• Headphone Buying Megathread/Guide V4 - Come here for all your audio needs! (New Threads are not need
    4,875 replies, posted
i ordered some cheap anc headphones on amazon and the seller sent me there more expensive set, still really impressed with the build quality and packaging on a pair of £45 headphones even if they only get used twice on my flight money well spent, i cant imagine big brand anc cans are worth 4x the price and im usually a sennheiser fanboy
Budget: $150 to $200sih eBay: nope Country: Australia Isolation: Circumaural, don't like headsets that squash my ears. Purpose: general use stuff; gaming, listening to music, video/sound editing ect. Previous Experiences: I've gone through 2 sets of Sennheiser HD 202s and despite both breaking on me (one currently in the process of doing so) each pair lasted a good two years before any problems. I have set around $150 to $200 as a budget but I can splash out for a bit more if needed. I'm mostly looking for something durable, I take care of my stuff but I guess sometimes it'll just break down after years of general use. I woundn't mind sticking with Sennheiser headphones since I've had a mostly good experience with them, I'm looking at the [URL="https://www.pccasegear.com/products/26003/sennheiser-hd518-open-air-headphones"]HD518 Open Air[/URL]. Are these good? Most reviews seem positive, but they seem to have a lot of sound leakage which I'm not a fan of. Also just a quick question about microphones but is the AntLion ModMic any good? I'm not going to be doing any voice acting with it but it seems alright if I want to use a mic but also don't want it attached to my headset forever.
i grabbed one of these for the 99$ pricetag: [url]https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he-350[/url] was this a good decision
How are Sony's headphones in general? I remember having one that was relatively cheap but didn't last very long, probably because of bad care
[QUOTE=Wii60;50461100]i grabbed one of these for the 99$ pricetag: [url]https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he-350[/url] was this a good decision[/QUOTE] Some really good stuff from Hifiman recently, and the he350's are probably no exception. I hear they're a little hot in the upper frequencies, but they should compete easily against other cans like the Hd598. [QUOTE=Fox Powers;50461613]How are Sony's headphones in general? I remember having one that was relatively cheap but didn't last very long, probably because of bad care[/QUOTE] The Sony Mdr-v6's are pretty damn good monitors, and durable too, as well as their Mdr A1's, but the Ai's I demo'd were a bit creaky. [QUOTE=Whomobile;50452954]Budget: $150 to $200sih eBay: nope Country: Australia Isolation: Circumaural, don't like headsets that squash my ears. Purpose: general use stuff; gaming, listening to music, video/sound editing ect. Previous Experiences: I've gone through 2 sets of Sennheiser HD 202s and despite both breaking on me (one currently in the process of doing so) each pair lasted a good two years before any problems. I have set around $150 to $200 as a budget but I can splash out for a bit more if needed. I'm mostly looking for something durable, I take care of my stuff but I guess sometimes it'll just break down after years of general use. I woundn't mind sticking with Sennheiser headphones since I've had a mostly good experience with them, I'm looking at the [URL="https://www.pccasegear.com/products/26003/sennheiser-hd518-open-air-headphones"]HD518 Open Air[/URL]. Are these good? Most reviews seem positive, but they seem to have a lot of sound leakage which I'm not a fan of. Also just a quick question about microphones but is the AntLion ModMic any good? I'm not going to be doing any voice acting with it but it seems alright if I want to use a mic but also don't want it attached to my headset forever.[/QUOTE] Check out the Hd558/Hd598, the Hd518 has a somewhat boxy sound reminiscent of cupping your hands over your ears and the Hd558/598's fixes that. In terms of sound leakage, the hd518/558/598 are all open cans, which means sound leaks in and out. If you operate in a quiet environment, open cans are great because they have a natural "open" sound. [QUOTE=TFA;50384468]I've been regretting my Corsair Raptor HS40s for about a year now, and as the ear rests are beginning to fall to pieces, I feel I've gotten my worth out of them and it's time for a new pair. Budget: $125, hard limit Country: US Isolation: Closed-Back, Circumaural ( I need to make sure not much sound leaks out, nor in, and I greatly prefer them to surround my ears) Purpose: They'll be used for everything, but mostly for 2-4 hour sessions of listening to music. Music Tastes: Synthwave, Witch-House, occasionally Rock/Hip-Hop Previous Experiences: I had a great pair of noise canceling Audio-Technicas for a time, but they were a hand-me-down and the noise canceling switch begin to fall apart soon after I received them. That was an issue with that particular model, but overall, I loved that pair. The audio quality was excellent. Comments: I'm very seriously considering getting a pair of ATH-M50x headphones. Also up for debate are the ATH-M40x. I absolutely want something with a detachable cable after so many pairs that broke because of one. I'll purchase a mic at a later date, it's not very important to me.[/QUOTE] M50x's are a decent starter closed can, but their high clamp and shallow earpads were too much for my tastes. I ended up modding mine with different pads and dampening to make them wearable for 4+ hours at a time, but that's an extra $20.
[QUOTE=Whomobile;50452954]Budget: $150 to $200sih eBay: nope Country: Australia Isolation: Circumaural, don't like headsets that squash my ears. Purpose: general use stuff; gaming, listening to music, video/sound editing ect. Previous Experiences: I've gone through 2 sets of Sennheiser HD 202s and despite both breaking on me (one currently in the process of doing so) each pair lasted a good two years before any problems. I have set around $150 to $200 as a budget but I can splash out for a bit more if needed. I'm mostly looking for something durable, I take care of my stuff but I guess sometimes it'll just break down after years of general use. I woundn't mind sticking with Sennheiser headphones since I've had a mostly good experience with them, I'm looking at the [URL="https://www.pccasegear.com/products/26003/sennheiser-hd518-open-air-headphones"]HD518 Open Air[/URL]. Are these good? Most reviews seem positive, but they seem to have a lot of sound leakage which I'm not a fan of. Also just a quick question about microphones but is the AntLion ModMic any good? I'm not going to be doing any voice acting with it but it seems alright if I want to use a mic but also don't want it attached to my headset forever.[/QUOTE] I have had 2 ModMics die on me. The sound quality is good enough but they aren't very durable.
[QUOTE]The Sony Mdr-v6's are pretty damn good monitors, and durable too, as well as their Mdr A1's, but the Ai's I demo'd were a bit creaky.[/QUOTE] How are the ZX660AP's? They look pretty promising
[QUOTE=Fox Powers;50461805]How are the ZX660AP's? They look pretty promising[/QUOTE] Can't say I've demo'd them before, sorry! [QUOTE=TFA;50384468]I've been regretting my Corsair Raptor HS40s for about a year now, and as the ear rests are beginning to fall to pieces, I feel I've gotten my worth out of them and it's time for a new pair. Budget: $125, hard limit Country: US Isolation: Closed-Back, Circumaural ( I need to make sure not much sound leaks out, nor in, and I greatly prefer them to surround my ears) Purpose: They'll be used for everything, but mostly for 2-4 hour sessions of listening to music. Music Tastes: Synthwave, Witch-House, occasionally Rock/Hip-Hop Previous Experiences: I had a great pair of noise canceling Audio-Technicas for a time, but they were a hand-me-down and the noise canceling switch begin to fall apart soon after I received them. That was an issue with that particular model, but overall, I loved that pair. The audio quality was excellent. Comments: I'm very seriously considering getting a pair of ATH-M50x headphones. Also up for debate are the ATH-M40x. I absolutely want something with a detachable cable after so many pairs that broke because of one. I'll purchase a mic at a later date, it's not very important to me.[/QUOTE] The M50x's are pretty decent. Great for EDM and electronic, not so great for acoustic. The headphone clamp is high and the earpads are pleather and shallow. Ended up swapping the pads for Brainwavz Hm5 pads ($20) and some toilet paper / foam dampening to correct artificial highs, after that, they were golden for me. [editline]5th June 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Metalcastr;50392793]I'm looking for a good set of headphones that works well with integrated computer output. Budget: Any, I want to see any recommendation eBay: No Country: US Isolation: Doesn't matter Purpose: Movies and Games, be able to reproduce the output given to it as true as possible Music Tastes: All Circumaural Thank you![/QUOTE] If your purpose for headphones are movies and games, you should consider bassier headphones over neutral leaning cans so that you can get that big wallop from explosions and gunfire. Check out the Philips Fidelio X2's, they're V-shaped and are efficient enough to run off on-board. [QUOTE=bitches;50393164] I've had this [url=http://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Siberia-Full-Size-Gaming-Headset/dp/B003N636VI/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8]Steelseries Siberia V2[/url] headset for around three years. I have enjoyed the sound quality a lot. I was replacing a shitty USB logitech headset at the time, that had fallen apart because [I]the cord would relentlessly twist itself until it finally broke itself[/I]. My current Steelseries (using proper audio ports and not the usb shite) has a very fluid cable that appears incapable of becoming twisted. [B]Problem:[/B] See how the cable thins out near the end? Something has finally gone wrong here, probably a result of it getting pulled at a 90 degree angle from time to time. The left audio channel keeps cutting out unless I angle the wire just right. Can anyone recommend similar quality headphones with a fluid cable that perhaps don't thin out like that? I paid 60 or 70$ for them at the time. Additionally, I had to really break in these headphones; the silly "one size fits all" stretch band was pointless since these were a little small for me at the top wireframe. [editline]26th May 2016[/editline] I don't need the shitty built in microphone[/QUOTE] The [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826138190]Philips SHP9500[/url] will fit pretty much any size head and they're more comfy than a lot of headphones I've demo'd in the past, the stock cable it comes with is detachable standard 3.5mm, so if it gets fucked up, you can swap it out no problem. The [url=http://www.amazon.com/V-MODA-BoomPro-Gaming-Headset-Headphone/dp/B00BJ17WKK]V-moda boom pro[/url] can also attach itself to the shp9500, effectively turning it into a gaming headset. [editline]when[/editline] After SoCal Canjam and testing out a bunch of fancy headphone systems, I've decided that my heavily modified Hd650's are pretty much my endgame, which saves me a lot of coin! Woo
For when these Sennheisers die off, I plan to replace it with either the Sennheiser HD203, or the Sony ZX660AP, anyone who had experience with these, which one should I go for?
[QUOTE=Fox Powers;50462500]For when these Sennheisers die off, I plan to replace it with either the Sennheiser HD203, or the Sony ZX660AP, anyone who had experience with these, which one should I go for?[/QUOTE] For that price I'd much rather get some Senn 518's. [editline]5th June 2016[/editline] Unless you're looking for closed only.
[QUOTE=Levelog;50462517]For that price I'd much rather get some Senn 518's. [editline]5th June 2016[/editline] Unless you're looking for closed only.[/QUOTE] The only 518's I found in chile were more expensive and out of stock, so no luck with that It's a good thing both of my options have those untangeable cords (though the Senn's have regular cords at the beginning, which sadly do tangle
whelp my Sennheiser HD202s finally kicked the bucket, I was able to get then to work by jiggling the cable and looping it around the cup to hold it into place but today that stopped working. rest in pieces you glorious cheap headphones I got for $40. Thanks for the advice, I saved some money and skipped the modmic for a cheaper but good enough clip mic. since almost all of the higher quality Sennheisers are open I'm going for the Audio-Technica ATH-M40X instead, I like the design and colours of the ATH-M50X more but not enough to splash an extra $60 on them. I know open ear is the better sounding option but I don't want to share what I'm listening to with everyone. I took apart the HD202s to see what broke, from what read online normally its the soldering connecting the wires to the speaker that breaks but after a bit of investigation it turned out that the cable going in the affected headphone had died, pretty much making it impossible to fix, oh well. Hopefully my new headphones arrive on Monday.
I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask, but does anybody here have experience with [url=https://www.amazon.com/SoundPEATS-QY7-Bluetooth-Microphone-Headphones/dp/B00LP6CFEC/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8]SoundPEATS QY7[/url]? I kinda want wireless earbuds, but the reviews range from "they're the best thing ever" to "they caught on fire while charging", so I'm not sure how good of a deal I'd be getting, on one hand I can get them for less than $15, on the other the shitty chinese lipo cells might burn my house down.
Has anyone tried these? [URL="https://www.amazon.com/MEE-audio-Bluetooth-Wireless-Headphones/dp/B00DOP3NPW?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0"]These[/URL] Want to know since my current headphones are falling apart
are sol republic a good brand? i recently got a good deal on a Sol Republic 1631-33 Master Tracks XC pair and i'm wondering if i should keep them for myself or resell them
I'm looking to get replacement pads for my ath m50x that are thick for my inhumanly wide ears, any reccomendatos?
Can anyone recommend me some comfortable earbud tips that will fit my Chinese ROCK Zircon? I'm having a hard time deciding with all these options.
[QUOTE=Mining Bill;50556125]I'm looking to get replacement pads for my ath m50x that are thick for my inhumanly wide ears, any reccomendatos?[/QUOTE] Brainwavz HM5 pleather pads, huge and comfortable.
anyone know anything in depth about headphone amps DACs etc? i'm looking to pick up sennheiser HD 598s and a little dot mk III but i don't really know what to do in the dac world – would going on the cheaper end of the spectrum (sub-100, around $60 preferably) be a mistake basically throttling the sound? thanks
For the Hd598, you probably don't need a dac/amp unless: A) They do not get loud enough for comfortable listening volumes. In this case, you'll need an amp. or B) You hear static in the background, which can (usually) be fixed with a decent external DAC. But if you're really curious about obtaining a new DAC/amp, the Fiio e10k would be my sub-$100 recommendation. It's a combo USB-powered DAC/amp that's apt for pushing a lot of mid-range cans like the Hd598 with ease while delivering a nice, clean signal.
[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;50564574]For the Hd598, you probably don't need a dac/amp unless: A) They do not get loud enough for comfortable listening volumes. In this case, you'll need an amp. or B) You hear static in the background, which can (usually) be fixed with a decent external DAC. But if you're really curious about obtaining a new DAC/amp, the Fiio e10k would be my sub-$100 recommendation. It's a combo DAC/amp that's apt for pushing a lot of mid-range cans like the Hd598 with ease while delivering a nice, clean signal.[/QUOTE] oh really? in what situation would you want an amp/dac then?
For me personally, I purchased my DAC/amp because my headphones scale well with high end audio gear. And because I'm willing to flash dosh for that final 1-10% sound-quality-improvement/peace-of-mind. Plus I really enjoy music. My setup is Schiit Wyrd > Schiit Bifrost Multibit > G1217 Project Polaris > Sennheiser Hd650
Yeah that and harder to drive headphones. My DT990 250ohms are pretty quiet with my onboard so I got a FiiO E17+E09k
[QUOTE=ifaux;50564595]oh really? in what situation would you want an amp/dac then?[/QUOTE] Oh, I just read that you were intent on picking up a Little Dot MkIII. And with a budget like that, I guess I can throw a few more things at you. First off, I'd recommend a solid state amplifier first rather than a tube amp like you mentioned, because solid state amps are closer to the original sound. On the other hand, Tube amps provide a "different" and more "euphoric" sound (usually). Tube amps also require a little more maintenance, but they let you tweak your sound via tube rolling. For the Hd598, you shouldn't really need an amp as they're relatively easy to push. But with that ~300 budget (based off the MkIII), check out the Schiit Magni 2uber + Schiit Modi 2uber. That setup is an end-gamer for most people, and Schiit even upgraded the Modi2U with the AK4490, which is same A/D Converter chip used in the Schiit Bifrost.
finally got myself a DAC! bought this thing: [url]http://www.henryaudio.com/[/url] I haven't been able to use my Schiit Asgard 2 in ages as my motherboard wouldn't split audio correctly (only output to one side), but with this DAC, it's back in business! music is soo nice, it just sounds so right with all of this
[URL="https://www.amazon.com/Bluedio-Turbine-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00Q2VIW9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466706786&sr=8-1&keywords=bluedio"]Bluedio T2[/URL] [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Bluedio-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B017H8JXS2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466706786&sr=8-2&keywords=bluedio"]Bluedio H+ (Turbine)[/URL] [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Bluedio-Turbine-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00LA520Y8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466706786&sr=8-3&keywords=bluedio"]Bluedio HT Turbine[/URL] Which one? Tbh I'm not sure that there is much of a difference between the 2nd and 3rd one. My MeElectronics Air-Fi Runaways have served me for a long time, but they're starting to get wonky.
[QUOTE=Nightscout;50575786][URL="https://www.amazon.com/Bluedio-Turbine-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00Q2VIW9M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466706786&sr=8-1&keywords=bluedio"]Bluedio T2[/URL] [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Bluedio-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphone-Microphone/dp/B017H8JXS2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1466706786&sr=8-2&keywords=bluedio"]Bluedio H+ (Turbine)[/URL] [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Bluedio-Turbine-Wireless-Bluetooth-Headphones/dp/B00LA520Y8/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1466706786&sr=8-3&keywords=bluedio"]Bluedio HT Turbine[/URL] Which one? Tbh I'm not sure that there is much of a difference between the 2nd and 3rd one. My MeElectronics Air-Fi Runaways have served me for a long time, but they're starting to get wonky.[/QUOTE] I've heard a few good things from the [url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DOP3NPW/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=]Meelectronics Air-Fi Matrix2 AF62[/url] and you can get a used pair for about $40, fairly neutral across the board besides a less than spectacular bass extension. [url=http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/bluetooth-headphoneheadset-survey-review-meelectronics-air-fi-matrix2-af62#7CFkvckTuMH0I0uM.97]Here's[/url] a review from a guy who gets excited about personal audio.
I just want to say that I've had my Sennheiser HD 280 pros since since 2011, I think. It's lasted me for a lot longer than I anticipated, save for having to fix the very end of the cord that shorted because the cord is heavy, but other than that these still sound great and work well for audio. Flat enough for me! If I get another pair of headphones I'll probably be looking into some slightly fancier stuff from Sennheiser. These headphones still go for around $99, but at the time I recall getting them on sale for literally $60. [B]EDIT:[/B] Literally a half-hour after this post I go to put on my headphones and only one ear is working. Oh well. Going to replace the cord and make it detachable!
[QUOTE=wauterboi;50593384]I just want to say that I've had my Sennheiser HD 280 pros since since 2011, I think. It's lasted me for a lot longer than I anticipated, save for having to fix the very end of the cord that shorted because the cord is heavy, but other than that these still sound great and work well for audio. Flat enough for me! If I get another pair of headphones I'll probably be looking into some slightly fancier stuff from Sennheiser. These headphones still go for around $99, but at the time I recall getting them on sale for literally $60. [B]EDIT:[/B] Literally a half-hour after this post I go to put on my headphones and only one ear is working. Oh well. Going to replace the cord.[/QUOTE] That's the life of my older headphones At one second they work, the next they dont
[QUOTE=Fox Powers;50593678]That's the life of my older headphones At one second they work, the next they dont[/QUOTE] I'm going to see if it's just the cord that's messed up, and if it is I'm going to replace the cord with a 1/8 stereo jack so it's detachable.
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