Author Topic: Headphone Thread.  (Read 1307587 times)

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Offline didjamatic

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #200 on: Thu, 10 February 2011, 00:04:46 »
Question for you OPEN headphone owners, especially Senn 595-650's and Beyerdynamic DT880's and similar...

Can you hear a phone ring easily with them on?

Would the sound leakage annoy someone over a 6ft cube wall in a moderately quiet office?

I'm thinking of trying opens so I'm not so shut out at the office but don't want to annoy anyone.  If its at a reasonable volume (Milton) I wouldn't be concerned and can't imagine them being that loud since I don't like damaging my ears.
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Offline godly_music

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« Reply #201 on: Thu, 10 February 2011, 00:33:30 »
At a low-mid volume level (background listening), you can hear outside sounds easily and your coworkers won't hear the music.

Offline YpoCaramel

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« Reply #202 on: Sun, 13 February 2011, 01:11:45 »
Quote from: didjamatic;292705
Question for you OPEN headphone owners, especially Senn 595-650's and Beyerdynamic DT880's and similar...

Can you hear a phone ring easily with them on?

Would the sound leakage annoy someone over a 6ft cube wall in a moderately quiet office?

1. DT880 is semi-open. It does muffle a tiny bit, but otherwise it's a leaker both ways.
2. Yes, unless you're trying to blow out your ears with the music volume.
3. I assume you mean 6ft away, across a cubicle wall, not a 6-foot cubicle wall. They would likely hear something. I would generally advise a lightly sealed phone - something that doesn't isolate much (and less clamp), but doesn't leak much either (iirc the Denon D2/5/7000, the big Audio-Technicas). Alternatively, Sennheiser MX980 earbuds don't isolate much but don't leak.

I have K701, D5000 and ATH-ESW10JPN. I don't like the former two much.
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Offline didjamatic

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« Reply #203 on: Sun, 13 February 2011, 08:55:12 »
I have Ultimate Ears TripleFi's when I need complete isolation, they're perfect.  But I'm really enjoying the big sound of these Denon D2000's.  They don't clamp at all.  The look of the DT880/770 is great and their reviews are awesome and they look really comfortable.

By 6ft cube wall I meant it's 6ft high but there is in fact someone about 6ft away on the other side.  I'm thinking open or semi-open won't be a problem.
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Offline Z Overlord

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #204 on: Sun, 13 February 2011, 18:54:26 »
Asus Xonar Essence STX --> Sennheiser HD555

Offline YpoCaramel

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« Reply #205 on: Sun, 13 February 2011, 20:52:29 »
Many open headphones and some closed ones would give you bigger imaging, I've never be impressed by the directionality of the D5000 and I assume the same for the D2000 (same driver, different housing iirc). Soundstage is ok in my book. Bass could stand to be much less muddy.

Yes, low clamp - that's why they don't isolate much at the same time :p trade-offs
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Offline typo

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« Reply #206 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 05:51:11 »
somehow i just know i will get the new stax flagship. i wish i could quit this addiction.

it is stupid quite frankly because my loudspeaker system can best any headphones. period.
it is just harder to hord loudspeakers :)

Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #207 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 06:39:29 »
Quote from: typo;294765
somehow i just know i will get the new stax flagship. i wish i could quit this addiction.

it is stupid quite frankly because my loudspeaker system can best any headphones. period.

So you've got the full blast of studio-level room treatment going on, plus a SBA/DBA, and speakers to match? Lucky man.
Quote from: typo;294765
it is just harder to hord loudspeakers :)

That definitely.

Have you looked into head tracking systems for headphones yet? A Smyth Realizer could deliver very good results when given a near-ideal room for setup. Seemingly a lot of studio folks like to use the thing since it allows them to take their accustomed working environment with them. Not sure how the bass level requirements are dealt with though.
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Offline audioave10

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« Reply #208 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 11:58:33 »
I haven't used headphones for years. The Sennheiser's I had back then were very good however. I may have to look into this again.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #209 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 12:47:06 »
Plantronics Gamecom 367

/ashamed

I bought them when I built my new PC in Oct, and haven't gotten a new pair since. I bought a set of Logitech Z506 speakers and they sound great, but I want better sounding music! I hesitate to buy any expensive headphones/sound systems without having the proper hardware in place. Can anyone recommend a good list of fairly cheap sound cards/amps (or do i need both?) I can use to make my music sound better? Or will I just not see a difference with the Logitech speakers I have??
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Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #210 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 13:41:27 »
Which board with what kind of onboard sound chip do you have? Something like an ALC889, set up properly, would work pretty much as well as anything.

I see a bunch of people complaining about audible hum with the Z-506 - does yours not have this problem? Apparently it's a bit sensitive to cellphone noise, too. SQ doesn't seem to be particularly outstanding either. Apparently a product in the tradition of other new Logitech speaker systems (i.e. disappointing compared to previous offerings).
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #211 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 13:49:45 »
ASUS M4A785TD-V EVO as far as my motherboard goes.

I don't have any humming issues with them. And my cellphone doesn't interfere much (keep it on my left hand side, on the other side of the pc, next to the balcony door). All-in-all best $69 I've ever spent (best buy had them mismarked...my win) on speakers.

When I bought them I wasn't expecting fantastic sound quality, just something to enjoy my music to. I use the bass a lot, as I listen to a lot of house (fitting as Tiesto is a distant cousin of mine :p) and hip-hop. I guess what I'm saying is how much will I have to spend to fit my system to have nice, clear bass and better sound quality with the speakers I already have. I think I'm limited to sound card/amp at this point??

The main reason I'm here, though, is for a good pair of head phones you guys can recommend to me based on what you know. The ones I have are crap. My brother's Razer Carcharias are nice, but I hear a lot of people on here complained about the quality. I have a $19 pair of Sennheisers that blow both my headphones, my brothers headphones, my speakers, and a friends Beats by Dre headphones away.
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Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #212 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 14:18:26 »
That board has a VT1708... nothing particularly exciting, but it should get the job done output wise.

How much would you be willing to spend on cans?
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #213 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 14:56:45 »
~US$100, I guess. Not really looking for something that will last forever. Something that has a mic for games and plays music well.
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Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #214 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 15:21:38 »
So essentially you need a headset... not too many attractive offerings there. Whatever Sennheiser PC1xx fits your budget or a Beyer DT234Pro should be a decent option (though in case of the DT234Pro you have to be aware that it's the headset version of the DT231Pro/235 costing half as much), otherwise one may want to get a basic clip-on mic plus regular headphones. I'm a little surprised the guys at Headroom don't carry PC headsets, they only have phone jobs.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #215 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 16:11:05 »
To be honest, I don't mind having to buy a separate mic. That way I'll be able to take the headphones with me without having a random cable waggling around, and a mic hanging out on the top of the headset.

With that in mind, what headphones do you recommend? Mic??

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it :) I feel Amazon reviews can be slightly biased and welcome third-party reviews from a trusted source. Especially from a German, proven to be the most discerning consumers in the world :p
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Offline slueth

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« Reply #216 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 17:02:09 »
I got an AKG 702, Pioneer HDJ 2000, a Razer Carcharias  and a couple cheap sony headphones that are broken.

I use the AKG 702 with my computer and the HDj 2000 on the go..
The hdj2000 is great on the bus and has some passive isolation.
 I only have the Razer Carcharias for the mic but it does sound good.
 The hdj-2000 are great for dance/electronica music and have an amazing build quality to it.  Magnesium alloy hinges, leathery pads, and foldaway make it great for on the go.
The AKG is not so great in the bass area but I boost the bass with the EQ.. It has a good sound stage that makes me sometimes forget if my speakers or playing or I am wearing headphones.

Offline .XL

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« Reply #217 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 17:20:09 »
Quote from: slueth;295026
I got an AKG 702, Pioneer HDJ 2000, a Razer Carcharias  and a couple cheap sony headphones that are broken.

I use the AKG 702 with my computer and the HDj 2000 on the go..
The hdj2000 is great on the bus and has some passive isolation.
 I only have the Razer Carcharias for the mic but it does sound good.
 The hdj-2000 are great for dance/electronica music and have an amazing build quality to it.  Magnesium alloy hinges, leathery pads, and foldaway make it great for on the go.
The AKG is not so great in the bass area but I boost the bass with the EQ.. It has a good sound stage that makes me sometimes forget if my speakers or playing or I am wearing headphones.


You definitely don't half-ass your headphone purchases :p those AKG 702's look fantastic!

Now sell them to me. :wink:
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Offline aynjell

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« Reply #218 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 17:39:55 »
Quote from: .XL;295034
You definitely don't half-ass your headphone purchases :p those AKG 702's look fantastic!

Now sell them to me. :wink:


Yet a lot of people hate them.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #219 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 19:35:11 »
Quote from: aynjell;295052
Yet a lot of people hate them.


...can I get some for free, then? I'll pay shipping :D

If it's the audio quality, I think I wouldn't mind...best pair of headphones I've ever owned are a $20 pair of Sennheisers.

If it's the looks...you don't need to look at the damn thing, it's on your head!
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Offline aynjell

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« Reply #220 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 20:18:46 »
Quote from: .XL;295140
...can I get some for free, then? I'll pay shipping :D

If it's the audio quality, I think I wouldn't mind...best pair of headphones I've ever owned are a $20 pair of Sennheisers.

If it's the looks...you don't need to look at the damn thing, it's on your head!


I'm sure the quality is fine, but it's very colored. It's not a studio monitor, that's for sure, despite akg marketing it as one. Most people whom have tried ended up not being able to translate to other things with it at all. Quincy Jones being the possibly for profit obvious exception.
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Offline typo

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« Reply #221 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 21:04:54 »
well, no. my speaker setup is actually very sub-par. they are high end but the room stinks. i personally enjoy them much more than all of my headphones though. many people might disagree.  i do collect upper end cans and i still prefer the speakers. thats just imo.
in fact if my speakers were properly setup they would no doubt be a lot better than they are now. i just got the headphone bug a long time ago and i do listen to them regularly. i sometimes switch back between the he90 or o2 and the speakers trying to decide the speakers are better but honestly i am not sure. it is not exactly a straight line comparison. two different animals. speakers and headphones, that. as i said i can't wait to get my hands on the new stax. i hope they live up to the hype.

Offline aynjell

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« Reply #222 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 22:15:04 »
Quote from: typo;295186
well, no. my speaker setup is actually very sub-par. they are high end but the room stinks. i personally enjoy them much more than all of my headphones though. many people might disagree.  i do collect upper end cans and i still prefer the speakers. thats just imo.
in fact if my speakers were properly setup they would no doubt be a lot better than they are now. i just got the headphone bug a long time ago and i do listen to them regularly. i sometimes switch back between the he90 or o2 and the speakers trying to decide the speakers are better but honestly i am not sure. it is not exactly a straight line comparison. two different animals. speakers and headphones, that. as i said i can't wait to get my hands on the new stax. i hope they live up to the hype.


I use klipsch promedia 2.1. Need to get some type of sub isolator and some stands that work with them though. Otherwise I love them.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #223 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 23:21:41 »
Here are a few that I found:

Sennheiser HD280

Audio Technica ATH A-700

What's the difference between these and the AD700's??

Sennheiser HD448

I asked this same question on a friends of mine's wall to see what he thought (big audiophile) and some 5 of his friends responded with Beats by Dre...waste of money ><
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Offline Arc'xer

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« Reply #224 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 23:27:46 »
Quote from: .XL;295220
Here are a few that I found:

Sennheiser HD280

Audio Technica ATH A-700

What's the difference between these and the AD700's??

Sennheiser HD448

I asked this same question on a friends of mine's wall to see what he thought (big audiophile) and some 5 of his friends responded with Beats by Dre...waste of money ><

All three are closed-back. Kinda strange on the HD448 since it looks open due to the grill on it but apparently it's closed. No one who is a "big audiophile" would even mention those.

Offline .XL

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« Reply #225 on: Mon, 14 February 2011, 23:34:20 »
Quote from: Arc'xer;295223
All three are closed-back. Kinda strange on the HD448 since it looks open due to the grill on it but apparently it's closed. No one who is a "big audiophile" would even mention those.


I asked him what to get, he hasn't responded. These are all my picks. What's closed vs open back?
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Offline slueth

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« Reply #226 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 00:01:53 »
Heh. The AKG do look good but sound better.

Offline kps

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« Reply #227 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 10:00:34 »
Quote from: .XL;295226
What's closed vs open back?


This refers to the 'cans' over the ears.

Closed-back headphones have no openings, so they provide better sound isolation, in both directions. These are what you need for use in a cube or open office environment.

Open-back headphones have the back of the speaker open to the outside air in some way (usually behind a grille). This allows for better audio quality for the same cost.

Offline db_Iodine

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« Reply #228 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 12:45:42 »
Quote from: slueth;295026
I got an AKG 702, Pioneer HDJ 2000, a Razer Carcharias  and a couple cheap sony headphones that are broken.

I use the AKG 702 with my computer and the HDj 2000 on the go..
The hdj2000 is great on the bus and has some passive isolation.
 I only have the Razer Carcharias for the mic but it does sound good.
 The hdj-2000 are great for dance/electronica music and have an amazing build quality to it.  Magnesium alloy hinges, leathery pads, and foldaway make it great for on the go.
The AKG is not so great in the bass area but I boost the bass with the EQ.. It has a good sound stage that makes me sometimes forget if my speakers or playing or I am wearing headphones.


I sure hope you're plugging the K702's to a proper headphone amp. You're missing half of the quality if not.

You might also be a bass junkie, and therefore you probably wouldn't like most other high end headphones either.
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Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #229 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 13:16:49 »
AD700s are closed while A700s are open. Sound wise, the amount of bass seems to be different: While the closed versions are known to have a healthy amount, the open ones are a bit on the lighter side. Other than that, AT is a competent manufacturer.

HD280s are not bad closed cans for the price, though people tend to find them a little dry. Good isolation, a bit clampy.

Not sure about the HD448s... they seem to measure reasonably well but may be suffering from a bit of "hollow bird syndrome" (audible cavity resonance), as you'd expect from an open shell gone closed.

Open cans are more of a European thing, so many of the affordable open ones over here are quite spendy in the States. For Grados it's the other way round, so some SR-60s or Alessandro MS-1s would be worth looking at (be aware that build is about the polar opposite of what you'd see with, say, Sennheiser). They are more fun cans for rocking out than dead neutral, but that gets them a large enough following.
Quote from: db_Iodine;295563
I sure hope you're plugging the K702's to a proper headphone amp. You're missing half of the quality if not.
They're a low-medium impedance load with somewhat modest sensitivity, that's true. An opamp without a good bit of oomph under the hood may well break into sweat at higher levels. At least they're not very picky about output impedance.
Quote
You might also be a bass junkie, and therefore you probably wouldn't like most other high end headphones either.
K701s/702s exist in multiple versions with varying amounts of bass. Many are on the lighter side of things, and cranking the lows with such a sample doesn't automatically make someone a basshead. It would mean they had the wrong cans though.
« Last Edit: Tue, 15 February 2011, 13:25:39 by keyb_gr »
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Offline aynjell

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« Reply #230 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 13:31:21 »
If it's for gaming, I strongly suggest AD-700, A-700, or sennheiser HD555 with the 595 mod. Also, I've found that SR80i with bowls are pretty good for some games too, at least for games not demanding spatial awareness...

For non spatially aware games likes WoW, Sony MDR-V6. Isolation, and fun, they are perfect for a game with no spatial cues.

For spatially aware games, like quake 3, ATH-AD700 or HD555. I used to recommend the SRH840 but find them too cumbersome to game with and they're of all my cans the only ones falling apart. I'm disenchanted.
« Last Edit: Tue, 15 February 2011, 17:05:36 by aynjell »
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Offline kill will

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« Reply #231 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 13:40:56 »
sony mdr pro 7506 for life
I <3 BS

Offline aynjell

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« Reply #232 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 13:47:07 »
Quote from: kill will;295603
sony mdr pro 7506 for life


The argument is that there is no difference between the two. Supposedly it amounts to a gold plated plug, and not much else.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #233 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 14:07:44 »
Thanks again for all the help guys. I think I'm going to go for the closed 'cans' then...a set of A700's are a good price and seem to be quite good quality. I'll use them when traveling, too, so I hope they're tough enough for that!

From what you said about the difference between closed and open...the closed seems a better fit for me because I'll have them on while on a plane/bus/metro and I like bass. So it's a win-win i think.
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Offline godly_music

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« Reply #234 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 15:18:10 »
Just don't cross streets with them on.

Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #235 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 15:41:10 »
Quote from: aynjell;295591
I used to recommend the 555 but find them too cumbersome to game with and they're of all my cans the only ones falling apart. I'm disenchanted.

They're no Beyers for sure. Cheap and cheerful ABS plastic rather than the much more flexible stuff found on previous generations. Let's hope the current series (558/598) will hold up better.
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Offline keyb_gr

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« Reply #236 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 15:49:50 »
Quote from: .XL;295618
Thanks again for all the help guys. I think I'm going to go for the closed 'cans' then...a set of A700's are a good price and seem to be quite good quality. I'll use them when traveling, too, so I hope they're tough enough for that!

ATs with their wings and stuff are neither compact nor extremely rugged. The collapsible HD280s would be a better match.
Quote from: .XL;295618
From what you said about the difference between closed and open...the closed seems a better fit for me because I'll have them on while on a plane/bus/metro and I like bass. So it's a win-win i think.

You'd be a candidate for DT770s... 'fraid they're a bit out of your budget though.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #237 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 16:23:30 »
So, HD280 for portability, DT770 for best quality sound around my budget it seems?

I've got them both saved on Amazon. I'll get back to them later this month when I've got the cash. Found a $10 clip on mic on Amazon, too, that should do the job for gaming.

Damn you Geekhack. I've only been signed up for about a week and I've already dropped over $200...about to double that if I get the DT770's...

EDIT: How about a set of Beyerdynamic HD440 or Denon AH-D1100?

EDIT2: Is a headphone amp even necessary? (FiiO E5)
« Last Edit: Tue, 15 February 2011, 16:30:24 by .XL »
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Offline Arc'xer

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« Reply #238 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 16:49:23 »
Quote from: keyb_gr;295580
AD700s are closed while A700s are open.


Other way around AD = open, A = closed.

Offline aynjell

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« Reply #239 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 17:06:11 »
Quote from: keyb_gr;295664
They're no Beyers for sure. Cheap and cheerful ABS plastic rather than the much more flexible stuff found on previous generations. Let's hope the current series (558/598) will hold up better.


I mistyped. I meant the 840's by Shure. They're pretty bad about falling apart if my unit is any indication.
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Offline panda-R

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #240 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 17:21:15 »
DENON AH-D5000's!
DO YOU FEEL THE BEAT? I DO.
One Keyboard to DOOM them all, REALFORCE.

Offline .XL

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« Reply #241 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 18:10:59 »
Quote from: panda-R;295715
DENON AH-D5000's!


If a $150 Ducky keyboard costs '10 tons of bamboo,' how many tons do these cost?? 40 tons?

...that's a lot of bamboo for you to part with.
Keyboards: Filco Majestouch-2 87key Browns - Realforce 103UB 55g - Compaq MX11800 (ghetto clears + doubleshots)

Offline .XL

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« Reply #242 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 18:20:20 »
I've narrowed it down to the Audio-Technica MH50S, the Beyerdynamic DT440, the Beyerdynamic DT770, the AKG-K271MKII, and the Denon AH-D1100.

Which one is the best bang-for-your-buck headphones of this group? I'm going to get a cheap Zalman clip on mic to go with them for gaming.

PS - If anyone is willing to trade a nice set of headphones for a Razer Arctosa keyboard, Razer Mamba mouse, and a Gamecom 367 headset, PM me :wink:
Keyboards: Filco Majestouch-2 87key Browns - Realforce 103UB 55g - Compaq MX11800 (ghetto clears + doubleshots)

Offline slueth

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #243 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 19:09:28 »
Quote
Quote:
Originally Posted by slueth View Post
I got an AKG 702, Pioneer HDJ 2000, a Razer Carcharias and a couple cheap sony headphones that are broken.

I use the AKG 702 with my computer and the HDj 2000 on the go..
The hdj2000 is great on the bus and has some passive isolation.
I only have the Razer Carcharias for the mic but it does sound good.
The hdj-2000 are great for dance/electronica music and have an amazing build quality to it. Magnesium alloy hinges, leathery pads, and foldaway make it great for on the go.
The AKG is not so great in the bass area but I boost the bass with the EQ.. It has a good sound stage that makes me sometimes forget if my speakers or playing or I am wearing headphones.
I sure hope you're plugging the K702's to a proper headphone amp. You're missing half of the quality if not.

You might also be a bass junkie, and therefore you probably wouldn't like most other high end headphones either.


I am using a halo claro sound card.  It has a built in headphone amp that goes up to 600 ohms.  
I only boost the bass on electronic music because it makes my head bob but when I am listening to like harmonica blues or vocals i change the EQ.  When I say its not great in the bass area i mean its not exaggerated like other headphones.

Offline aynjell

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #244 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 19:39:48 »
Quote from: .XL;295742
I've narrowed it down to the Audio-Technica MH50S, the Beyerdynamic DT440, the Beyerdynamic DT770, the AKG-K271MKII, and the Denon AH-D1100.

Which one is the best bang-for-your-buck headphones of this group? I'm going to get a cheap Zalman clip on mic to go with them for gaming.

PS - If anyone is willing to trade a nice set of headphones for a Razer Arctosa keyboard, Razer Mamba mouse, and a Gamecom 367 headset, PM me :wink:

If you go DT 770, make sure you get the lower ohm set unless you want to splash out on an appropriate amp also. If you don't, you'll end up getting approximately the worst possible value. if you want DT 770's you can plug into your sound card, your ipod, and your smart phone without requiring amplification, the 32 ohm is your best bet even if it's not as potentially good as the higher ohm models. The trouble with beyers is you have to figure out the best ohm rating for you. Personally I'd go 80 ohm. I find that cans at that ohm rating have low noise from portables, but good quality with your computer sound output. Just make sure they aren't the blacksheep of the range.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #245 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 19:44:52 »
Quote from: aynjell;295769
Just make sure they aren't the blacksheep of the range.

Not sure what you mean by this part.

I was planning on 'splurging' on one of these as well...hopefully it works fine :p

EDIT: Meaning to say, my choice was the 80Ohms. Unless one of the cheaper options is a better bang-for-your-buck. From online reviews, it looks like the ATM50S are the best headsets in this range.
Keyboards: Filco Majestouch-2 87key Browns - Realforce 103UB 55g - Compaq MX11800 (ghetto clears + doubleshots)

Offline aynjell

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #246 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 19:57:11 »
Quote from: .XL;295774
Not sure what you mean by this part.

I was planning on 'splurging' on one of these as well...hopefully it works fine :p

EDIT: Meaning to say, my choice was the 80Ohms. Unless one of the cheaper options is a better bang-for-your-buck. From online reviews, it looks like the ATM50S are the best headsets in this range.

The Fiio E5 will not drive that, it's honestly a waste. I sold mine for a few bucks, and never looked back. Just plug it into your sound card or buy an X-Fi or something. If you go 32 ohm anything will drive them, 80 ohm anything with a baseline level of testicular fortitude will do the job while having a cleaner more analytical sound if my experience with headphones with that ohm range is accurate. If you can spend money (like 500+ for a good amp) you can go for something like 300ohm or 600ohm.

otherwise stick with 32 or 80. But just make sure that there aren't reviews saying the 32 ohm or 80 ohm sound better, or that one of those models isn't just terrible or something. They're different products. I wouldn't be surprised if they differed in their performance to some degree.

That being said, without spending on an amp, you're limited to 80 ohm or 32 ohm. Read reviews on both and especially look for comparison articles. Pick the winner and be happy. It may be though that there isn't much benefit to teh DT770 32 ohm over the DT440 32 ohm or something. It really requires a great deal of reading.

As an example, I have one amp. The Little Dot I+, it's designed to drive the piss out of 32 ohm cans. So I'd probably go 32 ohm or 80 ohm to get respectable performance from the cans and the amp. DT770 600ohm will just sound terribad from my setup.
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Offline .XL

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« Reply #247 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 20:41:40 »
By X-Fi do you mean something like this?

I'll get to work researching the DT770 and the ATMH50S then...which is good, because I need to take a break from researching international supply chains ><

Though on the upside, with the knowledge I gain I could help EK learn to stock keyboards faster than...never.
Keyboards: Filco Majestouch-2 87key Browns - Realforce 103UB 55g - Compaq MX11800 (ghetto clears + doubleshots)

Offline aynjell

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #248 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 20:56:36 »
Quote from: .XL;295792
By X-Fi do you mean something like this?

I'll get to work researching the DT770 and the ATMH50S then...which is good, because I need to take a break from researching international supply chains ><

Though on the upside, with the knowledge I gain I could help EK learn to stock keyboards faster than...never.



No, are you using a laptop? if so, this is your better bet:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Sound-Blaster-System-SB1240/dp/B004275EO4/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297824303&sr=1-4

If you have a desktop and have a PCI-Express X1 slot or better:

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-SB0886-Titanium-Fatal1ty-Professional/dp/B0018EFGTM/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1297824345&sr=1-2

if you want the front bay (with headphone and mic ports and volume control) then this:

http://www.amazon.com/Express-Blaster-Titanium-Fatal1ty-Champion/dp/B001BDPLJA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1297824379&sr=1-1



There are many options, though no one particular option is the best for any given person.

I figure it this way, optical output from the X-Fi, with wasapi or with just plain old foobar output should perform as good as I'll ever hear. So I basically utilize my X-Fi as a transport. The only reason it's there over my onboard audio is that it handles spatial audio processing and offloads some of that load to my CPU, loads music faster, and does a few things better. Considering music and gaming are major parts of my life, it makes sense to meet in the middle somewhere...

For speakers, it goes:

X-Fi (stereo output) -> Klipsch Promedia 2.1

For headphones, it goes:
X-Fi (optical output) -> SD-793 Mini-DAC -> Little Dot I+ -> Whatever can I'm using.

I have "output stereo mix to optical" enabled so I can switch between the two without making any changes, and when gaming if I choose to use my headphones any and all output goes to both places, and by not using the optical as the default, I get all the features the X-Fi matters for. Also, when all I want is music, I can setup WASAPI in foobar and output to optical, so no other sound comes out, since windows default sound output is the stereo mix, it never makes it there since the optical output is locked down by WASAPI. Makes a good "kill switch" for everything else besides music, a lot of people argue there is some SQ improvements but I wouldn't dare start that argument here or anywhere else as I have no experience suggesting one way or the other.


Optical, ideally should give me the best possible sound quality if output to a good DAC. Arguably there is some merit to a better sound card, but realistically I won't ever spend enough in that card's lifetime for me to consider upgrading it. For now, it's as good as it'll get.


Basically, it's an EAX processor, a digital transport, a speaker output and many other things. It just does a lot of things well and based on my needs, it fits the bill perfectly.
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Offline .XL

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Headphone Thread.
« Reply #249 on: Tue, 15 February 2011, 21:32:46 »
Maaan...I HAD to read this post while listening to Lloyd Banks -Start It Up. Now I'm going to make a second big spontaneous purchase of the night ><

I can only buy either the headphones or the X-Fi card though...

I think I'd get the usb one, seeing as I'll probably be doing a semester abroad in China next sem and won't bring my desktop with me.
Keyboards: Filco Majestouch-2 87key Browns - Realforce 103UB 55g - Compaq MX11800 (ghetto clears + doubleshots)