Headphone Thread.

[laffindude]

Oh forgot about this thread. I been listening to HD600. My general purpose phone on the computer is my 880/600 though.

[pexon]

I am currently re-wiring and sleeving my DT770's, so I'll report back in a few days with the results! 

[asura]

Not really a headphone person... Have a pair of Sennheiser in-ears (no idea what model, no in-line volume control) which are either in my SansaClip, or plugged into an X-FI card in my computer...  I've never really had the need for cans in my life...

However, I am currently enjoying the noise from a pair of Goodmans K2's (circa 1970) that I just finished renovating; replacement of one 12" driver and one 2.75" tweet with matching units from a donor cab, finally replacing the naff, powdering acoustic foam used to seat the drivers with neoprene tubing.  They're currently being driven by a NAD C340 with a NAD C541 as the source... but those could both be changing soonish.

[noisyturtle]

I demand more pics of setups! Feed me! Some pretty tube amps would be nice to see.

[asura]

I have a prime lens on the way, so when it arrives I'll take some photos.  Still no where near perfect - I want an active crossover so that I can split the pre-amp signal from the 340 for the K2 drivers; mids+tweets on my C340 power channels, and a 3020 each for the bass.  I have a couple of "spare" 12" drivers floating around for which I might knock up a horn cab for...

[Seltox]

Audio Technica M50s, out of an Asus Xonar Essence STX.

[swagpiratex]

damn, that would sound nice....

[ranviper]

Plantronics gamecom 377. Great headset for 40 bucks. Very good virtual surround and the mic is clear and crisp.



I use it in conjunction with an Asus Xonar 5.1 card. Works well.

[Seltox]

I have some Gamecom 777's here too, actually.  They were really quite comfortable, but after a few straight hours made my left ear hurt.  Sounded great for the price though, and the mic was good!

[Scottyyy]

I need new earpads for my Denon D5000s. I wonder if Denon sell replacements :x

[pexon]

Got my Fostex T50RP in the post the other day... SOOOOO NICE! Gonna go hella mad on the mods on 'em

[Dabboo]

I'm really liking the BeyerDynamic DT770 PROs, I think I'll be buying some of them really soon. God damn, now I'm addicted to key caps and headphones.

[pexon]

The DT770's are epic phones for the price.

[ACallander]

So I wonder, what's a good headset for 50% gaming (fps) and 50% music (classic rock, blues, rock, etc...)

Anyone have any recommendations?

Preferably with a mic but if not what mic to recommend?

[alaricljs]

Mod mic is pretty popular...  I am quite happy with my DT770 Pro 250's for everything.

[davkol]

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[Scurq]

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I got those on my head right now, without the s (straight cable) and i love em, eargasm.
I also got some HD598 and AKG K 242
im probably going to buy a decent DAC and a amp for them.

[Dabboo]

Look what came in the mail today!






I still need an amp to balance them out as the one side seems to be slightly bassier but it's only a tiny amount, most people wouldn't notice it. I'll likely get the Fiio E10.

[winzds]

Sennheiser pc 360

[tcv]

Look what came in the mail today!

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I still need an amp to balance them out as the one side seems to be slightly bassier but it's only a tiny amount, most people wouldn't notice it. I'll likely get the Fiio E10.

Those look really sick.

I still think next time I buy a pair of head phones i'm going with sennheiser or an expensive IEM headphone

[Lethal Squirrel]

Anyone know why my new 250ohm DT 770 PROs are crackling and distorting when I play digital piano with them?

seems to happen most with d# and e.

I know its not the piano because its fine with other headphones

[alaricljs]

Sounds like bad amping.  Quickest way to get similar results in windows:  Set software volume to low, set soundcard volume to high, set headphone amp volume to low...   Or something like that.

[Lethal Squirrel]

I'm plugged directly into the piano though, and it's fine with my AKG K240s : /

[Lethal Squirrel]

well, I just plugged my amp into the piano, then the headphones into the amp, and same results. I dont notice any distortion with my AKGs, and I dont notice any distortion when listening to music with the DT 770s, I guess there must be some frequency that the headphones just dont like from the piano, idk.

[rknize]

I used my DT880 Pros daily, but I have to say that Sennheiser builds more comfortable pairs.  The 880s get heavy after several hours, which tends to bother the crown of my head.  My modded HD-558s don't have the problem, since they are all plastic.

[laffindude]

It may be the thin cushion on the headband of the Pro. You can stuff it with some foam to see if it helps. The headband cushion is only held on with snaps, so easily done/reversible.

[Ascaii]

I got myself a pair of Sennheiser HD598s about 3 months ago and the difference to my old 280s was immense...last week, I received my Fiio e10 from amazon.
I didn`t think it would make as big a difference as it did...but Im reexperiencing a lot of music since I am running this combo. I can definitely recommend this low cost DAC.

[rknize]

I went from the HD428 to the HD558 and removed the foam baffle (which is supposed to make them more like the 598).  They are completely different headphones just driven by a laptop, so there really isn't a comparison.    I'm driving them with a Martix Mini-I and they sound great.  I'm still tempted to pickup a set of 650s, but I just don't think the price hike is worth it.

I also have a Fiio (E17), which does a pretty good job at driving the DT880 Pros.

[bavman]

Anyone here have any comfort issues with the ATH M50s? I just got mine a couple days ago and they put pressure right under my ear were my jaws are...It gets uncomfortable to have them on for more than 5 minutes.

[thegunner100]

The E17 can drive the 250ohm beyers fine, but are inadequate for the 600ohms. Ahh someone lend me their hd 600/650 so that I can try it out with my rig! I can lend you my dt770/250 :O

[thegunner100]

Anyone here have any comfort issues with the ATH M50s? I just got mine a couple days ago and they put pressure right under my ear were my jaws are...It gets uncomfortable to have them on for more than 5 minutes.

I did when I first got my M50s during the summer. You can stretch out the headband by leaving the headphones between some pillows or books. It should get better after a day or two of doing that.

[The_Beast]

Are soundcards really worth it? If so what's the best one around $70? Or am I better off buying an amp?


BTW I have Audio Technica AD700s but I'm looking to upgrade somewhat soon

[rknize]

I stopped buying sound cards since the early Audigy days, as the on-board chips had improved enough that they worked reasonably well.  For audio, I've gone with combo DAC/amps running off of a digital output so that you can get a clean analog path away from the noisy PC environment.  That way the DAC can stay through multiple PC generations.

[thegunner100]

If you game a lot, get a soundcard for the processing effects. Otherwise it'll be better to get a dedicated amp/dac.

[ChaoticKinesis]

Disagree about the need for processing effects. I had a Xonar DX and hated its Dolby Headphone feature, along with every other surround effect offered. The benefits of DSP are very subjective.

[thegunner100]

A lot of people prefer the EAX effects on creative cards. I don't play any game that would give me a substantial benefit from processing effects, so I can't comment on that. On the other hand, a sound card will give you a banded EQ if your onboard chip doesn't have it.

[The_Beast]

So DAC > AMP > Soundcard?


What's a good DAC around $70? Any good amps around that price?

[thegunner100]

So DAC > AMP > Soundcard?


What's a good DAC around $70? Any good amps around that price?

A soundcard is a DAC, but usually when we say DAC, we mean a stand-alone DAC. Generally if you don't have an amp, it will give you a bigger benefit than a dac would, especially for a full sized headphone or for higher impedance headphones.

At $70, I would suggest the Fiio E10 as a dac/amp. The E7 is an alternative if you would like to use it as a portable amp as well. I have a E17 that i use for my portable setup, and I love it with my Vsonic gr07.

If you don't want a combo, the DAC destroyer(ebay) is a good choice for a budget DAC. This or this would make a pretty good choice too. I've never used any of these myself, but they have been recommended on headfi quite a few times.

[aggiejy]

I got myself a pair of Sennheiser HD598s about 3 months ago and the difference to my old 280s was immense...last week, I received my Fiio e10 from amazon.
I didn`t think it would make as big a difference as it did...but Im reexperiencing a lot of music since I am running this combo. I can definitely recommend this low cost DAC.

Funny, I just ordered 598s yesterday, and got a Fiio e10 yesterday.  Looking forward to trying them out! 

I had Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 before as people said they were super comfortable.  I found them like head clamps.  So I ordered a pair of AKG K 272 HD which I got yesterday, also on the recommendation they are among the most comfortable.  They're not head clamps, but the top strap was pulling pretty hard against the top of my head due to the stretchy elastic.  I don't think I have a big head, but who knows... nothing seems to feel good for extended listening.  Or I'm just a whiney *****.    

Anyway, hoping the 598s are as comfortable as the reviews suggest, but I guess my track record isn't great.  (Don't get me started on in-ear stuff...)

[alaricljs]

Interesting, they actually sell a 770/80 model with even more severe clamping according to what I've read (the 770 M).  It's supposed to be for 'drummers and monitoring purposes'

I find my 770/250 Pros to be very comfy although after a few hours the band does press down into my poor head.

[aggiejy]

Yeah, I successfully stretched them a bit and they were much better.  They certainly weren't uncomfortable for short sessions.  I guess my problem is that I usually leave my headphones on all day while working.  Hard to find much that's comfortable for 8-10 hours.  Sadly, the least fatiguing I have are <shudder>Bose</shudder> AE2.  But even then, the fake leather (or whatever it is) makes my ears sweat after a while.  And they don't sound all that good, not that I claim to be a snobby audiophile or anything.

[The_Beast]

I can wear my  Audio Technica AD700s all day with minimal adjustments. They are the only headphones I've used but they are so comfortable it's ridiculous

[aggiejy]

I can wear my  Audio Technica AD700s all day with minimal adjustments. They are the only headphones I've used but they are so comfortable it's ridiculous

Yeah! I was looking at some Audio Technica's with that same type suspension system... looked super comfortable!  It's just that it looked similar to the AKG pair I just got (which weren't perfect) so I thought I'd try a traditional top strap with more padding (the Sennheiser 598).  But if that doesn't work, I might try some like yours!

[The_Beast]

So my  motherboard has a Realtek ALC898, I see that the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium HD is coming on sale soon. So is a $100 DAC still better than that? Or am I better off investing in better headphones (current and only pair, AD700s)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102033&nm_mc=EMC-IGNEFL111912&cm_mmc=EMC-IGNEFL111912-_-EMC-111912-Index-_-SoundCards-_-29102033-L07B


Also, I've had some compliant about my mic. I've tried 2 different mics, both were the $10 desktop Logitech ones, is it the mic or the onboard soundcard  that is the issue with low audio input (my headphones sound fine)?

[ChaoticKinesis]

I'd skip the sound card and put my money toward headphones. The difference will be far more noticeable.

[TheProfosist]

Spend the 100 on a real dac to power your phones

[codymaust]

Old pic, but... Beyer Dt770


Into a Fiio E10

[aggiejy]

Just to followup - I posted a few weeks back about looking for a comfortable headphones. 

I had previous owned DT 770 Pro 80s, which were comfortable but headclamps.  (Stretching didn't seem to help much.)

So then I ordered a pair of AKG K272 HDs.  They had glorious comfort reviews, but I thought they pulled down on the top of my head harder than if they were just sitting on there due to the elastic tention on the auto-adjusting headband.  Such a weird thing.

Anyway, I returned those a few days later (to Amazon) and ordered Sennheiser HD 598s. 



OMG... they didn't look like they'd be more comfortable than the AKGs, but man, they are wonderful.  I guess I have a sensitive head or something, because I pretty much think everything is uncomfortable, but these are wonderful.  I do sometimes wear a hat if I'll have them on all day for both the dreaded hair impression and also because it's a bit more comfortable.

Oh, they sound great too. I use them with a Fiio E10.  (But, comfort is 9/10 importance to me, sound is much less.)

That said, it's hard to beat a Bose AE2 headphones for their SUPER light weight.  Problem there is that the ear cups are a fake kind of leather that can sometimes sweat.  Plus, they don't sound good (relatively).

Edit: I also just noticed after posting this than Amazon dropped the price $25 in the past few weeks. :-/  Great value though.

[tufty]

Sennheisers are lovely.  Swear by 'em.  My HD490s, which replaced my HD430s (which were killed by my parent's sodding jack russell terrier after 14 years of sterling service), are 20 years old now, have traveled around the world with me, and sound as good as they ever did.  Lovely cans, although they are ripe for a foam replacement.

[timofonic]

I'm quite interested in getting some great headphones. But I would like to use a microphone for voip and such.

What about those Sennheiser headphones for gamers? Are those with the same audio quality than the ones more suited for Audiophiles?