Mad Lust Envy Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Hi there. Lurker of OCR since the birth of Christ it seems. The new Shantae remix really made me wanna finally register and post, but yeah, hi. XD Anyone here quote unquote an audiophile? I myself ain't much of one (enjoy my music in many ways), but what are you fave ways of enjoying these great remixes and music in general? Me, I mostly use my headphones and amp/dacs. I've owned a ridiculous amount of headphones in the past year, and finally settled on these main 3 for now. AKG K701 Beyerdynamic DT990 600ohm (soon anyway, they arive in a few days) Creative Aurvana Live I use a Fiio E7 amp/dac combo to bypass my netbook's crappy onboard soundcard. I also use a Sansa Fuze on the go with some not so hifi JVC Marshmallow FX35 in ear monitors (not much of a portable listener, but I do enjoy it). Owned a pair of RE0s but I sold them since my portable listening isn't as critical as my at home listening, and find some budget IEMs to give a lot of performance for the buck. I'm waiting on the Fiio E9 amp to truly feed some juice to power my hard to drive headphones. I also own an Astro Mixamp which I use to play my video games in virtual surround with my headphones. Simply a must for console gamers who use headphones/headsets. I also own a decently priced Logitech 2.1 desktop speaker/sub system for when I wanna relax and not use my cans. Any other headphone users? I admit to having a slight obsession with them. My headphones themselves cost about as much as a PS3 or 360. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperion5182 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 I cant afford that level of expensive headphones. But i do use a nice pair of Turtle Beaches that cost me 60. I have room size issues and slightly thin walls so the headset allows me to not only voice convo properly but the sound quallity equals any speakers i could buy under a 7:1 system =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Lust Envy Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 I cant afford that level of expensive headphones. But i do use a nice pair of Turtle Beaches that cost me 60. I have room size issues and slightly thin walls so the headset allows me to not only voice convo properly but the sound quality equals any speakers i could buy under a 7:1 system =) Could you tell me which Turtle Beach you own? I know the HPX and HPA2 give a really solid performance for their price even with music considering their price. I myself recently purchased the Turtle Beach Z2 and PX21, but both left me severely underwhelmed, though I guess that can be attributed to me being spoiled by the sound off my headphones. The PX21 has an inline amp that hissed waaaay too much for my liking, and the Z2 was just a pretty poor product all around, IMHO. I quite liked the PX21 IF the hissing wasn't there. In the end, I returned both. The Creative Aurvana Live shares the same drivers as the Denon D1001 (which cost around $130 in many places), but at half that price. Assuming you can find the CAL nowadays for the reduced price. The CAL still continues to surprise me for the $65 I spent on them. They beat the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 which cost me $200 at one point, and compares to them favorably with the same music. If you want a really good mid fi headphone for a low end price (less than $90), the Sennheiser 555, Audio Technica AD700 (though light on bass), and Creative Aurvana Live are my top picks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Shure E2c's with Comply tips at work, Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10's with Radians custom earplug molds at home. I use Dell 2.1 speakers when my ears start hurting or I need to hear people. Sound card is a Creative X-Fi XtremeGamer for the headphone surround sound (definitely helps with TF2 and L4D). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noTuX Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 I use the Logitech Z506 5.1 Channel Surround Sound Speakers when I'm working out, or playing a game. I have the SoundBlaster Audigy 4 sound card. I had some Sony MDRV600 studio monitor headphones, but one of my friends broke them and I had to get some cheap Panasonic headphones. I'm looking to spend about $130.00 on some new over the ear headphones but I don't know whats good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moseph Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 AKG K701 I use the K702 model for listening/mixing -- same as the K701 but black and with a breakaway cable. I love them. I run through the headphone-out on my EMU 0404 interface. I want to get a decent headphone amp, but I don't really have the money for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoadiePC Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Personally, I tend to use speakers when listening at home, just a pair of simple/cheap Logitechs with a small sub(got them for $25.00 at Fry's), but when I use headphones, I use my Sony MDR-V700s. They're not perfect, the oversized (40mm) drivers tend to be a bit bass-heavy, but for thumpy music, they're great. They've also got awesome sound-isolation. They tend to draw more power than most portable music players can push, so I pair them with a "Boosteroo", which is a small AA-battery powered headphone amplifier/splitter from Radio Shack. The V700s can handle up to 3 watts, which is a lot for headphones, and between the V700s($160.00) and the Boosteroo ($25.00) I have a fairly cost-effective headphone rig that rocks for stuff that's just begging to be played loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Lust Envy Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 Blue magic, what kind of music do you mostly listen to? If you want tried and proven great all arounders, the Audio Technica M50 is highly regarded as great cans for the price. A few head-fiers who own headphones that cost 4 times as much still have their M50s. I myself had them and sold them to my roommate, and I can personally attest to them standing up to headphones worth much more than them. Some well known performers: ATH-M50 ATH-ES7 (these sound fantasic but there are a lot of fakes out there. They can also be torture on the ears as they can be very uncomfortable. I sold these too. I couldn't take take another 'on-ear' headphone ever again. Never again will I sacrifice comfort for sound quality. It needs to have both.) Denon D1001 or Creative Aurvana Live AKG 271 MKII AKG 240 Shure SRH840 Sennheiser 555 (5 minute mod to make them sound excatly like the Senn 595) Sony V6 Sony XB700 (if you want thunderous bass and fun sound, said to sound like the Senn HD650). The HD650 is over $300, while the XB700 is $70. I owned them and they were awesome. EQ-ing them is well worth it. They're one of few headphones that can take abuse in equalizers and still sound untouched. They also go so low in bass, to inaudible depths. I'm not much of an in ear monitor guy, but the Hifiman RE0 is VERY highly regarded as one of the best sub $100 purchases in headphone gear. They compare with in ears that cost 3 times as much. Very neutral and transparent sound. If I can say anything about them is that they to me sound like they give you the sound that a music producer intended for you to hear. Well worth it. I paid $13 for my JVC Marshmallows not because thy are hi fi, but because they supply the most comfortable tips I have ever felt in IEMs. They also seal almost too well, and won't fall out of your ear. With EQ, the Marshmallows sound just fine for my portable needs. Other great value performers: Koss KSC75 ($15 clip ons, very trusted around head-fi. I myself can't believe the sound coming off these. They sound like $75 headphones) Sennheiser HD201 ($15-20) JVC HA-S700 (Looks like the $130 Bose that sell in stores, but are worth just $30 and sound great) JVC HA-RX700 ($30, known for their terrific performance even with video games) Never ever buy headphones from Ebay. There are a lot of fakes out there. If you want a very effective DAC/AMP, the Fiio E7 is an amazing buy for less than $100 (usually around $80). When connected to your computer via USB or line out, the Fiio E7 bypasses your computer's soundcard for it's very good internal DAC and also amplifies the signal for your headphones. The upgrade in sound is astronomical when compared to most stock onboard sound cards. I couldn't believe what I was listening to prior to getting the E7. To headphone users, I can't stress how good a DAC/AMP is for your music listening. Do yourselves a favor and get the Fiio E7, as it has components found in DACs that cost 3 times as much. Fiio makes their business selling products that rival bigger companies but at a more consumer friendly price, and their build quality speaks SO MUCH when it comes to how much they care for their own products. The E7 also works as just a portable amp, in which you can get an LOD cable to hook up to your mp3 players like Ipods, Sansas, and whatnot. The LOD bypasses the usually crappy amp/headphone out of your mp3 players and feeds you a clean, strong signal for your headphones. The E9 is going to be released very soon, and the E7 is going to dock with it, allowing users to have the DAC part of the E7 and the desktop amp power of the E9 for the harder to drive headphones like the HD650. This is gonna be a great combo for $200. The E9 itself is gonna be no more than $150 (I'm gonna guess in the range of $130, final price hasn't been posted by Fiio yet) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benjamin Briggs Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 monitoring headphones plz erryday, errywhere Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Lust Envy Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 I use the K702 model for listening/mixing -- same as the K701 but black and with a breakaway cable. I love them. I run through the headphone-out on my EMU 0404 interface. I want to get a decent headphone amp, but I don't really have the money for it. I hear that. My E7 alone doesn't drive them as well as I'd like, but I'm hoping the addition of the E9 in the near future will do just that. I believe it will as it's made for headphones ranging from 16-600ohm. The K701 and K702 are notorious as being stupidly hard to drive for a 62ohm headphone. Actually hear they are as hard to drive as 600ohm headphones... they have such a low sensitivity, it's not hard to see why... Thankfully the Astro Mixamp powers them VERY well for surround sound video gaming on my consoles but only if I don't mess with the voice chat settings and have the mixamp fully juicing the game audio. Otherwise, the amp becomes another victim for the power hungry AKGs. I wanted the K701 mostly for the white color, but I WISH they had a detachable cable like the K702. I would have gotten a really good custom cable for it... but it's not a big issue as a recable probably improves the sound by an incremental amount. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
José the Bronx Rican Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 monitoring headphones plzerryday, errywhere This. Of course, people who've met me know this about me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noTuX Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Blue magic, what kind of music do you mostly listen to?If you want tried and proven great all arounders, the Audio Technica M50 is highly regarded as great cans for the price. A few head-fiers who own headphones that cost 4 times as much still have their M50s. I myself had them and sold them to my roommate, and I can personally attest to them standing up to headphones worth much more than them. Some well known performers: ATH-M50 ATH-ES7 (these sound fantasic but there are a lot of fakes out there. They can also be torture on the ears as they can be very uncomfortable. I sold these too. I couldn't take take another 'on-ear' headphone ever again. Never again will I sacrifice comfort for sound quality. It needs to have both.) Denon D1001 or Creative Aurvana Live AKG 271 MKII AKG 240 Shure SRH840 Sennheiser 555 (5 minute mod to make them sound excatly like the Senn 595) Sony V6 Sony XB700 (if you want thunderous bass and fun sound, said to sound like the Senn HD650). The HD650 is over $300, while the XB700 is $70. I owned them and they were awesome. EQ-ing them is well worth it. They're one of few headphones that can take abuse in equalizers and still sound untouched. They also go so low in bass, to inaudible depths. I'm not much of an in ear monitor guy, but the Hifiman RE0 is VERY highly regarded as one of the best sub $100 purchases in headphone gear. They compare with in ears that cost 3 times as much. Very neutral and transparent sound. If I can say anything about them is that they to me sound like they give you the sound that a music producer intended for you to hear. Well worth it. I paid $13 for my JVC Marshmallows not because thy are hi fi, but because they supply the most comfortable tips I have ever felt in IEMs. They also seal almost too well, and won't fall out of your ear. With EQ, the Marshmallows sound just fine for my portable needs. Other great value performers: Koss KSC75 ($15 clip ons, very trusted around head-fi. I myself can't believe the sound coming off these. They sound like $75 headphones) Sennheiser HD201 ($15-20) JVC HA-S700 (Looks like the $130 Bose that sell in stores, but are worth just $30 and sound great) JVC HA-RX700 ($30, known for their terrific performance even with video games) Never ever buy headphones from Ebay. There are a lot of fakes out there. If you want a very effective DAC/AMP, the Fiio E7 is an amazing buy for less than $100 (usually around $80). When connected to your computer via USB or line out, the Fiio E7 bypasses your computer's soundcard for it's very good internal DAC and also amplifies the signal for your headphones. The upgrade in sound is astronomical when compared to most stock onboard sound cards. I couldn't believe what I was listening to prior to getting the E7. To headphone users, I can't stress how good a DAC/AMP is for your music listening. Do yourselves a favor and get the Fiio E7, as it has components found in DACs that cost 3 times as much. Fiio makes their business selling products that rival bigger companies but at a more consumer friendly price, and their build quality speaks SO MUCH when it comes to how much they care for their own products. The E7 also works as just a portable amp, in which you can get an LOD cable to hook up to your mp3 players like Ipods, Sansas, and whatnot. The LOD bypasses the usually crappy amp/headphone out of your mp3 players and feeds you a clean, strong signal for your headphones. The E9 is going to be released very soon, and the E7 is going to dock with it, allowing users to have the DAC part of the E7 and the desktop amp power of the E9 for the harder to drive headphones like the HD650. This is gonna be a great combo for $200. The E9 itself is gonna be no more than $150 (I'm gonna guess in the range of $130, final price hasn't been posted by Fiio yet) Quite a list! I'll have to look these up. I listen to a wide variety of music, but mostly jazz and acid jazz, but I won't need the headphones for that. Its for close monitoring while I'm working on some music. I'm looking for some good quality, noise canceling, around ear headphone (I guess you can say, "studio quality" without the studio quality price). I cant stand on ear ones and I prefer the ones that have a volume control knob on the cable, but its not a must. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyperion5182 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 Could you tell me which Turtle Beach you own? I know the HPX and HPA2 give a really solid performance for their price even with music considering their price.I myself recently purchased the Turtle Beach Z2 and PX21, but both left me severely underwhelmed, though I guess that can be attributed to me being spoiled by the sound off my headphones. The PX21 has an inline amp that hissed waaaay too much for my liking, and the Z2 was just a pretty poor product all around, IMHO. I quite liked the PX21 IF the hissing wasn't there. In the end, I returned both. The Creative Aurvana Live shares the same drivers as the Denon D1001 (which cost around $130 in many places), but at half that price. Assuming you can find the CAL nowadays for the reduced price. The CAL still continues to surprise me for the $65 I spent on them. They beat the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 which cost me $200 at one point, and compares to them favorably with the same music. If you want a really good mid fi headphone for a low end price (less than $90), the Sennheiser 555, Audio Technica AD700 (though light on bass), and Creative Aurvana Live are my top picks. I use DX11's combo PC + Xbox 360 sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishy Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 AKG 240 MKII for headphones. I own some Fostex PM.04 monitors which are pretty nice for their size/cost. But if I really want to enjoy it I usually go to the studio and chill out in an edit room or something. We have an epic listening room with some B&W 802 (kinda like mini Nautilus) which sound amazing. The view is epic too, but hard to see. That's not me, I took the pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xelebes Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Speakers for determining clarity of bass and carry of sound and headphones for determining volume and pan. Mind you, I have decent speakers (M-Audio BX5a) and headphones (AKG K-271) to aid me with this endeavour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Vagrance Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 In short: however is most convenient for me at the time. A lot of the time through my crappy laptop speakers, most of the time through my monitors/sub in a remarkably untreated room, and the rest of the time generally through these (my friend's dad actually makes them so I got a pair for free). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lunarfall Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Headphone buying guide for those who need it, straight from the wonderful people of 4chan: http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/5181/1281667114951.jpg I have the Grado SR60i's for open headphones (awesome sub-$100 headphones, I highly recommend them) and the ATH-M20's for closed back (only $25-$30, but still sound quite full and very comfortable. Kinda iffy in the bass frequency's, but it is only $25). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Lust Envy Posted October 20, 2010 Author Share Posted October 20, 2010 Guide is a bit outdated and missing a few key players like Beyerdynamic, but it is a relative good guide. Blue Magic, you don't want noise cancelling headphones. A good pair of closed ear headphones will isolate you extremely well. The M50 is probably the most recommended (and with good reason, and the typically go for less than $100). They isolate well, have a very good and balanced frequency curve, with a slight emphasis on the low end for fun bass. If you want utter neutrality from a closed headphone, I think the AKG 271 MKII and 272 (same headphone, different cosmetics and pads) are probably the most well know for extremely flat response. The 271 MKII is around $150. For cheaper, the ATH-M40 is pretty neutral as well. Still, I'd say the best starting point for a GREAT headphone is the ATH-M50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I use Marathon DJH-1100 headphones for mixing and also for listening. In fact, I don't use anything else. I don't have any usable speakers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salluz Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I will use any high-quality device with flatness and a broad range of frequency response. Therefore, I will attain the true sound of the mix. I will then learn from hearing how to improve the mix, or sharpen my keenness of quality perception by hearing perfection and imperfection alike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 I will use any high-quality device with flatness and a broad range of frequency response. Therefore, I will attain the true sound of the mix. I will then learn from hearing how to improve the mix, or sharpen my keenness of quality perception by hearing perfection and imperfection alike. Cool story bro. I think Mad Lust Envy was looking for specifics, i.e. what do you actually own and use on a daily basis? Your answer sounded like something you'd hear at a beauty pageant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tensei Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 how do you enjoy your music? With some fava beans and a nice Chianti. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iggy Koopa Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 The scary thing is that some people would actually use this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhsu Posted October 20, 2010 Share Posted October 20, 2010 Hey, no need to judge. What Erik does in his own time is his business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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