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Best Headphones for General Computer Use?

T

TrueRush

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 31, 2001
Messages
256
hello everyone!

ive been in hiatus from electronics for ages and now its time to move. atm, im using a notebook for everything and my iphone, however i'd like to build a highend desktop in the future.

Im in the market for a really nice set of cans and amp! ever since ive moved from california to australia, i left most of my things back at home. for one my sennheiser hd580 last visit back i was intending to bring it back with me. unbeknownst to me my brother had used it and probably damaged the cord and threw it out.

atm, im using the steelseries headphones that was bundled with my asus G73 and its ok with just casual use but nothing near as good as my hd580. albeit i was using the hd580 hooked to the klipsch headphone plug.

i'll be using the new headphones for all my listening while on the notebook. that would range from general browsing and music. atm i do not play games nor watch movies but maybe every now and again i will.

im keen on getting the sennheiser hd650 and the nuforce icon HDP:http://www.nuforce.com/hp/products/iconhdp/index.php

any thoughts or alternative suggestions would be appreciated!
 
Those cans are good all-rounders, I would go with a larger DAC/AMP than the nuforce for your budget. Something like the Audio-GD NFB12 or better will drive those cans incredibly well and deliver superb sound.
 
Supercharged_Z06 said:
General computing use (and some music) on a notebook I'd go with these: Audio-Technica ATHM50S
Click to expand...

Are you trying to say that the $160 set you recommended are better than the $400 set the OP is interested in?
Are the HD650's that over priced?
 
Snufykat said:
Are you trying to say that the $160 set you recommended are better than the $400 set the OP is interested in?
Are the HD650's that over priced?
Click to expand...

Not at all, the HD650's are a *great* pair of cans, but I wouldn't classify them as "general purpose" suitable for use with a notebook. They'll need a really good amp/dac to power them properly because of their higher impedance. The cans I recommended will sound great on their own (especially coming from a pair of steelseries headphones) and are a bit more portable. And because they are of a closed design, they'll also work much better in environments outside the home. (He is planning to use them on a notebook after all.) You don't always have to pour lots of money at a problem to fix it... ;)
 
I love my SteelSeries Siberia V2 Headphones

The durability on them is meh.

I have had to RMA a pair twice due to some issues, the RMA process is pretty quick.

I use them all day long for work ( I do tech support via headset ) and I wouldnt use any other headphones.

I actually bought a 2nd pair so I can RMA one of the two if they die lol.
 
I do not think I would recommend a product that I had to replace several times.
 
The Nuforce HDP is not bad. It has some minor but noticeable channel imbalance issues at low volumes, but since HD650s are high impedance, you will never have the volume knob at a very low setting anyway, as you naturally need to crank the amp to get good levels on those headphones. If you ever use IEMs or something super low impedance, though, the flaws of the HDP can stand out.
 
rive22 said:
Those cans are good all-rounders, I would go with a larger DAC/AMP than the nuforce for your budget. Something like the Audio-GD NFB12 or better will drive those cans incredibly well and deliver superb sound.
Click to expand...

And the HDP doesn't?

timestretch said:
The Nuforce HDP is not bad. It has some minor but noticeable channel imbalance issues at low volumes, but since HD650s are high impedance, you will never have the volume knob at a very low setting anyway, as you naturally need to crank the amp to get good levels on those headphones. If you ever use IEMs or something super low impedance, though, the flaws of the HDP can stand out.
Click to expand...

Hmm. Could you elaborate on these "flaws"? My Grado 325is's worked great with this amp, at 32ohm. I know that's not the lowest out there though.

stephenwilliams said:
Hello,


There are many varieties of headphones available online and in the market as well. Try any one of them.

Some of are listed below:

1) Logitech - ClearChat Style
2) Samsung
3) Zippearz earbuds

And many more.......


Best Headphones
Click to expand...

You're kidding, right?
 
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lmao at some of the posts in this thread. Steelseries Siberia headset? Seriously?

OP, couple of things. First, why haven't you murdered your brother yet for throwing out a perfectly good set of HD580s? WTF, mate?

Second, have you heard the HD650s before? I find that they need a lot of juice in order to open up. With inadequate amplification, they can sound very 'veiled'. They also have quite a substantial low end. I prefer the more balanced sound signature of the HD600s personally, but you can't go wrong with either model.

I drive my HD600s with a Hifiman EF2 and it does a fantastic job, especially considering how picky these cans can be when it comes to amplification. It comes with a built in usb DAC to boot, so you'll have a clean source from your notebook.

http://amzn.com/B004357WL8

As for the HDP, I was considering one myself but I've heard mixed opinions, particularly the channel imbalance issues. This was especially relevant in my buying decision because I wanted to use my low impedance D2000s with them. Ultimately, I spent half of the cost of the HDP on the EF2 and I couldn't be happier. I feel no need to upgrade at the moment-the EF2 is a very well rounded amp with a naturally warm, euphoric sound signature that suits all my cans very well.
 
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oshia86 said:
I don't have channel imbalance issues.
Click to expand...

You have HD650s, so you probably never have the volume set low enough for it to be an issue. Try the amp with a set of low impedance cans and it will become more apparent.
 
I've tried my buddies Shure SE215's and didn't notice anything either. :confused:

There is no imbalance with the 650's, regardless of volume.
 
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oshia86 said:
I've tried my buddies Shure SE215's and didn't notice anything either. :confused:

There is no imbalance with the 650's, regardless of volume.
Click to expand...

May have been a fluke with review units then.

I'm considering upgrading from my EF2 to a Darkvoice 336i, since I no longer use the built in DAC in the EF2 (using my Xonar Essence as a source). I've heard the Darkvoice has excellent synergy with the Senns-can anyone confirm? They also need to pair well with my D2000s.
 
I've also heard that the Darkvoice works real well with the Senns. Don't know about the D2000's though.
 
oshia86 said:
I've also heard that the Darkvoice works real well with the Senns. Don't know about the D2000's though.
Click to expand...

From some research, the 336i has trouble with low impedance phones. Seems that finding one amp to do it all is going to be difficult (and expensive).
 
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