using the same basic headset
(Trust HS-2800) for over 5 years now and I've never had any complaints, but I feel there is so much more out there and I don't know how good top audio can really be.
After so many years I think it's time for a step-up in audio quality so I'm trying to find some headphones that will redefine my listening experience.
It's not like I'm in desperate need for good audio, my current cans do fine, so I'm not looking to spend a whole lot of cash on them. Probably under $100.
I take decisions like these seriously, so I've been doing some research on the web, checking reviews on sites like Newegg and Amazon, and this site.
With my limited audio knowledge I can't really pinpoint what is good or not, but I do know what I don't like. I'm not a basshead, I can appreciate some heavy bass
but this depends on my mood. I listen to rock mostly but also some pop, goth and metal. Tears for Fears, Pink Floyd, Toto, The Sisters of Mercy, Dire Straits etc.
Mainly classics, I rarely listen to contemporary music (even though I'm 23). So no hip-hop, trance or dubstep for me.
I always listen at home at the PC in my room, a low-noise environment where I won't bother other people. I considered open-ear phones but none of them were
in my price range. My current headset is on-ear, but I've always been curious about over-ears since I thought they would be even more comfortable, noise-isolating
and create a more "surrounding" listening experience. I think this is called soundstage, so I've considered that in my research. I care about my hearing so I've
avoided earbuds, in-ears and canal devices, and I think over-ear must also be better than on-ear to avoid damage to my hearing. I like clear, balanced audio where
I can hear individual instruments and subtle sounds, without any frequency dominating. I don't use an amplifier (should I?) and just plug into the PC.
Now, on to the headphones. I browsed the web and selected 16 headphones based on price (<$100), position (on-ear or over-ear) and quality (clear, balanced).
After reading through the reviews and visiting my local audio shop for some testing of the cans they offered, I was able to rule out 6 of them
(tinny, muddy, too much bass, speaker housing pressed against my ears) which left the Pioneer HDJ-500, AKG 420, AKG 450, Sennheiser HD 215, Sennheiser
HD 428, Sennheiser PX-100 IIi, Koss PortaPro, and the 3 listed. Then I considered "would I really buy these if I had to choose" and ended up with:
- Sennheiser HD 449 (about $ 99)
- Sennheiser HD 439 (about $ 84)
- JVC HA-RX 700 (about $ 53)
I'm trying to get the highest quality audio for the money I'm willing to spend and these 3 really stood out according to the reviews. All 3 have balanced, clear audio
with the 439 having stronger bass and softer pads. I'm really impressed with the reviews for the JVC's, the audio quality seems to be supreme, but I have tested
the Sennheisers at the store and I can tell they have great quality as well.
I'm trying to compare these three, but it's hard to tell from reviews alone. I'm thinking about ordering the JVC's then visiting the store to compare them on-site, but
I'm not sure if Amazon appreciates me doing that then sending them back if they fall short. So in the end I need a professional opinion, I don't know these headphones
as well as you do. Can you tell me about their subtleties and recommend a course of action? Thanks!
