Headphone enthusiast thread! - Page 194

JohnnyReverb

Switzerland132 Posts

September 18 2012 16:29 GMT

#3861

actually i have 3

2 for Mastering: Audiotechnica ATH50 and Beyerdynamics DT880 pro

1 for Gaming: Steelseries 3H

the first two are actually studio reference headphones, used in many studios, as for my work im aiming for a complete flatness playback-wise, no attenuation and a natural sound. (ofc these are only to doublecheck from my master monitors). the steelseries one is just handy and tiny, you can fold them easily, and it has a very sensitive mic (friend hears cat meowing from the other part of the flat).

Djzapz

Canada10681 Posts

September 18 2012 16:32 GMT

#3862

I find the M50's to be a bit bass-heavy, not perfectly flat, though. Not excessively so, however.

JohnnyReverb

Switzerland132 Posts

September 18 2012 18:18 GMT

#3863

they line wonderfully along with my yamaha msp7, sub and my room. altough i dont check lowend with headphones, its a good tool for stereo work and reverbs. gotta agree they sound heavy, exactly the opposite of my virtually 0 flat room.

Rah

United States973 Posts

September 18 2012 19:36 GMT

#3864

I'm looking into my first serious headset now and could use some advice. I really only have 3 things I'm interested in. The most important trait I guess would be surround sound? I've heard in a FPS if you're using a proper headset you can hear where another player is in relation to you from only the sound of their footsteps. This sounds like a huge advantage to have.

Secondly is comfort, I have a cheap headset that was gifted to me as a joke (purple). I tried them for lulz and it fits snugly pushing down on my ears, so it gets uncomfortable if I use them too long. My ears are slightly larger than average I guess but it would be cool to have an around the ear headset maybe that fits more comfortably without bending your ears into uncomfortable positions.

Last but not least is price, I want to spend as little as possible, definitely below $100 and preferably well under that. I'm willing to sacrifice any extra features as long as I get those 3 things I mentioned covered. So far I've found
+ Show Spoiler +

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PX-90-Portable-Headphone/dp/B004GTCQQC/ref=sr_1_25?ie=UTF8&qid=1347993009&sr=8-25&keywords=px90
http://www.aloaudio.com/grado-sr60i
http://www.aloaudio.com/grado-sr80i

Those all come with good reviews, but I'd like to get some input from a bored enthusiast or two. Do any of these fit what I'm looking for, or could anyone recommend a headset that would?

Gerbeeros

101 Posts

September 18 2012 20:02 GMT

#3865

So i decided to buy the relatively cheap xonar dg to complement my akg 242:s and now that ive been listening couple of hours with it, im quite happy with the outcome of my "gamble". It does sound bit clearer and i got some bass boost. Its not dramatic difference between my old realtek 889 but its audible difference, like strings and pipes sound clearer and are more "forward" when listening some of the soundtracks.

wei2coolman

United States60033 Posts

September 18 2012 20:54 GMT

#3866

surround sound headphones are much more expensive than 100 dollars, and they usually don't make for very good music listening experience.

you're better off just getting very neutral headphones, and turning up the volume very high, and hopefully the audio split design by the game should be enough for you to discern where the enemies are through foot step. I had no problem doing this with crappy stock ipod earbuds for a good month, when I was playing a lot of CS:S

Over ears are generally more expensive than on ears, just due to the nature of their size, so your best bet is to find on-ears.
What I'm using now is a Sennheiser 280 Pro, and it's worked wonders for me. I was seriously considering the grado sr60i's a well, but the Senn's were more affordable at the time. I guess I should mention, I was looking more for music quality listening cans, not gaming cans*.

Ben...

Canada3485 Posts

September 18 2012 21:11 GMT

#3867

On September 19 2012 05:54 wei2coolman wrote: and hopefully the audio split design by the game should be enough for you to discern where the enemies are through foot step. I had no problem doing this with crappy stock ipod earbuds for a good month, when I was playing a lot of CS:S

Exactly, if the game sound design is any good, a basic set of headphones will do the job just fine to tell where other people are. I used to play Battlefield and CS with a pair of Senn 555s and I could tell where anyone was. That surround sound stuff is a bunch of garbage.

Blisse

Canada3710 Posts

September 18 2012 21:19 GMT

#3868

On September 19 2012 04:36 Rah wrote:
I'm looking into my first serious headset now and could use some advice. I really only have 3 things I'm interested in. The most important trait I guess would be surround sound? I've heard in a FPS if you're using a proper headset you can hear where another player is in relation to you from only the sound of their footsteps. This sounds like a huge advantage to have.

Secondly is comfort, I have a cheap headset that was gifted to me as a joke (purple). I tried them for lulz and it fits snugly pushing down on my ears, so it gets uncomfortable if I use them too long. My ears are slightly larger than average I guess but it would be cool to have an around the ear headset maybe that fits more comfortably without bending your ears into uncomfortable positions.

Last but not least is price, I want to spend as little as possible, definitely below $100 and preferably well under that. I'm willing to sacrifice any extra features as long as I get those 3 things I mentioned covered. So far I've found
+ Show Spoiler +

Those all come with good reviews, but I'd like to get some input from a bored enthusiast or two. Do any of these fit what I'm looking for, or could anyone recommend a headset that would?

Decent surround sound headphones crush regular headphones in positioning, but you sacrifice sound quality by a somewhat noticeable amount. My experiences might be outdated though, but from what I recall, the transition from surround sound headphones to regular headphones didn't bring me anything new. I don't recall being blown away from the positioning much from my mid-tier headphones, though maybe the Audio-Technica ATH-AD 700 are a huge exception to that. I doubt it.

There's really no point in looking for surround sound if you're not talking about being really competitive and using the headphones solely for their positioning in FPS. They're horrible for every other use. I'm saying this because you don't seem like you're that crazy into FPS. If you just want to have good positioning, any decent pair of headphones will suffice.

Grados are horrible in general, I can't imagine how horrible the positioning on those metal tin cans will be, and we're not even talking about the love or hate comfort and sound. I'm going to say those Sennheisers are horrible too even if I've never heard them. Look at gaming headphones at that price if you only want positioning, else find a way to try out say, the Sennheiser HD 448 if you want somewhat of a mix.

On September 19 2012 07:11 wei2coolman wrote:
really? I heard grado makes for great starter cans? O.o conflicting.

Grados are meant for Rock and Rock exclusively. Comfort is bad. Bass is non-existent. Sound stage is non-existent. Highs are piercing. If you think all of these are "positives" then maybe Grados are a choice for you. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

It's very important to try headphones out for yourself to figure out if you like them. However, the rate of return for Grados would be one of the lowest, and I wholly recommend against them unless you're willing to hurt your ears until you like the sound, unless you belong to groups such as heavy concert goers or band members who don't protect their ears, older people, and so on who have lost the abilities to hear piercing highs and the uneven frequency response.

wei2coolman

United States60033 Posts

September 18 2012 22:11 GMT

#3869

really? I heard grado makes for great starter cans? O.o conflicting.

Rah

United States973 Posts

September 19 2012 00:48 GMT

#3870

Thanks for the input, like I said I'm a noob with headsets so I'm changing my priorities based on what has been said here. I don't have any intention to go pro in FPS, so with only comfort (around the ear design) and price in mind which would be the best pick? Only concern I'd have with around the ear headsets would be how hot your ears can get over a long period, but I haven't tried a pair. Basically I'm looking for a low priced set that I can wear for a long period of time without being annoyed by them. I listen to rap, but I mostly have gaming in mind.

Edit: I saw a suggestion that this headset sennheiser HD-419 + Show Spoiler +

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-419-Headphones-Black/dp/B005SNPTS2

is comfortable and handles bass better and it's also cheaper. Would that be bad for gaming?

Paroxysm

Australia42 Posts

September 19 2012 07:10 GMT

#3871

Hey guys, I'm looking for a set of headphones which can be used solely for music. I'm willing to spend up to $250, but I'm unaware of good, non-gaming brands in the headphone world. Any input would be great, but I want a set that pumps bass and sounds amazing at the same time. Thanks in advance,

Paro

Nopileus

Germany27 Posts

September 19 2012 08:29 GMT

#3872

On September 19 2012 00:24 EndofCreation wrote:
So ive pretty much decided to get Beats Pro since they fit everything i would want in a headphone, its over the ear durable good sound and beautiful! thanks for the advice though

You broke my heart...

On September 19 2012 16:10 Paroxysm wrote:
Hey guys, I'm looking for a set of headphones which can be used solely for music. I'm willing to spend up to $250, but I'm unaware of good, non-gaming brands in the headphone world. Any input would be great, but I want a set that pumps bass and sounds amazing at the same time. Thanks in advance,

Paro

What kind of Music do you listen to, and which device/soundcard are you using as your source?
Also, for home or portable use

Rah

United States973 Posts

September 20 2012 00:31 GMT

#3873

Last thing I'll ask here, but I could use some experienced advice. I'm torn between sennheiser HD-448 and HD-419. HD-419 has a lower price and I've read it's better with bass (good for rap), but does anyone know if it's versatile enough for gaming, and as comfortable, or is 448 worth the extra dough? Thanks.

Rollin

Australia1552 Posts

September 20 2012 01:40 GMT

#3874

On September 20 2012 09:31 Rah wrote:
Last thing I'll ask here, but I could use some experienced advice. I'm torn between sennheiser HD-448 and HD-419. HD-419 has a lower price and I've read it's better with bass (good for rap), but does anyone know if it's versatile enough for gaming, and as comfortable, or is 448 worth the extra dough? Thanks.

I assume you mean for positional audio in 3d games? If you mean for starcraft, then the trash they ship with cheap mp3 players from china is adequate... (In other words, only mention games as a requirement if you're into semi-competitive fps' like cod 4, cs, etc.).

They're both closed headphones, so they're going to lack soundstage and clarity required for accurate positional audio. AD-700s are about as good as you can get for positional audio, these will set you back about $100 though, and as always, a cheap soundcard ($20-30) with dolby headphone or creative's audio engine is also a requirement for good 3d audio in SOME games.

wcr.4fun

Belgium686 Posts

September 22 2012 21:43 GMT

#3875

I was looking over at steelseries for the siberia v2 and there seems to be an ipod/iphone/.. and a 'full-size headphone' version.

I don't understand the difference between both, the ipod versions seems to have only one jack and the pc a jack for both mic and audio.. If you use the PC version on the iphone, you won't be able to talk or listen because there's only one jack on the iphone? Is this the only difference? But obviously you can just buy a piece to converge both jacks into one...

-Zoda-

France3578 Posts

September 23 2012 03:37 GMT

#3876

@Rah: 448 are very versatile headphones. The bass range isn't very wide and powerful tho, but if you have an equalizer you can easily get a good beat for some rap. Otherwise highs are great and mediums are wonderful. It's seems vague said like this but it offers a very clear sound on a lot of music styles and for movies and games, helping to notice a lot of details. They also are quite comfortable and lightweight, tho they don't stick very well to your head if you move too much.

For their price they are really good overall, I recommend them to anyone who hasn't a big budget.

Try to collect some Intel on the other model tho, I listen very few rap so the 448 May not Be the sound you are looking for.

ZeromuS

Canada13389 Posts

September 23 2012 04:55 GMT

#3877

I just got a new computer a little while ago was curious as to why the audio was so bass heavy.

I decided to check out the drivers for my computer and see if there were new ones or not. Turns out there weren't. Unfortunately for my ears I have a wonderful Beats speakers infused HP laptop. The speakers don't work without the beats driver installed so I decided to live with it.

Listening to some very very favourite music today on my Shure SRH840 phones, I finally couldn't stand it any longer.

So I went into the beats option and turned off the beats audio option and noticed NO bass whatsoever and a terrible terrible Tinny sound. I decided to explore and discovered the following (I cried a little inside when I saw this):

[image loading]

No wonder just simply turning off the beats option made it sound like garbage. Sad thing is, so so many people have the computer I am sure and don't even know this is whats happening

rogzardo

610 Posts

September 23 2012 23:35 GMT

#3878

Anybody have an opinion on the Polk Ultrafocus 8000?

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-Canceling-Headphones-Microphone/dp/B0080OHGZA

I hear so-so noise cancelling, but good sound.

RawrAnOcean

United States359 Posts

September 24 2012 22:44 GMT

#3879

On September 19 2012 01:13 RawrAnOcean wrote:
I'm back in the market for a new headphone. This time with requirements instead of just the best headphones.

-Require a mic. The better the mic, the better the headphones.
-IEMs with decent noise isolation. I want to use this with my motorcycle for highway riding to block wind noise. Also to play music on low volumes and hear them well so I can still hear horns.
-Durable. Since these will be my portable headphones, I will most likely use them for lifting and running.
-Non fatiguing. A little bit of warmth though won't hurt. Something along the lines of the Brainwavz M2 with less bass.
-Ideally under $100

I own Denon D2000, VSonic GR07, Brainwavz M2 as my primary headphones. Listen to mostly top 40 and country. Right now the Klipsch S4A look like decent ones, but I haven't heard them in a long time. My brother's beats have a great mic, but those headphones are a rip off sound quality wise. Any advice?

For anyone interested, I'm very happy with the Shure SE-215. Isolation is very solid, fit great under a motorcycle helmet. Had to drop the extra cash for a replaceable cable for the mic but so far so happy.

ZeromuS

Canada13389 Posts

September 25 2012 02:51 GMT

#3880

On September 25 2012 07:44 RawrAnOcean wrote:

Show nested quote +

These headphones are fantastic entry level stuff. Best bang for the buck IMO