View Full Version : Any Audiophiles here?
akotten
01-31-2011, 05:06 PM
I've never really had a quality set of headphones and I'm looking to upgrade my current Creative HN-700's. I think I've got it narrowed down to either a pair of Sennheiser's 280Pro or Ultrasone's HFI-580. Trying to stay at or below $150. I need a new pair of earbuds eventually for the gym too, but I can wait on those. I somehow managed to drop my last pair into a drink and wrecked one side lol ($30 Skullcandys)
-Alex
sublime_whatigo
01-31-2011, 05:11 PM
Sennheiser HD595's are crazy cheap on amazon right now, $130. I had a set of 590's and 595's, I would recommend them if you are plugging them into something with plenty of power.
akotten
01-31-2011, 05:13 PM
Sennheiser HD595's are crazy cheap on amazon right now, $130. I had a set of 590's and 595's, I would recommend them if you are plugging them into something with plenty of power.
Hmmm....yeah something to consider. But from what I've read the Ultrasone's don't require much to drive them. I like to play music off of my Droid X quite a bit. Maybe I'll have to look into a small portable amp.
I hate to ask, but do you know how the bass is on them? I kind of prefer a little more than most people it seems.
sublime_whatigo
01-31-2011, 05:14 PM
Ya the 595's will sound like dog crap on a droid.
akotten
01-31-2011, 05:19 PM
Ha....yeah I kinda figured. If not I can use my tablet for more listening since a lot of the time its while I do homework. I haven't fully decided if I want open or closed though. I kind of like the idea of people not being able to hear what I'm listening to, but I do understand you get a more "natural" sound from open dynamic cans.
DocWalt
01-31-2011, 05:54 PM
I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I enjoy not-crappy sounding stuff. Any suggestions for cheap, durable IEMs? I'm using AKG whatever the hecks (Same as Creative EP630, but more durable)
akotten
01-31-2011, 06:02 PM
I wouldn't call myself an audiophile, but I enjoy not-crappy sounding stuff. Any suggestions for cheap, durable IEMs? I'm using AKG whatever the hecks (Same as Creative EP630, but more durable)
Do you know which model you have? I was really wanting to get their k702 or even k701, but its a bit out of my budget.
DocWalt
01-31-2011, 06:25 PM
Do you know which model you have? I was really wanting to get their k702 or even k701, but its a bit out of my budget.
324p. Great value and sound quality for the money, and durable. I'm looking for something a step or two up, but nothing ridiculously expensive. Most of all, durability is a big concern.
reallyxxxxxxloud
01-31-2011, 07:42 PM
Audiophiles lol I love how that word gets thrown around.... A Audiophile set of HPs would make any sub-par recording or player sound ghastly. The point of true reference speakers is to play any recording at its maximum potential as it was recorded e.g a well recorded song will play with outstanding detail not heard before while a poorly recorded song will have all the nasties improvised making it sound worse than a cheap set of speakers. What your really after is a set that will compromise both equally.
akotten
01-31-2011, 07:56 PM
Audiophiles lol I love how that word gets thrown around.... A Audiophile set of HPs would make any sub-par recording or player sound ghastly. The point of true reference speakers is to play any recording at its maximum potential as it was recorded e.g a well recorded song will play with outstanding detail not heard before while a poorly recorded song will have all the nasties improvised making it sound worse than a cheap set of speakers. What your really after is a set that will compromise both equally.
I understand this. What I'm really looking for is a pair of headphones that can actually produce mids and highs accurately along with balanced lows (bass). My roommate has Grado's 125s and they sound day and night different. One, because they are open air, but two, because of the quality Grado is known for. Are they top of the line? No, but they definitely make a difference.
DocWalt
01-31-2011, 09:05 PM
Pretty sure you're not expecting miracles from a cell phone built in amp, lol. I can pick up how horrid some of my 128kbps MP3's are even with my low end IEMs, lol. Unfortunately, I can't justify spending tons of money on good headphones because most of them aren't durable at all. You have to coddle them, which sorta defeats the purpose of headphones, IMO.
akotten
01-31-2011, 09:15 PM
Pretty sure you're not expecting miracles from a cell phone built in amp, lol. I can pick up how horrid some of my 128kbps MP3's are even with my low end IEMs, lol. Unfortunately, I can't justify spending tons of money on good headphones because most of them aren't durable at all. You have to coddle them, which sorta defeats the purpose of headphones, IMO.
Well no, of course not. However, I still try to obtain my music in 320kbps when possible.
sublime_whatigo
01-31-2011, 10:28 PM
Pretty sure you're not expecting miracles from a cell phone built in amp, lol. I can pick up how horrid some of my 128kbps MP3's are even with my low end IEMs, lol. Unfortunately, I can't justify spending tons of money on good headphones because most of them aren't durable at all. You have to coddle them, which sorta defeats the purpose of headphones, IMO.
Honestly a cheap cheap pair of headphones will sound better than a set of expensive headphones on a celly. You need to push speakers closer to the rated wattage to get the sound they are made for.
DocWalt
01-31-2011, 10:41 PM
Yeah, which is why I'm not suggesting him to go out and buy a pair of Grados, lol. I know the limitations of my headphones, and I don't care. I don't have any high end equipment. Like I said, I'm not exactly deep into it, I just appreciate listening to anything that sounds better than the average skull candy headphone set, or even worse, the stock ipod headphones.
akotten
02-01-2011, 03:38 PM
For the record, my main use isn't going to be my Droid X. It may happen from time to time, but I know for the best sounding music, I'm going to need something better like a computer.
akotten
02-01-2011, 04:56 PM
After further research, I can't really pass up a deal like the HD595's. Sounds like a killer set for dirt cheap, considering they used to retail for over $300.
sublime_whatigo
02-01-2011, 09:47 PM
You'll love them! Seriously do not plug them into your droid, even a computer will not sounds like a home reciever will.
DocWalt
02-01-2011, 09:53 PM
Yep, the HD595's are sick. Pretty much any Sennheiser is great.
akotten
02-01-2011, 11:30 PM
I can't wait to try them with my Creative Fatal1ty sound card. My only concern though is that I keep reading they have weak bass. What's your guy's opinions?
PS - they'll be in tomorrow :) Gotta love prime shipping from Amazon.
sublime_whatigo
02-02-2011, 09:23 AM
If your the kind of guy that throws 2 12" subs in his car with stock speakers then yes you will be sorely disappointed with the bass. Everything is well balanced with nothing overpowering.
akotten
02-02-2011, 12:04 PM
If your the kind of guy that throws 2 12" subs in his car with stock speakers then yes you will be sorely disappointed with the bass. Everything is well balanced with nothing overpowering.
Well Idk about two twelves, but I do like an additional sub. However in addition to the sub, the main speakers get upgraded to handle mids and highs better. I do not expect headphones to produce that much bass and not sure I'd want them to. From what I've been reading, the 595s have deep quality bass, which is good, so I'm looking forward to burning them in.
How long did it take you to burn in your pair?
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk
akotten
02-02-2011, 08:58 PM
So I've been listening to them for nearly an hour now. I have to agree with other reviews that I've read about these. They definitely seem to have bass when songs call for it. It just depends on the song, which is good. I like them so far, can't wait to have them completely burned in. Its amazing to finally hear the minor details within songs.
DocWalt
02-02-2011, 09:42 PM
Gonna burn them in over night with pink noise?
reallyxxxxxxloud
02-02-2011, 09:53 PM
Burn them in... I think normal listening will do that with HP's within a few hours... The term "Burn in" is miss used as well. Basically speakers are designed to work a certain way AFTER the mechanical suspension has stretched to the designed amount. Burn in has been used cause the clues get heated up creating a smell on some speakers but it has nothing to do with the sound at all....
akotten
02-02-2011, 11:38 PM
Gonna burn them in over night with pink noise?
Do you loop a pink noise file for all of one night or somehow include silences for breaks?
Burn them in... I think normal listening will do that with HP's within a few hours... The term "Burn in" is miss used as well. Basically speakers are designed to work a certain way AFTER the mechanical suspension has stretched to the designed amount. Burn in has been used cause the clues get heated up creating a smell on some speakers but it has nothing to do with the sound at all....
What do you mean by "HP's"? I definitely realize "burn-in" is just a figure of speech anymore. Basically just loosening the speakers.
DocWalt
02-03-2011, 12:26 AM
I've always heard to just loop a pink noise file, and that's what I did. Like reallyxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxloud said, they'll generally burn in pretty quickly, so I'm not even sure it'd be worth the hassle. I didn't notice any huge difference before and after.
reallyxxxxxxloud
02-03-2011, 01:33 AM
HP's is head phone's :p ...
Well put it this way The difference between my 18" sub with 4"s of excursion compared to mm of excursion from your HP's is huge and so is the break in time!!! So yes Doc as you said its not even worth worrying about.
And akotten nothing I've said has been to insult what you have said but more to just inform. :)
Echo419
02-03-2011, 04:07 PM
are Audiophiles people that listen to underage music?
akotten
02-04-2011, 05:10 AM
are Audiophiles people that listen to underage music?
I was wondering if someone would try to make that connection :p
reallyxxxxxxloud
02-04-2011, 05:19 AM
hahahahahaha that was sweet Echo!!!!
thread necro!!!
ok, so i'm not an audiophile. i've always used headphones primarily for gaming & not much else. well i've been watching a LOT of movies on my PC lately, and i bought some knockoff "Beats" headphones for 11 euro at the hadji emporium here. i don't know how good these are, TBH, but they sound a bit better than the $15 cheapos i'd been using before. so i've started doing some research. now i know that beats is made by monster (and monster is shit incarnate; i would never pay their prices on any of their junk--it's more overpriced than apple!). the only other widely-carried brand by big-box stores is skull-candy...and i'm not convinced that's any better.
so i'm ready to step up to where the big-boys play. i'm just not ready for spending $$$ on it quite yet. so i figure i'll shoot for the $50 price range. now i don't really care for earbuds--they can get uncomfortable after a while. over-the-ear or ear-canal phones is what i'm interested in. i need a recommendation. sennheiser, klipsch, shure...these are the three i've heard the most good about. so tell me...what's a good buy for me?
thread necro!!!
ok, so i'm not an audiophile. i've always used headphones primarily for gaming & not much else. well i've been watching a LOT of movies on my PC lately, and i bought some knockoff "Beats" headphones for 11 euro at the hadji emporium here. i don't know how good these are, TBH, but they sound a bit better than the $15 cheapos i'd been using before. so i've started doing some research. now i know that beats is made by monster (and monster is shit incarnate; i would never pay their prices on any of their junk--it's more overpriced than apple!). the only other widely-carried brand by big-box stores is skull-candy...and i'm not convinced that's any better.
so i'm ready to step up to where the big-boys play. i'm just not ready for spending $$$ on it quite yet. so i figure i'll shoot for the $50 price range. now i don't really care for earbuds--they can get uncomfortable after a while. over-the-ear or ear-canal phones is what i'm interested in. i need a recommendation. sennheiser, klipsch, shure...these are the three i've heard the most good about. so tell me...what's a good buy for me?
I've got some of each, Thadd, and the best thing I can tell you is the ear-canal version works best generally, but while I like them, I don't know if I'd still think they were comfy after two hours.
I have all those you mentioned, and they are all natural and uncolored; the Klipsch have a solid bass with some punch, but while the Senns are similar, they seem to go deeper (depending on source) but have a bit less punch.
The Shures are very nice, but I'd call them a bit clinical - kinda like a good set of studio monitors that are meant to be played flat for mixing.
If there is anyway you could try them....
I don't use them so much anymore, but I bounced back and forth between the Klipsch and the Senns mostly.
It's nice to have them everywhere I need them, though - I think the Shures are in the Stealth, actually. :)
In short, I would favor the ear-canal design - any should do, look for comfort.
Don't know if that helps...
No, wait, I have the Shures right here - yeah...accurate, but super-clean...almost too clean.
If I remember correctly, I paid about $70 for them, but I bought 'em in an airport, so.
Chris@Rvengeperformance
08-01-2013, 05:53 PM
ok, for a daily headphone that you aren't scared to break I've found the Sennheiser HD 202's to be great. They sound good and still work ok plug into a phone. Best part is you can often find them for $20.
The only drawback is about once a year one of the channels fail from a break in the wiring where they go into the earpiece. If your handy they are easy to cut an inch off and resolder, but even if you are not I can pay $20 a year for headphones.
I use them at work and the gym 6-8 hours a day. I've tried a bunch of different <$70 headphones and these are the best I have found.
Andr3w
08-01-2013, 06:41 PM
I have listened to quite a few high end head phones and personally like the sound of Sennheisers. The sound makes you want to rock haha. I have the HD 600 and the old HD25-1 II which I use for the gym. Not sure what you will be using them for but listen to some open-air headphones. The soundstage is normally much wider than closed headphones. The only downside is because they are open, a lot of sound will bleed out and you can hear outside noise as well. Also be sure to look at the resistance of the headphones as the higher end headphones have high impedance which would really hurt the performance. HQ live music sounds amazing through the HD600's and the tube amp. Does good for gaming as well
5773
anyonebutme
08-01-2013, 08:58 PM
I liked my Audiotechnica ath-ad700's. havent had the chance to head-to-head them against steins, but with the low impedance they work well with ipods, ect.
Roybatty
08-02-2013, 12:17 AM
Been happy with durability & sound of these.
Ultimate Ears 985-000364 Logitech 500vm Noise Isolating Headset - Grey
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006Y3IDX8/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_us?ie=UTF8
I use in gym or running/walking
Revel in your time
ok, i think i've settled on the sennheiser hd439's. does anyone have a source with a good price on them? they're a little beyond the budget i was originally planning on.
ok, i think i've settled on the sennheiser hd439's. does anyone have a source with a good price on them? they're a little beyond the budget i was originally planning on.
Think that's a good choice, Thadd.
Think I got mine from Amazon, and if I remember correctly, I dawdled for a bit and noticed some fluctuation in price over a few weeks - just tried to time that a bit. :wink:
just got em today. they're factory refurbs...but for the price ($60), i can't complain. maybe a tad less bassy than the knockoff beats...but the soundstage seems to be a bit fuller. i'm NOT a discriminating audiophile though--so don't take my word as bible. and they are COMFORTABLE. warm...maybe (they are AROUND EAR, after all), but most comfortable.
Jeremy C
08-16-2013, 11:32 AM
Beats... ANYTHING is better than those.
Interesting that I haven't seen anyone talk about portable amps/DACs for the mp3 player/phone. I have a Fiio E5 amp that I use whenever I'm trying to drive bigger cans (my Corsair HS1A's when gaming for example). For the little Senn HD219's or Audio Technica ATH-EM7's that I use out and about the amp doesn't do much other than help drive low's and mid's a bit, but if you're driving anything over say 30ohm or so the amp does great things.
Jenkins
08-18-2013, 02:59 PM
No Mention of ATH-M50?
Andr3w
08-18-2013, 03:15 PM
Another great all around headphone. I switch off between that and the hd II. Those are much more comfortable since they are around the ear and have really nice low end. Still work well without amping. Downside is the cable is extremely long. Get the coiled option.
Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk 2
I have some HD1500's and a Woo Audio 2 Amp and I love them to death, previously had a HD800 set and this kills them
ok. $1500 is a little bit out of my price range. i don't think i'd spend that coin on a full system for my car...let alone on one pair of cans.
hey that's fair enough, I had my HD590's for what... something like 10 years, I'm expecting these will last me 30 :)
i don't doubt the quality. i doubt my ability to make sure they will hold up that long--or that i won't misplace them--or that they won't be stolen.
same reason i don't buy $500 sunglasses--even though i'm sure the quality is far superior.
i'm reading about bass-modding the hd4xx series. i think i'm going to attempt this, as it seems fairly easy to do. i've read a lot of good things about it.
update. you cannot find better cans--for the money--than a pair of modded sennheiser hd4xx's. i won't tell you to just "pull the tape" off all 3 holes--like i did--but the results are amazing. the sound-stage is so full, the bass is crisp and clean (imho). you can google other's results for yourself, but i am 100% satisfied with these cans now. i'd recommend them in a heartbeat--provided that you do the "bass mod".
since i started using wireless headphones I'm never going back.
http://img.clubic.com/03954778-photo-logitech-g930.jpg
In on my second pair. Great quality sound imo. Can't tell the difference in soundquality between these and a buddys expensive sennheiser's?? So I'm definately not an audiophile :b
probably defiled this thread by posting this :loser:
i don't have much experience on wireless cans. my impression is that output quality varies with battery charge state.
p.s.
i have DC's & Bose cans for when i need to use a mic--which is only at work. real gamers don't need to speak; their WPM is fast enough to avoid typekills.
my way of testing headphones has always been to make a few MP3 CD's of my favorite songs and take it into the testing shop, I then test my way through each pair of headphones, firstly for comfort and secondly for sound, it takes very little time to find what is comfortable, then I narrow it down and go from there...
this is why I ended up with the HD800's, comfort was the best, sound quality seemed to not have any faults, may I suggest that rather than worrying about what brand or price, that you just sit and listen to them?
do you burn in prior to testing?
nah, I'm not that patient :) if it's comfy after 10 min, and still sounds good after going through quite a few songs fairly loud, then I feel it's good enough!
Andr3w
08-19-2013, 06:10 PM
HD800 and MP3's? I would love to give the HD800's a try but adding an amp to power it gets really expensive. I hear the soundstage is very wide on those though. What kind of music do you enjoy most with the HD800's?
ok. $1500 is a little bit out of my price range. i don't think i'd spend that...on one pair of cans.
I spent about $6500 on a new pair of cans for my ex.
Really didn't pay off in the long run. :huh:
HD800 and MP3's? I would love to give the HD800's a try but adding an amp to power it gets really expensive. I hear the soundstage is very wide on those though. What kind of music do you enjoy most with the HD800's?
I know, but most of my music is in MP3 format in one quality or another :) I figure just take to the shop whatever you like, I agree on the amp, my budget limit for an amp was $1k, but you can get quite well designed things off ebay for $1-200 which are a fantastic start while you asses how much time you spend listening to your music/audio
personal choices of music were plenty of Electronic, so the Tomorrowland concert, plenty of progressive trance, also quite a few others such as Tiesto + Orphious, some classical (Adagio for strings, some of the startrek soundtracks)
I spent about $6500 on a new pair of cans for my ex.
Really didn't pay off in the long run. :huh:
My GOD!
did she have her tonsils removed?
My GOD!
did she have her tonsils removed?
They had to relocated, but she retained them.
Her oral technique was enhanced, as well.
nah, I'm not that patient :) if it's comfy after 10 min, and still sounds good after going through quite a few songs fairly loud, then I feel it's good enough!
just seems like something someone who is going to invest $1500 in cans would do. i know there's mixed opinions out there on burn-in, but from what i've read...there's a lot of phones that dramatically improve performance after 20+ hours of use. it would seem that 10minutes on a new set might not give an accurate portrayal of long-term performance. but i am new to all this...so each to his/her own.
and stop hijacking, kev.
well, I know Senni's have a reputation far beyond what I require, so as long as they passed the 10 minute (well, more like 30min) test the chances were high that they'd be good...
be warning about the Audio industry, head-fi.org is a good place to witness it, there as a HUGE amount of BS about quality... one of the funniest example of this is people harping on about buying fancy USB cables (they are digital) and fancy DAC's, when in a blind test between $100 and $6000 DAC's all of the testers could not tell the difference.
where the HD800's trumped is that:
They did not pinch my ears (the ear pieces went around my ears not sitting on them)
The headband did not have bumps in it that I felt pushing into my head (some sets have a small amount of protrusions on the headpiece which eventually irritate and have me scratching in no time)
the inside of the earpiece was padded far enough out to not touch any part of my ear lobes
They go VERY loud with no distortion (I want Live concerts at LIVE CONCERT VOLUME!!)
head fi is where i went for recommendations. senni's are highly regarded by pretty much everyone, and the 400 series was within my budget. what do you mean "bs about quality"? are you referring to the noobs who post up that their one and only pair of cans is "the greatest evar!!"?
p.s.
as far as comfort, the 439's are spot-on--so i'm not at all surprised that the 800's would feel similarly comfortable. i'm not sure opens would help me with what i need, since i'm usually trying to ignore a roommate, drown out background noise, etc. i didn't want active noise cancellation.
if you've spent a good amount of time with the 439's and they are still very comfortable then 100% go for it!
ironically with the bs about quality is the reverse, plenty of people saying how many thousands of dollars they've spent (on things like cable or a dac) and what a wonderful difference the platinum plated cables make, when independent blind tests prove that no-one on this planet can tell the difference.
lots of "Spend $$$$ on a headphone preamp" when a $$$ one you could not tell the difference.
ah, yeah...i know what you mean. beats is the worst at that--but then again, i suppose that's only natural for a company that's in bed with monster-cable. yes, monster. the same company that sells $300 HDMI cables.
p.s.
ain't nothing wrong with mp3's. when you get a sample rate over 300, you're virtually at studio quality--imho.
Jeremy C
08-21-2013, 12:35 AM
ah, yeah...i know what you mean. beats is the worst at that--but then again, i suppose that's only natural for a company that's in bed with monster-cable. yes, monster. the same company that sells $300 HDMI cables.
p.s.
ain't nothing wrong with mp3's. when you get a sample rate over 300, you're virtually at studio quality--imho.
I can't tell you how many people I've had to explain that to. "Waddya mean these Beats are made by Monster? They be some good headphones with bass!" I just smile, nod, and get the fuck away. I don't spend nearly as much as other people on headphones (Like I said earlier, HD219's, ATH-EM7's, Koss KSC75's, and Corsair HS1A's round out my headphone collection). So long as I can listen to music clearly I'm happy.
I spent about $6500 on a new pair of cans for my ex.
Really didn't pay off in the long run.
Best reply ever.
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