Headphone enthusiast thread! - Page 54

On March 06 2011 03:38 clownfish wrote:
Ive been looking to get a new pair of headphones for my pc, how do the sennheiser 595 and ath-m50 compare? are they similar or is one of them definitely superior?

On March 06 2011 03:38 clownfish wrote:
Ive been looking to get a new pair of headphones for my pc, how do the sennheiser 595 and ath-m50 compare? are they similar or is one of them definitely superior?

On March 06 2011 08:48 ibreakurface wrote:

You really can't go wrong but I would suggest the m50's. I have a pair and they are fantastic. My only complaint is I pulled the little coil out of its spot on the 35mm plug D:

On March 08 2011 07:42 Fyodor wrote:
We've been talking about the SRH840 a bunch lately so this deal might interest the Canadians of you.

http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/shure-shure-professional-headphone-srh840-srh840/10128932.aspx?path=e44010a7a18cc5603637c1e91624267cen02

$70 off.

On March 08 2011 18:04 Eurekastreet wrote:
Me and some friends gather to make a present for a friend. I managed to convice them to invest in some nice headphones.
He listens to his music through mostly an ipod and a "cheap" stereo. I know he's not gonna buy an extra amp for headphone.
Budget will about 200-250 dollars. He mostly listen to rock (at home and/or in the street).
Any recommendation as to what's the best headphone for that genre in that price range ?

PS : I'm in Europe so order will be put through amazon.fr - just to avoid the "there's a nice deal in Canada or Mexico on xxxxx"

On March 08 2011 21:22 Synapze wrote:
Hey guys, I currently own a pair of HD 555's and they sound a little whimpy due to my onboard sound. I was wondering if anyone could recommend a sound card in the 100-150$ range to help these headphones really shine.

Thanks!

On March 08 2011 21:10 Fyodor wrote:


http://www.amazon.fr/GRADO-Casques-Casque-Grado-Prestige/dp/B0006GCCWW/ref=sr_1_59?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1299585519&sr=1-59

or

http://www.amazon.fr/Phonak-Audeo-Version-Ecouteurs-Couleur/dp/B001R1KDRG/ref=sr_1_52?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1299585519&sr=1-52

Both are very good. Phonaks might be a little boring if he's not into headphones that much to begin with.

But if you can get your hands on some Audio-Technica ESW9, it would make for a kickass gift. Portable and gorgeous headphones. Very good sound to them too.

On March 09 2011 02:38 Eurekastreet wrote:


Thanks for the reply. Can't find any ESW9 unfortunately. Since our total budget is actually higher than the models you suggested I'm even looking at the Grado sr225. And also the AKG K701 because reviews for it are quite excellent and it looks good (subjective I know....)

I managed to convince my friends to let go of the ipod option, if the guy we gonna offer them to wants phones for his ipod/street needs, he can buy any 50-100$ solution later on. So we plan to offer these on the sole purpose of having him listen and enjoy his music at home in proper conditions.

Now, not being a connoisseur of these things, I read that these need power to shine. I know my friend has a very basic amp at home (some kind of all-in-one 3 racks solutions by Pioneer or whatever - can't check it for now). Is one of those enough to give proper results with the headphones or would he gain anything by buying a 100-200$ headphone amp or "regular" amp later on ? Is a headphone amp something you add "on top of" a regular amp or is it a subsitute for it ? Sorry to ask but I don't know these things.... And if so, what models would you recommend in that price range ?

I'm not talking top of the line audiophile results for now, he can focus on that (and spend tons of cash) later on if he wants to, but something that would help the phones give very good results could do for now.... (I see the present as helping him taking the first step in the audiophile world, otherwise he wouldn't do it by himself and would stick to his ipod forever)

One thing for sure, I'm gonna be jealous of that present.

Again, thanks for any input you might have on this.

On March 09 2011 04:51 Fyodor wrote:

I strongly advise against the K701. They're pretty bad with rock and are overall a boring phone IMO. That's when amped properly. Without a quality amp that has good synergy, well they are pretty worthless. What they are good for is world-class imaging/soundstage and a neutral-ish frequency response. Very niche product.

When dealing with a limited budget like that I think the best option is to pick "fun" cans that won't whine about the source or the recording too much. Something with a lot of bass and doesn't need a specialized amp. Actually, scratch all my previous recommendations. Since you removed the portability criteria, I think the perfect cans would be these:

http://www.amazon.fr/Beyerdynamic-Casque-Stéréo-Ouvert-Surround/dp/B0024NK344/ref=sr_1_13?ie=UTF8&qid=1299612685&sr=8-13

I personally own them and they are absolutely amazing. Thunderous bass that sounds like it comes from a subwoofer and clear highs that make cymbals sparkle in your ear. They are no-compromise audiophile headphones. I just tested them straight out of my computer and they still sound great. If he falls in love with them he might just get a specialized headphone amp/dac so he can treat them right.

On March 09 2011 06:06 Twistacles wrote:

Can someone explain the whole DAC/AMP deal to me? From what I understand, a DAC is better than a sound card, but they range from 40-400 dollars, have portable and desktop versions, tube versions... I'm pretty lost.

On March 09 2011 07:30 Fyodor wrote:

There's no tube DACs afaik.

But sound cards have DACs in them. You can't have any digital device make any sound unless you get an analog signal out of it. Standalone DACs are better but yes, they are more expensive.

Sound cards have a bunch of chips but the main ones are the DAC chips to get the analog signal, and amplifier circuits to get enough power in that signal to drive the speakers attached to them. What makes sound cards unique is that they will include a sound processor to manipulate audio in different ways and that they attach themselves to a computer's power supply. Other than that, DAC/amps and sound cards are essentially identical.

The problem with most sound cards is that they have too many chips. Sound cards are like all-in-one receivers for home-theaters, they a whole lot of things but they don't do anything particularly well. Expensive standalone stuff allows you to have the best components possible without compromise. It's a lot like dedicated graphics for computers in a sense.

A list of things you could find on a full-featured sound card:

- stereo DAC
- 7.1 DAC
- audio processor
- ram
- 7.1 preamp
- 7.1 amplifier
- headphone amplifier
- Analog to Digital Converter (reverse DAC)

With standalone components you can specialize your headphone rig to a more manageable:

- power supply
- stereo DAC
- headphone amplifier

Audio purists typically don't want their audio to be manipulated in any way so that's why you would want to skip the audio processor here.