[Yexu]

Hi, I am searching for a pair of headphones to be used for Asian pop music, particular Chinese pop (and Fish Leong if you know who I am talking about), most of the songs are slow paced.

I like to have detailed vocals, below average on the bass, comfort is really important, and sound leakage shouldn't bother anyone 5ft away.

I need to keep the price at about ~100+10 USD or preferably below. The headphones will be used directly out of my laptop. Sound quality just has to be decent for the average user, I am not planning on becoming an audiophile, at least not until college is over.

I have absolutely no knowledge in this subject, but so please reply with questions if you need more information.

Thank you.

 

[ast]

you might want to try the Chinese headphone forum:

www2.erji.net

 

[miceblue]

Actually I was wondering the same exact thing....though I can't read Chinese, so the http://www2.erji.net/ website doesn't really help me.

 

[tdockweiler]

I listen to a lot of this type of music and I'm always looking for the best.
 
For me, my favorite budget headphone for this type of music under $200 is easily the Koss Pro DJ 100 ($80). Yes, really.
 
It has quite a good amount of bass. Just under bass heavy. It has slightly forward (to my ears) mids, which make them perfect for female vocals. Of course they're not shouty in any way ever to my ears. Not as forward as my ATH-AD2000. The highs are very slightly rolled off.
 
The other good options are the Shure SRH-840 and the HD-598 if you ever want to spend a little more. I don't think they really compare for this genre, but the HD-598 comes close.
 
The only problem is that the koss do need an amp. Some may find they sound fine un-amped. I did a blu-tack test mod on them and I'm so impressed with the results. I don't know if i'll be able to ever take these off my head tonight. The closest sounding headphone to them is maybe the Sextett. Maybe the mids on the HD-598, but they're not as similar.

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

I listen to a lot of this type of music and I'm always looking for the best.
 
For me, my favorite budget headphone for this type of music under $200 is easily the Koss Pro DJ 100 ($80). Yes, really.
 
It has quite a good amount of bass. Just under bass heavy. It has slightly forward (to my ears) mids, which make them perfect for female vocals. Of course they're not shouty in any way ever to my ears. Not as forward as my ATH-AD2000. The highs are very slightly rolled off.
 
The other good options are the Shure SRH-840 and the HD-598 if you ever want to spend a little more. I don't think they really compare for this genre, but the HD-598 comes close.
 
The only problem is that the koss do need an amp. Some may find they sound fine un-amped. I did a blu-tack test mod on them and I'm so impressed with the results. I don't know if i'll be able to ever take these off my head tonight. The closest sounding headphone to them is maybe the Sextett. Maybe the mids on the HD-598, but they're not as similar.

Hm, I was hoping for a headphone that doesn't require amping since I plan to use my headphones with my iPod. Also, I was hoping that the headphones could fold/lie flat for better storage and are under $200. I'll take a look into the SRH-840's though.
 
I've been eying the Ultrasone HFI-580's and the Audio Technica M50's too. Do you have any opinions about these headphones?

 

[bunch]

Where do you live? I recently purchased a set of MS-1's and can say they are awesome with asian pop. The bass is definetly there and right on the sweet spot with asian pop for my tastes.

 

[tdockweiler]

I haven't tried the HFI-580, but I did have the HFI-680. I'd personally take the M50 over the HFI-680 any day. The only thing I liked about the HFI-680 was the very well controlled bass.
Both to me are a poor choice due to the slightly recessed mids. Vocals on the M50 with my pop music were a tad distant sounding, but they may be OK for some people.
 
For this genre, I've found that the best headphones are those that have very good or slightly forward mids. The SRH-440 might be another good option. It's fairly cheap online.
If you don't mind a lot of bass, many people on here love the SRH-750DJ. I personally hate them, but I believe they still have good mids and would probably be better than the M50 for this genre.
 
For those that want to spend under $50 I also suggest the Beyer Dynamic DT-235 and the Maxell DHP-II if you can still find them.
 
If you don't mind the comfort, the Grado SR-60 or SR-80 has some very good mids. I've found they don't really have enough bass for me though.
I never really liked my SR-80 until I modded it.
 
Actually now that I think of it, the best under $200 without an amp is probably the KRK KNS-8400. The only problem is that they're definitely more like a studio monitor and don't have a lot of bass.
Even less than the SRH-840 and AKG K240. They're quite amazing for female vocals. Probably the cleanest sounding headphone I've found and it has a ton of detail. They're quite portable and the cups lay flat.
They run about $150 and I prefer them to the SRH-840 by far. They do need a little burn-in though.
 
Quote:

I've been eying the Ultrasone HFI-580's and the Audio Technica M50's too. Do you have any opinions about these headphones?

 

[miceblue]

Quote:

Where do you live? I recently purchased a set of MS-1's and can say they are awesome with asian pop. The bass is definetly there and right on the sweet spot with asian pop for my tastes.

I live in the United States. I haven't heard much about the MS-1's but I'll take a look at them.
 


Quote:

I haven't tried the HFI-580, but I did have the HFI-680. I'd personally take the M50 over the HFI-680 any day. The only thing I liked about the HFI-680 was the very well controlled bass.
Both to me are a poor choice due to the slightly recessed mids. Vocals on the M50 with my pop music were a tad distant sounding, but they may be OK for some people.
 
For this genre, I've found that the best headphones are those that have very good or slightly forward mids. The SRH-440 might be another good option. It's fairly cheap online.
If you don't mind a lot of bass, many people on here love the SRH-750DJ. I personally hate them, but I believe they still have good mids and would probably be better than the M50 for this genre.
 
For those that want to spend under $50 I also suggest the Beyer Dynamic DT-235 and the Maxell DHP-II if you can still find them.
 
If you don't mind the comfort, the Grado SR-60 or SR-80 has some very good mids. I've found they don't really have enough bass for me though.
I never really liked my SR-80 until I modded it.
 
Actually now that I think of it, the best under $200 without an amp is probably the KRK KNS-8400. The only problem is that they're definitely more like a studio monitor and don't have a lot of bass.
Even less than the SRH-840 and AKG K240. They're quite amazing for female vocals. Probably the cleanest sounding headphone I've found and it has a ton of detail. They're quite portable and the cups lay flat.
They run about $150 and I prefer them to the SRH-840 by far. They do need a little burn-in though.
 

 

I've had recommendations for the SRH-840's as well so I might take a look into those.
 
Whichever headphones I end up purchasing, they will be my first high-quality headphones, so for my untrained ear (for now), would the recessed mids make much of a difference? I'm currently listening to Sennheiser CX-300's earbuds and Skullcandy Hesh headphones. >_<