So many options, what to buy?
Sep 6, 2010 at 8:57 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 6

bagofsuck

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Hey all, i've decided to get myself a new set of headphones and have spent the last 2 days scouring these forums for info which has been great but left me even more confused as to what headphones would best suit me, so any help on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
I'm located in australia and looking at spending around the $300 mark on a decent pair of full size headphone for use with my laptop, I understand a DAC/amp would benefit greatly in running some more high end headphones therefore have decided to get the Audinst HUD-mx1 as they have speaker outputs which will be great for switching between my headphones and current monitors (M-audio bx5a's) and the reviews seem positive regarding them.
The Headphones will be used primarily for listening to music which I enjoy listening to alot of late 60s early 70s rock music aswell as other music from around that era and some soul, blues and potentially more as my tastes diversify. They will also be used for some gaming and movies (but buying namely for music).
I used to own a pair of AKG 240s which I really liked the sound of, and a pair of sennheiser HD-555 which I did not enjoy as much.
I first looked at the Beyerdynamic DT-250s but have since decided that open/semi-open headphones would be more suited to me. Basically I'm trying to make a decision between the AKG 702s, Audio-Technica ATH AD900, Beydynamic 880s + 990s.
Any input regarding my taste of music and which headphones would be best suited would be much appreciated aswell as any other comments, advice or other headphone or DAC/amp options I should be looking at.
I understand I should goto a audio shop and listen to these before I make a decision, unfortunately I'm currently residing in the middle of a desert and won't be back in a city for a number of weeks so i'll have to trust you guys in my decision making.
Thanks alot, Matt.
 
 
Sep 10, 2010 at 3:51 PM Post #4 of 6
From what I heard the AD900 aren't much different from the AD700 and obviously not worth the price increase.
 
I have a pair of K701s and DT 990 250 ohms and 600 ohms.
 
The K70x and the DT 990 250 require a good amp to drive them.
 
The k70x have a tremendous sound stage that can sometimes sound garbled if the source music isn't great.  They are more toward the side of unforgiving.  If you have lots of MP3s they may or may not perform up to your expectations.  They have decent bass and a pretty forward approach.  I like them.
 
The DT 990 is still my favorite.  The 250 is a touch more sibilant than the 600.  The bass is deep, but it doesn't kill the sound.  I believe that the DT-990s aren't made for blasting volume.  The sibilance can get too high and hurt your ears (think of Led hitting the high note on ya). Not good at max volumes.
 
 They can most certainly be good at high volumes.  The sound stage is large and very accurate.  Great for gaming and movies with 3D DSP like CMSS-3D and Dolby headphone.
 
 They are very forgiving of source in my experience.  The 600 ohms need a lot of power.  The 250 ohms run GREAT on the Minimax
 
Sep 12, 2010 at 1:46 AM Post #5 of 6
Thanks for the detailed reply coupe, after 1times reply I read some reviews on the dt150s and decided that they sounded pretty fitting and purchased a set of them waiting for them to arrive now.
Currently my musc collection does consist of alot of mp3s due to a rush encoding cds before I shifted country, and as you said the 70xs aren't a very forgiving headphone so they probably wouldn't have been the best choice at present, I think i'll hold off on purchasing another pair until I get a chance to hear some pairs and make comparisons at a meet, which I am hoping to attend the next Melbourne meet.
My Audinst Hud-mx1 recently arrived which I have been running through my laptop with a pair of Bx5a monitors which i'm impressed with.
I do like what you've said about the 990s though, I prefer not to listen to music at stupidly loud volumes so the silibance issues wouldn't affect me.
But for the meantime i'm all sorted, thanks again for the replies!
 
Sep 12, 2010 at 3:04 PM Post #6 of 6
NP man!  Please let us know what you think about the dt150s!
 

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