Author Topic: Headphone Thread. (Read 1312664 times)

NamelessPFG · « **Reply #850 on:** Sun, 18 December 2011, 21:22:08 »

Quote from: Creizai;473487

crazy I was just doing searches on head-fi and saw your one set for sale.

I'm seriously thinking about picking up that exact setup.. so please tell me how it is.

Quite nice, actually. There's some weirdness that I noticed with a tone generator that I chalk up to the guy who rebuilt the drivers not doing a perfect job, but as a first set of Stax, it'll definitely be enough to find out if you love the sound or not. (For that matter, it was something I never noticed without the tone generator, and it could have also been the fault of the receiver feeding the SRD-7/SB for all I know.)

Actually, after a few days of listening with the SR-202 + SRM-212, the sound seemed a bit "sterile" and "flat" by comparison, for lack of better words. But then it turned out that using an EQ to bring up the midrange helps a lot...and the normal-bias SR-Lambda, even one that apparently has thicker diaphragms, is quite renowned for its midrange. Voices suddenly sound like there's no longer a veil in front of them.

However, I didn't actually put that set in Head-Fi B/S/T...though it's on eBay right now, with under 24 hours left.

Creizai · « **Reply #851 on:** Sun, 18 December 2011, 22:18:25 »

Quote from: NamelessPFG;473547

Quite nice, actually. There's some weirdness that I noticed with a tone generator that I chalk up to the guy who rebuilt the drivers not doing a perfect job, but as a first set of Stax, it'll definitely be enough to find out if you love the sound or not. (For that matter, it was something I never noticed without the tone generator, and it could have also been the fault of the receiver feeding the SRD-7/SB for all I know.)

Actually, after a few days of listening with the SR-202 + SRM-212, the sound seemed a bit "sterile" and "flat" by comparison, for lack of better words. But then it turned out that using an EQ to bring up the midrange helps a lot...and the normal-bias SR-Lambda, even one that apparently has thicker diaphragms, is quite renowned for its midrange. Voices suddenly sound like there's no longer a veil in front of them.

However, I didn't actually put that set in Head-Fi B/S/T...though it's on eBay right now, with under 24 hours left.

that must have been it, saw the ebay link..

Either way I already have some A900's for personal computer/gaming use, but I'm looking to have a separate setup for studying, relaxing and the Stax SR-202 + SRM-212 was perfect price point that I'm looking into that would sound completely different from what I already have and love. Hard decision though, do I go that route and keep my a900 is prefect for what I use it for now, or upgrade to the WA5000 all together.

gotta say though stax on heads look retro cool awesome ****.

Index · « **Reply #852 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 02:01:34 »

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a really high quality headset. I am currently looking at Beyerdynamic products, more specifically the DT 297 PV MK II for Phantom Power and the DT 290 MK II. I understand these are not your standard headsets, and I was wondering if I could even use these for PC gaming.

Here'e the product list on Beyerdynamic's website I'm currently looking at.

http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/hah/headphones-and-headsets/studio-and-stage/headsets-for-live-applications.html

TheProfosist · « **Reply #853 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 11:54:15 »

Quote from: Index;473623

Hi all,

I'm in the market for a really high quality headset. I am currently looking at Beyerdynamic products, more specifically the DT 297 PV MK II for Phantom Power and the DT 290 MK II. I understand these are not your standard headsets, and I was wondering if I could even use these for PC gaming.

Here'e the product list on Beyerdynamic's website I'm currently looking at.

http://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/shop/hah/headphones-and-headsets/studio-and-stage/headsets-for-live-applications.html

I am looking at the 797 PV my self and can use it because of the DAC I have. Unless you have a good dac that supports professional equipment your not going to be able to use most if not all of the professional stuff.

NamelessPFG · « **Reply #854 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 13:18:25 »

Quote from: Creizai;473572

that must have been it, saw the ebay link..

Either way I already have some A900's for personal computer/gaming use, but I'm looking to have a separate setup for studying, relaxing and the Stax SR-202 + SRM-212 was perfect price point that I'm looking into that would sound completely different from what I already have and love. Hard decision though, do I go that route and keep my a900 is prefect for what I use it for now, or upgrade to the WA5000 all together.

gotta say though stax on heads look retro cool awesome ****.

Someone thought they looked like they came out of the Cold War, which wouldn't be off the mark (SR-Lambda debuted in 1979, design's continued with only minor modifications to this day, most concerning the headband/arc). While I can't say I'm very fond of the boxy styling, the sound quality and comfort more than makes up for that.

I haven't tried the closed-back A-series models, but I did have an AD700 at one point, which got sold mostly because the Lambda did everything it was good at better. Almost as comfortable, that's for sure. I'm actually slightly curious as to what the AD900 and AD2000 are like, but when I start getting into that price range, I start thinking "I could buy more Stax for that much!"

Index · « **Reply #855 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 14:55:43 »

Quote from: TheProfosist;473816

I am looking at the 797 PV my self and can use it because of the DAC I have. Unless you have a good dac that supports professional equipment your not going to be able to use most if not all of the professional stuff.

What DAC would you recommend? And why do I need a DAC?

TheProfosist · « **Reply #856 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 15:44:51 »

Quote from: Index;473934

What DAC would you recommend? And why do I need a DAC?

Idk what to recommended what I do know is that the Edirol FA-66 that I have fit every specification that I wanted and I got one used off ebay at a great price. Well the DAC (Digital to Analogue Converter) is what controls the input and out put of the audio. To output to good quality speakers and headphones you need same quality equipment outputting to them with the correct specifications.

laffindude · « **Reply #857 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 16:00:37 »

You want it for the ADC and miniXLR/XLR jack with phantom power. Of course you can just buy a soundcard that do provide phantom power via TRS jack.
It is cheaper just to buy the headphone it is based on and a seperate USB condenser mic.

TheProfosist · « **Reply #858 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 16:02:47 »

Quote from: laffindude;473980

You want it for the ADC and miniXLR/XLR jack with phantom power. Of course you can just buy a soundcard that do provide phantom power via TRS jack.
It is cheaper just to buy the headphone it is based on and a seperate USB condenser mic.

Yep but when you already have the equipment like I and others do there is no reason not to look at the 797.

digitalleftovers · « **Reply #859 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 16:11:25 »

Quote from: TheProfosist;473816

I am looking at the 797 PV my self and can use it because of the DAC I have. Unless you have a good dac that supports professional equipment your not going to be able to use most if not all of the professional stuff.

In the case of the 290 MKII, it says that it has an input impedance of 80ohms. So, basically, you don't necessarily need a hi-fi head amp, but maybe something like a FiiO E9, or a decent stereo amp should be able to power those.

laffindude · « **Reply #860 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 16:57:19 »

Quote from: TheProfosist;473984

Yep but when you already have the equipment like I and others do there is no reason not to look at the 797.

I think I'd prefer to have more freedom in choosing my phones than having to choose from the short list of those that has a mic attached.

TheProfosist · « **Reply #861 on:** Mon, 19 December 2011, 17:11:10 »

Quote from: laffindude;474032

I think I'd prefer to have more freedom in choosing my phones than having to choose from the short list of those that has a mic attached.

Then get a separate mic... I want a headset and the 797 fit the specification I wanted. I dont know if I will like the sound of the headphones as I am used to less on the lower end with my M-Audio BX5a's MDR-V6's and AH-D2000's

RickyJ · « **Reply #862 on:** Sun, 25 December 2011, 17:39:55 »

I'm now rocking a set of Beyer DT990Pro 250Ω phones, which my Fiio E10 is more than happy to power. The volume didn't even change much between my 32Ω Corsairs and these, I was expecting more of a drop. They sound excellent so far!

[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 35924[/ATTACH]

andrewjoy · « **Reply #863 on:** Fri, 30 December 2011, 04:14:31 »

Myself i have a set of PC 360 ( its pretty much a set of HD 558 with a mic glued on the side) connected to the Auzentech X-Fi Forte. ( with the default optamp)

frequency response 15-28,000Hz
impedance 50 Ohms
Sound Pressure Level is rated at 112dB.

aynjell · « **Reply #864 on:** Fri, 30 December 2011, 14:23:34 »

Finally got my setup upgraded. Now my setup looks like this:

Creative X-Fi Titanium -> Klipsch Promedia 2.1
Creative X-Fi Titanium -> Blue Jeans Audio Optical -> Audio-GD NFB-2 -> Blue Jeans Audio RCA -> Audio-GD C-2C -> HD650/SR325i/SRH840/MDR-V6

Player setup for headphones playback is Foobar2000 -> Wasapi w/ crossfeed -> out to optical.

Blue Jeans Cable, for you cable believers and non believers makes a truly high end quality cable. What I mean is, for cable believers, it's a great entry level product. For non believers, it's the only cable you should ever buy. The build quality is fantastic and you should never ever need to replace them due to failure. They're just made fantastically.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

For those not familiar with Audio_GD, they're a chinese firm. If I understand the history right, they started life by improving upon the Zero DAC/AMP, then progressed into flat out replacing it at a slightly higher cost (but drastically improved audio quality) and finally finished it's domination of the low end space with the sparrow and the fun. Now, they have higher end offerings, the NFB-2 is their highest end single ended dac, and the C-2C is an older variation of their highest end single ended amplifier. In short, what I have is the top end from audio-gd prior to going into a balanced setup, which I doubt I will ever do, although I am sorely tempted to get a C-2 because they look so much nicer.

http://www.audio-gd.com/En%20audio-gd.htm

RickyJ · « **Reply #865 on:** Fri, 30 December 2011, 18:30:58 »

So today I thought I'd try my Beyers in my phone, since I barely had to add any volume with my Fiio. Turns out my Galaxy S2 can drive them alright, louder than I'd listen to them at. They don't sound as amazing as they do on my Fiio, but still pretty good. I double checked the impedance with my multimeter and confirmed 250 ohm per channel. Are these 990's just that easy to drive?

laffindude · « **Reply #866 on:** Sun, 01 January 2012, 11:52:49 »

Can reach adequate volume isn't the same as being driven well. They do get acceptably loud on portables, but the bass is a mess as well as shrilly treble. Ohms isn't a good indicator of how loud they'll sound from some input. Sensitivity is a better measurement of that.

Fast_Fingers · « **Reply #867 on:** Sun, 01 January 2012, 14:52:38 »

Quote from: laffindude;481466

Can reach adequate volume isn't the same as being driven well. They do get acceptably loud on portables, but the bass is a mess as well as shrilly treble. Ohms isn't a good indicator of how loud they'll sound from some input. Sensitivity is a better measurement of that.

Definitely. If anything, Ohms is a guideline to how powerful you need your amplifier to be before it sounds adequate. AKGs are especially tough on weak amplifiers (K301 Xtra user here).

RickyJ · « **Reply #868 on:** Sun, 01 January 2012, 15:37:15 »

That's what I was thinking, enough power for low wave amplitudes, not enough to drive the full wave.

jellowiggler · « **Reply #869 on:** Sun, 01 January 2012, 18:32:28 »

I bought Grado SR80s about 6 years ago. They have been awesome. No amp required. I did have to put some extra padding on the headband.

I paid $160 but they sound like headphones in the 200-250 range and don't need an amp.

I hope they last another 10 years. They sound excellent!

mcsnails · « **Reply #870 on:** Wed, 04 January 2012, 21:50:14 »

Just got done modding my jvc HA RX700's that I got for Christmas. I added some neon blue braided sleeving and some heatshrink to make the ends look all nice and pretty.
[ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 36612[/ATTACH] [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 36613[/ATTACH] [ Attachment Invalid Or Does Not Exist ] 36614[/ATTACH](sorry for poor quality, they're all compressed cellphone pictures)

emptyk · « **Reply #871 on:** Wed, 04 January 2012, 22:52:03 »

That blue braiding looks sick.

My setup goes like this: FLAC files > Foobar2000 > Peachtree Audio Decco2 (DAC + Integrated Amp + Headphone output) > Sennheiser HD650

I pretty much listen to music all day at work, and I've finally ripped all of my CDs into lossless FLAC format stored on my PC. Dig it.

SmallFry · « **Reply #872 on:** Wed, 04 January 2012, 23:00:15 »

I got some Dr.Dre Beats for Christmas. They are quite bassy (much to my liking). Just my two cents.:smile:

Surly73 · « **Reply #873 on:** Fri, 06 January 2012, 08:00:35 »

Shure E4g and Shure SE425-V

Auzentech Forte 7.1 at home. M-AUDIO Audiophile USB at work. Various portable devices not worth mentioning.

cheebs · « **Reply #874 on:** Sun, 08 January 2012, 00:38:11 »

Beyerdynamic DT231 Galactic

Shure SE215

jbluzb · « **Reply #875 on:** Sun, 08 January 2012, 05:28:51 »

I also own several headphones;

Shure SRH-440
Shure SE - 425
Shure SE - 535
AiAiAi Tracks
AKG K420

Nice to know some are OC on sound quality too.

tomten_alle · « **Reply #876 on:** Sun, 08 January 2012, 07:16:50 »

I have a DT770 Pro (80 ohm). They are awesome and look very good. Their response is not really linear, though it fits metal very good. Too bad most music sound like crap anyway, thank you loudness war!

sawedust · « **Reply #877 on:** Sun, 08 January 2012, 15:01:56 »

Purchased a pair of Ultrasone HFI-580 cans from Amazon during the Black Friday sales. Still in the process of burning them in; still a little bit of sibilance here and there. I love the sound of these headphones, especially when listening to electronica, dubstep, etc.

Chose them from recommendations over at Head-Fi over the SRH-840 and ATH-M50 cans; all three were around the same price at the time of purchase.

Barn · « **Reply #878 on:** Sun, 08 January 2012, 16:35:26 »

Bose QuietComfort 3 on ear. Fantastic headphones. Still looking for a decent pair of in-ear buds though.

kidchunks · « **Reply #879 on:** Tue, 10 January 2012, 20:33:13 »

Can anyone recommend a dac without an amp(budget $200)? I really like my cmoybb and I'm not looking to have it out of the equation(just yet). I was looking at some of the diy kits on Beezar.com. Anyone tamper with any of those?

Update:
Wouldn't mind a dac/amp as long as I can bypass the internal amp when needed. Still no luck finding one.

ironman31 · « **Reply #880 on:** Tue, 10 January 2012, 21:51:07 »

Quote from: kidchunks;487649

Can anyone recommend a dac without an amp(budget $200)? I really like my cmoybb and I'm not looking to have it out of the equation(just yet). I was looking at some of the diy kits on Beezar.com. Anyone tamper with any of those?

Update:
Wouldn't mind a dac/amp as long as I can bypass the internal amp when needed. Still no luck finding one.

This is a little above your range, but I hear good things about schiit, though I've never tried them. I should really listen to some other rigs, I went all in with mine without listening around (no way of doing so). I probably couldn't even tell a difference between mine and something much cheaper.

laffindude · « **Reply #881 on:** Wed, 11 January 2012, 07:28:36 »

Quote from: kidchunks;487649

Can anyone recommend a dac without an amp(budget $200)? I really like my cmoybb and I'm not looking to have it out of the equation(just yet). I was looking at some of the diy kits on Beezar.com. Anyone tamper with any of those?

Update:
Wouldn't mind a dac/amp as long as I can bypass the internal amp when needed. Still no luck finding one.

Audinst HUD-mx1. So so amp, but ok as DAC. It sounds better than the FUBAR II as a DAC (also in your price range). Both of these have socketed opamps, so you can roll the sound you want, to get better synergy with your cmoy.

kidchunks · « **Reply #882 on:** Thu, 12 January 2012, 22:38:49 »

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll take a look at those.

Anyone know how to convert flac to alac and keep the replay/album gain tags intact? I've tried using dbpoweramp with no luck. When I use the dsp effect for replay gain they don't match with that of foobar.

laffindude · « **Reply #883 on:** Fri, 13 January 2012, 01:15:55 »

ALAC tagging doesn't really support replaygain. Is there particular reason you want to use ALAC?

kidchunks · « **Reply #884 on:** Fri, 13 January 2012, 07:19:08 »

Quote from: laffindude;489300

ALAC tagging doesn't really support replaygain. Is there particular reason you want to use ALAC?

I know ALAC doesn't support replaygain. Using it for my ipod with iTunNorm.

dorkvader · « **Reply #885 on:** Sun, 15 January 2012, 02:24:01 »

Quote from: kidchunks;487649

Can anyone recommend a dac without an amp(budget $200)? I really like my cmoybb and I'm not looking to have it out of the equation(just yet). I was looking at some of the diy kits on Beezar.com. Anyone tamper with any of those?

Update:
Wouldn't mind a dac/amp as long as I can bypass the internal amp when needed. Still no luck finding one.

I'd look into a gamma2 for that budget, You can probably DIY for ~200. (I see $260 for used ones) If you're not into DIY, a professional builder will make you a gamma1 easily for under your budget. There's also a pretty good chance that you can get a gamma2 for under budget built by omitting components (like S/PDIF (optical and coax) out, the Gamma1 DAC (as it'd just pass the I2s to the gamma2's DAC, ASRC upsampling, etc). Tha gamma2 has a S/N ratio of 139 db. Good luck finding that on a similarly/priced commercial product.

Here's the infopage:
http://www.amb.org/audio/gamma2/

About beezar: they're great! I am looking into DIY'ing a grubdac for mp brother, but I may do the skeletondac instead. I've always been a fan of parafeed, and the torpedo looks to be a great amp for ~300.

The_Beast · « **Reply #886 on:** Sun, 15 January 2012, 09:54:57 »

I have a set of Audio Technica AD700's I bought mostly for gaming. They work great, I'm knifing more people and getting knifed less

NamelessPFG · « **Reply #887 on:** Sun, 15 January 2012, 13:14:26 »

Why do deals like this never show up whenever I'm looking around and actually have money to spend?

I might still prefer the Normal bias SR-Lambda by comparison, but the SR-313 looks like a really nice amp. It even has a Normal bias output to go with the Pro bias output. This isn't even factoring how the whole thing is a mere $200 shipped!

modulor · « **Reply #888 on:** Thu, 19 January 2012, 21:40:50 »

Koss PortaPro for travels, Grado sr80i with L-Cush for home. The PortaPro's are hands down the best bang for your buck of any headphone.

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #889 on:** Fri, 20 January 2012, 15:35:23 »

I need advice for something a little out of the ordinary. I am looking for some bluetooth circumaurals that sound half decent for use with iPhone. Besides the $500 sennheiers, which I don't want to pay that much, is anyone aware of anything else? I need some new ones for portable use and the jack on my iDevice is almost nonfunctional... trying to avoid paying to have it fixed if I can do bluetooth. Thanks.

quake4mhg · « **Reply #890 on:** Fri, 20 January 2012, 23:51:52 »

Sennheiser PC360. Brought it 2 years ago. Great directional sound cue in FPS games.
It running good with my cheapo asus DG. (still waiting for asus xense sold separately :ohwell: )

laffindude · « **Reply #891 on:** Sat, 21 January 2012, 01:14:24 »

Quote from: lysol;495106

I need advice for something a little out of the ordinary. I am looking for some bluetooth circumaurals that sound half decent for use with iPhone. Besides the $500 sennheiers, which I don't want to pay that much, is anyone aware of anything else? I need some new ones for portable use and the jack on my iDevice is almost nonfunctional... trying to avoid paying to have it fixed if I can do bluetooth. Thanks.

May be something like this will widen your choices in headphones.
http://www.amazon.com/Miccus-BluBridge-Mini-Jack-Bluetooth-Bluetooth-Enabled/dp/B0038MA11U

arplod · « **Reply #892 on:** Sat, 21 January 2012, 13:33:58 »

Quote from: lysol;495106

I need advice for something a little out of the ordinary. I am looking for some bluetooth circumaurals that sound half decent for use with iPhone. Besides the $500 sennheiers, which I don't want to pay that much, is anyone aware of anything else? I need some new ones for portable use and the jack on my iDevice is almost nonfunctional... trying to avoid paying to have it fixed if I can do bluetooth. Thanks.

Plug a regular headphone into a Jabra Clipper / Nokia BH-111 / 214?

IvanIvanovich · « **Reply #893 on:** Sat, 21 January 2012, 20:29:56 »

I didn't think to look for some adapter receiver doodad...definitely another option, thanks. Otherwise I might see if I can find a decent repair service other than Apple, who don't charge 50% the price of a new iPhone... shysters.

HolidaySHRIMP · « **Reply #894 on:** Wed, 25 January 2012, 06:47:40 »

Astro mixamp + sennheiser pc360 (hd555 drivers) for my Xbox 360 and for lync at work.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

itlnstln · « **Reply #895 on:** Wed, 25 January 2012, 06:56:19 »

Has anyone had experience with the Sennheiser MM400s or the PX210BTs? I'm looking for a solid set of bluetooth headphones for work. I'm getting annoyed with cables getting wrapped around my chair's armrests.

itlnstln · « **Reply #896 on:** Wed, 25 January 2012, 12:37:00 »

I went for the Senn PX210BTs. Thanks, everyone, for all your help and input. It was appreciated.

laffindude · « **Reply #897 on:** Wed, 25 January 2012, 16:07:59 »

I am tempted to put Sennheiser Amperior on pre-order. So far the impression is that it is slightly less sharp (in a good way) than the normal HD25-1s. I wonder if I should just take the plunge.

kidchunks · « **Reply #898 on:** Wed, 25 January 2012, 21:36:55 »

Finally finished my "not so" portable setup.

- DT770 Pro (250ohm)
- iPod 5.5g 80gb
- cMoyBB 2.03
- Gamma 1 lite

itlnstln · « **Reply #899 on:** Wed, 01 February 2012, 06:13:23 »

Quote from: itlnstln;498769

I went for the Senn PX210BTs. Thanks, everyone, for all your help and input. It was appreciated.

The PX210BTs came in last night and they sound pretty good for portable, BT headphones. Obviously, these aren't going to replace your Grado/headphone amp setup, but they'll do for some work-friendly headphones.

News:

Author Topic: Headphone Thread. (Read 1312664 times)