Recommendations on new headphones

tungt88 said:
Tell us how what you thought of both of 'em, after you're done testing! I've never tried out the MDR-7506 before ...
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Well... My Pixel 2 XL drives both headphones, even the DT770s @ 250Ohm...and even at pretty impressive volume! Of course the DAC in the pixel is pretty crappy compared to my SB. But I'm at home now, so i can't test until Monday. Preliminary tests on the pixel have the Sony's putting out considerably more bass though, which is the complete opposite of everything I've read about these two headphones. The Sony's are definitely muddy in the low end on the pixel, but are pretty damn clear above that! Both headphones leak a little unfortunately, per my fiance. But i think she was being a little too critical, at least of the beyers.
 

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fatryan said:
Well... My Pixel 2 XL drives both headphones, even the DT770s @ 250Ohm...and even at pretty impressive volume! Of course the DAC in the pixel is pretty crappy compared to my SB. But I'm at home now, so i can't test until Monday. Preliminary tests on the pixel have the Sony's putting out considerably more bass though, which is the complete opposite of everything I've read about these two headphones. The Sony's are definitely muddy in the low end on the pixel, but are pretty damn clear above that! Both headphones leak a little unfortunately, per my fiance. But i think she was being a little too critical, at least of the beyers.
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Nice -- can't wait to see how they work with your SB once you're at work :)
 
Just used the Sony's on a splitter with some cheapo ear buds to watch a bunch of episodes of the office on Netflix with my fiance on her Pixel 2 on our fight to Boston. Obviously the volume was cut on mine, and there's poor noise cancelling, but the clarity really makes up for it. I could hear everything perfectly
 
Uuuuggghhh. I'mm so torn between these headphones. Kinda disappointed in both of their performances on the SB actually. I will preface this by saying that the test files were just MP3s streamed via Google music lol. So I realize the lossy compression will affect audio quality, especially at the low end. But I did not bring a CD to work to test with, plus MP3s are my normal music source anyway.

The Sony's still sound like a wet fart on the low end. OK, maybe that's exaggerated. They sound like a mediocre sub getting too much power and overextending. The highs are more clear than the Beyers, and the mids add a better fullness than you get with the Beyers. Though staging isn't as good with these, I wouldn't say its bad. Though coming from car audio where staging is a royal PITA, I don't have that high of standards ha ha.

The Beyers are just surprisingly flat. Like I cant believe how little they come alive. Yes, their low end is much more clear, but it's not as amplified as the Sony's even on the SB. So again, that goes against everything I've heard about these things. Mids and highs are staged dead center, but it's too centralized.

Overall which is better? That's tough. The Sony's low end is pretty bad, like worse than the Monoprice headphones. But everything else is great. Could I get used to the flatness of the Beyers? Possibly. But for that price tag? Eh, not sure if it's worth it. Might make more sense to just stick with the Sonys. Not really sure what to do. I know you guys are probably going to recommend I try other headphones, which I really don't feel like doing lol.
 
EQ the Beyers. The 'audiophile' answer is to get the analog stages as 'flat' and revealing / detailed as possible, then EQ at the source (or digitally).

Your SoundBlaster should have some provision for this; you might even try the stuff that emulates different 'rooms'.
 
fatryan said:
Uuuuggghhh. I'mm so torn between these headphones. Kinda disappointed in both of their performances on the SB actually. I will preface this by saying that the test files were just MP3s streamed via Google music lol. So I realize the lossy compression will affect audio quality, especially at the low end. But I did not bring a CD to work to test with, plus MP3s are my normal music source anyway.

The Sony's still sound like a wet fart on the low end. OK, maybe that's exaggerated. They sound like a mediocre sub getting too much power and overextending. The highs are more clear than the Beyers, and the mids add a better fullness than you get with the Beyers. Though staging isn't as good with these, I wouldn't say its bad. Though coming from car audio where staging is a royal PITA, I don't have that high of standards ha ha.

The Beyers are just surprisingly flat. Like I cant believe how little they come alive. Yes, their low end is much more clear, but it's not as amplified as the Sony's even on the SB. So again, that goes against everything I've heard about these things. Mids and highs are staged dead center, but it's too centralized.

Overall which is better? That's tough. The Sony's low end is pretty bad, like worse than the Monoprice headphones. But everything else is great. Could I get used to the flatness of the Beyers? Possibly. But for that price tag? Eh, not sure if it's worth it. Might make more sense to just stick with the Sonys. Not really sure what to do. I know you guys are probably going to recommend I try other headphones, which I really don't feel like doing lol.
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IdiotInCharge said:
EQ the Beyers. The 'audiophile' answer is to get the analog stages as 'flat' and revealing / detailed as possible, then EQ at the source (or digitally).

Your SoundBlaster should have some provision for this; you might even try the stuff that emulates different 'rooms'.
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Following up on what IdiotInCharge said, EQ both headphones, then see which one you like more.
 
IdiotInCharge said:
EQ the Beyers. The 'audiophile' answer is to get the analog stages as 'flat' and revealing / detailed as possible, then EQ at the source (or digitally).

Your SoundBlaster should have some provision for this; you might even try the stuff that emulates different 'rooms'.
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Well as previously stated, my processing options are limited, and I was hoping to not have to buy extra equipment to process externally. Creatives pre-defined settings are a joke. They all sound like garbage. They do have a 10-band EQ in this little module that comes with the software, which I honestly completely forgot about. Though I would need to open and set it every time, which is super annoying. It has an option to save settings, but IIRC the settings don't save. We'll see, as I saved a Beyer profile.

That's really why I was hoping for a set that needed little EQ adjustment. I think the Sony's are better at that. My groomsman/cubicle-neighbor says he couldn't hear either one, so that's good at least.
 
I think if you beyers aren't sounding that alive / engaging the SB is too blame.. I own the Sony MDR-V6's , ATH-M50's and DT770 Pro 80's the DT770's are considerably harder to drive than the sony or ATH headphones..

I have a Creek OBH-11 amp I got nib off ebay for $45~ not the most powerful amp ever and I wouldn't pay much more than what I paid for one..but it makes the 770's sound very nice indeed... running of just my smart phone (galaxy S8) the dt770 sound like pure a$$ .. with a amp they sound awesome.

With a amp the DT770's are my favorite of the 3 headphones (dt770 pro 80's, MDR-V6 and ATH-M50X)

$99~ option JDS Labs Atom

https://jdslabs.com/product/atom-amp/


errr... losy mp3s?? ummm the problem may well be how good the DT770's are ... because one thing they will do (or any "better" gear) is make garbage encodes sound like garbage.. bring a CD and give it a go..
 
fatryan said:
Well as previously stated, my processing options are limited, and I was hoping to not have to buy extra equipment to process externally. Creatives pre-defined settings are a joke. They all sound like garbage. They do have a 10-band EQ in this little module that comes with the software, which I honestly completely forgot about. Though I would need to open and set it every time, which is super annoying. It has an option to save settings, but IIRC the settings don't save. We'll see, as I saved a Beyer profile.

That's really why I was hoping for a set that needed little EQ adjustment. I think the Sony's are better at that. My groomsman/cubicle-neighbor says he couldn't hear either one, so that's good at least.
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Just curious -- what headphone did you end up going for, and why? Do tell :)
 
Quickie follow-up: earlier today, I got the Coolermaster MH751 (essentially, a licensed version of the Takstar Pro 82 v2, with volume control+mic, and w/o the bass boost adjustable ports) and it is a real wonder (especially for a closed-back headphone). This, imho, is the absolute king of the $80 and under segment for headphones/gaming headsets (hands down, slaps the HyperX Cloud and the Philips SHP9500 silly).

So my recommendation for a headphone $100 or under would be the Coolermaster MH751 (or Takstar Pro 82 v2, if you want to China it via aliexpress.com, and can wait a few weeks) -- at the $69-$79 MSRP range ($51-$58 for the Takstar Pro 82v2 from China), it blows everything, and I do mean everything, right out of the water, including headphones that cost more (even up to 2x the cost). All-around balanced and neutral sound, and the soundstage is incredible for a closed-back.

With this headphone, Coolermaster just tore the entire HyperX headphone line a new one (HyperX is mostly based on the Takstar Pro 80).

Fun note: just read that Takstar is the OEM for both Beyerdynamic & Sony, amongst other companies (which would explain why the Takstar Pro 80 looks like a rip of the Beyer DT 880, and the Coolermaster MH751/Takstar Pro 82 looks like a rip of the Sony MDR-1A/MDR-1AM2).

I'm definitely gonna compare/add these to my upcoming Mobius review (as well as my other audio purchase today, the venerable Koss Porta-Pro).
 
I currently use a Logitech G Pro headphone. I like it since the mic is removable, very comfy and it has a nice bass.
 
I've been using the V-MODA M100s for 4+ years and I really like them.

1. Excellent isolation
2. Good sound both for music and gaming
3. Dual 3.5mm sockets - one on each ear so you can put the cord on the side you want and you can use the open socket to let a friend connect their headset to you.
4. Super durable (the fragile Logitech G35 made this really important to me)
5. Customizable shields (side panels) if you order direct

They just released a new version at the same price called the M100 Master that I'm considering buying:

https://www.v-moda.com/us/en/products/crossfade-m-100-master
 
IdiotInCharge said:
They're old, and by the Gods they're ugly, but Zeos likes them a bit.

Biggest issue is cost: at US$250, you're looking at a lot of competition.
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For me, the connectivity of the vmoda sets is a huge advantage. A lot of competing headsets use 2.5mm or split trs or 3 pin connectors.

If you know of comparable units that take a 3.5mm patch cable, Ill check them out. Inconvenient cable schema is not a deal breaker but it's not my preference.
 
DoubleTap said:
For me, the connectivity of the vmoda sets is a huge advantage. A lot of competing headsets use 2.5mm or split trs or 3 pin connectors.
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Honestly, I've never worried about it. But I have four-pin XLR cables on every headphone I can ;)

DoubleTap said:
If you know of comparable units that take a 3.5mm patch cable, Ill check them out. Inconvenient cable schema is not a deal breaker but it's not my preference.
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Well, 'comparable' is pretty vague. I'd be trying to make a more modern comparison with headphones in the same price class, but honestly I don't know where to start.

And IIRC, you did say somewhere that you move them around a bit- I get that. If it sounds good and ait works where you need it, hard to complain about really.
 
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