Headphone Buying Megathread/Guide V4 - Come here for all your audio needs! (New Threads are not need - Hardware & Software

Budget: $100 eBay: Yeah why not Country: Australia Isolation: Doesn't matter really Purpose: Outdoors use Music Tastes: Classical, EDM, rock Previous Experiences: T40rp, Sennheiser CX-300-II Comments: Just to use during commutes, walks, etc. So something light preferably? No clue if I should go for earbuds or headphones [editline]16th March 2016[/editline] My right side of my CX 300-II died so looking for a replacement outdoor one.

I'd recommend the Sennheiser Momentum on-ears 1's off ebay, a lot of them sit around $120AUD, but a few of them are $100AUD. V-shaped, durable and light with a metal band, does not isolate too much, but enough to cover distant light conversation. Easy to power, great for EDM. Can be a little clampy, but you can bend the metal headband to your liking. They're my personal portable cans atm. Bunch of available colors, but the pastel colors are cheaper of course. Here's [url=http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sennheiser-Momentum-On-Ear-Headphones-Green-Australian-Stock-Warranty-/281756988696?hash=item419a067518:g:gucAAOSwT6pVsZ~g]pastel green[/url] on ebay. [editline]when[/editline] Wow, the [url=http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sennheiser-Momentum-On-Ear-Headphones-Samba-Yellow-and-Green-Au-Stock-Warranty-/252064108289?hash=item3ab0310f01]yellow[/url] actually looks pretty decent, I've never seen this flavor before.

You can bend that band all you want to the perfect fit. It's great, I really miss mine.

Budget: ~80€ eBay: Preferably not, since shipping would probably cost a lot Country: Finland Isolation: Don't know, see other "requirements" Purpose: Gaming mainly, but also good for music Music Tastes: Varies, techno, classical, rock, Previous Experiences: Microsoft Lifechat 3000, Creative Tactic 3D-line (Rage Wireless, alpha, sigma) Comments: What has happened with my earlier headsets is that I've had massive quality issues, they have all broken down before I've bought the next one. My Rage Wireless is pushing it at 2,5 years, as these things are falling apart. So what I'd be looking for is headphones with longevity and comfort more than sound quality, because I am also not an audiophile even slightly. To price match for Finland, you could use this [URL="http://hinta.fi/"]hinta.fi[/URL], any store is otherwise fine too, but anything outside Finland has astronomical shipping costs.

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;49934489]What retailer did you buy them from? I was thinking of getting one as a gift.[/QUOTE] Check the websites GearBest or GeekBuying. It'll probably take 15 days to get to you but for $18 dollars it's totally worth it. I recommend the Piston Hybrids over the 3s. They are much better and the same price. They are found on GearBest. The reason why I don't recommend Amazon for Xiaomi IEMs is because fakes sometimes get mixed in with the stock. So far GearBest and GeekBuying have mostly/only originals in stock.

HD518's are $49.95 on Newegg right now. [url]http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826106514[/url]

Does anyone have any recommendations for in-ear-monitors for around 100 bucks (preferably less)?

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;49942524]I'd recommend the Sennheiser Momentum on-ears 1's off ebay, a lot of them sit around $120AUD, but a few of them are $100AUD. V-shaped, durable and light with a metal band, does not isolate too much, but enough to cover distant light conversation. Easy to power, great for EDM. Can be a little clampy, but you can bend the metal headband to your liking. They're my personal portable cans atm. Bunch of available colors, but the pastel colors are cheaper of course. Here's [url=http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sennheiser-Momentum-On-Ear-Headphones-Green-Australian-Stock-Warranty-/281756988696?hash=item419a067518:g:gucAAOSwT6pVsZ~g]pastel green[/url] on ebay. [editline]when[/editline] Wow, the [url=http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Sennheiser-Momentum-On-Ear-Headphones-Samba-Yellow-and-Green-Au-Stock-Warranty-/252064108289?hash=item3ab0310f01]yellow[/url] actually looks pretty decent, I've never seen this flavor before.[/QUOTE] Thanks, bought the green one. The yellow looks really nice but I wasn't sure if it was worth the extra $15.

[QUOTE=Timebomb575;49955697]Does anyone have any recommendations for in-ear-monitors for around 100 bucks (preferably less)?[/QUOTE] what an odd typo

[QUOTE=Novangel;49968190]Thanks, bought the green one. The yellow looks really nice but I wasn't sure if it was worth the extra $15.[/QUOTE] Good luck, they're really nice.

[QUOTE=J!NX;49968205]what an odd typo[/QUOTE] I've read the post like 10 times and I can't find it.

For science, I cut off the plastic spider that retained the foam disks in my Hd650's. No turning back now. [t]http://i.imgur.com/MY9EjEz.jpg[/t] Things sound a bit more musical now, I like it. And you can see right through the driver, how cool is that. I can't wait to demo these at SoCal CanJam! [editline]when[/editline] Goggle searching brings up amazon uk as the default now because of so many recommendations! Cheers guys.

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;49968817]For science, I cut off the plastic spider that retained the foam disks in my Hd650's. No turning back now. [t]http://i.imgur.com/MY9EjEz.jpg[/t] Things sound a bit more musical now, I like it. And you can see right through the driver, how cool is that. [editline]when[/editline] Goggle searching brings up amazon uk as the default now because of so many recommendations! Cheers guys.[/QUOTE] Whenever I get a couple people from different countries who don't have a pcpartpicker site so I have to manually go through their sites I get some weird ass suggestions/ads.

[url]http://www.amazon.com/Adjustable-Microphone-Compatible-Chatting-Recording/dp/B00UZY2YQE/ref=sr_1_19?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1458499288&sr=1-19&keywords=microphone[/url] This any good? Looking for a cheap desktop mic. All I wanna do is sound audible for online voice chat. My Zalmann doesn't sound so good when sitting on my desk, I have no easy way to clip it to my headphones. [editline]20th March 2016[/editline] Nevermind I looked up some YouTube reviews and it sounds awful.

You have no easy way to clip them to your headphones? What are they wireless?

The clip fell off some time ago. I decided to just up and duct tape the microphone to the headphone wire.

Ah. Unfortunately last I check the go to recommendation for a desktop equivalent of the zalman is out of production so prices are stupid.

Back from the SoCal CanJam. It was my first headphone convention and I got to meet some really passionate people and demo out a bunch of really spectacular rigs. it was great! My sister even won the raffle for the Oppo Pm-2, so I'll definitely be getting some head time on those. Anyone know where to buy the [url=http://www.radius.co.jp/products/hp-nhr21/]Radius hp-nhr21k[/url]? I'm having a hard time finding an american retailer.

Does anyone know where I can get this for cheap? [IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41o%2BllXS8cL.jpg[/IMG] I bought it 4 years ago new for $65. The prices have not dropped since. They sell for new in 2016 at $76. I am not sure why. Also the 2012 Amazon order I relocated where I bought that device says this now, no clue why: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CXM8JHS.png[/IMG] The lowest price I could find is a used one for $65. They are called:[B] FiiO[/B] (E10K) [B]USB DAC Headphone Amplifier [/B]

[QUOTE=Starpluck;50032401] Also the 2012 Amazon order I relocated where I bought that device says this now, no clue why: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/CXM8JHS.png[/IMG][/QUOTE] that's the e10, which is no longer in production, because the e10k exists [QUOTE=Starpluck;50032401] The lowest price I could find is a used one for $65. They are called:[B] FiiO[/B] (E10K) [B]USB DAC Headphone Amplifier [/B][/QUOTE] the e10k is still pretty popular, probably best to check out a local audio shop if you can and see if they have one there for low, otherwise I don't think you're going to go any less than $65-75

Budget: $15 eBay: No, Amazon only. Country: USA Isolation: Doesn't matter. Purpose: Cheap beaters Music Tastes: N/A, for gaming Previous Experiences: ATH-AD700 Comments: Looking for a cheap, comfortable pair of headphones for use with my laptop. Primarily will be using in-home streaming to play casual games. Not expecting anything amazing, but just wanted to know if there was anything clearly worth getting at this price range.

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;50036781]Budget: $15 eBay: No, Amazon only. Country: USA Isolation: Doesn't matter. Purpose: Cheap beaters Music Tastes: N/A, for gaming Previous Experiences: ATH-AD700 Comments: Looking for a cheap, comfortable pair of headphones for use with my laptop. Primarily will be using in-home streaming to play casual games. Not expecting anything amazing, but just wanted to know if there was anything clearly worth getting at this price range.[/QUOTE] Check out the Koss KSC75's, they're clip-on's, but their sound is great and they weigh virtually nothing.

[QUOTE=ief014;50034487]that's the e10, which is no longer in production, because the e10k exists the e10k is still pretty popular, probably best to check out a local audio shop if you can and see if they have one there for low, otherwise I don't think you're going to go any less than $65-75[/QUOTE] Ah that makes sense.

Craptasket recommended me the [URL="http://smile.amazon.com/FiiO-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00MFMW29I/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1459403473&sr=1-2&keywords=A3+e11k"]FiiO E11K A3 Portable Headphone Amplifier[/URL] in place of the FiiO 10 I posted above. This new E11K is cheaper and newer. Reviews on its sound quality seem to rave. One issue is that does not have on-board DAC, unlike the older E10K. How much of an issue is this? Will the lack of DAC negatively impact sound quality?

That all depends on the quality of your onboard sound. With the E10k you're completely bypassing any sound capabilities of your motherboard. For the E11k you're using the on board sound chip, just amplifying it for hard to drive headphones. Unless you've got like 150ohm+ headphones I don't see too much of a point in getting just an amp unless the onboard amp is shit. [editline]31st March 2016[/editline] [quote]Handsome all aluminum body and chassis is sturdy and shielding against EM interference.[/quote] Also who the hell describes the casing on an amp as handsome?

These are my headphones: [URL="http://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000ULAP4U?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00"]ATH-M50[/URL] My soundcard is basically non-existent.

Well the E11k will be using your onboard soundcard. If it's basically non-existent I'd grab the E10k then.

Levelog's correct, if you do not like the sound of your onboard. You should get the fiio E10k because it's a DAC/amp, which will bypass your onboard soundcard to use its own. Whereas the fiio e11k is purely an amplifier and will just amplify your onboard.

I have little memory of my E10 from 4 years ago. Was the DAC soundcard worth it?

If you don't mind something that's bigger and less portable get a Micca Origen for $20 more.