Looking for good headphones...

Aus10

[H]ard|Gawd
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Dec 8, 2010
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Hello, So i was planning on to keep upgrading my big speakers but i have since been kicked out of my loft for my step dads studio and my bedroom is right above the parents so i cant play movies or music at night. I have to turn my sub off and then nothing sounds good lol. So im in the market for some really decent headphones. My limit is 200 or so. I mostly do music and movies but like a 50% music 30% movies and 20% games...

Also i plan to switch to a Klipsch HD500 5.1 setup. Yes i know there not as good as the polks but honestly i dont have room for them. My computer desk cant handle them so i was wondering which subwoofer would be better? The one that it comes with or my Energy sub?

Thank you guys so much.
 
Without knowing more about your tastes, what is considered to be one of the best all-rounders and enjoyable to listen to all types of music on, and has a large soundstage for gaming, is the HD 598's. Can get them for $175 shipped from JR. Amp not necessary but will improve the headphones.
 
Good headphones are paired with a headphone amplifier. You can get a desktop, portable, or one built-in to a soundcard (Xonar Essence). Headphones with a higher impedence rating require an amplifier to achieve their potential. Those with lower impedence also achieve better sound but this is on a headphone-by-headphone basis and is subjective, but most would agree that they will improve the sound.

An HD 598 is 50 ohms which means you CAN drive it without an amp but it'd still be better to use one. And obviously a good source (DAC). Do you have an external DAC or a good soundcard? That would be worth upgrading if you hit mid-fi/high-fi headphone territory. But get the headphones anyway. They are still good.
 
Don't have to be, but if you already don't have a sound card, you might as well just save for a Xonar Essence which is a soundcard with a very good headphone amp built-in. Costs around $200 just for that though, so fi you went with a 598, it'd be $170 + $200. I'd get the headphones first, and then as budget allows, upgrade to Essence. I'd say that makes the most sense in value since you ALSO don't have a good DAC (b/c you are using onboard audio).

Other route is to go external DAC and external amp. Check out a company named Fiio. They make cheap amp/dac's, which would be cheaper than the Essence. If you use powered speakers in addition to headphones though, I'd say save for the Essence. Far more convenient/better. If you use an external passive/receiver system, then you don't need half the analog circuity of the Essence and an external DAC/amp for the headphones and using the digital out of onboard audio to the receiver would probably be the best value.
 
what i do now is well could i connect the headphones to my Onkyo TX-SR504? I go optical from the mobo to the receiver and then from there to the speakers? But i have a headphone jack on the onkyo could i use that?
Also any advice on the subs?
 
I couldn't find information on the headphone amp circuity in that receiver, so dunno where it ranks, but yes you can use the headphone jack. One thing you'll lack in games is CMSS or Dolby Headphone, which are virtual surround techs that work well in games, if you go this route.
 
Yeah, would the 595s be a option too? There a bit cheaper..

Thank you btw
 
Without knowing more about your tastes, what is considered to be one of the best all-rounders and enjoyable to listen to all types of music on, and has a large soundstage for gaming, is the HD 598's. Can get them for $175 shipped from JR. Amp not necessary but will improve the headphones.

I have the 598s also, and the ATH-AD500s, love them both, the 598s do have more .... oomph? I use them for games and music 99% of the time.
From everything I have heard the 598s are a big improvement over the 595s.

I'm going to be honest, I noticed almost no difference at all going from an XFI-prelude(un-amped sound card) to a Bravo Audio V1 with the 598s, I don't think an amp is necessary at all.
 
I would spring for the 598's over the 595's. Amps are subjective, you can run a 598 without an amp, but I do think they improve with an amp, but depends on you. My amp is on my soundcard so it's an easy decision.
 
Call JR for the 598's, the sale price is around 170. It should say on the product page to call them for the best price.
 
One are those better? If so how much better? And two I don't know if I trust open box...
 
It's Amazon. If you don't like the item or its in bad shape just send it back.

I would say that the DT990s are a step up.
 
Really? Ok I will look into them,

Should I look for a soundness for them?
 
Amplification isn't really that important with these headphones due to their low impedance (32 ohms).
 
Yeah but use the receiver. Plug an optical cable from your mobo to the receiver. That will sound pretty damn good. The 990 have great bass response and are amazingly comfortable. You will be much happier with those over the Sennheiser 595 598
 
i find it interesting that you guys magically knows what the OP will like despite not mentioning what type of music he listens to or what type of sound he prefers.
 
i find it interesting that you guys magically knows what the OP will like despite not mentioning what type of music he listens to or what type of sound he prefers.

?

What are you talking about? He is asking for a general purpose headphone. Anyway, what is a better buy under $200 than a Beyer 990? It is an excellent headphone for the money and does everything well.

Make a ? to the op or suggest a solution. Why bash people trying to help?

Oh and the Beyer 880 32 ohm is $165 on amazon atm. Another good all around headphone. A bit less bass and treble than the 990 but more midrange.

The cheapest good headphone is the JVC HARX 700 then the Audio Technica AD-700.
 
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I listen to hip hop rock metal country everything really even slower relaxing music.
 
I listen to hip hop rock metal country everything really even slower relaxing music.

do you want to sound like you're "in" the song? or do you care more about bass? do you care if other people around you can hear what you're listening to? would you prefer that the headphones clamp your head firmly or rest on them gently?

there are plenty of equally "good" options under $200. the BEST option is what meets all your requirements.
 
Idc if people here it since I'm jn my room alone just my parents can't here it. I want something that is comefy that I can have on for hours. I want clear highs but also have nice bass but not to much just clean nice sound. Not sloppy like my old skull candies lol
 
598 and DT990 are comparable. Don't think one is better than the other objectively at all. You'd have to try them both. DT990's probably have more bass though if you like that.

Headphones can be a pain in the ass for some people who want definitive answers on what headphone is better than what.

HD598's are cheaper and are generally considered the best all-rounder headphone out there, good with all genres, and has a soundstage that is considered second only to the AD700, so if you game, that would be important.

DT990's are also supposed to be good gaming headphones. They aren't neutral sounding like the DT880's so some would consider that a negative. They are considered more bassy and fun than the 880 which are more analytical.

The reason why I suggest the HD598's is because they are (1) cheap compared to other mid-fi/high-fi solutions; (2) good at music, movies, and games; one might say almost top-notch in some areas; (3) can be driven without an amp; and (4) despite the fact that it is cheaper and considered mid-fi by some, it still garners a great deal of respect among audiophiles that have a large headphones collection and typically spend far more than the 598's on headphones.
 
Idc if people here it since I'm jn my room alone just my parents can't here it. I want something that is comefy that I can have on for hours. I want clear highs but also have nice bass but not to much just clean nice sound. Not sloppy like my old skull candies lol

do you think it will bother you to have them on for hours if they clamp your head pretty firmly?
 
Um as long as it doesnt hurt or anything I wouldn't mind it.

I'm leaning toward the dt990s... Although I cant decide...
 
See if you can try out some of these headphones at a music store. At the very least you can get a cursory glimpse of their musicality and comfort.

Or you can just buy one and return it if you don't like it.

Or you can give up on listening to music and just engage your sense of smell instead with scratch-and-sniff booklets.
 
I decided that I dont want to buy use headphones, so I'm going to raise my budget to 300 so should I get those or another pair since I raised the budget?

Also iv been debating between my surround sound and moving to a nice 2.1 system and was curious to what you guys think would be a good setup for 500, it's either that or a klipsch quintet 3 5 channel speaker set.
 
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