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The Official Headphone Thread 2.5: We're Making WAVs and Catching FLAC

Estus

Neo Member
Not sure if it fits here:
I used to have a Platronics RIG and really liked the mixer (used it to switch between PS4 - plugged into the controller - and the PC).
The headset broke sadly and now I'm looking for a similar mixer since I gave the platronics one away but miss the functionality and don't really want to re-buy a headset just for the mixer.
Is there a similar small mixer that could do this switch-a-roo?
 

HiResDes

Member
Good choice, was scared the bass wouldn't be enough for you, but it goes down real low, just doesn't have the same quantity as the Basso. Tenores are definitely superior by a bit though in terms of clarity.
 

hongcha

Member
I got my Sony MDR-MA900 headphones today and man, these are so good! Extremely comfy and the sound quality is fantastic with really good bass. Highly recommended.
 

max_505

Member
Glad to see a new headphone thread.

Just got my very first CIEM, a Noble 4C. I don't have enough money to buy a top-tier CIEM, so I went for a pretty good mid-tier one. Thank goodness the fit was excellent. I have no problems eating, drinking, running, laughing while I have it on.

I wonder how this compares to the UERM? I plan to upgrade my 4C once its 2-year warranty expires (and after I buy an AK240, sorry no AK380 for me), so any thoughts would be very much appreciated. The CIEM lineup may drastically change after 2 years, so I'm not setting things in stone yet.
 
Glad to see a new headphone thread.

Just got my very first CIEM, a Noble 4C. I don't have enough money to buy a top-tier CIEM, so I went for a pretty good mid-tier one. Thank goodness the fit was excellent. I have no problems eating, drinking, running, laughing while I have it on.

I wonder how this compares to the UERM? I plan to upgrade my 4C once its 2-year warranty expires (and after I buy an AK240, sorry no AK380 for me), so any thoughts would be very much appreciated. The CIEM lineup may drastically change after 2 years, so I'm not setting things in stone yet.

Tomscy wrote an incredibly detailed review here:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/739512/in-...eference-monitor-noble-audio-4c-wizard-design

The UERM is one of the very best conceived phones around IMO. Incredibly well balanced and transparent for just three drivers.
 

Mohonky

Member
Eh, I went everywhere looking at headphones today and eventually settled on Sony MDR-1As. But of course no one had them in stock. One store wouldnt do a stock transfer which was a massive kick in the nuts, as it would have been $70 cheaper than anywhere else!!

Anyway, final order was;

Sony MDR-1A
Fiio E10K

I wasnt going to get a headphone DAC / AMP but figured if I am going to get something half decent might as well add the other.

First time with decent headphones so should be interesting.
 

darkwing

Member
Eh, I went everywhere looking at headphones today and eventually settled on Sony MDR-1As. But of course no one had them in stock. One store wouldnt do a stock transfer which was a massive kick in the nuts, as it would have been $70 cheaper than anywhere else!!

Anyway, final order was;

Sony MDR-1A
Fiio E10K

I wasnt going to get a headphone DAC / AMP but figured if I am going to get something half decent might as well add the other.

First time with decent headphones so should be interesting.

nice, I have the 1As myself, it is a fun set of cans
 
Wow, now that's a well-written review. Thanks for linking it.

From your avatar, I'm guessing you watched Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso? Good stuff.

Yeah Tom really knows his shit. He's probably one of the most knowledgeable people on HF in regard to IEMs and so forth since he's in contact with manufacturers (he's even compiled this pretty awesome chart on which IEMs use which BA drivers) and understands the actual science behind how we hear since he's got a doctorate's on the subject I think. Really awesome guy. You can check out some of his other hifi articles at Cymba Cavum.

And yep. Best damned anime I've seen in about a decade now. Everything else this season has been a disappointment in comparison. I'm watching Anohana at the moment since I noticed A-1 also worked on that. It's quite good, easily relatable and beautifully animated.
 

rrvv

Member
GAF need some advice.

Sennheiser hd 280 pro
Audio Technica ATH-M30
Beyerdynamic DT231pro

Mainly use for campus commute. So yeah which one should I get GAF?
 

jwk94

Member
So I need some good but cheap headphones for my dad. My budget is $50 but I would prefer to go lower. What do you guys recommend? And thanks.
 

Aizo

Banned
I wish this color wasn't ¥10,000 more expensive than the regular ones. Ridiculous.
81HXSFiBfsL._SL1500_.jpg
Edit: Way cheaper in the US, huh? That's surprising.
 
For a mix of gaming/music listening, what are the preferred headphones in the mid 100 price range?

ATH-M50x
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVLUR86/?tag=neogaf0e-20

VS

Sennheiser HD598
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042A8CW2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

VS

Something else?

For the low $100 range, maybe look into the Sony MDR V6 or MDR ZX700, Xiaomi Mi, and Creative Aurana Live! 2. Mid $100s, there's also the AKG AD900x, Beyerdynamic DT990 (32ohm) or DT990. If you can push your budget to around $200 (or get lucky on a sale), the Philips Fidelio X1 is amazing.

For what it's worth, I use the Audio Technica AD900 (the older version of the AD900x) and it's great for rock and pop music. The wide soundstage is also great for gaming. The nice thing is it has low impedance, so you don't need a headphone amp (though a DAC will probably be good to have). They're open backed, so if sound leakage will be a problem, you might want to check out something else. The M50x are closed.
 

Mohonky

Member
nice, I have the 1As myself, it is a fun set of cans

Yeh I am hoping so, heard the Momentum On Ear and they were ok, I wasn't amazed, but it might have been just the fact it was playing over a standard android phone.

I'll admit a part of thnreason I liked the Sony was also to do with the looks, they are mostly plastic I know but they at least didn't look it, all the Sennheisers I looked at outside of the Momemtnums were big plastic looking things which didnt do a lot for me and I got the impression the AT 50x could be a little fatiguing for long use and werent quite as comfy so I went eith the Sony. Still, its not like I went super expensive so I could always try some others down the line but this will definitely be better than my $20 logitechs (thought they were playtronics but no they are some cheap logis)
 
For what it's worth, I use the Audio Technica AD900 (the older version of the AD900x) and it's great for rock and pop music. The wide soundstage is also great for gaming. The nice thing is it has low impedance, so you don't need a headphone amp (though a DAC will probably be good to have). They're open backed, so if sound leakage will be a problem, you might want to check out something else. The M50x are closed.
The AD900x seems like a great choice. Are they worth the $150? I was also thinking of pairing them with a modmic.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S331VU/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 

HiResDes

Member
The AD900x seems like a great choice. Are they worth the $150? I was also thinking of pairing them with a modmic.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B009S331VU/?tag=neogaf0e-20
I'd actually recommend the closed 900 over them as they have better bass and actually don't sacrifice all that much positional audio sporting an incredibly wide soundstage for a closed back.


At around 100 exactly I'd recommend these - http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0093PVTPS/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Great comfort, balance, and good soundstage for a closed back.
 

Jzero

Member
Just replaced my Brainwavz Peridot with a LUXA2. What a great upgrade, they cost about the same too. The brainwavz stand was too ugly and plastic for my taste.
 

darkwing

Member
Yeh I am hoping so, heard the Momentum On Ear and they were ok, I wasn't amazed, but it might have been just the fact it was playing over a standard android phone.

I'll admit a part of thnreason I liked the Sony was also to do with the looks, they are mostly plastic I know but they at least didn't look it, all the Sennheisers I looked at outside of the Momemtnums were big plastic looking things which didnt do a lot for me and I got the impression the AT 50x could be a little fatiguing for long use and werent quite as comfy so I went eith the Sony. Still, its not like I went super expensive so I could always try some others down the line but this will definitely be better than my $20 logitechs (thought they were playtronics but no they are some cheap logis)

Yup, I liked the looks too, I'm using them as my gaming headset for my ps4 too, no one has complained yet lol
 

HiResDes

Member
Opinions of Astro A50? I was given a very strong recommendation to purchase these for gaming purposes.
Waste of money really but not bad. An amped AD700 or AKG Q701 is a better option for positional audio. If you're gonna spend 300 bucks just grab a pair of Fidelio X1 or X2 and a boom pro.
 
Waste of money really but not bad. An amped AD700 or AKG Q701 is a better option for positional audio. If you're gonna spend 300 bucks just grab a pair of Fidelio X1 or X2 and a boom pro.

On a PS4 and Xbox One, is there any reason to to mess with something like a MixAmp, or just go with plugging directly into the controller for game audio? I already own a pair of X2s and would like to use them as a gaming headset from time to time.
 

HiResDes

Member
I'd just plug them in, but you might be able to artificially boast the soundstage with a mixamp...Not sure because I'm a PC gamer.
 

ZaCH3000

Member
Waste of money really but not bad. An amped AD700 or AKG Q701 is a better option for positional audio. If you're gonna spend 300 bucks just grab a pair of Fidelio X1 or X2 and a boom pro.

So all things considered, get the AKG Q701? What type of amp? I already own a set of Bose Quiet Comfort 25 but want a sizable upgrade.
 

HiResDes

Member
Yeah AKGs are nothing like the Bose don't worry it won't seem like a redundant purchase. Quiet Comfort are renown for their noise cancelling and comfort not their sound quality. With that being said if you're looking for an upgrade wit a similar sound signature the AKG are not for you. They don't have a muddy midbass boost, sucked out mids, or safe opaque treble.
 

Mohonky

Member
Got my MDR-1A's and E10K dac / amp

First impressions are difficult for music. The other day I was going on bit of a music binge on my home theatre, and even though my Onkyo TXSR707 is no musical genius, my speakers are really laid back. They dont attack highs, they never produce anything close to sibilance and my towers and sub are enclosed units (Earthquake Platinee Noiree and Paradigm Seismic 110), so they have no overhang in the lower frequencies; so these are what I am largely comparing music too.

One thing about these speakers being enclosed is that they need power, and I dont feel they are getting enough of it through my Onkyo. But its what I have to compare with.

Now my headset I just put an hour into, and I usually expect them to open up a bit as the diaprahgm or spider loosen up.

First thing I noticed is that compared to my speakers is that they are definitely more forward in the high and midrange. Its not something I am used to. I used to work in high end hifi so I have heard it before but it usually takes me some time to adjust. My speakers are laid back, they round off the sounds and produce a sound that might lack in a bit of detail by comparison to what a lot of people like, but it makes them super easy to listen to even at any volume and very smooth and clean. I played Chris Isaak - Wicken Game for some comparison. The headphones definitely have more detail, you can hear there is more going on in the track and the headphones definitely produce everything from the bottom end to the top with detail and an openness my speakers don't have. It was definitely a detailed performance, but I did find after awhile that it was a little draining to my ears. As I said, my speakers are very laid back and make no attempt to assult your ears with detail, they are detailed but no aggressively so, just very smooth sounds, so while I really appreciated the detail of the headphones I did find them a little tiring to listen to after a certain period.

Its largely something I'll likely adjust too or freeing up the drivers might settle them some more and relax them abit.

I played a lot of different stuff, some Metallica, Till Lindemann, Slipknot, Adele, Lorde; and I definitely enjoyed listening to all of them more on the headphones than the speakers. My speakers being laid back makes them, to my ears anyway, exceptional but really only in a small window of genres and sounds. If the music is relaxed with deep lows and mellow highs they just reproduce the sounds in such a clean, easy to listen to way, but they just dont quite push the mid range as openly and that can push the mid range back behind the smooth highs and deep bass. I don't know how much of that is the speaker and how much is the amplifier because like I mentioned they need power and I have had them hooked up to a proper 100watt per channel Rotel power amp before and that really brought the full range out, but I am finding on my setup that the MDR-1As are a far more consistent performer across a number of genres with great sound through out where my speakers have that narrow range where I am so incredibly impressed with in some musical genres and then left wondering where the magic went with some others.

So I went to something I know my speakers can dominate; Katy Perry ft Kanye West - ET. i tend to find this a fairly 'big' sounding song in the lower ranges. Essentially Katy Perrys vocals over a very deep bass track. On the headphones, I found that the headphones can definitely produce some very reasonable bass, to the point I could 'feel' the headphones shaking on my head yet they never hit distortion anywhere. It was quite impressive for what I expected,moarticularly as I expected the bass to perhaps get a little boomy, but to their credit they held their own. They couldn't match my speaker and sub though. This is a song that will shake the ever living shit out of my room easily with its bass. The speakers and sub are simply able to perform this with really tight deep bass; it never sounds muddy or boomy, but you can just feel the low frequencies dominating the room, particularly where the alien crafts propulsion system in the video passes off into the distance, you can feel the rumble of the low frequencies as it disappears. Impressive bass for the headphones, but this is the sort of thing my home theatre really kills it at.

So as far as music goes, I found it interesting. There are definitely certain types of music I still prefer from my big system; acoustics with male voices for their smooth, relaxing performances that don't ever get fatiguing, jazz with smoky female voices where the speakers and sub again round out any aggressive details but produce rich deep bass, deep house (obvious silky smooth tight bass reasons) and some very bass heavy pop songs; but otherwise anything outside of that the headphones are going to be the goto as they are simply the more well rounded performer.

Gaming - I've been lazy lately and just using my shitty old logitechs a lot, needless to say, these piss all over them. More detail, far more exciting, distinct, positional and able to produce a level of bass that is more powerful. Not quite on the same level as my home theatre system. If I were to want fire up a movie or a game and get that big impact, the speakers are still where its at, but the headphones, similar to the music, produce more detail but in a way that I don't dont quite as comfortable.

All in all, super happy to have a set of headphones where I can actually enjoy my PC audio in a way that is actually exciting as opposed to just 'there' for when I am too lazy to play games over my home theatre and a more well rounded music experience.


Oh I forgot to mention on build quality of the headphones. Super solid and so much nicer than a lot of the other headphones I have picked up and had a play of. The sliders to pull the cups down are metal (usually what breaks on a lot of headphones in my experience) and the cups of the headphone I am pretty sure are also metal, what plastic is used it very solid and feels chunky despite the headphones being really light over all. A very sleek design over all.

On comfort; barely felt like they were there. I have no idea what are are using for the cushions but seriously i didn't realise there was any substance that was both solid and that soft at the same time. They just perfectly mold themselves around your ears.
 
Hey headphone GAF. I'm looking for a mono headset for my PS4. Preferably something like the official Bluetooth headset for the PS3 and not too expensive. Really don't want anything 'on-ear' though as I ended up buying a set like that last year and absolutely hated them. Anyone have any recommendations? Or should I make a thread gaming side?
 

neos

Member
TjjgfNS.jpg


Thank you HiResDes, these are exactly what i was looking for.

After a bit of tries on the two, i have to say that the Sennheiser cx300 II are a bit better in stereo placement\soundscape and have warmer subs\lower frequencies , but the Fidue are waaaaay more balanced and pleasant to listen to,no resonance in higher frequencies as in the cx300.
I also find the a65 more confortable to wear
I've paid the Fidue circa double the price of the Senn's, but it's worth every penny.

My 2 cents:)
 

HiResDes

Member
TjjgfNS.jpg


Thank you HiResDes, these are exactly what i was looking for.

After a bit of tries on the two, i have to say that the Sennheiser cx300 II are a bit better in stereo placement\soundscape and have warmer subs\lower frequencies , but the Fidue are waaaaay more balanced and pleasant to listen to,no resonance in higher frequencies as in the cx300.
I also find the a65 more confortable to wear
I've paid the Fidue circa double the price of the Senn's, but it's worth every penny.

My 2 cents:)

Sounds about right. I think the bass on the Fidue will grow on you over time too : )

So since they have discontinued the greatest lightweight headphones of all time, and after years of terrible abuse I had to finally let mine go, what are the top options now? Still just PortaPros and PX100?

You mean in the price range, the AKG Y50 and Beyerdynamic 350p are pretty good.

Got my MDR-1A's and E10K dac / amp

Incredible review, sounds close to how I feel about them, but my ears are less sensitive to sibilance I believe due to all the years I went watched concerts on a weekly basis. Just wanted to give a big thanks for the awesome contribution.

Hey headphone GAF. I'm looking for a mono headset for my PS4. Preferably something like the official Bluetooth headset for the PS3 and not too expensive. Really don't want anything 'on-ear' though as I ended up buying a set like that last year and absolutely hated them. Anyone have any recommendations? Or should I make a thread gaming side?
There have been an increasing number of headset questions and honestly I haven't spent time with a lot of the newer headsets at all because in my experience they just don't offer a solid value in comparison to similarly priced headphones especially when listening to music. I just can't imagine any headset is gonna be a better value competitively wise than a AD700 for example.

Just wanted to say thanks, I have the H118's cranked here while she watches tv, she can't hear them at all. They seem better than my DT770 Premiums as well.

Yeah I thought they'd be similar, super hyped you liked them, very underrated headphone...The DT770 might have a bit more treble extension, but I definitely prefer the mids on the H118s. Enjoy my man.

GAF need some advice.

Sennheiser hd 280 pro
Audio Technica ATH-M30
Beyerdynamic DT231pro

Mainly use for campus commute. So yeah which one should I get GAF?
HD 280 Pro - Worst Sound, Best Isolation, Fair Portability (a bit big)
ATH M30 - Decent Isolation, Decent Sound, Good Portability
Beyerdynamic DT231 - Fair Isolation, Pretty Good Sound, Poor Portability Due to long cord
I want to thank HiResDes for his recommendation of the KC06. They seem well built and they sound quite good for the price.
Yeah I think they're a safer pick than the Zero Audio just because Zero Audio has questionable quality control.
Thank you, HiResDes! I ended up going with the Final Audio Heaven II because it was the most convenient to get and the build quality looked solid. They sound pretty good, too :).
Great looking and sounding phones IMO, congrats!

I got my Sony MDR-MA900 headphones today and man, these are so good! Extremely comfy and the sound quality is fantastic with really good bass. Highly recommended.
They're strengths are bit more understated than some other headphones, but I think they're a mature listeners dream. Fairly balanced in every region, mid-forward, yet they sport a pretty open soundstage. Just a great headphone that will sound pretty good out of any source and with most types of music. Enjoy my man!
 

Bloodember

Member
Neutral, slight warmth to the lower mids. Alpha Dogs have a bit more bass I believe.
Thanks, now I'm more confused than ever on what I want. I need to replace my closed back headphones because the ones I have now have a broken band. The headphones that I have determined that I like are the MrSpeakers Mad Dog Pro, Oppo PM-3, Shure SRH1540, and the Sony MDR1a. This is giving me a headache.
 

HiResDes

Member
Thanks, now I'm more confused than ever on what I want. I need to replace my closed back headphones because the ones I have now have a broken band. The headphones that I have determined that I like are the MrSpeakers Mad Dog Pro, Oppo PM-3, Shure SRH1540, and the Sony MDR1a. This is giving me a headache.
What are you looking for something with good overall balance but a bit of added bass emphasis?
 

Celcius

°Temp. member
Any recommendations for a portal mp3 player that can play FLAC as well?
Once upon a time I had a rockbox'd ipod classic 30gb 5th gen but I'd prefer something that does it out of the box.
 
Any recommendations for a portal mp3 player that can play FLAC as well?
Once upon a time I had a rockbox'd ipod classic 30gb 5th gen but I'd prefer something that does it out of the box.

I'd probably check out the Fiio X1 if you're used to the iPod classic:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NS3MRKC/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Great price at $100 and offers expandable storage. I'm not sure about the UI though as Asian DAPs tend to be kinda janky unless they're from Astell & Kern.

Friend of mine wrote a well balanced review here:
http://www.head-fi.org/products/fiio-x1-ultraportable-hi-res-dap/reviews/11544
 

Bloodember

Member
What are you looking for something with good overall balance but a bit of added bass emphasis?
Yes. Good balance with a bit more bass above neutral, they will be used mainly on my computer for games, Netflix, hulu, iTunes and other computer related stuff.
 

Bloodember

Member
How do you like the treble, extended and detailed, smooth and rounded off?
I like a more nuetral sound, so I would say smooth and rounded off. (If I get the term correctly) But it would be OK for it to slide toward the detailed side, just not to much.

Edit: Now that I think about it more, these aren't for music more than they are for games, extended and detailed would probably be better.
 

HiResDes

Member
I like a more nuetral sound, so I would say smooth and rounded off. (If I get the term correctly) But it would be OK for it to slide toward the detailed side, just not to much.

Edit: Now that I think about it more, these aren't for music more than they are for games, extended and detailed would probably be better.

I think you'll be happy with the Shures or Sony's, but I'd also consider the Soundmagic HP200 and Yamaha MT220.
 

Bloodember

Member
I think you'll be happy with the Shures or Sony's, but I'd also consider the Soundmagic HP200 and Yamaha MT220.
Thanks, leaning toward the Sony's. The soundmagics are open back, I have a pair of Shure 1840's which I love. As for the Yamaha's, don't like the non detachable cord. My closed backs now have that and I snag them all the time, rather have detachable, so I can replace it. My closed backs now are Shure 550dj.
 

Ptaaty

Member
For a mix of gaming/music listening, what are the preferred headphones in the mid 100 price range?

ATH-M50x
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVLUR86/?tag=neogaf0e-20

VS

Sennheiser HD598
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0042A8CW2/?tag=neogaf0e-20

VS

Something else?

Btw, I'm currently using Plantronics Audio 770 from 2008. I'm sure almost anything would be an upgrade at this point lol.

My friend has the M50s and we A/Bed with some fidelio L1s. The L1s were similar in some ways but much better midrange, less edgy and better detail (slightly recessed) treble, pretty even on bass...but way more comfortable, better looking, better materials, etc. They have been in the $<120 in the past few months, but look like about $140 now. They really shine with a 2.5 dB cut around 2.5k (if you can eq through foobar or other non-destructive means.). I've become a bit of a fidelio fanboy after my X2 experience...I think the L1 actually has better midrange and makes for an awesome office headphone. Overall I significantly prefer the X2 but both have merits, esp with the L1 at the lower prices.

If you need isolation, you don't want an HD598....L1 is a middle ground. M50x is closed. To be honest it is really hard to predict what folks will like....depends on what types of music you listen to, if you gaming is competitive (precise imaging can trump many factors).
 
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