[Woofer]

I just found all you remarkable 'headphone guys' here. I'm considering the purchase of the AKG K601s, as I recently sold my DT990s. The DT990s to me are accurate and quite comfortable but still somewhat bright and forward with even the best electronics, leading to fatigue after extended listening. I am VERY sensitive to highs, and as a former loudspeaker designer, I often sweated over fractions of a dB in the design to optimize (match) crossover networks for tweeters in a system. I like accurate and neutral, of course, with superb imaging. I'd now desire "sweet and silky" instead of "bright and in-your face." I also wonder if the K601 will be better (higher efficiency) when used with portable electronics than my Beyerdynamics. Is the the K601 comfortable? As an engineer, I understand specs quite well and have test equipment to measure, but specs don't tell the whole story as you know! It's all about enjoying the music...

So what do you think?

 

[jerryneyk]

Thanks to everyone on the forum for helping me take the plunge!

I bought two headphones, one for home, and one for on the road which includes a motorcycle.

Home headphones, Grado SR325i. Why? Immediacy, presence, 'on the stage'. I was just listening to Leonard Cohen's Suzanne and it was amazingly real, all his beautiful throat scratchiness, all the touch of the guitar strings.

In ear headphones-Shure ES530. Two reasons, one, because I want the best sound possible on the road without looking like a complete dork on the street/train. The Grados are open and would disturb my fellow passengers and I consider that as rude as people who buy loud open pipes for their motorcycles and give bikers a bad name. The Shures are not as in your face as the Grados and don't do the detail as well, however they have a very pleasant sound and a good velvety bass.

I think-and everyone should say this-YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY! The one thing I have learnt from all my listening and reading over the past two months (fanatically I might add) is that everyone's ears and tastes are different, just like food. I love shrimp with garlic and butter. My wife, who is Czech, does not share that love, she is really into (no kidding) potatoes and good soup. Both are good food but very different. Only trust your own ears and do all you can to demo your headphones before you buy! I demoed for example a Grado SR225 vs a AKG 701 and Senn HD650. MY TASTES go to the Grado, as I like the crispness of the sound. Others like the laid back but good sound of the others.

Good luck all in your fine quest and let us know what you end up with and why!

 

[sun459]

headphone is really a good electronics product for everybody.
i just need to buy a one which i like best .
hmm better life and better electroncis
good luck to everybody

 

[Mikha]

Advise me some cans in sub 400$ category with the best bass(deep and tight, not boomy), not recessed mids and with no cymbals on highs. For unamped use. Opened.
For drum and bass, trance, house music.
Maybe some warm and live sound.

 

[chrome7713]

Hello.
My first post.

I'm looking for earphones that I can wear comfortably for 4-6 hours a day in a loud office environment.

I currently own Etymotic Er6 phones which, although the sound isolation is excellent, I am getting fed up of buying filters for as the cost over the lifetime of the phones is now rising fast.

A couple of caveats; I'm looking for a reasonably neutral sound (no assisted bass please) and they must be earphones.
(No cans as I get too hot and my bald head doesnt tolerate any kind of band going over my head without irritation.)

I'd also prefer a sturdy design and a cable that doesn't resemble a human hair

I mainly listen to a lot of Reggae/Dub/Drum and Bass as well as a broad range of other music genres.
Oh, and I'm not planning to use a headphone amp- just the Ipod.

Any recomendations?

Thanks in advance.
C

 

[Dutchess of York]

Welcome to head-fi and sorry about your wallet ( < our company line)

You may want to repost, as this thread is usually reserved for the very expensive heavy hitters (Sony R10, Stax Omega, etc).

But, as to your question, you have many options in the headphone game, depending on your price point. If you dont need sound isolation, you may want to check out the Yuin line. They provide ibud comfort with very high-end sound (but some need amps, so you may want to fallow up).

Three isolators that are very popular around here are the Sleek Audio SA6 (250$) which has interchangeable parts to modify your sound experience. The Livewires are a relatively inexpensive custom (made to fit) earphones that deliver excellent sound with great comfort (250$). Last, I am very happy with my Shure SE530s witch can be found for about 350$-400. They are usually acknowledged as the comfiest universal IEM earphone, have a dark sound sig, and dont need an amp.

These are a few options form an inexperienced head-fi'er but open a new thread in the Headphone forum and include a price range, because were very good at suggesting 1000$+ headphones here at head-fi.

Good luck

 

[wsoxfan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrome7713 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello. My first post. I'm looking for earphones that I can wear comfortably for 4-6 hours a day in a loud office environment. I currently own Etymotic Er6 phones which, although the sound isolation is excellent, I am getting fed up of buying filters for as the cost over the lifetime of the phones is now rising fast. A couple of caveats; I'm looking for a reasonably neutral sound (no assisted bass please) and they must be earphones. (No cans as I get too hot and my bald head doesnt tolerate any kind of band going over my head without irritation.) I'd also prefer a sturdy design and a cable that doesn't resemble a human hair I mainly listen to a lot of Reggae/Dub/Drum and Bass as well as a broad range of other music genres. Oh, and I'm not planning to use a headphone amp- just the Ipod. Any recomendations? Thanks in advance. C

If you are looking for the "best" in your ear phones, then I suggest the Shure SE530 without hesitation. They handle any type of music and are extremely well made. Comfort is the best available in this type of phone. They don't have to be amped but benefit greatly from something like the ibasso d2 boa which can be had for about $180. I bought my Se530s a short time ago on ebay for under $300.

 

[eKT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woofer /img/forum/go_quote.gif I just found all you remarkable 'headphone guys' here. I'm considering the purchase of the AKG K601s, as I recently sold my DT990s. The DT990s to me are accurate and quite comfortable but still somewhat bright and forward with even the best electronics, leading to fatigue after extended listening. I am VERY sensitive to highs, and as a former loudspeaker designer, I often sweated over fractions of a dB in the design to optimize (match) crossover networks for tweeters in a system. I like accurate and neutral, of course, with superb imaging. I'd now desire "sweet and silky" instead of "bright and in-your face." I also wonder if the K601 will be better (higher efficiency) when used with portable electronics than my Beyerdynamics. Is the the K601 comfortable? As an engineer, I understand specs quite well and have test equipment to measure, but specs don't tell the whole story as you know! It's all about enjoying the music... So what do you think?

I have the AKG K601's and find them very comfortable, they are "sweet & silky", they are not super efficient, I don't know the Beyerdynamics. The bass is good and I think you would like them if you are sensitive to highs.

 

[etteoh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jerryneyk /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks to everyone on the forum for helping me take the plunge! I bought two headphones, one for home, and one for on the road which includes a motorcycle. Home headphones, Grado SR325i. Why? Immediacy, presence, 'on the stage'. I was just listening to Leonard Cohen's Suzanne and it was amazingly real, all his beautiful throat scratchiness, all the touch of the guitar strings. In ear headphones-Shure ES530. Two reasons, one, because I want the best sound possible on the road without looking like a complete dork on the street/train. The Grados are open and would disturb my fellow passengers and I consider that as rude as people who buy loud open pipes for their motorcycles and give bikers a bad name. The Shures are not as in your face as the Grados and don't do the detail as well, however they have a very pleasant sound and a good velvety bass. I think-and everyone should say this-YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY! The one thing I have learnt from all my listening and reading over the past two months (fanatically I might add) is that everyone's ears and tastes are different, just like food. I love shrimp with garlic and butter. My wife, who is Czech, does not share that love, she is really into (no kidding) potatoes and good soup. Both are good food but very different. Only trust your own ears and do all you can to demo your headphones before you buy! I demoed for example a Grado SR225 vs a AKG 701 and Senn HD650. MY TASTES go to the Grado, as I like the crispness of the sound. Others like the laid back but good sound of the others. Good luck all in your fine quest and let us know what you end up with and why!

jerryneyk has a good point. Someone else's reference may not be your cup of tea. Even if the worlds says the Qualia or R10 rocks big time, your ears may not agree. I acknowledge the Qualia / R10 are fabulous phones but they not be what I want / am looking for.

In my case, I own a GS1000. Some people say the HP-2 / HP-1 sounds better. I tried the HP-2 and I disagreed not because the HP-2 is inferior in any way to mine. It's just that my ears have grown so accustomed to the way the GS1000 sounds. There are also people who are adamant that an SR80 sounds better than a RS-2 and who's to say anything?

Go hand in hand with your budget and listening taste. There is no short cut and it can be tiresome going around looking for what you want but when you find that pair, you're in for some beautiful times

 

[matt_wants]

One for the Brits to help me with. For around £40, what would you recommend for someone who likes bass, but doesn't want the mid-range to be blown? I listen to a lot of Bowie, White Stripes and Muse, so something that would emphasise the drums, but keep the singer's distinct voice would be ideal.

 

[giordun]

Just asking for some of your opinions. In your opinion, what are the best damn

Closed Headphones

Open Headphones

IEMs

Earbuds

(Yuin PK1 probably takes this one.)

 

[carbombncowboy]

Hi, I'm currently looking for a good gaming headset. From what I've read getting a good pair of headphones will do better than the top brand headsets they have out. If the sound quality is better, I'd def get headphones & a desktop mic over a headset. I'd like to hear where every1s at on shooters and such... I have a friend who has the tritton axpc he talks it up says the 5.1 is good and the bass is good... But from some reviews/forums I found that a good set of headphones under $200 would do better. Some I saw/that caught my interest were the ath-a900s, the beyerdynamic dt770s, & the sennheisers all had some good reviews. I listen to music but really I'm looking for the best gaming headset for what I can afford. If any1 has any suggestions for me I would greatly appreciate it.

 

[fraseyboy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carbombncowboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I'm currently looking for a good gaming headset. From what I've read getting a good pair of headphones will do better than the top brand headsets they have out. If the sound quality is better, I'd def get headphones & a desktop mic over a headset. I'd like to hear where every1s at on shooters and such... I have a friend who has the tritton axpc he talks it up says the 5.1 is good and the bass is good... But from some reviews/forums I found that a good set of headphones under $200 would do better. Some I saw/that caught my interest were the ath-a900s, the beyerdynamic dt770s, & the sennheisers all had some good reviews. I listen to music but really I'm looking for the best gaming headset for what I can afford. If any1 has any suggestions for me I would greatly appreciate it.

Probably best to make a new thread about this one, but I'll try to help with what I can.

Forget those gamer headsets and 5.1 surround headphones. They will not sound anywhere near as good as a top quality set of normal headphones and a mic. What type of games do you play? The Audio Technica AD700 is great for gaming due to the soundstage and placement plus up-front presentation to make it easier to hear footsteps and gunshots and stuff, but they are lacking in bass which may take away from the experience a bit. IMO bass isn't really needed for gaming but you may think otherwise.

I have heard good things about the DT770 as well. There's quite a few threads on this topic so try searching.

 

[Cheule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by carbombncowboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, I'm currently looking for a good gaming headset. From what I've read getting a good pair of headphones will do better than the top brand headsets they have out. If the sound quality is better, I'd def get headphones & a desktop mic over a headset. I'd like to hear where every1s at on shooters and such... I have a friend who has the tritton axpc he talks it up says the 5.1 is good and the bass is good... But from some reviews/forums I found that a good set of headphones under $200 would do better. Some I saw/that caught my interest were the ath-a900s, the beyerdynamic dt770s, & the sennheisers all had some good reviews. I listen to music but really I'm looking for the best gaming headset for what I can afford. If any1 has any suggestions for me I would greatly appreciate it.

I own a few sets of high end headphones, and for someone looking in the sub 200 dollar range for gaming, you can't do much better than the BeyerDynamic DT770-80s. Make sure you get the 80 ohm version, or you need a dedicated headphone amp. The DT770s are very comfy for long gaming sessions, and have ample bass for explosions n such. The bass is one of the DT770s strong points. Also they are closed headphones so that you don't bother other people. I recommend them highly, and I even often use them for music, even though I have AKG K701s. The bass in the 770s, is just that good.

 

[krmathis]

Quote:

Originally Posted by giordun /img/forum/go_quote.gif Just asking for some of your opinions. In your opinion, what are the best damn Closed Headphones Open Headphones IEMs Earbuds (Yuin PK1 probably takes this one.)

Lets see...
Closed Headphones - Stax 4070
Open Headphones - Stax SR-007
IEMs - Hmmm
Earbuds - Stax S-001MK2