Which Headphones?

So the RP-21 deal fell through :(. What do you think of the 501's? I suppose they'd need an amp, but with an amp how do they compare to other 200-300 headphones? And what do you think of the K81DJ's...the ones I'm looking at are recabled. Well right now the A900's are still an option, as well as the AKG's potentially, and I can always wait for some cheap RP-21's to go on sale...what are your thoughts?
 
Wait for them. With the de-foaming and beyer pad mods they will be better for your tastes than the A900 which is too polite imo.

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Sounds good :D. Btw I've been noticing that some 701's have been going pretty cheap (150$), if I see a pair at this price should I snap them up?
 
Alright, so if I'm watching the sale forum, i might as well watch for a good amp for the 701's too...what would you recommend? I've seen posts saying that the darkvoice 336i and the canamp are the best, but my wallet may not be happy with either of these picks.
 
I absolutely LOVE my ATH-A900's, just amazing.

Best purchase *ever*.
 
Alright, so if I'm watching the sale forum, i might as well watch for a good amp for the 701's too...what would you recommend? I've seen posts saying that the darkvoice 336i and the canamp are the best, but my wallet may not be happy with either of these picks.

Naw. Just about any mini3 will do fine. They are $100 or so and kick lot's of ass.
 
i've been debating on what headphones i should get. I've had the hd 212pro for about 2 years now. I was looking to upgrade to ether the ath-ad700 or the dt 770

I could get the ad700 for 110 shipped
I could get the dt770 for 150 shipped

SO my question is which one would be better for counter strike. Meaning i need the best positioning possible.
These would be pair with my x-fi sound card.

Also someone on here said they saw the ath-a900 for around 150 dollars. If anyone could point me to the location of that i would jump on that in a instance....
 
* * * Get the 40 (black) or 45(silver)

All my competition friends love me for getting them these headphones. They do footsteps and directional sound GREAT with an X-Fi.

Great thread. I am looking to upgrade for late-night gaming and need some headphones to allow the rest of the family to sleep. I presently have a 2ZS, but will likely get into an X-Fi at some point. I would prefer a mic on the set, but am willing to forego it if I have to.

Some options I am considering are:

1) Get an X-Fi now plus the Koss SB40/45 for about $130 total
2) Get a Turtle Beach HPA2 for about $80 and keep current sound card
3) Keep current sound card and get the Audio Technica AD-700s. I understand they have no mic.

My understanding is that the X-Fi helps headphones quite a bit for gaming, especially the positional sound. Agree? My priority--good sound in games and positional accuracy. Music quality is not a factor. These will only be used for night gaming, FPS primarily.
 
First option is the best. But if you want to go with nr.3 you might want to switch to the A700 which are closed and dont leak so much sound.
 
First option is the best. But if you want to go with nr.3 you might want to switch to the A700 which are closed and dont leak so much sound.

Cool. My local Best Buy sold out of the X-Fi Fata1ity they had on sale, so I will keep looking for one. I believe Spaceman said they were worth the extra money, and in this case, it's only an extra $20 or so. I can always upgrade the headset later, I guess. Thanks for the fast reply.
 
What's your opinion on a set of RP-21's for 115$ with beyer 770 pads included? Good deal, not a good deal? The beyer pads are pleather pressumably, but will confirm.
 
What's your opinion on a set of RP-21's for 115$ with beyer 770 pads included? Good deal, not a good deal? The beyer pads are pleather pressumably, but will confirm.

Um I was going to buy that but had to pay for insurance this month lol.

That tell you anything?
 
Phewwwww good ole insurance :p. I would have been royally pissed if I had missed yet another prime headphone deal. I just purchased these so Ill get back to you on how they work out :D
 
Well after 3 days of waiting and watching for a good set of headphones, I finally decided to buy some. Wouldn't u know it, today I look at the sales and there is the exact same deal for 20$ less :(.
 
Well after 3 days of waiting and watching for a good set of headphones, I finally decided to buy some. Wouldn't u know it, today I look at the sales and there is the exact same deal for 20$ less :(.

yeah but he shipped to Canada lol the other guy might not. plus, it was brand new gear. no worry. you will be amazed at the sound. make sure you lert them break in a bit first though.
 
Yep I'm not too worried :D...I just really don't like murphies law ;), besides I think I'm getting leather pads where the other one is pleather :). Ya, I plan on trying them out, then letting them play a trance/house radio station for at least 24 hours. My new 'phones ship today :D
 
Spaceman, what's your opinion on this?

I was thinking about getting a cheapo Cmoy to augment my headphone setup. A modded X-Fi > Plantronics Audio Switcher > (CMoy goes here) > AD700. Would this lead to a dramatic difference in sound quality or would it just be a minor improvement?
 
Minor improvements. A cmoy for under $50? Sure. The bass will be improved the most BUT it will be subtle.
 
Spaceman, what's your opinion on this?

I was thinking about getting a cheapo Cmoy to augment my headphone setup. A modded X-Fi > Plantronics Audio Switcher > (CMoy goes here) > AD700. Would this lead to a dramatic difference in sound quality or would it just be a minor improvement?

as someone with a cmoy and an x-fi- VERY minor change. an x-fi already puts out almost as much power as a cmoy- i've tried a homemade one, go- vibe, pa2v2, and an ibasso d1- none make much change. dont waste your money.
however a cmoy will help a low power source such as an mp3 player a lot!
 
Hey, my dad's HD40's died the other day and I was looking to get him some new wireless 'phones. What wireless 'phones will be more comfortable and better quality than the HD40's, but won't lose the range of them and are around 50$? He likes to use them for work around the house and work in the woods, so they need to reach quite far. He primarily listens to classical music and 70 + 80's classics.
 
I have a question, what goes into modding headphones? Like Darth Beyers, I see he records it, adds wood, etc. But how hard would it be for someone to upgrade the quality without the fancy wood finish? :D
 
Not hard if you want to recable it. Larry does a bit more than make it pretty. There are specific tweaks that only he knows.

His wiring, time and effort are what make them a bit pricey.

They sound WAY better than the stock 770 Darth's are based upon though.
 
I didn't read through all the posts, but I have had bad luck with Plantronics headsets. It has only been a month, and the mechanism to control the adjustments of the microphone have already weakened. So basically, to speak clearly through the mic, i have to physically grab it and bring it up to my mouth. It just automatically falls right back down. I don't know the exact model number; i got them for xmas
 
This should hopefully be a fun one ;)

Looking for a good linear monitoring setup and will likely sell my DT 880/Darkvoice setup (though maybe not...). Obviously, this means I'm looking at Senn's HD600/HD650, and obviously a decent solid state amp to drive them -- but what amp? Seems like Meier's Corda Arietta would be a good fit, but I'd assume there might be better options around for at or around $300. A DAC/amp combo would be...advantageous, actually, but I'm not sure if one would be a better investment than a standalone amp given that I have a satisfactory source (analog outs via Mbox 2).

The basic goals here are accuracy and neutrality. Any kind of 'character' is not desirable.

Want to keep the whole kit-and-caboodle, cans and amp, under $600. Thoughts?
 
This should hopefully be a fun one ;)

Looking for a good linear monitoring setup and will likely sell my DT 880/Darkvoice setup (though maybe not...). Obviously, this means I'm looking at Senn's HD600/HD650, and obviously a decent solid state amp to drive them -- but what amp? Seems like Meier's Corda Arietta would be a good fit, but I'd assume there might be better options around for at or around $300. A DAC/amp combo would be...advantageous, actually, but I'm not sure if one would be a better investment than a standalone amp given that I have a satisfactory source (analog outs via Mbox 2).

The basic goals here are accuracy and neutrality. Any kind of 'character' is not desirable.

Want to keep the whole kit-and-caboodle, cans and amp, under $600. Thoughts?

What source do you have right now? First thing that came to mind after you mentioned the HD600/HD650s with a $300 amp is the PPA (http://tangentsoft.net/audio/ppa/). Have not heard the Arietta, but the HD650/PPA combo is very nice. Detailed with tight bass, and no hint of "veil".
 
I've been using the Mbox 2 as a source+headphone amp when I'm working (the amp is acceptable, but not anything to write home about), and an X-Fi Elite Pro to the 336 when I'm playing.

I hadn't considered going the PPA route, but I also wouldn't have a clue as to how to assemble one (and would rather not buy one assembled off someone else for various reasons). Something that's built by and shipped from an American company is preferable but certainly not required.
 
hey phide,

easy solution for you. pm misterx here. he is american made and will hook you up with a solid build. I have a man-crush on his soldering skills. Just make certain that you are specific about what you want and do not delete past pms so that he has a running conversation of the deal. he is really busy and tends to need a history of past conversations.

he can build you a bitchin ppa or his Italian Stallion model. I can never remember wtf the name of that Italian amp is but the midrange is supposed to be incredible and under or around $300.
 
Hey, just got my RP-21's the other day and I love them! Thanks for the recommendation :D. Anyways I like them too much because now I can't stand my shure E2c's so I need something new for my portable build. Are the K81dj's + little dot micro a good combination for $80, or should I go for either the KSC75 or KSC35's? Any other opinions are always welcome too :)
 
sure any of those except the 35 would make you happy enough. However, the RP-21 is just as portable as the AKG.
 
Well, I find that the RP-21's are a bit too big to bring around in public. I wanted to go with a more subtle approach...am I getting that with the AKG's? They look a lot more commonplace to me than the RP-21's. I also read that they are pretty rugged, so I wouldn't have to worry too much about their wellbeing. Besides if I don't like them they seem pretty easy to sell on head-fi.
 
Well, I find that the RP-21's are a bit too big to bring around in public. I wanted to go with a more subtle approach...am I getting that with the AKG's? They look a lot more commonplace to me than the RP-21's. I also read that they are pretty rugged, so I wouldn't have to worry too much about their wellbeing. Besides if I don't like them they seem pretty easy to sell on head-fi.

lol yeah go for it. I can't think of anything else which might do. Perhaps try some higher end IEMs?

Btw I sometimes use my Darth's in public lol. Those certainly get some looks.
 
Nah, I never found the shures to be very comfortable, and besides I have a unfortunately large amount of ear wax :(. So I went ahead and got the AKG's...now the waiting starts all over again lol. Wow, your definitely much braver than me...either that or just plain crazy to go out in those beasts :p.
 
Can I add Goldring dr150 to the list of recommended phones they are simply superb and £60 they match sennheisers hd600/650 unamped.
 
i noticed that Sennheiser headSETs aren't mentioned. i finally tried a set- the pc150. i figured they would sound like low end senns- 400 series-ish (ok range and bass)
they dont. no bass. if i had to guess i would say that the inline volume control screws up bass in this and other headsets
 
i noticed that Sennheiser headSETs aren't mentioned. i finally tried a set- the pc150. i figured they would sound like low end senns- 400 series-ish (ok range and bass)
they dont. no bass. if i had to guess i would say that the inline volume control screws up bass in this and other headsets

yup.
 
i noticed that Sennheiser headSETs aren't mentioned. i finally tried a set- the pc150. i figured they would sound like low end senns- 400 series-ish (ok range and bass)
they dont. no bass. if i had to guess i would say that the inline volume control screws up bass in this and other headsets

Can't say I've tried the one with the inline volume control, but I repaired/salvaged a pair from a friend and they sound decent...not great. Definitely has some bass though, nothing that goes really deep, but it's definitely there. Although I am using it with a DAC38 -> PPX3, so YMMV...
 
Hello everyone, i'm new here. I have about $70 and i need a new headphoen, can you please recommend... ?
 
Hey, I have a HDR 40 base, but the cans are broken. Would this base be compatible with the HDR 100 series? kotlt1, what will you be using the headphones for? What kind of music do you listen to?
 
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