[WhiteCrow]

Sony XB700-Fake V6's-HD448's-Grado sr80i-Ultrasone HFI-580*wub*-AKG k500*neutral wub*-soon HD25II
Amp Little Dot MKII+,and one day a uDAC or dedicated DAC.
 

 

[Cykull]

Well, I'm starting with the M50s. Decided to look for something better, because I was getting tired of buying $20 headphones that would break in less than a month and sounded muffled. I knew there had to be something better out there. Glad I found this community and got into this hobby.

 

[Thommohawk]

My first stop on semi-decent headphones was the Sennheiser HD 215, before I found head-fi, comfort was great and they were better than anything I'd had before as there was an inherent 'it' factor about more expensive headphones in general (as compared to say ibuds or cheap gaming vibration headsets) but I was never happy with the almost complete lack of bass response which I thought was strange for closed back headphones marketed as DJ headphones! 
 
Anyway that's where I sort of started, then I found head-fi and purchased the Koss Porta Pro, I was blown away by those for the price especially and I still have them. THE pair for portable/low key use imo. From there I decided to sample the more expensive (though still somewhat sane priced relatively speaking!) and I purchased my current setup - Beyer DT 990 Pro, Fiio E7 and the Asus Xonar Essence sound card. Excellent little rig for a fair price I believe. Either way I've been happy. So from here it's simply foil purchase or curiosity. Can't see myself parting with the Beyer's as they do everything to a more than satisfying level. They're simply fantastic for the music I listen to which is rock and electronica. They're also great for movies and gaming. Especially immersive gaming.
 
But I'm seriously considering picking up the Sennheiser HD 598 though, it's supposed to be a lively headphone which excels with mids and treble ? Or mainly mids ? In any case I have my Fiio E7 which has bass boost should I require it. I'm thinking these would be a great foil for my Beyer. 

 

[dogwan]

Quote:

In the early 80's I got a Sony WalkMan cassette player.  It was just exactly the same size as the plastic box for an actual cassette tape.  You had to kind of pull it apart a bit to extend it before opening the lid and putting the tape in.  I think the headphones were the ones that look like earbuds, but they faced forward and had a thin little headband.  
 

Oh, man I drooled over that Walkman in the local JAFCO (?) store for so long that I was eventually banned for playing with the merchandise too much. Of course I asked for one for Xmas that year and my parents, bless their hearts, got me the knock off GE portable cassette player. It was 5x as big and 10x the weight. Went through 4 AA's in about an hour. But I took it everywhere. Even made a custom chest harness so I could ski with it on.
 
Still looking for a Walkman of that vintage for the sake of owning what I never could in my youth. They must be highly collectible or all broken because they're hard to find.
 
Back on topic...... I hadn't really thought about headphones since those early days in the 80's until I picked up an Ipod. Immediately looked for alternative phones solely because I can't stand putting things in my ears after years of working in cabinet shops and having to use those stupid foam plugs. Fortunately I had been into high end home audio for a number of years and the audio aesthetic (earsthetic?) was with me so I had some taste. Ended up with a pair of iGrado's. Even though I had educated ears I still hadn't "discovered" the world of headphones. A few weeks later I stumbled on an ad for AKG K401's on Craigslist, $20 and just around the corner. Immediately discovered I needed a portable amp. An AMB mini^3 was my first purchase from the 4sale board shortly after joining HeadFi. It was downhill from there. Within weeks I had a pair of DT880's and an ASL MG HEAD OTL.
 
I still cruise Craigslist looking for unusual cans. And hopefully a mint Sony Walkman.
 
-Dogwan

 

[bar1]

Started in the early 80's with Beyerdynamic DT440. Sounded very good with B&O amplifier and turntable.

 

[MuuMuu]

started back in the late 90s (way back for some, probably like yesterday to some old farts) trying out some grados at a local store.  I did not appreciate the sound and proceeded to enjoy a KSC-35 for the next 2-3 years.

 

[WhiteCrow]

yea, I started a little over a year ago...and it's all down hill from there.

 

[nc8000]

I started out with the Sennheiser HD414 in the late 70's and they lasted me 10-15 years with portable cassette players. I then had a break without headphones until the late 90's where I started travelling a lot and got Sennheiser HD25-1 again for travelling. These were some yeas later replaced by Etymotics ER4-S and the original Headroom Airhead. I didn't really get into home use of headphones until about 7 years ago and started right at the top with L3000. It's been an expensive journey but I'm just about set now with my current rigs

 

[blackcoffeex1]

Sennheiser PX100s. I saw them at a Circuit City, and I remembered reading about them somewhere (most likely here) and I decided to give them a try. Changed my life.

 

 

[FearSC549]

I started with computer speakers. I was always satisfied with my old crappy speakers but after getting a Logitech Z-2300 for $60, I was stunned at the improvement of sound. I then bought a Metro.Fi 200vi for $25 from a sale on Amazon. Later I bought an AT AD300 because I've always wanted an open can after reading about how great the AD700 sounds. This passion soon expanded way pass my wallet. 

 

[yepimonfire]

The first headphone i had that actually sounded really good were a pair of 20 dollar koss from walmart, i loved how those things sounded, they weren't what got me into audio to begin with, i used to be obsessed with it when i was 7, even though i had no money to buy any equipment. my family from my dads side literally has an audiophile gene if one exists, my dad was an audiophile, his dad was, etc. my great great grandpa worked for RCA and helped invent the first transistor radio. music is also my lifeblood, so naturally that adds a lot to why i love audio so much. pretty much all of my leftover money i have goes into audio equipment or music to playback on it. ive never felt guilty about dropping large sums of cash in seconds on something nor have i ever regretted it later, its an emotional, physical, and even spiritual thing that keeps on giving. music fixes everything no matter how crappy my day or week has been. the enjoyment you can get from high quality audio gear is truly priceless to me.

 

[dan1son]

Started?  Well my dad had some Koss PRO4AA and HD424 headphones back when I was a kid.  He was always into good sound.  He would meticulously record brand new LPs on a very good turntable onto Dolby NR and DBX cassettes for use in the home or car (no DBX in the car) so he wouldn't mess up the record overplaying it.  His cassette decks were all tuned perfectly as well so everything played just right.  He was the first person I knew with a cd player.  etc...  This is all his fault
 
My father had a few nice pairs of headphones already since he did some recording in the field and mixing in the house for some local bands and high school / church plays and variety shows.  He had several pairs of MDR-7506s, JVC HA-D990, Fostex T50, and a couple of others I can't think of right now that he had bought to find something he can mix with (ended up with the MDR-7506 which is why he has several pairs).  He uses monitors now so the headphones just sit around these days most of the time
 
I found head-fi while I was working at Best Buy trying to find some headphone that didn't sound like complete garbage.  Didn't have a lot of money so I was just going through the models I got a good discount on and eventually gave up after trying the "more expensive" sony canalphones.  They were junk so I googled around for alternatives and head-fi popped up.  I immediately bought the KSC-75 which Best Buy carried after seeing a post on head-fi and was impressed enough to buy the ER-6 and MS-1 within a few months.  I then talked to my dad about headphone amplifiers and he quickly (within a few minutes of prototyping) designed and built an NE5532 based amp that was almost identical to the CMoy circuit.  He had built some audio devices for various personal uses over the years (guitar amps, breakout boxes, etc.) and always found the NE5532 to be very appealing audibly.  I ordered some parts, ordered some sample opamps, and built myself a point to point amp based around the buffered mint circuit, built a dual voltage PSU around it, and plopped it into a case.  Still use that amp daily.  
 
I've managed to keep the budget sane over the years.  I guess if you average it out it's only been about $200 a year since I started.  The key has been to just listen to music.  

 

[brrgrr]

I got some PX100's as a gift about 4-5 years ago, I used them lightly then started searching for some cheap IEM's, picked up the CX300's. After I broke the first pair I bought another pair...
My dad bought the Bose Triports, so about a year after that I started looking into a quality pair of headphones for myself. I found myself at these forums somehow and referred to it extensively, I remember reading the phrase "no highs, no lows, must be Bose," among other not so endearing comments, a hand-full of times so I steered away from the brand altogether. I started reading about the HD 25-1 II, after comparing several competitors I bought a new pair. At first I was a little underwhelmed (I didn't know of burn-in at the time), but after that I've loved them ever since.
Recently I lost my old CX300's, I wasn't very sad about it, so I started looking for new budget IEM's to keep myself entertained during lectures. I went with the NuForce NE-700M, found myself carried away by these forums, and ended up buying a cheap Icon Mobile, recabling my HD 25, and buying the Corda 3Move.
So that is where I stand, I'm diggin the new set-up and I hope I remain satisfied for my wallet's sake.