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

[QUOTE=diwako;47348694]My current headset just died on me. I was looking into headphone + separate micro anyways. Is the rp-htf600-s for the sub 80$ option from the OP still viable?[/QUOTE] Yup, they're still regarded as some of the best in that price range. [QUOTE]I am looking for a 5.1 Headphone in the sub 80$ range. USB Port[/QUOTE] They're neither 5.1 nor do they have a built-in USB sound card, but trust me, you want neither of those. Good digital audio circuitry isn't exactly expensive, but when you're already building a headphone, you're not gonna allocate any more budget than what's absolutely necessary for the cheapest possible circuitry, so USB headphones are generally pretty bad. If you're really dissatisfied with your onboard sound, just get a cheap external sound card like an Asus Xonar U3 or a Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Go. Headphones also aren't large enough to fit good 5.1 speakers (and again, extra speakers means more money), and the surround sound effect doesn't really work by cramming extra speakers into something sitting on your head, so 5.1 headphones aren't a good idea either. It's purely a marketing myth. Stereo headphones will just flat out sound better and give you more spatial information if they're good. The two sound cards I've mentioned have drivers that come with (optional) surround sound emulation functionality for headphones. But that technology needs to make some assumptions about your personal hearing, so its effectiveness varies from person to person (for me, it's mostly just a bunch of reverb, for others, it works perfectly).

I just noticed, that I should have added, that it is for gaming as well. So the 5.1 kind of mattered to me.

I do realise that. I can't speak for how good the spatiality ("soundstage") of the RP-HTF600-S is, or whether there's better alternatives in that price range. What I can say, though, is that they're closed-back, which is good for listening in public as sound doesn't leak out much that way but bad for soundstage. And that 5.1 headphones are a gimmick, they won't help.

I'll be trying out the RP-HTF600-S with zalman combo. Wonder how it will be turning out. A friend of mine recommended me this headphone, but it is way too expensive. [url]http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-770-pro.html[/url]

[QUOTE=diwako;47349922]I'll be trying out the RP-HTF600-S with zalman combo. Wonder how it will be turning out. A friend of mine recommended me this headphone, but it is way too expensive. [url]http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-770-pro.html[/url][/QUOTE] Can't speak for the headphones, but my zalman clip on meets all my TS needs perfectly.

[QUOTE=diwako;47349922]I'll be trying out the RP-HTF600-S with zalman combo. Wonder how it will be turning out. A friend of mine recommended me this headphone, but it is way too expensive. [url]http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-770-pro.html[/url][/QUOTE] DT770 Pro's are good.

So my 'best' headphones ever were/are Sony XB600's, which are really just bass-boosted headphones that make everything sound murky and hurt your ears after 15 minutes. I just ordered the M50x and it'll come tomorrow. I'll be back with the opinion of someone who's only experienced terrible headphones and only listens to bass-heavy electronic music :v:

[QUOTE=diwako;47349922]A friend of mine recommended me this headphone, but it is way too expensive. [url]http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-770-pro.html[/url][/QUOTE] They're good, but for gaming, there's definitely better options.

I need decent bluetooth headphones under 40$ for my phone I've seen a few good ones on amazon that are well rated but seem to have awful design flaws ear buds are fucking awful and wires are too awkward with a phone.

[QUOTE=J!NX;47359610]I need decent bluetooth headphones under 40$ for my phone I've seen a few good ones on amazon that are well rated but seem to have awful design flaws ear buds are fucking awful and wires are too awkward with a phone.[/QUOTE] you're not getting any decent Bluetooth audio gear for that budget.

Takstar here I comme

Has anyone here tried AKG's K712 Pro and Philips' Fidelio X2? If you have, how would you compare the two and which one would you choose?

[QUOTE=Alyx;47359889]Has anyone here tried AKG's K712 Pro and Philips' Fidelio X2? If you have, how would you compare the two and which one would you choose?[/QUOTE] I heard that the K712 is brighter than the X2, but both are good all around headphones.

[QUOTE=Alyx;47359889]Has anyone here tried AKG's K712 Pro and Philips' Fidelio X2? If you have, how would you compare the two and which one would you choose?[/QUOTE] Akg k712 goes for the more analytical sound and more detailed treble. Fidelio x2 is more of an all-rounder, its neutral and close to hd600's sound except with a bit more bass. Also you'll probably want to buy an amplifier to the k712, while fidelio x2 doesn't need it. I would choose fidelio x2, it just seems to me that fidelio x1/x2 are the best mid-fi headphones, but its a preference and you can't go wrong with either.

[QUOTE=Zotobom;47352816]So my 'best' headphones ever were/are Sony XB600's, which are really just bass-boosted headphones that make everything sound murky and hurt your ears after 15 minutes. I just ordered the M50x and it'll come tomorrow. I'll be back with the opinion of someone who's only experienced terrible headphones and only listens to bass-heavy electronic music :v:[/QUOTE] My God, they are pure sex. Everything is so clear now, even though the bass is even deeper and punchier than my ~extra bass~ bassboosted Sony headphones. I'm in love.

[QUOTE=Havolis;47359694]you're not getting any decent Bluetooth audio gear for that budget.[/QUOTE] around 60$ would be perfectly fair then yeah? I understand sacrifices are made of course. I'm not looking for anything overly fancy.

[QUOTE=J!NX;47365039]around 60$ would be perfectly fair then yeah? I understand sacrifices are made of course. I'm not looking for anything overly fancy.[/QUOTE] You could get the Plantronics BackBeat GO 2, but these are no where near the Ostry KC06, Audio-Technica ATH-IM50, Havi B3 Pro1 or TTPOD T1-E, which are all wired earphones for around the same price range. If you really want the wireless functionality though, fair enough.

So I currently have a pair of Sennheiser HD 598, How would I get the best sound from it? I currently use the 6.3 to 3.5 jack and plug it directly into my Creative SoundBlaster Recon 3D - [url]http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-recon3d-pcie[/url] Is there anything reasonable (Max like £80) which I can use to make any noticeable improvement on the headphones? Ie something that sits in the middle of the sound card and the headphones, or ignoring the soundcard completely? Also do 6.3 to 3.5 impact the quality of the audio that much? I accidentally bent the jack so I need to invest in a new one (Managed to bend it back into shape so it works in the mean time)

[QUOTE=lordofdafood;47369674]So I currently have a pair of Sennheiser HD 598, How would I get the best sound from it? I currently use the 6.3 to 3.5 jack and plug it directly into my Creative SoundBlaster Recon 3D - [url]http://us.creative.com/p/sound-blaster/sound-blaster-recon3d-pcie[/url] Is there anything reasonable (Max like £80) which I can use to make any noticeable improvement on the headphones? Ie something that sits in the middle of the sound card and the headphones, or ignoring the soundcard completely? [/QUOTE] Your current setup should be just fine. Some people believe an expensive combination of a DAC (which is basically a sound card, according to their use of the term) and amplifier makes a significant audible difference even for headphones that receive enough amplification from a typical sound card. These people have yet to show evidence for their claims. [QUOTE]Also do 6.3 to 3.5 impact the quality of the audio that much? I accidentally bent the jack so I need to invest in a new one (Managed to bend it back into shape so it works in the mean time)[/QUOTE] Jack size makes no difference in sound at all. The reason 6.3mm is used in studio settings is just that it's less flimsy, whereas smaller jacks are obviously better for mobile applications because they take less space.

I am really not happy with the zalman. The noise is too much, my voice isn't clear at all and it likes to pick up my keyboard waaaaaay too much. Are there any alternatives? So far I also got a desk microphone which picks up everything even from outside of my room.

modmic is pretty good

[QUOTE=hydrated;47385791]modmic is pretty good[/QUOTE] Agreed, I switched from the Zalman to a ModMic and love it.

Sample recording here: [url]https://soundcloud.com/ltt-mic-test/modmic-4[/url] Note that noise can also come from a poor microphone input, not just the mic itself.

[QUOTE=diwako;47385749]So far I also got a desk microphone which picks up everything even from outside of my room.[/QUOTE] Yeah this is like the only downside to my samson go mic. Everytime someone talks in the living room like 50 feet away people can hear it if my mic's on. They can hear all the things, more so than I can, because I'm wearing headphones.

A problem of having a Model M is that all mics that I've tried cannot cancel out the noise of dem buckling springs. Probably gonna buy a mic arm to put the Blue Snowball on. I've been keeping it to the left of my keyboard but shifting it to the right side with an arm to tuck it away when not in use would probably help in lowering the noise a bit.

Damn guys look at that [URL="https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k553-pro-studio-headphone"]MassDrop[/URL] with the AKG K553 Pros

Got the ModMic now. It has even more static than the Zalman. In the end I purged the Audio driver semi rage induced and reinstalled them. Suddenly the Mic signal is crystal clear. Well, liking the ModMic so far. [t]http://i.imgur.com/PJzmEMK.jpg[/t]

[QUOTE=Toats MaGoats;47404321]Damn guys look at that [URL="https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k553-pro-studio-headphone"]MassDrop[/URL] with the AKG K553 Pros[/QUOTE] review here: [url]http://www.head-fi.org/t/760386/new-release-the-akg-k553-pro-featuring-a-killer-massdrop-deal[/url]

[B]Budget:[/B] $100-$160 [B]eBay:[/B] No [B]Country:[/B] United States [B]Isolation:[/B] No preference for noise isolation if that's what this means [B]Purpose:[/B] Primarily for gaming on the computer, but also videos, and music when not playing. [B]Music Tastes:[/B] Basically anything, but I primarily listen to a lot of video game soundtracks. [B]Previous Experiences:[/B] Most of my audio experiences have unfortunately been earphones, I tried some Logitech, and Razer earphones that I regret buying now, but they got the job done before they inevitably died, or broke. [B]Comments:[/B] I'm mostly looking for something that's going to allow me to hear in great detail whenever I'm playing a game, or listening to music. I was previously using earphones, and they always seemed to die or break, so I'm also looking to move onto actual headphones, and something that's going to be able to last for the money. My eyes are currently set on the Audio-Technica ATH-M50(x)'s, but I'm also open to other suggestions and alternatives that may be better.

So I'm looking for a budget headset, any suggestions? I'm open for anything you've got.