Headphone Buying Megathread/Guide V4 - Come here for all your audio needs! (New Threads are not need
4,875 replies, posted
[QUOTE=Levelog;47205381]They're a tad heavy, but they're the most solid headphones I've ever used.[/QUOTE]
Anything will be better than
[t]http://i.imgur.com/oZTgwdP.jpg[/t]
... these.
Here's what mine looks like right now, too much stress for crazy glue to support. I'm going to have to mod some other headband on to these drivers.
[img]http://i.imgur.com/4PJIaFZ.jpg[/img]
my DT990 premium 600 ohm headphones finally died after nearly 4 years and many many many thousands of hours of use, and replacing the driver costs over $100 not including shipping and there's no telling when the other driver will fail, so I think it's time to retire these beauties.
I'm looking for another pair of open back circumaural headphones more in the $100 price range because I don't have anywhere near enough money to buy another pair of $400 headphones right now. I think I'd prefer something more in the 250 ohm range to match my amp (fiio e7+e9) a little bit better.
other than that, I just want something acoustically similar to my old headphones.
[editline]25th February 2015[/editline]
actually I just checked with a stereo test video from youtube and the right channel is just significantly quieter than it should be. the problem does persist through multiple devices and amplifiers so it's 100% something happening with the headphones. if anyone knows how to fix that I'd really appreciate it
[editline]25th February 2015[/editline]
false alarm
now that I had some time I went ahead and opened them up to hopefully find out what the problem was, I was able to fix them without much trouble. the driver was falling out of the bit that held it in place
[thumb]http://imgkk.com/i/l8gl.jpg[/thumb]
that white bit was falling out of the black clips that keep it where it needs to be, I just popped it back where it needs to go. if it happens again I'll epoxy it in place.
I was fully prepared to stick a multimeter to it and find out that it was reading about 2200 ohms but everything turned out fine
So I prefer using my sound system over having the sound directly blasted into my ears through headphones and going deaf, is there anything I can use as a mic that won't disable the 5.1 surround when plugged in. Tried a webcam from Gearhead but discdrive won't open and I can't find the drivers online so mic quality is terrible.
Bought myself a Sennheiser HD202 and oh my god I'll never go back to my puny earphone again, ever.
I'm not too impressed with Amazon vs Newegg. With Newegg, when you order something they update your order's status very quickly. From processing your order to packaging to sending it out to the carrier to delivery status, it's all constantly changing on a day to day basis. I ordered the headphones from Amazon and last night was my first update. For three days no status updates. As long as I get my delivery on time it doesn't really matter, but I like seeing updates otherwise I start to think something is wrong with my order.
I got my JVC HA-RX700 in the mail.
Quick question: What's the deal with "breaking-in" headphones? Many of the reviews for this pair say the headphones need some time to break-in, but there's a lot of debate over that even being a real thing. What do you guys say?
Just leave it playing all day for like a week when you're not wearing them if you think "burn-in" will make it sound better, some people theorize that people think the "burn-in" theory is the result of people getting used to the sound and considering it normal over time and thus considering it to sound better as they get used too it.
It certainly doesn't really hurt, just try to avoid using them like loud-speakers, I fear I may have warped my HARX 900s or something by playing them at max volume with my DAC/AMP and being able to hear them across the house, before I realized that probably wasn't the best idea.
I play pink noise through mine at slightly above the level I do most of my listening. Twist tie the earpads together, to cut down sound leakage, and toss them in a drawer. That way they can play for hours without bothering you. I don't know how many hours that JVC can benefit from but I'd start with 20.
is the effort needed to do that really worth the placebo
Sorry if wrong place to discuss. I ordered a Modmic from Massdrop and its giving me options for omnidirectional one and standard one. Which one would be best for gaming and talking to friends? Kinda stumped here since I cant find a good explanation what omnidirectional is.
[QUOTE=Starship;47226124]Sorry if wrong place to discuss. I ordered a Modmic from Massdrop and its giving me options for omnidirectional one and standard one. Which one would be best for gaming and talking to friends? Kinda stumped here since I cant find a good explanation what omnidirectional is.[/QUOTE]
The sound quality of an unidirectional microphone is arguably worse, but an omnidirectional microphone is, well, omnidirectional, which means it'll pick up more keyboard typing sounds and other noise (and possibly the sound of your headphones, if they're open-back).
The unidirectional one is probably better for most people.
Budget: less than 50 euros, but if there's a sufficent quality jump I can raise the limit;
eBay: n
Country: Poland
Isolation: what
Purpose: Mostly to listen to various kinds of music from my pre-mini-usb-for-every-electronic-device nwz-e443, but also to use on my pc for skype and video james
Music Tastes: literally everything mostly vocal
Previous Experiences: fatal1ty by creative, and insane masses of cheap headsets and 10-pln earbuds
Comments: I'm mostly looking at durability, as all the headsets I get have this weird tendency of breaking into single atoms. I'd like some pair of headphones which doesn't have flimsy attachments or joins, and also if the cable was covered somewhat, as i also have some weird history of issues with them - table corners scratching through, jack inputs falling off and wtf
I can't really tell what headphones provide better sound quality, like heck I can hardly tell any difference between the noname earbuds and fatal1ty things I have right now
stuff's going to be used half/half outside/indoors, but it'd help if the headphones weren't bulky as fuck
Budget:100-150$
eBay:Nope
Country:Venezuela
Isolation:Dont really care much
Purposes:Mainly Gaming but also music
Music Tastes:"Calm" Music nothing too strong besides a few songs here and there
Previous Experiences:Logitech g930
Comments: Mostly looking at GOOD Sound Quality since ill be mostly using them for gaming (Shooters and stuff) If they also work well for listening music thats a huge plus,I got sick of this horrible logitech g930 headset it has this horrible cracking with everything just after 2 weeks of use its incredibly annoying and i can barely play anything or hear any music without getting crackling , Also the more durable the Headphones the better since i have to import nearly everything i buy trough amazon and it takes about 3 weeks for products to arrive..
[QUOTE=.Lain;47225881]is the effort needed to do that really worth the placebo[/QUOTE]
To be fair, there are like 5 headphones that the signature actually does change a noticeable amount by burn in.
[QUOTE=.Lain;47225881]is the effort needed to do that really worth the placebo[/QUOTE]
[URL="http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-break"]a placebo?[/URL]
Everyone always mocks placebos but I can say is they work for me.
So im trying to find a decent desktop DAC/AMP combo forawhile now but im bit confused by all them im pretty damn new to this I know what they are for thought but most are really expensive which is understandable but are there any decent ones for about 300 euro not more.
I came across the O2+ODAC Combo which seems to fit my budget so do you guys know this is good one or any other suggestions I dont know any of the brands.
Or better yet should I just get an really good PCI sound card? Which I already have but its 7 years old.
[QUOTE=Havolis;47226886][URL="http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/evidence-headphone-break"]a placebo?[/URL][/QUOTE]
Wait, so we're only talking about a half decibel difference?
[QUOTE=Snickerdoodle;47232536]Wait, so we're only talking about a half decibel difference?[/QUOTE]
half a decibel is incredibly significant.
[QUOTE=hydrated;47233333]half a decibel is incredibly significant.[/QUOTE]
I probably have a shoddy understanding of decibels then.
[QUOTE=Snickerdoodle;47233350]I probably have a shoddy understanding of decibels then.[/QUOTE]
decibels are on a logarithmic scale, not a linear one. half a decibel is a 12% increase in sound pressure, a 16% increase in energy, and roughly a 5% increase in volume
-snip-
[QUOTE=Stephen427sf;47231183]So im trying to find a decent desktop DAC/AMP combo forawhile now but im bit confused by all them im pretty damn new to this I know what they are for thought but most are really expensive which is understandable but are there any decent ones for about 300 euro not more.
I came across the O2+ODAC Combo which seems to fit my budget so do you guys know this is good one or any other suggestions I dont know any of the brands.
Or better yet should I just get an really good PCI sound card? Which I already have but its 7 years old.[/QUOTE]
the o2 + odac combo is excellent for the money
the schiit magni + modi combo is also just as good too.
[editline]1st March 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=werewolf0020;47226461]Budget:100-150$
eBay:Nope
Country:Venezuela
Isolation:Dont really care much
Purposes:Mainly Gaming but also music
Music Tastes:"Calm" Music nothing too strong besides a few songs here and there
Previous Experiences:Logitech g930
Comments: Mostly looking at GOOD Sound Quality since ill be mostly using them for gaming (Shooters and stuff) If they also work well for listening music thats a huge plus,I got sick of this horrible logitech g930 headset it has this horrible cracking with everything just after 2 weeks of use its incredibly annoying and i can barely play anything or hear any music without getting crackling , Also the more durable the Headphones the better since i have to import nearly everything i buy trough amazon and it takes about 3 weeks for products to arrive..[/QUOTE]
Audio-technica ath-ad900x, if you import them from japan they will be even cheaper btw
[editline]1st March 2015[/editline]
[QUOTE=Nexosz;47226215]Budget: less than 50 euros, but if there's a sufficent quality jump I can raise the limit;
eBay: n
Country: Poland
Isolation: what
Purpose: Mostly to listen to various kinds of music from my pre-mini-usb-for-every-electronic-device nwz-e443, but also to use on my pc for skype and video james
Music Tastes: literally everything mostly vocal
Previous Experiences: fatal1ty by creative, and insane masses of cheap headsets and 10-pln earbuds
Comments: I'm mostly looking at durability, as all the headsets I get have this weird tendency of breaking into single atoms. I'd like some pair of headphones which doesn't have flimsy attachments or joins, and also if the cable was covered somewhat, as i also have some weird history of issues with them - table corners scratching through, jack inputs falling off and wtf
I can't really tell what headphones provide better sound quality, like heck I can hardly tell any difference between the noname earbuds and fatal1ty things I have right now
stuff's going to be used half/half outside/indoors, but it'd help if the headphones weren't bulky as fuck[/QUOTE]
Koss PortaPro, these have no isolation and sound is going to leak out a bit since they are semi-open, but they are fantastic for the money.
edit: nvm
I've officially lost my Audio Technica earbuds I got for free when I visited their US building. Good thing they were cheapo's, still had the price tag on them. 1500 yen.
[QUOTE=Havolis;47236739]
Koss PortaPro, these have no isolation and sound is going to leak out a bit since they are semi-open, but they are fantastic for the money.[/QUOTE]
I wasn't really able to find anything proper in that price range, and I've seen these PortaPro irl - they handle insanely flimsy and the build quality also seems heavily on the ehh side, so I decided to increase the price range a bit.
After some research I've come to conclusion that the best quality for value I was able to find without entering the world of 3-digit prices was a pair of akg y50. The price's double of my limit, so I'm expecting the second coming of christ, but overall they seem really durable and good in terms of audio; Are these headphones made to last? Are there any cheaper alternatives which don't sacrifice insane amounts of quality?
Koss PortaPro uses the same driver as the Koss KSC75s as far as I know, and I loved the sound of the KSC75s. The PortaPro also has a headband, which provides more clamping force than the ear hook things on the KSC75, so bass should sound even better.
That said, the KSC75 is the cheapest constructed headphone I've seen, even cheaper than the Panasonic. I took great care of them and they still didn't last. It's true there's a lifetime warranty but are you really going to pack up your $12-$30 headphones and send them back for repairs once a year? I'm not, so I can't recommend the cheap Koss headphones.
[QUOTE=Nexosz;47238150]I wasn't really able to find anything proper in that price range, and I've seen these PortaPro irl - they handle insanely flimsy and the build quality also seems heavily on the ehh side, so I decided to increase the price range a bit.
After some research I've come to conclusion that the best quality for value I was able to find without entering the world of 3-digit prices was a pair of akg y50. The price's double of my limit, so I'm expecting the second coming of christ, but overall they seem really durable and good in terms of audio; Are these headphones made to last? Are there any cheaper alternatives which don't sacrifice insane amounts of quality?[/QUOTE]
If they fit in your price range where you live, you might also want to look at Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear, HD 439 and Audio Technica ATH-M30 and M40X.
[QUOTE=DrTaxi;47240214]If they fit in your price range where you live, you might also want to look at Sennheiser Momentum On-Ear, HD 439 and Audio Technica ATH-M30 and M40X.[/QUOTE]
I'm a big fan of my Momentum On-Ears, but I don't know how much I'd like them for desktop use. Definitely not over my 518's. They are really lightweight though, and pretty damn durable. I mean the entire thing basically consists of a metal band and 2 cups that would be very hard to break. Sound great too, and have a removable cord.
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