Seriously need help guys for getting my first 'real music' headphone
Dec 18, 2012 at 2:01 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 23

AmberOzL

Headphoneus Supremus
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First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who puts more and more into this website because I learned a lot from here and still going on.. I am quite new in this real musician ear/headphone things so before buying I wanted to get yours opinion.
 
So here are the facts,
 
I will use it with my ipod nano mostly and with my msi gt60 gaming laptop.. but primary purpose is ipod not laptop..
I will not use AMP or any other thing.. It will be only ipod and the headphones.. Please consider this fact seriously because I know AMP matters a lot for some headphones but I am not planning to get/buy one in close future..
I definetely want a closed back one since I will use it in public places like bus, library etc etc.. Active noise cancelling is not needed though..
Music genres I do listen to are any kind of rock and metal, blues mostly but apart from them I listen to quite different genres too as long as I like the musician/band and their songs.. Opera/classical music is something I rarely listen so we can skip that one.. Sometimes I go for rap and sometimes for some electronical music too..
I am not able to pay more than 150 euros I suppose (@Belgium, Europe).. If the headphones you will suggest is really deserving a number closer to 200 euros I can try to force my budget but lets say around 150 euros for beginning..
 
So thanks to this awesome website and its users I searched, read a lot and a lot and as I said I keep on looking for options. At the final moment I could reduce my options to 3 headphones which I rarely hear negative things about them.
 
1. Audio-Technica M50
2. Shure SRH 840
3. Ultrasone HFI 780
 
But of course you can suggest more things.. I am looking for all in one most neutral most natural sound.. I know M50s are not the most natural ones but everyone is in love with them and I really get so many people around me suggesting these pair of headphones..
 
About durability and comfort.. I suppose all of them has more than avarage durability and comfort.. So this part is not very important since they are not fragile like a glass..
 
Bonus: Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro, there are different impedance level versions and I heard people saying I will definetely need an AMP with these ones so I took it out from my list.. But if you guys say "Take this impedance version, without an AMP it will function better than other ones" I will take it..
 
Thank you very much.. This awesome place got a new member and fan of head-fi.org..
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:11 PM Post #2 of 23
In regards to the impedance issue the lower the impedance for a headphone the easier it is for most sources to drive them.  I would say you are safe to use a headphone that has an impedance of 25 Ohms - 150 Ohms with a portable device without having an issue driving them.  This of course is dependent upon the sensitivity of the headphone as well which tells you how much voltage / current must be applied to a headphone to give a particular volume.  The higher the sensitivity the easier it will be to get the loudness you want without cranking your system to 11.
 
Just remember two things:
 
1.)  25 Ohms - 100 Ohms will be fine for just about any system as long as constraint #2 is also met
2.)  The sensitivity should be 95 dB or higher especially for portable devices to get the volume levels needed for most music.
 
The ATH-M50 sounds just fine and can get really loud out of just about any portable device.  So no worries there.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 3:35 PM Post #3 of 23
Thank you for your answer.. I am more close to M50s than others but in this forum I read a lot of times they are not the most natural ones.. Instead more on bass I guess.. But if any other option is not better than M50s in all-around, yeah I guess I would take them..
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 4:22 PM Post #4 of 23
I really like the SRH-840 more then the ATH-m50. Here is why. First of all they are way more comfortable. Second, The pads will last much longer since the pads on the M50 will totally dry up and crack/fall apart, even after a couple of days my pads had gone from soft to dry. Third is the sound, the sound is way more balanced and detail and instrument separation is supreme compared to the M50.
 
Conclusion, get the M50, and a pair of pads from the Shure srh-840 :) Why? Well it´s simple! The 840 is a great headphone, i will never get rid of my pair. But for portable use they are to heavy and will make you look like an alien ( more or less important to some )
 
The M50 can also provide some extra bass that usually gets filtered away when you wear them for daily commute and on the street.
 
The M50 with the coiled cable should do the trick, and if you want to get more comfort you just order a pair of 840 pads.
 
Enjoy music, it is what´s important after all.
 
Dec 18, 2012 at 4:25 PM Post #5 of 23
If I could only keep one can, it would be HD25-1. Pricecheck notwithstanding, I think this meets your requirements.
 
srh840 - certainly competent, vulnerable to cable break by the earpiece, hot, large/not so good for portable
DT770-80- needs a decent desktop amp not to sound shrill to my ears.
 
Best
 
James
 
Dec 19, 2012 at 5:06 PM Post #6 of 23
The Senn hd25 is a good choice indeed..I cant wear mine with the pleather pads..They will make my ears itch. It´s an on-ear design so comfort might be an issue for some. Works fine for me and i wear glasses as well.
 
Dec 19, 2012 at 6:10 PM Post #7 of 23
My preferences will be like this 1.ATH-M50 2.SRH 840 & if you can extend the budget a little, Sennheiser HD 25 Originals Adidas will do more than good. besides, they are awesome looking . .
 
Dec 19, 2012 at 6:14 PM Post #8 of 23
I think my choice will be either M50s or HD 25s. Honestly the styling and over ear construction of M50s seems better for my taste. Because like it is mentioned here it is not covering ear it just stays on the ear. Which I dont think I would like it that much.. But lightweight durable and detachable cord specs are so charmy so I really dont know what I am going to do.. Appareantly both of them would satisy me as long as audio quality is conserned..
 
What about M50s comfort and durability? From photos they look incredibly comfy (like DT 770 Pro's) and very durable. Detachable cord would be better but just because of the detachable cord I dont want to go for Shure 840s.. Honestly 840's doesnt look like very durable and well made finished.. Any user experience here? Are they as 'tanky' as M50s? Because of it has a detachable cable I am still considering that.. And I suppose without an AMP they function as good as M50s too..
 
What I understood from what I have read in these pages of reviews and all.. HFI 780, SRH 840, M50 and HD 25 will definetely satisfy the audio output even without an amp.. Now it is a matter of durability and comfort.. Because I want to use them as long as possible and parts like ear pad should be easy to replace if needed.. After creating some free time between my master program, I will try to find a dealer/shop to try out these HPs so I can have a better idea but until then, I am trusting you guys please help this head-fi noob!
 
And once again, I thank to every single one of you for spending time in here and trying to help me.. I know there are hundreds of questions like this so thank you very much for your patience..
 
For the moment without an amp, dt770 pro's are worst choice I guess even with low impedance versions (80 ohms ad 32 ohms limited edition) so they are out of my list and I think HD 25s price is my max budget for the moment..
 
Dec 19, 2012 at 6:21 PM Post #9 of 23
M50s are very comfortable. comfortable than others, least to say. but for me after about 2-2.5 hours on your head your ear will probably start to sweat. but if you get used to it, it's no problem.
 
If you go for hd 25, it will be a good decision.
 
Dec 19, 2012 at 6:38 PM Post #10 of 23
I was considering Shure 840s too because of the detachable cable and natural audio but I am not sure about their built quality, durability and finishing.. I can see many people suggests HD 25 but I am really not cool with on-ear headphones I prefer over-ear.. But as allrounder if it beats all others, lets say *******it and buy them :)
 
about M50s, some says they are just overstated and I dont have an experience with them, so I really dont know which to choose..
 
Dec 19, 2012 at 6:51 PM Post #11 of 23
Just to be clear, there are two models of HD25. one is HD 25 SP II & the other one is HD 25 I II (or HD 25 originals for Adidas). the second one is costlier than the first one. If you already know this, I presume of course, ckeck for current market price.
take a deep breath and go for the HD25 originals if situations permit. you will not regret it. and by the way they are allrounder.
 
Dec 20, 2012 at 1:37 AM Post #14 of 23
Well I have to say I know AKG's sound quality is awesome and I am sure these cans are very good too but I have trusting problem to AKG's build quality and finishing.. I dont know these K167s maybe they are very durable (looks like that in the photos at least) but as general I heard many people have broken their AKG headphones so I wouldn't go for them after all these bad reputation..
 
Btw, thank you for all the replies and messages guys.. You made me understood all these cans in the list and later suggested will work completely fine for me.. All I need is a allrounder, most natural sounding headphones.. So probably I am gonna force my budget and go for HD 25-i II but I really need someone to reassure me about they are 'on ear' and I shouldnt fear about the different experience than 'over ear' headphones.. Because that's something I have been trying to avoid but so many suggestions for HD 25s forced me to consider them seriously.
 

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