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I've been reading a lot and I'm wondering if anyone can give me specific advice.
I'm looking for :
-Headset (with mic)
-Decent sound quality
-Passive noise cancelling.
-Max 160$ or so range.
-No small plastic parts (read ahead)
I'm using these headphones in a noisy apartment, so I want something that won't let sound in, and that will also let me listen to music at night without waking up others. Right now I'm using some Sennheisers which are pretty good, but there's no real sound barrier on them, and then microphone stopped working.
My biggest issue is comfort : headphones that clamp are not only very uncomfortable for me, but they ALWAYS break at the small plastic connector from the headband to the earmuff. I want something that's one big piece going to the earmuff for that reason. I honestly go through a pair of headphones each year, mostly because of that plastic piece breaking.
So any advice would be great, thanks.
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I have been looking to acquire myself a pair of really good headphones for quite a while. I have set my sights on the Sennheiser HD700's since I have owned a pair of HD555's for many years now and they have served me good. My problem is that I don't have any idea of which amplifier I should pick to go with them. Right now I am using a line6 toneport as external soundcard and amp for my HD555's, mostly because I'm lazy and want to be able to plug my guitar into my computer without any hassle, but it seems to do the job fine.
I'm basically looking for an amplifier to go with the Sennheiser HD700's, which will be used mostly for listening to classical/orchestral and rock music. If the HD700's are crap though, I would also be grateful for any suggestions for headphones + amp in the 0-1200$ range.
Thanks in advance to all the incredibly knowledgeable people in this thread.
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I bought a sennheiser PC 300 g4me and, the sound is incredible!
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On December 25 2012 04:08 Kurr wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I've been reading a lot and I'm wondering if anyone can give me specific advice.
I'm looking for :
-Headset (with mic)
-Decent sound quality
-Passive noise cancelling.
-Max 160$ or so range.
-No small plastic parts (read ahead)
I'm using these headphones in a noisy apartment, so I want something that won't let sound in, and that will also let me listen to music at night without waking up others. Right now I'm using some Sennheisers which are pretty good, but there's no real sound barrier on them, and then microphone stopped working.
My biggest issue is comfort : headphones that clamp are not only very uncomfortable for me, but they ALWAYS break at the small plastic connector from the headband to the earmuff. I want something that's one big piece going to the earmuff for that reason. I honestly go through a pair of headphones each year, mostly because of that plastic piece breaking.
So any advice would be great, thanks.
Off the top of my head, I can't think of anything like that. Pretty much all larger sets have some sort of adjustment mechanism for the earcups. It's just that it is less flimsy on some sets than others. Smaller headsets mostly have less isolation.
Beyerdynamic MMX 300 should be fairly sturdy, and those supraaural Sennheiser HD25 -based headsets like you see sports broadcasters use would also work, but those are solidly way above $160.
Some people have modded a boom mic onto headphones without a mic. I'm guessing that you don't want any inline microphone if the background noise is high.
On December 26 2012 10:02 Watman wrote:+ Show Spoiler +I have been looking to acquire myself a pair of really good headphones for quite a while. I have set my sights on the Sennheiser HD700's since I have owned a pair of HD555's for many years now and they have served me good. My problem is that I don't have any idea of which amplifier I should pick to go with them. Right now I am using a line6 toneport as external soundcard and amp for my HD555's, mostly because I'm lazy and want to be able to plug my guitar into my computer without any hassle, but it seems to do the job fine.
I'm basically looking for an amplifier to go with the Sennheiser HD700's, which will be used mostly for listening to classical/orchestral and rock music. If the HD700's are crap though, I would also be grateful for any suggestions for headphones + amp in the 0-1200$ range.
Thanks in advance to all the incredibly knowledgeable people in this thread.
I haven't heard them, but from what I gather in many places, many don't actually like the HD 700, especially for the price. When looking at published 3rd-party measurement data, HD 700 quite arguably looks worse than the older and cheaper HD 650: the 700 has more severe and narrow treble spikes, a larger dip in the upper midrange / lower treble, more ringing in those treble spikes, etc. High-end audio equipment is usually about different options being better and worse in different ways, rather than some models being straight-up upgrades—if in an alternate universe HD 650 (or 600) were released after HD 700 and the prices and model names reversed, I'd bet that people wouldn't find that weird. That said, I'm sure it sounds good. Just know that many people don't think it's worth the cost.
Amplifiers are a mostly totally overblown subject. It's not that hard to do things well for cheap these days—for a while back actually. Unless you're listening obscenely loud with very insensitive headphones (actually, in that case, a cheap speaker amp may do) or very sensitive IEMs that need something with a low noise floor and low output impedance, you can more or less just pick whatever looks nice. That said, in practice, there are plenty of audiophile products that decide to pursue archaic or intentionally low-performance designs or parts (so producing lower-fidelity sound, but who says "different" in a worse way can't necessarily sound better in some situations?), so there are a lot of options if you're looking for that kind of thing.
If an Objective2 (O2) looks to your liking, just get that and call it a day. If you have some issue with the design, lack of 1/4" jack, and so on, then look elsewhere. If you'll never use IEMs and stick to mostly insensitive or higher-impedance headphones, maybe try the new Schiit Magni, unless maybe you're scared off by historical precedent of some Schiit amps damaging peoples' headphones—but to be fair, that's mostly in the past, and on different kinds of designs. There are tons of products out there.
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On December 26 2012 10:02 Watman wrote:
I have been looking to acquire myself a pair of really good headphones for quite a while. I have set my sights on the Sennheiser HD700's since I have owned a pair of HD555's for many years now and they have served me good. My problem is that I don't have any idea of which amplifier I should pick to go with them. Right now I am using a line6 toneport as external soundcard and amp for my HD555's, mostly because I'm lazy and want to be able to plug my guitar into my computer without any hassle, but it seems to do the job fine.
I'm basically looking for an amplifier to go with the Sennheiser HD700's, which will be used mostly for listening to classical/orchestral and rock music. If the HD700's are crap though, I would also be grateful for any suggestions for headphones + amp in the 0-1200$ range.
Thanks in advance to all the incredibly knowledgeable people in this thread.
Hi, this should be considered in addition to Myrm's advice.
The HD700 are good if you can find them about $700. The problem is essentially that Sennheiser talked to all their distributors, pushed and fixed all the prices of their audiophile prices up bit so that they would have nicer pricing scheme and make the HD700 seem more "worth it" at $1000. It is definitely not worth it at that price because of the deficiencies Myrm mentioned. Essentially, they measure like shit.
The biggest problem however, is not that they measure horribly, but with their pricing, these kinds of deficiencies should not exist in a high-end headphone.
In terms of sound, the HD700 sounds slightly euphoric. It has increased bass and great soundstage. It also has decently good mids. Trance-like, heavy melody songs, pop and classical sounded good. I didn't get a good enough read on rock music though. The problem again is with the horrible measurements, including large spikes in the upper treble. If you are sensitive to these spikes (i.e. your ears aren't scarred), then you will most likely hear them. This makes it especially important to listen to them before buying, as you should always be doing at this price range. It also makes them way worse for the price of $1000.
I haven't had a chance to try the HD650 with a really, really nice amp, so I can't speak for how well it'll scale for its price in comparison with the HD700. With that in mind, I would definitely rate them above the HD650/600 at $700, even with the increased treble (if it turns out I can stand it. If I can't, then it'd be instantly out of contention). I haven't demoed them long enough to determine whether the treble bothered me, but I've had experiences with the Ultrasone PRO900 where I grew sensitive to the treble while others haven't, so the sound will differ from person to person.
I want to emphasize though, that it is your purchasing power that dictates whether companies are allowed to make headphones in this price range should be allowed to have wonky measurements and treble spikes.
(I like the look of the HD700 btw) ~.~
The HD700 are designed to not need an amplifier, and an extra amplifier isn't really necessary if you already have a quality sound card. There isn't any reason not to recommend the Objective2 in any case. I think there are reports of it reproducing bass very well, which should benefit the HD700. I'm not exactly sure about that statement though.
Holy shit the Schiit Magni looks good. Can't wait until NwAvGuy gets on that.
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All that said, there are plenty of headphones at $500+ these days with much more questionable performance than the HD 700, just to keep things in perspective. Note to manufacturers: wtf happened to headphones like Senn HD 580 and Denon AH-D2000, and why do lots of expensive stuff perform worse than older, cheaper, and previously top-bracket models like HD 580 / 600 / 650, K601 / 701 / 702 / Q701, DT 770 / 880 / 990, D2000, etc.?
I think NwAvGuy's finally been assassinated on months-long unannounced hiatus with no end in sight. Anyway, maybe in a few months Tyll will be done hammering out the kinks at InnerFidelity and will have the amp benching routine ready to go. A Magni review or at least some numbers might be coming from there in the future, if current popularity is any indication. Certainly it seems like it might have replaced the FiiO E9's reason to exist.
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Quick question: is it a given that most or all headphones sort of squish your hair? I have a pair of akg k240s, and every time I wear them, my hair is actually really uncomfortably flattened, and even though I'm hygienic no dandruff problems, etc, it actually makes my scalp itchy, it's so uncomfortable. Am I just being whiny about a common thing or it a bad fit or something?
Also, for re 262s and the k240s, would it be worth getting a fiio e17 as a DAC+amp? I only have an e6 atm lol.
Might be in the market for a nicer pair of headphones in a few months or so too :3
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On December 23 2012 08:34 Rollin wrote:Show nested quote +On December 23 2012 06:28 RiSkyToss wrote:
just got my sennheiser HD 598's and they're amazing really clear quality while still being very very comfortable. What did you upgrade from, I'm curious.
Bose AE2 headphones.
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On December 28 2012 06:19 RiSkyToss wrote:Show nested quote +On December 23 2012 08:34 Rollin wrote:On December 23 2012 06:28 RiSkyToss wrote:
just got my sennheiser HD 598's and they're amazing really clear quality while still being very very comfortable. What did you upgrade from, I'm curious. Bose AE2 headphones.
Ahh that makes sense.
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On December 26 2012 19:18 Aerisky wrote:
Quick question: is it a given that most or all headphones sort of squish your hair? I have a pair of akg k240s, and every time I wear them, my hair is actually really uncomfortably flattened, and even though I'm hygienic no dandruff problems, etc, it actually makes my scalp itchy, it's so uncomfortable. Am I just being whiny about a common thing or it a bad fit or something?
Also, for re 262s and the k240s, would it be worth getting a fiio e17 as a DAC+amp? I only have an e6 atm lol.
Might be in the market for a nicer pair of headphones in a few months or so too :3
All headphones with a headband should squish your hair. Simple gravity, but it also depends on your hairstyle I guess. Wear them farther back on your head to try? Be careful they don't fall off though. XD
It really depends on your needs. Never had any experience with it, but it seems like it should be used mainly as a DAC whilst being plugged into the E9 for the E9's amplifier, so there doesn't seem to be any point in the device unless your input is really shitty and you need an external DAC. If you simply need an amplifier the O2 mentioned above would do well in all situations (I'm guessing you want it for mobile with the re262?). But it doesn't have any DAC so if you're having problems with that area the O2 won't help.
More information would be required before making more specific recommendations, mainly what you're planning to use the device for and why. In general, the O2 is a very good amplifier for its price, as is the O2+ODAC if you need both functions.
On December 26 2012 12:33 Myrmidon wrote:
All that said, there are plenty of headphones at $500+ these days with much more questionable performance than the HD 700, just to keep things in perspective. Note to manufacturers: wtf happened to headphones like Senn HD 580 and Denon AH-D2000, and why do lots of expensive stuff perform worse than older, cheaper, and previously top-bracket models like HD 580 / 600 / 650, K601 / 701 / 702 / Q701, DT 770 / 880 / 990, D2000, etc.?
I think NwAvGuy's finally been assassinated on months-long unannounced hiatus with no end in sight. Anyway, maybe in a few months Tyll will be done hammering out the kinks at InnerFidelity and will have the amp benching routine ready to go. A Magni review or at least some numbers might be coming from there in the future, if current popularity is any indication. Certainly it seems like it might have replaced the FiiO E9's reason to exist.
Haha. Well, the HD580/600/650 look really outdated in my opinion, so it doesn't really win any new listeners. The K70x are too niche with the jazz and classical crowd, and those guys have already bought/tried them or gone into summit-fi. The DT770 are still recommended a bunch for newer listeners. I haven't seen any 880/990 recommendations in a while actually.
The D2000 still feels too posh if that's possible. It actually looks and feels like a really high-end product, it's just that it feels very flimsy like it would break (and it began squeaking during the time I had it). It also distributed weight in a completely weird fashion that made it feel like it would fall off my head when I leaned backwards. It was...interesting, and I can understand why it's not super popular. Not sure about those new headphones from Denon though initial reports weren't the best.
And haha :o I think the last time I checked up on him there was news of him starting up again. I don't remember when that was though, hah, possibly 4 months ago and I didn't check again. I really hope the Magni and Modi are not a FOTM thing, because they looks really nice, haha. I don't really like the way the O2 looks, and I'm not good enough to mod one myself, so it'd be nice to pick them up once the dust has died down a little instead of getting the O2+ODAC.
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Looking to get a headset to be used mainly for skype chat with friends while gaming. I would also use them to watch tv shows on my computer.
I have a small head. When I wear a trucker hat I have only two of the dots overlap with each other for it to fit properly. Most of the headsets I've tried on don't fit properly because of this and put weight on my head or ears where they shouldn't. It's especially painful with my glasses that I wear all the time.
I'm looking for something circumaural. I'd prefer no active noise cancellation and open/closed doesn't matter to me. Lightweight is preferable.
I'm looking to spend around $100. If they were everything I wanted I'd probably go up to $130.
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Razer Chimaera wireless headset (mine is the japanese version without 5.1)
I'm surprised no one mentions the Razer Chimaera wireless headset. In my opinion, it is really convenient to have a wireless headset if you skype quite a lot. I can tidy up my room while talking to a friend in France, then set up a game with him, go to the toilets while it's loading (and hope load time won't be too fast so that I can finish peeing  ), then play. I even can go out and drop the garbage while talking to my friends (though it looks awkward when I meet my neighbors with this huge headset) as the wireless range is pretty huge.
Imo, it's a really convenient "gamer headset", maybe not with the best sound but really decent. If you really need some perfect sound, then go and buy some Sennheiser or other audiophile brands (and I've used some, I can tell this headset isn't that far from them).
Here are the pros and cons only for my usage (so I don't take into account the 5.1 sound, the Xbox connectivity nor other features I don't have/use)
Pros :
- Wireless = really convenient
- Headphone sound is really decent, especially bass, though the sound is less clear than with some good audiophile headphone
- Confortable, ear cups are quite big and it should be ok if you wear glasses.
- Practically no loss with data transmission because it has a pretty huge bandwidth compared to other wireless headsets (although with the japanese version which has a lower wireless frequency, the sound tends to deteriorate when near my microwave running)
- Easy access setting buttons
- Good battery autonomy (with 2 AAA rechargeable batteries included), at the very least you can play more than 10 hours with it. A sound is emitted about 5 minutes before you run out of batteries (so you can ask for a pause)
- Head set stand included for storage / battery charging
Cons :
- Fragile !
- Price = $180 for 5.1, $135 for my japanese version without Dolby
- Microphone sound not too great
- I have almost never ran out of battery even if I play sometimes a lot, but you should keep a spare battery set just in case (preferably rechargeable ones so you can use both battery sets with the stand).
- Big size. I don't really care about it but it looks big even if I have a quite big head. Also persons with really small head might not even be able to set it to the right size (I wonder if any healthy human being can have such a huge head to need the biggest size setting...). A bit heavy too but it didn't matter to me.
- it will be hard to use a wired headset anymore, wireless is too convenient ^^
The only really big deal is about the fragility and the price imo. Better not rage with it. I did rage once with it (after a 10 loss streak or something ) by smashing it on my bed next to my PC. As it only hit my soft mattress with a duvet on it and without that much strength, I didn't expect the headset to deteriorate but it did. Now the sound is still ok but definitely not as great as it used to be, and a kind of humming noise can be heard when playing songs with certain low frequencies (it definitely didn't happen before).
I'm thinking about trying to use the warranty to get a replacement/repair, as there is no trace of any shock on it.
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Looking for a headset between 150 - 200 dollars. Have three roomates so noise cancellation/isolation would be good. Need something that fits good on the ears without too much pressure (I wear glasses 24/7). Mic not really required, I can always just buy a clip on or something. Mostly play sc2, CS:GO, PS2 and stuff like that. Listen to a lot of different kinds of music from rock to electronic so good sound at all levels would be nice as well. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I can definitely hear a lot of things in sound systems that others cant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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I remember getting a recommendation earlier about a pair of sony (i think) headphones. The whole cup is pretty much cushion IIRC. Does anyone know what headphones I'm thinking of? I have been searching a bit and I can't seem to find which I'm thinking of :/
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On December 30 2012 14:45 Infernal_dream wrote:
Looking for a headset between 150 - 200 dollars. Have three roomates so noise cancellation/isolation would be good. Need something that fits good on the ears without too much pressure (I wear glasses 24/7). Mic not really required, I can always just buy a clip on or something. Mostly play sc2, CS:GO, PS2 and stuff like that. Listen to a lot of different kinds of music from rock to electronic so good sound at all levels would be nice as well. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I can definitely hear a lot of things in sound systems that others cant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Crossing IEMs out of your list because they're pretty bad for CSGO.
For active noise cancellation, you have
+ good to great noise cancellation
+ comfort depending on brand (Bose QuietComfort++)
- sound quality
- you may hear a humming from the noise cancellation
In terms of headphones, you have the Bose QuietComforts if you can find any pair at $200 (unlikely).
Otherwise, you have the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 at about $150.
The ANC7 has better sound quality than Bose, but the Bose has better comfort and noise cancellation. All noise cancelling headphones have subpar sound quality compared to regular ones at the same price point.
For passive isolation, you're really looking at any closed full-sized headphones.
+ comfort
+ okay isolation
+ sound quality per dollar
- not the greatest ever isolation
- not that good for first person shooters (still better than IEM)
If you can get a pair of Denon D2000 which hovers at about $180 street, it'll be pretty much as good as you can get. They're semi-open/closed, so the isolation is pretty bad, but it crushes everything at the price point in terms of sound.
If you want more isolation, you can go fully closed. So that means Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ($150), Audio-Technica ATH-A700/900 (if you can find them in your budget), Beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO ($180), or AKG K 271 MK II ($140).
For headsets, the only thing I'd recommend is the Sennheiser PC350. I'm not that experienced in that area.
You haven't listed any other preferences, such as where/when/how you're using the headphones, what your headphone background is, and your music preferences are very wide, so this advice is pretty generic. All of them should be fine for your needs though. You will want headphones will less bass for CSGO, but all closed headphones have a higher amount of bass than usually. The best would definitely still be the Denon D2000, but the isolation might not be up to par.
On December 31 2012 04:31 9-BiT wrote:
I remember getting a recommendation earlier about a pair of sony (i think) headphones. The whole cup is pretty much cushion IIRC. Does anyone know what headphones I'm thinking of? I have been searching a bit and I can't seem to find which I'm thinking of :/
You're probably thinking about the Sony XB-500, or any of the other full-sized XB series.
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+ Show Spoiler +On December 31 2012 09:35 Blisse wrote:Show nested quote +On December 30 2012 14:45 Infernal_dream wrote:
Looking for a headset between 150 - 200 dollars. Have three roomates so noise cancellation/isolation would be good. Need something that fits good on the ears without too much pressure (I wear glasses 24/7). Mic not really required, I can always just buy a clip on or something. Mostly play sc2, CS:GO, PS2 and stuff like that. Listen to a lot of different kinds of music from rock to electronic so good sound at all levels would be nice as well. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I can definitely hear a lot of things in sound systems that others cant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Crossing IEMs out of your list because they're pretty bad for CSGO. For active noise cancellation, you have + good to great noise cancellation + comfort depending on brand (Bose QuietComfort++) - sound quality - you may hear a humming from the noise cancellation In terms of headphones, you have the Bose QuietComforts if you can find any pair at $200 (unlikely). Otherwise, you have the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 at about $150. The ANC7 has better sound quality than Bose, but the Bose has better comfort and noise cancellation. All noise cancelling headphones have subpar sound quality compared to regular ones at the same price point. For passive isolation, you're really looking at any closed full-sized headphones. + comfort + okay isolation + sound quality per dollar - not the greatest ever isolation - not that good for first person shooters (still better than IEM) If you can get a pair of Denon D2000 which hovers at about $180 street, it'll be pretty much as good as you can get. They're semi-open/closed, so the isolation is pretty bad, but it crushes everything at the price point in terms of sound. If you want more isolation, you can go fully closed. So that means Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ($150), Audio-Technica ATH-A700/900 (if you can find them in your budget), Beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO ($180), or AKG K 271 MK II ($140). For headsets, the only thing I'd recommend is the Sennheiser PC350. I'm not that experienced in that area. You haven't listed any other preferences, such as where/when/how you're using the headphones, what your headphone background is, and your music preferences are very wide, so this advice is pretty generic. All of them should be fine for your needs though. You will want headphones will less bass for CSGO, but all closed headphones have a higher amount of bass than usually. The best would definitely still be the Denon D2000, but the isolation might not be up to par. Show nested quote +On December 31 2012 04:31 9-BiT wrote:
I remember getting a recommendation earlier about a pair of sony (i think) headphones. The whole cup is pretty much cushion IIRC. Does anyone know what headphones I'm thinking of? I have been searching a bit and I can't seem to find which I'm thinking of :/ You're probably thinking about the Sony XB-500, or any of the other full-sized XB series.
Thanks a lot for the help. Isolation/cancellation isn't too important as my roomates tend to be secluded in their rooms as well. No real background with headphones but I have played with quite a few high end systems. Gonna be my first mid range headphones. It seems as though the Denon D2000's are quite difficult to find.
As for when I'll be listening to them and such it'll only be connected to my computer. All my music is FLAC formatted. No sound card as of yet but will probably be upgrading to get one. Heavier bass is probably preferred to clearer highs as well if I had to give one up for the other.
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Ya, i have a pair of plantronics, they are good, and have lasted for about a year now, still working fine. they were dirt cheap, $20-40, cant remember.
The headphone vs EMI thing was cool, ill think about that.
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i'm thinking about picking up a pair of hd 598 for $211 on amazon right now and am looking at get an accompanying dac/amp. any suggestions on some good ones? portability is a non-issue and i'd like to keep it under $100 (though i wouldn't mind paying more if there is a significant improvement at some other price point).
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On January 01 2013 09:44 Infernal_dream wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On December 31 2012 09:35 Blisse wrote:Show nested quote +On December 30 2012 14:45 Infernal_dream wrote:
Looking for a headset between 150 - 200 dollars. Have three roomates so noise cancellation/isolation would be good. Need something that fits good on the ears without too much pressure (I wear glasses 24/7). Mic not really required, I can always just buy a clip on or something. Mostly play sc2, CS:GO, PS2 and stuff like that. Listen to a lot of different kinds of music from rock to electronic so good sound at all levels would be nice as well. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I can definitely hear a lot of things in sound systems that others cant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Crossing IEMs out of your list because they're pretty bad for CSGO. For active noise cancellation, you have + good to great noise cancellation + comfort depending on brand (Bose QuietComfort++) - sound quality - you may hear a humming from the noise cancellation In terms of headphones, you have the Bose QuietComforts if you can find any pair at $200 (unlikely). Otherwise, you have the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 at about $150. The ANC7 has better sound quality than Bose, but the Bose has better comfort and noise cancellation. All noise cancelling headphones have subpar sound quality compared to regular ones at the same price point. For passive isolation, you're really looking at any closed full-sized headphones. + comfort + okay isolation + sound quality per dollar - not the greatest ever isolation - not that good for first person shooters (still better than IEM) If you can get a pair of Denon D2000 which hovers at about $180 street, it'll be pretty much as good as you can get. They're semi-open/closed, so the isolation is pretty bad, but it crushes everything at the price point in terms of sound. If you want more isolation, you can go fully closed. So that means Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ($150), Audio-Technica ATH-A700/900 (if you can find them in your budget), Beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO ($180), or AKG K 271 MK II ($140). For headsets, the only thing I'd recommend is the Sennheiser PC350. I'm not that experienced in that area. You haven't listed any other preferences, such as where/when/how you're using the headphones, what your headphone background is, and your music preferences are very wide, so this advice is pretty generic. All of them should be fine for your needs though. You will want headphones will less bass for CSGO, but all closed headphones have a higher amount of bass than usually. The best would definitely still be the Denon D2000, but the isolation might not be up to par. Show nested quote +On December 31 2012 04:31 9-BiT wrote:
I remember getting a recommendation earlier about a pair of sony (i think) headphones. The whole cup is pretty much cushion IIRC. Does anyone know what headphones I'm thinking of? I have been searching a bit and I can't seem to find which I'm thinking of :/ You're probably thinking about the Sony XB-500, or any of the other full-sized XB series. Thanks a lot for the help. Isolation/cancellation isn't too important as my roomates tend to be secluded in their rooms as well. No real background with headphones but I have played with quite a few high end systems. Gonna be my first mid range headphones. It seems as though the Denon D2000's are quite difficult to find. As for when I'll be listening to them and such it'll only be connected to my computer. All my music is FLAC formatted. No sound card as of yet but will probably be upgrading to get one. Heavier bass is probably preferred to clearer highs as well if I had to give one up for the other.
AH-D2000 seems to be discontinued, but even harder to find than some other discontinued products. I don't think I've seen any around $200 for a while.
Increased bass should actually be something of a con for "serious" fps play, but if a good bass response (as well as relatively but not obnoxiously loud) is desired, maybe you can look at the DT 770. The other options listed are okay too, for different tastes. In any case, it has a bit more isolation than the others, especially the D2000.
On January 02 2013 02:26 mahnini wrote:
i'm thinking about picking up a pair of hd 598 for $211 on amazon right now and am looking at get an accompanying dac/amp. any suggestions on some good ones? portability is a non-issue and i'd like to keep it under $100 (though i wouldn't mind paying more if there is a significant improvement at some other price point).
FiiO E10. (IMHO, use some spare money to get a pigtail 1/4" to 1/8" adapter rather than the straight-barrel adapter that comes with Senn HD 5xx series, maybe $5 or so)
If you want something with a 1/4" jack natively, that's hard to find at that price range. Or at least, in some device with low output impedance, which is what you want with HD 5x5 and 5x8 series headphones.
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On January 02 2013 04:56 Myrmidon wrote:Show nested quote +On January 01 2013 09:44 Infernal_dream wrote:+ Show Spoiler +On December 31 2012 09:35 Blisse wrote:Show nested quote +On December 30 2012 14:45 Infernal_dream wrote:
Looking for a headset between 150 - 200 dollars. Have three roomates so noise cancellation/isolation would be good. Need something that fits good on the ears without too much pressure (I wear glasses 24/7). Mic not really required, I can always just buy a clip on or something. Mostly play sc2, CS:GO, PS2 and stuff like that. Listen to a lot of different kinds of music from rock to electronic so good sound at all levels would be nice as well. I wouldn't call myself an audiophile but I can definitely hear a lot of things in sound systems that others cant. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Crossing IEMs out of your list because they're pretty bad for CSGO. For active noise cancellation, you have + good to great noise cancellation + comfort depending on brand (Bose QuietComfort++) - sound quality - you may hear a humming from the noise cancellation In terms of headphones, you have the Bose QuietComforts if you can find any pair at $200 (unlikely). Otherwise, you have the Audio-Technica ATH-ANC7 at about $150. The ANC7 has better sound quality than Bose, but the Bose has better comfort and noise cancellation. All noise cancelling headphones have subpar sound quality compared to regular ones at the same price point. For passive isolation, you're really looking at any closed full-sized headphones. + comfort + okay isolation + sound quality per dollar - not the greatest ever isolation - not that good for first person shooters (still better than IEM) If you can get a pair of Denon D2000 which hovers at about $180 street, it'll be pretty much as good as you can get. They're semi-open/closed, so the isolation is pretty bad, but it crushes everything at the price point in terms of sound. If you want more isolation, you can go fully closed. So that means Audio-Technica ATH-M50 ($150), Audio-Technica ATH-A700/900 (if you can find them in your budget), Beyerdynamic DT-770 PRO ($180), or AKG K 271 MK II ($140). For headsets, the only thing I'd recommend is the Sennheiser PC350. I'm not that experienced in that area. You haven't listed any other preferences, such as where/when/how you're using the headphones, what your headphone background is, and your music preferences are very wide, so this advice is pretty generic. All of them should be fine for your needs though. You will want headphones will less bass for CSGO, but all closed headphones have a higher amount of bass than usually. The best would definitely still be the Denon D2000, but the isolation might not be up to par. Show nested quote +On December 31 2012 04:31 9-BiT wrote:
I remember getting a recommendation earlier about a pair of sony (i think) headphones. The whole cup is pretty much cushion IIRC. Does anyone know what headphones I'm thinking of? I have been searching a bit and I can't seem to find which I'm thinking of :/ You're probably thinking about the Sony XB-500, or any of the other full-sized XB series. Thanks a lot for the help. Isolation/cancellation isn't too important as my roomates tend to be secluded in their rooms as well. No real background with headphones but I have played with quite a few high end systems. Gonna be my first mid range headphones. It seems as though the Denon D2000's are quite difficult to find. As for when I'll be listening to them and such it'll only be connected to my computer. All my music is FLAC formatted. No sound card as of yet but will probably be upgrading to get one. Heavier bass is probably preferred to clearer highs as well if I had to give one up for the other. AH-D2000 seems to be discontinued, but even harder to find than some other discontinued products. I don't think I've seen any around $200 for a while. Increased bass should actually be something of a con for "serious" fps play, but if a good bass response (as well as relatively but not obnoxiously loud) is desired, maybe you can look at the DT 770. The other options listed are okay too, for different tastes. In any case, it has a bit more isolation than the others, especially the D2000. Show nested quote +On January 02 2013 02:26 mahnini wrote:
i'm thinking about picking up a pair of hd 598 for $211 on amazon right now and am looking at get an accompanying dac/amp. any suggestions on some good ones? portability is a non-issue and i'd like to keep it under $100 (though i wouldn't mind paying more if there is a significant improvement at some other price point). FiiO E10. (IMHO, use some spare money to get a pigtail 1/4" to 1/8" adapter rather than the straight-barrel adapter that comes with Senn HD 5xx series, maybe $5 or so) If you want something with a 1/4" jack natively, that's hard to find at that price range. Or at least, in some device with low output impedance, which is what you want with HD 5x5 and 5x8 series headphones.
Which would you say has the most equalized sound? Looking probably between the M50 and DT770
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