• Headphone Buying Megathread/Guide V4 - Come here for all your audio needs! (New Threads are not need
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[QUOTE=madnath619;52201475]Speaking of Sennheiser 558's, I love mine but I'm just using audio straight from my motherboard. Should I invest in a cheap-ish amp or something in order to get better audio quality?[/QUOTE] The hd558's are easy to drive so your mobo's dac should be adequate, but if you really want to burn some cash, the schiit fulla 2 is a great place to start. 230mW RMS at 50ohms per channel and the modern AKM 4490 is pretty much as good as it gets unless you want to drive planar headphones or if you're gunning for tube amps. Plus big spinny knob.
[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;52201536]The hd558's are easy to drive so your mobo's dac should be adequate, but if you really want to burn some cash, the schiit fulla 2 is a great place to start. 230mW RMS at 50ohms per channel and the modern AKM 4490 is pretty much as good as it gets unless you want to drive planar headphones or if you're gunning for tube amps. Plus big spinny knob.[/QUOTE] Literally none of that made sense to me, and it seems nowhere refutable from the UK sells it
[QUOTE=madnath619;52201820]Literally none of that made sense to me, and it seems nowhere refutable from the UK sells it[/QUOTE] [url]https://schiit.eu.com[/url] they sell direct, though I can't say much about vats or conversions costs. Typically $99 usd
[B]Budget:[/B] 100-200€ can go a tiny bit over but I'd prefer the 150 ish range. If need be feel free to suggest stuff up to ~300€ though. [B]eBay:[/B] No. Might end up ordering from [URL]https://www.thomann.de/gb/[/URL] [B]Country:[/B] Finland [B]Isolation:[/B] I'm used to closed-air headphones but I think I'd like to try open/at least semi open ones. [B]Purpose:[/B] Gaming, Music, Youtube videos. Sometimes working with editing video/audio(music too) but not too important [B]Music Tastes:[/B] Very varied. Classical, Metal, DNB, some simon and garfunkel level stuff [B]Previous Experiences:[/B] Currently have a pair of "Bayerdynamic Custom one Pro"s, I like them, usually wear them with the "bass ports" fully open. Also had a pair of Shure SRH440, they were decent. [B]Comments:[/B] 1: I've been looking at the DT-880 (250-600ohm) and the DT-990 (250ohm). (I've got a soundcard that should be able to handle up to 600ohm with good enough loudness) I'm not fully sure which one to try, I think I might like the open-airness of the 990's though. I've got an "ok" portable amp that'll work with most stuff. 2: I'd also like to know if "Creative Sound Blaster E5" is worth anything as a portable dac/amp? 3: As a further note; I'm mostly going to use them (990's if I'm going to get those) at home, but am wondering of sound leaking would be an issue when chatting with friends? I can always switch to my current headphones so It won't really be an issue. Same goes for would you say that sound leaking would be a problem when walking on the street? I don't mind if people hear my music but if it's loud enough to annoy them then I might not want that :p If you guys have any better idea / tips on what I should spend money on It'd be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance
I have the 990 Pro 250's, they're definitely nice headphones though the sound is a bit bright at times. I can chat with friends and such just fine with them, they're not KSC75 levels of leakage by any means. If you're worried the 880's are semi open iirc. Walking around with them might be a pain. The clamp pressure isn't very high, which while very nice for desktop usage might be an issue while mobile. I can't say I've ever used mine on the move.
I wanted to ask how are the HyperX Cloud headsets in terms of quality? The online shop I tend to buy from has sale on few pairs, most notably the Cloud II and Cloud Revolver which puts them right in the price range I was looking around lately, making me hold of from going with Audio Technica ATH-T500AVC. So should I risk HyperX or just go with Technica?
[QUOTE=Dom Pyroshark;52211359]I wanted to ask how are the HyperX Cloud headsets in terms of quality? The online shop I tend to buy from has sale on few pairs, most notably the Cloud II and Cloud Revolver which puts them right in the price range I was looking around lately, making me hold of from going with Audio Technica ATH-T500AVC. So should I risk HyperX or just go with Technica?[/QUOTE] I'm not familiar with the ath-t500avc's, but the HyperX clouds are pretty solid as they're an oem based off the takstar pro 80's. The cloud II's USB implementation I don't think is worth, but the revolver and the cloud I's are good.
[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;52211613]I'm not familiar with the ath-t500avc's, but the HyperX clouds are pretty solid as they're an oem based off the takstar pro 80's. The cloud II's USB implementation I don't think is worth, but the revolver and the cloud I's are good.[/QUOTE] Yeah, the sale on the Revolver ones is like almost 25% so I was really tempted right away but I wanted to ask here first just to make sure. I think they selling them until empty and the sale lasts one more day so I'll probably decide in the morning. [editline]11th May 2017[/editline] Oh yeah, thanks for the help :v: [editline]11th May 2017[/editline] Aaand ordered. I should be able to pick them up by today afternoon. Yay.
Ended up getting a pair of Sennheiser HD-650's They should arrive in a few days! hoorah
[QUOTE=DestWa;52234513]Ended up getting a pair of Sennheiser HD-650's They should arrive in a few days! hoorah[/QUOTE] I have to mention that the hd650's crave power and a dedicated headphone amp does wonders in driver and subbass control. The schiit magni 2 / Vali 2 are two great places to start. And when you feel comfortable enough, there's a well documented modification that brings the hd650's to the next level.
So the finish on my TH-X00 EB's started rubbing off for some reason so Massdrop sent me a whole new pair. I went from number 440something to 85. Pretty neat actually.
I've been sucked completely into the vinyl void and I'm in the process of replacing all my digital media with vinyl records. There's just something about the bass definition and coherancy vinyl provides that I just can't get on digital, and it sounds excellent.
So, I've been using a Tuirtle Beach X41 wireless headset thing for my headphones. It's mainly supposed to be used with its wireless headphones, but it also has a headphone jack to plug in regular headphones, which is how I've been using the whole thing 90% of the time. Lately, it's crapped out on me. Plugging headphones into my desktop's headphone port doesn't work at all, and plugging them into my monitor gives constant feedback. Obviously the headphone jack on the back on my tower is too inconvenient. What're my options? Are USB headphones decent, enough, or garbage to be avoided? Anything I could use (or should I even keep bothering?) my optical audio port for? I've never had to shop for this kind of stuff, so I don't even know where to begin. [B]Budget:[/B] Willing to go up to [B]$100[/B] [B]Country:[/B] US [B]Purpose:[/B] General, casual. Gaming/movies Thanks, y'all
If your headphone jack is TRS (not headphone/mic combo), you can get an extension jack and hook the male end to the back of your tower. Then tie the female end to an easy-to-reach spot on your computer/table/chair for easy plug-and-play. For the headphones themselves, I can't recommend the Sennheiser hd558 enough if you're fine with limited isolation (they're open back headphones, so they bleed lots of sound) If you want a "gaming" solution, the hyperX cloud is solid for the price as it uses an oem takstar pro 80 with a mic slapped onto it. Otherwise, try to stay away from USB headsets if your main focus is audio quality, they're usually sub-par and sound like ass. The optical port is for transmitting digital signal to a separate DAC or receiver unit for them to decode, so you don't need to worry about that unless you plan on getting a schiit modi multibit + amp or similar.
Debating which bluetooth earbuds to get. I'll be doing moderate exercise with them but I'm not too worried about waterproofing. I just want the best sound quality and build for my dollars. And I'm talking Canadian dollars: Jaybird X3 for ~$80.00? (I have a connection through a certain blue and yellow electronic sales corporation so I can get pretty much anything there for half price) or ADV Model 3 for ~$120.00? or Bose Soundsport ~$140.00?
Thinking of a clip mic to account for not having enough space to put a physical mic. Something that wouldn't mind being near my mouth, perhaps to attach it on top of my headset mic. Any recommendations?
The standard recommendation is the modmic, but massdrop has recently partnered up on their [url=https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-mini-mic?mode=guest_open]own version[/url] if you were interested in trying that. It's quite a whiles away though, sept 9th.
Not sure how this thread dropped out of read threads but I'm looking forward to trying the minimic in late October when it eventually arrives. There is no way it's going to be fast at $5.40 international shipping.
[QUOTE=helifreak;52346293]Not sure how this thread dropped out of read threads[/QUOTE] Facepunch just randomly forgets sometimes I think...
[QUOTE=helifreak;52346293]Not sure how this thread dropped out of read threads but I'm looking forward to trying the minimic in late October when it eventually arrives. There is no way it's going to be fast at $5.40 international shipping.[/QUOTE] I'll be getting one for my sis as well. She uses this terrible stand stick-mic for d&d and pretty much anything would be an upgrade.
ok so my DT990s finally shit the bed (held together with zip ties and now the left driver is dead. will cost more to repair than it's worth) so it's time to get new headphones Budget: $80 eBay: yes Country: US Isolation: open preferred but I can live with closed if it's a better option in my budget Purpose: listening to sounds Music Tastes: avant-garde, noise rock, jazz fusion, funk Previous Experiences: most everything, recently DT990 600 ohm Comments: I'm looking to buy used, would like to stick with beyerdynamic if at all possible but willing to look elsewhere if something else pops up. I have a big massive head so nothing too tight. gotta be circumaural, none of this on ear shit. maybe a set of AD700's? [editline]15th June 2017[/editline] koss pro-4aaas are an option too
If you mean the open back ad700x, I have the higher end ad900x and they don't have visceral bass kick like any of the beyer cans. Otherwise vivid high-end and great for female vocals unless you have a bright source, if so, too bright.
[QUOTE=butre;52361565]ok so my DT990s finally shit the bed (held together with zip ties and now the left driver is dead. will cost more to repair than it's worth) so it's time to get new headphones Budget: $80 eBay: yes Country: US Isolation: open preferred but I can live with closed if it's a better option in my budget Purpose: listening to sounds Music Tastes: avant-garde, noise rock, jazz fusion, funk Previous Experiences: most everything, recently DT990 600 ohm Comments: I'm looking to buy used, would like to stick with beyerdynamic if at all possible but willing to look elsewhere if something else pops up. I have a big massive head so nothing too tight. gotta be circumaural, none of this on ear shit. maybe a set of AD700's? [editline]15th June 2017[/editline] koss pro-4aaas are an option too[/QUOTE] The [URL="https://www.amazon.com/Philips-SHP9500-Precision-Over-ear-Headphones/dp/B00ENMK1DW/"]SHP 9500[/URL] are supposed to be pretty damn good.
Oh yeah, forgot I owned a pair of those for a few months. Flab bass, nothing exciting about the mid range (which is a good thing) and a tizzly, slightly harsh sounding upper end. It's a good stepping stone till you move up to higher end cans for sure-- or if you want to throw something around for 2-4 years. Massive mesh earpads that can be a little itchy and difficult to replace and clean, but overall comfortable, virtually no clamp. You can think of it like an hd600 with slightly crappier treble. Makes an excellent headset since it's standard 3.5mm can take the v-moda boom pro. The original shp9500's stock cable had a high impedance which probably accounted for bad bass, so try to replace that asap. (The latest version, the [url=https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826138190]Shp9500S[/url], is supposed to have a better stock cable) I sound nick-picky, but they're actually real solid if you can get them at the newegg sale price of $45-60, which they sell for rather often. [editline]when[/editline] added link
worth noting my rig is all quarter inch and I don't want to mess with adapters if they're not screw on like my dt990s. adapters get annoying and kinda defeat the purpose of going quarter inch
The original shp9500 came with a really nice 3.5mm > 6.3mm snap-on adaptor and its detachable 3.5mm female input accepts any single-end cable-- in your case, you could get a 3.5mm male to 6.3mm male and it'd work fine.
Quick question With a Schiit Magni 2 paired with a Pair of Philips SHP9500 should I use high or Low gain. I'm new to more audiophile'esque stuff so not very knowledgeable on it. I've just been using High gain.
It's typical to keep gain as low as possible in order to reduce noise floor, but it's also known that some schiit amps behave differently depending on their gain settings. (Schiit jotunheim has a tighter bass response in high gain) The differences are very small, so do pretty much whatever you're comfortable with. If you hear the noise floor on high gain, drop it to low gain. If you don't get channel imbalance and don't hear a noise floor on high gain, no harm keeping it on high.
[QUOTE=KangarooSteak;52365821]It's typical to keep gain as low as possible in order to reduce noise floor, but it's also known that some schiit amps behave differently depending on their gain settings. (Schiit jotunheim has a tighter bass response in high gain) The differences are very small, so do pretty much whatever you're comfortable with. If you hear the noise floor on high gain, drop it to low gain. If you don't get channel imbalance and don't hear a noise floor on high gain, no harm keeping it on high.[/QUOTE] To be honest I'm not completely sure what to listen for lol any reading material to help me learn?
It's really down to listening to your favorite uncompressed well-mastered redbook content and when something in the chain changes-- if you don't hear a difference, you're good. Otherwise then you can decide whether or not you want to do something about it. It's also worth noting that changes in sound is more of a gradual thing to understand, and that not everything will jump out at you immediately. It took me a very long time to nail down the differences between the odac and schiit bimby after volume matching. I'd recommend SuperBestAudioFriends.com for anecdotal / statistical info and a proper good read on a ton of headphones and headphones systems. Otherwise it's "attend audio conventions, loaner tours, and demo as many headphones as possible" until you learn your preferred sound signature and things either sound off or good to you.
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