[Poll] Best Headphone's Under $200
Aug 13, 2012 at 11:32 PM Post #110 of 270
Quote:
alondite said:
A large portion of the music I listen to operates under an independent label or under a minor label that relinquishes full creative control to the artist. The "artistic integrity" is just that: it adheres to the artists original intent. 

Absolute neutrality is impossible with current technology, so I'm not expecting 100% perfect reproduction of the recording. Ideally I'd like to have gear that colors the sound as little as possible; gear that delivers a signal to the ear that represents all frequencies in relatively equal amounts with low distortion and with proper time. By definition, that is high-fidelity. 

The whole objective vs. subjective debate is ridiculous though. Subjectivity is based on experience, objectivity is based on observation/data. One's opinion of a headphone is their subjective experience of the headphone's objective qualities. Some headphones objectively perform better than others. Fact. This is where the problem lies though. It's human nature to link perceptive quality with objective quality, but that's not always the case. It's entirely possible for someone to prefer an objectively inferior headphone. 

If I'm going to side with one camp though, it has to be the objectivists for simple reason: subjective experience is completely individual, and is thus of no real value to anybody else. Objective qualities, however, are of value to everybody because they are observable qualities that everybody hears. How one interprets those qualities is what creates his/her subjective view. 

Anyway, </end rant>

As for right now, my budget is hindering my pursuit of neutrality, but I've tried to get gear that is among the more neutral in the price range. Most of my listening in on-the-go with J3 -> E11 -> GR07. My AD900s are primarily for gaming/TV/movies, but I used them out of my laptop occasionally. Naturally they aren't quite neutral (a bit lacking in the lowest frequencies, slight upper-mid boost and a large low/mid treble boost),  and when listening to music I typically use them EQ'd from pink noise to flatten their response. 
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I have the J3 and GR07s also, and an E17, but I don't use the amp on the go. I listen to mostly classic jazz and rock, and a lot of my music is from MFSL, who do a nice job with master recordings. Some stuff I think you'd enjoy based on sound and the fact that we have nearly the same gear is:
 
Alice In Chains: Unplugged
Santana: Caravanserai (MFSL)
Hans Zimmer: Inception and The Dark Knight Rises OST
Cowboy Junkies: Whites Off Earth Now! (MFSL)
Beck: Sea Change
David Crosby: If Only I Could Remember My Name...(MFSL)
Dvorak: Piano Concerto in G Minor (MFSL)
Muddy Waters: Folk Singer (MFSL)
Steely Dan - pretty much everything sounds great
The Who: Live At Leeds and Quadrophenia (MFSL)
XTC: Skylarking (MFSL)
John Coltrane: Blue Train (MFSL)
David Gilmour: (self-titled) (MFSL)
Norah Jones: Come Away With Me
 
Some of mine may not be your cup of tea, but I can assure you that these all sound fantastic out of a J3 and through GR07s. Could you recommend some stellar-sounding recordings from your stuff? I'm always on the hunt for more good music...
 
 
Aug 18, 2012 at 2:09 AM Post #114 of 270
Well everyone and their grandmother has tried the M50, and not that many people in comparison have tried the DT990. But I don't think you know what you want. You say you want a lot of bass, then you say you want balance. If you can find a DT880 in your price range, that'd be better for balance, and the DT990 is better for bass. I'm partial to the DT880 myself, like the other people here seem to be, but the DT990's probably one of the most fun headphones I've ever heard. 
 
Aug 21, 2012 at 4:13 PM Post #116 of 270
Quote:
zazex said:
 
Bias?
 
What kind of bias?
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The bias that people have when they own a product--more people own M50s than DT990s.
 
Aug 21, 2012 at 8:46 PM Post #118 of 270
idriveferraris said:
looking at the vote results.. are the M50's really better then the DT990s..?

i think theres a little bit of biased in the poll.. 
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Having owned both various times, and at different ohms (I'm on my 4th DT990, and have heard 4 different M50s, from old version to the LE), the DT990 is clearly superior to the M50. That being said, the M50 is better balanced, and less polarizing than the DT990s. Technically though, the M50s can't touch the 990s.
 
Aug 21, 2012 at 10:54 PM Post #120 of 270
Used D2000's obviously 
basshead.gif

 
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