[The_Blood_Raven]

Hello, I've been looking some headphones for a while now and have narrowed down my list. Ultimately, I'm finding it impossible to choose.

My budget is ~$100 and I'm looking for headphones for gaming and music (metal, rock, electronica, dubstep, rap, and a little instrumental). They need bass, I'm a little bit of a bass head and really enjoy my JVC HP-FX500s. Because of my gaming requirement, good soundstage and imaging would be nice but is not crucial as I am not a huge online FPS player.

These are to be mainly used at home, I don't expect much portable use out of these.

So I hear that the ATH-M50s are quite good and they sound to me to be similar to my FX500s in SQ judging from a few descriptions, lots of bass and bright highs. However, I've been told that the soundstage and imaging on these is lack-luster.

The Denon D1001s seem great with a pretty balanced sound and tight bass. I can't seem to get any straight answers on the soundstage and imaging though.

Both of these are easy to push, which is important as I don't have much to push them with.

On to the JVC RX900s, I have read that they are pretty similar to the above headphones, but with good soundstage and imaging, Ear Damage said that the ear pad foam mod really brings the soundstage out, but I can't seem to find any mention of it. These look great, though they are considerably cheaper than the others which raises a few questions. Thanks to their price I can afford the Fiio E5 with them, which I hope will aid them since they have high impedance of 64 ohms and my sound card, integrated, and MP3 player, Archos 5, aren't the greatest at pushing phones. Would the Fiio E5 help?

I have ruled out the AD700s for complete lack of bass, JVC DX1s for complete lack of information, Sennheiser HD555s for a very bad reputation around here, and Grado's since they are not supposed to be good for gaming at all. This is just what I have heard.

I guess my question is, is my summary correct and does anyone have any thing to add? Any recommendations, comments, or opinions are much appreciated.

Thank you all.

 

[Napilopez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Blood_Raven /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hello, I've been looking some headphones for a while now and have narrowed down my list. Ultimately, I'm finding it impossible to choose. My budget is ~$100 and I'm looking for headphones for gaming and music (metal, rock, electronica, dubstep, rap, and a little instrumental). They need bass, I'm a little bit of a bass head and really enjoy my JVC HP-FX500s. Because of my gaming requirement, good soundstage and imaging would be nice but is not crucial as I am not a huge online FPS player. These are to be mainly used at home, I don't expect much portable use out of these. So I hear that the ATH-M50s are quite good and they sound to me to be similar to my FX500s in SQ judging from a few descriptions, lots of bass and bright highs. However, I've been told that the soundstage and imaging on these is lack-luster. The Denon D1001s seem great with a pretty balanced sound and tight bass. I can't seem to get any straight answers on the soundstage and imaging though. Both of these are easy to push, which is important as I don't have much to push them with. On to the JVC RX900s, I have read that they are pretty similar to the above headphones, but with good soundstage and imaging, Ear Damage said that the ear pad foam mod really brings the soundstage out, but I can't seem to find any mention of it. These look great, though they are considerably cheaper than the others which raises a few questions. Thanks to their price I can afford the Fiio E5 with them, which I hope will aid them since they have high impedance of 64 ohms and my sound card, integrated, and MP3 player, Archos 5, aren't the greatest at pushing phones. Would the Fiio E5 help? I have ruled out the AD700s for complete lack of bass, JVC DX1s for complete lack of information, Sennheiser HD555s for a very bad reputation around here, and Grado's since they are not supposed to be good for gaming at all. This is just what I have heard. I guess my question is, is my summary correct and does anyone have any thing to add? Any recommendations, comments, or opinions are much appreciated. Thank you all.

Just one note, the earpad foam mod is generally used on the RX700. Don't recall hearing it for the 900s. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f4/jvc...0-mods-435809/

 

[joelpearce]

My advice would be--especially if you're just starting out--don't get a headphone that you need to mod to get the sound you want. If it goes wrong or you don't like the results, it usually voids the warranty and makes it harder to resell.

Find something that you enjoy stock, then think about modding down the road.

Just my $.02

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by joelpearce /img/forum/go_quote.gif My advice would be--especially if you're just starting out--don't get a headphone that you need to mod to get the sound you want. If it goes wrong or you don't like the results, it usually voids the warranty and makes it harder to resell. Find something that you enjoy stock, then think about modding down the road. Just my $.02

I totally agree that mods are not what you want to do to get the sound you want, I was more curious than anything. Also I'm not necessarily starting out, but I am still not a fan of modding.

 

[Bop]

When I was doing some of my research I came across the SRH840s, have yet to buy them, but you might want to consider them.

Great for electronica from what I read.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bop /img/forum/go_quote.gif When I was doing some of my research I came across the SRH840s, have yet to buy them, but you might want to consider them. Great for electronica from what I read.

I had looked into those earlier, a bit above my price range sadly.

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by hans030390 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I wouldn't bother with the Fiio E5 for any of those headphones. As for which headphones to pick, I have both the RX900s and the ATH-M50s. The RX900s are more comfortable and have a bigger soundstage with slightly better imaging. However, I think they have a bump in the mid-bass/mid frequencies compared to the M50s and can sometimes sound "darker" without actually having more bass. The M50s have more bass (especially low-bass) and treble than the RX900s and provide an overall better, more engaging experience (IMO). At $55 dollars, though, the RX900s are amazing headphones. For what I was looking for, I feel like the M50s act as a decent upgrade for me, but I still would have been totally satisfied with the RX900s. If you get the RX900s, you may be interested in the mods available for them.

Hmm, so the Fiio E5 wouldn't really help? My old Etymotic ER6's are barely tolerable unamped at 48 Ohms, very quiet. I assume that at a same power level, headphones are audibly quieter than IEMs since the IEMs are actually in your ears. I really feel that the RX900s are a good choose as they seem to have a good soundstage and imaging while managing good bass at the same token.

That said, your comparison with the M50s make them sound great for my tastes when playing music. Have you ever tried gaming with the ATH-M50s? How would you rate the soundstage and imaging? Average, below, higher?

Damn Archos and their DBA limit.

 

[joelpearce]

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_Blood_Raven /img/forum/go_quote.gif I had looked into those earlier, a bit above my price range sadly.

The 440s are surprisingly close to the same sound.

 

[Napilopez]

Couple of things, The RX700 is generally acknowledged to be better than the RX900 for music.(id say at least 75% of people say so). I sure as heck love mine.

For the RX700 there are two main mods. The felt mod is pretty much universally acknowledged amongst owners to be essential, as it really brings out the upper mids and treble(great for guitars), and on the RX900 is reversible. The foam mod does absolutely no changes to the headphone itself, you're simply stuffing a bit of foam under the pads for comfort and to push the drivers away from the ears a bit more. It's more essential on the RX700 which doesn't have a particularly wide soundstage(though not bad). The RX900s need alot more modding to sound their best, according to what I've read, while for the RX700s, the only thing I'd say you really need is the felt mod(which doesn't require any tools at all).

Personally, unless soundstage is really essential, I would go with the RX700s. They certainly have plenty of bass, without being boomy and muddy as I've heard of unmodded or lightly modded 900s. It seems to me like the RX900s would take away some of that guitar grit that's awesome.

I can game fine with the RX700s, and since you're coming from IEMs, it's most likely going to be at least equivalent(though I haven't heard those you mentioned). And I haven't even foam modded mine, for lazness to find some foam; I'm sure that would help.

 

[Ear Damage]

I'm really interested in where you found the D1001 to fit within your budget.

I only like my RX900 for gaming but if you want a can that fits everything you listed I'd suggest the M50, unless of course you can actually get the D1001 for under $100

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ear Damage /img/forum/go_quote.gif I'm really interested in where you found the D1001 to fit within your budget. I only like my RX900 for gaming but if you want a can that fits everything you listed I'd suggest the M50, unless of course you can actually get the D1001 for under $100

Its a great question really, the D1000 are a lot cheaper and are basically the same thing:
Denon AHD1000S On-ear headphones - AHD1000S - Buy.com

Just barely.

So D1000/1001 > than M50s?

 

[Napilopez]

Why don't you conisder the Creative Aurvana Live? I sound like a broken record, but they are the same as the Denon D1001. I don't know why the full size forum isn't more aware of this. Unless it's something strictly based on looks, brand, or because they want to buy in person, I don't see a reason for people to go with the D1001 which are essentially the same headphone in a twice as expensive package.

Just to be clear, the Creative Aurvana Live use the same exact drivers as the D1001, the same pads, and several other OEM parts, from a company named Foster in Japan. This has been confirmed several times. Some people say the D1001 sound slightly better, a couple have said the CAL are more comfortable and sound better. Any differences are minor and housing related(maybe cabling, though I'm pretty sure it's the same cable).

They're available for 55 dollars at Costco. I would certainly say this is a better option than the RX900 for music. Soundstage is supposed to be good for a closed headphone.

Costco - Creative Aurvana Live! Vivid Performance For Music Connoisseurs

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Does anyone know if the Fiio E5 will help push the RX900s?

 

[The_Blood_Raven]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Napilopez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Why don't you conisder the Creative Aurvana Live? I sound like a broken record, but they are the same as the Denon D1001. I don't know why the full size forum isn't more aware of this. Unless it's something strictly based on looks, brand, or because they want to buy in person, I don't see a reason for people to go with the D1001 which are essentially the same headphone in a twice as expensive package. Just to be clear, the Creative Aurvana Live use the same exact drivers as the D1001, the same pads, and several other OEM parts, from a company named Foster in Japan. This has been confirmed several times. Some people say the D1001 sound slightly better, a couple have said the CAL are more comfortable and sound better. Any differences are minor and housing related(maybe cabling, though I'm pretty sure it's the same cable). They're available for 55 dollars at Costco. I would certainly say this is a better option than the RX900 for music. Soundstage is supposed to be good for a closed headphone. Costco - Creative Aurvana Live! Vivid Performance For Music Connoisseurs

Yes I am aware of this, but I'm totally sold on it quite yet. I'll look around a bit more.

You recommend the Creative/denon's over the ATH-M50s?

 

[hans030390]

I wouldn't bother with the Fiio E5 for any of those headphones.

As for which headphones to pick, I have both the RX900s and the ATH-M50s. The RX900s are more comfortable and have a bigger soundstage with slightly better imaging. However, I think they have a bump in the mid-bass/mid frequencies compared to the M50s and can sometimes sound "darker" without actually having more bass. The M50s have more bass (especially low-bass) and treble than the RX900s and provide an overall better, more engaging experience (IMO).

At $55 dollars, though, the RX900s are amazing headphones. For what I was looking for, I feel like the M50s act as a decent upgrade for me, but I still would have been totally satisfied with the RX900s.

If you get the RX900s, you may be interested in the mods available for them.