[scottalot]

Hi Guys,
First time on the forums, so please excuse me if this thread is blatant or in the wrong section.
I was at a university coffee shop and saw this guy wearing the Sennheiser 598s, and I asked if I could listen to them. Fortunately, he wanted to fulfill the show-off portion of his investment, and I was the lucky recipient After listening to them, it was like relearning music and sound altogether. I tried to convince myself it was the placebo effect of the price tag, but there was no denying that this was something new to me. He referred me to the forums, and I've been browsing ever since. Everybody here seems very well-informed and unswayed by popular opinion. I love that, even when a pair of cans like the HD 800s are reviewed, there are a couple stragglers that insist that they have heard better... and I believe them, it's hard for your opinion on audio to be swayed by peer pressure.
 
Anyways, I wanted to get a pair of headphones for myself. However, I'm on a tight budget. I'm a high school senior saving up money for college, selling PC components that have been lying around. Regardless of my savings, I really haven't gotten anything for myself in a long time. I'm looking to get a pair of cans for less than $100. I saw the Sennheiser HD 555s are a great investment, and I've seen a couple links where they've been previously listed for $60-$70. However, these links are broken now, and I can't find any new ones.
Other notes:
I don't have an amplifier, DAC, or any of that hardware, unfortunately. I won't really be able to benefit from that for another six years
I have a dedicated sound card, but it's just one that was bundled with my MSI Big Bang Xpower board, a pretty bare card.
I want a pair that I can wear outside, hooked up to my phone. I know that's a terrible statement for audiophiles, but it's one of my requirements. The HD 555s are on the border of this requirement, as they have a very long cable and an analog plug (before the adapter). (It is called an 'analog plug', no? Or is it named for its size? I've never heard the name...)
 
EDIT: Also, I just want to inform you that Samsung makes a pair of earbuds that are bundled with their old Galaxy S phones. These buds have great sound, a value that I believe is the best for the dollar (they're really cheap)
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Premium-Stereo-Headset-Packaging/dp/B004PYEEZO
 
EDIT 2: I talked about "cans" in this post... are cans something different than regular headphones? If so, replace the word "cans" with "headphones"... I was trying to talk audiophile slang and I think I failed
 
Thanks, I trust your judgement more than anybody else, and I know you won't let me down ,
Scott Catlin
ScottALot
scott-catman@sbcglobal.net

 

[scottie584]

Cans and headphones are one and the same. If you want a pair to wear portably, then you won't want an open back headphone like the HD598. Under $100, I don't really know many options that share a sound signature with the Sennheisers. 

 

[CanadianBacon]

hey scottalot. I'm a student too and have been one for a while ( 8 years and counting after high school). I'm a new audiophile as well and I have a relatively pretty expensive rig right now. But I started off with cheap headphones and slowly worked my way up. I have to say there is this concept of diminishing returns where the more and more money you put in gives you less and less. People with the most expensive rigs are essentially searching for that 2-3% improvement in audio nirvana. I mention this because as a fellow student, I think it's admirable you're getting into head-fi, and I can relate but don't want you to stretch yourself budget wise (That temptation will come!). 
 
I actually got interested after listening to a pair of sennheiser 595's and fell in love with the sound signature and the soundstage you get with open headphones.
 
You've got a lot of time on your hands, but maybe not a lot of money. Do your own research, ask different people, and go to audio shops and ask them to demo. My suggestion, would be the Koss Porta Pro's (You can get them for $50 here in Canada). They're not really an open headphone, but they have a bigger soundstage than most and are portable. The sennheiser 5XX and 6XX aren't portable and leak a lot of sound (think speakers over your ears rather than a headphone.)
 
Hope that helps and enjoy the hobby!
 
 

 

[djviciouscycle]

The Audio-Technica ATH-AD700 is a reasonable competitor for the Sennheisers, and it is within your price range.  The only thing is that you can't really wear it in public because it looks absolutely ridiculous.  It doesn't give much of a hi-fidelity sound, but the extreme open, airy sound makes for a cool listening experience.  It is frequently described as an "audiophile-style" headphone.  If you want to listen at home, this is a great choice.  These headphones sound better on my iPod than with my CD player.  A few weeks ago, just for fun, I plugged my AD700 into my home theater and watched "Event Horizon", and it was a cool experience.  The cable is nice and long, so I could sit comfortably on the couch.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

May I suggest the Creative Aurvana Live? They don't isolate quite as well as a good pair of closedbacks, but they don't leak out much. They are a great beginner pair, with a fun signature that isn't offensively tipped too much towards anything in the spectrum. They use the same drivers as the Denon D1001 and due to slightly different cup design and internals, they are considered slightly superior from several sources who have tried both.

They look sleek, and are very comfortable too.

Amazon sometimes has them for aroun $60, but they tend to normally go for around $100.

 

[Noobpwner]

Superlux certainly makes some very solid entry level over-ears, check them out.
 
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=superlux

 

[scottalot]

KOSS Porta Pros
AD700
Aurvana Pro
Superlux
 
Maybe it'd help if I told you what I listen to. I'm an avid liquid/jungle drum n' bass fan... it's really my favorite genre, though the songs can be unstable in quality (meaning there are really, really good ones as well as ones that I just cant listen to). Trance is where I get my more consistent-quality music. I also enjoy alternative rock, especially the Foo Fighters ( ). While audiofilia and gaming don't go hand-in-hand, I'd like the headphones to be great at gaming audio (by great, I mean nowhere near amazing... but above "good").
 
The Porta Pros don't look very comfortable... I've heard nice things from KOSS, though.
Those AD700s look very nice! I'm highly-considering those, as I've heard nothing but good things from quality products from AudioTechnica
I've never known Creative for making quality products... I have a gaming headset from them that highly disappoints in music, so I have a negative bias. Do you have a review link on those?
Never heard of Superlux, trying to find a quality review on those headsets.
Any opinion on these Grados?
http://www.head-fi.org/products/grado-prestige-series-sr80i-headphones/reviews/6145 ?

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

The Creative Aurvana Live is basically an updated Denon D1001 with different aesthetics. It's a very popular headphone here, don't let the brand fool you. It also caters VERY well to the genres of music that you listen to (as they mirror mine). It uses very good Fostex drivers.

The AD700s would be a major disaster with your genres of music.

 

[scottalot]

Quote:

The Creative Aurvana Live is basically an updated Denon D1001 with different aesthetics. It's a very popular headphone here, don't let the brand fool you. It also caters VERY well to the genres of music that you listen to (as they mirror mine). It uses very good Fostex drivers.

Sorry, I'm going to need clarification on some of these terms. There's probably a list of well-known headphones, like the D1001... however, I can't say I've heard of any of them. I'm really only familiar with the gaming headset line and the Sennheiser line, but I know nothing of their inner workings. I've never even heard of Fostex I'd so some research, but I'm certain that people that are passionate about this hardware are better at explaining than bare text on Wikipedia.

 

[Mad Lust Envy]

All you need to know is that it has a warm, full bodied sound, with emphasis on bass. The bass lends itself well to EDM like liquid, trance, and the like. They are literally comparable to cans worth $125 or so.

 

[AlfredWong]

One point though - you are making an investment which would last for a long time, instead of going for something, unsatisfied, and getting another one which would really cost you.
 
If you like HD598, get the HD595. It cost much less and performed much better than the HD555, save up a bit and you won't regret for that. Personally I like the 595 nore due to less forward mids.

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Sorry, I'm going to need clarification on some of these terms. There's probably a list of well-known headphones, like the D1001... however, I can't say I've heard of any of them. I'm really only familiar with the gaming headset line and the Sennheiser line, but I know nothing of their inner workings. I've never even heard of Fostex I'd so some research, but I'm certain that people that are passionate about this hardware are better at explaining than bare text on Wikipedia.

I've not heard them, but I'll confirm them with pretty graphs!
 
That frequency response is very nice. A little more mid-bass than neutral, but it's a wide boost and not a sudden peak so it's not objectionable. Likewise the slow roll-off into the lower mid-range and the little peak at 1 kHz is going to be a good thing euphonically, it'll cut down on any sense of muddiness the extra mid-bass adds. It's really one of the better balances I've seen for anything in this price. Impulse response and square wave response are great for closed cans in this price as well. The rising THD in the bass is typical for stuff under $100, and a lot of stuff well over $100 (I'm looking at you, Grado). It's actually pretty similar to the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 in terms of frequency balance, just more bass and probably won't sound quite as good 

 
I tried to get my brother to buy a pair when they were $60 because he needs headphones. Mostly just so I could hear them myself. I really don't think you can go wrong for $60, and they go on sale frequently so I'd wait for that.

 

[djviciouscycle]

Yes, the AD700 would not be a good choice for the styles of music you like.  This brings me back to my answer to every thread:  (some DJ headphones).

 

[scottalot]

Quote:

One point though - you are making an investment which would last for a long time, instead of going for something, unsatisfied, and getting another one which would really cost you.
 
If you like HD598, get the HD595. It cost much less and performed much better than the HD555, save up a bit and you won't regret for that. Personally I like the 595 nore due to less forward mids.

Well the 555s have that "mod" where you take off the foam tape... which is why I was highly-considering those. I mention below that I want a pair of neutral-opinion headphones, and I think Sennheiser has established themselves as universally-liked. Maybe they'd be the best set so I can figure out what I like with those to point me in the direction of what I really want?

 
Quote:

I've not heard them, but I'll confirm them with pretty graphs!
 
That frequency response is very nice. A little more mid-bass than neutral, but it's a wide boost and not a sudden peak so it's not objectionable. Likewise the slow roll-off into the lower mid-range and the little peak at 1 kHz is going to be a good thing euphonically, it'll cut down on any sense of muddiness the extra mid-bass adds. It's really one of the better balances I've seen for anything in this price. Impulse response and square wave response are great for closed cans in this price as well. The rising THD in the bass is typical for stuff under $100, and a lot of stuff well over $100 (I'm looking at you, Grado). It's actually pretty similar to the Sennheiser HD600 and HD650 in terms of frequency balance, just more bass and probably won't sound quite as good 

 
I tried to get my brother to buy a pair when they were $60 because he needs headphones. Mostly just so I could hear them myself. I really don't think you can go wrong for $60, and they go on sale frequently so I'd wait for that.

Well those are some undeniable results, brownie points for you! I'm highly considering those. Also, I kinda want to get something that's has a universal popular opinion... I don't want my first pair to be something that some people prefer and others despise.


Quote:

Yes, the AD700 would not be a good choice for the styles of music you like.  This brings me back to my answer to every thread:  (some DJ headphones).

I've heard about DJ headphones... I always figured they weren't for regular listening, though. Like people would buy them so they could say "I have DJ headphones" while the sound isn't meant for outside use.
 *shrug*
 
Has anybody seen any great deals in the For Sale section on headphones that I'd like?

 

[AlfredWong]

Quote:

Well the 555s have that "mod" where you take off the foam tape... which is why I was highly-considering those. I mention below that I want a pair of neutral-opinion headphones, and I think Sennheiser has established themselves as universally-liked. Maybe they'd be the best set so I can figure out what I like with those to point me in the direction of what I really want?

 

 
My bud tried and compared with my 595, sounded different still. Sennheiser Engineers know what they are doing when it comes to headphone. =)