Headphone Advice Thread - 3

Engel · 08-03-2012

Posted by Emera

I just use my apple headphones that came with my iPod <3 That's the way to go. I don't need no fancy headphones

Fab guide though, I'll certainly do some googles.

Oh man if you hear good earphones and go back to apples it just sucks... I've had it a couple of times and buying really good ones is just worth it... I find myself smiling when I hear good quality music x.x

Talon · 08-03-2012

It's hilarious to see the look on my friends' faces when they hear my home audio setup after they've been listening to crApple buds for so long. I usually get the "It sounds like IMAX!" or "It feels like there's a guy playing the piano in front of me!" But, there are some people which I guess still can't justify spending these amounts of money on headphones after listening to my setup. Can't blame them; it's hard to appreciate multi-hundred dollar audio gear for the first time. It's like orange juice. You're not going to appreciate drinking fresh homemade orange juice for the first time after drinking out of the carton for so long. No idea how I just came up with that.

Though, I do envy people that think the crApple buds are good enough for their music listening. Saves them the trouble of having upgraditis and the amounts of money that an audiophile would spend on gear.

Carbines · 08-03-2012

So Talon, what headphones or set up do you use? I think we all want to know

Healy · 08-03-2012

Posted by Talon

Haha, will do. Actually, out of curiosity, what goes into determining the quality of a sneaker? When I first went into the world of audio, I was baffled by all of the components a good headphone should have - bass, midrange, highs, soundstage, impedance, proper acoustic environments, balanced frequency response, and so on. So what components should a quality sneaker have?

I would considering doing a shoe thread like this but I don't feel like it'd be popular.

Basically... You'd have to consider:

Use (Basketball, Style, Casual etc.)

Cut (Low, Mid, High, Sandal etc.)

Color (Red, Anthracite, Gradient etc.)

Price Range (Generally I cover anywhere from 70 dollars and up!)

Durability (A year of peak performance, a "lifetime", rips easily, etc. Or you can say how much durability matters to you.)

Materials Used (Flywire, Carbon Fiber, Nubuck, Leather, Suede, Lunarlon, Zoom Cushioning etc.)

Rarity (Commonly worn, hardly worn, limited to few stores, exclusive drop- ie Jordan IV Military Blues, etc.)

Shoe Size

Fit (Tight, Snug, Loose, Perfect)

Width (There's generally a scale of slim, normal, wide.)

And any other factors.

Talon · 08-03-2012

Posted by Carbines

So Talon, what headphones or set up do you use? I think we all want to know

The current setup I'm using at the moment would be this...

ASUS Xonar Essence STX -> AudioQuest Dragonfly -> Objective 2 Amplifier -> Beyerdynamic T50P.

Talon · 10-01-2012

BLAM.

Anyway, I'm bumping this, because I once more fell into the trance of audiophilia. Anyone? Even just to satisfy me?

Dylan · 10-01-2012

I'm looking for a decent gaming headset.
Budget: $20-$30
Music Preference: pc games
Form Factor (Type): full size
Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): closed back
Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): Laptop
What's above everything else?: Sound

I know this thread is for headphones, but I skimmed through and it seems you know a lot about microphones as well :3

T-10a · 10-01-2012

I need help identifying my headphones. On the bit that goes on top of your head it says "SENNHEISER MADE IN IRELAND", and on the left earpad it says "HD 25-1 70Ω". And I normally use it for listening to my games or FL Studio, and rarely my iPad.
Btw, my setup for listening to music via headphones is : Input (Laptop,iPad, and rarely my Phillips stereo), my Roland EF303 synthesizer, and an output of my headphones.

Crono · 10-01-2012

YO TALON

1) budget soundcard + budget reciever + budget 2.1 speakers (we'll say shelf ones + a sub)
2) you got $500 dollars max

GO, bonus points if you can get it below $350.

V. · 10-01-2012

Posted by Talon

Yeah, Skullcandy has the WORST build quality out of any recognized headphone brand I've ever seen. JVC actually has some really nice in-ears that are less than $20. I think you have the JVC Marshmallows (very popular and found @ Best Buy/Target/Wal-mart), which I have as well, and I would go as far as to say that they could compete with my $90 Audio Technica ATH-CKM500.

They say audiophilia is all about chasing the last 20% of the full 100% possible price-quality ratio. Say if a $25 product is 70% of the possible 100%, a $75 product would probably be a 75% of the 100%. It gets worse as you go higher up the scale; at one point, you're probably paying $50 per extra 2% on the theoretical scale. My $300 Beyerdynamic T50P isn't all that much better than my $150 Audio Technica ATH-M50. It's better, but not by a whole lot.

Mind = blown.

Thanks for the advice.

Talon · 10-01-2012

Posted by Dylan

I'm looking for a decent gaming headset.
Budget: $20-$30
Music Preference: pc games
Form Factor (Type): full size
Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): closed back
Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): Laptop
What's above everything else?: Sound

I know this thread is for headphones, but I skimmed through and it seems you know a lot about microphones as well :3

Superlux HD 681
+ External Mic

This may stretch a bit out of your budget, but it overwhelms headphones below $30 by a LANDSLIDE. Other than the fact that it's the only (good) full-sized headphone at the price range, it's one of the most regarded budget headphones in the audiophile community - it's like the Monoprice 8320 of full-sized cans. From what I've heard, it has a very consumer-oriented sound signature that won't disappoint for gaming. Seeing as it has a semi-open design, it will leak sound - which is good for a private environment, as it helps with the acoustic soundstage. You will need an external clip-on mic, but those should only run you about $5.

Good luck.

Posted by T-10a

I need help identifying my headphones. On the bit that goes on top of your head it says "SENNHEISER MADE IN IRELAND", and on the left earpad it says "HD 25-1 70Ω". And I normally use it for listening to my games or FL Studio, and rarely my iPad.
Btw, my setup for listening to music via headphones is : Input (Laptop,iPad, and rarely my Phillips stereo), my Roland EF303 synthesizer, and an output of my headphones.

The HD 25-I is an amazing set of headphones. I envy you.

LavaClaw · 10-01-2012

Hah, my skullcandys broke for the second time. Gonna need this. fyi, i want earbuds because i want to carry them around, not those big headphones.
Budget: ~$100
Music Preference: Metalcore/Post Hardcore, Pop-punk
Form Factor (Type): In ear.
Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): n/a
Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): iPod.
What's above everything else? Sound quality, looks come at a close second.

Psycher! · 10-01-2012

Budget: 10-60$
Music Preference: Rock/Electronic.
Form Factor (Type): In-ear preferably. It doesn't matter too much.
Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): Um...n/a?
Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): iPhone
What's above everything else? - Sound quality.

A second one, this time for sound production headphones.
Budget: There is no budget.
Music Preference: Anything, but mostly Electronic and piano based music.
Form Factor (Type): Headset.
Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): I don't know what this means. Stupid me.
Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): Desktop/Laptop.
What's above everything else? - Sound quality.

Dylan · 10-01-2012

Posted by Talon

Superlux HD 681
+ External Mic

Good luck.

Thanks!

T-10a · 10-02-2012

Posted by Talon

The HD 25-I is an amazing set of headphones. I envy you.

Funnily enough, they were given to me from my uncle, who is a DJ (Psytrance DJ btw).
And my Music Preference is progressive psychadelic trance, anyhow.

10-01-2012	38
T-10a wat Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: %appdata%/.minecraft/saves Posts: 744	I need help identifying my headphones. On the bit that goes on top of your head it says "SENNHEISER MADE IN IRELAND", and on the left earpad it says "HD 25-1 70Ω". And I normally use it for listening to my games or FL Studio, and rarely my iPad. Btw, my setup for listening to music via headphones is : Input (Laptop,iPad, and rarely my Phillips stereo), my Roland EF303 synthesizer, and an output of my headphones. Last edited by T-10a; 10-01-2012 at 09:49 PM.

08-03-2012	32
Talon don't call it a comeback Join Date: Sep 2011 Posts: 8,268	It's hilarious to see the look on my friends' faces when they hear my home audio setup after they've been listening to crApple buds for so long. I usually get the "It sounds like IMAX!" or "It feels like there's a guy playing the piano in front of me!" But, there are some people which I guess still can't justify spending these amounts of money on headphones after listening to my setup. Can't blame them; it's hard to appreciate multi-hundred dollar audio gear for the first time. It's like orange juice. You're not going to appreciate drinking fresh homemade orange juice for the first time after drinking out of the carton for so long. No idea how I just came up with that. Though, I do envy people that think the crApple buds are good enough for their music listening. Saves them the trouble of having upgraditis and the amounts of money that an audiophile would spend on gear.

08-03-2012	33
Carbines Registered User Join Date: May 2012 Posts: 17	So Talon, what headphones or set up do you use? I think we all want to know

10-01-2012	37
Dylan Custom User Title Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 2,534	I'm looking for a decent gaming headset. Budget: $20-$30 Music Preference: pc games Form Factor (Type): full size Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): closed back Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): Laptop What's above everything else?: Sound I know this thread is for headphones, but I skimmed through and it seems you know a lot about microphones as well :3

10-01-2012	39
Crono :pluffy: Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Sweden Posts: 5,944	YO TALON 1) budget soundcard + budget reciever + budget 2.1 speakers (we'll say shelf ones + a sub) 2) you got $500 dollars max GO, bonus points if you can get it below $350.

10-01-2012	42
LavaClaw amidoinitrite? Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Gold Coast, Australia Posts: 1,484	Hah, my skullcandys broke for the second time. Gonna need this. fyi, i want earbuds because i want to carry them around, not those big headphones. Budget: ~$100 Music Preference: Metalcore/Post Hardcore, Pop-punk Form Factor (Type): In ear. Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): n/a Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): iPod. What's above everything else? Sound quality, looks come at a close second.

10-01-2012	43
Psycher! The Overlord Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: I have no idea Posts: 1,240	Budget: 10-60$ Music Preference: Rock/Electronic. Form Factor (Type): In-ear preferably. It doesn't matter too much. Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): Um...n/a? Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): iPhone What's above everything else? - Sound quality. A second one, this time for sound production headphones. Budget: There is no budget. Music Preference: Anything, but mostly Electronic and piano based music. Form Factor (Type): Headset. Open-backed or close-backed (not for IEMs): I don't know what this means. Stupid me. Source (MP3 player/desktop/etc): Desktop/Laptop. What's above everything else? - Sound quality.