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

Did a lot of researching and decided to pay the extra money and go for the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO 32 OHMS ( went for this instead of 80/250 since my local store didn't have any) costed me around $220. Works pretty well sounds better then my old pair of ATH-M50's and most importantly everything is customizable except no detachable cable but otherwise solid build quality and most importantly I can keep these on FOREVER. I bought these at 1:30 PM and have been wearing them ever since haven't even took them off; feels like it's not even there. It's SUPER comfortable. I highly suggest these headphones; also can be used with a mod mic or a cheap zalman clip on mic. [t]http://i6.minus.com/iJjZ3uY5wPHeh.JPG[/t] [t]http://i2.minus.com/iWTx0uD1BYwH1.JPG[/t] [t]http://i5.minus.com/ib1DMIieCDHDhn.JPG[/t] As you can see I can easily add the wires and clip on the zalman mic on the headphones itself through the removable headband cover which makes it closer to my face thus making it sound less far away; pretty sweet.

Budget: $230 +/- as little as possible, USD eBay: Sure, as long as they're authentic. Country: US Isolation: Don't care much, as long as they're not super open. Purpose: Games, Music Music Tastes: Hard Dance, General Electronic music. Some rap, and a small mix of other things not worth mentioning. Previous Experiences: ATH-M50's, Brainwavz HM5 Comments: I liked the ATH-M50's, but liked the soundstage of the HM5 more. Comfort is very important to me as I will be wearing them for 3+ hours at a time mostly. I liked the HM5 a fair bit more in terms of comfort than the M50's, but am looking for a tad bit more punch in the low end. Over the ear only, and able to do fine without an amp, as well. Edit: Price update

i got a pair of soundmagic e10s (i bought a refurb pair on ebay that comply were selling a few rubber/foam tips with) and they are great. with a little eq to raise the upper mids and highs (or lower the bass) they sound fantastic. big soundstage, middling isolation (which i want, for working in classes and stuff). so glad i don't need to bring my ad900x in now

I seem to remember a lot of headphone doctors hanging around this thread, so... Digging through a garage, I've gotten myself a free MDR-7506! Its cord is chewed to shit, though: [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/W8iDXgSl.jpg[/IMG] Sorry for potato quality. Is this fixable? How should I go about fixing it? I really want to use it, as it's miles better than my current Sennheiser HD201's. [editline]5th October 2014[/editline] Update: Managed to unravel everything. The fucking cat apparently completely chewed through the cord. [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/ECGeE8Xl.jpg[/IMG] [editline]5th October 2014[/editline] Should I just make a thread for this?

Either recable it yourself or find a shop to do it.

What sort of cable should I get? Sorry, I really don't know much.

I don't know those headphones you have but is it possible to plug out the cable from the headphones and just change it? If yes, I'd just buy a new cable. Some time ago, I bought one of those spiral cables from beyerdynamic and it was 25€. I think it isn't much less to get it fixed in a shop. Unless you're able to do it on your own of course, you should try that first if you feel capable of doing that.

It's not unpluggable, but replacing it doesn't seem too hard, seeing as I have some basic soldering skills. I just don't know where I can buy raw cables that end in leads. Digikey sells that sort of thing, but they charge a lot for shipping and they seem to cater to businesses. [editline]7th October 2014[/editline] Also, are all audio cables made alike? Will a bad quality cable destroy sound quality?

[QUOTE=AtomicSans;46169124]It's not unpluggable, but replacing it doesn't seem too hard, seeing as I have some basic soldering skills. I just don't know where I can buy raw cables that end in leads. Digikey sells that sort of thing, but they charge a lot for shipping and they seem to cater to businesses. [editline]7th October 2014[/editline] Also, are all audio cables made alike? Will a bad quality cable destroy sound quality?[/QUOTE] Cables are pretty much all the same quality wise provided they're robust enough. Don't get any of the monster shit cables or the like.

I guess what I really mean is how much the thickness of the cable impacts the sound. I don't know if using too thin of a cable will make issues.

[url]http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-800-headphones[/url] These guys are convinced cables make a difference :V

You know, to be honest... cables can sometimes be different. HDMI is supposed to be the most basic simple standard cable and they should ALL work the same. But I have two 1.4 HDMI cables at home for example, both 1m, both bought from the same store, but two different brands (Belkin and some yum cha thing). For some reason, the image from my PC to my TV using the Belkin cable is noisy, fuzzy and downright unwatchable. But from the $5 yum cha cable? Brilliant, no problem whatsoever. And it happened to me again when I bought a couple more random branded cables years later from an online seller. I don't even get it but it happens... Anyway. My wonderful Fatal1ty mkii headphones actually BROKE the other day, which I've never had happen before - but they lasted me years so I'm happy either way. I contemplated trying to buy another pair from the only person in Australia who even has some in stock, but decided I would try something different. After a LOT of reading, I wanted to try something VERY different from what I have normally bought all these years, and settled on a pair of Brainwavz HM5 monitor headphones. Weird choice? Maybe. I actually got the Digitech branded monitor headphones which are the same thing only unbranded and half the price, got em from Jaycar (have a read on Head Fi about the HM5's, they talk a lot about the various alternatively branded versions out there). [img]http://cnet1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2014/01/30/c3b642d0-8bb6-11e3-a24e-d4ae52e62bcc/thumbnail/770x433/2093452813c93dc05efbaf84c4ad931e/Brainwavz_HM5_35834969_10.jpg[/img] I spent most of the night just trying to tweak them properly with the equalizer and bass/treble settings, they do need a LOT of tweaking to sound right I'm finding. It's almost as if they feel tiny and like you're standing in a tiny room listening to people talk, which is strange given they're supposed to have a very open soundstage. But there are also a LOT of mods you can make to these headphones I've found, some I WILL try, and they just need time to 'burn in' I guess. Still, for $99 I'm actually really happy with them. The earcups are massive, super soft, they fit my head beautifully and the cables are thick and sturdy. They even supplied spare ear cups! Pretty happy in the end.

Hey lads, My Decade old Sennheiser HD 515s are finally starting to give. Due to limited budget, I have maybe 100€ max. I've been able to track more HD 515s on Amazon for 80$. Any better suggestions?

Copied from the Quick Questions thread, wondered if you guys have any answers: [quote]Is there a way to protect headphone cables from snapping/ breaking? After consuming one headphone a year because of a fracture in the cable I wondered if these was some way to prevent it. The headphone currently in question is the Sennheiser HD201, I ordered it today and as far as I can remember from a friend the cable isn't really thick. [/quote]

I have Sennheiser HD 201's. The cord is thin, but very resistant to damage. Just don't keep scissors around them.

What's the standard accepted price for headphones? I need a new set but i don't really know what price would be considered fair or luxury etc. I mean i'm looking for around $120 but it seems like most are ~$200+

[QUOTE=Angus725;46178174][url]http://www.head-fi.org/products/sennheiser-hd-800-headphones[/url] These guys are convinced cables make a difference :V[/QUOTE] They're idiots.

[QUOTE=Zombiespeed;46185330]Copied from the Quick Questions thread, wondered if you guys have any answers:[/QUOTE] If you're using those on the go and hold an end of the cable in your pant's pocket, it's almost inevitable. It happens to all types of headphones/earphones due to the constrant pressure while bent in the pocket. Adding a small spring like the one from a pen or reinforcing the jack some othe way could help. [QUOTE=Punchy;46191048]What's the standard accepted price for headphones? I need a new set but i don't really know what price would be considered fair or luxury etc. I mean i'm looking for around $120 but it seems like most are ~$200+[/QUOTE] 150-300 is kind of the midrange "Great but not insane", but you can find good ones in all price ranges and it's more depending on your needs and what you can afford. For that price you could always get the beloved Audio-Technica ATH-M50's(or the newer ATH-M50x as an improved edition) as a general suggestion, but you can find better alternatives for specific use-cases and genres.

For gaming with good soundstage I may try what this guy suggests. The Superlux with the HiFiman velour pads is so freaking cheap. He starts talking about the pads at 2:00 and the sound quality at 12:00 [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-0Jw1KHdkY[/media]

I'm looking for a pair of earbuds or low profile headphones for no more than $50 for my laptop. I'd replace my $30 desktop set and use those, but my JVC RX700's aren't what I'd consider mobile.

[url]http://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/2iqsve/trying_to_find_replacement_cables_of_a_higher/[/url] [url]https://i.imgur.com/Vfe7XBJ.jpg[/url] [QUOTE]The cables that came with the Silverados are of very shitty quality and are starting to fall apart. I have been trying to find replacement cables to no avail. It appears that the dual jacks that plug directly into the headphones are stereo because of the 2 lines and I cannot find anything suitable as a replacement. Does anyone have any ideas as to finding some?[/QUOTE]

Would the ATH-M50s work well with high-quallity spotify streaming and high quallity mp3s or do they demand a higher audio quality level to not bring out flaws? Also how do they do in games I'm considering them for a general use, desktop/walk around hybrid. [editline]13th October 2014[/editline] Also are replacement cables easy to obtain? I understand the headphones only take their specific cables.

what are the best all-around headphones for a budget of 150-200 dollars? looking for semi-open headphones too, open air if necessary

[QUOTE=Elstumpo;46219723]Would the ATH-M50s work well with high-quallity spotify streaming and high quallity mp3s or do they demand a higher audio quality level to not bring out flaws? Also how do they do in games I'm considering them for a general use, desktop/walk around hybrid. [editline]13th October 2014[/editline] Also are replacement cables easy to obtain? I understand the headphones only take their specific cables.[/QUOTE] High quality mp3's should be enough and depends on your audio source wether you would even hear the denser audio formats. Gaming wise they're ok, not the best for the job as the soundstage isn't too wide but their alternative would be Beyerdynamics DT 770's and those are home use only. Most headphone cables outside of those with a mic included should be able to take any generic audio cable. Mind the top end jack if you're dealing with detachable cables(the newer m50x has it).

[QUOTE=Hawke7;46242794]High quality mp3's should be enough and depends on your audio source wether you would even hear the denser audio formats. Gaming wise they're ok, not the best for the job as the soundstage isn't too wide but their alternative would be Beyerdynamics DT 770's and those are home use only. Most headphone cables outside of those with a mic included should be able to take any generic audio cable. Mind the top end jack if you're dealing with detachable cables(the newer m50x has it).[/QUOTE] Cheers. I'm just a bit sceptical with detachable cables since I bought the HD439s for that purpose and the port is designed in such a way as to only accept the two that come with the box, which sucks when the 1.4m cable breaks.

[QUOTE=Havolis;46229846]what are the best all-around headphones for a budget of 150-200 dollars? looking for semi-open headphones too, open air if necessary[/QUOTE] okay so im very interested in the beyerdynamic dt 880, even though they are a bit too expensive. ill still try and grab them.

Do you have an amp to drive those?

I'm finding it difficult to sift through the endless chinese copies of the same speakers on amazon. Can someone recommend me speakers with a sub-woofer for under $150 must ship to Canada. The $150 doesn't include shipping. They would be speakers for a computer to play music. Thanks.

sorry for dumping the thread with my posts, but how are the philips fidelio l1? they look very promising, especially for the price. and the akg k240? my god im seriously torn up :v:

i was using a new pair of HD598s earlier, god the build quality feels like garbage. feels like cheap plastic, and are uncomfortable to boot. no idea why anyone would go for these over ad700x at the same price range.