Trying to get into hi-fi
Jul 3, 2016 at 5:12 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 40

PL4Y3R 0N3

Headphoneus Supremus
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So I own a pair of beats studio wireless headphones, and all I hear on the Internet is how much they suck. Well I still like them, but the internet is always right so I'm looking for a full size headphone replacement. $200 is the most I'll spend and I don't want to need an external amp. I've already got the Audio-Technicha ATH M50x in my Amazon cart (as well as the seinheiser g4me zero but that's different) and I'm looking for more suggestions.
Thanks in advance

PL4Y3R 0N3
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 6:37 PM Post #2 of 40
Beats Studio Wireless Headphones are $379 headphones. People on Head-Fi often find Beats a poor value for the money, but spending half as much may not be much of an upgrade.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 7:18 PM Post #3 of 40
Beats Studio Wireless Headphones are $379 headphones. People on Head-Fi often find Beats a poor value for the money, but spending half as much may not be much of an upgrade.


According to all of the sites I've looked at you can get better sound than beats at less than half the price. I personally paid $250 for the beats studio wireless and I figured $50 less was a good budget. All I'm looking for is a true pair of audiophile grade and audiophile approved headphones.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 7:59 PM Post #4 of 40
I suggest you start off with something cheaper. Well, depending on what kind of music you listen to, different headphones my cater to you. I don't know much headphones but the Superlux HD 668b is a great start into the audiophile game. It has great sub bass and very detailed sounding, but will sound like garbage is you have low quality music files. I suggest you keep researching.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 8:10 PM Post #5 of 40
I suggest you start off with something cheaper. Well, depending on what kind of music you listen to, different headphones my cater to you. I don't know much headphones but the Superlux HD 668b is a great start into the audiophile game. It has great sub bass and very detailed sounding, but will sound like garbage is you have low quality music files. I suggest you keep researching.


I'm very new to the audiophile community too. All of my experience with hi-fi is in research form. XD

Like I said the only high quality headphones I have are my beats. I am looking to start collecting headphones so I don't mid having several expensive pairs. My only must is for it to be closed back because I'm going to be in a dorm soon.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 8:16 PM Post #6 of 40
I'm very new to the audiophile community too. All of my experience with hi-fi is in research form. XD

Like I said the only high quality headphones I have are my beats. I am looking to start collecting headphones so I don't mid having several expensive pairs. My only must is for it to be closed back because I'm going to be in a dorm soon.

The Superlux HD668Bs is open-back so avoid that. I'm not too new to the audiophile community but I still have to do research for the next headphone I might buy. 
 
I currently own the Sennheiser HD 202, Philips SHP2000, House of Marley Positive Vibration, Philips SHP2000 and Sony MDR V-150.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 10:12 PM Post #8 of 40
You never mentioned what music you listen to, which is the most important factor for deciding headphones.

 
Actually, while musical genre being listened to is helpful information when making a recommendation, personal sound signature preference is far more critical information. For example, a lot of people who listen mainly to EDM like a V-Shaped signature; if I were to recommend a V-Shaped headphone to a person solely based on the fact that he or she listens to EDM, I would still be taking a sizeable risk in jumping to the conclusion that the person will therefore like a V-Shaped signature, when in fact the person could like mid-focused signatures, the complete opposite type of signature.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 10:17 PM Post #9 of 40
Actually, while musical genre being listened to is helpful information when making a recommendation, personal sound signature preference is far more critical information. For example, a lot of people who listen mainly to EDM like a V-Shaped signature; if I were to recommend a V-Shaped headphone to a person solely based on the fact that he or she listens to EDM, I would still be taking a sizeable risk in jumping to the conclusion that the person will therefore like a V-Shaped signature, when in fact the person could like mid-focused signatures, the complete opposite type of signature.

Yes, that is true, but in this case, the OP's most "high quality" headphones are Beats, it's a fair assumption he hasn't tried much headphones to know which sound signature he prefers. If he does, he can just Google for example "V-shaped headphones under $200" and get his answer.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 10:33 PM Post #10 of 40
According to all of the sites I've looked at you can get better sound than beats at less than half the price. I personally paid $250 for the beats studio wireless and I figured $50 less was a good budget. All I'm looking for is a true pair of audiophile grade and audiophile approved headphones.


Five years ago that was an accurate generalization. In the last year or two, Beats has released some updated models that are pretty good. I don't know if your Beats Wireless are the newer better breed, which is why I said "may not."
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 10:41 PM Post #11 of 40
I just got my beats. They are the updated studio model and to me sound great, but I'd like to try something more accurate and true. I mainly listen to metalcore and rock with some bass heavy music like trap. I don't know what kind of sound signature I like but I do like to feel the thump of the bass when I listen to music. For me the biggest thing I want is clarity, and as much as I love the beats I feel like I could find something "better".
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 10:56 PM Post #12 of 40
I just got my beats. They are the updated studio model and to me sound great, but I'd like to try something more accurate and true. I mainly listen to metalcore and rock with some bass heavy music like trap. I don't know what kind of sound signature I like but I do like to feel the thump of the bass when I listen to music. For me the biggest thing I want is clarity, and as much as I love the beats I feel like I could find something "better".

I used the M50x before and I listen to similar genres too. It sounds great for rock and metalcore/hardcore, and I use the EQ to boost the bass for electronic music.
If you want open back, the HD598's are good too, and they are even less colored (more neutral sounding) than the M50x and have a nice soundstage.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 10:57 PM Post #13 of 40
According to all of the sites I've looked at you can get better sound than beats at less than half the price. I personally paid $250 for the beats studio wireless and I figured $50 less was a good budget. All I'm looking for is a true pair of audiophile grade and audiophile approved headphones.

 
While the M50X you've been considering is certainly "audiophile approved", I wouldn't consider them "audiophile grade"; you would have to move up a price bracket to get into what I would consider entry level audiophile headphones. With a $200 budget, you might have to buy used to get into that territory. Take a look at the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 and NAD Viso HP50; the MSR7 has better clarity than the HP50, but many would consider them lean in the bass, while the HP50 strikes a good compromise between bass quantity and clarity. (The HP50 comes with the caveat that they look dorky when worn outside.)
 
If you want a "safe" option in terms of sound signature and are willing to trade off some detail resolution and refinement, get the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus. It has adjustable sound sliders to change the bass level and overall sound signature, so you can get tons of bass or a more neutral sound depending on your preferences.
 
Jul 3, 2016 at 11:12 PM Post #14 of 40
While the M50X you've been considering is certainly "audiophile approved", I wouldn't consider them "audiophile grade"; you would have to move up a price bracket to get into what I would consider entry level audiophile headphones. With a $200 budget, you might have to buy used to get into that territory. Take a look at the Audio Technica ATH-MSR7 and NAD Viso HP50; the MSR7 has better clarity than the HP50, but many would consider them lean in the bass, while the HP50 strikes a good compromise between bass quantity and clarity. (The HP50 comes with the caveat that they look dorky when worn outside.)

If you want a "safe" option in terms of sound signature and are willing to trade off some detail resolution and refinement, get the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro Plus. It has adjustable sound sliders to change the bass level and overall sound signature, so you can get tons of bass or a more neutral sound depending on your preferences.


Wow! That's a lot of feedback, and a lot of headphones I haven't heard of. Thanks for all of the suggestions. Really I want just a different sound to try. My beats have a v shaped sound signature so I'd like something more flat. Because of the music I listen to I don't think I'd like the midrange to be pushed forward. Mainly I want to try new things.
 
Jul 5, 2016 at 8:23 AM Post #15 of 40
So I own a pair of beats studio wireless headphones, and all I hear on the Internet is how much they suck. Well I still like them, but the internet is always right so I'm looking for a full size headphone replacement.

 
If you like the sound of Beats you're probably not going to like anything that isn't like Beats, which is anything that people who say they suck use.
 
Quote:
According to all of the sites I've looked at you can get better sound than beats at less than half the price. I personally paid $250 for the beats studio wireless and I figured $50 less was a good budget. All I'm looking for is a true pair of audiophile grade and audiophile approved headphones.

$200 is the most I'll spend and I don't want to need an external amp. I've already got the Audio-Technicha ATH M50x in my Amazon cart (as well as the seinheiser g4me zero but that's different) and I'm looking for more suggestions.

I just got my beats. They are the updated studio model and to me sound great, but I'd like to try something more accurate and true. I mainly listen to metalcore and rock with some bass heavy music like trap. I don't know what kind of sound signature I like but I do like to feel the thump of the bass when I listen to music. For me the biggest thing I want is clarity, and as much as I love the beats I feel like I could find something "better".

 
Note that in some cases "accurate" and "audiophile" are not always the same thing, and neither are most things known for accuracy actually accurate. The first means it's about as flat as technology permits; the second often means "syrupy sweet audio sauce" with the highs rolled off and the bass slightly ticked up, and the third case refers to how people talk about very accurate and detailed headphones but if you took measurements what they think is detail is a peak or mountain range in the treble. The second case is for people with hyperacusis, the third is for people with usually age-based hearing loss (ie you gradually lose hearing response in the high frequencies as you age).
 
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In any case, if you still really want to get your feet wet, look into these:
 
AKG K553Pro
https://www.amazon.com/AKG-K553-PRO-553-Pro/dp/B00X3MT7F6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467721506&sr=8-1&keywords=AKG+K553
 
Choose S03-H01-E05-C05 config
https://aiaiai.dk/configurator
 
Grain Audio OEHP
http://grainaudio.com/products/oehp-over-ear-headphones
 

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