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JSH : Thanks for the answer 
For closed or open, if I understood open is where other people can hear you, but I always throught it was possible to switch oO
Btw, I want a computer headphones.
Confort is fine as long as it don't crush my ears after 1h.
Actually, I think I want one of theses I think :
http://store.razerzone.com/store/razerusa/fr_FR/pd/productID.169415800
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Fatal1ty-Detachable-Noise-Cancelling-Microphone/dp/B000P5VR16/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317478057&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.fr/Roccat-Kulo-Casque-gamer-micro/dp/B004OYU71A/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1317659718&sr=8-14
Tho I think i'll prefer the Stereo one, cause i dunno if 5.1 is any good on stereo ones, and overall never heard true 5.1, it's lightweight, and I really like lightwightess, and it looks confortable.
And I'll stick with this one I think cause I am a true roccat fan :o But I don't know if it's good or there is better.
Edit : I also often read on rewievs that gaming headsets had poor bass quality, and I often listen to music, so I think I should stick to normal headsets, and btw, I dont have guitar center nor any sound shop like this nearby, so it's kinda hard, but the idea was good.
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Hello Teamliquid,
I like listening to almost all kinds of music but rap, and I obviously play Starcraft 2 along with League of Legends, some FPS, and Diable 3 when it comes out.
Please help me find some nice headphones to buy+mic that is under 100$
Thanks
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Sound "not quite right" implies experience. I throw a $1500 rig at any newbie to the audiophile scene and everything will sound "just right." It only becomes "not quite right" when you have the ability to see what the limitations of your headphones are, where they can improve, and what sound you want from the headphones. And the only way to know that is experience.
Many people buy headphones great for classical when they loved classical music, but slowly drifted into rock or rap, which those headphones may not be suitable for. That's inevitable in any "personal" hobby. Therefore, there will be many times where you have to decide that you feel something else would be better for you in this hobby.
Onboard sound is perfectly good for new users. I don't understand why newcomers to audiophile-land are so intent on buying soundcards or amplifiers, because simply having a better set of headphones will do wonders for your music, and when you feel like that isn't enough, you can go get another pair of headphones with that experience, or if you feel that the headphones are perfect, go find a suitable amplifier.
In general, you'll find better quality in buying more expensive headphones than buying slightly cheaper headphones plus a cheap amplifier.
$500 headphones versus $300 headphones plus $200 amplifier, and I'll take the $500 pair of headphones everytime unless I know that $300 pair of headphones in and out, something you can't without actually owning them. The $500 pair of headphones will 95% of the time sound better.
Sound is different for each person. No headphone will sound the same for two people, no one has exactly the same music preferences. What audiophiles recommend for newbies are the safe zones and price to performance kings.
An example of the safe zone is the HD 555. Fairly good all around, but not particularly good in any way. Similarly, the price to performance king was the ATH M50, but since its popularity grew, it's had for a bit more than before, but still at a decent price. Slight bass emphasis and recessed mids, like with all closed headphones, hurt it if you're talking about very good quality, but it's cheap and is a nice step up from iBuds.
You will not hear the difference between having an amplifier and not having an amplifier unless you already have the headphones, have settled in and decided an amplifier is better than reselling and buying better headphones with the amplifier money. You will not hear it because you have no idea what you're looking for since you have zero experience.
isparavanje, please don't advise in this thread. Grados are terrible advice for new people, and are more like to put them off completely. A complete lack of bass and harsh highs are good for rock, and only certain types of rock at that. Move into any other genre and Grados might as well be iBuds. I haven't even mentioned comfort.
Most Ultrasones deliver in the EDM and bass category, but you'll rarely find headphones that specialize over a huge genre. For those you're looking at dropping over your budget. I'm not very experienced in the budget $150 range, but the Sennheiser HD 25s sounded very good for $150-200 for bassier and rock-ish stuff. Our music preferences differ though, and they felt very closed and in-your-head. The XB700s are also good for bassy stuff, but not perfect for rock, but they're super comfortable.
Also, I'll throw out that the build quality on the Creative Fatal1ty is shit. II posted this some 20-30 pages back I believe. Positional sound is excellent, clamping is ridiculous, music was bleh once you've had better. Bass was fine. Comfort is okay after the clamping stops becoming an issue, which is never. But my head is slightly larger than normal, which again proves this is ridiculously personal, and nearly impossible to give perfect advice.
If you're not looking to spend over $75, there's really no point in coming here unless you want to snag up some M50s really luckily, or want the really random HD 438/448s. From $50 below, the sound quality differences is negligible, and from $50-75, I wouldn't consider it worth it either. There are some exceptions like the XB700s, but in general.
For newcomers, stop coming in here with the idea that you're buying second rate headphones. Clear that out of your mind. A good $500 pair of headphones will sound exactly the same as a good $150 pair of headphones because you have no idea what a good pair of headphones sound like. Too many people say "it's not quite right" because they have this urge at the back of their head telling them to spend more money since they know they're "midrange." They listen to a great pair of headphones then tell themselves it's worse so they can convince themselves to spend more money. Unless you want to be deep in this hobby, like deep deep, clear the notion that you're buying "low end audiophile headphones" out of your head. Thank you.
Also, every experienced person that posts here has different standards for audiophilia, so make sure you know where they're coming from when they say stuff is worse. It's not crap, it's just not better than what they consider is good, which varies.
Sennheisers do first person shooters good, but in my opinion, not as good as any surround sound headset you can buy when you're looking at under $100. Music wouldn't be the best on them, but passable.
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On October 04 2011 15:51 Blisse wrote:
$500 headphones versus $300 headphones plus $200 amplifier, and I'll take the $500 pair of headphones everytime unless I know that $300 pair of headphones in and out, something you can't without actually owning them. The $500 pair of headphones will 95% of the time sound better.
This is good advice. I'd take $500 headphones that don't need an amp over $300 headphones with a $200 amp. Its better to get $500 worth of sound rather than $300 worth of sound with a $200 overlay.
And the thing about low-end audiophile; In terms of audio, Diminishing returns kick in pretty fast after $200 of decent quality headphones. I always recommend to my friends to not really bother after the $200 mark unless they want to be really serious about their sound
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I agree to a certain extent. Sometimes onboard sound can be problematic and would be very worth replacing in the $20-40 range (unless you need more power, then you'd need to spend more definitely), on a large budget. People suggesting like ATH-M50 with a $200 amp are crazy though.
Also if you don't consider dedicated amplification, you will unfortunately be overlooking some very popular headphones like Sennheiser HD 600/650
Just consider any type of amp or DAC you get as a part of the headphone cost, if you're starting from scratch. If the budget is $500, who cares if the headphones cost $5 but sound amazing with a $495 amp and terrible otherwise? (obviously this doesn't happen in the real world, and this is assuming you don't need portability)
On October 04 2011 15:51 Blisse wrote:
Sound "not quite right" implies experience. I throw a $1500 rig at any newbie to the audiophile scene and everything will sound "just right." It only becomes "not quite right" when you have the ability to see what the limitations of your headphones are, where they can improve, and what sound you want from the headphones. And the only way to know that is experience.
I'd be careful here. I think maybe you're making an implication that experience is necessary with music playback gear / high-fidelity audio. Lots of people have experience with real world (acoustic) music. Of course, nothing will sound "just right" compared to that, but that's a very valid reference point to be bringing in, for somebody new to the scene.
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Ordered a pair of sony XB500's, really looking forward to trying them out :-)
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![[image loading]](http://one.headfonia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/lcd2v-553x369.jpg)
My Audeze lcd-2's coming from usa tomorrow, Im so exited atm :D
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On October 04 2011 15:10 Goldenfighter wrote:
Hello Teamliquid,
I like listening to almost all kinds of music but rap, and I obviously play Starcraft 2 along with League of Legends, some FPS, and Diable 3 when it comes out.
Please help me find some nice headphones to buy+mic that is under 100$
Thanks
So can someone help me out please
Thanks
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![[image loading]](http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/8118/razerbansheestarcraft2h.jpg)
I currently use the Razer Banshee headset. I have a small head, so it sits pretty well for the most part. It's a lot of fun to use when playing SC2 as I can always see the flashing color at the corner of my eye. The sounds pretty nice, though sometimes it feels a bit too quiet to me.
I have a question for anyone else using this headset though. I wear glasses most of the time, and I've found that since wearing this headset my glasses have started to rub a sore onto my ear sometimes. It's never happened with any other headset, but it is the first time I've owned one quite so large. Is there a way to lessen the discomfort? I've been planning to get contacts, so something only temporary wouldn't bother me. Thanks!
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I already have the senn hd 448's, my 18th birthday is coming up and i'm thinking of spending a week's wages at work on a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO headphones.
I'm interested in having a second pair that is open-eared as opposed to the closed ear of the 448's. The 990 pro's are $175 and I think i got the hd 448's for ~$85. Can anyone tell me if the difference between the phones are worth getting the 990 pro's? I mostly listen in a quiet environment so i'm interested in the benefits of an open-eared design.
Anyone have the 990 pro's that can make a recommendation, or generally anyone with an opinion or advice?
Thanks
Side note - are open eared phones less prone to ear sweating? I've got a bad case of ear sweat with my 448's
music genres of mine: electronic dance, trance-y moderately bass-y stuff from the likes of Armin van Buuren, acoustic guitar, folk music, classic rock, occasional hip hop and i'll give most genres a listen every once in a while
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On October 05 2011 01:58 FinBenton wrote:
My Audeze lcd-2's coming from usa tomorrow, Im so exited atm :D
Congrats! I read alot about them and they are supposed to sound amazing! What kind of AMP/DAC setup will you get with them?
Personally I was very lucky that a buddy of mine was getting rid of his Denon AH-D2000 and a tube hybrid amp (Argon HA2), because he was looking for something more portable.
I switched my Audio Technica ATH M50 and my uDAC2 with his setup (which was only 2 months old) and paid very little in between (he decided the prize lol).
So I'm a very happy man right now!
Btw: The Denon AH-D2000 are some really great cans! First really high end headphones (in that prizerange) I have listen to, but the sound is just blowing me away. I've stopped watching series at the evening because I just wanna sit and listen to all my music all over again.
As said, I'm a really happy man
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On October 05 2011 08:59 Goldenfighter wrote:Show nested quote +On October 04 2011 15:10 Goldenfighter wrote:
Hello Teamliquid,
I like listening to almost all kinds of music but rap, and I obviously play Starcraft 2 along with League of Legends, some FPS, and Diable 3 when it comes out.
Please help me find some nice headphones to buy+mic that is under 100$
Thanks
So can someone help me out please Thanks
Look up the steelseries Siberia V2. It's a decent gaming headset with a nice mic in the below 100$ range
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![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XSpcN.jpg)
Just got a pair of Plantronics Gamecom777s, coming sometime tomorrow. I am pumped!
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I am using a 25 dollar headphone from radioshack, it gets the job done.
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On October 05 2011 09:59 BleaK_ wrote:Show nested quote +On October 05 2011 08:59 Goldenfighter wrote:On October 04 2011 15:10 Goldenfighter wrote:
Hello Teamliquid,
I like listening to almost all kinds of music but rap, and I obviously play Starcraft 2 along with League of Legends, some FPS, and Diable 3 when it comes out.
Please help me find some nice headphones to buy+mic that is under 100$
Thanks
So can someone help me out please Thanks Look up the steelseries Siberia V2. It's a decent gaming headset with a nice mic in the below 100$ range
I dont like steelseries or razer headsets
anything else
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On October 05 2011 09:18 Freeheals wrote:
I already have the senn hd 448's, my 18th birthday is coming up and i'm thinking of spending a week's wages at work on a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 990 PRO headphones.
I'm interested in having a second pair that is open-eared as opposed to the closed ear of the 448's. The 990 pro's are $175 and I think i got the hd 448's for ~$85. Can anyone tell me if the difference between the phones are worth getting the 990 pro's? I mostly listen in a quiet environment so i'm interested in the benefits of an open-eared design.
Anyone have the 990 pro's that can make a recommendation, or generally anyone with an opinion or advice?
Thanks
Side note - are open eared phones less prone to ear sweating? I've got a bad case of ear sweat with my 448's
music genres of mine: electronic dance, trance-y moderately bass-y stuff from the likes of Armin van Buuren, acoustic guitar, folk music, classic rock, occasional hip hop and i'll give most genres a listen every once in a while
Never heard the DT 990 pro, but it's supposed to be more or less like the DT 770 but open. There are other differences, like a little less bass, but it should be good and a decent step up from headphones in the HD 448 range.
btw I see the DT 990 Pro for $166 shipped here (btw B&H is a large and reputable dealer in case you've never ordered there before, with 4.8/5 stars on Google product search). Seems like a better price than usual:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/92807-REG/Beyerdynamic_459038_DT_990_PRO_Studio.html
One thing to keep in mind is that they are 250 ohms and 96 dB SPL / 1 mW. Sennheiser lists HD 448 at 32 ohms, 114 dB SPL / 1 V. Assuming your source is voltage limited with both headphones (maybe not true at 32 ohms), if you do the math, the 990 Pro is approximately 12 dB quieter at a given volume setting...nominally...and if you trust their specs.
High impedances are generally easy to drive unless they mean that you don't get enough volume. How loud do you listen? If you were to set the max volume, but turn the music player down 12-15 dB or so (say in foobar, which actually tells you the attenuation in the volume control in dB), would this be as loud as you ever need for all your music? Just a quick check you can do.
Most people find open headphones less sweaty. I don't get sweaty ears much with closed headphones though.
On October 04 2011 15:10 Goldenfighter wrote:
Hello Teamliquid,
I like listening to almost all kinds of music but rap, and I obviously play Starcraft 2 along with League of Legends, some FPS, and Diable 3 when it comes out.
Please help me find some nice headphones to buy+mic that is under 100$
Thanks
This is kind of minimally descriptive. What does the mic need to be like? Clip-on, desk, or what? Open or closed headphones?
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Open or closed both will be fine. I actually found a mic, so i dont need help with that
Thanks
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btw, i found samson rh600s and audio technica ad700. What is the difference, other then the ad700 is double the price? Also, are the mc5 etymotics any good?
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Hey everyone, just a little update from a budding audiophile. Before I start, here's my setup:
A Su-v4x technics amp with a sh-8033 equalizer.
![[image loading]](http://www.audiostereo.pl/uploads/old/post-3403-100003983%201170258197.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://image.usedottawa.com/photos/03/89/20577889_640.jpg)
And of course, gorgeous SRH840s
![[image loading]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3633/3529277544_f87ca157c6.jpg)
Before you start wondering why im using a retro-classic amp, it's because I got it for 50 bucks new in box. Anyway, I listen to a wide range of music (Post-Hardcore, Post-Punk, black metal, drone metal, hip hop, idm, electro, jazz, classical, Prog rock, classic rock, trip-hop, etc.)
I really like the neutrality of these headphones. It sounds great except I find the mids are lacking on a lot of songs, and that's where I boost them on the equalizer and all is fine.
I talked to a dude in stores and he said having this amp hooked up is a BAD thing because of the circuitry and stuff? And that onboard sound is okay, but im better off not using the amp and hooking up a DAC. I was under the impression my best bet was to go sound card > dac > amp > headphone?
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On October 05 2011 11:21 Goldenfighter wrote:
btw, i found samson rh600s and audio technica ad700. What is the difference, other then the ad700 is double the price? Also, are the mc5 etymotics any good?
They're just different. Hard to say without having heard them all. Sony MDR-ZX700 is also popular in that price range, as is the Shure SRH440. Sennheiser HD 555 seems to have creeped up in price since being discontinued.
On October 05 2011 11:40 Twistacles wrote:
I talked to a dude in stores and he said having this amp hooked up is a BAD thing because of the circuitry and stuff? And that onboard sound is okay, but im better off not using the amp and hooking up a DAC. I was under the impression my best bet was to go sound card > dac > amp > headphone?
It's possible that hooking up the amp is bad. Some speakers amplifiers will have some kind of headphones output circuit as an afterthought, and that might be worse than the alternative (computer onboard audio?). Others just use the main amp circuit but add in a huge resistor in between that output and the headphone jack. For those headphones and many others, this would have the effect of vastly decreasing the damping factor as well as increasing the ~100 Hz midbass hump, so those frequencies are even more accentuated. i.e. altering the frequency response, which could be bad.
If you use a dedicated DAC or amp, the sound card isn't doing anything unless maybe the DAC has like optical input only, and you need the sound card to pass audio out via optical (some motherboards can, some can't). Unless there are weird problems or you want to add some DSP effects through sound hardware processing, it all starts at the D/A in the DAC, so everything before that is irrelevant. DACs with USB inputs are common. Or just a sound card doing both D/A and amplification, may be plenty fine.
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EPT
