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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread

T

The Big Rig

Member
What type of sound would I be expecting with the P7's compared to the NAD VISO HP50? I don't need crazy bass. I mainly listen to acoustic, rock, jazz, electronic and spoken word.
 
U

Union Carbine

Member
The Big Rig said:
What type of sound would I be expecting with the P7's compared to the NAD VISO HP50? I don't need crazy bass. I mainly listen to acoustic, rock, jazz, electronic and spoken word.
Click to expand...
I can't speak to the P7s but I really really like my HP50s. My listening habits are similar to yours. Anywhere local to you where you could give them a listen? I was lucky enough to be able to audition different headphones off of my iPhone.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
The Big Rig said:
What type of sound would I be expecting with the P7's compared to the NAD VISO HP50? I don't need crazy bass. I mainly listen to acoustic, rock, jazz, electronic and spoken word.
Click to expand...
That pretty much sounds like you should get the NAD to me. Check out this comparison, http://www.head-fi.org/t/672743/comparisons-23-of-the-top-closed-portable-headphones-around/2700

... The guy is off on some stuff and puts too much emphasis on styling, but decent comparison nonetheless.
 
B

br0ken_shad0w

Member
The only thing I don't like about my HP50s is that their weird headband puts too much pressure on the top of my head. Enough to where it makes it a little too uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time.
 
S

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
I adore my HP50s. I've recently started thinking about culling down some of my collection at this point, and those are one pair I don't see going anywhere.
 
U

Union Carbine

Member
SnakeXs said:
I adore my HP50s. I've recently started thinking about culling down some of my collection at this point, and those are one pair I don't see going anywhere.
Click to expand...

HiResDes said:
That's where I'm at with my Rockets too.
Click to expand...
Yep, though I don't have much of a collection. I gotta say that, with the replacement pads, my JVC work headphones are everything I could want-- super SUPER comfortable, a bit extra on the bass which is fun (but ultimately I prefer the smooth bass on the HP50), and just a really pleasant overall sound, no harshness anywhere.

flickr said:
Click to expand...
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
The HP50 and Ostry KC06 definitely have me feeling like I've reached the "good enough" point of diminishing returns.
 
T

The Big Rig

Member
Thanks guys! I can get the HP50 for around $110 with my gift cards, and the P7 for around $200. From what it sounds like, I'm getting a way better deal with the HP50, despite it not looking as cool.

If I go with the HP50, any recommendations from those who have them on color? Also, can those be powered by a phone?
 
W

WhiskerFrisker

Member
Hey, Audio GAF. I have a certain dilemma. I have earphones (IEM?) that I used to commute to school. One side stop playing sounds so it's obviously broken. I want new earphones but they have to be quality ones. I'm willing to spend upwards of $100 and a little more. I listen to Dubstep, Drumstep, Metal, some rap and pop. I want earphones that have great bass and accurate sounds.

I've actually been more sensitive to poor sound quality. Videos contain this fuzzy sound which is incredibly annoying. How can I get high quality music?
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
The Big Rig said:
Thanks guys! I can get the HP50 for around $110 with my gift cards, and the P7 for around $200. From what it sounds like, I'm getting a way better deal with the HP50, despite it not looking as cool.

If I go with the HP50, any recommendations from those who have them on color? Also, can those be powered by a phone?
Click to expand...

1. I went with the red, to be different. Turns out it's a really nice color on them, and people really notice and give compliments. I'd go red or white tbh.

2. They are easy to drive from my S4. They obviously benefit from amping, but they still sound good straight from the source.
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
WhiskerFrisker said:
Hey, Audio GAF. I have a certain dilemma. I have earphones (IEM?) that I used to commute to school. One side stop playing sounds so it's obviously broken. I want new earphones but they have to be quality ones. I'm willing to spend upwards of $100 and a little more. I listen to Dubstep, Drumstep, Metal, some rap and pop. I want earphones that have great bass and accurate sounds.

I've actually been more sensitive to poor sound quality. Videos contain this fuzzy sound which is incredibly annoying. How can I get high quality music?
Click to expand...

For IEMs, I highly recommend the Ostry KC06.

As far as "high quality music", I dunno. If it's 320kbps I'm good.
 
Jzero

Jzero

Member
Pterion said:
Looking for a pair of IEMs, mainly for listening to music while working out.

Never mind. Will give the KC06A a try.
Click to expand...

I use mine for working out but they will definitely get fucked up. Too much sweat gets in them (that will happen to every non workout headphone though)
 
T

TEJ

Member
I've heard that for the price, sony mdr 7506 professional large diaphragm headphones are good.

The price is very affordable, worth a buy?
 
C

chaosaeon

Member
AngryChinchilla said:
Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250Ohm Headphones on sale for $165 - $35 rebate = $130.
Click to expand...


Ahwell, shipping to canada is $38 and then the exchange rate, it ends up being the same price it's always been on ebay for me. I'm probably going to end up not getting these or another like them until I have the disposable funds to be able to pay for return shipping on multiple items if I don't want to keep them. It all seems like such a gamble when you have no way to try any of this stuff before you buy it. Did any of you guys have to ship and send multiple things back over the years to get what you were looking for ? I feel like you can do all the research in the world but find something you hadn't considered and you end up looking for new stuff again.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
WhiskerFrisker said:
Hey, Audio GAF. I have a certain dilemma. I have earphones (IEM?) that I used to commute to school. One side stop playing sounds so it's obviously broken. I want new earphones but they have to be quality ones. I'm willing to spend upwards of $100 and a little more. I listen to Dubstep, Drumstep, Metal, some rap and pop. I want earphones that have great bass and accurate sounds.

I've actually been more sensitive to poor sound quality. Videos contain this fuzzy sound which is incredibly annoying. How can I get high quality music?
Click to expand...

You seem to want a lot but aren't willing to pay the price for them? I have some fairly decent iems costing around $300. They have fuck all bass. If you want good bass then get some headphones instead.

What is your source? If you want better quality then you may need an amp/dac combo.

If you want a low noise floor then you may have to spend a decent amount. All depends on your source and source material though.
 
T

terrible

Banned
chaosaeon said:
Ahwell, shipping to canada is $38 and then the exchange rate, it ends up being the same price it's always been on ebay for me. I'm probably going to end up not getting these or another like them until I have the disposable funds to be able to pay for return shipping on multiple items if I don't want to keep them. It all seems like such a gamble when you have no way to try any of this stuff before you buy it. Did any of you guys have to ship and send multiple things back over the years to get what you were looking for ? I feel like you can do all the research in the world but find something you hadn't considered and you end up looking for new stuff again.
Click to expand...

It was your Samson's that were defective right? That's such a shame, that would've been the perfect starting point.

I personally believe you're overthinking this but it's your money so you have every right to be cautious. That makes me feel like budget cans would make the most sense for you. They can be like 90% as good as headphones in your ~$250 CAD price range and if they aren't completely to your liking
(and if you catch the headphone bug no pair of headphones ever will be)
you're not out much money should you eventually choose to upgrade again.
 
C

chaosaeon

Member
terrible said:
It was your Samson's that were defective right? That's such a shame, that would've been the perfect starting point.

I personally believe you're overthinking this but it's your money so you have every right to be cautious. That makes me feel like budget cans would make the most sense for you. They can be like 90% as good as headphones in your ~$250 CAD price range and if they aren't completely to your liking
(and if you catch the headphone bug no pair of headphones ever will be)
you're not out much money should you eventually choose to upgrade again.
Click to expand...

Yeah the Samson's had a jack that would change the audio if you even turned your head or touched the wire. It also had a louder left side. The UPS guy just dropped it in the snow on my porch and left it for hours with me inside having never rang the doorbell, which by the way, dropping it at the door and not notifying you is apparently their "policy", when I told them what happened. When I had the jack and wire turned just right I could hear them though. Would there be any burn in time on those, because the sound was pretty good though there was some sibilance that makes things like gunshots pop a little loud in your ears and pronounced "S" sounds sizzle a little too harsh. On the PC they sounded pretty good too but for music they blended a lot of sounds together like guitar chords and drums, wasn't much for separation on those. Are those all caused by that unit being defective or is that how the Samson's should sound ?
 
H

HiResDes

Member
I've never had anything sound so terrible that wanted to sound so back. I've been lucky I guess. The absolute emphasis on detail you seem to want I think is pointing me more towards the AKG Q701, rather than the DT990, which while they're also detailed the bass clouds the mix ever so slightly and the treble can be sibilant to some. How much are the Sony MDR ma900 where you are?
 
E

ElectricKaibutsu

Member
WhiskerFrisker said:
Hey, Audio GAF. I have a certain dilemma. I have earphones (IEM?) that I used to commute to school. One side stop playing sounds so it's obviously broken. I want new earphones but they have to be quality ones. I'm willing to spend upwards of $100 and a little more. I listen to Dubstep, Drumstep, Metal, some rap and pop. I want earphones that have great bass and accurate sounds.

I've actually been more sensitive to poor sound quality. Videos contain this fuzzy sound which is incredibly annoying. How can I get high quality music?
Click to expand...
I have the Zero Audio Carbo Bassos. I love the bass in them. I find they have good punch but don't color the mids, which are accurate. Zero Audio aren't famous for being long lasting, but they're cheap enough to be worth a shot I think. I've had mine for about half a year with nothing but good things to say.
 
C

chaosaeon

Member
HiResDes said:
I've never had anything sound so terrible that wanted to sound so back. I've been lucky I guess. The absolute emphasis on detail you seem to want I think is pointing me more towards the AKG Q701, rather than the DT990, which while they're also detailed the bass clouds the mix ever so slightly and the treble can be sibilant to some. How much are the Sony MDR ma900 where you are?
Click to expand...

The Sony MDR ma900 seem to be going for anywhere between $200 and $300 everywhere I'm checking. Only one amazon review and they gave it 1-star saying it distorts the low end (no idea if it does of course). And yeah I do love detail in sound. If I'm playing a game I like crickets and birds in the distance to stand out but not muddled together with the sound of the wind. Usually that means having the volume up higher which makes things like gunshots pound your ears. The problem seems to be that in order to have that, there has to be a lack of that full bodied sound with the low boom for something like an explosion or a building groaning etc. It's tough because I dislike airy, hollow and cold sound and most of the ones with good soundstage, separation and detail seem to fit that description.
 
W

WhiskerFrisker

Member
K.Jack said:
For IEMs, I highly recommend the Ostry KC06.

As far as "high quality music", I dunno. If it's 320kbps I'm good.
Click to expand...
I looked this up and it looks great. Definitely is on my list.
Phat Michael said:
You seem to want a lot but aren't willing to pay the price for them? I have some fairly decent iems costing around $300. They have fuck all bass. If you want good bass then get some headphones instead.

What is your source? If you want better quality then you may need an amp/dac combo.

If you want a low noise floor then you may have to spend a decent amount. All depends on your source and source material though.
Click to expand...
My sources are YouTube and SoundCloud. I wasn't aware that I would need an amp/DAC combo.
ElectricKaibutsu said:
I have the Zero Audio Carbo Bassos. I love the bass in them. I find they have good punch but don't color the mids, which are accurate. Zero Audio aren't famous for being long lasting, but they're cheap enough to be worth a shot I think. I've had mine for about half a year with nothing but good things to say.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Some people pointed out that the Tenore version is the better buy. But this still looks good, especially the price.
 
O

opticalmace

Member
Anyone ever done blind or ABX testing? Whether it be lossless vs lossy, high vs low bitrate, or components. Just curious.

Feels like something I should try.
 
C

chaosaeon

Member
HiResDes said:
Reading Amazon for reviews is like researching YouTube for political advice. You can find them on Ebay for around 220 CAD with free shipping.

Here's a good review of them - http://www.head-fi.org/t/629385/ma900-review-the-hd598-killer
Click to expand...

They sound like they could be what I'm looking for.

Few questions if anyone can answer these.
What difference does 70mm drivers bring to the table over the regular size ?

Does the unique design make these things leak sound much more than other headphones like senn 598s for example ? I don't want it to sound like i have speakers on in the room just at low volume while using them.

And 12 ohms ? What ? Since I'm really new with all of this, that sounds like either A) suspicious, or B) sorcery. What makes certain models require more juice to run, cause if these sound as nice as I'm hoping how can they do that on only 12 ? That's less than half the Samson's. These might just be something worth trying.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
chaosaeon said:
They sound like they could be what I'm looking for.

Few questions if anyone can answer these.
What difference does 70mm drivers bring to the table over the regular size ?

Does the unique design make these things leak sound much more than other headphones like senn 598s for example ? I don't want it to sound like i have speakers on in the room just at low volume while using them.

And 12 ohms ? What ? Since I'm really new with all of this, that sounds like either A) suspicious, or B) sorcery. What makes certain models require more juice to run, cause if these sound as nice as I'm hoping how can they do that on only 12 ? That's less than half the Samson's. These might just be something worth trying.
Click to expand...
The con of such a low impedance is that they're more susceptible to distortion and don't scale as much with better hardware. They definitely leak quite a bit, due to the lax clamping force and relatively shallow padding. The size of the driver itself doesn't automatically make it better.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
WhiskerFrisker said:
I looked this up and it looks great. Definitely is on my list.

My sources are YouTube and SoundCloud. I wasn't aware that I would need an amp/DAC combo.

Interesting. Some people pointed out that the Tenore version is the better buy. But this still looks good, especially the price.
Click to expand...
Well you were saying you want some bass and power etc. Your phone (if that's your source) does not have a good internal dac.

There are some good cheap ones listed in this thread that will do wonders for your future headphones.

Like even something like Schiit fulla for $80 will add a lot for a really low price.
 
W

WhiskerFrisker

Member
Phat Michael said:
Well you were saying you want some bass and power etc. Your phone (if that's your source) does not have a good internal dac.

There are some good cheap ones listed in this thread that will do wonders for your future headphones.

Like even something like Schiit fulla for $80 will add a lot for a really low price.
Click to expand...
Thanks. You're are right, my phone is my source, as well as my computer. I think I'm going to buy one. Thanks again.
 
T

terrible

Banned
chaosaeon said:
Yeah the Samson's had a jack that would change the audio if you even turned your head or touched the wire. It also had a louder left side. The UPS guy just dropped it in the snow on my porch and left it for hours with me inside having never rang the doorbell, which by the way, dropping it at the door and not notifying you is apparently their "policy", when I told them what happened. When I had the jack and wire turned just right I could hear them though. Would there be any burn in time on those, because the sound was pretty good though there was some sibilance that makes things like gunshots pop a little loud in your ears and pronounced "S" sounds sizzle a little too harsh. On the PC they sounded pretty good too but for music they blended a lot of sounds together like guitar chords and drums, wasn't much for separation on those. Are those all caused by that unit being defective or is that how the Samson's should sound ?
Click to expand...

The Samson's have decent separation. Sibilance is the main problem but you can EQ that down a bit with music at least.

HD598s are on for $150 at amazon.ca right now. I don't know how long that'll last though.
 
W

WhyMe6

Member
Hey all, I am just in need of a recommendation and I was wondering if you could help me out! I'm not really familiar with the ins and outs of audio lingo and terminology, so please forgive any mistakes or foolish applications of terms.

I'm seeking a pair of headphones, preferably over-ear, mainly for home listening out of my laptop or phone. Mostly, I will use them for listening to music, but I will also use them for playing games, too. That said, music is my main priority as I find my 449s satisfy my needs with regards to gaming.

Portability is never an issue. Even if I'm travelling on the train for just 40 minutes, I always bring a big bag and never mind taking out a big pair of headphones with me. And, when it is an issue, I have IEMs and smaller 449s in case of that.

With music, I primarily listen to Korean pop/synthpop/hip-hop, classical, instrumental and house. I've never been fussed by the weaker bass from the 449s - in fact, I really, really love them - as bass is not something I typically seek, and I value clarity and range far, far more. However, I am looking for an improvement in not only general clarity and quality but also a small boost in bass, if possible. However, clarity is of the utmost importance, as I really would like a proportional soundstage with full range and excellent balance.

Now, I'm not sure which are best, but I have been tossing up between the following. Now, Australian prices are pretty variable and terrible for these, but I'll be moving to Korea next month so it's possible the prices will be a bit more approachable there. Interestingly, the BOSE prices are almost identical to the US price, whereas the others are subject to a hefty markup. The ones I'm considering are:

- Bowers & Wilkins P7
- NAP HP50
- Sennheiser HP 598
- Sennheiser Momentum
- BOSE QuietComfort 25

I've read through the first and recent pages of the thread for recommendations, but I was hoping for something a bit more specific to my situation! I don't care at all for style, so that isn't even something I will consider. Whatever sounds best to my situation is what I seek! The Momentum over-ears seem to have some problems with range, from what I've read, so maybe I shouldn't consider these?

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!^^
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Why are you considering Bose QC25, is isolation a big priority? If it's not take them completely off the table. Go ahead and just take the 598s completely off as well as their kind of bass light and by no means are detail monsters.

I'd say a better looking list would look like this:

Yamaha MT220
Nad Viso HP50
KEF M500
Bowers and Wilkins P7
Focal Spirit Professional
Master and Dynamic MH40

If you're gonna be using them on a train you might want a reasonable amount of isolation therefore in this particular case X out the MH40, KEF, and Yamaha.
 
T

threetri333

Banned
I got the Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones! What PC sound card would go together well with my headphones?

Or are the Magni 2 and Modi 2 good options?
 
C

chaosaeon

Member
terrible said:
The Samson's have decent separation. Sibilance is the main problem but you can EQ that down a bit with music at least.

HD598s are on for $150 at amazon.ca right now. I don't know how long that'll last though.
Click to expand...

I tried those HD598s in this exact sale, was not impressed at all honestly. FLAC and 320 kbps music from my PC sounded muddy, bass was hollow and airy, they leaked sound like it was a speaker, and like I saw some people say, they just sound "boring" like nothing stands out about them other than the appearance.

HiResDes said:
The con of such a low impedance is that they're more susceptible to distortion and don't scale as much with better hardware. They definitely leak quite a bit, due to the lax clamping force and relatively shallow padding. The size of the driver itself doesn't automatically make it better.
Click to expand...

Does distortion happen with these ? Your comment combined with the one mentioning it makes it sound like that's a possibility. Why was the MDR-MA900 discontinued anyway ? Is there an improved version of this that just costs a little more or did it not sell well ? If there's a better version maybe I could keep an eye on that as well.
 
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