[Maxis]

 
Hello
 
I have been on this website for quite a while mostly in lurker status or usually to purchase IEMS or get advice on them. Right now i think its time to get my feet wet with a decent pair of full sized headphones.
 
So heres the deal
 
Presently my equipment is
 
Ultimate Ears Triple Fi 10 Pro
Zune HD
Denon AVR 391 (Plan to use the full size mostly on the Denon and the PC)
PC using a Creative Labs X-fi Extreme Music Card
 
I was hoping i can get a headphone that provides clarity, detail and texture... large soundstage, good separation and good quality (Not boomy or muddy) bass. Im assuming that the headphones would at least have decent mids.
 
My music preferences are long and varied.. which may be a problem but here are the genres and some artist examples:
 
Chill out Electronic : Air, Goldfrapp, Zero 7, 4Hero, Blue Six,  Massive Attack, Morcheeba, Sia, Hotel Costes series etc
 
Jazz: Cassandra Wilson, Grover Washington Jr, Randy Crawford, Quincy Jones, Roy Ayers, Candy Dulfer
 
Pop: Adele, K.D. Lang, Elton John, Seal, Phil Collins, Sebastien Tellier, Simply Red etc
 
R&B/Soul: Phyllis Hyman, Anita Baker, Chrisette Michelle, Angella Bofil, Minnie Riperton, Erykah Badu, Leon Ware... and alot more.
 
I also listen to some classical but not as much anymore so they dont factor too much into this purchase if considering that genre will negatively affect the others.
 
My budget would be at around 100-150 right now (Just getting my feet wet) but at the same time i want to know its the best i can get for that price point. It would be nice to know what would be the next step up at the 200 to 250 price point.
 
Considering the equipment i now own ..and the fact that i know that the zune HD is seriously weaksauce in driving power.. (I demoed it to a sony and it was night and day in driving the full size i was auditioning) I would like to know what would be the most cost effective way to amp the cans recommended.. For the amp im going the broke student route.. and the fiio line seems to fit that. I could go long term plan and get an E7 and then upgrade to E9 a month later. or if that doesn' t make any sense let me know.
 
Essentially i have a decent amount of knowledge in the IEM segment ... im totally lost in the full size/ amp department and i want to go to the next level.
 
 
Help !!
 
Thanks
 

 

[Maxis]

Will there be any sacrifice in sound quality ?
 
If there is .. then ill take the one that sounds better in general..
 
The only thing i would prefer would be around the ear vs on ear but if the best model for the price point is an on ear model do not hesistate to let me know.

 

[Maxis]

Oh BTW scrap the amps request ... Fiio seems to have good amps at a realistic budget ..Thank goodness  considering when i just started on here getting your foot in the amp door was at least 200 dollars upwards.

 

[peskypesky]

i can't tell you how much I'm loving my Sennheiser HD 555s. My Grados and Shures are getting no love from me any more. These Sennheisers sound fantastic, are super-comfortable, and look sharp. I definitely recommend something in this Sennheiser line. The older models (HD 555 and HD 595) are on sale because new models have come in. The new HD 598 looks sweet!
 
http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/home_en.nsf/root/private_headphones_hifi_audiophile-headphones_504633

 

[JamesMcProgger]

My favorites "portables" are the alessandro MS1 (100$)  and the sennheiser HD25-1 II (200$, but you can get it lower)
 
If you could try them both, it'd be better

 

[Maxis]

Thanks for all the responses.. Let me clarify a few things however.
I will be using this headphone indoors and if the open headphone is superior and requires a quiet environment that is no problem. If the best headphone at the price point specified is a closed one then that also is no problem.
 
 
I do know the difference between closed and open headphones .. What i want to know is if for the price point there is one model that is superior in sound quality regardless of whether its closed or open. I already use my TF10 pros for portable use (probably turning them into customs as well) so i will not need a "portable" full size.. I just want a balanced headphone that checks all the boxes for the music that i listen to at home. 
 
Also if you plan to recommend a headphone please try to explain its strength's and weaknesses especially in regards to the genre's i listen to.  A jvc gumy or scullcandy headcrusher can sound great to many people but they cant seem to explain why (probably with the exception of their perception of "great" bass).
 
looking for quality recommendations ... it took me months to decide my IEM's of choice and im still working on which company to use to turn my IEM's into customs.. I'm kinda picky like that and want to make a completely informed decision that i will not regret.
 
Cheers and thanks

 

[zmd]

I don't know about the old Sennheiser HD5X5, but the replacemend HD558/598 are really good headphones that check a lot of people's boxes around here for good midfi cans. They have superb, natural soundstage and they're fairly neutral sound, so they'll suit most of your music. Personally I have the HD558, modded, and recommend it for "slow", relaxing listening Do look into them, if you're so keen on having more options.

 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

I don't know about the old Sennheiser HD5X5, but the replacemend HD558/598 are really good headphones that check a lot of people's boxes around here for good midfi cans. They have superb, natural soundstage and they're fairly neutral sound, so they'll suit most of your music. Personally I have the HD558, modded, and recommend it for "slow", relaxing listening Do look into them, if you're so keen on having more options.

 

which one do you have?
do they have dark sound sign as people say about the HD5X5?
 

 

[zmd]

Read the darn post. I've the modded HD558, but woulndn't call them dark nor dull. They're neutral  with maybe a bit of warmth snuck in there, it depends of course where you come from. They're really dark next to Grados, but hey, what isn't..? They could use a bit more HF extension but if you like the sound outside your head and like to listen for hours, these cans will love you.

 

[cifani090]

Are $250 you could get a used pair of SE535, FYI i got mine for $280

 

 

[JamesMcProgger]

Quote:

Read the darn post. I've the modded HD558, but woulndn't call them dark nor dull. They're neutral  with maybe a bit of warmth snuck in there, it depends of course where you come from. They're really dark next to Grados, but hey, what isn't..? They could use a bit more HF extension but if you like the sound outside your head and like to listen for hours, these cans will love you.

grow some manners please.
 
as for grados, your comparison is too general, SR80 is rather darkish while the SR325 (which i only tried once) is very bright. by how you desbcribe those, it might be actually a whole different sign than the HD555

 

[cifani090]

Quote:

grow some manners please.
 
as for grados, your comparison is too general, SR80 is rather darkish while the SR325 (which i only tried once) is very bright. by how you desbcribe those, it might be actually a whole different sign than the HD555

, i believe that is why he is a 100+ Head-Fi'er, not an experienced Head-Fi'er as of ourselves.
 

 

[Maxis]

Im going to assume you are joking here ...
 
I have TF 10 Pros for my portable needs and even if i was looking for another IEM Shure would definately NOT be on my shortlist. I actually quite dislike their sound signature.
 
ZMD thanks for the recommendation ill do some research on those cans.
 
 
Cheers

 

[lazysleepyboi]

if you're just looking to step into the world of headphones, i suggest the Audio Technica ATH-M50. That'll keep you satisfied for a little until you start expanding like i have. The world of being an audiophile is very cruel because all the money im getting goes to getting better equipment. So much for getting a new computer, here comes the new DAC this week xD If yo do a quick forum search for the ATH-M50, you'll be met with a bunch of head-fi'ers who say that this is the perfect entry level headphone for the beginning audiophile. The Sennheiser HD558 seems like a good choice also, and im sure you'll be happy with either of them. Worst comes to worse, just go on amazon, order both, and return the one you don't like. Remember, give the headphone  you pick about 100-200 hours of burn-in before deciding to return it. You can't begin to realize how many people return headphones just because they didn't like it right out of the box. You're a head-fi'er (congrats), so be a little patient and it'll be worth it at the very end. I haven't listened to either of these headphones but i've been on the forum for a while, reading, researching and researching more. I went from Technics, to AKG 702, to Ultrasone 900. Next up is the DAC, then the amp, so we'll see what happens. Either way, you can't go wrong with either of them in my opinion. 
 
Also, I don't believe that custom shelling your triple fi's is such a great idea. Personally i would say save the money for an upgrade to a better IEM. I bought a Sennheiser IE8 during October and decided i needed custom tips for it. These particular IEM must go in really deep and it gets very uncomfortable pretty quick. I heard about fit issues with the triple fi's so it's not unordinary for you to want to make them into customs. I went with ACS customs for my custom tips and it works great. It fits, it feels nice, bass is tighter, the music seems more revealed and above all, i have more isolation. But i regret my decision because whatever you do you can't change the sound unless you get new drivers or new IEMS altogether. The Sennehiser IE8's are highly regarded for their sound and they worked for me for half a year but at this point, I'm looking for more. The problem for head-fi'ers is that you're always looking for the next best thing and there's no one thing that you can be satisfied with forever. I'm looking to get customs in the near future, probably 1964 quad's, and i suggest you save your money and wait until you have enough, then go towards full customs. When you enter the world of customs, there's no going back because there's no comparison in sound quality. If you want to go the custom tip route, then go ahead, but beware that you'll probably end up going the same route that i have. Just my two cents

 

[Maxis]

Quote:

if you're just looking to step into the world of headphones, i suggest the Audio Technica ATH-M50. That'll keep you satisfied for a little until you start expanding like i have. The world of being an audiophile is very cruel because all the money im getting goes to getting better equipment. So much for getting a new computer, here comes the new DAC this week xD If yo do a quick forum search for the ATH-M50, you'll be met with a bunch of head-fi'ers who say that this is the perfect entry level headphone for the beginning audiophile. The Sennheiser HD558 seems like a good choice also, and im sure you'll be happy with either of them. Worst comes to worse, just go on amazon, order both, and return the one you don't like. Remember, give the headphone  you pick about 100-200 hours of burn-in before deciding to return it. You can't begin to realize how many people return headphones just because they didn't like it right out of the box. You're a head-fi'er (congrats), so be a little patient and it'll be worth it at the very end. I haven't listened to either of these headphones but i've been on the forum for a while, reading, researching and researching more. I went from Technics, to AKG 702, to Ultrasone 900. Next up is the DAC, then the amp, so we'll see what happens. Either way, you can't go wrong with either of them in my opinion. 
 
Also, I don't believe that custom shelling your triple fi's is such a great idea. Personally i would say save the money for an upgrade to a better IEM. I bought a Sennheiser IE8 during October and decided i needed custom tips for it. These particular IEM must go in really deep and it gets very uncomfortable pretty quick. I heard about fit issues with the triple fi's so it's not unordinary for you to want to make them into customs. I went with ACS customs for my custom tips and it works great. It fits, it feels nice, bass is tighter, the music seems more revealed and above all, i have more isolation. But i regret my decision because whatever you do you can't change the sound unless you get new drivers or new IEMS altogether. The Sennehiser IE8's are highly regarded for their sound and they worked for me for half a year but at this point, I'm looking for more. The problem for head-fi'ers is that you're always looking for the next best thing and there's no one thing that you can be satisfied with forever. I'm looking to get customs in the near future, probably 1964 quad's, and i suggest you save your money and wait until you have enough, then go towards full customs. When you enter the world of customs, there's no going back because there's no comparison in sound quality. If you want to go the custom tip route, then go ahead, but beware that you'll probably end up going the same route that i have. Just my two cents

Thanks for your comments on the M50
 
However .. please please please .. Unless im going for JH 16's i am 100% satisfied with my TF10 pros .. im quite versed on the IEM's and this thread is not one to even discuss it.. I honestly am not being rude but the TF10 sound sig is the sound signature of my preference.. Once you are at a certain level its simply a matter of sound sig preference .. and i prefer the UE one ..and ive been through quite a few IEMS to know what i want.. I am going custom simply because i sleep with my IEM and customs will allow me to lie on my side with them in and it allows me to test the waters for going to the next level if i decide to.
 
Im not very versed on Full sized cans however .. but from what i am reading i think im leaning towards those Sens that someone previously suggested ... if what he describes them to be is accurate as that is the sound sig im looking for .. Natural and balanced. (although i would prefer an ever so slight emphasis on treble extension .. not grado level but just a little.)