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HeadPhone Recommendations

P

Proven

Weaksauce
Joined
Aug 28, 2003
Messages
123
I am looking for some headphone recommendations to replace my Bose Tri-ports. I am frustrated with their construction and quality. Sure, they sound awesome, but after my 2nd RMA...I am sorta getting tired of them snapping off at lan parties or such. I am also tired of having to handle them with kid gloves.

So, what do you all use? I am looking around the 150 to 300 dollar price range, nothing made by Zalman, and it cannot require and amplifier to work. So, what do you all recommend?

I have toured all the "Audiophile" sites and read their reviews...but to tellyou the truth...GAMERS KNOW BEST!
 
every pair of sennheisers i've owned has been awesome. From the cheapos to the more high end ones, i've never had their top of the line stuff but i've heard great things. I'm using the PC150's right now, so i can use the microphone for gaming and they sound great. But i would recommend you just get the most top of the line senn's in your price range, they are all great.
 
I'm using Sennhieser HD-280 pro's right now. Best fully closed headpone I've ever heard. I've had them for over a year and are in no way falling apart and still sound like champs. I've heard some open headphones do sound even better than these, but I enjoy the isolation from ambient background noise I get from them being closed. Can be had new for $80 or so.
 
Even though you said it "cannot require an amplifier," for less than $300 you could get a pair of Sennheiser HD580s (which are decent unamped) and a cheap amplifier. This is definitely one of the best solutions for that budget in terms of sound quality for music as well as games.
 
Audio Technica A900. End of story. Best soundstage in the pricerange (IMO), very comfy, built solid, and do not require an amp to sound great. Definately a step up from your Triports! Only negative is that they are only available from Audiocubes.com, a jap importer.

HD580s are also a solid choice.
 
Wow, thank you for the suprising number of responses. I looked at the Icemat headphones, and they just aren't my style. I am leaning towards some of the Sennheisers that were recommended. I must say the HD-280 Pro is looking nice since it folds up and has so many good reviews.

Yeah, these tri-ports are super nice...sounding....but...anything you paid that much for that breaks this often really SUCKS. I did like the looks of both the HD-580 and the Audio Technia.

The issue is that I use a "Inline amp type thing" that is made by Yamaha. It is the DP-U50 and I really like it because it takes the pure digital signal of my Audigy and either passes through, or decodes it depending on my settings. At the same time it has features of a USB soundcard, so I can filter things like "teamspeak" or "Ventrilo" through the USB side.

I am not sure how an AMP would work with that? I guess that is why I am nervous about them. I also have a Ferrari 4005 Laptop that I game on with a Audigy PCMCIA card. I am just concerned about the amp thing, anyone care to put my mind at ease because I will be using these headphones for laptop gaming and desktop gaming.
 
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i'm currently using sony mdr-v900s... they're overpriced. i want the 280s, but i can't afford them atm :)( i'm borrowing the sony's)

my brother had the hd-202's and they're nice. the 201's are supposed to be good too. in your price range tho, 280s are probably the best bang/buck.

note that i've only used the sony's and the 202's, i haven't used the 280s. i actually like the 202's better than the sony's... sony's are kinda eh. also not that loud...
i'm invincible!
 
Only problem with the HD280s (IMO) are that they are TOO flat/neutral sounding. Not fun cans at all.
 
just got my ath-a500 from japan via audiocubes. took 1 week - ordered saturday night, got here friday afternoon. very comfy, sound great. have nothing to compare with unfortunately but friends are impressed as well as me. no need for an amp as sound card drives it well. very flexible long cloth cord. well made. i very happy with these.

Coupon code: headfi-a500xbc for $16 off.
 
Go with the Steelpad 5H USB. Amazing sound quality, retractable mic (so they look like normal headphones), great construction, can be disassemble for easy travel, and are super comfy for long periods of time. Check them out.
 
HAHAHA Triports sounding awesome. Dude, if you want better headphones than the triports you dont have to spend much. Just to let you know, as well as everyone else, BOSE HEADPHONES ARE TERRIBLE.

My recommendations:

Senn HD-497 (nice for the price)

Senn HD-555 (awesome for price) or HD-595 for even better (both are open)

Audio Technica A-700 or A-900 (the 900 being one of the best closed cans around)

Pretty much any Grado, uncomfortable but sound nice, even if they are a little harsh in presentation. They're all open too.


That said, my recommendation to you would be HD-280's cause they're a nice gamers headphone as they're closed and have nice overall sound, especially bass and they hardly go near your $300 max aswell as sounding way better than your old BOSE. Spend the saved money on a dedicated mic (if you need/want one) or just buy some more RAM or something heh.
 
I also want a pair a of good headphones, but I must ask, will they benefit me for their price? I have Logitech Z-640s and they are fine but I often during the day cannot play very loudly without my parents telling me to turn the volume down, and I do have the stupid problem of 5.1channel audio and CS:S (the new drivers still have a hollow sound to them). I also don't have a good pair of headphones to take with me on trips and such. Should I invest in a pair?

If I do, Will I be able to hook that pair up to my guitar amp to feed the sound only to my headphones?
 
I third the Audio Technica ATA A900. Im wearing a pair right now. They are amazing for the price. Ive heard a lot of headphones and these are the best closed cans under $300 that dont require an amp. IMO.
 
HD555. Well round, will do anything you throw at them. Nice bass, nice treble. They could be more fun/upfront but for how much I payed ($120) I am very happy. They are comfortable enough to wear for long periods, but they are open and will let in noise.
 
ZOMGWTFBBQ said:
That said, my recommendation to you would be HD-280's cause they're a nice gamers headphone as they're closed and have nice overall sound, especially bass and they hardly go near your $300 max aswell as sounding way better than your old BOSE. Spend the saved money on a dedicated mic (if you need/want one) or just buy some more RAM or something heh.
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you can also get a mic put on the 280s. i forget the model number... but it is a lot more to buy one with a mic on it than without. somewhere around 130-150 IIRC.

actually, just looked on froogle... it appears the hmd-280 is the headset. this is the cheapest it comes.

getting a seperate mic sounds like a good idea now... unless you REALLY like headsets.
 
Get a cheap desktop mic, they are all pretty much the same.

I bet that headset uses a really high quality mic that you probably don't need.
 
I'm just using kinyo 5.1 surround headphones, I want to try out the Medusa headphones but don't want to pay about 100$ for headphones yet.
 
i had the 280's and ebayed them after a few weeks. They clamp down on your head and get hot and uncomfortable after awhile. Get open ones, my friend has the 595s and thsoe kick ass, extremely comfortable and open.
 
jdunner3 said:
Grado's....but cushion your head.
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I would definately not recommend Grados for gaming. The sounstage is just way too tight IMO. Maybe if you got the Headphile C-pads they would be decent.. I stick by the A900 recommendation :)
 
PCJ said:
They're very open though, so they might not be ideal for lans.
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Well, it's obvious you don't actually own them, but I'd like to know where you heard that the Audio Technica AX00 series were "very open." They're just about as closed as you can get.
 
I wish I could find some good positional/surround headphones. My 150's are hard for me to hear where noise comes from.
 
DragonNOA1 said:
I wish I could find some good positional/surround headphones. My 150's are hard for me to hear where noise comes from.
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i have no problem at all with my 150's. I pretty much have a wallhack in cs source with these things.
 
I know you stated that you wanted one that didn't require a amp.. but for your price range you can get some Beyer DT770 pro's w/ an amp. Plus you don't have to worry about explosions sounding like farts and they are great for music and have very good soundstage. Plus.. if they are gonna be used for lan parties.. they won't leak sound either. The DT770s are also very comfortable to wear for hours on end. (completely cover the ears) I really feel that you can't do much better than the 770's for games. Nothing can handle explosions or weapon fire quite like the 770s. Just my 2 cents. The A900's are a good choice too if unamped.
 
What about microphones for these kick ass headphones? I assume most of these high end headphones have no mic. What's a good solution? I'm looking for a combo to use with the basic X-fi card, and BF2 essentially. (for music, I'm gonna fall back on speakers) Comfort is key, and my ears are not flat. :p
 
I use a cheap (but overpriced) logitech desktop mic. All the mics I have tried are pretty much the same, just get a cheap one.
 
It is really starting to look like the running is between the A900, HD-280 Pro, and the Sennheiser 280 with the microphones.

How doe you all like using the headsets on headphones? Is it annoying? I have only ever used desk mics.
 
Where are the dedicated computer audio review websites at btw? I used to go to one called soundstorm or something silly like that.

Those Grado's with the mahogany look so cool, but comfort seems to be the knock against any of their phones.

I think I'm gonna go to a stereo store or something. One of those high end boutiques to try out headphones.
 
How do the Sennheiser HD-280 Pros handle mid-range and bass? They keep referring to them as studio monitors so I'm nervous about getting them for gaming. Second opinion on these before I bite?
 
I have the 280 Pro's. Extremely comfortable at an impedence of 64 ohms. IMHO they are the best for gaming, the bass goes LOW (explosions, gunfire, etc). Lower than the more expensive models. I can't hear a damn thing on the other side of the cans they are closed so well. I may upgrade to open phones and keep the 280's for airplanes/buses/when the wifey is mad at me.

I love the way they fold as well. Anything more is just plain overkill.
 
S1nF1xx said:
How do the Sennheiser HD-280 Pros handle mid-range and bass? They keep referring to them as studio monitors so I'm nervous about getting them for gaming. Second opinion on these before I bite?
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Low - Midrange is great. The high frequencies are a little spotty, but only at the very top frequencies. See my last post about gaming.
 
Ratboy said:
Low - Midrange is great. The high frequencies are a little spotty, but only at the very top frequencies. See my last post about gaming.
Click to expand...

That isn't bad for $99. Last question is how's the construction quality? I've seen quite a few reviews that say it sucks. What's your opinion?
 
I reconmend for Headphones, the Koss PortaPros, yes they are a tad old (original designs from the 80s) however I have a pair, and I've used the $500 pairs and the sound quality is almost the same. Just they are $460 cheaper.
 
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