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$500 cans on, this is how you dream right - Official Headphone Thread

W

Waikis

Member
http://www.head-fi.org/t/748334/hifiman-he1000-planar-dynamic-flagship/2040#post_11422631

They've finally unveiled the price of the HE1000 to be
$2999
.

900x900px-ll-8423925jbunr.jpeg
 
R

RoninChaos

Member
Phat Michael said:
they must treat their headphones like shit. the HD800s are really well made. That is overpriced though. They retail for $1500USD normally, i got mine for $999. there is a great doco on youtube which shows the design and manufacturing process.
Click to expand...
Where did you get them for a g? What do you amp something like that with?

I love my 650s but I would love to step up one day.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
Phat Michael said:
What? what dedicated components - these are PMs not electrostats? these will run on any decent desktop amp wont they?
Click to expand...

I heard these are quite difficult to drive. I think HIFIMAN has a dedicated unit for driving it. I'm not sure tho. Full sized stuff isn't really my domain

I've got a friend who's offered to send me his Abyss/Cavalli LAU rig. I dunno. I kinda flip flop on it. On one hand I'm curious, but on the other, I don't ever wanna shell out in excess of $10,000 for a rig
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
I heard these are quite difficult to drive. I think HIFIMAN has a dedicated unit for driving it. I'm not sure tho. Full sized stuff isn't really my domain

I've got a friend who's offered to send me his Abyss/Cavalli LAU rig. I dunno. I kinda flip flop on it. On one hand I'm curious, but on the other, I don't ever wanna shell out in excess of $10,000 for a rig
Click to expand...

Hifiman has a new amp coming out at the same time, but all other decent desktops will work.

The Abyss Cavali rig would sound mindblowing. But yeah i feel you, i wont spend more than $2k on headphones now, no matter how good. I dont need any more and i even if i update my amp i dont think it will be worth the extra expense.

The HE-1000s look gorgeous though.
 
L

leng jai

Member
So I tried the Momentum (original) over ears for the first time today and the cups were absolutely tiny. They were basically like on ears for me, and my ears aren't even big in the first place. No wonder so many people hated them.
 
H

Haloid1177

Banned
leng jai said:
So I tried the Momentum (original) over ears for the first time today and the cups were absolutely tiny. They were basically like on ears for me, and my ears aren't even big in the first place. No wonder so many people hated them.
Click to expand...

Yeah I went and tried them on again after getting my 650s in yesterday and there's no way I wear them again now. Didn't realize how small the cups really were until that point.
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
Phat Michael said:
Hifiman has a new amp coming out at the same time, but all other decent desktops will work.

The Abyss Cavali rig would sound mindblowing. But yeah i feel you, i wont spend more than $2k on headphones now, no matter how good. I dont need any more and i even if i update my amp i dont think it will be worth the extra expense.

The HE-1000s look gorgeous though.
Click to expand...

Im glad you got to see the effects of diminishing returns first hand with the EL-8. A lot of the top tier stuff sounds amazing in isolation. If that's all you've ever known, you really have no frame of reference for how good it actually is in regard to the rest of the landscape. It's not til you encounter a phone that gets 90-95% of the way there for a fraction of the price that you get jarred out of your reality. Now go ahead and try a basic Stax system and be further shocked by how little headphone tech has actually advanced in like 30 years ;)
 
P

Ptaaty

Member
I've found the Fidelio L1 to be the nearly perfect work/office headphone. It sounds great, especially if you can EQ in a 3 dB cut at 2k. Cut isn't needed, esp if you give yourself a little time for "burn in" but it makes them sound much more open and I think more natural.

Sound is smooth and warm, but with good punch. Midrange destroys something like the ATH M50s, with a better sounding bottom end and with a bit dark smooth top end. Very non fatiguing.

The real selling points are the looks, build quality and semi open design, and the fact they are slashed in price to <$120 on Amazon. They leak little (way less than full open), but allow in just enough sound that you can hear things like the phone at lower volume...but with moderate volume office distractions are gone.

I don't think they would be worth the $300 they originally were, especially for critical listening....but at current prices and for use where you need some ability to hear environment but can't deal with full open, really works great.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
Dynamite Ringo Matsuri said:
Im glad you got to see the effects of diminishing returns first hand with the EL-8. A lot of the top tier stuff sounds amazing in isolation. If that's all you've ever known, you really have no frame of reference for how good it actually is in regard to the rest of the landscape. It's not til you encounter a phone that gets 90-95% of the way there for a fraction of the price that you get jarred out of your reality. Now go ahead and try a basic Stax system and be further shocked by how little headphone tech has actually advanced in like 30 years ;)
Click to expand...

I'll have to try them but yes, I don't see myself buying anything head-fi related for many years now. I've got what I need.

I'm jumping on a flight to Beijing in a few hours and I'm bringing my pm3s,ha2 and colorfly. I'll get some personal time with these for a few hours so ill be looking forward to it!
 
R

RBK

Banned
Anyone have some recommendations for budget headphones? I'm talking pretty damn cheap, just looking for any improvement over these EarPods.

Only ones I've come across Sennheiser 201 or 202, just wanted to hear some opinions before I go through with a purchase decision.
 
R

RBK

Banned
Anything that's not a earbud, don't mind if it's over the ear but on-ear is preferred.

$20-30 is ideal, $40 maybe if it's significantly better. Used to own the Klipsch Image One before they crapped out years back as a reference to what I would expect in quality.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Ashhong said:
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?sduid=593891&t=2503679

Sold out, sorry bro :(
Click to expand...

RBK said:
Anything that's not a earbud, don't mind if it's over the ear but on-ear is preferred.

$20-30 is ideal, $40 maybe if it's significantly better. Used to own the Klipsch Image One before they crapped out years back as a reference to what I would expect in quality.
Click to expand...
Without a doubt cop these http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008FWB9TQ/?tag=neogaf0e-20
 
B

bedlamite

Member
The HA-S500s were a major disappointment, I liked the sound well enough (it actually sounds fantastic once broken in) but I couldn't stand how flimsy they were. The headphone is collapsible with joints at the earcups and the middle of the headband, for portability's sake, but the joints don't snap into place so you end up with this cheap-looking headphone with a flappy headband and that's just...ugh. They feel fine once you wear them though, so if you can get past the headband thing, the s500s are very good.

There aren't many other headphones worth recommending at the $20-$40 pricepoint...maybe a pair of Portapros? lol
 
D

Dynamite Ringo Matsuri

Member
NHOCzU5.jpg
Click to expand...
Just got the Ortofon EQ-8 in this morning after offing some stuff at HF. It was recommended to me by HF's ShotgunShane. I've spent a good amount of time listening to it and...

Good Googaly Moogaly man. This phone is god damned astonishing and probably the best phone I've heard for rock music full stop, full sized or otherwise. It strikes me as feeling like a hybrid of Final Audio's FIBASS and Ultimate Ears' UERM. It possesses the former's confrontational, in your face and practically raw presentation and the latter's linearity and wide, open sense of space. It feels like music is just laid completely bare on the EQ-8, and the overall sensation is like immersing your entire head in a sphere of music. Seriously, the sense of space and immersion is crazy for a single driver. It feels like it fills every inch of your skull and then some. It's up close and personal like nothing I've heard. If emotion is your bag, then this is your phone.

The only caveat I've experienced thus far is that it can lean towards edginess in the upper mids, but it's manageable and far from a dealbreaker in my book. By the same token, it's this same quality that translates into some seriously sizzling guitar leads, sparkling rides and cymbals, soaring vocals, and mesmerizing synth lines. I'm very impressed by the bass articulation as well. It's very articulate, linear, seriously punchy and textured even if it doesn't quite plumb the lowest depths. But damn son, those mids. Fuck.

Anywho, HF's shigzeo put a lot more time into articulating this phone's strengths than I did: http://www.headfonia.com/ortofon-e-q8/

I don't quite find it as persnickety in drivability as he did though, (I'm just using my iPhone 6) then again, I don't currently have a low ohm portable amp on me. There's still a unit at Musica Acoustics for $260-ish if anyone's interested. I loved the Stax acquisition but damn man, I dunno, this phone man, this phone.
 
M

minx

Member
So my Dad decided to ship me some high quality headphones that he never used anymore.... Only for my AV receiver to crap out on me. I have a ST50 plasma and now have no way to use the headphones while playing my Xbox One. Any way to use the headphones with only a TV and Xbox?
 
Bloodember

Bloodember

Member
D

dork

Banned
are their good earbuds that arent noise cancelling? i dont like noise canceling when im at work incase someone is trying to get my attention and i dont like that with them you can hear when you breath/chew etc. I just use the apple ones now but it seems like the right one breaks often.
 
V

ValleyJoe

Neo Member
I just wanted to thank HiResDes for recommending the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pros. Exactly what I was looking for. Great sound, extremely comfortable, and I can still hear phone calls and other external sounds that my mad dogs were blocking out. I'm really enjoying them so far, maybe more than the mad dogs actually. Great recommendation man. Thanks again!
 
S

Skittles

Member
My right earphone busted on my current headset(right ear plays sound far lower than left). So need some new headphones which are less than $200 and have the same amount of comfortablity as these http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PTH0VW/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Any suggestions? Will be used for gaming and electronic music. Currently eyeing the Sennheiser HD 598s and the Beyerdynamic DT-990-Pro-250

edit: hmmmm, I also like closed back so maybe Sennheiser Momentums. Choosing new headphones is harder than I expected
 
T

Turok_TTZ

Member
Got harman kardon ae-s buds as i got new phone. I found however that they are inferior to my jvc sports buds in terms of sound quality and clarity. Htc one m8 harman kardon edition was quite underwhelming...well not the phone but reading the box, i was expecting more...

Should i just keep those buds in case my jvc sports buds go bad or do i just throw them away? I give zero fucks about built in microphone, i just want good buds to listen to my music. Thinking of getting backup buds but undecided as i got a spare in the harman kardon buds. Keep as backup or throw in trash and get better?
 
P

Ptaaty

Member
Zulithe said:
Finally! Amazon has an arrival date for my Philips X2 Fidelio.

April 10th - 22nd :p
Click to expand...

Congrats. I love mine, they are "very good speakers in a well set up room" type of sound to me. I am not sure if there is much if anything out there that sounds as good straight out of a phone/player/motherboard.
 
R

Rootbeer

Banned
Glad to hear it... i'm looking forward to getting them. Truth is I suffered from terrible ear infections as a child so I don't have hearing good enough to invest insane money into my sound gear anyway. I just need something that's above average to get me through. When I jumped to my 380 Pros it was like night and day from the shitty earbuds I had previously. I'm sure there are tiers of better sound above that, but I think it's diminishing returns for me.

Unfortunately the wait until mid-april is longer than I'd hoped, so even though I have them on order I had go break down and buy replacement rstpads for my HD 380 Pros which will be here today ($40, i've never felt more ripped off...)

Ahh well, I'm off work for the next 10 days, I can't suffer through these terrible ones any longer. I wish they were more durable than they are though.

Could I ask for another suggestion? I need a pair of earbuds that will serve two purposes: 1) general listening on my macbook and android phone (a pause button or other controls is a plus) and 2) something I can wear while I fall asleep. Right now I'm using (gasp) apple earbuds (the newer, supposedly slightly better sounding ones), but I'd like to step up to something else. They have to be earbuds, because I can't wear over-ear phones at work but I can swing in-ear phones no problem. ~$100 price range or below is what I'm aiming for. For these, I'd value durability slightly higher than sound, as long as they sound better than Apple's.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
ValleyJoe said:
I just wanted to thank HiResDes for recommending the Beyerdynamic DT 990 pros. Exactly what I was looking for. Great sound, extremely comfortable, and I can still hear phone calls and other external sounds that my mad dogs were blocking out. I'm really enjoying them so far, maybe more than the mad dogs actually. Great recommendation man. Thanks again!
Click to expand...
Really glad you liked them. Good value headphones that at one time were twice the price.


Someone else was interested in them, but I must say the pro 250 Ohm model requires a bit of juice to sing that's the only caveat.
 
C

Chance Hale

Member
Ordered a pair of the white oppo PM 3s, too gorgeous to resist! I'm probably going to regret it when I somehow manage to get them dirty when out and about though >_>
 
L

leng jai

Member
I'm still really torn as whether I should get the PM-3 or Momentum M2s for my unamped portable use.

While I've read some amazing impressions about how well balanced and detailed the Oppo pair are (for something closed) a part of me feels like it would be silly to get something that is essentially a gimped version of my home rig (Beyer T1 running off a Woo Audio 2). From what I've read about the Momentums they seem to be technically inferior but have a more "fun" sound to them. As much as I love the T1's tonal balance it would be nice to have something with more low end oomph for when I'm listening to something like Tswizzle. I also prefer the aesthetics of the Momentums even though they might have slightly worse build quality.

There's certainly more buzz around the Oppo since they're a gorgeous pair of semi portable planars. If I were looking for something as my main pair of cans I'd definitely be getting the PM-3 but for something to complement the T1s I think I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
ricochetguro said:
Ordered a pair of the white oppo PM 3s, too gorgeous to resist! I'm probably going to regret it when I somehow manage to get them dirty when out and about though >_>
Click to expand...

They're great did you get the
amp as well? The case it comes with is pretty nice. They won't get dirty.

leng jai said:
I'm still really torn as whether I should get the PM-3 or Momentum M2s for my unamped portable use.

While I've read some amazing impressions about how well balanced and detailed the Oppo pair are (for something closed) a part of me feels like it would be silly to get something that is essentially a gimped version of my home rig (Beyer T1 running off a Woo Audio 2). From what I've read about the Momentums they seem to be technically inferior but have a more "fun" sound to them. As much as I love the T1's tonal balance it would be nice to have something with more low end oomph for when I'm listening to something like Tswizzle. I also prefer the aesthetics of the Momentums even though they might have slightly worse build quality.

There's certainly more buzz around the Oppo since they're a gorgeous pair of semi portable planars. If I were looking for something as my main pair of cans I'd definitely be getting the PM-3 but for something to complement the T1s I think I'm leaning towards the Sennheiser.
Click to expand...

The pm3s are fully portable. Best portable set around imo. They run lovely with the HA-2 as well.
 
Liquid_015

Liquid_015

Gold Member
In the market for a new headphone:

I'm looking into the Beoplay H6/H8, especially the H6 with DJ Khaled. Came from the original beats by dre studio. Any impressions on the H6?

Thanks!
 
S

SnakeXs

about the same metal capacity as a cucumber
Hey Des, can the Rockets cable be worn comfortably behind your back? I don't trust either of my IEMs to survive what I have planned this spring/summer, need something tough, but I'd need to be able to cable them out of the way.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
SnakeXs said:
Hey Des, can the Rockets cable be worn comfortably behind your back? I don't trust either of my IEMs to survive what I have planned this spring/summer, need something tough, but I'd need to be able to cable them out of the way.
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the included guides are garbage and they are only comfortable over the ear with single flange tips. I personally use mine with these - http://www.meelec.com/MEElectronics_Over_the_Ear_Cable_Guides_p/ep-cableguide-bk.htm
I have small ears and this helps secure them.
 
L

leng jai

Member
Just read a Headfi review where someone said the PM-3's have a very similar bass output to the AKG K7xx. If that's true I'm out, I owned the K702s for a month because the bass quantity was close to non-existent (depth wise it was there).

EDIT: apparently there's an actual headphone calld the AKG K7xx which have more bass than the old K702/1. Guess I'm out of the loop.
 
P

Phat Michael

Banned
leng jai said:
Just read a Headfi review where someone said the PM-3's have a very similar bass output to the AKG K7xx. If that's true I'm out, I owned the K702s for a month because the bass quantity was close to non-existent (depth wise it was there).

EDIT: apparently there's an actual headphone calld the AKG K7xx which have more bass than the old K702/1. Guess I'm out of the loop.
Click to expand...
Pm3s are pretty neutral. Not a lot of bass unless you use the oppo ha2 amp.
 
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