[White Lotus]

Quote:

 
To my ears they are worth $100 at the most

 

 
Agreed the DT770 Pro 250 ohm version I played out of my Onkyo TX-8555 stereo receiver just sounded so lifeless with everything feeling subdued.
 

Even though I might disagree with both of you, your opinions are very welcome. Sorry if my DT770 example wasn't the best one, but I'll stick to it for now.

If you don't personally prefer the sound signature, for the $200, let's consider build quality and comfort as well.

Is there a $20 headphone that can match it in all respects?

 

[takato14]

 
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Reading around and and you have guys asking for recomendations on headphones that cost 200 bucks.
 
I wouldn't pay more than 50 bucks for a pair of headphones, if that.
 
I have 20 dollar sony headphones and they sound betetr than this overrpriced beats garbage or whatever

Spending high is the only way to get half-decent headphones nowadays. Almost all of the modern headphones I've tried have had deal-breaking flaws that made me set them aside in disgust. Headphone companies are more focused on making a lot of money nowadays than making the best performing headphone they can (Sennheiser, I'm looking at you).
 
This is why I stick to vintage fare. Sometimes I get garbage but most of what I've gotten are <extremely> capable headphones with better build quality than anything out today. Some examples:
 
1: KOSS PRO/4AAA: Sounds better than an HD600 once modified, smooth frequency response with excellent detail, great soundstage, and speaker-like bass. ($50 in like-new condition)
 
2: Sony DR-Z5: This unassuming little can absolutely DESTROYS every single headphone I've touched (save for the HD800) in detail retrieval and precision. Instantaneous decay and flat-line bass. ($60)
 
3: Stanton Dynaphase Sixty: Absolute monsters. These have the most realistic presentation I've ever heard. Huge, smooth, and powerful sound. A bit too heavy but you get used to it. ($80)

 

[MrTechAgent]

We love music.
Period.
Also rather than spending money other stuff we spend on audio equipment 

 

[GaijinMo]

How much somebody loves music isn't proportional to how much cash they're willing to drop on headphones. Can you confidently say that you love music more than someone who spends less money on audio equipment without even knowing that person? I know lots of people who breathe music and have much more ability in its creation and reproduction than I, and they'd have nightmares if they knew how much some people on here spend. Head-Fi is for people who love headphones. Let's not go extrapolating that into something more than it really is.
 
Hey, I only responded because it was bumped again! Don't yell at me!

 

[nicholars]

Why do people spend lots of money on things like getting their nails done, haircut, perfume, shoes etc.
 
Compared to those things a pair of headphones is a good investment.
 
The question should be "why doesn't everyone buy a good pair of headphones".

 

[Hellbishop]

Quote:

 
 

Even though I might disagree with both of you, your opinions are very welcome. Sorry if my DT770 example wasn't the best one, but I'll stick to it for now.

If you don't personally prefer the sound signature, for the $200, let's consider build quality and comfort as well.

Is there a $20 headphone that can match it in all respects?

 
Glad this thread came up again. Sorry jensy  my reply was a bit harsh when it should have not been. I should have pointed out the good points about the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (250 ohm version) as well like the sound being great for classical and single player gaming where its more about immersion and not just the boom boom. They also have a warm sound that is comforting with no shrill highs. Build quality and comfort are excellent especially the comfort which only my Audio Technica Ath AD700 can match and that's only because I have the pumpkin head for the AD700
 
Cheers and thanks for keeping things dignified on the mighty Head-fi forums

 

[vid]

The Yamaha HP-50 I paid 15 € for and modded carefully I suspect would easily best a DT 770 in all but perhaps bass and soundstage, but that's saying without having heard the 770. Certainly the Yama manhandle the '80s version of the DT 990 even if the 990 are a good can otherwise. I might say that with careful mods the AT ATH-2 I got for 10 € incl. shipping might top the DT 770 in all sorts of ways, but that's a gamble given the ATH-2's nature. Maybe the Senn HD 530 could be had for 20 € with some luck - I paid 30 € - and probably won't be too far off the 770 if you ignore the bass. The KWH HOK 80 can often be had for 10 € or less - mine were 15 € in their original box along with the DDR-era receipts - and with some effort in modding I doubt the 770 could match their smooth, realistic sound except doing better in the bass most likely.
 
That's to name some cheap phones that could potentially hand the DT 770 its very own rear, but having never heard the 770, can't say for sure. Plus the deals I've gotten on those phones aren't even that special - one guy for instance got two pairs of HP-50 for 10 € total I believe, which is probably worth some 1000 € right there in modern price-inflated mid-fi phones.

 

[Errymoose]

Sorry, but there is absolutely no way you can talk about how it compares AT ALL to something you've never heard...   That said, even if you can spend in the minimum of tens of hours modding a cheap pair of headphones to DT770 status, tens of hours of my time is apparently worth a few grand based on how much i earn.  That's not to say I couldn't spend hours of my spare time modding headphones instead of other pointless activities.
 
But with the convenience of buying an off the shelf product and the sheer number of hours of use I get from my high end headphones, it's not all that bad.

 

[White Lotus]

Quote:

Cheers and thanks for keeping things dignified on the mighty Head-fi forums

No problem at all - we're all on the same team here, and your input is very welcome
 
 
Quote:

having never heard the 770, can't say for sure.

Ah, I was preparing to give my rebuttal to your statements, but then felt a little let-down by this addition. It's a little difficult to compare something if you have not heard it before, but I appreciate your comparison regardless.

But still, let's not look at the DT770 purely just in terms of it's tonal/sonic qualities, let's look at what else the price tag gives us:
 

1. Probably some of the most comfortable headphones I own
2. Strong like an ox - they are thrown in my toolbag, in the back of trucks, stepped on, and used at all of my events/gigs - and they have never broken down on me, they are still alive and kicking.
3. Easy to modify/replace parts (If you're into that sort of thing), with a large user-base to discuss and help with such things.
   
    

I'm sure there are other headphones that can do everything I've just mentioned, but ask yourself -

Are there any $20 headphones that fall into that category?

 

[digicosmos]

Do not figure that out - you will save thousands of dollars, believe me

 

[vid]

Ah, I was preparing to give my rebuttal to your statements, but then felt a little let-down by this addition. It's a little difficult to compare something if you have not heard it before, but I appreciate your comparison regardless.

 
Preparing to give a rebuttal, as in listening to the phones I talked about? I think not, though hopefully you did, otherwise you may seem a tad presumptuous demanding yet another rebuttal yourself as you did.
 
The trap you run into is that if the Yamas, for instance, were in production today, you wouldn't be able to buy them for 20 €, and not for 200 € either. It's like the linguists' story about how the notion of emptiness in empty gasoline drums makes us handle them more carelessly than if they had gasoline in them.

 

[White Lotus]

Preparing to give a rebuttal, as in listening to the phones I talked about? I think not, though hopefully you did, otherwise you may seem a tad presumptuous demanding yet another rebuttal yourself as you did.

Could you please rephrase this? I'm left a little confused by your wording.

(Sorry, I'm not meaning to come across as rude)

 

[MrTechAgent]

Quote:

How much somebody loves music isn't proportional to how much cash they're willing to drop on headphones. Can you confidently say that you love music more than someone who spends less money on audio equipment without even knowing that person? I know lots of people who breathe music and have much more ability in its creation and reproduction than I, and they'd have nightmares if they knew how much some people on here spend. Head-Fi is for people who love headphones. Let's not go extrapolating that into something more than it really is.
 
Hey, I only responded because it was bumped again! Don't yell at me!

Alright  I did not want to say this but , I am rich - really rich
I ride a M3 and my Dad's company provides PVC material to VW and Ferrari (Through a source called Holm)  and I love music so I spend money on stuff which makes me smile

 

[pp312]

It's okay, we won't hold it against you. Everyone has their faults.

 

 

[vid]

Quote:

Could you please rephrase this? I'm left a little confused by your wording.

 
You say you had a rebuttal in the works until you learnt that I hadn't heard the DT 770, at which point you felt you needed not to rebut. You then proceeded to lay down more bullet points of your own on why cheaper headphones aren't better than the DT 770, having seemingly not heard the headphones I proposed. In other words, you denied a rebuttal on the same grounds on which you stood when demanding one be given to you.