Which Headphones?

I've been thinking about getting a better pair of headphones, I'm currently using the HARX700 and was curious if the Audiotechnica A900 would be a large improvement? I find the 700's to be quite comfortable and not really hot, so how do the A900's compare in that aspect? Or would another pair of headphones in the $200-300 range be a better choice?

I'm also running them through onboard sound on my ASUS P5Q, so I was thinking about picking up a Zero DAC and curious if that would help either headphones.
 
FatFed said:
I've been thinking about getting a better pair of headphones, I'm currently using the HARX700 and was curious if the Audiotechnica A900 would be a large improvement? I find the 700's to be quite comfortable and not really hot, so how do the A900's compare in that aspect? Or would another pair of headphones in the $200-300 range be a better choice?

I'm also running them through onboard sound on my ASUS P5Q, so I was thinking about picking up a Zero DAC and curious if that would help either headphones.
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Denon 2000
Ultrason 780
Beyerdynamic 150
KG 601 or 701/2
Beyerdynamic 880


Yes, the zero would be better..I know people say you need a powerful amp to drive the 701s, but I used my 701 straight from my computer jack, and using on board sound..It sounded beautiful with 320 MP3s and Flac..But yes, better amping will make them sound better, but is not absolute. I'd rstill recommend them with the zero. The 701s strength will still show.
 
kool bubba ice said:
Denon 2000
Ultrason 780
Beyerdynamic 150
KG 601 or 701/2
Beyerdynamic 880


Yes, the zero would be better..I know people say you need a powerful amp to drive the 701s, but I used my 701 straight from my computer jack, and using on board sound..It sounded beautiful with 320 MP3s and Flac..But yes, better amping will make them sound better, but is not absolute. I'd rstill recommend them with the zero. The 701s strength will still show.
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Wow that's quite a list! What are the major differences if I might ask? I'll be using then for gaming and music mostly, with some movies thrown in there now and again.
 
FatFed said:
Wow that's quite a list! What are the major differences if I might ask? I'll be using then for gaming and music mostly, with some movies thrown in there now and again.
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Between them all?? I can give you their strengths.
D2000 warm, engaging, with plenty of bass
701/2 giant sound stage, 3D imaging, high end sparkle, transparent, and speaker like.
601 nice spatial ability, large sound stage, 3D imaging, fun sounding
DT880 clarity, detail, smooth, seperation, out of head presentation, dialogue is very clear. These are the best headphones I had for gaming and movies.
780 Bass qualty and impact, aggresive and forward soundiing, adds a 'realness' to the sound signature.
DT150 20db noise isolation, warm, full bass, detail, clarity
 
Hey remember that the AKGs are excellent in every way kbi describes BUT they have very little bass slam. This is one way to reveal more detail and sound stage but it is a trade-off.
 
I just ordered my AKG K701s! I didn't buy an amp yet (after Christmas my "fun" money fund has been all but depleted) but I am going to pickup an iBasso D3 shortly.
 
UncleDavid218 said:
I just ordered my AKG K701s! I didn't buy an amp yet (after Christmas my "fun" money fund has been all but depleted) but I am going to pickup an iBasso D3 shortly.
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For a 701? I don't think you want to use a portable with 701s man. A Shanling PH100 is the entry level amp with enough power for the 701s. The iBasso will work fine but is not strong enough to reveal all of the detail the 701 is capable of.
 
Yeah I think I'm actually gunna go with the Little Dot MK II. Although I understand the K701s need a pretty crazy amp to unlock their full potential, I just can't justify a $500 amp as this is my first audio setup.

I know on the low end they would require a SS amp and not a tube amp, but all reviews say that the MK II is great for low impedance phones. Would you go with the Shanling over the LD?
 
lol a little late but the shanling should be a touch better overall than the LD. Pretty close though.
 
spaceman said:
lol a little late but the shanling should be a touch better overall than the LD. Pretty close though.
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Haha well good timing cuz at the last minute I went with the Shanling. I'm pretty excited to hear them. Now I just need a good DAC and I should be set for... a month.
 
does having a set of bose on ears make me less of an audiophile?

besides that, i am looking into getting a set of akg 701s. am i going to need anything else to go along with them? i dont really know anything audio wise. my brother bought me a pair of on ears about 6 months back. that is what got into really experiencing my music. then i saw the list of Kool Bubba Ice's phones that he was recommending. and i think i am going to go with the 701s.
 
Alright, I've been reading through here a bit, and from what I've been looking at the Sennheiser PMX 100s look promising:

Budget: Under $100 preferred.
Use: Mostly for music/movie stuff, some gaming but I don't care about positional audio too much. Music genre is mostly symphonic metal / progressive rock that kind of stuff, so a mix of soft and heavy sound. I know that I tend to like clarity of sound, especially for flowing music.

However, I was also hoping for something that with some adaptation could be fairly portable. For example, I wear a headband while working out, so the headphones needing to stay on isn't really an issue so much as comfort. Don't really care what it looks like, function is what's important to me.

Finally, audio sources hardware-wise are going to be mostly mid or low end, such as onboard soundcard or basic MP3 player (though most of my music is in FLAC, OGG, or high bitrate MP3).

Anyone have any suggestions or does the PMX-100 sound about right for my purposes?
 
Zuriick said:
does having a set of bose on ears make me less of an audiophile?

besides that, i am looking into getting a set of akg 701s. am i going to need anything else to go along with them? i dont really know anything audio wise. my brother bought me a pair of on ears about 6 months back. that is what got into really experiencing my music. then i saw the list of Kool Bubba Ice's phones that he was recommending. and i think i am going to go with the 701s.
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Should be a night and day difference with the 701. You are missing frequencies with all BOSE products.
 
Zuriick said:
does having a set of bose on ears make me less of an audiophile?

besides that, i am looking into getting a set of akg 701s. am i going to need anything else to go along with them? i dont really know anything audio wise. my brother bought me a pair of on ears about 6 months back. that is what got into really experiencing my music. then i saw the list of Kool Bubba Ice's phones that he was recommending. and i think i am going to go with the 701s.
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I'd budget at least $200 for an amp to drive the 701's. They require a lot of current to run perfectly. If that's out of the question, I'd look at different phones.
 
UncleDavid218 said:
I'd budget at least $200 for an amp to drive the 701's. They require a lot of current to run perfectly. If that's out of the question, I'd look at different phones.
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are there any portable amps that would get the job done? or would i need a desktop amp running through my computer to run them?
 
701s are plain beasts, do not get them unless you are prepared to budget around $500 for everything. No portable amp will do the job correctly although they will work sure. The Shanling is the least expensive amp for the 701s imo.

For $200 the Denon D-2000 or Ultrasone 780 are the best deals. The D-2000 works better than the 780 does unamped but both work out of a sound card.

For $100 or so you need to look for Audio Technica headphones.
 
will a creek obh-11 run a 601 or 701 akg? i'm thinking about it when my hfi700 sells...
 
Sure it will run fine it but I do not like the creek amps much. They are not bad just not good yah?
 
I'm looking to upgrade my source for my Alessandro MS-1's. Currently, I'm rocking onboard sound unamped. What DACs or sound cards would you recommend? And I'm not sure if MS-1's would benefit too much from an amp but if so I may consider buying one as well. No set budget really but nothing crazy ;).
 
andrus said:
I'm looking to upgrade my source for my Alessandro MS-1's. Currently, I'm rocking onboard sound unamped. What DACs or sound cards would you recommend? And I'm not sure if MS-1's would benefit too much from an amp but if so I may consider buying one as well. No set budget really but nothing crazy ;).
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I use the Keces DA-131.1's optical input (it also can use coaxial), but it's just that, the dac. Dedicated dac's don't have a headphone jack (at least none I found). Keces has a new dac/amp combo, the ZERO combo is also a good one.
 
new to head phones looks for a set for $100.

They can't have a lot of outside noise because I play my psp in bed while the wife sleeps.

I listen to everything so it must work for all music types, but listen to mostly rock and clean acoustic guitar.

I play guitar and would like to use the head phones for that as well.

I have X-fi plat on my computer.

I buy almost everything from newegg because it's easy, but will buy from anywhere. I was looking at these two.
SENNHEISER HD 280PRO

audio-technica ATH-PRO700
 
If you are looking for great comfort, a fun sound, with full deep bass, I'd look into the XB500 from sony. They also use leak proof technology. Alot of people complain about the 700s fit, its usually too loose, which leaks sound. The 280s are not fun sounding cans..Geared more towards studio work and engineering.
 
is there any good review of the sony MDR-XB500. I googled it and couldn't find a good review just a bunch of half ass star count mostly 4 out of 5 stars.
 
Does anyone have a good comparison between the Sennhieser HD 485s and the JVC Harx 700/900's? If so I'd like to see what sort of sound difference I might gain by going to the JVCs.
 
stevedave said:
is there any good review of the sony MDR-XB500. I googled it and couldn't find a good review just a bunch of half ass star count mostly 4 out of 5 stars.
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Only found a XB700 review..Positive, but the reviewer didn't like the overwhelming bass. What part of extra bass doesn't he get?
 
I went with the JVC Harx900 for 56 bucks. Saw a few review that said they were just slightly lower quality but for half the price I should be set. If not 56 bucks doesn't break the bank I can always upgrade.
 
sculelos said:
Does anyone have a good comparison between the Sennhieser HD 485s and the JVC Harx 700/900's? If so I'd like to see what sort of sound difference I might gain by going to the JVCs.
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i have had the 485 and have the jvc 700. the jvc is much better all around. the 485 has ok bass, comfort, but recessed highs. the jvc does bass, mids, and highs better. the 485 sounds great until u hear a higher end headphone :)
 
ourfpshero said:
i have had the 485 and have the jvc 700. the jvc is much better all around. the 485 has ok bass, comfort, but recessed highs. the jvc does bass, mids, and highs better. the 485 sounds great until u hear a higher end headphone :)
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Okay. Thanks I just ordered the JVC 900 via 2 day shipping on amazon prime. It should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday. Meanwhile I've been rocking some Koss UR-29s and I think they actually sound better then the 485s, so I don't mind the waiting period. I think I might get a Asus Xonar amp card too a little later.
 
stevedave said:
new to head phones looks for a set for $100.

They can't have a lot of outside noise because I play my psp in bed while the wife sleeps.

I listen to everything so it must work for all music types, but listen to mostly rock and clean acoustic guitar.

I play guitar and would like to use the head phones for that as well.

I have X-fi plat on my computer.

I buy almost everything from newegg because it's easy, but will buy from anywhere. I was looking at these two.
SENNHEISER HD 280PRO

audio-technica ATH-PRO700
Click to expand...

I would recommend the Equation Audio RP-21 found here: http://www.equationaudio.com/Professional/rp21.htm

They are priced at $99 and are a really fun sounding set of cans. Better than the HD280, and the Sony XB500. The ATH-700 might be a little more detailed, but the RP-21 beats the 700 out in comfort and bass response. Plus they are a closed can, so they isolate really well.

Here is an amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000RTGMNI/interactiveda8227-20

Another thought is just to spring for the JVC HARX700's. They are a closed can and only cost around $40 from Buy.com. I have not heard them, but I have heard a lot of good things about them. However, I would probably go for the HARX900's because I really don't enjoy closed phones as much.
 
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thanks for the recommendations I bought the harx900 a few days ago and just got them today. haven't listened to them yet but they feel great on the head. I'll be able to try them out tonight.
 
stevedave said:
thanks for the recommendations I bought the harx900 a few days ago and just got them today. haven't listened to them yet but they feel great on the head. I'll be able to try them out tonight.
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You'll have to let us know what you think. I have been debating getting a pair, but just don't know if it is worth it since I already own four other headphones.
 
Thanks for the answer. Are the sony XB500 or 700 better than the Equation RP-21 headphones linked earlier? They're similar in price, just wanted to know the highlights of each.
 
Never mind my last question. I would like to know which is better for games and heavy music, the Beyerdynamic 770 or 880? And which version, like consumer, pro etc.? Thanks.
 
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