Need help with headphone setup

[c10]

Hi all.

I will post all the pertinent information, if anyone is knowledgable on the subject... I would appreciate a little direction.

Price Range - Under 400$ - total. I'd prefer it to be in the $200-250 range, but if that just buys me crap... say so. I'm not into buying crap.

Use - about half the time I will be listening to music, the other half I will be playing games. My games of choice offer voice chat, so a microphone would be clutch, or maybe if it is the way to go, I may go with 2 different headphones, one for gaming, one for music.

For Music :
Source - Onkyo 606 Receiver (95% of my audio coming to it will be via my computer, which has a X-fi fatal1ty championship sound card - source files on computer are either 320k mp3 or FLAC - receiver is hooked up via toslink, but I am open to going analog if the sound would be better).

For Gaming :
Will go straight to headphones from my PC. I play some first person shooters, WoW. I don't know if any games I play currently offer 5dot1, but I've read before that 5dot1 headphones suck. I don't know what to make of that sentiment.

I consider comfort to be a big requirement, which can be tough with over the ear headphones. I keep reading open or closed for headphones, don't know what this means.

My main rig is a really nice speaker/sub set, which has spoiled me with sound quality. I would like to have as nice of sound quality as possible, while not going overboard (relative term, I know). I would prefer headphones that do not require more hardware (an amp), but if those in the know really think it is the way to go, post up and I will do the reading on it.

I know this message reeks of being uninformed - but I am in the first step of my research process. Learn whats what, get a feel for the market, and then figure out how to best upgrade my 20$ plantronics headphones.

By the way: thanks to all those who helped me on my previous buy; I'm LOVING it!!!!!

 

[Breex243]

Get some Bose headphones...jkjk

I've got a pair of Senns-0the HD555s. I was looking into the HD595s (their best w/o needing an amp), but I was able to get the 555s for only like $70, so I jumped on that. I've loved the open-air feel when watching explosive movies at 4AM without waking up the neighbors on the z-5000 (another cheap buy--only $150, although I'm dropping $2K+ on a HT setup for my larger dorm room next year). I also own a pair of Shure e4cs/SCL4s and used to own e2cs.

Note that I'm not a gamer, so here goes:

Pros of the 555s:
* Very responsive bass, a tad dirty, but it feels quite dimensional
* Comfort--god they are comfortable. The earcups have just enough pressure, and the adjustable headband is simple, but quite fits my egghead quite well
* Large earholes. I've got massive ears that also point outward a bit, so I never thought I would be able to use over-the-ear headphones, but these have just enough depth to let my ears not compress against the inside of the headphones
* Enormously long cable--not necessarily good for you unless you game on a TV screen, but it's a good 10ft cable (aka designed for home/office use)
* Replaceable cables
Cons:
* Earcups are a bit "long" in that they arch a little too high above my ears and almost touch past my jawbone. At least with my jaw, they feel like they slip a bit if I chew.
* Mids are a bit muddy, but that's compared to the E4Cs.
* Velour is a bit too low-friction, slides off a little too easily.

I'd recommend the 595s--much better construction (real metal mesh over the earcups), and it's still drive-able without needing amps.
I'd also recommend Grados, although I'm not a big fan of the on-the-ear experience.

Quick review on the E4Cs:
Pros:
* Responsive throughout the whole range. Blown away by the clarity of the bass. I mean, these drivers are TINY...and I can't even find the "bass port". Superb handling of highs--vocals are amazing on these
* Tiny, and can we worn hooked over the ear (the way I wear them all the time), and although there's a bit of microphonic behavior with the cables, the softer cables greatly reduce this effect (esp. vs my old, stiff E2Cs).
* Superb fit and sound isolation--the fit kit is great for all ear types (I stick to the rubber olive sleeves, as I get tired of crimping the foam tips all the time).
Cons:
* Enclosure for the drivers don't appear all that durable--the "grip paint" wears off quite fast, although the metal screw-down for the nozzles/tips are superb.
* Very narrow sound tube = no sound for a few hours if you get water in them. I've tried taking apart the nozzles and blowing through them (you get spare ones anyways), but to no avail. Just let them dry and they'll be in tip-top shape. I'm a swimmer so even a little tiny bit of residual water seeps into the sound tube after a workout
* Single driver (but doesn't sound like a single-driver headphone. Just goes to show one good driver is better than two crappy ones, *cough* Apple premiums *cough*)--I'm saving up for a pair of Ultimate Ear Custom 11s when I graduate/get better at shooting, as I'll just tally it off as a two-for-one deal, haha. But yeah, for $170, it's borderline to expect dual drivers, but like I said, clean response, highs are maybe a little to sharp, but the bass is phenomenal.

 

[c10]

Thanks for that post. Very informative. I started looking at the 595's on eBay. I can pick up a pair of those for 100$, but the HD650's are 300 used/500 new. What is with the dramatic price difference?

Also, if I have a receiver connected via toslink, do I need an amp still? Like I could get a Fubar3 to come out the back of my computer via USB, and then just toggle my default audio out between the Fubar3 USB and my SPDIF.

 

[ourfpshero]

for 400$ and a gamer- i would get a Forte sound card- uses an x-fi chip but better components than a regular x-fi, has a built in headphone amp. goes for 130$. for the times i need a headset, get a steelsound 4h- about 40$- the best headset under 100$

now the big choice- headphones.
open headphones means not sealed-you can head outside noises, generally offer a bigger soundstage, better highs, but less bass
closed means sealed cups, less soundstage but much more bass.

i only write about headphones i have had here.

for open headphones- audio technica ath-ad500 or ad700. better range than the mentioned senns, extremely airy sound, can give bass with right settings and amping. 70- 110$
beyerdynamic dt880 - one of the best open headphones, needs an amp. 260$

for closed you have better choices in several price ranges
jvc harx700, harx900, hadx1. 35 , 55, 75 $. the best deals in headphones right now
audio technica ath-a500//900 100-200$. these emphasize the highs and lows- the a900 is an awesome can and one of my faves
beyerdynamic dt770 pro. bass monster, lots of peeps love these, i found the highs shrill. 150$
denon ahd2000. awesome bass and highs, my fave at the moment. metal cups, braided lines, leather pads. 230$
ultrasone hfi780. fantastic balanced sound. the earcups were too small for me. 200$

a lot of these can be found much cheaper on ebay or headfi used