Headphone Thread.

[verbhal]

Some amazing headphones in here.  Currently I have been using my Sennheiser HD360s.  I also have a pair of HD650s and some more gaming related ones Astro A40s and the most ridiculous headset ever.  Psyko Carbons.  So ridiculous kind of like wearing a helmet.

[Lastpilot]

Currently: AiAiAi TMA-1 Studio's

Audio Technica ATH-A700 Art Edition
WESC Alp Horn
Pioneer HDJ-1000

Really loving the TMA-1s. Had them for about 5 months, still convinced they will be my last full-size headphones.

[pby]

Currently:
AKG K701
AKG K271
Unique Melody Aero

I just run them through an RME UCX then into an o2 amp to lower the output impedance.

[link_tree]

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Oh the holy cables...

Wait, what? is this for real? Why the high price?

forget about the cable's price check out the lowest rating comments on it... people are insane!

[rknize]

Read the comments.

[kraise]

Currently:
Grado SR325 w/ G-Cush earpads (the stock pads ended up hurting my ears after 1+ hrs)
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 50th Anniversary Edition
Westone 4R (IEMs for on the go)

I run my headphones through my HiFiMAN EF2A with GE JAN 5654W tubes. Just my little introduction to the tube amp world.

[ChaoticKinesis]

If you're using a USB DAC, you definitely need one of these cables to get the highest fidelity: http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AQMUSBDIA&variation=5.

I wonder if they would reduce latency for our keyboards.  )

[Turkishrambo]

 I use HD 25-II (or hd 25 originals)for my portable music needs. I dont really use headphones at the computer.

[missalaire]

Has anyone here ever used a Logitech G930 headset? If so, how was it? Any disconnect issues?

[TheGreatAmphibianPling]

http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AKDL1-Dedicated-Link-Cable/dp/B000I1X6PM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Oh the holy cables...

Wait, what? is this for real? Why the high price?

To take advantage of human gullibility/

[TheGreatAmphibianPling]

How do you guys feel about spending $$$ on high-end IEMs?

Just curious, because I had initially thought that I wanted to drop $100-$200 on some nice IEMs, but I've been using $25 Sony earbuds that have plenty good sound quality and a comfortable fit. Not as good as my dt770s, but miles ahead of SkullCandy/iPhone quality.

Idk if I can justify expensive buds/IEMs like I could a full sized set

It depends on how often you use your IEMs. Do you take them outside when you walk? Commute? If you use them for at least 30 minutes a day, I think that would justify spending the money on some more expensive IEMs. I think if you purchase the Vsonic GR07, you will find that it is close to the DT770's performance. It's not quite there since it's an IEM, but it does have very good sound quality. For reference, I used to own the dt770/250 and I still currently use the gr07 when I go out or commute.

IEM performance sometimes isn't very closely related to price. An awful lot of people rate the cheap Philips SHE3880 very highly:

http://kingoftweaks.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/philips-she3580-audiophile-sound-for-599.html

- I rate them as equal but different to the Etymotics I have that cost ten times as much. They're rather more comfortable too.

Headphonewise, I like the Sennheiser HD25-ii:



They are closed, on-ear phones.  I like then because

- The sound is neutral and revealing

- The drivers are far fast responding - a lot of even high end headphones can't respond quickly and leave the edges of fast transient sounds blurry instead of sharp, robbing them of attack

(A lot of people describe them as having more of a Grado than Senheisser personality because of the two above traits.)

- Excellent isolation

- Small enough to use while traveling, big enough to wear all day

- Notoriously tough, and all parts available as user replaceable spares

- The adjustable split band design stays on your head no matter what - you can jog, etc, with these on.

They were originally designed for TV and radio news teams, spread to pro dj's, and then the consumer market.

[flacman]

I have:

Beyerdynamic Tesla T1, 
http://ocau.com/pix/u2hib

Amplified by the Woo Audio WA2
http://ocau.com/pix/4y378

fed by Audio-gd NFB-12.1 via SPDIF.
http://ocau.com/pix/er3u3

[Rolla]

Has anyone here ever used a Logitech G930 headset? If so, how was it? Any disconnect issues?

I have a set of G930s, i really like them. The sound was a bit tinny, but once you install the software for it you can easily change the bass etc.

As fotr the connectivity, i had a problem in my old house where if i went anywhere in the house where my boiler was inbetween myself and the reciever,it would cut out. Now im in my new flat i can go anywhere and still it wont cut out.

I have no experiance with any other wireless headsets but for the price theyre pretty nice IMHO.

[IPT]

I got a pair of G930s as well, decent for Gaming, really nice touch obviously is the wireless factor
Range-wise I was able to go a full floor away from my computer and still get the signal fine.

for music/movies though, i found them a bit lacking in clarity, yeah the bass was booming but very muddled and not clear.
This is playing Blurays btw.

[missalaire]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

[tjcaustin]

How do you guys feel about spending $$$ on high-end IEMs?

Just curious, because I had initially thought that I wanted to drop $100-$200 on some nice IEMs, but I've been using $25 Sony earbuds that have plenty good sound quality and a comfortable fit. Not as good as my dt770s, but miles ahead of SkullCandy/iPhone quality.

Idk if I can justify expensive buds/IEMs like I could a full sized set

I'd buy high-end IEMs all day over full size.  Hell, considering what sets I've gone through, what I have now, what's out there and the pricing for such, 100-200 seems reasonable/low for good IEMs.

I mentioned it before, but right now I'm rocking customs, JHAudio JH5s ("cheapo entry level" I know) and it's more than worth the price of entry.

[IPT]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

oh yeah one negative about the G930 for me is the ear cups are closes, so your ears will get sweaty after wearing them for a long time
Like I wear mine for Raiding in WoW, and after 3 hours of raiding its all sweaty lol.

Also if you wear glasses it may dig the glasses into your head since the headset clamps on pretty tight.

[takaki]

are you the same projectD on head-fi Just wondering.

[keymaster]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset

[missalaire]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset

Yes, I am aware of this. You of all people should know this about me lol. Like I said though, I really don't care about the sound quality as long as it isn't god awful. I just want a nice, comfortable wireless gaming headset since all I'd mostly be using it for is gaming and Skype/Ventrilo. Already ordered a pair of G930s so they should be coming in soon

[IPT]

are you the same projectD on head-fi Just wondering.

yar but i don't really post on Head-fi, only check the classified lol.

[takaki]

I mixed you up with project86 ! my bad hahahha

[takaki]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset

Looking at the statement
ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset ( HD650,HD800,LC2,thunderpants,Beyers) Hmmm are you sure? :x

the M50s are good and cool for someone who wants to try out mid tier headphones. However, it isn't the most comfortable headphone to wear for long hours of gaming.
You may wanna take a look at the velour pads mod for the m50.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/414574/velour-felt-pads-for-ath-m50/135

[davkol]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset

Looking at the statement
ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset ( HD650,HD800,LC2,thunderpants,Beyers) Hmmm are you sure? :x

the M50s are good and cool for someone who wants to try out mid tier headphones. However, it isn't the most comfortable headphone to wear for long hours of gaming.
You may wanna take a look at the velour pads mod for the m50.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/414574/velour-felt-pads-for-ath-m50/135

Eh, these aren't exactly headsets IIRC, but I think there're some of these in combos w/ mic, e.g. DT770 or HD 25-II.

[keymaster]

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset

Yes, I am aware of this. You of all people should know this about me lol. Like I said though, I really don't care about the sound quality as long as it isn't god awful. I just want a nice, comfortable wireless gaming headset since all I'd mostly be using it for is gaming and Skype/Ventrilo. Already ordered a pair of G930s so they should be coming in soon

My brother has that headset and I'll say this: for the your intended use, those will be more than enough. From my experience, they are rather soft on the ears.

Sounds good. I'm not really looking for anything amazing sound-wise, just a good, comfy headset for gaming. Will probably be looking to upgrade to a pair of G930s at some point then. Thanks for the feedback guys!

ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset

Looking at the statement
ATH-M50 + a standalone microphone > any headset ( HD650,HD800,LC2,thunderpants,Beyers) Hmmm are you sure? :x

the M50s are good and cool for someone who wants to try out mid tier headphones. However, it isn't the most comfortable headphone to wear for long hours of gaming.
You may wanna take a look at the velour pads mod for the m50.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/414574/velour-felt-pads-for-ath-m50/135

Thank you for this link. I may do this for my ATH-M50.

[LifeIsGooD2]

looking for a 200-300$ headphones to upgrade my ad700s for my birthday ... any suggestions ?

[Turkishrambo]

ive heard HD 598's are really good

Im not much of an audiophile so im sure someone can point out something better

[rknize]

I have the 558s which I "converted" to the 598 by removing the foam pad.  Supposedly that is the only difference, though some have claimed otherwise.  I am happy with them for what I paid.  They are very comfortable.

[LifeIsGooD2]

also they are going to be used mostly with my HT omega striker sound card if that matters at all

Ive heard good things about the KD702 ...any opnions ?

[thegunner100]

looking for a 200-300$ headphones to upgrade my ad700s for my birthday ... any suggestions ?

Do you have a amp? If so, DT880 600 ohms imo. You will probably like them coming from the ad700, the dt880 are fairly neutral and goes well with pretty much every genre except for super-bassy stuff. You can also go for the dt990 if you want some head rattling bass, but also more treble. The HD600 is a possibility if you can get it for $300 or under.

[LifeIsGooD2]

looking for a 200-300$ headphones to upgrade my ad700s for my birthday ... any suggestions ?

Do you have a amp? If so, DT880 600 ohms imo. You will probably like them coming from the ad700, the dt880 are fairly neutral and goes well with pretty much every genre except for super-bassy stuff. You can also go for the dt990 if you want some head rattling bass, but also more treble. The HD600 is a possibility if you can get it for $300 or under.

was planning to use them mostly with my computer HT omega striker sound card

is that bad ?

[Atakp]

was planning to use them mostly with my computer HT omega striker sound card

is that bad ?

It isn't necessarily bad, it might change what people recommended though

What do you normally use your headphones for? (music genre, movies, gaming etc.)

[thegunner100]

was planning to use them mostly with my computer HT omega striker sound card

is that bad ?

You would definitely need a desktop amp to get the most out of the 600ohm beyers. The Schiit Magni would be a very nice budget headphone amp to consider. The HD 598 would be a decent option since you dont have an amp, they're going for $204 right now on Amazon.

[dirge]

just won an auction for a pair of these, from the 1960's 

[LifeIsGooD2]

was planning to use them mostly with my computer HT omega striker sound card

is that bad ?

It isn't necessarily bad, it might change what people recommended though

What do you normally use your headphones for? (music genre, movies, gaming etc.)

a little bit of everything but mostly gaming and music on my computer

[Atakp]

Once you start getting up into the cans that are in the $250-300+ range they will mostly all benefit in a positive way with an amp. I think the first thing I would recommend is maybe setting some of your budget aside for something like thegunner said above. Once you don't have to worry so much about properly driving the cans it opens up so many more options, or at least makes what options are available that much better.

I would have to agree with what everybody else was saying...Senn hd598 or 600/Beyer DT880 or 990. The Beyers also come in a 32ohm version which are easier to drive but also benefit from amping as well, however the sound signature is slightly different between the 32 and 600ohm versions.

I wish Denon still made the D2000 because those would definitely be on my short list as well.

[Alessandro]

The 598s are generally well driven by almost anything. A lot of people have benefited from a valve amp too though, but that depends if you don't really like the stock sound signature I guess.

Those look nice Dirge!

[LifeIsGooD2]

ok how would an amp work exactly ?

hook the amp to the PC then the headphones to the amp ?

[bavman]

ok how would an amp work exactly ?

hook the amp to the PC then the headphones to the amp ?

Basically yes. Analog in, analog out, signal gets amplified inside

If you want a cheaper amp, you could build your own O2 amp for around $40. I think its also better than the magni.
Details on parts and stuff here: http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/o2-details.html

[IPT]

you can also check if you have a soundcard that has an amp built in
Ones i know off the top of my head are the Asus Xonar ST/STX series.

[pby]

you can also check if you have a soundcard that has an amp built in
Ones i know off the top of my head are the Asus Xonar ST/STX series.

Even onboard soundcards will have a headphone amp built in and will drive most headphones loud enough to cause hearing damage. External amps are not only used for driving high impedance headphones but to give better damping factor which will minimise transducer distortion when using low impedance loads like in ears or <32 ohm headphones.
The Asus STX is a great soundcard for most headphones but it could still benefit from using an external amp to drive low impedance headphones because of its relatively high output impedance (10ohm).

@Lifeisgood2 definitely consider the o2 amp. You won't find a better performing amp under $300

[Sniping]

@pby
Not neccesarily true, Emotiva's Mini-X A100 is a great speaker amp for about $200 and the Schiit Magni and Modi are very competitive with the Objective combo, and sometimes even better with certain headphones than the O2/ODAC.

As for recommendations for headphones, consider something from the AKG line, and the Mad Dog T50RP mod by Mr. Speakers. Planar magnetic goodness FTW!

[ComradeSniper]

Anyone else have V-Moda Crossfade LPs? I got mine a few years ago, really like them. Thinking about upgrading to AKG K702s or something similar when these die, but I'm in no hurry for that to happen.

[Strelok]

I have ATH-M50's.
Best sound for you bukc imho, since they don't need any sort of peripherals. They also have a lifetime warranty, which AudioTechnica has been quick and helpful about.

[LifeIsGooD2]

so does anyone else have the HT Omega striker sound card and use it with nice headphones ?

Im looking for quality over loudness if it matters

[takaki]

audio technica has lifetime warranty for only specific products, not all product range which i believe does not include the M50s.

To be really fair, I have the M50 too but I just feel like everyone here is seriously over-praising it too much. The M50s has flaws too when you are listening to more vocal / jazz music, the mids are really recessed.

some very old set up.

[IPT]

not to mention for me anyway, the M50's hurt after wearing them for a while.

[thegunner100]

The m50s clamp kinda hard unless you stretch out the headband. Even then, for people with glasses, it will still be a bit uncomfortable for a while. Velour pads are the most comfortable imo.

[IPT]

The m50s clamp kinda hard unless you stretch out the headband. Even then, for people with glasses, it will still be a bit uncomfortable for a while. Velour pads are the most comfortable imo.

Bingo (as someone who wears glasses at night/in the house instead of contacts)
the most comfortable headphones i've worn are still the AD700/900 that style.
light, comfortable, good sound stage.

[laffindude]

To be really fair, I have the M50 too but I just feel like everyone here is seriously over-praising it too much. The M50s has flaws too when you are listening to more vocal / jazz music, the mids are really recessed.

They were good phones when they were going for 8-90 bucks. Ierno @150, I rather spend a bit more and get a DT770/DT990 Pro.