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So I was looking to buy a "cheap" pair of headphones (something around $150-200 max), but I wasn't so keen on getting open ones since I usually listen to music at night with my gf sleeping in the same room. I went on a forum and asked around for an alternative to the sennnheiser hd 558, which were my reference for low-price good quality headphones.
Someone told me to look for the Creative Aurvana Live!, since they are a remake of the Danon AH-D1001, with very slight ergonomic improvements, so I did.
They were super cheap (around $75), and the sound quality (for the price) is mind-blowing. I never thought closed headphones could be so clear, especially in this price range. They sound better than my in-ear UE pair that cost me over $250.
Only thing that bugs me is that they're not large enough to completely cover your ear, so it does touch, which can be annoying if you wear glasses and wear them for too long (5+ hours), but other than that they're a huuuuge bang for the buck.
Here's the review from innerfidelity, where they're on the wall of fame: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/creative-aurvana-live-classic-reincarnate
![[image loading]](http://cdn3.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/reviews/full_reviews/creative/aurvana-live/creative_aurvanaLive-big.jpg)
I approve.
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On September 04 2012 23:29 Djzapz wrote:
So since I like this thread and it has been quiet for a few days, I'll ask a question. Does headphone "burn-in" exist, or is it just a perceived difference in sound that happens because people get used to the new sound of their headphones in comparison to whatever they were used previously?
Many audiophiles say that burn-in definitively exists, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that those people cannot be trusted. =)
Pads change over time, and this leads to measurable differences in performance. If nothing else, if the pads squish down and distance between the driver and ear changes, and the air cavity volume changes, these should have real effects. The mechanical suspension / elasticity of the structure / mechanical damping does also change over time (changes happen more rapidly at the start, less so later), and that also leads to different performance. For loudspeakers, Thiele/Small parameters are definitely known to shift, and typical headphone drivers have a similar construction, especially the usual dynamic drivers. I don't think you can extrapolate the magnitude of changes to headphones though.
See here:
http://www.vikash.info/audio/audax/
There's an article at InnerFidelity about break-in with the AKG Q701, a headphone supposedly that changes more so than others (according to anecdotes) due to break-in effects:
http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-break
I'd advise not reading too much into everything he writes. Take the graphs as they are, though, of course remembering that consistent repeatability of headphone measurements is very difficult, the test setup is not perfect by any means and confounding factors like external noises cannot be completely controlled.
So the magnitude of changes implied by audiophile claims don't seem to be substantiated. The kinds of changes reported also don't seem to match what's actually happening (and impressions from one person often don't seem to match those of others). In addition, reports of sudden changes at 50 hours, at 200 hours, etc. seem very unlikely to be true.
In short: expect differences to be pretty small, maybe not even noticeable under the best of conditions. It seems unlikely that you'll like headphones after break-in and not before or that the overall character will change. (For that matter, how many reports are there of people liking headphones prior to break-in and not after? Fishy, huh.) Mostly I think you can attribute subjective reports to expectation bias. But there are real changes.
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i got expensive highend bose headphones
they are amazing
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I'm currently using my Razer Carcharias headset. I see no reason to upgrade.
This is my 3rd pair due to my dog constantly chewing through the wire, all have been replaced by warranty at my job.
If anyone is looking for a cheaper headset that has decent sound (IMHO), you can't go wrong with this headset.
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On September 06 2012 00:18 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On September 04 2012 23:29 Djzapz wrote:
So since I like this thread and it has been quiet for a few days, I'll ask a question. Does headphone "burn-in" exist, or is it just a perceived difference in sound that happens because people get used to the new sound of their headphones in comparison to whatever they were used previously?
Many audiophiles say that burn-in definitively exists, but it's becoming increasingly obvious that those people cannot be trusted. =) Pads change over time, and this leads to measurable differences in performance. If nothing else, if the pads squish down and distance between the driver and ear changes, and the air cavity volume changes, these should have real effects. The mechanical suspension / elasticity of the structure / mechanical damping does also change over time (changes happen more rapidly at the start, less so later), and that also leads to different performance. For loudspeakers, Thiele/Small parameters are definitely known to shift, and typical headphone drivers have a similar construction, especially the usual dynamic drivers. I don't think you can extrapolate the magnitude of changes to headphones though. See here: http://www.vikash.info/audio/audax/There's an article at InnerFidelity about break-in with the AKG Q701, a headphone supposedly that changes more so than others (according to anecdotes) due to break-in effects: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-breakI'd advise not reading too much into everything he writes. Take the graphs as they are, though, of course remembering that consistent repeatability of headphone measurements is very difficult, the test setup is not perfect by any means and confounding factors like external noises cannot be completely controlled. So the magnitude of changes implied by audiophile claims don't seem to be substantiated. The kinds of changes reported also don't seem to match what's actually happening (and impressions from one person often don't seem to match those of others). In addition, reports of sudden changes at 50 hours, at 200 hours, etc. seem very unlikely to be true. In short: expect differences to be pretty small, maybe not even noticeable under the best of conditions. It seems unlikely that you'll like headphones after break-in and not before or that the overall character will change. (For that matter, how many reports are there of people liking headphones prior to break-in and not after? Fishy, huh.) Mostly I think you can attribute subjective reports to expectation bias. But there are real changes.
Seems reasonable. Ty. Hadn't thought about the pads thing, but that makes sense - I'm not convinced that people hear the big differences that they report on head-fi.
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Hello headphone enthusiasts! I need a new pair of headphones, but the situation is slightly complicated. I mad a thread here, but for those of you who don't want to read another thread I will try sum it up here as well.
Used to have a pair of DSP500's for Counter Strike 1.6. I got those because I didn't have a good soundcard, and they had one built onto them. So it meant I could hear everything possible to hear in 1.6. Now those have broke and I need a new pair of headphones for CS:GO. Once again I want to be able to hear every footstep possible to hear. But do I need some headphones with a built in sound card? Or is my motherboard onboard sound card enough?
Thanks!
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On September 07 2012 09:41 Westy wrote:Hello headphone enthusiasts! I need a new pair of headphones, but the situation is slightly complicated. I mad a thread here, but for those of you who don't want to read another thread I will try sum it up here as well. Used to have a pair of DSP500's for Counter Strike 1.6. I got those because I didn't have a good soundcard, and they had one built onto them. So it meant I could hear everything possible to hear in 1.6. Now those have broke and I need a new pair of headphones for CS:GO. Once again I want to be able to hear every footstep possible to hear. But do I need some headphones with a built in sound card? Or is my motherboard onboard sound card enough? Thanks!
Gaming Headphone Guide
http://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-9-4-2012-headzone-added-revised-layout-links
The Audio Technica AD700 seems ideal for performance to price.
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On September 07 2012 09:41 Westy wrote:Hello headphone enthusiasts! I need a new pair of headphones, but the situation is slightly complicated. I mad a thread here, but for those of you who don't want to read another thread I will try sum it up here as well. Used to have a pair of DSP500's for Counter Strike 1.6. I got those because I didn't have a good soundcard, and they had one built onto them. So it meant I could hear everything possible to hear in 1.6. Now those have broke and I need a new pair of headphones for CS:GO. Once again I want to be able to hear every footstep possible to hear. But do I need some headphones with a built in sound card? Or is my motherboard onboard sound card enough? Thanks!
Creative's positional audio engine or dolby headphone also can make a night and day difference for some games too (TF2 is an example), a $30 soundcard with one of those technologies might make a difference for CS:GO.
EDIT: The link the above poster posted has the TF2 video I saw a while ago lol. How's that for coincidence?
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any opinions on the akg k44?
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Are there any novelty in in-ear's, price range $30-40$ ? Last time i was interested in topic, I got Soundmagic E10...
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On September 09 2012 01:12 darksub wrote:
any opinions on the akg k44?
I've never heard them, but most people don't seem to bother with AKG model numbers under K240. I'm not sure if buyers are collectively making a mistake though.
These days, I think a lot of the major/respected audio brands such as Sennheiser, AKG, etc. tend to be overpriced in the low end. Availability and pricing varies a lot worldwide, but offers from Superlux, Panasonic HTF600, Samson SR850, etc. are better regarded. For supraaural sets, Beyerdynamic DT 235 is still pretty good though.
On September 09 2012 01:21 beamerkun wrote:
Are there any novelty in in-ear's, price range $30-40$ ? Last time i was interested in topic, I got Soundmagic E10...
What do you mean by "novelty" in this context?
As for random suggestions, maybe VSonic GR02, Brainwavz M1. I don't know much about most IEMs, so wait for second and third opinions or look around.
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By 'novelty' I mean something that is great in terms of price performance comparing to earlier IEM's
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Can anyone tell me if The Beyerdynamics DT250 is a good choice for Radioproducing?
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On September 08 2012 13:47 Alabasern wrote:Show nested quote +On September 07 2012 09:41 Westy wrote:Hello headphone enthusiasts! I need a new pair of headphones, but the situation is slightly complicated. I mad a thread here, but for those of you who don't want to read another thread I will try sum it up here as well. Used to have a pair of DSP500's for Counter Strike 1.6. I got those because I didn't have a good soundcard, and they had one built onto them. So it meant I could hear everything possible to hear in 1.6. Now those have broke and I need a new pair of headphones for CS:GO. Once again I want to be able to hear every footstep possible to hear. But do I need some headphones with a built in sound card? Or is my motherboard onboard sound card enough? Thanks! Gaming Headphone Guidehttp://www.head-fi.org/t/534479/mad-lust-envys-headphone-gaming-guide-updated-9-4-2012-headzone-added-revised-layout-linksThe Audio Technica AD700 seems ideal for performance to price.
Those headphones cost over £100? My DSP500's cost my £65 nearly 9 years ago!
I am just looking for a modern day equivalent of the plantronics DSP 500's if that is possible.
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On September 09 2012 01:21 beamerkun wrote:
Are there any novelty in in-ear's, price range $30-40$ ? Last time i was interested in topic, I got Soundmagic E10...
not sure if they're still produced by the creative ep630 was less than $30 when i got them 5 years ago
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On August 30 2012 10:12 T.O.P. wrote:
UE900 released. Looks good. Wonder how the reviews will be. I'm hoping for UE900 $95 on black friday.
In 4 years time, LOL
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picked up an akg-k550, and they sound great, look great, absolutely no complaints, if you got 300-400 lying around, id reccomend em(as would many others judging by online responses/articles/reviews). gunna pick up an asus xonar in a few weeks to get more out of em. cant wait.
![[image loading]](http://monotask.net/wp-content/uploads/AKR_01-500x332.jpg)
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zzz I wish I had 300-400 lying around lol
I'm happy with my GR07~
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I am very happy with the sound of my old AKG 141 Studio (picked it up for 80 € maybe 8 years ago) but I need to repair the cable or jack very often. How much would I have to spend to get a headphone with a similarily good sound today (has scientific progress reduced the cost for the same sound quality or is it mainly a question of stable-price low-tech high-quality components?) and which models could you recommend me there? And how much would one cost that is more durable about the cable or has an exchangable one? Also I need one for the office which should dampen the outside speaking noise. And I use a small amplifier at home (xenyx502), do I need one for my laptop at work or is a normal thinkpad L520 internal soundcard amplifier strong enough to get loud enough sound?
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My current setup includes:
Bose IE2 Earphones:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31DRR%2BkZg%2BL._SS500_.jpg)
SteelSeries Siberia V2 Headset:
![[image loading]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61pFk-veZSL._AA1500_.jpg)
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EPT
