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D1E posted:FYI - FOR SALE IN SA-MART: I just got a pair of HD558s to replace my recently deceased PortaPros but I had to buy the HD800s. The HD558s already sound worlds better than any headphones I've previously heard. I can't wait to hear the 800s. How much am I going to hate not having a proper amp? What is the cheapest amp worthy of HD800s? For reference, I think the 558s sound great through my computer or iPhone/iPad, but they are only 50Ω headphones of course. pyrotek fucked around with this message at 19:34 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 19:28
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Something like the Valhalla 2 is the lowest you should go for the 800, imo.
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Jul 11, 2014 19:35
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I went from a pair of 598s to 800s and it really is just a huge jump up. You'll find the sound stage and instrument separation become prominent in recordings. The source of your recordings becomes very important as well. For example, I absolutely loved my collection of Chopin nocturnes by Arthur Rubenstein. When I moved to the 800s, the limitations of those older recordings became apparent and sort of distracting (keep in mind this is all lossless). Lots of background hiss from old recordings. They are pretty ruthless about revealing details in a recording. Even the windows sounds for 8.1 have noticeable background noise in error messages, lol. The point of them is to be as neutral and close to the recording as possible, so don't go in expecting heavy bass or anything. The low end is tight and satisfying but never exagerrated. As for amps, find an amp that can easily drive 300 ohms and you are good. Read some reviews and see if you want a neutral amp or tube flavorings, etc. I've used the Xonar Essence STX for quite some time which easily drive them with no issues re: noise floor or component interference. Excellent DAC and amp at a great price point. Many people praise the JDS O2 dac or their ODAC dac/amp combo for being an excellent neutral amp if you would rather go external. Opinions vary on whether or not they "easily" drive the 800s but they are also an awesome price point and headphones discussions are full of crazy horseshit so ymmv. As for playing your music - get Foobar 2000, the asio and sacd plugins and set output in asio to whatever your dac ends up being. Grab a copy of the SACD for Thriller from your favorite music source if you really want to be blown away by how good headphones treat amazing production. When I get home from work I will have a brand new Valhalla 2 on my doorstep so I will absolutely put it head to head against the STX using my SACD collection and report back! Incredulous Dylan fucked around with this message at 20:12 on Jul 11, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 20:00
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Trip report Mad Dog Pro's: They are thick heavy headphones. Yet they may be the most comfortable pair I've ever worn. If they break in and get better it becomes a definite thing. The soundstage is weird, it sounds open but it is a closed pair. The thing feels like its built like a tank and because of it its sound isolation is amazing. For gaming I have no problem pinpointing sound sources or hearing important audio cues. The audio is definitely slanted towards a rich and deep bass and seems to be lacking slightly in the highs. The mids sound fine but I hardly have a trained ear for this. The cord is one of my pet peeves. It comes out of the left cup and angles front and down. It just seems to get slightly in teh way from time to time but ultimately its pretty much a non-issue. The adjustable band fits my head perfectly if not a bit too snug. Pros: -Excellent sound isolation, I'd say its comparable to Bose sound cancellation, if not even better. -Deep rich bass, this is actually some of the best bass I've ever heard in a pair of headphones. -Excellent soundstage for closed ears. It's easily the best soundstage for closed ears I've heard. -Extremely comfortable cans, leather padded and solid band. -Built like a tank, I could throw these things off my roof and expect them to be fine. They are heavy but in a good way Cons: -Seems like the bass is the strongest range, with hi's feeling muted and mids sounding fine. I don't think its bad in any way. For reference I was listening to a lot of Tycho with these headphones last night and I've never heard the song better. It was absolutely divine. Better than my K712's by far. THis isn't really a con the more I think about it, its more just a balance comment. -It seems to fit ever so slightly too snug, and the band doesn't have much give. It is super comfortable but its also too tight. This will probably break in over time. -Cord is somewhat short and also comes off at an angle to the front instead of straight down, its just kind of strange. Doesn't seem too in the way though. All in all I am supremely impressed with the Mad Dog Pro. For record my headphone pedigree is: Bose QC15, Audiotechnica ATH-M50, and AKG K712 (very new). They're so good I am considering returning my K712's but I will probably hang onto it for hot days when my ears need to breath. edit: Pistons just got in. Not much to say, an amazing value for some quality ear buds. ScienceAndMusic fucked around with this message at 02:32 on Jul 12, 2014 |
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Jul 11, 2014 20:19
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Sounds like you need to lock in the cable. It should not be facing anywhere but straight down when locked in.
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Jul 12, 2014 04:25
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I'd steer clear of anything with a super low output impedance for the HD800. The bass response improves considerably with a higher output impedance and I think that's the biggest difference I've perceived when comparing amps. The Schiit Vali sounds way better with them than any $100 amp should. If you're using something with an op amp output, like an O2, make sure to get an impedance adapter off of eBay. A Bottlehead Crack or a Torpedo are great options if you're into DIY. They aren't hard to drive, so you can probably get away with a 75 or 150 ohm adapter off of your computer's output, but they scale up really well in my experience.
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Jul 12, 2014 15:51
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Got my Audio-Technica ATH-W1000s in, and they are as lovely, both aesthetically and acoustically, as I remember from when I fell in love with them all those years ago. I need to find a proper headphone stand though, since I'd just been using a chrome banana hanger (hey, it works very well) for my HD600s, but the headband design of the W1000s means it really wouldn't work. Can't say I'm a huge fan of the way most headphone stands out there though, and I'm unfortunately not equipped with either the skills or the equipment to make my own. GokieKS fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jul 12, 2014 |
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Jul 12, 2014 19:49
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GokieKS posted:Got my Audio-Technica ATH-W1000s in, and they are lovely as I remember from when I fell in love with them all those years ago. I've been trying to look a good stand for my AD2000s but it's hard due to the unique headband. I was thinking of buying the official one but it costs $100. In the end I just settled for this Brainwavz stand. Works decent enough. 
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Jul 12, 2014 20:09
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GokieKS posted:Got my Audio-Technica ATH-W1000s in, and they are as lovely, both aesthetically and acoustically, as I remember from when I fell in love with them all those years ago. I have my headphones hung on a wall using guitar mounts. $3 on Amazon and they work very nicely and make a great display. Edit: And I am super stoked to see all of this Audio Technica talk that isn't the M50! 
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Jul 13, 2014 14:43
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I'm probably going to buy a Yamaha THR10C amp to practice playing the guitar at home at low volumes, but I'd also like to plug some decent headphones in there. Any recommendations? My budget is around 200$, but I can stretch it.
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Jul 13, 2014 15:27
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Wengy posted:I'm probably going to buy a Yamaha THR10C amp to practice playing the guitar at home at low volumes, but I'd also like to plug some decent headphones in there. Any recommendations? My budget is around 200$, but I can stretch it. There are a lot of phones out there at that price, it would help narrow it down to suit you better if we could get more information. Do you want isolation? What other devices are you going to use them for and what/where else are you going to use them with? On the ear, over the ear, in the ear? If you're going to use these for music too, what genres?
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Jul 13, 2014 17:00
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What are some good in ear options for under $40? Source will be an iPhone.
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Jul 13, 2014 19:17
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Retarded Pimp posted:There are a lot of phones out there at that price, it would help narrow it down to suit you better if we could get more information. Well, I'd really only use them for the amp. It'd be great if they covered the ears and were very comfortable. My main concerns are really sound quality and usability with a guitar amp.
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Jul 13, 2014 19:51
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Red_Fred posted:What are some good in ear options for under $40? Source will be an iPhone. http://www.amazon.com/Original-Xiaomi-Earphone-Headphone-Smartphone/dp/B00HUNUOJW They sound great for $25. The controls don't work for iphones, though.
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Jul 13, 2014 20:31
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Wengy posted:Well, I'd really only use them for the amp. It'd be great if they covered the ears and were very comfortable. My main concerns are really sound quality and usability with a guitar amp. These might be what you're looking for. http://www.amazon.com/NVX-Over-Ear-Headphones-ComfortMax-Cushions/dp/B0093PVTPS Better price. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...0140713194040:s Retarted Pimple fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Jul 13, 2014 |
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Jul 13, 2014 20:39
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Thanks, looks great, I'll check those out!
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Jul 13, 2014 23:51
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Retarded Pimp posted:http://www.amazon.com/Original-Xiaomi-Earphone-Headphone-Smartphone/dp/B00HUNUOJW I'll second the Pistons for mobile. I've previously spent 3 times that on IEMs that didn't sound as good as these do. On iOS the play, pause, and hold for Siri button works, but the volume controls do not. Edit: After testing, the mic works as well. LASER BEAM DREAM fucked around with this message at 01:12 on Jul 14, 2014 |
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Jul 13, 2014 23:51
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LASER BEAM DREAM posted:I'll second the Pistons for mobile. I've previously spent 3 times that on IEMs that didn't sound as good as these do. On iOS the play, pause, and hold for Siri button works, but the volume controls do not. Any alternatives? I'm not sure my girlfriend will be thrilled at me suggesting a Chinese copy, regardless of how good they are.
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Jul 14, 2014 03:15
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So does Audio Technica make any IEMs under $40 that are recommended? Enjoying the sound of the M50x, but I'd like something more portable for certain occasions.
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Jul 14, 2014 03:44
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Red_Fred posted:Any alternatives? I'm not sure my girlfriend will be thrilled at me suggesting a Chinese copy, regardless of how good they are. The Pistons aren't a "Chinese copy" of anything.
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Jul 14, 2014 03:44
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The Pistons are good enough and cheap enough that I ordered another two pairs. They sound as good if not better than my Sennheisers which cost x4 as much. Good quality all around, I like the non-rubbery cord and quality metal socket/controller/earbuds. No plastic except for the buttons. Volume doesn't work on my iPhone but I don't care too much, skip/siri support is good enough for me. FYI order from the boat2014 dude on Amazon, his are legit and they're all fulfilled by Amazon so you get them straight from Amazon's warehouses and they arrive quick.
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Jul 14, 2014 04:01
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I too am very happy with my Pistons. They make me less sad to not be using my X1's when I'm listening or watching things on my phone. I'm also really happy with the Fiio E17. Its nice to be able to unplug the USB, plug in the Aux cable, and switch it to my phone. Cleans up the sound a little bit and seems to make the little details just that slight bit more clear and apparent and its great.
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Jul 14, 2014 05:10
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Red_Fred posted:Any alternatives? I'm not sure my girlfriend will be thrilled at me suggesting a Chinese copy, regardless of how good they are. I'm still big fans of the Tenores/Bassos, but it's hard to beat the Pistons at that price.
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Jul 14, 2014 07:16
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halokiller posted:I've been trying to look a good stand for my AD2000s but it's hard due to the unique headband. I was thinking of buying the official one but it costs $100. In the end I just settled for this Brainwavz stand. Works decent enough. I would want something that both bands would rest on. The Audio-Technica HPS550 would definitely be the best choice, but yeah, I'm not really thrilled with paying $85+ for one. I ended up ordering this - while I really don't love the Omega design, at least it looks better in acrylic than wood and it's pretty cheap.
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Jul 14, 2014 07:50
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VelociBacon posted:Hi thread. I'm looking to upgrade my cans but I'm having difficulty really gauging where to move from what I have. I'm hoping someone can sum up the headphones I have and possibly offer a suggestion or two seeing as there are tons of headphones around the price point I'm looking at. Hi thread. Just hitting this post back as my self-repaired AKG's have failed again despite soldering/hot glue/etc. Is there anything different about the headphone climate these days or are the Shure 1540s still the cans for me?
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Jul 14, 2014 10:43
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Just got my Pistons in today and they're pretty great, by far the best IEMs I've ever owned! I think it's time to finally retire my CX 485's. Got mine from that boat2014 guy, and it arrived pretty quickly considering that it came from China.
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Jul 15, 2014 00:47
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Joker's review for the Pistons happened. In short: They're very good, though the last five pages of this thread already provide enough evidence of that. I got mine a few days ago, and they're fantastic. It's fun to listen to chamber music or those sea shanties in AC: Black Flag and try and pick out how many instruments/voices there are.
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Jul 15, 2014 01:09
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Bought some Shure SRH1540 today, couldn't be happier. Driving them from my PC but now I'm wondering if a headphone amp would make the experience noticeably better? It's hard to imagine any improvement to what I'm hearing here.
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Jul 15, 2014 02:36
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Midorka posted:Sounds like you need to lock in the cable. It should not be facing anywhere but straight down when locked in. Would you care to expand on this? I have no idea how to "lock" my cable on Mad Dog Pro's.
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Jul 15, 2014 02:48
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So my old Samson SR850's died the other day (cable got shredded) and am looking for a replacement. Unfortunately I'm still a student and still broke so it'll be another cheapish pair. I think I've narrowed it down to 2 so far: Creative Aurvana Live! 2 for $130 or AKG K240 for $90 (but since this doesn't have a mic I'll need to grab one, probably the V-Moda Boom mic for $30) so $120 in total I was wondering if anyone had experience with the Creative ones that make it worth the extra $10? or any comments about the Mic itself? I already have a FiiO E5 so I shouldn't need anything else afaict.
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Jul 15, 2014 03:26
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ScienceAndMusic posted:Would you care to expand on this? I have no idea how to "lock" my cable on Mad Dog Pro's. Push the cable into the headphones at an angle and then turn that portion down to lock them in place. The cable should point downwards, not outwards.
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Jul 15, 2014 04:25
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What's the cord on the Pistons like? I'm leery about fabric. The 8320 was incredibly noisy and my first pair frayed in a week.
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Jul 15, 2014 05:39
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Its braided from the controls to the jack, the earphones themselves have a standard rubbery cable. Its super soft and doesn't tangle at all.
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Jul 15, 2014 05:59
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Midorka posted:Push the cable into the headphones at an angle and then turn that portion down to lock them in place. The cable should point downwards, not outwards. I'm sorry but I have literally no idea what you're talking about. Are you sure you are not thinking about a different pair of headphones? 
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Jul 15, 2014 08:54
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I've decided that I actually DO need some noise cancelling headphones. For work, I often fly on a small private plane and the engine noise is doing my head in. I'm looking for good noise-cancelling with, I guess, OK sound but really that's not the main reason so I'm not to worried about that. I have plenty of cans for actually listening to music. I guess I could be happy to spend up to $200 seeing as this is essentially a health issue.
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Jul 15, 2014 09:28
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ineptmule posted:I've decided that I actually DO need some noise cancelling headphones. For work, I often fly on a small private plane and the engine noise is doing my head in. I would suggest IEMs rather than noise-cancelling, if you don't mind having something in your ear. Specifically, using foam or triple flange tips. If you really want to get wild, you can go with a pair of custom IEMs, or get some decent IEMs and then get some custom moulds made. In the end the sound will likely be better than what you pay for noise-cancelling headphones, and you get better isolation. I would suggesting reading up on the noise-cancelling headphones at the following link http://www.headphone.com/collections/noise-cancelling-headphones. If you want bose, which have the best noise-cancelling, they are going to cost you 300+ dollars, and the audio quality is not very good compared to other headphones. As I said, I would suggest going with IEMs rather than headphones with active-noise cancelling. You just need to find the right pair that seal out enough outside sound. Anything with foam or triple flange should do the trick.
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Jul 15, 2014 12:43
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Wengy posted:I'm probably going to buy a Yamaha THR10C amp to practice playing the guitar at home at low volumes, but I'd also like to plug some decent headphones in there. Any recommendations? My budget is around 200$, but I can stretch it. Any other suggestions on this? Sadly, those NVX ones aren't available in my country 
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Jul 15, 2014 20:43
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ScienceAndMusic posted:I'm sorry but I have literally no idea what you're talking about. Are you sure you are not thinking about a different pair of headphones? Are yours balanced? Cause I've never seen them look anything other than this: 
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Jul 15, 2014 21:29
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Midorka posted:Are yours balanced? Cause I've never seen them look anything other than this: These are mad dog balanced/normal mad dogs, mad dog pro is different. Its a shame that the pro excels in so many areas but they actively have a stupid cord design.
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Jul 15, 2014 21:55
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ScienceAndMusic posted:These are mad dog balanced/normal mad dogs, mad dog pro is different. Its a shame that the pro excels in so many areas but they actively have a stupid cord design. Oh, well I feel dumb. I didn't even know there was a Mad Dog Pro. Sorry for wasting your time. For what it's worth, the LCD2 seems to have the same cord positioning. Edit: Finished my review of the Rock-It R-50. The short of it is that these are excellent IEMs for those who don't need sub-bass rumble. Excellent for almost everything that isn't bass heavy electronic music. Midorka fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Jul 16, 2014 |
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Jul 16, 2014 04:49
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