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AnimusImmodicus

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I recently received two new computers desktop (built myself) and laptop (XPS M1530 from dell). Both of them were gifts so I didn't bother getting sound cards for them to save on money for the gifter. Now I've decided to take the plunge into the entry level hi-fi audio world. I already have a few fairly nice speaker systems (they're loud which is all I currently want in speakers) however I would like to get a nice pair of headphones. Right now my cousin has lended me his Bose headphones.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826627003

They're nice and got me interested in getting better headphones. But I'm sure there's better quality out there for the price. According to reviews and a small amount of research I've come to the conclusion that the HD280PRO might be the best for me.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106328

It comes from Newegg which is a plus for me and it comes bundled with a free 1GB mp3 player that would be perfect for the gym with a pair of cheap earbuds I have laying around. $100 or lower is the price I would like to spend on my first set of good headphones so these just barely fit into the budget at $100 off right now at newegg (is this temporary or are these headphones just old enough to be that cheap?)

Anyway I also need to know if I'll be happy with them using onboard audio on my P5Q Pro motherboard. This would be temporary (3 months max) until I can afford to add a sound card.

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=3&l2=11&l3=709&l4=0&model=2269&modelmenu=1

At that time which sound card should I get? I'm using Windows XP 32 and 64bit for gaming. I take it very seriously in COD4 and I've been on a sponsored team this summer. I plan to keep my Razer Barracuda Headphones just for the 5.1 positional audio advantages but I'm fed up with using them for music. To be honest I kind of hate Creative right now and would like to purchase from a different manufacturer because their drivers are absolutely terrible (at least for the SB Audigy ZS that I just gave to my sister in my old pc.) Because I am a hardcore gamer I'd like a sound card that balances gaming with great sound for music.

Thank you for your time and help.
 
Bose is generally deep in "um...no" territory, usually because their price points for a given quality are a little high.

The Senny 280Pros are well known and should be pretty nice.

I tend to favor an external DAC/amp setup over something that goes into the case, so I haven't played with sound card brands in a while. Creative is pretty firmly on the bad list unless you desperately need EAX or something like that.
 
If you are really serious about hearing the footsteps, do this:

AKG 601 + Zero Usb Dac/Amp. This might be too much cash. The most important thing actually is the dac.

Reason is that it clears out all the "noise" and leaves you with a blacker background. This allows you to hear more detail. Think of it as the difference b/w being in a well lit, busy room, as compared to being in a dark room with no other sounds. Footsteps sound HUGE in such instances.

So, try for as good a "source" as you can. The Koss SB40 is a fine headphone for hearing the footsteps. It is so cheap that you can afford a really good source like the zero.

Just what I would do if I still participated in the hackfest that is cod4 comp.
 
Thanks for the opinions.

At spaceman: You gotta play TGL and Cevo and it's not quite as bad. Besides beating cheaters is a lot of fun and I just so happen to be good at it unless they're being completely aimbot blatant. Also I'm probably not going to use the new headphones for games b/c they will lack the positioning I want. Unless you honestly think they would be a lot better for hearing footsteps even without positioning. With the DAC does that mean I don't need a sound card at all then?
 
Yeah, no soundcard. Just plug and play!

With the improved dac, a sb40, you will get better indicators than the with the 5.1 imo.

With the akg 601, you will get a 3D sound. Not just 5.1 but every direction, up, down, up left, down right etc. Crazy cool.
 
Those do look pretty sweet but they're above my budget for now. Like I said this is my entry level. I gotta know if I actually appreciate the difference or not. If you had to rate the Bose I linked to the HD280Pro would you say it's a difference I'm going to notice. B/c right now I notice the difference from my cheapo pairs and the Bose and even the 5.1 and the Bose. But it's still not quite nice enough in my opinion to merit buying a pair for $100. My cousin hardly uses them so maybe they're not burned in, but I can't see that changing them too too much. But if there's a significant difference between the two I'm almost sure I'll be happy paying $100 for them.


Edit: Oh and something I noticed and want to ask about is interference. My cell phone makes my computers cheapo speakers and all of my headphones make a weird and terrible sounding noise when it send or receives texts or phone calls. What is this all about? I noticed that I don't experience this with the Bose. Is that just a problem with crappy headphones / does it have to do with the amount of resistance etc? Thanks again for your help.
 
There's not really anything that wrong with the Bose phones...they're just not worth anywhere near $125.99, while the HD280Pros are well worth the listed price. On the other hand, there are better options (Koss KSC25/75 for one) at the lower range, so I can't think of a price point at which I would really ever recommend Bose phones even if they weren't so overpriced. Their noise canceling ones, maybe, for someone who spends half their time on an airplane.

Also it looks like SM has dipped out to find something to beat the Sennys. They're hardly tops either, but much better than the Bose. My A900s weren't much more than the Pros, which is why I ruled them out last time I looked at them. But I think the price went up a bit there. :D

Doing it again, I'd probably go with Sony v6, but that's less because the sound is awesome and more because velour is comfy.
 
Alright. Well I'm hoping to get these from newegg if I can. That's one reason I was looking at the Senny's. But if there's something that is a gigantic steal of a deal elsewhere post it up as long as it's a reliable vendor.
 
AnimusImmodicus said:
My cousin hardly uses them so maybe they're not burned in
Click to expand...

Don't overcredit burn-in too much, better than half of it is psychology. It applies better to amps and such because of the way some types of caps age.

AnimusImmodicus said:
Edit: Oh and something I noticed and want to ask about is interference. My cell phone makes my computers cheapo speakers and all of my headphones make a weird and terrible sounding noise when it send or receives texts or phone calls. What is this all about?
Click to expand...

The basic circuit in a dynamic speaker (or headphone - same thing, different optimization choices) is an electromagnetic coil that converts changing electrical potential (i.e. changing voltages) into a magnetic force and thence to vibrate a membrane that exerts a physical force on the air (i.e. makes sound).

Cell phones put off a relatively strong electromagnetic field, especially when receiving a call. This interacts with the field that's vibrating the membrane in the speaker's driver, thus making the horrible sound.

You can counteract this to some extent by shielding the speaker, for example by using a grounded cage inside the enclosure. The basic idea is to utilize the principle of reflection of virtual charges to keep the external field from significantly affecting the layout of the internal field. Headphones tend not to be shielded very well or often due to the engineering concerns they entail. The Bose headphones probably involved some metal used to reinforce the cups, providing some incidental shielding. El cheapo computer speakers are generally inside a plastic housing, providing almost zero shielding.

Sorry for spewing low-grade physics speak there, but hopefully it explains the phenomenon well enough to make sense?
 
Not a problem. I actually appreciate that you gave a detailed explanation.

As far as the EQ or nuanaces (not sure if those are the names for what I'm referencing), would I be better off with something mostly flat to start? I listen to pretty much every kind of music. But when I listen to Rap and Techno I like a pretty hard and low bass. I don't expect much of a bass and a good mid and high range on $100 headphones anyway. So something that is true to the actual sound seems nice to me right now.

Also I would prefer a closed headset. I have an HD4870 in my case (soon to be crossfired) and the fan makes a lot of noise. I'll also be in college in a noisy dorm room, so anything that isolates sound is good. I've heard the closed phones cause your ears to hurt a little bit, but it seems like a fair trade off.

Edit: Something else that interests me is being able to identify differences with the headphones. Are there any really good songs that stress the enter range of frequencies?
 
Thanks for the suggestions. They both look fairly good. How do I decide if I'd appreciate Bass or All arounders more? I mean powerful bass would be nice but wouldn't I get sick of the cheap sound of the highs? Basically, if you wanted to convert me into an audiophile, which pair would you suggest I get first?
 
The AT 500 is probably the better headphone unless you want to thump like in a car system which is the RP-21s sound.

The AT 500 is a big, light, fluffy headphone. It has a great big sound stage to it compared to anything else for $100. You will hear the bass note but not feel them. The benefit of this is that you hear more midrange detail. Voices do better this way.
 
Thanks again spaceman, I've come to the conclusion that you live on these forums. I know it's just a figure of speech with the thump like in a car system. But if the bass is really hard enough to merit that figure of speech I think I'll end up getting them. They're $20 cheaper and come from amazon a retailer I've purchased from before. Thanks for all of the help. I'll either post here or pm you with my final decision and let you know how much I like them.

EDIT: Nevermind I just found the other ones cheaper at amazon as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technic...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1218939610&sr=8-1

lol Now I'm gonna have to flip a coin or something. :-( Big bass would be awesome though so I can ghetto bump. (That's probably a mistake that all of the entry level sound enthusiasts make their first time though.)

They're both closed right? The A500 says it but the RP-21 doesn't though they look it.
 
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Hey I was readying through all of the helpful posts again and I'm not sure that we ever addressed one of my questions.

Will I notice a difference with these headphones without getting a new sound card or amp etc? Like is it worth getting them now even when I have to wait a few months for the sound card?

Thanks again.
 
You can already notice the difference in the Bose phones, which are overpriced crap.

I'd say that's a yes. :D
 
Oh heck yes. They are much better than bose. The bose headphones that you have are really only worth $20-25 to me.
 
The RP-21s are very portable btw. You should not work out with them on but otherwise they will work fine out of your portable player. Great for studying.
 
lol shame I didn't get either of these earlier I'm sitting in the hospital right now ;( I'l pro b go for the rp-21s b/c of the portability, base, and price.
 
Ya they took my appendix out. I'm just sitting here killing time now until I get to go home. Their public wifi sucks though b/c all I want is to watch movies but I forgot to load the codecs onto my new pc and the wifi bans downloading files with certain extentions.
 
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

well, good. at least they got you in time. they can kill you if they burst.

Yeah, if you like techno or anything with big beats, the rp-21 or rp-22(even more bass but even less mids) will delight you. they really are tough and foldable too.
 
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