[koop]

ok..so im new to this place.. hello all.
anyways ive honestly spent the last 2 hours reading thru endless threads on this forum. while it has been an imformative journy, i still feel somewhat more lost than i was to begin with haha.. so many mixed opinions, and headphones to choose from leaves me excited, but more irratated than anything.

Anyways, as far as my needs go im pretty hardcore when it comes to my games, mainly FPS (cs 1.6) but the occasional WoW (wooot). i dont really want a headphone that are just good for gaming, im probably gonna end up spending around 175 (worst case scenario) but if im spending that much it better make music amazing, or atleast better than what i have now.

currently im using the sony mdr-v600 and ive had them for about 4 years ;O. They did the trick as far as games go, music was ok, but they are getting trashed from basic wear and tear. With christmas just around the corner (literally) i need to decide what the hell i wanna get.

ive kinda slimmed my selection down to the following:
ath-a500
ath-a900 (only if they are that much better, possably 700)
DT 770 PRO (leaning towards these, the 80 ver.)

Obviously i want closed phones, more concerned about sound leakage then hearing outside noises, but both are deciding factors. portability is not really an issue, going to be mostly for in home use with the occasianal LAN.

i will say i dont paticularly feel like wearing 3 inch thick CD's on my head, but if they are THAT great, ill be down for some ath's. I ruled out SENN cus they primarily seem to be open aired headphones, and their closed selection sucks (minus the 280s whihc i dont really like).
TBH the only thing holding me back from ordering the DT 770s is the mixed opinion that an amp is pretty necesary (even with the 80). i would like to be able to pop them into my on board realtek 7.1 and rock and roll.

last but not least, music taste is way to diverse to really specify, but latley ive been really into radiohead, spoon, and the shins type music if that helps.

written more than i intended already, any input is appreciated but i really would just like to know if im heading down the right track. LEARN ME

 

[jimmyjames8]

Here's what I know FWIW: Beyer DT250-80, comfy, little isolation but much better than open cans, very neutral/balanced sound, anything should be able to drive 80ohms, street price $160. Senn HD280pro, not so comfy, headclamp, squeeky, neutral sound, sweatbox pads, low impedance for easy drive, street price $99. AKG 271, comfy, big round sweatbox pads but not bad really, jury still out on sound, I hear some honkyness and sounds like the band is down in a well, still breaking in, treble and bass slam are excellent, would not say they are neutral, squeek a little bit, isolation is very good but I get a little conk shell to the head, seashore roar with no signal, street $170. Folks around here love the AT 900 but I hear lots about the pads deteriorating fairly quickly. They are not leather. Right now still only available in the states as an import but AT is bringing a line of cans to the states next year. That's all I know.

 

[dillon157]

Well first off, Welcome to head-fi.

I know exactly how you feel right now as I was in the exact same situation a while back, it gets confusing. As far as picking good headphones, you should probably know first that there are certain people that like AKG, some that like Senn's, etc. and each different headphone usually has a different "type" of sound, so it depends on what you like.

In my opinion, rulling out the Senn's was a good decision, I have listened to a few different models and didn't care too much for the sound. Back to what you should get though, I would first check out headphone.com if you haven't already, find some headphones there that meet your expectations (price, mids, lows, highs, portability, etc.) and check the rating. In the end, ask around, see what people say about it, and if the good outweighs the bad, go for it, you are never going to find a set of headphones that EVERYONE likes..

I personally would recomend AKG or Grado. The Grado's have always impressed audiophiles and anyone who likes good soud but many, MANY, claim that they are uncomfortable. You can change this with some pad mods, but still... just so you know. AKG makes some pretty good headphones too, i would look into them. Be careful though about getting the k140's... especially the K140m's, if you want something in that price range, spend a few extra dollars and go with the K240s or the like...

Anyway, I wish you good luck!

 

[NotJeffBuckley]

The ATH A900 are great, especially for rock/metal music and games. Aside from great frequency response characteristics for those particular applications, they've got angled drivers which help you more accurately pick out where people are coming from, by comparison to the binaural nature of most headphones, and they're extremely comfortable even for long sessions. I've heard but never personally experienced that the A700 aren't much of a step down, so as it stands those are my recommendation.