Thread: Headphones...

  1. #1

    Headphones...

    A little while ago i was debating on getting a pair of M-Audio AV40's...but after a lot of debating i decided that instead of getting a semi-decent pair of speakers and a semi-decent pair of headphones....im going to blow all my money on just headphones...so my question is what headphone/soundcard setup should i get...

    The headset i was looking at was the Sennheiser HD 650's...but i didnt know what soundcard to get with them...and i didnt know if there was a better option for cheaper

  2. #2
    Deleted
    Budget?

    I'd get an external DAC + headphone amp combo, something like the Fiio E10, if you are looking at higher-end headphones.

    I'm personally thinking about the AKG K701/K701, DT880, HD650 and some others. I personally don't really like that they are completely open. Essentially what you should do is find music stores in your area who stock these headphones and give them a proper listen. Bring your own material and sit down for at least 45-80 minutes before you make your choice.

  3. #3
    Thats the problem...i live in a fairly small town and dont really have time to drive anywhere to give 'em a listen...budget is around 600-700

  4. #4
    I use the DT 770 Pro by Beyerdynamic. I use them for professional audio applications and I love them. They not only have amazing sound quality, but they are also so comfortable I can have them on for hours. And they aren't expensive, but they aren't "high end" either. Best price/performance ratio in headphones, though.

    As for sound card, I use an Edirol UA-101 USB interface (by Roland), but that might be overkill for you. It has 10 inputs and 10 outputs.
    My Gaming Setup | WoW Paladin (retired)

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  5. #5
    Deleted
    Marest, what chair do you use? I'm speaking of the one that is in your sig. A gaming rig isn't enjoyable unless your ass is comfy! :P I love it, and want one.

    -edit: And didn't mean to topic ninja the thread. But I'm interested in headphones as well
    Last edited by mmoc121f3efc14; 2012-09-07 at 09:29 AM.

  6. #6
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Heirak View Post
    Marest, what chair do you use? I'm speaking of the one that is in your sig. A gaming rig isn't enjoyable unless your ass is comfy! :P I love it, and want one.
    PM's work wonders - no need to derail this thread.

  7. #7
    I'd recommend giving the HE-400 or HE-5 a look. As for amp/dac i'd suggest the "ODA"( Objective desktop amplifier )
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  8. #8
    As for soundcard:
    I have sound blaster audigy platinum 1st version. It's from 1998 and it is 14 years old already. No problems with it and most what I like is that I have true 24-bit (96k HZ) sound and 106 dB sound to noise ratio. So when you plug in headphones you hear silence and REAL silence. No noise. Frequency range is 18 HZ-22k HZ. Pretty good as well. Only downside with that card are drivers. On some windows systems I had problems with them but none on win7.

    As for headphones: I had one model from mystery sound (DJ phones). They were very good, but didn't lasted that long. Now I'm using one cheap phones from philips but they have GREAT sound.

  9. #9
    Sennheiser PC 360 here, excellent quality. It's thesame as The HD 558, except it has a microphone.

    My sound card is an Asus Xonar Essence STX. One of the best affordable cards out there.

    165 euros for the headset and 165 euros for the sound card.

  10. #10
    I was debating on the PC 360's...but I always hear that headset aren't built for music...which is the main reason for me getting a high end set of headphones

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by ProSadFace View Post
    I was debating on the PC 360's...but I always hear that headset aren't built for music...which is the main reason for me getting a high end set of headphones
    No they arent. I'd have to ask though, what would you rather focus on first? Source or headphones? Honestly i'd say you'd either want the HE-400 or the HD650, maybe perhaps the T70 or T90?

    regardless though, what're your main genres/usage for them?
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  12. #12
    I listen to mostly dubstep/electronic

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by ProSadFace View Post
    I listen to mostly dubstep/electronic
    I would recommend you a DT990, or whatever the higher end equivalent is along with an objective desktop amplifier/dac combo. or an STX if you want something internal. Keep in mind that the ODA is quite a bit better then an internal soundcard and that it is more convenient, however it lacks 7.1, but i wouldnt say that matters.

    The choices, oddly enough , are still the same.
    You can get a HE-400 aswell, and that being an planar headphone will get you better bass and generally smoother response.
    The DT990 has alot of bass and alot of treble, both of which are important in dubstep.
    The HD650 is heavily bassy, but i think it has a rather shoddy build.

    If you perfer something closed, you might wanna check for a Denon AH-D2000/5000(Whatever they make nowadays and is within your budget).
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  14. #14
    Ill looks into those headphones...but in the meantime are there any good oda/dac combos you would suggest?

  15. #15
    "Marketing is what you do when your product is no good."

  16. #16
    The Lightbringer Shakadam's Avatar
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    Keller has presented some very good options here, DT770, 880 or 990's are really great.

    I'll add that you might wanna check out Ultrasone as well, they make some great headphones that are usually quite "bass heavy", ideal for dubstep in other words.

  17. #17
    I probably wouldn't mind going with that O2 oda/dac but can you get it from any trusted retailers? I've never been a fan of ebay...and i thought i read somewhere in there that you might need a converter for the US...

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