How do you enjoy your music? Speakers, headphones, what?

[ShrackAttack]

Headphones: Sony MDR 7506 (60$ off of ebay)

Monitors: Yamaha HS 50Ms (the pair for 40$ off of craigslist)

[LuketheXjesse]

Headphones: Sony MDR 7506 (60$ off of ebay)

What he said.

[The Derrit]

Monitors: Yamaha HS 50Ms (the pair for 40$ off of craigslist)

that's a really good price

i just hope you cleaned the jizz out of them when you bought them craigslist is a dangerous place

[ShrackAttack]

Yeah, I got pretty lucky on those. The guy had to sell a lot of his stuff because he was moving in with his girlfriend or something. They have some cracks and cosmetic damage, but they sound fine.

[Mad Lust Envy]

This would be a turn on if there was something better than crappy stock ipod buds connected. :/

I'd get one out of sheer curiosity. My girl would finally get some use out of her Ipod classic. XD

[noTuX]

Still, I'd say the best starting point for a GREAT headphone is the ATH-M50.

All I could find in our local music store were ATH-M20s. They are much cheaper than the M50s, so I'm sure they don't have the same quality.

I'm kinda scared to get them.

[Mad Lust Envy]

Nah, they will not be as good. The M50s are usually found in places like Sam Ash. They can be found on Amazon for about $100.

All I could find in our local music store were ATH-M20s. They are much cheaper than the M50s, so I'm sure they don't have the same quality.

I'm kinda scared to get them.

[OverCoat]

I don't have room for speakers in my room, so I have to use headphones. My AKG K271s came recommended to me from this guy:

[Mad Lust Envy]

I don't have room for speakers in my room, so I have to use headphones. My AKG K271s came recommended to me from this guy:

I hear lots of good things about the K271 MKII. I was very close to getting them last year, as gaming headphones, since they don't color or emphasize anything, making it ideal for competitive gaming.

That is until I bought the K701, and promptly saw how ridiculously awesome they were for that very purpose.

Still, the K271 MKII is pretty neutral/flat and I want something a little more fun with emphasized bass and treble to be different from what I already had in the K701.

Neutral headphones are an absolute necessity by professionals, as they don't color or distort the sound, making the K271 ideal for mixing and monitoring. You remixers would most likely agree.

I'm also interested in some Alessandro MS1 in the future. I hear they're fantastic cans for rock.

Bah, this addiction is gonna be the end of me.

[SoulinEther]

i'm a cheap headphones/earphones guy. i loved my old jvc marshmallows...left em in a pair of pants and stuck em in the laundry, came out wet but STILL WORKED when they dried (actually, I think they sounded better cleaned). then a wire broke some months later from being stuck in/retrieved from skinny jeans. damn you fashion.

my biggest splurge yet has been on a sennheiser cx400 for about $45. they fit in my ears very nicely and I love the sound.

i'm still young..no need to spoil myself with amazing sound yet - gotta have something to look forward to when all I have left is my hearing (whoops, tinnitus, never mind..)

(edit: damn you totally ninja-posted)

edit2: FISHY OMG. i realize that those panels are probably not for (visual) aesthetics but DAAAAAAAAMN. h0t.

[Mad Lust Envy]

I agree about budget headphones. Even though I have started dabbling into higher end headphones, I continue to find budget headphones that are totally bang for the buck. You mentioned the JVC Marshmallows, which happen to be my main ones on the go. They are indeed awesome. Even after owning some $200-300 headphones, I still buy some budget ones and enjoy them almost just as much.

If you want good sound on a budget, you can't go wrong with the KSC75. They are absolutely amazing for the $15 price. I honestly don't believe they could be so cheap.

[SoulinEther]

If you want good sound on a budget, you can't go wrong with the KSC75. They are absolutely amazing for the $15 price. I honestly don't believe they could be so cheap.

Actually, I would be very interesting in a decent budget pair of on the ear headphones for when I'm at my desk and want to be able to hear things while keeping my listening fairly private...those look like something I'd consider, or something else made by koss using the same drivers.

[Mad Lust Envy]

Actually, I would be very interesting in a decent budget pair of on the ear headphones for when I'm at my desk and want to be able to hear things while keeping my listening fairly private...those look like something I'd consider, or something else made by koss using the same drivers.

So what you want is a pair of headphones that don't leak out much sound, but don't isolate well (let's sound in). Most if not all closed headphones don't leak out much sound, but they do isolate you from outside sounds a bit more than what the KSC75 allows (the KSC75 is very open). If you had around $100 budget, I'd say the Denon D1001 or Creative Aurvana Live (same headphone, different brands) are well known to keep sound from leaking out but let sound in.

As for sound, open headphones aren't LOUD, but people can hear what you listen to if they are within 15 feet from you. I certainly wouldn't use open headphones if someone were sleeping in the same room as you.

You're gonna have to sacrifice either isolation or sound leaking out of your headphones.

My fave pair of closed headphones on a budget is the JVC HA-S700. They look like the $130 Bose (the JVC actually looks better IMHO) and feel the same (veeeeery comfy), and they cost around $30. They do isolate well and keep sound from leaking out. I still like the sound off the KSC75 more though.

As for open, the KSC75 is probably only beaten by Koss's own Portapros, and they are around $30 as well. Their aesthetics are love it/hate it. Kind of retro, but they sound amazing for the price. They do leak out and don't isolate well...

[SoulinEther]

Yeah I meant open; something that just sits against my ears, not around em...again, all for casual use. I did see the Portapros, and I have heard a lot of good about them.

Sound leaking out is fine. It's not like I'm listening to wailing pornos or anything, and if I was gonna receive flak for listening to Lady Gaga, I would've already.

Those aurvanas have been tempting me for a long while, especially since I realized all the low-end creative audio stuff suck. (eh, i suppose $60 is still fairly low end)

[Mad Lust Envy]

Yeah I meant open; something that just sits against my ears, not around em...again, all for casual use. I did see the Portapros, and I have heard a lot of good about them.

Sound leaking out is fine. It's not like I'm listening to wailing pornos or anything, and if I was gonna receive flak for listening to Lady Gaga, I would've already.

Those aurvanas have been tempting me for a long while, especially since I realized all the low-end creative audio stuff suck. (eh, i suppose $60 is still fairly low end)

The Creative Aurvana Live uses Fostex drivers, which is the same drivers used in the Denon D1001. Believe me, the quality is anything but low end. It compares to $200 headphones (actually they were around $200 when they first came out). They are my fave closed headphones to date.

If open is fine I really think you should try the KSC75 first. For the very small amount you have to spend, I don't think you'll be disappointed. If I hadn't given my pair to my brother, I'd probably be using them while I lay down and relax. They don't ever move or slip off (since they're clip ons, and I'd probably fall asleep with them on at low volumes).

But the Porta Pros and perhaps the Grado SR60 may be a treat for you.

[MaxFrost]

I used to have a set of Sennhiser HD-280s, but they...got old. I think I beat them up a bit much.

I'm still using my Logitech z-40's that I got back in college, still one of the best computer consumer grade (i.e. not neutral) speakers I've ever run into. I also have a Logitch G-35 surround headset that's a little bass heavy, but works pretty well overall.

[Gollgagh]

since I'm a cheap non-producer, I've been using the Sennheiser PX-100 line since 2006

I've used just about every single iteration except for the PMX-100 and the PX-100 II's. This includes the PX-200, PMX-200, and I'm currently using a pair of PX-200 II's. They tend to last about a year but that's not too bad considering how badly I abuse them. Also I've gotten them at $40-$50 apiece so it's pretty good value for my money.

[SavageLand]

For composition work I use a set of Genelec 8030's (5.1). For gaming a set of Bose AM 10's.

I do have a well worn set of AKG headphones but I only use them late at night when others are trying to sleep.

[Flexstyle]

E-Mu PM5 monitors coupled with a Roland PM-3 subwoofer via a dbx 223 crossover, as well as a pair of Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro headphones which I love very much. Occasionally I'll use my Sennheiser HD280 Pros as well, but I kinda hate the sound of them and mostly use them only when leakage is a big problem, like when I'm recording.

Soundcard for casual stuff, e.g. listening to music, playing games, whatever, is just my motherboard's crappy built-in sound card. When I'm mixing/recording, I use my M-Audio Delta 1010LT.

[Frederic Petitpas]

[........]

[Kadosho]

My headphones of use is Phillips (in-ear buds).

*the ones you can usually find for less that $10-15.

They work great too =D

I would love to save up for a higher quality headphone later on.

[SoulinEther]

Wait, MAD LUST ENVY (lulz), do you mean you're using the Fiio E7? I ran into a few reviews and they all seem positive...my laptop's sound card is (naturally) shit and inserts tons of noise into whatever I listen to - is it a worthy purchase (or investment if I later get hard-to-drive headphones)?

[Devyn]

I listen to music everywhere that I can. I`have a CD player in my car, and I have a big stereo in the living room, hooked up to the consoles and TV. I also have a computer with all of my music on it. I still prefer the sound of a CD in a car stereo. Very full sound, personal and in-your-face. I have an iPod nano for when I work out, and sometimes I stream internet radio, because it's great for finding new music. Overall, my favorite thing to do is buy a new CD and just lay on the floor while reading the lyrics and liner notes and letting the album play through. Lossless CDs can't be topped, although there is also something amazing about sprinting to some fast trance or some metal or thrash.

When I move into a new place, I plan on rigging a stereo through the entire house, through my computer-jukebox. I don't know if you've ever seen in motion, but it's pretty awesome having a "sound network".

[Mad Lust Envy]

Wait, MAD LUST ENVY (lulz), do you mean you're using the Fiio E7? I ran into a few reviews and they all seem positive...my laptop's sound card is (naturally) shit and inserts tons of noise into whatever I listen to - is it a worthy purchase (or investment if I later get hard-to-drive headphones)?

Absolutely. The E7 is getting rave reviews, but it simply works, and it works for a ridiculous affordable price.

The built in DAC portion DESTROYS crappy soundcards in quality, and the amp plus several EQ options aid it in versatility. I have ran my super hard to drive K701 with the E7. It's not ideal, but it works. Granted, you won't be getting anywhere near the sound quality they are capable of...

The reason why it's a good thing to have is because really soon, the Fiio E9 is coming out, and it pairs up with the E7 to become an affordable, yet high quality solution for amping all sorts of headphones from easy to drive to notorious hard to drive headphones. If you wait until the E9 comes out (sometime in the next few weeks), you can get the E7/E9 combo for $200. That's portable amp/dac AND desktop amp.

http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/518997/fiio-e9-pre-release-unboxing-review-part-1

This is gonna be the budget solution for those budget conscious headphone users that happen to have hard to drive headphones.

The reviewer owns various high end equipment, and he says the E9 can power his hard to drive phones as well as his $600 amp. I was sold right then and there.

I love what Fiio is doing: selling high quality products for a lower price, and earning the respect of people like me not by name, but because their products are actually good and they stand behind them.

[Flare4War]

I've been into headphones for years now and I never pass up an opportunity to give something new that I see a listen. That said I don't buy every low end or mid priced headphone I see just to check it out because I've went through so many that I'm very content with my Sennheiser HD 590's. They sound just a little bit bright when they are fresh out of the box but they break in perfectly. I have a pair of HD 580's as well and I admit they sound close but the 590's have the tear drop style open air can that is so incredibly comfortable you can just forget they're on your head. If I'm serious about sitting down and enjoying my cans I plug them into a Cambridge Audio integrated amp. Sound card is a creative X-Fi, one that I would like to upgrade sometime in the near future. It was considered very nice when I got it but that was a long time ago and it's a bit obsolete. Works fine though.

For going portable I always go for isolation headphones. If you're on a bus or somewhere noisy you can just go into your own little world of music. I've tried tons of them and I have yet to find some that made me want to replace my Etymotic Research ER-4. They've released newer better ones of course but mine are still in great shape so spending the money on an upgrade pair of the same brand isn't really justified and they simply sound phenomenal. I plug them into a Cowon D2 portable multimedia player. For the portables I've tried it has a pristine sound and it charges off of a mini USB which is very convenient for me. It will also play flac files which is nice if you're really into immaculate sound.

Just throwing this out there: Has anyone else noticed what an incredible sound signature the PSP has? That blew my mind. It's a petty little reason of mine for why I would never buy a DS.