Best Headphones

T

Th3P0stalDud3

n00b
Joined
Mar 10, 2005
Messages
1
Hey all, been trolling the forums for a while now, and you guys all seem to know your stuff. I'm in the market for a new set of headphones, the place I am renting from this summer has a noise policy and I have a Logitech Z-680 speaker set, so, ya know...nobody really appreciates the awesome power of them. I'm looking for a set of headphones looking to spend under $200. Any recommendations?
 
and to round out the other standard brands, you've got Beyers - $200 would get you the DT931 or DT660 - and Grados - $199 would get you the SR225. Sennheisers are the 'stock' headphone, they do everything quite well, they're comfy, they scale nicely with the quality of your amp. A-T's are huuuuuge, closed (good for not letting sound in or out), and also good all-rounders that do much better than Senns without amplification. Beyers need amps and I dunno if their $200 cans are very good, the DT660 never seems to get much love. Grados are universally known as rock cans, they don't need amplification and they have a very aggressive, lively sound. Some people find them very uncomfortable, others think they're fine, it rather depends on the shape of your head. They're extremely open and leak a lot of sound out (to someone sitting next to you it's like listening to a very cheap AM radio at moderate volume), so depending on how strict your place's noise policy is they might not be appropriate. If your absolute budget is $200, Senn HD580+cheap amp, A-T A900s or Grado SR225 are the top three.
 
Th3P0stalDud3 said:
Hey all, been trolling the forums for a while now, and you guys all seem to know your stuff. I'm in the market for a new set of headphones, the place I am renting from this summer has a noise policy and I have a Logitech Z-680 speaker set, so, ya know...nobody really appreciates the awesome power of them. I'm looking for a set of headphones looking to spend under $200. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

Visit head-fi.org forums. Tons and tons and tons of knowledge and feedback there. You won't regret it, but your wallet will. Purchased 3 sets of cans in the 2 months I've been there =).
 
Bleed said:
just curious, how much exactly is a Pimeta? MisterX sells 'em right?
Click to expand...

Send him a PM. Prices can vary pretty wildly based on the componentry used. There are volume controllers out there that retail for 170$ ALONE, so obviously using one of those will bump up the price a bit :D
 
If you actually like your your Z-680s then the only phones that will satisfy would be a DT-770. If on the other hand you have realized that your speakers are nothing but loud and you crave better then yes, there is a world of options. Checkout Head-Fi.
 
All good headphones sound better with an amp but what he means is that the ATH-900 still sound decent without an amp because it is a low impedence headphone.
 
i see :). i'll be getting this then. one more question, how do you connect your headphones? i mean, at the back of the soundcard or at the front control panel of your speakers? i have Klipsch ultra 5.1, and i dont wanna have to crawl down at the back of my comp just to hook the headphones up. i just want to hook it up upfront on the control panel of my speakers. btw, i will be getting an amp for this :D.

ps. i just got the Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia Earphone last night for my MP3 player. i noticed that the wire for the right ear is longer, why is that? btw, this suckers sound 100x better than the stock heaphones that came with the player.
 
you will not need a headphone amp for games, it is wasted.
however for music when paired with a good player it is good.
reccomend at medium pric have point the hd580 from sennheiser.
these are what i use for games.
for music, i a headroom amp, with hd660
f
 
Th3P0stalDud3 said:
Logitech Z-680 speaker set, so, ya know...nobody really appreciates the awesome power of them. I'm looking for a set of headphones looking to spend under $200. Any recommendations?
Click to expand...

I think many people do not "appreciate" them anyway, regardless of loud they get.

I also like the hd580+pimeta combination (MisterX of course)
 
Mister X said:
How would you know ? :p
Click to expand...

I've seen the price difference between an Alps Blue Velvet pot and a DACT stepped attenuator, the difference between Black Gate caps and Rad-shack ones =]

Trying to poke fun at my non-DIY tendencies? :D
 
i just bought the bose headphones... there amazing :) much better then my old sony studio ones
 
BO(V)BZ said:
I've seen the price difference between an Alps Blue Velvet pot and a DACT stepped attenuator, the difference between Black Gate caps and Rad-shack ones =]
Click to expand...
How does that apply to anything I build?

Let's explore that for a second:
Do I use anything that comes from Radio Shack?
NO!
Do I use stepped attenuators on Pimetas?
NO!
Do I use Black Gates Capacitors on Pimetas?
aside from the occasional nonpolar reservoir capacitors.... NO!
(in that role they are actually cheaper then the traditional film caps)

Adding a Stepped attenuator and Black Gates to a Pimeta would put it nto the same price range as a "basic" PPA.... and that PPA would shred it so what is the point?

That is why you provoked this reply----------->

if you use a volume pot of that calibur in a pimeta you should be bitch slapped....
Click to expand...
;)

BO(V)BZ said:
Trying to poke fun at my non-DIY tendencies? :D
Click to expand...

No. I asked how you would know after you suggested that my prices varry wildly base on the components used but that makes no sense to me because I use the same standardized parts in all of the amps I build. :confused: :confused:
 
Hi X:

I wasn't singling you out, but I was just saying that prices CAN vary, not that you either use Radio Shack garbage or Blackgates, nothing inbetween.

Actually, I didn't read that line closely, and I read PPA instead of Pimeta :eek:
 
Best headphones I have heard are the SR-225 by Grado.
I have hd-650 by sennheiser and they are way comfy, but the sound is kinda subdued.

I much prefer B&W Speakers.

With headphones, buy once and get it right. You will want to upgrade and upgrade. With all the shipping costs and the aggravation of buying/selling, just get the best at first and be done with it. Of course, you have to figure out what is the best first . . .
 
If you are used to Grado phones, it's no surprise that you'd find the Senn's to be subdued, due to Grado's heavy emphasis on treble. It's like how many Klipsch lovers can't give up their speakers, due to their acclimatization with their existing gear.

Not that any of that is bad, if you like a little extra treble, that's just fine. I'm honestly on the fence about the Grado's vs Senn's. I have a pair of 650's, my friend has SR325's, and I still haven't done a proper comparison =] He just sent his back to the shop though, due to some sort of loose connection/misaligned voice coil that was causing a bit of crackling in one ear during low bass.

Pufft: Haven't heard any B&W speakers before, I'm not sure that we have a dealer in my area. How would you characterize them?
 
for a long time, i was happy with my Sennheiser HD590s but with certain types of music they sounded like something was missing. After reading the www.head-fi.org forums I took the plunge and purchased a pair of Grado SR-325s. I love these Grado headphones. :)
When I listened to the HD590s again I did notice the subdued/veil characteristic that many people have mentioned about the Sennheiser headphones but it isn't very evident when listening to jazz. With anything else it is like night and day.
Anyway, I use the Grados strictly for music listening and the HD590s for games.
 
I've got a set of Grado SR125s. Some have called them a little uncomfortable but I wear them fairly often and have no complaints. The sounds is awesome and they're a little less expensive than the 225s (quick Google shows them going for around $150).
 
Bleed said:
ps. i just got the Sony MDR-EX71SL Fontopia Earphone last night for my MP3 player. i noticed that the wire for the right ear is longer, why is that? btw, this suckers sound 100x better than the stock heaphones that came with the player.
Click to expand...

The right is longer because you have the wire to it behind your neck. This is so it never pulls in your ear, great choice btw, I have the same.
 
What do you guys think about the Beyerdynamic DT-440s?

I was telling someone that I needed headphones for computer gaming and watching DVDs, and he said these sound good enough that they don't need an amp. They are about $160 I believe, and I am thinking about buying them in a couple months unless there are better ones for that price.
 
gt216 said:
What do you guys think about the Beyerdynamic DT-440s?
Click to expand...

I owned these for about 6 months and I found them to be quite enjoyable. I was looking for an open headphone that would run off a soundcard at the time, and this seemed to be the perfect candidate around the price range that fit my tastes in music. It has good bass extension, but not overpowering. I'd describe the sound as fast, fun, and punchy.

Also, there were some cases of the headband cracking, but I never encountered the problem the duration I owned them nor did the person who owned them afterwards. You can supposedly prevent this from happening by loosening the screws on the band.

Hope this helps.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top