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

[QUOTE=Lolkork;42325557]I bought the Panasonnnic RP-HTF600 from this threads adivce a couple of months ago, I have to say that the sound quality is excellent for the price, but unfortunately the build quality is terrible. It has broken in 2 different locations already even though I'm only using it at my desk, however it was fairly easy to repair it with tape. Considering how cheap they were I would still say that they are worth their price, but I'm probably going to get something more expensive the next time I purchase headphones.[/QUOTE] That sounds extremely terrible.. Did you put them down gently every time, not have them fall down etc.? Even my earphones last longer than that before receiving any visible damage. [editline]28th September 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=loophole;42326329] How do you people treat your headphones?[/QUOTE] Like with all my other electronics, with extreme care.

[QUOTE=Lolkork;42325557]I bought the Panasonnnic RP-HTF600 from this threads adivce a couple of months ago, I have to say that the sound quality is excellent for the price, but unfortunately the build quality is terrible. It has broken in 2 different locations already even though I'm only using it at my desk, however it was fairly easy to repair it with tape. Considering how cheap they were I would still say that they are worth their price, but I'm probably going to get something more expensive the next time I purchase headphones.[/QUOTE] How the fuck did you break them that quickly?

[QUOTE=Chubbs;42334480]How the fuck did you break them that quickly?[/QUOTE] He probably threw it around and was careless, I've seen a lot of people do that with headphones. Never understood why. I guess people don't care.

So this happened... [t]http://i.imgur.com/jEvONTn.jpg[/t] (CAD U1 USB Mic) Guess I will need a new microphone. [B]Budget: [/B] $30-40 [B]eBay: [/B] If it is in relatively good condition. [B]Country: [/B] United States of America [B]Isolation: [/B] I would like for it to not pick up sound from the other side of the planet like my U1 did. [B]Purpose: [/B] Talking in games and over TeamSpeak/Mumble. [B]Previous Experiences: [/B] The CAD U1 above. Had the wire in a sort of bent position for the past 2~ years so the wire finally went. Also various rather cheap headset microphones. Currently the only other microphone I have is attached to a pair of Turtle Beach X12s. [B]Comments: [/B] I would rather not get a clip-on microphone, if possible. Having something physical on my desk/in my lap/in my hand is better for me than clipping a microphone to my headphones. Also something with a stand, cheap or not, is prefered.

Since my cat ate my last earbuds (CX300 II), I need new ones, $70 max. I listen to mostly DNB and dubstep, so they need to be bassy (public transport is noisy). I'm gonna be listening to music on my phone, HTC One.

[QUOTE=qwerty000;42356707]Since my cat ate my last earbuds (CX300 II), I need new ones, $70 max. I listen to mostly DNB and dubstep, so they need to be bassy (public transport is noisy). I'm gonna be listening to music on my phone, HTC One.[/QUOTE] What lead to the cat eating them?

[QUOTE=Chubbs;42361115]What lead to the cat eating them?[/QUOTE] Me falling asleep with them. Woke up in the morning, they're off me and on the floor, missing the right bud.

What's a good DAC ? <$400

My limit is £130 ($210) and I want some great looking headphones that won't leak sound out as I'll be using them in public places often, and are also an upgrade from my current HTF-600s. Any ideas?

[QUOTE=Xenoyia v2;42369644]My limit is £130 ($210) and I want some great looking headphones that won't leak sound out as I'll be using them in public places often, and are also an upgrade from my current HTF-600s. Any ideas?[/QUOTE] DT770 PRO: [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380648902&sr=8-2&keywords=dt770[/url] Definitely the best pair of headphones I've owned, and they very good at blocking outside sounds. It takes a bit to drive them compared to other headphones I've owned, though. [editline]1st October 2013[/editline] And they're on sale right now.

I'd like to invest in a cheap pair of earphones. They must be black and roughly £10 or under. I listen to rock and general acoustic stuff. I know I'm being optimistic. I've been using [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/JVC-HA-FX34-BE-Marshmallow-Headphones-Black/dp/B0019CAVY8/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1363680619&sr=1-2"]these[/URL] for a while now, but the primary issue is that they kinda hurt my ears and every time I pull them out, the plushy bit just stays in my ear and I have to dig it out. On a separate note, I've come to prefer my cheap MDR-V150's over my ATH-M50's, somehow.

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;42369882]DT770 PRO: [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-PRO-Headset-OHM/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1380648902&sr=8-2&keywords=dt770[/url] Definitely the best pair of headphones I've owned, and they very good at blocking outside sounds. It takes a bit to drive them compared to other headphones I've owned, though. [editline]1st October 2013[/editline] And they're on sale right now.[/QUOTE] Would like to say I took you up on your recommendation a long while ago. These headphones were totally worth it.

So I'm getting some nice headphones that only have a 12 ohm impedance. As far as surround effects through software virtualization go, will there be any difference between getting an Asus Xonar DGX 5.1 and the more expensive 7.1 sound card? I never plan on having a speaker setup with >2 speakers but with headphones I want full positional accuracy. The phones are Sony MDR-MA900's. Will it even be worth it to get that audio card over my motherboard's on-board audio? Err, I guess there is no "DGX" 7.1 like I thought, but would it make any difference to me to get a 7.1 card? DG/DGX series have a headphone amp built in and I don't have the cash for a Xonar Essence.

What would be a good replacement for my broken ADH700s? I have $100. Should I just re-buy them? [editline]3rd October 2013[/editline] Bought a pair of the grado sr60i headphones with minimal research. Hope this works out well

Budget: $100 eBay: No Country: USA Isolation: Doesn't Matter Purpose: Gaming and Music Music Tastes: Drum N Bass, Keygen music, stuff with a lot of bass. Comfortable on the ears: VERY IMPORTANT My Siberia V2 hurt my ears. I don't like the leather, bugs my ears. Thinking about the ATH-M50's but they look like they might cause discomfort to my ears...

[QUOTE=Episode;42428753]Budget: $100 eBay: No Country: USA Isolation: Doesn't Matter Purpose: Gaming and Music Music Tastes: Drum N Bass, Keygen music, stuff with a lot of base. Comfortable on the ears: VERY IMPORTANT My Siberia V2 hurt my ears. I don't like the leather, bugs my ears. Thinking about the ATH-M50's but they look like they might cause discomfort to my ears...[/QUOTE] I recommend you start listening to something like this. Copious amounts of base: [thumb]http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00JemEvLdGltbC/Caustic-Soda-99-96-Flakes-Sodium-Hydroxide-NaOH-.jpg[/thumb]

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;42430703]I recommend you start listening to something like this. Copious amounts of base: [thumb]http://image.made-in-china.com/2f0j00JemEvLdGltbC/Caustic-Soda-99-96-Flakes-Sodium-Hydroxide-NaOH-.jpg[/thumb][/QUOTE] I just realized that typo.

Bought myself some Sony MDR-MA900's for my birthday next Friday :D With a modmic 3.0, to replace my Logitech G930.

[QUOTE=Episode;42428753]Budget: $100 eBay: No Country: USA Isolation: Doesn't Matter Purpose: Gaming and Music Music Tastes: Drum N Bass, Keygen music, stuff with a lot of bass. Comfortable on the ears: VERY IMPORTANT My Siberia V2 hurt my ears. I don't like the leather, bugs my ears. Thinking about the ATH-M50's but they look like they might cause discomfort to my ears...[/QUOTE] M-50s are comfortable, durable, and portable. They handle [B]bass[/B] pretty well too. For the price I can't see how they would do you wrong. If they aren't comfortable enough you can always buy some Shure 840 pads.

[QUOTE=GhetoGeek;42402139]What would be a good replacement for my broken ADH700s? I have $100. Should I just re-buy them? [editline]3rd October 2013[/editline] Bought a pair of the grado sr60i headphones with minimal research. Hope this works out well[/QUOTE] So I'm really disappointed by the sound quality of these. I wanted to try and resell them so I could afford the ADH700 for $85 like last time. Seems like the 3 year long sale amazon had ended just a few days ago... If anyone could find the ADH700 headphones for that price I would be greatly appreciative

So I decided on the ATH-AD700X and I'm going to pair it with a Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB External Sound Card. Do I need an amp? If so, can anyone recommend me one?

[QUOTE=Episode;42440044]So I decided on the ATH-AD700X and I'm going to pair it with a Creative Soundblaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 Pro USB External Sound Card. Do I need an amp? If so, can anyone recommend me one?[/QUOTE] They have an impedance of 38ohms, so no. Otherwise, the art tube mp is only 29$ or something on amazon.com (last I checked), so that's probably a good buy if you want one.

I need a new pair of headphones since my old ones are dying, I've got a Xonar Essence ST sound card and I'm willing to spend something around 100-200€ for them. I've been looking at the sennheiser 558.

I've been thinking about buying a pair of cheap noise-cancelling headphones. So far I've got these two: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-RPHTF600S-RP-HTF600-S-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B004MMEI8W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url] [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SP2CO2/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk[/url] Any other suggestions? My budget is <$50.

[QUOTE=GoDong-DK;42441018]They have an impedance of 38ohms, so no. Otherwise, the art tube mp is only 29$ or something on amazon.com (last I checked), so that's probably a good buy if you want one.[/QUOTE] What soundcard should I get to go with my AD700X because I just want something that can give me the best audio and give good surround with my headphones. I thought maybe the Creative X-Fi USB external sound card would do it, but i'm not sure. I'm new to this whole thing, normally I go with headsets with either usb or straight to my mobo (3.5)

[QUOTE=Episode;42444169]What soundcard should I get to go with my AD700X because I just want something that can give me the best audio and give good surround with my headphones. I thought maybe the Creative X-Fi USB external sound card would do it, but i'm not sure. I'm new to this whole thing, normally I go with headsets with either usb or straight to my mobo (3.5)[/QUOTE] Depends on your budget, but I'd suggest an ODAC.

Well thanks to FP and HeadFi i'll be going with a AD500X with ASUS Xonar DG. But I have one question left.. why do companies like razer or whatever make a headset for gaming when the audio and mic are so shitty? Easier to make money off idiots who think gaming headsets are the best?

[QUOTE=Episode;42444765]Well thanks to FP and HeadFi i'll be going with a AD500X with ASUS Xonar DG. But I have one question left.. why do companies like razer or whatever make a headset for gaming when the audio and mic are so shitty? Easier to make money off idiots who think gaming headsets are the best?[/QUOTE] They already have the branding image and the fanbase to pull it off effectively. They do a good job at appealing to the less technically-inclined crowds. Same reason alienware makes money.

[QUOTE=WingedTurtle;42444084]I've been thinking about buying a pair of cheap noise-cancelling headphones. So far I've got these two: [url]http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-RPHTF600S-RP-HTF600-S-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B004MMEI8W/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url] [url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SP2CO2/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk[/url] Any other suggestions? My budget is <$50.[/QUOTE] Hopefully I don't get bashed, but here I go. If you're looking for cheap noise isolation with relatively good sound quality, I'd stay away from sound canceling headphones. ound canSceling headphones for the most part don't sound super great because of the way the imperfect sound canceling technology works. Sound canceling works great for getting rid of constant sound, like the hum of an airplane. However, it fails to cancel out the complexity of human speech. When it attempts to cancel out human speech, it will not perfectly reproduce the -sine wave and will interfere with your music which will make it sound odd, or even dull. Buying sound canceling headphones is also not very cost effective because for the most part, you're paying for the technology rather than the quality. I believe that buying a decent pair of IEMs will better suit you because they can isolate sound very well and can surprisingly get very good results quality wise. Look around on [url=http://www.head-fi.org/products/category/in-ear]Head-fi's IEM section[/url] for a pair in your price range. You could also lurk the [url=http://www.head-fi.org/t/518656/the-iem-portable-headphones-deal-alerts-thread-read-the-first-post/9045]IEM Deal Alert thead[/url] to get some nice deals.

Quick question: What's the difference between bass response and bass presence? Is bass presence a good or bad thing?