Headphones

[shaizada]

Currently Own:
1) Balanced Sennheiser HD-650 (Recabled Stefan Art Equinox)
2) Balanced Sennheiser HD-600 (Recabled Apuresound V3)
3) Audio Technica W1000 (Single Ended)
4) Shure E530PTH (IEM - In Ear Monitor)
5) Ultimate Ears UE11 Pro (Custom IEM)
6) KOSS KSC-75 (Balanced with Neutrik connectors)
7) Sony MDR-D66 Eggos
8) Sennheiser HD-800 (Pre-ordered. Delivery should probably be in May)

Previously Owned then sold:
1) Sony R10 (Single Ended)
2) Audio Technica L3000 (Balanced)
3) Stax 007 Omega MKI (used with Kevin Gilmore Blue Hawaii electrostatic amp)
4) Sennheiser Orpheus (used with a maxed out Singlepower ES1)
5) AKG K1000
6) AKG K701 recabled with Jena Labs 22awg ultrawire
7) Beyerdynamics DT880 (Balanced)

My current headphone amplifier / preamp is a Ray Samuels B52.

 

[nishant205]

I am planning to get In ear Headphone in the range of 10000 Rs.
I will use it with Creative ZEn vision W <Mp3 player.

I listen to all kind of music . My favorites are A.R. Rahman, , U2, Coldplay, Pink floyd, Yanni, Kenny G.

Bass should be tight but not too heavy. music detail should be good.

Previously i was using Bose In ear Headphone. Now i want much better than that.

I can get it from US also from my brother.

Please suggest some.

I read the reviews of Sennheiser Ie8, klipsche x10, Shure SE 310, 530

Thanks in Advance

 

[grubyhalo]

Hi,
Could you please let us know

1. If you would be using it straight out of your media player or use it with an amp?

2. Do you need a closed design or an open one? If you're planning to use it in an office environment or a crowded place, you would have sound leak issues with an open-backed headphones.

However, here are a few that are very well regarded and available for not too much:

Amazon.com: Denon AHD2000 High Performance Over-Ear Headphones: Electronics

Amazon.com: Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones with 53mm Drivers with Neodymium Magnet Systems: Electronics

NEW Audio Technica ATH-M50s Headphones Straight Cord - eBay (item 180419688395 end time Nov-13-09 06:44:05 PST)

 

[unleash_me]

Just in case...

 

[nishant205]

Hi,
Could you please let us know

1. If you would be using it straight out of your media player or use it with an amp?

2. Do you need a closed design or an open one? If you're planning to use it in an office environment or a crowded place, you would have sound leak issues with an open-backed headphones.

However, here are a few that are very well regarded and available for not too much:

Amazon.com: Denon AHD2000 High Performance Over-Ear Headphones: Electronics

Amazon.com: Audio Technica ATH-AD700 Open-air Dynamic Audiophile Headphones with 53mm Drivers with Neodymium Magnet Systems: Electronics

NEW Audio Technica ATH-M50s Headphones Straight Cord - eBay (item 180419688395 end time Nov-13-09 06:44:05 PST)[/QUOTE


Thanks for the reply

I would be using it staight from my MP3 Player

I listen my mp3 player at home only. so that i prefer In Ear type headphone .

I am considering Sennheiser IE7 which my brother can get from USA . Any suggesion on that one.

 

[bhanja_trinanjan]

Arj,

My Fostex T50RP easily bests the AKG 701..It is much faster, accurate and detailed than the AKG K701s. The only thing that the AKG came out on top was in the sound staging ..
Of course, my Fostex is heavily modded..lots of bitumen, Dynamat for mechanical damping, cork, different layers of felt was used.

Results from the micro meet at my place...I will try to put it in as few words as possible..

CTH(w 12BH7A Gold Aero) -> AKG K701
Good
*Very nice air.wide soundstage, excellent highs
* very good mids..would like the vocals to be a bit more forward
Bad
*Bass is loose
*Seems like it can't get the bass out of the K701s as easily..
*just a wee bit bright for my tastes

Don's original Stacker -> K701
Good
Faster and tighter bass..
sound staging is brilliant..the drivers seem to disappear
The brightness that was there in the CTH was no longer there.
Very nice detailing but some passages sounded a tad muddled..but nothing too great
Fantastic mids..perfect and on the spot

CK2III- > K701
Good
*Decent bass..
*drives the K701 adequately
*Good mids..not as musical but more forward than the CTH


Bad
* Not musical at all..easily noticeable going from the other two amps to the CK2III.
*Sound stage is smaller than the other two
*Rolled off highs..lacks detail, lacks the air that the other two amps have in spades
*Bass was slightly loose but generally ok

Starving Student (SS)->K701
Good
*Decent mids..but a bit forward sounding.
*Decent Bass..feels like the amp has a lot of juice
*CTH seems to have looser bass

Bad
* Bass lacks control
*Not as detailed in the highs as the CTH...lacks the air
*better channel separation on the CTH
*Sounds muddled at places compared to the CTH, lacks details

SS With Fostex T50Rps (heavily damped) ->
Muddiness in the sound is not that apparent..the SS definitely feels like it has more power.(wonder if changing a few resistors on the CTH would help address this.
Bass sounds slightly hollow


CTH with Fostex T50RP ->
Better air, details and bass than the SS.


CTH with Yamaha HP2 ->
It seems to driev my orthos wuite well...sounds really good with my HP2. I love this combo..
____________________________________________
We gave the CK2III only one listen before we relegated it to one corner disconnected and lonesome. It is already sold and heading off to its new owner come monday.

Swapping out the 12BH7A with an RCA 5963 improved the bass wuite bit..it got tighter..seemed to drive the K701 ok. However, the highs seemed to roll off earlier with the 5963.

Things that I noticed were, the E12 took longer to trip when we plugged in the K701 and the Yamaha Yh-100s..normally it took half that time with other headphones.

I had plans of selling the Starving student..but I am not so sure anymore. I am also not so sure about building another CTH. Especially considering I want to build few other amps.

A word about the stacker...awesome!!!.it just makes it seem like a piece of cake for it..seamless and smooth in its presentation..devoid of any shortcomings..delivering music like it should be...fun!!!

Dude,

The K701 has its flaws but loose bass? Never heard anyone say that bass on the K701 is loose.

To my ears, it is very very tight and goes deep without the slightest hint of boom. The sound is not bassy, especially at moderate volumes. AKG trades sheer bass impact for tightness and control.

 

[PbR]

+1 for MS-1, $100 free w/wide shipping, looks like crap, but on ear 'its different'!!

Cheers
PbR

 

[iaudio]

+1 for MS-1, $100 free w/wide shipping, looks like crap, but on ear 'its different'!!

Cheers
PbR

Pbr, long time no see

Anyways the MS1 is something I have been wanting to get for a long time. Till then gotta make do with my Beta brainwavz.
Have you used the MS1? Do you think it has to be amped to perform well?

 

[PbR]

Pbr, long time no see

Anyways the MS1 is something I have been wanting to get for a long time. Till then gotta make do with my Beta brainwavz.
Have you used the MS1? Do you think it has to be amped to perform well?

Hi iaudio, yeah been busy, out of town etc.
Re MS-1, yes, I have one for 2 years, it is my go-to headphone. I am running it off my Macbook, mostly without an amp, but occasionally via the Corda Move. The difference is IMHO slight, but noticeable on certain music.


Cheers

 

[iaudio]

Hi iaudio, yeah been busy, out of town etc.
Re MS-1, yes, I have one for 2 years, it is my go-to headphone. I am running it off my Macbook, mostly without an amp, but occasionally via the Corda Move. The difference is IMHO slight, but noticeable on certain music.


Cheers

Thanks for the input.
I had planned on getting the MS 1 for my Cowon D2, but unfortunately that got stolen. So Ms1 is gotta wait!

 

[BLASTO]

I have a Audio Technica ATH M50, Senheiser PX100, Philips (SBC HP800), Motorola S9 for different purposes.

All are great headphones in their price range.

Amoung these, I see Philips and motorola s9 not getting their share of respect in the A/V world.

It is hard to beat the BASS and frequency response of motorola S9 for mobile phone music in the price range. It also has a wide range of frequency response and the clarity and seperation is just excellent. I connect it to LG KP500 (cookie) mobile with A2DP and the pair looks like matched in heaven.

Philips produces some excellent customer centric headphones in their price range and all philips headphones are cheaper than UK prices in india which makes them a steal. The highest varient cineos is still only 4k. I expect it to be excellent considering my experience with the 1k HP800 which is awesome for the pricerange. No audition available but. It is just so much comfortable, you forget that you are wearing them. I use them after I become exhaused from the power of ATH M50. These are mostly old and not used otherwise.

Audio Technica, while produces un-matched sound in the group, Is at a different price point al together. It creates heat and sweat and is hard for wearing for long time listening. You have to deal with it to listen to the wonderful sharp and balanced sound it produces. It is no where as comfortable as the philips. Keeps you reminding that you are wearing them for a long time. A single english movie is the highest time you can wear them continuously in hyderabad summers! Highlights are huge frequency response + very very very tight and balanced BASS + sweet highs. Midrange is respectable for the price range. The BASS from the bass heavy songs like "Bass I love you" makes your skull & jaw bones vibrate literally! :yahoo: The movie blasts happen so close to you and you often shudder. Not recommend for horror movies for faint hearted.. hyeah:

Px100 is one of the best light weight and dynamic headphones around for MP3. It has a pronounced BASS, not tight as ATH M50 but is highly recommend for mp3. It leaks quite a lot of sound and you collegue knows what you are hearing and sometime comes to you to borrow the song. The MP3s sound so sweet, you want to hear them again and again.. This is my primary headphone in office where I dont feel like looking like an astronaut (wearing M50).

 

[grubyhalo]

...

Audio Technica, while produces un-matched sound in the group, Is at a different price point al together. It creates heat and sweat and is hard for wearing for long time listening. You have to deal with it to listen to the wonderful sharp and balanced sound it produces. It is no where as comfortable as the philips. Keeps you reminding that you are wearing them for a long time. A single english movie is the highest time you can wear them continuously in hyderabad summers! Highlights are huge frequency response + very very very tight and balanced BASS + sweet highs. Midrange is respectable for the price range. The BASS from the bass heavy songs like "Bass I love you" makes your skull & jaw bones vibrate literally! :yahoo: The movie blasts happen so close to you and you often shudder. Not recommend for horror movies for faint hearted.. hyeah:

Px100 is one of the best light weight and dynamic headphones around for MP3. It has a pronounced BASS, not tight as ATH M50 but is highly recommend for mp3. It leaks quite a lot of sound and you collegue knows what you are hearing and sometime comes to you to borrow the song. The MP3s sound so sweet, you want to hear them again and again.. This is my primary headphone in office where I dont feel like looking like an astronaut (wearing M50).

I'm this close to puling the trigger on the M50S and your impressions are timely and helpful. Have you ever had a chance to compare these with the HD600/650s by any chance? Ironically, my M50s would purely be for my office usage cuz I don't want to look like an alien wearing my 650's in the office.

 

[BLASTO]

I'm this close to puling the trigger on the M50S and your impressions are timely and helpful. Have you ever had a chance to compare these with the HD600/650s by any chance? Ironically, my M50s would purely be for my office usage cuz I don't want to look like an alien wearing my 650's in the office.

HD650s are again open headphones and I assume will have an entirely different sound signature. I assume these are similar to sound signature of HD555(My collegue has one). I have not auditioned anything above this price range currently. I can compare HD555 and M50s.

The difference between these two are primarily to do with the type. M50 is closed back and hence produces very balanced & punchy bass. HD555 frankly misses out in bass department when compared to M50 side by side (IMO it is less than Px100 also, but it is because Px100 has a boosted bass). HD555 again leaks quite a lot of sound (more than px100) and cannot be used in quite places like office.

HD555 scores well in dynamism/livelyness (quite a bit more than Px100, M50s) and the midrange frequencies are handled marginally better than M50.

Eg.) In rainstorm in sea (Pirates of the caribean), The rain happens so close and thunder happens far away in HD555. In M50, rain happens so close and a stronger more pronounced thunder happens "not" so far away.

I like the overall sound from M50 since mixes the strong bass with sweet HI-s very well.

In short, AR. Rehman, Harris Jayaraj sounds good in M50 and Ilayaraja sounds good in HD555.

For Mp3, The frequecy response of PX100 suites well. M50/HD555 are only marginally better. In movies/Flac, It is a diferent story altogether.

Eventually, If you have HD650, It does not make sense to go for another sennheiser at a lower price range. And if your office has A/C, M50 suits it well. You might also consider the ATH-700 which is at a slightly lesser price which the reviewers say is more comfortable than M50.

M50 is designed and sold for colder countries (I guess there is a reason that they dont sell it in india ) and is exteremely soothing during winters/rain but is a problem during summers without A/C. It has mostly to do with the leather ear cups. ATH-700 has the smooth foam finish like the philips I have.
These were costlier than the M50 when I bought.

Bass/Punch
MP3 - M50 >> Px100 > HD555
Movies/flac - M50 >> HD555 > Px100

Midrange
HD555 > M50 = Px100

Hi Frequencies
M50 = HD555 > Px100

Dynamism/Liveleness/soundstage
HD555 > M50 = Px100

Frequency range
M50 > HD555 > Px100

Frequency seperation/clarity
M50 = HD555 > Px100

Sound leakage
HD555 > Px100 >> M50

 

[grubyhalo]

Thanks for your time and the detailed impressions. I was hoping to see if you had listened to the HD's and see what I would be missing in going for the M50s. I would be using these mostly in the office and the few times I'm stuck in an airport with nothing much to do. So I'm guessing I could sacrifice on the comfort factor a bit, though the usage in the office would be quite extended. The 2 cans I had narrowed down were the ATH-A700s and the M50's and was pretty much going for the 700s when I came across a lot of user opinions putting the M50s on par or even better than the 700s. The clinching factor was the apparent build quality of the M50s that appear much better than the 700s, atleast to me. I'm curious if there's anyone here who have listened to the M50s and the A700s...

 

[BLASTO]

Thanks for your time and the detailed impressions. I was hoping to see if you had listened to the HD's and see what I would be missing in going for the M50s. I would be using these mostly in the office and the few times I'm stuck in an airport with nothing much to do. So I'm guessing I could sacrifice on the comfort factor a bit, though the usage in the office would be quite extended. The 2 cans I had narrowed down were the ATH-A700s and the M50's and was pretty much going for the 700s when I came across a lot of user opinions putting the M50s on par or even better than the 700s. This was quite believable to me as they use the same driver (according to an AT US distributor). The clinching factor was the apparent build quality of the M50s that appear much better than the 700s, atleast to me. I'm curious if there's anyone here who have listened to the M50s and the A700s...

I have not listened to 700s nor have I seen them but the M50s have rock solid build.

The dark black colour with the silver lining on the cans is pleasing to eyes and also look classy.

It is also so much funtional. It can be folded multiple ways so packing it and taking along is not a problem. (I think 700s cannot be folded)

It is also rotatable both sides and top to bottom. Will easily find a good position. Everyone who tried them were able to find a good position.

 

[arj]

TAS seems to have a nice review of Headphones... for those of you interested it is a free download
AVguide
pretty interesting review of headphones at ll ranges..although these are MRP's you get them lower

 

[unleash_me]

Hope this generic description helps.

 

[adityavj]

Hi psychotropic,

Thanks for starting this thread

I use the Grado RS60s for late hours, critical listening and find them absolutely delightful with the genres I listen to.

Of course, if you've handled these you'll know they are too clunky and cumbersome for outdoor/ travel use. Also, much of the sound 'bleeds' through and there is a risk of disturbing co-passengers at higher volumes. In fact, I sometimes flip the phones 'outside in', the non-padded side is clearer on the treble detail!

My other phones are Sennheisers buds that came bundled with the non-defunct iRiver H340 series. Not sure which make, but they blow the stock iPoo (TM) buds to smithereens.

Persiflage

A pair of Grados, with all their clunkiness and noise leaking, is still one of the few things that you still love years after you buy it. I bought my Grado SR60 5 years ago, and they have been a revelation.

The best thing about them is that they never break! The design, ancient though it is, is very very sturdy! the thick cable shows no signs of wear and tear and the rest of the unit looks as new as the day I bought it. You can throw these around, pack them in your luggage, pull on the cables etc etc, but they just refuse to break.

The only thing I replaced in 5 years were the foam earpads!

Also, bass can be improved a bit by a Fiio Amp, a computer might not have a good enough sound card to drive the SR60s

Finally, check out the portable version of the SR60, portable, but still very "Grado" :clapping:

iGrado