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

[odellus]

[QUOTE=Rich209;42953532]Thanks, I've placed my order for it via Amazon.[/QUOTE]

let me know how you like them.

[DragonOA]

[QUOTE=Odellus;42953435]
dunno what to tell you. sounds like your onboard has just gone bad.[/QUOTE]

What would you recommend for a DAC? I know you said anything works, but I know nothing about sound cards, and from what I've seen, the price can range from $25 to $1,000.

[odellus]

[QUOTE=DragonAwesome;42954171]What would you recommend for a DAC? I know you said anything works, but I know nothing about sound cards, and from what I've seen, the price can range from $25 to $1,000.[/QUOTE]

sound cards are all-in-ones (dac and amp). a digital-analog converter just takes the information from a digital file and converts it into an analog signal for use with an amp. all you need is a xonar dg/x depending on if you want a pcie or pci card.

[Draza~]

[QUOTE='[LOA] SonofBrim;41167665']I strongly recommend the [URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826262102"]JVC HA-RX700[/URL] headphones. They're gigantic and ugly as all hell, but I absolutely love how they sound, and most of the internet seems to agree. I got these with similar budget/interests, and I haven't been disappointed.

[editline]24th June 2013[/editline]

Also, for those of you looking for cheap microphones, I got [URL="http://www.amazon.com/Podcast-Stand-Alone-Desktop-Microphone/dp/B006JMZ1OI"]this microphone[/URL]. It has pretty bad reviews, but only by a few people, so I figured that for $10 it was worth the risk. Turns out that, in my opinion, this is probably the best microphone I've ever had for $10, let alone under $30.

Here's a test recording without any clean-up/adjustments/boosting.
[media]http://soundcloud.com/sven-brimstone/mictest-raw[/media]

This is a podcast microphone, so it's a bit more cumbersome than a clip-on, but it's got awesome sound quality for $10.[/QUOTE] I bought this mic with my AKG Q701's and the quality is alright but not as good as what you got and I got them plugged into a good sound card... (ASUS Xonar Essence STX). So I guess you got lucky. (I also tried plugging it into my mobo.. sounded worse) [url]http://vocaroo.com/i/s1MTfEfF1PA9[/url]

[Phantoml994]

Hi, I'm looking for a headset to use with my S4. I definitely want the microphone and volume controls, clear sound and bass would be nice, but I'm mainly looking for a good sound-isolation and I want something discreet, therefore models like the Koss Porta Pro are out of the question.

Is TDK IP300/400 any good?

Budget: ~$30
Country: Czech republic
Purpose: Headset for an Android phone
Music Tastes: Electronic, techno, rock, etc..
Previous Experiences: Sony, Philips, nothing special really.

Thanks

[AlphaAGENT]

Do you guys think you could help me find a good pair of headphones for listening to music with? I like stuff with a heavy bass (especially in bass drum heavy songs), but I like to be able to make out the mids and highs as well.

Budget: $40-$80
eBay: No
Country: USA
Isolation: Circumaural
Purpose: Listening to music on an Android phone with an EQ
Music Tastes: Metal, Rock, Punk, Ska, Electronic Rock, Trance
Previous Experiences: Sennheiser HD202s (They broke recently, need replacement)

I was thinking of maybe trying the Audio-Technica ATH-M40FS, but I'm not really sure if they're any good or not.

[Trounark]

I also need help finding a good pair of headphones

Budget:$60
eBay: Yes
Purpose:Listening to music
Music Tastes: lots, but mainly Tecno

[FPSMango]

Budget: 130$-150$
eBay: No
Country: Norway
Isolation: Isn't really important
Purpose: Music and gaming, though mostly music
Music Tastes: Mostly electronic and more often than not things without lyrics. Also I don't listen to music where the bass plays an important role that often.
Previous Experiences: Used to have Logitech G30 and later G35 though I'm looking for something a little more sturdy as Logitech headsets appear to break easily.

[Strider77]

I know the OP says don't even consider getting a headset, but I was wondering if anyone knew much about how Afterglow Universal Wired Headsets are? Lot's of reviews say they're great and I'd like to get one to match my PC setup.

Otherwise:
Budget: $50-$70
ebay: No
Country: US
Purpose: Gaming
Sidenote: I'd like something that matches my PC setup, so matte black color is preferred. Blue LEDs are a huge bonus as I've got a boner for things that glow.

[Fate]

[QUOTE=ShadowSocks8;43004798]Afterglow Universal Wired Headsets are?[/QUOTE]

Shit "gamer-focused" gimmick. Just look at the amount of LEDs.

[Jonathan1321]

Was looking to buy a headset for gaming on pc but bit unsure between these two.

[url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-Closed-Dynamic-Stereo-headphones[/url] black/dp/B0007XJSQC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

With Mic: [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speedlink-INT-SL-8691-SBK-01-Spes-Clip-On-Microphone/dp/B004YEWC22/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top[/url]

Or

[url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0079G2Y52/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE[/url]

UK ONLY PLEASE

[Shanto]

I'm looking to get an entry level microphone for you know, recording and shit. So right now I have only my headset microphone from my G35 (please don't hate on me, ignorance and money is a terrible combination). So I'm looking to get something decent for like £100 to £150, I reside in the UK.

[Big D Duchovny]

[QUOTE=Shanto;43007498]I'm looking to get an entry level microphone for you know, recording and shit. So right now I have only my headset microphone from my G35 (please don't hate on me, ignorance and money is a terrible combination). So I'm looking to get something decent for like £100 to £150, I reside in the UK.[/QUOTE]

AT2020: [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Technica-At2020-Diaphragm-Condenser/dp/B0006H92QK/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1385652118&sr=8-3&keywords=at2020[/url]
And check out the blue icicle - very nice when you're on a budget.

[Shanto]

Should I also be looking to get an actual Audio card or would my onboard suffice? Also as someone who's basically dumb with this sort of stuff, what does the Icicle do exactly?

[FPSMango]

Been looking at Sennheiser HD 518 WEST, anyone know if these are any good in their price-range?

[Big D Duchovny]

[QUOTE=Shanto;43007988]Should I also be looking to get an actual Audio card or would my onboard suffice? Also as someone who's basically dumb with this sort of stuff, what does the Icicle do exactly?[/QUOTE]

It's basically the cheapest "sound card" you can get that will also sound pretty darn decent: [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blue-Microphones-XLR-USB-Microphone-Condenser/dp/B001EW5YQS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385663671&sr=8-1&keywords=blue+icicle[/url]
There's no monitor or the like, though, so if you're looking for expandability this is definitely not the card to get. You could get something like the Steinberg CI1, if you're thinking about getting a second microphone down the line, and you want direct monitoring. It's slightly over budget, but only by £10 - without shipping, though.
CI1: [url]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steinberg-CI1-STEINBERG/dp/B003WI3LNU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385663904&sr=8-1&keywords=steinberg+CI1[/url]

[Shanto]

The icicle thing looks great, I think it suits my entry level needs and then down the line if I enjoy it and want to upgrade I could take a look at the steinberg. Thanks man you've been a great help!

[Axemunger]

I'm about to buy some headphones but I can't decide from these two pairs:

[URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/JVC-HA-RX700-Deep-Bass-Headphones/dp/B0019H7S44"]JVC HA-RX700[/URL] or [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00974Q1HG/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=electronics"]Sony MDR-XB400 [/URL]

they pretty much cost the same with Amazon prime so what I want to know is:

Which pair do you guys think would be the best to wear in public?
as in which will keep sound in without bothering other people

[Fulsy]

I have a pair of Sennheiser HD201s that are simply starting to get old, fall apart, and rattle. With christmas around the corner, it's about time to retire them as my main computer headphones. To replace them, I'd like something similar in style, but a bit higher end. I still want to keep the cost down, below the $100 line if possible, as I'm planning to buy other things.

[Fate]

[QUOTE=axemunger;43019106]I'm about to buy some headphones but I can't decide from these two pairs:

[URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/JVC-HA-RX700-Deep-Bass-Headphones/dp/B0019H7S44"]JVC HA-RX700[/URL] or [URL="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00974Q1HG/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&psc=1&s=electronics"]Sony MDR-XB400 [/URL]

they pretty much cost the same with Amazon prime so what I want to know is:

Which pair do you guys think would be the best to wear in public?
as in which will keep sound in without bothering other people[/QUOTE]

HA-RX700 are really nice headphones, and isolate well but [i]they are fucking huge[/i].
I'd personally say they're far too large to wear in public.

[Axemunger]

[QUOTE=SataniX;43021697]HA-RX700 are really nice headphones, and isolate well but [i]they are fucking huge[/i].
I'd personally say they're far too large to wear in public.[/QUOTE]

I looked at a few pictures of the HA-RX700 & you're right, they look huge

Thanks for the advice

[Mbbird]

Posted this in another thread but I just realized this one exists:

Okay so I'm shopping around for a new pair of headphones, half for gaming half for music, and I require suggestions. I'm willing to put out about [B]~$150[/B], more if I can be positive it's a solid piece of hardware, and I figure I can get even better deals since it's Black Friday and all (with Monday coming up too, just in case). I was going to go for a Blackshark 2.0, with my Carcharias headset as tradein, but apparently they don't function nearly as well as they look, and I realize I should shoot higher anyway.

I've been a pretty big fan of Razer headsets, despite what people say about Razer, because I find them 100x more comfortable than others with plenty good audio quality, but I'm open to any other company's hardware really.

[editline]29th November 2013[/editline]

I have a Razer Carcharias right now, so looking for a bit of an upgrade over that. Before anyone tells me to, I'll be rummaging through this thread and Toms Hardware for a while too.

[Fate]

[QUOTE=Mbbird;43022089]Posted this in another thread but I just realized this one exists:

Okay so I'm shopping around for a new pair of headphones and I require suggestions. I'm willing to put out about [B]~$150[/B], more if I can be positive it's a solid piece of hardware, and I figure I can get even better deals since it's Black Friday and all (with Monday coming up too, just in case). I was going to go for a Blackshark 2.0, with my Carcharias headset as tradein, but apparently they don't function nearly as well as they look, and I realize I should shoot higher anyway.

I've been a pretty big fan of Razer headsets, despite what people say about Razer, because I find them 100x more comfortable than others with plenty good audio quality, but I'm open to any other company's hardware really.

[editline]29th November 2013[/editline]

I have a Razer Carcharias right now, so looking for a bit of an upgrade over that. Before anyone tells me to, I'll be rummaging through this thread and Toms Hardware for a while too.[/QUOTE]

What sort of music do you listen to mostly?
Are you looking for gaming headset (ie microphone) or headphones?

[Mbbird]

[QUOTE=SataniX;43022125]What sort of music do you listen to mostly?
Are you looking for gaming headset (ie microphone) or headphones?[/QUOTE]

Both, really. I've been reading that's really not possible, is it? I'd value music above gaming, since I'm listening to music pretty much constantly, but I hope there's a nice-enough midground. I'd like a built-in mic, but that also doesn't seem to always be the best idea.

According to Grooveshark, I listen to a mix of pop (trip pop, indie pop, weirdo shit). For a reference point, I know someone who's obsessed with bass in hardstyle, house, and all that stuff, and while I often like electronic, I'm not into that kind of stuff.

[editline]29th November 2013[/editline]

I realize that I also listen to a ton of downtempo and "indie electronic", whatever that is.

[turke]

im in the market for new speakers, my current ones (creative t40's) are great for me, but lack bass i want, unless theres a way to hook a subwoofer to them (i really dont know about this stuff) then i'll want ones

price limit would be ~£200 mainly used for music, rarely gaming

[Fate]

With regards to headphones vs headsets, generally headsets are a poor quality pair of headphones combined with a poor quality mic and then marked up a lot.
There are some exceptions ie the Beyerdynamic MX300 for €329.00 - however it's the exact same headphones as the DT770's which are ~160 euros.
Generally the best price-performance is to buy a pair of normal music-focused headphones and a clip-on mic. The modmic ([url]http://www.modmic.com/[/url]) is very good from what I hear, and works almost exactly the same.

Headphones-wise, based on your music, I think you'd like something bass-neutral, maybe even bass light so I'd recommend either the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-504631-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1385809550&sr=8-9&keywords=Sennheiser]Sennheiser HD558[/url] or the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385809587&sr=8-1&keywords=ATH-m50]ATH-m50s[/url] are at a nice price currently.
Both of those leave space in your budget to get a modmic.

[Darkimmortal]

[QUOTE=SataniX;43025247]With regards to headphones vs headsets, generally headsets are a poor quality pair of headphones combined with a poor quality mic and then marked up a lot.
There are some exceptions ie the Beyerdynamic MX300 for €329.00 - however it's the exact same headphones as the DT770's which are ~160 euros.
Generally the best price-performance is to buy a pair of normal music-focused headphones and a clip-on mic. The modmic ([url]http://www.modmic.com/[/url]) is very good from what I hear, and works almost exactly the same.
[/QUOTE]

The Beyerdynamic DT190 is much better price/performance than the MX300 - ends up ~£200 for DT150 (DT770 minus V shape response, basically much better for gaming and suits more genres of music) with a really good mic attached

[editline]30th November 2013[/editline]

Only flaws are that it's discontinued (but still just about possible to buy brand new) and you have to solder the connectors yourself (k190.00 cable) or pay a ridiculous premium (k190.48 cable)

[Ninja Duck]

I asked in Home Audio but it doesn't seem very active so I'll ask here, since I know people use audio interfaces with headphones:

I've got a pair of M-Audio monitors connected to my mobo with a dual TRS to 1/8 jack cable and it sounds good but it buzzes every now and then and I know I can get better sound with a proper connection. The thing is I don't know what type of soundcard or external audio interface I should get. I don't want to get $100+ equipment because I'm not doing studio recording or anything, I just want to get a better connection for better listening quality.

I found these two on Amazon but I'm not sure if they're made for what I'm trying to do.
[url]http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EHILV4/ref=s9_psimh_gw_p267_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0VGSZ0CS2PHZXEVY6ZKY&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1630083502&pf_rd_i=507846[/url]
[url]http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000J0IIEQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3RWHES6MUNS5H&coliid=I1HVRG4VDONZSX[/url]

Or would this be more fitting? I'd just need to get a couple XLR cables too.
[url]http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-M-Track-2-Channel-Portable-Interface/dp/B00BQ6KSN6/ref=sr_1_2?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1385851169&sr=1-2&keywords=m-audio[/url]

I've got a few basses and electric guitar so I can always make use of the inputs for it just to experiment with things.

[Mbbird]

[QUOTE=SataniX;43025247]With regards to headphones vs headsets, generally headsets are a poor quality pair of headphones combined with a poor quality mic and then marked up a lot.
There are some exceptions ie the Beyerdynamic MX300 for €329.00 - however it's the exact same headphones as the DT770's which are ~160 euros.
Generally the best price-performance is to buy a pair of normal music-focused headphones and a clip-on mic. The modmic ([url]http://www.modmic.com/[/url]) is very good from what I hear, and works almost exactly the same.

Headphones-wise, based on your music, I think you'd like something bass-neutral, maybe even bass light so I'd recommend either the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-504631-HD-558-Headphones/dp/B004FEEY9A/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1385809550&sr=8-9&keywords=Sennheiser]Sennheiser HD558[/url] or the [url=http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50-Professional-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B000ULAP4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1385809587&sr=8-1&keywords=ATH-m50]ATH-m50s[/url] are at a nice price currently.
Both of those leave space in your budget to get a modmic.[/QUOTE]

oooo

I'm seeing a lot of advice against headsets built into headphones, and it makes sense, so I don't mind an external mic. Last time I was in the market for headphones I remember seeing something about modmic, looks perfect honestly.

Price-wise those two headsets look to be perfect, especially with the supposed original price. Google is netting tons of comparison threads. I'll be looking at those for a while. While the modmic details are fuzzy, I'll probably end up ordering one or the other by tonight.

[Mr. Agree]

How do the M50s compare to the modded fostex's that DT was selling? I was thinking of getting a second set of headphones, but not wanting to spend as much and one that would be good when editing, etc out of the house.

My modded fostex are something I'm not willing to stick in a bag in case they are thrown about, but wondering how the quality in sound would compare?