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

it seems like nobody in this thread is ever actually replied to or assisted. anybody have a ~$150 set of headphones they would reccomend?

[QUOTE=Punchy;46273705]it seems like nobody in this thread is ever actually replied to or assisted. anybody have a ~$150 set of headphones they would reccomend?[/QUOTE] audio-technica ath-m50(x)?

brainwavz hm5/xpt100s are great if you want a more neutral sound with great comfort and soundstage. i have the xpt's and theyre the same as the hm5's but more comfortable and cheaper. got em for $80 on newegg

I've got my MDR-7506es up and running, and man, are they bizarre. They're incredibly accurate, but flat and vaguely cold and soulless. They seem focused on perfect replication of audio and nothing more. They do their job, certainly, seeing as I'm using them for games, which benefit from their great sound stage, but music just sounds a little odd. Then again, they were never intended for use outside of the studio or the turntable. [editline]21st October 2014[/editline] Oh... and the build quality is amazing.

I was looking at headphones today, for the next semester of school (Which starts in January for me) and was really liking the Bose QuietComfort 15 set. The noise cancelling part of the headphones is what really amazed me. It muted the entirety of the futureshop I tried them in (Fan whir, background chatter, and the tv section), and had a really good sound (To me, at least). However, I figured you guys here are better at judging headphones than I am, so I thought I would get opinions here. Should I go for it, or try something else? [editline]27th October 2014[/editline] Just found that there is an upgrade to the QC 15s now, as the qc 25s. Futureshop didn't have those for display, so currently looking into it. According to Toms Hardware, they beat the QC 15s in pretty much every way, but still cost $300 (I am getting $400 for college fees that I don't have to pay for since I already covered that in the first semester, so free money to get something nice.)

bose headphones are shite [editline]27th October 2014[/editline] get good IEMs.

Can I ask why Bose is bad? Is it opinion or fact? I do prefer over-ear compared to in-ear though. I currently have a pair of Bose ie2s that I found at a pawn shop for $15.

From my experience, different Bose sets have different drawbacks. Most of them have questionable sound quality (once you've used something better to compare against), treble is fuzzy, base is overwhelming but not clear, etc. Only thing great about them is the noise cancellation on the high end set, which is unmatched by most others at that price range.

they are over-priced with middling to bad sound quality almost all of the time

they comfy tho. I liked my pair of OE2s even though they were plasticky and flimsy for the price because they were just the most comfiest things. Nowhere near the sound quality of anything in its price range, but comfy.

Bose phones are great but they cost too much, there's always better stuff in their price range if you're not into perfect noise cancellation.

I would be using them for AV editing, Gaming, Listening to Music, and solo movie watching (I don't have a TV). Most of the time I listen to music is on a noisy roadtrip, so noise cancelling would be god-send for me.

Any good wireless headsets between 100-200 euro price-point? My current Logitech F540's battery life declined to shit tier lately (clocked it at 1 hour, 45 min yesterday), so I'm looking for alternatives. Apparently the Logitech G930 has the same battery so I rather avoid it. I'm not much of an audiophile, just looking for a closed headset that works great for games. Want it to be wireless because of VR gaming (less cables attached to my head).

Nobody is going to tell you anything other than regular headphones and a Modmic. Wireless headphones are a nightmare.

are the beyerdynamic dt 770s a good choice? ive heard that they are better than the m50x.

[QUOTE=Havolis;46368718]are the beyerdynamic dt 770s a good choice? ive heard that they are better than the m50x.[/QUOTE] Yes.

I need a new headset primarily for gaming. Right now I'm using the Creative Fatal1ty and my friend suggests replacing it with a Panasonic RP HTF600 with a mod mic. How does the Zalman ZM Mic work? I don't want excessive wires and I'm weary about the lack of a boom bar

[QUOTE=FreddiRox!;46398073]I need a new headset primarily for gaming. Right now I'm using the Creative Fatal1ty and my friend suggests replacing it with a Panasonic RP HTF600 with a mod mic. How does the Zalman ZM Mic work? I don't want excessive wires and I'm weary about the lack of a boom bar[/QUOTE] If you don't mind spending an extra $20, I'd recommend getting the JVC HARX 900s instead of the HTF600s, they'll last you a lot longer, and are IMO more comfortable, though larger. [url]http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX900-High-Grade-Full-Size-Headphone/dp/B0013P3ZOE[/url] Also the zalman clip on mics clip onto the wire of your headphones, it is indeed an extra wire, though you might be able to get it to run parallel with the headphone cord if you do a little wire management with the cords. I personally prefer to recommend the samson go desktop mic, though it's a lot more expensive and not necessarily what you'd want to fill the niche for voice comms in certain situations.

How well does the Panasonic RP-HTF600-S size up against the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO? I'm looking for a pair of headphones great for gaming, listening to music (mainly jazz, classical, electro, and orchestral/choir stuff), and watching movies. Plenty of rich, deep bass helps, and if possible I'd like to avoid using an amp and keep the price at or below $100 USD, and they [i]must[/i] be circumaural and closed-air. These two headphones in particular have really caught my interest, but others that fit the above requirements are welcome.

[QUOTE=soulharvester;46399491]If you don't mind spending an extra $20, I'd recommend getting the JVC HARX 900s instead of the HTF600s, they'll last you a lot longer, and are IMO more comfortable, though larger. [url]http://www.amazon.com/JVC-HARX900-High-Grade-Full-Size-Headphone/dp/B0013P3ZOE[/url] Also the zalman clip on mics clip onto the wire of your headphones, it is indeed an extra wire, though you might be able to get it to run parallel with the headphone cord if you do a little wire management with the cords. I personally prefer to recommend the samson go desktop mic, though it's a lot more expensive and not necessarily what you'd want to fill the niche for voice comms in certain situations.[/QUOTE] Thanks for the help however in a change of heart I've just decided to go with a cheap pair of Logitech G430s. Primarily my use would be for gaming and the HTF600 and HARX900 didn't have surround sound which is high valuable to me.

[QUOTE=FreddiRox!;46400985]Thanks for the help however in a change of heart I've just decided to go with a cheap pair of Logitech G430s. Primarily my use would be for gaming and the HTF600 and HARX900 didn't have surround sound which is high valuable to me.[/QUOTE] Surround headphones work less well than stereo headphones for giving positional information.

[QUOTE=FreddiRox!;46400985]didn't have surround sound which is high valuable to me.[/QUOTE] "Surround sound" when used as a buzzword for headphones, usually means that they put a bunch of small low quality drivers into the casing so they could advertise that they're using more audio channels. Either that or that it comes with software that distorts your signal in an attempt to make sound feel more "3D". the 3D affect of audio comes from your brain interpreting the difference in volume and timing of a specific sound through your two audio sensory inputs (your ears, you hear in stereo). A game simulates 3D positional information by modifying the timing and volume of each stereo channel per sound so that your brain can properly interpret it on it's own. [url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUDTlvagjJA[/url]

Thank you for being helpful in spite of my stupidity! I've been reading reviews on the HTF 600 and I'm concerned about the comfort and durability of them. I been suggested Denon ADH1100 which I found on amazon for £54 on sale. I've read reviews and they've been praised for their comfort and all round qualities - considering the headset is primarily for gaming use this sounds like a good bargain?

I suggested another pair of headphones other than the HTF 600s specifically because despite their great audio quality (for the price), they have a few design flaws that make them rather.. fragile, I almost want to say. If you drop them, there's a good chance that the tiny piece of plastic that holds the driver housing onto the headband will snap right off, and leave the driver housing dangling by the wire. This happened to both sides of the set I purchased, and while they still worked (After guerrilla gluing them in place), I'd rather just have a set that works like new despite being dropped on pavement a few times. I also experienced that over time lots of gunk built up on the the cushion and inner felt lining, which I've yet to experience with my HARX 900s, which are, I assure you, very comfortable. There's also the cheaper HARX 700s, but their audio quality suffers for the price difference. edit: And don't worry about the surround sound misunderstanding, it's very common misunderstanding, unfortunately. edit: Headphones are rather expensive across the pond, aren't they?

Technology in England is still considered sorcery so the Government have enforced a 50% tax on all sorcery in the name of the Queen

[QUOTE=FreddiRox!;46402281]Technology in England is still considered sorcery so the Government have enforced a 50% tax on all sorcery in the name of the Queen[/QUOTE] Can confirm, was burned at stake for owning computer.

hello, i recently got a pair of beyerdynamic custom one pros (wanted the dt 770 but they were out of stock) and my biggest gripe with it is that its really painful to my jawline. ive tried putting it over the box it came overnight to reduce the clamp, and it only slightly changed. help? EDIT: Now that i think of it, i think it is a problem with the default pleather earpads. im going to order some velour earpads.

or you know what ill just wait more because i heard that they take time to fully "adapt to your head", if it gets really irritating though, ill get the velour earpads. [editline]5th November 2014[/editline] fuck my merge

[QUOTE=Fourm Shark;46421921]I thought I should ask here. My audio-out port just broke, so are USB converters that would work with regular headphones any good?[/QUOTE] any decent DAC+Amp is almost certainly better than your onboard audio, yes. Though, assuming you have a PC, you could get a cheaper audio card instead. I personally own a Fiio E07K, which while expensive, I like, as I can use it with any portable device that supports USB on the go (Any new android stuff, I think iPhone does too), meaning that I don't lose sound fidelity or volume when I bring it with me on the road. You can also test headphones against each-other using the 2 output ports it has, knowing that they're receiving the same signal.

have Sennheiser Momentum On-ears what do you all think of them? in comparison to my old shitty Skullcandy On-ears they are fucking beautiful