headphones

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natekoz

Limp Gawd
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I am interested in buying a nice set of head phones but i am curious about what peopel will recommend. I have been reading up on certain ones and i am not sure what to go for. I have heard alot of mixed messages about the bose triports and i was wondering if anyone has anything else they would recommend? Also, good places to go shopping for a nice set. Thanks.
 
How much are you willing to spend? What are they going to be used for?
 
Beyerdynamic DT770s or Audio-technica A900s.

The DT770s are bass monsters and they need some good juice for them to shine. I've heard of people getting these for $150 at their local Guitar Centers after a bit of haggling.

A900s are better all-arounders for gaming and music. Pretty damn comfortable too. Can be had at audiocubes.com for ~$200.
 
natekoz said:
I am interested in buying a nice set of head phones but i am curious about what peopel will recommend. I have been reading up on certain ones and i am not sure what to go for. I have heard alot of mixed messages about the bose triports and i was wondering if anyone has anything else they would recommend? Also, good places to go shopping for a nice set. Thanks.
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Hm, for about 200$ you can get a lot.

Before we can recommend anything, you must first ask yourself, how important is comfort? How important is looks? Do you want closed or open? Coiled cable or straight, or does it matter?

For comfortable headphones, ill point you straight to the BeyerDynamic and Sennheiser headphones.

I personally have a set of Beyerdynamic DT990pro(studio version) and I have fallen in love with them. Not quite as comfortable as my Sennheiser HD590 V3's, but still good.

What strid3r says is true, they are bass monsters, although I find for the real instraments (not digital sounds) it sounds like real life, being in the audiance and hearing them bang the big drums for classical music........ it has the same sound and impact which i really like. Get into things like techno, and your head might explode ^_^ (it might be a *little* overpowering).

For 170$, I highly recommend them, along with their closed brother, the DT770pro.

As for where to find stores............ check your phone book's yellow pages, and go to the offical websites of some of these headphone makers and they usually have a "where to buy" or "Find Dealer" page.

As always, rule #1 is to bring a CD or two your familer with, and listen to them in person and try them on. Keep in mind what they are being run from, as a receiver with its bass turned up 12dB will not let you hear what the headphones really sound like.

~Hope this helps, and keep us posted
 
well with any kind of sound card, i think that whatever expensive pair of headphones that he purchases, he will want a receiver to get the full experience out of them wouldn't he?
 
Quak3R said:
well with any kind of sound card, i think that whatever expensive pair of headphones that he purchases, he will want a receiver to get the full experience out of them wouldn't he?
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You mean a headphone amp?
 
Quak3R said:
well with any kind of sound card, i think that whatever expensive pair of headphones that he purchases, he will want a receiver to get the full experience out of them wouldn't he?
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Oh, we may never be able to acheive the "full experience", or as I like to call it "full potential" of our headphones.

How good is good enough? That's a tough question.

Sometimes the sonic quality right out of the sound card with quality headphones is good enough to satisfy all but the most demanding people. And for those select few who demand the best....... well.......... they are the ones paying the big bucks for their never ending search of "better!".

That's kinda why im afraid to listen to higher end stuff untill I can at least afford it ^_^.
 
Please never buy Bose, of any varieties.

Of the two that strid3r listed, I'd definitely go for the A900s. The 770s pretty much need an amp, while the A900s sound pretty good without one. Granted, the 770s are some $50 cheaper, but for a $50 amp + 770s vs. A900s unamped, I'd go with the latter.
 
i got the ath-a500 and they sound great, but i now wish i had gone for the a900's. as i listen to these i always keep thinking the a900's sound better than this? maybe if i fry em i'll have an excuse... hard to buy without hearing. no need for an amp with these.
 
so you guys think it might be better to buy a nice set of phones and a cheap amp? If so can you point me to packages that would work out well, i would be able to go up to $250 for a nice package like that.
 
well with towert7 said, hes got a point, Unless you're an audiophile freak and can notice a difference in every KB of music, go for an amp, otherwise, if its just for games, dont worry about the amp.
I have a pair of sennheisers hd550s and am very satisfied with them without an amp.
 
natekoz said:
so you guys think it might be better to buy a nice set of phones and a cheap amp? If so can you point me to packages that would work out well, i would be able to go up to $250 for a nice package like that.
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Is this going to be for gaming only? Will you be using it for music as well? If so, what kind of music do you listen to? Do you have a preference of open or closed headphones?
 
I will listen to music as well and i would prefer closed to drown out ambient noise.
 
natekoz said:
I will listen to music as well and i would prefer closed to drown out ambient noise.
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Then for sure for the $$ your looking to spend the Audio-Technica ATH-A900s are your best bet by far. Great headphones.
 
What about a cheap amp to go with it? Unless cheap amps aren't worth the money. Can anyone here help me out picking an amp too?
 
natekoz said:
Unless cheap amps aren't worth the money.
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You've pretty much got a lot of good starting advice, now the next big step is for you to go out and try some of this stuff... see how it feels, see how it sounds, and whatever else.

As for the headphone amp, I again recommend you try one out. If there are no stores near you that have them, check some other places and see if they have a headphone amp floating around to demo. It would be hard to throw down 400$ on an amp that you have never heard, especially if its an "all sales final" type deal, like the one that was offered to me by mister X. That's one of the reasons I decided to not get one and save my money for a time when I would be better suited for another upgrade.

~Hope this helps
 
Pretty typical “Tom”. What is the number one headphone used in the vast majority of all recording studios?

“Sennheiser”
 
So what do you guys think of the medusa 5.1 headsets from this review? It comes with a small amp and its at a very reasonable price.
 
BTW i have onboard 7.1 sound, it made mention about having to do something special to reverse the bass? Could someone explain this to me?
 
If you need a closed headphone the Beyerdynamic DT770 is probably a good bet if you like lots of bass. If not, you can't go wrong with the AKG K271 Studio as it is quite accurate and has great imaging... just a little light in the bass for some people.

If you don't need a closed headphone, I would suggest getting a pair of AKG K240 Studio for ~$100 and spending the rest of your money on a entry level headphone amp. ;)

I don't have much good to say about the closed Audio Technica headphones, but lots of people seem to like them. Unfortunately they are hard to audition, so you won't know until you get them. That AT amp is probably not all that great, but who knows?
BillR said:
What is the number one headphone used in the vast majority of all recording studios?
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Actually, it is probably AKG. The K240 has been a staple of the recording industry for quite some time. ;)
 
well can anyone point me to a good amp for around $150? Just for music and gaming pruposes like i said, but somethign that i won't be disappointed with.
 
A Pimeta would be around that range. You can contact our local MisterX about one.
 
and would that go good with a mid level set of cans? around the same price range? Or is it more worth it to dump the money into a real nice set of headphones?
 
It's hard to say without specifically naming a certain model. There's always a varying degree of improvement ime.
 
so maybe a mid range set od senns and a pimeta would probobly do what i am looking for. Does misterx make these amps himself? If so has anyone bought one and are they worth buying?
 
now if i bought a little portable one how much does it cost to get the external power adapter for it?
 
natekoz said:
Does misterx make these amps himself? If so has anyone bought one and are they worth buying?
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I almost bought one from Mister X, but he turned out to be a bad person, so I said "no way".

nat said:
now if i bought a little portable one how much does it cost to get the external power adapter for it?
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They go for around 20-40$... its a little AC adapter that plugs right into the wall (something along the lines of this). There are some external dedicated power supplies... but they get pricey.

~Hope this helps
 
towert7 said:
I almost bought one from Mister X, but he turned out to be a bad person, so I said "no way".
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Huh? Marshal has always been a very easy guy to deal with. I highly recommend him for what it is worth. I started my 'headphone journey' with one of his PIMETA's. :cool:
 
towert7 said:
I almost bought one from Mister X, but he turned out to be a bad person, so I said "no way".
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wow. never shown that in his role as moderator... :confused:
 
towert7 said:
I almost bought one from Mister X, but he turned out to be a bad person, so I said "no way".
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Got some facts to back that statement up?

-Ed
 
well if he were a bad guy i am not sure how he would have become a moderator. Anyway, his prices seems fair i guess, not really sure about this stuff though. It seems like enough people are backing him for me to not be to concerned with it, he also is helpful with helping me decide what is best for me.
 
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