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

X

-x.Red.x-

Member
I got these Sony Mdr ex500
MDR-EX500SL_JE_B.jpg


I would like to "step" up
any recommendations???
IEM, no more than 150, good isolation?
 
V

Vanillalite

Ask me about the GAF Notebook
Fuck... now this thread really has me wanting to get a new pair of headphones for my room. I don't really have the cash to spend on that now when there is other shit I want to buy 1st though. DAMN IT! :lol
 
W

warthog

Member
I just ordered the Sennheiser HD595. I didn't know I needed decent headphones, but then I visited this thread :D
 
A

Ashhong

Member
HiResDes said:
At 70 bucks the Solo's aren't bad, I can't even hate on that as much as I want to.

BTW, what kind of music do you listen to Ashhong?
Click to expand...

Mostly hip hop, EDM like trance or house, regular pop, and kpop. I have the CX300, what IEM do you recommend for ~50$?

And yea they were refurbished, but by Monster so I would consider that as good as new personally.
 
W

Wallach

Member
warthog said:
I just ordered the Sennheiser HD595. I didn't know I needed decent headphones, but then I visited this thread :D
Click to expand...

Did you get the while they were on sale for $115 the other day (Amazon/J&R)?
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
Ashhong said:
Mostly hip hop, EDM like trance or house, regular pop, and kpop. I have the CX300, what IEM do you recommend for ~50$?

And yea they were refurbished, but by Monster so I would consider that as good as new personally.
Click to expand...

I listen to a lot of house and pop. I'm a fan of the Fischer Audio Eternas.
 
O

opticalmace

Member
Nice start. We need a $200-$500 category now, and higher-end amps as well.

I'd include the Klipsch S4s in the earphones category also (I think around $80?).
 
L

leng jai

Member
Great OP and about time.

Been tinkering in this hobby for a few years now. My current listening setup:

oNll9.jpg


Also got a Darkvoice tube amp hiding away somewhere else.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
Ashhong said:
Mostly hip hop, EDM like trance or house, regular pop, and kpop. I have the CX300, what IEM do you recommend for ~50$?

And yea they were refurbished, but by Monster so I would consider that as good as new personally.
Click to expand...

If you can manage to get 10 more bucks Brainwavz M2, or if you can find the Eterna's in stock go with those.

Meelectronics M6 are quite good, but at this point you might just want to wait for the models to come out in January...There's sure to be something good, probably in the new Dynamic series.
 
W

warthog

Member
Wallach said:
Did you get the while they were on sale for $115 the other day (Amazon/J&R)?
Click to expand...

I live in europe, so unfortunately that wasn't an option. But I still got them at a decent price.
 
M

MrBig

Member
HiResDes said:
Meelectronics M6 are quite good, but at this point you might just want to wait for the models to come out in January...There's sure to be something good, probably in the new Dynamic series.
Click to expand...
I have these, bass and isolation is great.
 
M

Mr_Appleby

Member
ooh nice thread. i'm heading out when stores re-open to pick up a pair of Sennheiser HD-25's. I need something to cover studio use, regular listening, and gigs, and from my experience they tick all those boxes well enough. Far better than the fostex POS i currently use. Plus they are comfy (at least if you get the velour pads), stick to my head, and keep background sound to a minimum.
 
D

Dachande

Member
I had a pair of Sennheiser 570s for the longest time, bought just when they'd been discontinued so they were really cheap. I loved them and they served me well, but I needed an upgrade eventually and got a pair of Senn 595s a couple of months ago, which are great.

Also have a pair of Senn CX 300s for listening while out.

Basically, Sennheiser are my go-to brand for listening equipment. I don't think I've ever had a bad product from them.
 
J

jasonng

Member
Newbie question: Where/how do you guys hang your cans in your room? I have a pair of d2000 coming in and I want to make sure I treat them right. Previously I leave my d1001 flat on my desk and something tells me I've been mishandling them. Some tips and tricks would be much appreciated.
 
D

Doytch

Member
Nice thread, man.

For the last few years I've settled on a pair of Sennheiser HD 555 with the foam mod for home/office/coffee shop listening, and a pair of Ultimate Ears Super-Fi 5 Pros for walking around. The UE cord eventually gave out on me a few months ago, but a $15 cord replacement and I'm back in action. Unreplaceable cords are a dealbreaker for me after dealing with Shure earbuds and their unreliable cords.
jasonng said:
Newbie question: Where/how do you guys hang your cans in your room? I have a pair of d2000 coming in and I want to make sure I treat them right. Previously I leave my d1001 flat on my desk and something tells me I've been mishandling them. Some tips and tricks would be much appreciated.
Click to expand...
Doesn't really matter. I just leave my stuff on my desk cause I'm cheap like that. Hangers look sexy, and they're nice if you've got a bunch of cans lying around, but don't make your headphones sound better.
 
L

leng jai

Member
Wallach said:
Damn, very nice. I don't think many folks here would understand paying that much for cans. :D
Click to expand...

Indeed. I don't think the cost is that big a deal considering how much use I get out of them.
 
A

Ashhong

Member
jasonng said:
Most definitely, I'm not going to give it a second thought.
Click to expand...

There is actually also these at Lowes

rby4j6.jpg


Some people prefer this one because there are 2 contact points, and they are more rounded. I got both but dont have my new headphones yet so I havent tested to see which one I prefer.
 
T

twinturbo2

butthurt Heat fan
I may be buying sometime in the new year, so I'll keep an eye on this thread. I may be looking at a $250-300 budget when I finally splurge.
 
H

HiResDes

Member
twinturbo2 said:
I've been hearing a lot about Beats, are they any good, or is there better options?
Click to expand...

You know I was thinking about addressing this question in the OP too, but I felt like it wasn't going to be needed anymore...The Beats aren't bad, if they were priced at around $100 I'd buy a pair, but they are not...And yes there are better options. I'll let you figure out where you can find some...
 
T

twinturbo2

butthurt Heat fan
Alucrid said:
...wow.



For the price they ask? No. If you can get them cheaper? And I mean much cheaper, sure, why not.
Click to expand...
Allright, what's good at the $250-300 price point? If I'm spending that much on headphones, I don't want to regret it.
 
F

FromTheFuture

Member
Ashhong said:
There is actually also these at Lowes

rby4j6.jpg


Some people prefer this one because there are 2 contact points, and they are more rounded. I got both but dont have my new headphones yet so I havent tested to see which one I prefer.
Click to expand...
Huh, I don't know if it's the lighting or the picture itself, but these do look nicer. Might grab some for my headphones.
 
A

Alucrid

Banned
twinturbo2 said:
Allright, what's good at the $250-300 price point? If I'm spending that much on headphones, I don't want to regret it.
Click to expand...

Check out the OP as others suggested. They're not going to be as expensive as the beats, but they'll have as good if not better sound than them. Once you get higher and higher up you'll usually need/want to amp them and I don't think you're exactly looking for the added hassle.
 
W

wandering goat

Member
I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD650s myself among others, they're my headphones of choice for sure out of all I've tried. My current set-up is my computer - Emu 0404 USB - HD650. I have a decent amp (Darkvoice 336se tube amp) but it's kind of on the fritz.

Leading me to what I just purchased in late December - my first balanced set-up. The DAC is a Little Dot DAC_1, amp is Little Dot MK VII+, and then also ordered a balanced HD650 cable and a pair of XLR interconnects. I'm thinking this should all arrive by end of January. Can't wait, from what everyone says,this combo is truly awesome!
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
New thread makes me want to lose my discipline and buy the TMA-1. :lol

Must resist.... must resist....
ChefRamsay said:
Budget audiophiles:

If you enjoy technical, ultra-accurate cold sound, there is no other answer beyond the Head-Direct line. You will not find more accurate, cold IEMs than the Head Direct RE-0.

If you enjoy bass, look elsewhere.
Click to expand...
Have to agree.

I have the Head-Direct RE2 and the HiFiMaN RE-ZERO, and I can't see myself ever leaving the brand, because their clarity is just unbeatable.

Bass isn't an issue, paired with a FiiO E5.

In fact, anyone shopping for IEMs under $50 should just buy the RE2 + FiiO E5 Combo for $39. HiRes, you may want to just add this combo to the OP.
 
T

ThanksVision

Member
Thanks for this hires! Awesome OP. I now fully understand the purpose of having an amp heh.

My M50s have been sitting in a warehouse less than an hour away for the past 2 days. I want them so bad!!
 
Diseased Yak

Diseased Yak

Gold Member
Love me some headphones. Got into the hobby about 3 years ago.

Current office rig:
Denon AH-D2000
Travagan's Red amp
Custom-made line-out-dock cable going to 32gb iPad

For home use:
Audio Technica ATH-A700
Denon amp
Pioneer SA-CD/CD player

My office rig is the bee's knees. Sounds like honey being poured into my ears listening to a lossless track. I want to get me a pair of D7000s soon.
 
W

Wallach

Member
I'm really interested to see the E11 when it finally gets to market. I don't need the DAC of the E7 and they said the price of the E11 should be lower without it (and should actually be significantly stronger in output than the E11). I will probably grab one of those as soon as they go up to try it out.
 
K

KJTB

Member
so up until this xmas I was always rocking the lame ass ipod earphone things which suck. My dad gave me his pair of Sony MDR 7506 headphones and I'm in love :D

I'm surprised at how good the sound is, considering its cheap $83 price tag. They're also really comfortable.

I don't think that I can ever go back to those ipod earphones ever again, ugh. As a bonus he gave me some sony earphones which are easily better than the ipod ones.
 
W

Wallach

Member
Dipindots said:
so up until this xmas I was always rocking the lame ass ipod earphone things which suck. My dad gave me his pair of Sony MDR 7506 headphones and I'm in love :D

I'm surprised at how good the sound is, considering its cheap $83 price tag. They're also really comfortable.

I don't think that I can ever go back to those ipod earphones ever again, ugh. As a bonus he gave me some sony earphones which are easily better than the ipod ones.
Click to expand...

MDR-7506s are basically renamed MDR-V6s, my all-time favorite set of monitors in terms of price/performance. I've owned two pairs, and they are just awesome cans to have lying around for everyday stuff (I actually tend to wear them when gaming a lot because of the fairly high comfort/isolation). My only complaint with them out of the box is they use pleather-style pads which - like any pleather - will start to flake off and come apart down the line. I recommend replacing them with a set of beyerdynamic velour replacement pads for DT250s (here).
 
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