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

[url]http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/RP-DH1250-S[/url] I can get these for cheap from my work. [editline]28th August 2013[/editline] From reading reviews - it sounds like they are not too good on the bass side. [url]http://www.shure.com/americas/products/earphones-headphones/headphones/srh840-professional-monitoring-headphones[/url] Was also looking there at the SRH840's. They're expensive as fuck here - but I can look at our cost and see if it's worth a deal getting them from my work.

I am most likely going for the SRH840's since I can get them under $100 new from work. The margin on those are ridiculous.

Sound gods, any recommendations on sennheiser 429s? I'll be using them for gaming, movies, and pretty much every genre of music under the sun. I'm currently at a duty free sound shop so I'm looking to buy asap, thanks in advance. Ps. Under 100 GBP is my price range, these are 80!

Does anybody have a pair of nexus 4 headphones? Well I plan on getting them. How are they?

Hey guys, I have my ATH a700x and I love them. I'm using the "Asus Xonar DG" audio card, is it worth getting an amp? if so, can anyone recommend me a decent one :)

Can someone please tell me how [url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50s-Professional-Studio-Monitor-Headphones-Straight-Cable-/251314887917] These ATH-M50s[/url] are so damn cheap? It says "No Duty Guaranteed" and that they are "genuine" but considering places like Amazon sell them around £125 it seems odd.

[QUOTE=deano270;42052762]Can someone please tell me how [url=http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50s-Professional-Studio-Monitor-Headphones-Straight-Cable-/251314887917] These ATH-M50s[/url] are so damn cheap? It says "No Duty Guaranteed" and that they are "genuine" but considering places like Amazon sell them around £125 it seems odd.[/QUOTE] I bought mine on sale on amazon for less than that. They seem fine to me.

What do people think of the [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-XB500-Diaphragm-Driver-Headphones/dp/B001RB24S2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top"]Sony MDR-XB500 40mm[/URL]? [IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41xoaqsKi7L._SX385_.jpg[/IMG]

[QUOTE=XenoCrab;42053891]What do people think of the [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR-XB500-Diaphragm-Driver-Headphones/dp/B001RB24S2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top"]Sony MDR-XB500 40mm[/URL]? [IMG]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41xoaqsKi7L._SX385_.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Lotsa bass, fakes are common iirc.

Plastic on my Sennheiser HD555s is cracking badly, probably going to break completely soon. What's their current equivalent? I'll also frame this as a "what should I buy", since good Sennheisers are likely out of budget: [b]Budget:[/b] $100 CAD, but willing to push it a bit for quality [b]eBay:[/b] No [b]Country:[/b] Canada [b]Isolation:[/b] Don't care much, I like what I have now though [b]Purpose:[/b] Music/movies/gaming/everything [b]Music Tastes:[/b] Mostly metal [b]Previous Experiences:[/b] HD555s for home, cheap Sony earbuds from walmart I burn through every 6 months for portable listening [b]Notes:[/b] Would prefer if NCIX has them since they'll price match any Canadian retailer and I usually shop there

[QUOTE=Zeke129;42058850]Plastic on my Sennheiser HD555s is cracking badly, probably going to break completely soon. What's their current equivalent? I'll also frame this as a "what should I buy", since good Sennheisers are likely out of budget: [b]Budget:[/b] $100 CAD, but willing to push it a bit for quality [b]eBay:[/b] No [b]Country:[/b] Canada [b]Isolation:[/b] Don't care much, I like what I have now though [b]Purpose:[/b] Music/movies/gaming/everything [b]Music Tastes:[/b] Mostly metal [b]Previous Experiences:[/b] HD555s for home, cheap Sony earbuds from walmart I burn through every 6 months for portable listening [b]Notes:[/b] Would prefer if NCIX has them since they'll price match any Canadian retailer and I usually shop there[/QUOTE] I have a pair of Sennheiser HD555's that I've had for about 3 years and they are also starting to crack pretty badly. Other than that though they've done me so right all these years lol.

[QUOTE=liqnspliffz;42061172]I have a pair of Sennheiser HD555's that I've had for about 3 years and they are also starting to crack pretty badly. Other than that though they've done me so right all these years lol.[/QUOTE] I applied electrical tape to them and have probably extended the life by another 3 years (about the same age as yours, guess this is just when the plastic starts drying up) these things have taken a total beating and still work great

[url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004FEEY9A/ref=ox_sc_act_title_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE[/url] Yay or nay?

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[QUOTE=Medevilae;42063974]Looking for decent 5.1 speakers on a budget of approx $200. Something that I can wall mount preferred. Any suggestions?[/QUOTE] Everyone in this thread is going to tell you not to get a 5.1 headset.

[QUOTE=Banned?;42070676]Everyone in this thread is going to tell you not to get a 5.1 headset.[/QUOTE] Looking for decent 5.1 [b]speakers[/b] on a budget of approx $200. Something that I can wall mount preferred. Any suggestions?

[B]Budget:[/B] $75 [B]eBay:[/B] Rather not, unless from a reputable seller. [B]Country:[/B] US [B]Isolation:[/B] Semi-important (subtle noise should only be audible to others if they're a couple feet away) [B]Purpose:[/B] A tie between music and gaming, though I suppose I lean a bit more towards the music side. [B]Music Tastes:[/B] Various kinds of rock and electronica. Some ambient. No heavy metal, no rap, and not much dubstep. Some of my favorite artists: Pink Floyd, Daft Punk, Jimi Hendrix, Brian Eno, K.C. and the Sunshine Band. [B]Previous Experiences:[/B] Never had quality headphones, best ones I've ever had were a gift, probably about 30 bucks but they were really uncomfortable. Other than that, I've had stock and $10 earbuds. [B]Comments:[/B] Over-ear. The sound quality of music and games are both very important to me. Comfort is important--I don't want anything jabbing at my head, making my ears too hot, making me itchy, whatever. If at all possible, wireless would be good.

Has anyone done the Fostex T50RP mod? I have heard great things about it. I found some already modded ones for $170, but I am not sure if that is worth it.

Budget: 50 eur MAX eBay: Noo Country: Belgium Isolation: Circumaural, something that doesn't hurt my head and goes over my ears and doesn't sit on them Purpose: Music, games, and videos on my pc Music Tastes: according to last.fm: electronic, industrial, experimental, ambient and digital hardcore Previous Experiences: I bought headphones once and they were very bad. Please help, current headphones are pretty much falling apart

[QUOTE=meepugh;42104598]Has anyone done the Fostex T50RP mod? I have heard great things about it. I found some already modded ones for $170, but I am not sure if that is worth it.[/QUOTE] I have, David Tennant has too. Utterly worth the price *but* they do need an amp to sound to their full potential.

Budget:Up to $100 eBay: Only if the seller is reputable, like an "authorized dealer" or whatever Country: USA Isolation: Circumaural Purpose: Music and games Music Tastes: Metal, electronic music, indie rock, and occasionally hip hop Previous Experiences: SkullCandy stuff (I actually liked the 50/50s because the mids were very clear), Razer Carcharias, Turtle Beach x31, Steel Series Siberia V2, and lots of really shitty Sony on-ear headphones. Comments: I'd like to find a pair that is fairly flat, with decent bass response. I find that most headphones that I like have a little bit more mids and lows, as I have pretty sensitive ears and a lot of the highs can get painful or stressful on my ears. Comfort also matters a lot to me. I really like the cushions on the Siberia V2s and the Razer Carcharias, so something like that would be awesome.

[QUOTE=SataniX;42111915]I have, David Tennant has too. Utterly worth the price *but* they do need an amp to sound to their full potential.[/QUOTE] How expensive of an amp are we talking about? [editline]7th September 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Sigs367;42112928]Budget:Up to $100 eBay: Only if the seller is reputable, like an "authorized dealer" or whatever Country: USA Isolation: Circumaural Purpose: Music and games Music Tastes: Metal, electronic music, indie rock, and occasionally hip hop Previous Experiences: SkullCandy stuff (I actually liked the 50/50s because the mids were very clear), Razer Carcharias, Turtle Beach x31, Steel Series Siberia V2, and lots of really shitty Sony on-ear headphones. Comments: I'd like to find a pair that is fairly flat, with decent bass response. I find that most headphones that I like have a little bit more mids and lows, as I have pretty sensitive ears and a lot of the highs can get painful or stressful on my ears. Comfort also matters a lot to me. I really like the cushions on the Siberia V2s and the Razer Carcharias, so something like that would be awesome.[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.amazon.com/Creative-EF0060-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000ZJZ7OA[/url] Maybe?

[editline]7th September 2013[/editline] [url]http://www.amazon.com/Creative-EF0060-Aurvana-Live-Headphones/dp/B000ZJZ7OA[/url] Maybe?[/QUOTE] To be more specific about what I like, I like a fairly warm sound, too. I recently tried the Corsair Vengeance 1500s and I absolutely hate them. They are waaaay too tight and cushions are way too resistant (though this may be because they were fairly new), and there is absolutely no bass. I tweaked the eq, and even still the bass was extremely disappointing. I like the Razer Carcharias sound for the most part, though I would like a little more bass. When I tweak the eq for that, it is acceptable, but not ideal. The band on those headphones looks fairly thin, and the cups look pretty big, which usually means a lot of weight, too, and in my experience, thin bands are pretty uncomfortable with heavy cups, has anyone tried these and like them?

[QUOTE=meepugh;42115299]How expensive of an amp are we talking about? [/QUOTE] This is the one he recommended. [url]http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/headphone-amplifiers/ehp-o2-portable-headphone-amplifier/[/url] (also a US version on another site)

[QUOTE=Daniellynet;42116474]This is the one he recommended. [url]http://epiphany-acoustics.co.uk/products-page/headphone-amplifiers/ehp-o2-portable-headphone-amplifier/[/url] (also a US version on another site)[/QUOTE] Since you're US you'd probably want to buy it from here: [url]http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=O2Full[/url] You could get a cheaper different one of course, but that's pretty much the best in terms of reasonable price and good performance. Alternatively, you could get a combined DAC/Amp like [url=http://www.jdslabs.com/item.php?fetchitem=48]this[/url] or [url=http://www.amazon.com/Fiio-E17-USB-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B0070UFMOW]this[/url]. Personally I have the FiiO E17 -> O2 Amp -> Headphones. [editline]8th September 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=Sigs367;42112928]Budget:Up to $100 eBay: Only if the seller is reputable, like an "authorized dealer" or whatever Country: USA Isolation: Circumaural Purpose: Music and games Music Tastes: Metal, electronic music, indie rock, and occasionally hip hop Previous Experiences: SkullCandy stuff (I actually liked the 50/50s because the mids were very clear), Razer Carcharias, Turtle Beach x31, Steel Series Siberia V2, and lots of really shitty Sony on-ear headphones. Comments: I'd like to find a pair that is fairly flat, with decent bass response. I find that most headphones that I like have a little bit more mids and lows, as I have pretty sensitive ears and a lot of the highs can get painful or stressful on my ears. Comfort also matters a lot to me. I really like the cushions on the Siberia V2s and the Razer Carcharias, so something like that would be awesome.[/QUOTE] You might like a pair of Grados 80i's. They're a very distinctive sound signature though, so I'd suggest trying a pair before buying them.

[QUOTE]You might like a pair of Grados 80i's. They're a very distinctive sound signature though, so I'd suggest trying a pair before buying them.[/QUOTE] What's a fairly common store that would have these available to try? All I can think of would be like Guitar Center, but I feel like they'd only have huge brands like Sony or Bose.

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[QUOTE=Sigs367;42124562]What's a fairly common store that would have these available to try? All I can think of would be like Guitar Center, but I feel like they'd only have huge brands like Sony or Bose.[/QUOTE] They are really uncomfortable as well, no other headphones sound quite like Grados though, they are worth trying at least once.

I have my PS3 connected to my monitor, but the sound is rubbish. So I bought two adapters so I could connect my headphones to the PS3 via the composite cable. The quality has improved but the audio isn't as loud as I would like it. Would an E5 or E6 amp work out for this setup? Or would it be best to use the logitech 5.1 speakers in my room and connect via the headphone port there? My only problem with that last solution is my headphone uses a 6.35m to 3.5m adapter and the adapter end is too big to fit into the headphone jack. Could anyone suggest me a sleek/thin adapter?

[QUOTE=Mr. Agree;42130541]I have my PS3 connected to my monitor, but the sound is rubbish. So I bought two adapters so I could connect my headphones to the PS3 via the composite cable. The quality has improved but the audio isn't as loud as I would like it. Would an E5 or E6 amp work out for this setup? Or would it be best to use the logitech 5.1 speakers in my room and connect via the headphone port there? My only problem with that last solution is my headphone uses a 6.35m to 3.5m adapter and the adapter end is too big to fit into the headphone jack. Could anyone suggest me a sleek/thin adapter?[/QUOTE] Just checked and there's actually a crazy sale on the Art Tube MP: [url]http://www.amazon.com/ART-Tube-Studio-Mic-Preamp/dp/B0002E50MC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1378736089&sr=1-1&keywords=art+tube+mp[/url] It's normal jack, though, so you'll need a converter. On the flip side it's a lot more versatile, and probably sounds better as well.