[kramer5150]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head_Hermie Greetings, first post, but I've been reading to forums on and off for a year. Unfortunately I now have the urge to buy a real set of headphones. I've been reading reviews, looking at threads others have started looking for help, and flipped coins trying to decide what I should buy. I only have a budget of $200USD and I'm trying to fill all of my audio needs. I was planning on heading to the local Guitar Center and buying Beyer dt770's, but I tend to over think my purchases. Now I have 2 game plans, but I can't tell which would be better for me. I may just go get the 770's, I'm a bass player (basshead ) and when I tried them out I really enjoyed them. But I was also thinking about buying some cheaper Grado's (I listen to Rock and Metal mostly) Koss A130 from ebay, and a portable amp (probably the PA2V2) and cover my bases that way. If I get the Beyer's I won't have an amp right away, but i would get one within the next month or so. Now for the question What setup would work nicely for everything, games, movies, and music, but will stay in my price range? It doesn't have to be listed above, I just need some help, or some reassurance from people that actually have a knowledge base. I have roommates, so closed is prefered, but not required. I also have had problems with headphones that clamp hard that set on my ears (I can't think of the term, it's late). Thanks in Advance!

I dont have an A130... but my A250 really likes warm amplification. Which the PA2V2 certainly is. The A250 + PA2V2 makes for a good budget synnergy. The A130 is the closed earcup sibling of the A250.

IMHO the best portable amp deal going is the pint. The kit is available for $90. add ~$50 and contract a reputable forum builder to make one for you and youve got IMHO one of the best portable amps... at any price. You should be able to squeeze an A130 into that mix.

K240s + pimeta... Another good all round rig. You can OP amp and buffer roll and get some nice synnergy with the AKG.

HD580 + pimeta... Choose OP amps wisely and it will help liven up the (at times) anemic HD580.

My fave all around can is the A250.

You might want to wait for the govibe V. Munkong is working on a new portable amp as well... with roll-able OP amps.

 

[dkjohnso]

Does anyone know of a place to get the A250? I'm really kicking myself for not taking advantage of the ebay deal.

 

[shuurajou]

I'd say the ATH A900's are a pretty good all rounder. That's me though.

 

[Audiofiler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickchen The cheaper Alessandros need to be EQ'ed for basshead signature.

EQ'g is for cars

...if the OP goes with a cheaper Aless can, just buy a vintage receiver, these cans step up to the right amp, and out of my Marantz 2230, the MS-1s sing, and with the bass is much improved, along with everything else... that they normally are quite lean on..
MS-1 $100
Marantz receiver $75-$125

Pretty decent rig, and you can utilize the receivers inputs for phono, tape in, and aux in...the SS's in this era have powerful and nice tuners too..fyi.

 

[DarkJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FooTemps I use my SR225s with the bowls turned around. I like the bass extention, but it's still lacking in bass impact. It's clean and a joy to listen to, it just doesn't have as much presense as I'd like.

I suggest you try out the comfies or the flats. I took the comfies off the SR-60 as an experiment and tried them with the SR225s and it made a world of difference for the bass. However, be prepared for less of a presence in the highs. Quarter-modded comfies or flat pads may help with that. Although, since Grado's already have very sparkly highs anyway, you might not care.

 

[apostate]

I haven't heard the A900 or DT770 but I definitely wouldn't recommend the 595s for a basshead. I like their bass a lot (the 120 Ohm version needs an amp or it sounds a bit anemic though) and find them balanced but my 225 w flats definitely has more quantity and impact. If bass is the thing the DT770 certainly seems to have that reputation.

Ant

 

[cclragnarok]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head_Hermie Greetings, first post, but I've been reading to forums on and off for a year. Unfortunately I now have the urge to buy a real set of headphones. I've been reading reviews, looking at threads others have started looking for help, and flipped coins trying to decide what I should buy. I only have a budget of $200USD and I'm trying to fill all of my audio needs. I was planning on heading to the local Guitar Center and buying Beyer dt770's, but I tend to over think my purchases. Now I have 2 game plans, but I can't tell which would be better for me. I may just go get the 770's, I'm a bass player (basshead ) and when I tried them out I really enjoyed them. But I was also thinking about buying some cheaper Grado's (I listen to Rock and Metal mostly) Koss A130 from ebay, and a portable amp (probably the PA2V2) and cover my bases that way. If I get the Beyer's I won't have an amp right away, but i would get one within the next month or so. Now for the question What setup would work nicely for everything, games, movies, and music, but will stay in my price range? It doesn't have to be listed above, I just need some help, or some reassurance from people that actually have a knowledge base. I have roommates, so closed is prefered, but not required. I also have had problems with headphones that clamp hard that set on my ears (I can't think of the term, it's late). Thanks in Advance!

The A130 is a great headphone. I think they might be perfect for you. They are good all around, closed, and the clamping force is not too strong. Not to mention the fact that they are cheap.

However, there are two very important issues:

1. To get around the driver rattling problem and get good bass (which is important for making them into all around headphones), you HAVE to do the tak mod. This includes fixing the driver housing with tak, and the regular tak mod on the back of the plastic cups. Check the large A250 thread for more information on this.

2. The earcups can be detached from the headband. This is good, but the joints that connect them are weak. When you want to put the headphones in a bag for traveling, you have to detach the earcups, or the joints can break from the pressure. Also check the A250 thread for more info on this.

 

[mektarus]

I also think the A130 would be a great place for you to start. And then use the rest of your budget to get a decent amp to drive them with. Also, what will your source be?

 

[Head_Hermie]

Wow, its good to see all this input on this over done topic

I'm leaning towards a900's (or a700's if the drop off isn't huge, I found them for $120 shipped), the hd595, or dt-770's. I'm gonna wait on the grado's (probably not too long though) because I need something that will be comfortable for long periods of time, and from what I've been reading, grado's have some comfort issues. Obviously these will sound better with an amp, but will I suffer if it takes a month or 2 to get one? Which ones would survive the best straight out of my computer?

My source will be my computer with a Chaintech 710, running foobar, and playing mp3's (mostly VBR 256). As far as bass, I don't want flabby bass, but more tight bass (alot doen't hurt though) so I can really hear the bass lines.

If you have any of the phones used (or Koss A-250's

) or you know a website that has nice prices that isn't clearly post here shoot a PM over my way, all the help I can get is greatly appreciated!

Thanks Again

 

[Head_Hermie]

Any more advise? I'm struggling here still lol

 

[kwkarth]

Have you considered the Beyer DT250-80s? They're good all-rounders which do not require an amp to sound good and deliver fairly accurate bass. They will only improve with an amp. Great starting point! Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about your wallet.

 

[Esidarap]

Wait a second.. are you running headphones straight out of the AV710? You need to throw an amp in there.. if you plug an A900 which is not exactly hard to drive straight into that card it will sound completely anemic, almost no bass.

 

[bahamaman]

With all due respect, I cannot imagine the HD595 being an appropriate recommendation for someone into hard rock and metal. Neither would I go with the 770, as I found its mids (read: guitars) too recessed. Of all the phones mentioned, I would lean toward the A900s.

 

[slwiser]

I have mentioned this already in a previous thread with a 200$ limit.

Check out the AKG K601 from Headroom B-stock for 199.

 

[Head_Hermie]

I know these headphone will only get better with an amp, and I will be getting one as soon as I can afford it (probably about a month, 2 max). A900's sound to be the favorite, but hows the a700? I can get them for 80 bucks less, so I could afford the amp even sooner. Is there really an $80 difference between the 2?