Rur0ni said:
I have some Sennheiser HD280 Pros, they were like $90 from NewEgg. With the X-Fi, in the front bay jack, and CMSS3D or whatever, I hear directional/depth, just like with my old '5.1' Headphones (Kinyo $50 ones with an amp, very cheap sucky ones).
Was surprised when sounds outside the headphones were cut off, and it had some bass. I was shocked, and ashamed I had gone so long without such quality.
I was looking into the Beyerdynamic DT770s though, but then all the talk of "driving" and "amps" just annoyed me. Quite happy with what I have.
When it comes to gaming, sounds/positioning yourself > seeing. I get called waller and get votebanned regularly if I don't play on a server where I know the admins.
Sound sound sound.
Headphones can be tricky to drive, but there are a few things you should keep in mind.
At the peak of my addiction, I was running one of the first pairs of the Grado GS1000 and Grado RS1 out of my Melos SHA1 headphone amp. I've also owned and borrowed many solid state amps, and been privileged enough to own both a headphile custom HP3000 and for a while I had the infamous ear-speaker AKG K1000.
I learned many things in my adventures to the top of headphone-dom. Foremost, all sound is relative. The quality of amplification and the benefits change from headphone to headphone and amp to amp. Some headphones respond well and some do not. And, regardless of what some hardcore headphone-o-philes will tell you, many consumer devices contain excellent amps that can pair with and drive fantastic headphones very well. To this day, the PSP is one of the most dynamic mp3 players out there. I wouldn't call it smooth, but it really is dynamic. The trick in figuring out what works is simply trial and error. Your ears are different than mine, and most people seem to forget this.
However, here are some nice guidelines:
1. Burn in is real, as far as I am concerned. Your headphones will sound better over time. Be it the membranes settling and breaking in to the vibrations moving through them or your own ears adjusting to them, a good pair of headphones that uses drivers will sound better with age.
2. Don't only trust the ohm rating on a headphone's box or stat sheet, but it can help. Check around on head-fi or read about them at headphone.com. Their tastes may differ from yours, but more on that later. Generally speaking, amplification can make any headphone BETTER, but it isn't totally necessary for it to sound good in the first place. Your iPod can't drive a Sennheiser HD650 (something like 300 ohms) but it CAN drive the Beyerdynamic DT770-80 (80 ohms) reasonably well. Audiotechnica headphones are also easy to drive for the most part. AKGs on the other hand can be very tricky to drive right.
3. There are headphone fanboys, and they are just as bad as console or HD format fanboys. Their ears ARE different than yours, and what sounds amazing to them might sound like crap to you. Example: I hate the HD280 with a firey passion. It has no dynamic for me, and sounds cold and distant. By the same token, you might hate Grado phones, whereas they really tickle my fancy. Personally think that the DT770-80 is much easier to drive than the HD280.
Good places to shop are:
www.headphone.com : They have their own specific tastes and will be very up-front with you in their ratings of a particular phone. They love Sennheisers and AKG phones, but not Grado as much. Their prices are excellent.
Guitar Center : Get your DT770-80 here, and ONLY the -80 version. Make SURE you check the ohm rating (the 80) on a 770 before you buy it, as the other versions are harder to drive and don't sound as good.
www.audiocubes.com : Your one stop shop for japanese phones.
www.head-fi.org : A massive community of headphone fans means a great sale / trade forum. Tons of amazing deals, and headphones keep value VERY well. If it sounds good now, it's going to sound good in 5 years... unlike other types of technology.
jr.com and bhphotovideo.com are both good places, especially for good deals on Sennheiser headphones.
EDIT: Some photos of the phones mentioned here.
The DT770-80. Unbelievably durable with many user-serviceable parts. Very light and comfortable, despite the "old school" look.
The popular A900 Audiotechnica phone. Much loved by fans of Japanese stuffs and gamers.
Headphile's HP3000 headphone. Very hard to find now, made custom from 2 rarer headphones with wood finishing. Wood is used mostly because of its pleasant resonant properties.
The Grado GS1000 on top of an Audiotechnica woodie phone.
The AKG K1000 earspeaker. Discontinued, unlike anything else. Requires a nice speaker amp to drive.
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