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

Great looking list, but I don't have an amp nor do I know where I would start with getting one. Would it be worth getting one of the less expensive options plus an amp?

You should be fine without an amp if you opt for one of the easier-to-drive headphones. An amp is good if your headphones are hard to drive, you want to 'color' the sound, or you're a gear nut (me) If you want to dive into amps, a good place to start is the Schiit Magni 2 ([url=http://schiit.com/products/magni-2]$100 direct from Schiit[/url]). Which will push everything south of the Hifiman He-6 with ease. (pretty much anything)

Looking for great, studio quality headphones for around $200-$300 for over the ear. Thanks! [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-MSR7BK-SonicPro-High-Resolution-Headphones/dp/B00PEU9CFA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1476405011&sr=8-2&keywords=ATH-MSR7GM"]Was looking at this[/URL]

When you mention 'studio quality', do you mean as neutral as possible for mixing and serious monitoring or do you just want great quality in general? Would this be solely for home and quiet use or do you want to use them on the go and be driven by mobile devices easily? In relation to the cans you picked, I've heard they're good for portable use albeit slightly sibilant and with a m50x-esk clamp (pretty tight)

Iirc he works in some sort of audio production environment

The sennheiser Hd600's are excellent open monitors for studio use and they're regarded as the headphone benchmark for their price/performance ratio. The warmer and more mellow Hd650 would be my #2 for studio monitoring because of their slightly colored, but still tonally accurate sound, deep rich bass and softer top end. (Hd650 is much more fun to listen to also) They both need some dedicated amplification though.

I kinda of want something that can be used for both. I've had the same headphones for 6 years and am looking for an upgrade. Wouldn't mind stuff I can casually mix on but also get good overall sound out of. I do most of my mixes in the studio so I guess having them be "studio quality" isn't as important.

Hd650 would be my recommendation with an amp to drive them. Used ~240-300

Some day I will own some HD650's. I probably should replace my amp/dac for them though.

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;51202609]Hd650 would be my recommendation with an amp to drive them. Used ~240-300[/QUOTE] Ill get them new. Gonna grab them around xmas. Thanks ! [editline]14th October 2016[/editline] Might be too expensive tho. Any good alternatives? $250 new would be best I think. I'm also in the market for a new keyboard so I'm trying not to overspend. To compare I've been using the same Logitech ue6000 for about 6 years.

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;51185848]You should be fine without an amp if you opt for one of the easier-to-drive headphones. An amp is good if your headphones are hard to drive, you want to 'color' the sound, or you're a gear nut (me) If you want to dive into amps, a good place to start is the Schiit Magni 2 ([url=http://schiit.com/products/magni-2]$100 direct from Schiit[/url]). Which will push everything south of the Hifiman He-6 with ease. (pretty much anything)[/QUOTE] Found [url=https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-akg-k7xx-red-edition?mode=guest_open]these[/url] while browsing on massdrop. I looked em' up and they seem to compare rather well to the X2's. What do you think?

AKG k7xx's are great for the price, one of the pairs that I forgot to mention. [editline]when[/editline] In unrelated news, my balanced cable and adapter came in for my hd650's, I plugged them in aaaaand no sound in the right channel. I am now a sad panda.. Where did I leave that multi-meter at?

Is a DAC worth it? Looking at the Schiit Modi 2 Uber. This monday I'm gonna be upgrading my headphones to Sennheiser Momentum 2.0's, as most likely both my "out-and-about" headphones and my computer headphones, and I listen to a lot of music in pretty much all genres (excluding country), Would a DAC make a decent enough difference to warrant the $179 price?

I wouldn't say so for the momentums IMO. Plus you need an DAC [I]and[/I] an amp, so it's not just $179.

[QUOTE=redBadger;51202712]Ill get them new. Gonna grab them around xmas. Thanks ! [editline]14th October 2016[/editline] Might be too expensive tho. Any good alternatives? $250 new would be best I think. I'm also in the market for a new keyboard so I'm trying not to overspend. To compare I've been using the same Logitech ue6000 for about 6 years.[/QUOTE] Oh yeah, still a bit of a stretch, but it turns out you can get a new hd650 from the uk for about 283 USD new, that's pretty neat. [url]https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD650-Reference-Over-Ear-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI[/url]

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;51210117]Oh yeah, still a bit of a stretch, but it turns out you can get a new hd650 from the uk for about 283 USD new, that's pretty neat. [url]https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD650-Reference-Over-Ear-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI[/url][/QUOTE] I won't be getting them until around xmas, hopefully a deal will be available then. If not, got any other options?

I need a recommendation for a single jack headset for $100. It's for my mom's web based speech therapy. She was using a pair of Senn HD515's and the mic from her Logitech C920 but the company that develops the platform apparently can't be assed to bugtest and broke all USB support, including webcams and mics. They say they have no ETA on a fix for it, just that "it won't work" so she needs one ASAP. Single input laptop too.

These [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PC-320-Gaming-Headset/dp/B005HWEZ02/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1476656705&sr=1-1&keywords=pc+320"]Senn PC 320s [/URL] should come with a [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-PCV-05-Combo-Adapter/dp/B00IM36VU0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476655794&sr=8-1&keywords=pcv+07"]PCV 05 Adapter[/URL] inside, according to one of those question things they have on Amazon. Wouldn't trust it entirely though.

[QUOTE=Levelog;51212797]I need a recommendation for a single jack headset for $100. It's for my mom's web based speech therapy. She was using a pair of Senn HD515's and the mic from her Logitech C920 but the company that develops the platform apparently can't be assed to bugtest and broke all USB support, including webcams and mics. They say they have no ETA on a fix for it, just that "it won't work" so she needs one ASAP. Single input laptop too.[/QUOTE] An [url=http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826138190]philips shp9500[/url] with a vmoda boom pro would work.

Anyone have any recommendations for something wireless that's got a nice microphone, good for gaming and bass? I'm currently working with my Corsair H2100 and, bless this thing, it's withstood 2 years of abuse but it's finally nearing the end of it's lifespan.

There really isn't any stellar mic / headphone combos in the upper echelons of audio that I can think of. It's either 'gaming' headsets or headphone and mics separate. I mean the closest thing I can think of is the V-moda crossfade wireless, which is excellent for gaming, bass, and isolation. But even then, you can't use the mic and blue-tooth at the same time.

Perhaps consider a set of wireless headphones and a desktop mic? Unless you're literally walking all around your room it should be fine.

Im trying to decide if getting an actual amp/dac in the $200 price range would make a significant difference over what i have now(creative zxr) for hd700s. i like the virtual sound for games but if the audio quality will be noticeably better i'm willing to sacrifice it.

The Creative ZXR should cover most of your bases, but if you want a different sound (mellowing out those hd700 trebles) consider a tube amp to help bring down higher frequencies. Some suggestions are the Garage 1217 amps or some of the schiit tube / warm SS amps (Schiit Vali 2, Asgard 2, Valhalla 2)

well ever since i posted in this thread and picked up my schiit stack + dt770s i have fallen way too deep into this rabbit hole. right now i'm very likely going to pick up the little dot mk3 on massdrop and a pair of hd650s from amazon, any opinions?

Haven't listened to the Little dot MkIII's so I can't say much about it. But I can say the Hd650's have some really good synergy with the schiit Jotunheim and the Schiit Valhalla 2 (Going to grab the Jotun as my endgame amp soon). The Hd650's themselves are a fantastic headphone made even better if you're handy with an exacto knife and you're willing to void some warranties. (main reason why I prefer the Hd650's used, or buy it new from the [url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-HD650-Reference-Over-Ear-Headphone/dp/B00018MSNI]uk for like $300[/url]) The sound change from the dt770's to the hd650's will be drastic, since the Hd650's top end is much more mellow than the zingy dt770's.

[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;51239681] The sound change from the dt770's to the hd650's will be drastic, since the Hd650's top end is much more mellow than the zingy dt770's.[/QUOTE] yeah, i'm looking for a headphone i can listen to non-bass oriented music on with more focus on detail/clarity and a better soundstage so they should fit the bill pretty well. what kind of mod would improve the 650s? also, from my understanding, running the hd650s through a tube amp will compliment their sound much better than through the solid state magni i currently run the dt770s through (which also compliment each other), but i can still run the tube amp through the modi, right? besides an aesthetic clash there is no problems on that end? and can I use a splitter such as [URL="https://www.amazon.com/AudioQuest-adapter-male-female-assembly/dp/B0009MFRW0/ref=sr_1_5?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1457283030&sr=1-5&keywords=rca+splitter"]this[/URL] to have both the magni and tube amp plugged into the dac at the same time? only using one at a time, obviously, but instead of going through the hassle of plugging in and unplugging between solid state for the 770s for that accurate sound and the tube amp for the "musical" natural kind of sound with the 650s? also im gonna wait out on the mk3, probably do a bit more research and just order straight from manufacturer. but it's definitely an amp i want to have, it's really the thing that got me into all of this

Yes, you can use the modi. On that fateful day I pick up my 650's I'm probably going to grab a Modi Uber and a Valhalla 2.

[QUOTE=Levelog;51239837]Yes, you can use the modi. On that fateful day I pick up my 650's I'm probably going to grab a Modi Uber and a Valhalla 2.[/QUOTE] i currently have a normal modi 2, is there any reason i'd want to look into upgrading to an uber?

[QUOTE=ifaux;51240853]i currently have a normal modi 2, is there any reason i'd want to look into upgrading to an uber?[/QUOTE] Not afaik, not really a worthy upgrade, I was just speaking about myself buying new.