EPTHeadphone enthusiast thread! - Page 37
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Caution
2059 Posts
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cz
United States3249 Posts
On December 31 2010 11:14 Caution wrote: if you can stretch your budget a bit, try the Sennheisher HD25-SPs I used to have a set of HD25-IIs and they had good isolation, very durable/replaceable cable and sound decent. These? http://cgi.ebay.ca/SENNHEISER-HD-25-SP-II-DJ-HEADPHONES-/400161158330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2b76b4ba Might be ugliest headphones I've ever seen, but if they have a very strong seal, don't break easily when ripped out of a computer accidentally and have decent sound I'll put them in my contender list. | ||
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Stoids
United States636 Posts
On December 31 2010 10:56 Myrmidon wrote: @Stoids: out of curiosity, what onboard audio chip did you have? e.g. Realtek ALC882. If you're interested and have the time (and a few cheap connectors and cables), you can run some RMAA (free) audio benchmarks on the onboard audio and compare that with the Xonar DG. Granted, I'd expect unloaded results to be bottlenecked by the DG's ADC, but loaded results are more interesting and those are almost never published online. Believe it was the Realtek AC'97. Interesting stuff on the benchmarks. I'll mess around with it and post some results here this week. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
Any qualms against IEMs? You'll get even better isolation out of many IEMs. Etymotics are particularly known for good isolation, but I forget which models. Here is a review mega-thread for 130 IEMs, but there's only one Etymotic listed there. | ||
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HighDistortion
United States52 Posts
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
On December 31 2010 11:28 Stoids wrote: Believe it was the Realtek AC'97. Interesting stuff on the benchmarks. I'll mess around with it and post some results here this week. Just FYI, what this does is run a set of test tones out of whatever audio output device and record this on whatever audio input device you select. You need to have a cable to connect the output to the input of course. It measures the input and generates distortion, SNR, etc. statistics based on what the input was "supposed" to be compared to what it actually was. Unfortunately, this means you can't distinguish inaccuracies from the playback device from those of the recording device. Most output devices actually have significantly worse performance when they're connected to actual headphones rather than just a sound card line-in port. So an interesting test would be to use a Y-splitter so you connect the output to a real load (headphones) as well as the input (line-in). This way, you're measuring the signal that your headphones would see from the audio device in practice. Really loud volumes can damage some headphones, but the AD700s are rated for 500 mW input power, so you'd be well below that on a computer sound card. This site has many results for portable audio players. You can see there that most players get owned by 16 ohm loads. cz: if you're breaking headphone wires by ripping them out of sockets, you can try headphones with detachable cables. Or you could just get a 3.5mm M/F cable, like this. This way, if you yank the cable, more stress gets put on this cheapo extension cable rather than your actual headphone cable. | ||
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cz
United States3249 Posts
On December 31 2010 11:29 Myrmidon wrote: You'd probably be taking a step backwards in sound quality, but I think the Sennheiser HD 280 isolate well (and clamp really hard). If you're willing to spend more, try to find a good sale on a Beyerdynamic DT 770. Those are very comfortable, have better sound, and should take some beatings. The Pro/80 version is often the best-regarded for some reason--I haven't heard others so I can't compare. Any qualms against IEMs? You'll get even better isolation out of many IEMs. Etymotics are particularly known for good isolation, but I forget which models. Here is a review mega-thread for 130 IEMs, but there's only one Etymotic listed there. Cool I'll take a look at those. Lot of qualms with IEM: I'm ripping my headphones out at times by stepping too far from the plug, really don't want to have the IEM rip out of my ear or put any force in that sensitive spot. | ||
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cz
United States3249 Posts
On December 31 2010 11:50 Myrmidon wrote: Just FYI, what this does is run a set of test tones out of whatever audio output device and record this on whatever audio input device you select. You need to have a cable to connect the output to the input of course. It measures the input and generates distortion, SNR, etc. statistics based on what the input was "supposed" to be compared to what it actually was. Unfortunately, this means you can't distinguish inaccuracies from the playback device from those of the recording device. Most output devices actually have significantly worse performance when they're connected to actual headphones rather than just a sound card line-in port. So an interesting test would be to use a Y-splitter so you connect the output to a real load (headphones) as well as the input (line-in). This way, you're measuring the signal that your headphones would see from the audio device in practice. Really loud volumes can damage some headphones, but the AD700s are rated for 500 mW input power, so you'd be well below that on a computer sound card. This site has many results for portable audio players. You can see there that most players get owned by 16 ohm loads. cz: if you're breaking headphone wires by ripping them out of sockets, you can try headphones with detachable cables. Or you could just get a 3.5mm M/F cable, like this. This way, if you yank the cable, more stress gets put on this cheapo extension cable rather than your actual headphone cable. I have and use one those cables, but still it damages my headphones. I've now broken 2 headphones in 2 months by accidental rip outs - maybe I need a really easy-to-release extension cable. | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
On December 31 2010 13:19 cz wrote: I have and use one those cables, but still it damages my headphones. I've now broken 2 headphones in 2 months by accidental rip outs - maybe I need a really easy-to-release extension cable. Upon second thought, maybe you should be looking at headphones targeted at the pro audio / DJ crowd. They tend to be more durable in general. A quick search turns up the Equation Audio RP-21 ($90) and the M-Audio Q40 ($115) as having detachable cables. I think AKG's consumer-ish, pro-ish K171 and K271 (and similar model numbers) are a little out of budget, but they have detachable cables too. However, having a detachable cable doesn't mean you're not going to break the jack internal to the earcup. It'd probably help though. Maybe rigging up an easy-to-release extension cable really is a better idea. What are you currently plugging the headphones into, anyway? If you're using onboard sound, maybe you can upgrade to a USB sound card. When you yank the headphones, maybe they'll yank the sound card out of the USB port, lol. | ||
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OsoVega
926 Posts
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jacosajh
2919 Posts
On December 31 2010 15:15 Myrmidon wrote: Upon second thought, maybe you should be looking at headphones targeted at the pro audio / DJ crowd. They tend to be more durable in general. A quick search turns up the Equation Audio RP-21 ($90) and the M-Audio Q40 ($115) as having detachable cables. I think AKG's consumer-ish, pro-ish K171 and K271 (and similar model numbers) are a little out of budget, but they have detachable cables too. However, having a detachable cable doesn't mean you're not going to break the jack internal to the earcup. It'd probably help though. Maybe rigging up an easy-to-release extension cable really is a better idea. What are you currently plugging the headphones into, anyway? If you're using onboard sound, maybe you can upgrade to a USB sound card. When you yank the headphones, maybe they'll yank the sound card out of the USB port, lol. Or you could just not "accidentally" rip out your headphones. I mean seriously, accidentally damaging a pair of expensive headphones once should be enough for anything be more careful next time around. I had a pair of CX980's that started to unravel at the plug, but that was from it being in my pocket while I ran on a treadmill over the course of a few months and probably bouncing around. You can bet that's not going to happen again. | ||
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FaCE_1
Canada6184 Posts
monster Dr.Dre beat (something ) ![[image loading]](http://www.desinformado.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Monster-Beats-Spin-Headphones.jpg) | ||
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Stoids
United States636 Posts
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Caution
2059 Posts
On December 31 2010 11:20 cz wrote: These? http://cgi.ebay.ca/SENNHEISER-HD-25-SP-II-DJ-HEADPHONES-/400161158330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2b76b4ba Might be ugliest headphones I've ever seen, but if they have a very strong seal, don't break easily when ripped out of a computer accidentally and have decent sound I'll put them in my contender list. Really? They're not that bad..They look much better irl, the cups are supra aural so they're not as big as the picture makes them. I've tried the HD-280's and trust me they are a step or two down from the 25s. | ||
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LLL_Gonzo
Belgium41 Posts
1) a Creative backhead with mic 2) a Sennheiser which either is or looks like these: https://www.dijkmanmuziek.nl/catalog/images/hd201.jpg 3) A skullcandy: http://www.gadgetreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/skullcandy-skullcrushers.jpg 4) a bose like day9: http://www.headphone4you.nl/image/bose/bose3.jpg 5) a Bose with noise cancelling (QC15: http://biztravelguru.com/photos/travel_gadgets_luggage/images/original/Bose-QuietComfort-15-Noise-Cancelling-Headphones-Case.aspx) 6) a razer carchasias: http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/en_US/pd/productID.169415800/categoryId.35096300 7) a Sennheiser PC360 1) crappy sound, good mic, awful feeling to have them on. 2) Weak sound, bass definately lacks, uncomfortable for my type of head. Good for ppl who justed switched from earphones to a headset 3) Fairly good mids and trebbles, excellent base. Doesnt last long though, outused after approx a year. Also not really ventilated, ears warm up fast. 4) Awesome headset, it hung around my neck for 3.5 years. Ppl asked me what was wrong if I didnt wear it. This baby has defined me as a person, light, very good trebbles and mids, smooth base, maybe just a little too soft as my taste in music changed, Semi-high price class favourite! 5) My current one, the noise cancelling is awesome, the base is just a little better than the previous bose, mids are equal, trebbles are beyong perfect imo, but maybe thats due to the noise cancelling  doesnt handle high volumes too good though..6) Sits good, mic is good, although it registers a (too) wide range of noise. Sound is good for gaming, base could be better. Honest for its price 7) The mic is perfect, noise cancelling on the mic included makes this a very good headset for lanparties or offices. Sound is really good, although I could appreciate a little more isolation from outside noises, but I guess thats my opinion due to extensively listening to high class headsets (bose stuff) | ||
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Myrmidon
United States9452 Posts
On January 01 2011 06:54 Stoids wrote: Is it wrong for me to cry every time I see someone buy Beats? I'm glad you like them though! For about that price though, I would have looked at HD600's. For me, it's mostly in the sense that I don't like seeing a company like Monster Cable prosper. As an engineer, I'm annoyed in general when savvy marketing and sales trump superior specs, design, construction, usability, price, etc. You can't optimize every purchase and part of your life, but it'd be cool not to get ripped off. Luxury items like A/V equipment is where consumers spend their disposable income, so it's a great place to make a killing with fat profit margins. You can sell something far beyond what it's worth, and many consumers will not recognize this. If you like the styling (looks) of a headphone or whatever, that's a different matter though. If you like something, that's great. Some people like some sound signatures that others dislike, and some headphones comfortable to one person may fit terribly on someone else. It's up to you what you spend your money on, but I'd urge anybody dropping a significant amount of cash to try before buying if possible--especially on what are typically considered the worst price/performance buys. e.g. most/all offerings from Beats (Monster Cable) and Bose, and many headsets. Or try to buy with a generous return policy. /end rant? Happy New Year everyone! | ||
ZeromuS
Canada13405 Posts
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YoungModerN
Brazil389 Posts
Now i have 150$ budget and i want a closed headphone like the Sennheiser HD280 PRO with some noise cancelling. At first i was going to buy the HD280 but now i got some extra money so im looking for something a little better, a step above this cans. Any advice? I've looked the Audio Technica M50 and Sennheiser PX360. My friend is going to buy for me at bestbuy and its a little expensive there.. but its my only option. | ||
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Carefoot
Canada410 Posts
![[image loading]](http://extreme.pcgameshardware.de/attachments/124173d1248176064-akg-k-530-deutlich-besser-als-sennheiser-pc-151-akg-k-701_04072008_msp2.jpg) Easily the sexiest headphones ever. You'll need an amp - they are power hungry. But oh... oh... My ears... I can play Starcraft for 10+ hours without getting tired. They are so light! | ||
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Johnny Business
Sweden1251 Posts
On December 31 2010 11:20 cz wrote: These? http://cgi.ebay.ca/SENNHEISER-HD-25-SP-II-DJ-HEADPHONES-/400161158330?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d2b76b4ba Might be ugliest headphones I've ever seen, but if they have a very strong seal, don't break easily when ripped out of a computer accidentally and have decent sound I'll put them in my contender list. http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_image/product/1abde4bb1bc9931da62587f8b2d4f5fc.jpg That version of the Sennheiser hd25 looks much better imo. | ||
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