Another best headphones under 100 thread.

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Kardonxt

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I've been looking for a good set of headphones for about a month now and just can't make up my mind.

I had planned on picking up some harx900 but they can't be found anywhere.

I think I've narrowed it down to

Sennheiser 555
Grado SR60
ATH-AD700
Sony MDR V6

I prefer to spend about $80 US shipped but will spend more if it is really worth it. I Don't really want to buy used unless we are talking about super amazing headphones worth killing babies for.

I'm also wondering if it would be worth waiting for the SHURE SRH440?

The headphones will be used mostly for gaming and movies.

I won't be using an amp and for the moment am just using the integrated audio on my ip35 pro.

Any input is greatly appreciated. :D
 
all of those work well w/o an amp. i've had them all -still have the sonys. the grados arent good for gaming- not much range in the bass and treble dept. the senns are decent enough though i think the technicas are far superior. the sonys are bass lite unless amped pretty well.

the technica ath-ad500 sounds nearly identical to the 700. u could get that and be under budget.
onboard sound is typically very very weak-about on par with an mp3 player. some good mobos have an amplified headphone/mic case hookup
 
looks like it is down to the ATH-ad500 and sonys then. (assuming you still have the sonys because they are decent.)

I do plan on buying a decent sound card down the road, would that help the sonys sound better that the 500s or do they need a full blown amp? Or are the 500s better regardless?

Thanks for the input I know this question is asked a lot. :D

Would help if that best head phone thread was stickied again and updated with best alternatives to the HARX since they are pretty hard to get a hold of now.
 
Avoid the Sennheiser HD555s, I've had them and they are truly terrible cans. Soundstaging and imaging aren't great, sound characteristics include: unrefined highs, a woolly mid-range, and non-existant low-end impact. Out of your list, get the AD700s. However if you can afford the AD700s, I would also considering looking into a used pair of DT770-80 Pros, they usually go for around $115 if you catch a good deal. They're great for gaming/movies and fair well for music as well.

To be honest though, I'd also really consider looking into a dedicated soundcard. You don't have to spend a crap load of money on one but even something like the Extreme Music which can be found used for $45, would be a huge improvement. Better headphones will only exaggerate flaws in your source, not make them sound better.
 
How would a Xonar DX do? I've been thing about picking one up but wanted to get some good cans first.
 
The Xonar DX is supposed to be a great card for the money. If you're going to be gaming, I'm not sure if there's a better card for the price. I like EMU but gaming features aren't supported so that would be a no go for you.
 
I game and am getting a Xonar DX too.

I mostly listen to music though, but heard it's great for that as well. AD700 is great, though the lack of bass wasn't in my interest. Haven't heard any of the others except the Sen 555, which I agree with Skyline.
 
How about the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer? I only ask because i see the card on newegg for $99 and coworker just offered his to me for $35
 
the x-fi is great for gaming. it also has a decent amount of power and will make the ad500 or ad700 thump with bass with the right settings.
the xonar is sweet sounding but weak in power
 
Kardonxt said:
How about the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer? I only ask because i see the card on newegg for $99 and coworker just offered his to me for $35
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yeah IMO that is a much better card for gaming than the Asus. the x-fi cards have features to get all your games sounding great while also giving a small fps boost in many games. for 35 bucks it sounds like a very good deal to me.
 
Kardonxt said:
How about the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeGamer? I only ask because i see the card on newegg for $99 and coworker just offered his to me for $35
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No. If you value sound quality at all, you will avoid the Extreme Gamer. This card is not a real X-fi it is just a rebadged Audigy, it is not worth the money when you can get the Extreme Music card for just $5-10 more.
 
skyline889 said:
No. If you value sound quality at all, you will avoid the Extreme Gamer. This card is not a real X-fi it is just a rebadged Audigy, it is not worth the money when you can get the Extreme Music card for just $5-10 more.
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sure about that? how is the xtremegamer not a real x-fi card? its the xtreme audio that is a rebadged audigy not the xtemegamer. the xtremegamer card IS a true x-fi card in every way.
 
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cannondale06 said:
sure about that? how is the xtremegamer not a real x-fi card? its the xtreme audio that is a rebadged audigy not the xtemegamer. the xtremegamer card IS a true x-fi card in every way.
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Sorry, I was thinking of two cards and got them mixed up. The Extreme Audio is the re-badged X-fi, the Extreme Gamer is the low-end, stripped down version of the Extreme Music. The Extreme Gamer, Music, Platinum, and Fatal1ty Pro all use the same DAC (CS4382) however the Extreme Gamer is the only one with the shrunk down half width PCB, decreased connectivity options, and limited software options.

I still maintain that it is not worth it when you can get the Extreme Music for $40-45 used. The Extreme Music offers everything that you get with the Extreme Gamer Fatal1ty Pro except the X-ram, which is useless, at half the price so there's really no point in getting it over the Extreme Music.
 
i have the ad700's for about a year, been great, they are HUGE i'm sure you know that but they are scary huge, but one of the most comfortable headsets around. I mean they are like craftmatic auto adjustable headsets, that are huge. sound great, nice long cord i have them hooked up to xfi, just recently got a good deal on some boston acoustics and i like the feel of the bass from that, so using those now.(i've been using headphones for 4years due to gaming and the need to use ventrillio, but i used a lapel mic, not a built in one)
 
Thanks fro all the input guys.

It sounds like I will be picking up the a500s and an xfi of some sort. I will look into the extreme music.

I heard some of the older X-fi cards have issues in vista 64. Am i going to have issues with the extreme music? Although I'm not sure if the xtreme gamer is one of their newer cards iether, I just know it's still being sold.

Also i heard that dolby does a better job with positional audio and simulating 5.1 is that true? Although i do like the idea of the a500s hitting harder with the x-fis
 
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You can pick up JVC rx700's for $90 shipped and rx900s for $112 shipped on e-bay from reputable Japanese sellers. They ship express, which is why they charge so much. It's essentially MSRP + shipping.

Things aren't looking good in the US. Buy.com pulled both models from their site, and Amazon just changed their estimated ship date from 2-4 weeks to 1-2 months... so I just went for it.

Shipped really fast too. The package arrived at my post office in Minnesota just 48 hours after being shipped in Japan.
 
they were great deals when you could get them for 40 and 60 shipped but i'm not willing to pay 100 for them.

From everything I read they were good because of the very cheap price for the pretty good quality but not such an amazing deal when they cost the same as the big boys.
 
Kardonxt said:
Thanks fro all the input guys.

It sounds like I will be picking up the a500s and an xfi of some sort. I will look into the extreme music.

I heard some of the older X-fi cards have issues in vista 64. Am i going to have issues with the extreme music? Although I'm not sure if the xtreme gamer is one of their newer cards iether, I just know it's still being sold.

Also i heard that dolby does a better job with positional audio and simulating 5.1 is that true? Although i do like the idea of the a500s hitting harder with the x-fis
Click to expand...
I used to own the Fatal1ty Pro, which is basically the same as the Extreme Music, I had no problems getting it to work with Vista x64. I've never understood why Creative's drivers are always so highly downplayed. I've used several of their cards and have not had a problem since my conversion to Vista. I assume problems with Vista 64 are with people who don't know what they're doing...i.e. Newegg reviewers. :p My EMU 1212m (I guess technically a division of Creative) on the other hand...after a fresh install, sometimes it works ok sometimes it does not. :mad:
 
I'll post my impressions of the rx700s here after I get a chance to listen to them. I think part of it might depend on what sound signature you prefer. For example, I found someone with similar tastes as mine on Head Fi, and he said the rx700s were the best headphone he'd ever heard under $200. Then again, we're a crazy subset that weren't impressed at all with the Beyer DT 770 Pro 80's, which everybody else seems to love for gaming/movies.

In other words, I might be crazy for paying $82 for the rx700s, but if I end up loving them more than the $150 DT 770s, I'll be happy I switched. :D Or maybe they'll suck...
 
Well I placed the order, thanks to every one for the input. :D

ATH-AD500s and an xtrememusic x-fi are on the way. (payed a few extra $$ for a factory re-certified and sealed x-fi)

I just hope you guys are right about the creative // vista 64 driver issues being mostly hype.

With the new ATI video card I've got more than enough driver issues to worry about already lol ;)
 
Good Choice, I am sure you will enjoy this combination.

Just as a side note and a reference for anyone looking up info on headphones - there is one particularily good brand that is completely overlooked here - AKG. Their budget range such as my AKG 55 (discountinued) and later models such AKG 66 are great value, light weight and they sound amazing.
 
I did notice the akg240 semi pros were in my price range last night when I was checking out but was sick of research and just wanted to get my heaphones lol.

How would they compare? Better than what I got?
 
ATH AD500 have slightly higher sensitivity, can handle more input power and seem to use bigger drivers which bodes well for bass response (in my book anyway -yes, I know: small cones can be good, too, but I prefer big ones). I did not use them but I like them.

AKG240 have slightly worse parameters but they are semi-closed and I have seen them in use by FOH engineers in a lot of venues which is the best recommendation you can give to headphones. Sound-wise I preferred DT990s though. Still I am surprised they are available for under 100 bucks. (Link?)
 
Well I got the extreme music and my ATH-ad500's monday and am very pleased.

Thanks every one for the help :D
 
plinko said:
Grado SR80 or SR60!
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x2! I have a pair of SR-80's and I LOVE them! They are only ~$20-$30 more than the SR-60's and have a bit more of a rich bottom end.

Also I would suggest the Auzentech X-Fi Forte, mainly because of the headphone amp on it, it's absolutely amazing.
 
Kinda off topic but with the ATH-AD500's, is it an upgrade if I go from an AV-710 (envy24) to a X-fi extreme music?
 
Just a note on the Xonar, I've had one for a while and it sounds great, but I've been having to turn off the GX mode (the EAX call interceptor) a lot recently for game compatibility.
 
I'm thinking of getting the same combo of ad500 and xfi-extreme music
however, I'm getting cold feet with paying so much for headphones since I'm very rough with them (I'm always dropping them and snagging them on accident which usually breaks them within 6 months)
if I decide to go cheaper, is there something in the <$50 range that would be a half decent alternative?
thanks
 
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