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On March 10 2012 10:36 Ckalvin wrote:This is precisely the misleading information I tried to clear up with this topic. A quite big number of pro gamers use the siberia v2 [image snipped] pic included for those not sure what it is, I'm positive the pic looks familiar. However, they sound absolutely horrid for music, unbelievably so. Many of the "reviews" of the headphone that speak in its favour are planted Planted review 1Planted review 2How do you tell? Look for the "I would like to thank Icemat for supplying the review sample." That statement equates to " Thanks to icemat for giving us this product and other goodies for free, all we have to do is say some good things about it!" ...............
Firstly I'm someone that's always used a cheap headset/speakers and don't know about audiophile stuff, so I can't reliably comment on the performance. The headset cost me 64€ which is about twice what I spent on my previous equipment, and I think I got my money's worth since it feels and sounds the best out of them, mic is reasonable and not obnoxious. I don't really see a reason to invest any more than this, but make a recommendation for me anyway if you want.
Oh, and none of those alledgedly planted reviews are for the siberia v2, they made the model in 2011 and the icemat brand got dissolved years before. Also how can you claim a review is bad just because they were supplied a review sample? You think there's some strings attached, like they'll take the review samples back if the review is bad? Lol.
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5895 Posts
Never take one person's advice [ even mine (: ] as sound is subjective to a degree. What I enjoy might not be to your taste and vice versa. The best way to find out if something works for you is to try it first hand of course, but in the market for expensive headphones that can be difficult. Hence, use Head-fi as a starting point and do a search and take it from there. The more you read, the more you'll end up knowing about the world of audio.
Exactly. If it means you end up liking supposedly shitty headphones, so be it.
The most important thing is that you get something that you're happy with - the only thing you can trust are your own ears. That means going out and actually listening to the things you're going to buy. I don't really put a lot of stock into audiophile forums or those British audiophile magazines since a large number of reviews seem to contain a bit of...um...brand/nationalistic bias (BRITISH HARDWARE IS #1 is a common opinion, though not unwarranted I guess) as well as a ton of psychoacoustic bullshit (even if they knew where these companies source their speaker wire, they'd still give rave reviews to $3,000/m speaker wire).
Obviously people can give you an idea of what to buy. But its only a guide and you might end up disappointed, especially if you actually know what sort of sound you like.
Just a small example: apparently Q Acoustics 2020is are amazing speakers. Since I want a small set of speakers for the bedroom, I auditioned them. I actually thought they had zero soundstage and sounded very dense, despite what Whathifi and the audio store staff claimed. If I bought them blind, I would have been extremely unhappy.
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I'm currently using Superlux HD 668B's (these headphones cost ~28 euros at Thomann) with AKG Velour pads (because original Superlux pads are fauxleather - they sweat a bit when worn). Worth mentioning I do use them with an amplifier because my on-board soundcard can't run them at high enough volumes.
Here's a picture (this is not my setup, but the phones are equal with the AKG pads) http://cdn.head-fi.org/2/2b/2b297a1c_nfb-12_superlux_hd668b.JPG (do note that the cable isn't the one that is shipped with these; the cord is switchable as seen here: http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/466/superluxakg1.jpg).
Now this is a very cheap set, but I've yet to see any pair of gaming headset that beats these in sound quality (or I've had bad pairs/setup, or the people whom sets I've tried have a bad pair/setup). Superluxes have "cheap" plastic build (they are durable however) that makes them about as light as any gaming headset. Some people suggest to mod them to make 'em heavier (and possibly sound better; there are ways to get tighter bass etc.) but what would separate them from a normal 100-200€ studio monitors then? I use them for long periods of time so weight is important.
Sound is clear and sound stage is very wide for the price. Bass can play low but won't make you shit your pants and seems to mix with lower mids slightly.
This is a worthwhile pair to consider if you're tight on cash and can amplify the sound with something (or if your soundcard can run them properly, at 56 OHMS it shouldn't be so hard).
Only issue I could see is bassheads that do think bass > everything. These do have a fine, deep bass - but it's not 'groundbreaking' as you could get with closed headphones. Also you need to run these for a while before the highs tame down a bit, when I started using these the highs were a bit too "clear & loud" so to say.
Something to mention about cord as well: I tend to forget my headphones are actually on my head/neck and stand up. The cord will 'snap' off from the phones (similar to how xbox controller snaps off to prevent breaking). Definitely more durable than my last Sennheisers that had it's cord die. 
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"Never buy X" is IMHO a bit strong, because it really depends on your priorities. If you want what's generally considered the best sound quality for money, you generally don't want a gaming headset (or any headset) or most headphones where the styling, branding, and marketing comprise a significant amount of the cost. And for that, you definitely don't want to buy most products at or near MSRP. But that's not the only priority for a lot of people, and that's the way it should be.
On March 10 2012 17:57 Tanukki wrote:
Oh, and none of those alledgedly planted reviews are for the siberia v2, they made the model in 2011 and the icemat brand got dissolved years before. Also how can you claim a review is bad just because they were supplied a review sample? You think there's some strings attached, like they'll take the review samples back if the review is bad? Lol.
Whenever you get a free anything, you're more likely to think better of it, I would think. If you give a poor review, you may be less likely to receive review samples in the future.
At least with bench measurements the machine's not going to lie (unless the person running it is fouling up the data) and be influenced by all the other factors. Measuring headphones is a really tricky process though, all things considered, and different people normalize the data differently (in particular, note the frequency response normalization), but this is probably still of interest:
Headphone measurement resources
http://www.innerfidelity.com/headphone-data-sheet-downloads
http://www.headphone.com/learning-center/build-a-graph.php
http://en.goldenears.net/index.php?mid=GR_Headphones&category=275
http://doctorhead.ru/base_report
http://www.geocities.jp/ryumatsuba/review.html
And this was posted earlier, but give this blog a good read if you have the time:
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/
particularly these articles, for a beginner:
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/gain-and-headphone-ampsdacs.html
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/subjective-vs-objective-debate.html
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Can I get a recommendation for IEM's under $50? I don't know if the OP is gonna be updated with recs, but all of my headphones are broken, and I need to get new ones soon.
These look like a pretty sick deal, but I have no idea how good they are. I do like the red/blue for differentiating between right and left.
http://lendmeurears.com/product_info.php?products_id=142
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I have the Sennheiser HD650 headphones which are just amazing. What I don't have however is a good soundcard/amplifier to really make the headphones shine. I'm not sure this is the right thread but I thought I'd at least try, any recommendations around $200-250 (or 200€)
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Looks sweet, thanks! :D Read a few reviews of that card, it seems like people like it and it's way under budget.
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No offence, but anyone who states that a thread is "ultimate" in terms of sound is "at least" very badly informed.
Start with the basis that sound is SUBJECTIVE!
There is not better or worse here, there is "i like it this way or that way".
Second, if you are trying to make some sort of a guide, that covers the spectrum of sound, it should be about 20 pages long.
This would cover things like open cans vs closed cans in every single situation (like low, mid, high).
Im sorry if i seem a hard ass, but it pisses me off when people use words like "best", "ultimate" etc, when they just put a few things together.
Google hi-fi, read about 100 articles, compare, see opinions, and a real long list of ETC, and you can say you made a "decent guide".
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On March 25 2012 03:34 Amazonic wrote:Looks sweet, thanks! :D Read a few reviews of that card, it seems like people like it and it's way under budget.
Essence STX is very good in general, but as with any internal sound card you may get unlucky and end up with interference from a GPU or something else causing spurious noises or degraded performance.
FiiO E10 is cheaper but has no native 6.35mm jack, but it should run HD 650 just fine. Essence STX is more powerful, but that's really only needed for say the Beyerdynamic 600 ohms models and some planar magnetics. HD 650 is relatively sensitive for a high-impedance headphone, so it's in the drive capability of an E10.
In any case, I wouldn't expect very significant improvements unless the D/A on whatever you're using now is seriously compromised.
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I've got to chime in and say the Sennheiser HD650's are hands down the best headphones I've ever owned. (Including Shure E4c, Shure 530, Shure 940, Audiotechnica M50, Klipsch S4.)
My subjective impression is that headphone engineers try to put their own thumbprint on a model by adding weird peaks. Shure 940s, for example, have a strong emphasis around 8kHz. Sony and Grado over-the-ear phones seem to emphasize the upper midrange. Most cheap IEMs have a really disgusting boom around 100Hz.
The HD650s have a pretty smooth frequency response. No weird peaks. The lower midrange is rolled up a little, and sibilants are rolled down, which is exactly what I like.
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Oh, and internal soundcards are really bad in my experience. If you listen through sensitive headphones, you'll almost always hear little chirps and buzzes. Personally, I just turn my PC volume really loud to drown out the noise, then use a volume attenuator. But if you want to buy a better soundcard, try an external DAC. I've heard the HRT HeadStreamer is pretty good for less than $150.
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On March 24 2012 04:07 FunkyLich wrote:Can I get a recommendation for IEM's under $50? I don't know if the OP is gonna be updated with recs, but all of my headphones are broken, and I need to get new ones soon. These look like a pretty sick deal, but I have no idea how good they are. I do like the red/blue for differentiating between right and left. http://lendmeurears.com/product_info.php?products_id=142
First up, sorry for not updating and finishing the original post, been incredibly busy with finals season for university.
There is for one standout recommendation I can make for IEM's under $50.
http://www.meelec.com/
Sign up to them and wait for their deals to come through. They have one every two weeks or so. Wait for the A151, SP51 or CC51 to go on sale and then get it. I can personally guarantee that you'll absolutely love them.
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My SP-51 just came in today! These are the best headphones I've ever used. And they've got these little things that screw on the back to change the bass. The difference is noticeable, but even with weakest bass screw, the bass sounds really good to me. The extreme bass feels like a subwoofer, which is awesome. Plus they're sexehhh. >:D
![[image loading]](http://cdn.head-fi.org/7/73/73a46d77_EP-SP51-BK-MEE-2.jpg)
I got em on amazon for $45 in case people want to know. link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004OBZ2ZY/ref=ox_ya_os_product
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Okay, new to the technical side of things for headphones, but I want to get into the scene with roughly a under $400 dollar transfusion. As I am going into college in August I imagine I would need something that is a circumaural headphone.
So requirements:
~<$400 dollars
I would use them sometimes for gaming, but mostly for music.
Responses with lots of information would be good because I am completely new to this sort of thing.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
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Since you're going to college, I'd assume that you want closed headphones? $400 would be in the range of D5000s or similar.
Honestly I'd recommend that you start with something cheaper, seeing that you're new to the more serious side of audio. Audio is really all about perception. If you're what you have, then there is no need to upgrade anymore.
But if you're serious about wanting to throw down $400, go on headfi and look at reviews of different headphones. Try to find an opportunity to try some, and decide what kind of sound signature you like before choosing what to buy.
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On April 03 2012 12:24 TeuTeu wrote:
Okay, new to the technical side of things for headphones, but I want to get into the scene with roughly a under $400 dollar transfusion. As I am going into college in August I imagine I would need something that is a circumaural headphone.
So requirements:
~<$400 dollars
I would use them sometimes for gaming, but mostly for music.
Responses with lots of information would be good because I am completely new to this sort of thing.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
I'm guessing you need portability along with isolation, so you can either buy some closed portables or IEMs.
$400 puts you pretty high up in the price bracket, check out Sennheiser's HD-25-I IIs or Amperiors, as well as Beyerdynamics DT1350. Some of Audio-Technica's closed portables are excellent as well, like the ESW9.
If IEMs are an option you will also be able to consider many of the higher-end products, the range is extremely wide so more information on what type of sound you prefer (types of music you listen to for example, and whether you want any emphasis on any part of the sound spectrum).
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Wow, such detailed feedback and so quickly!
I would be okay with IEMs as long as they fit well (obviously) and as long as they would fit well into my price range.
As for my music tastes, I normally end up listening to pop, but what I truly love is listening to classical and jazz and being able to feel/hear the full range of the music. In addition, I am not looking for any particular emphasis on any part of the sound spectrum, a well balanced pair would do nicely.
As for UberBaller's response, I'm completely committed. I realize you don't want me to go wrong, but I'm tired of having terrible sounds being delivered to my ears and I absolutely love sound so I figure why shouldn't I go all in  . I definitely will check out headfi though.
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On April 03 2012 23:36 TeuTeu wrote:Wow, such detailed feedback and so quickly! I would be okay with IEMs as long as they fit well (obviously) and as long as they would fit well into my price range. As for my music tastes, I normally end up listening to pop, but what I truly love is listening to classical and jazz and being able to feel/hear the full range of the music. In addition, I am not looking for any particular emphasis on any part of the sound spectrum, a well balanced pair would do nicely. As for UberBaller's response, I'm completely committed. I realize you don't want me to go wrong, but I'm tired of having terrible sounds being delivered to my ears and I absolutely love sound so I figure why shouldn't I go all in . I definitely will check out headfi though.
http://www.head-fi.org/t/478568/multi-iem-review-232-iems-compared-fischer-audio-dba-02-mkii-added-03-25-12
IEM-wise, this thread is a goldmine of information. You can simply scroll down to your price bracket and browse away.
Personal recommendations within that range are the Ortofon e-Q5/e-Q7 and Westone's UM3X for your tastes. Some models such as the excellent Sony EX1000 and Westone 4R are in a higher price bracket if you go by MSRP, but the actual street price is probably lower (I'm fairly certain you can get the Sonys at below 400) so if you can find a good deal they can be considered as well.
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On March 10 2012 10:36 Ckalvin wrote:Many of the "reviews" of the headphone that speak in its favour are planted Planted review 1Planted review 2How do you tell? Look for the "I would like to thank Icemat for supplying the review sample." That statement equates to " Thanks to icemat for giving us this product and other goodies for free, all we have to do is say some good things about it!"
Just want to state that this is totally untrue. I see you know what you're talking about with audio gear, but as for policies used by websites to review products, you're rather misled.
As somebody who reviews games and peripherals (including from SteelSeries), we receive all kinds of products from all kinds of manufacturers to review. This is for several reasons. Firstly, it greatly improves the company's chance of getting coverage, as many websites cannot afford to spend their profits on such things. Coverage from a lot of sites is worth what it costs for SteelSeries to send a headset out. Secondly, often products are received before public release, so that a review can be live the moment they are on sale.
Just because SteelSeries, or any other manufacturer for that matter, sends me a product, it doesn't mean I cannot be negative in the review. There certainly isn't any talk of "all we have to do is say some good things". It gets sent, the review is conducted, and the PR rep is then informed of the review being live. They'll often thank you for a positive review, but I've even had PRs say, "thanks for pointing out issues, we're working on fixing them next time". I've given products terrible reviews in the past, but still receive the next release to review.
Sorry for going off-topic, and your initial post is a great read (I'm looking forward to more). But, on this subject you are mis-informed, and to attempt to hurt the credibilty of a site such as TechPowerUp by saying they publish "planted reviews" is something I find annoying every time I see it. Receiving review samples is just the way it works with such publications.
EDIT: I'm not saying you are wrong about the music wuality of the Siberia v2, but just that the review isn't "planted", the reviewer was probably just far less of an audiophile than those who think they sound bad.
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WCS
