The Headphone FAQ

did burn in my ath900.

the sound is superb, the bass incredible.

mito, here's a general purpose stereo amp i just got:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...lance&n=172282&tagActionCode=compare123com-20

TEAC A-1D; i must admit my headphones sound much better with it.

EvilT, check these out:

http://www.headphone.com/guide/by-manufacturer/akg/akg-k-26-p.php

btw, they put mini-reveiwes of the cans they sell, browse that place a bit, there's some good info.

Thanks for this thread, I have been looking for headphones for a while now, and didn't even realize this sticky what here!!

I am curious however why there are no USB headphones section on that list. (pardon me if I am wrong, I just searched about 20 of them or so and didn't see any.) I had a pair of Plantronics that were USB and they seemed 100 times more clear and musical than any stereo headphone I have ever heard. I realize that many people are looking for headphones for their portable audio devices, but for someone looking for a computer headphone, I think you left something out. The difference between analog and digital had no need for discussion because we all know how much better digital is in almost all cases. Do you have any ideas some USB headphones?

^ You can't hear digital. Digital audio needs to undergo a conversion to analog in order to be heard, and I don't trust a $3 D/A converter integrated into a pair of headphones to do that for me. Digital isn't better, digital is just different. And digital is completely worthless for lots of things.

johan851 said:

^ You can't hear digital. Digital audio needs to undergo a conversion to analog in order to be heard, and I don't trust a $3 D/A converter integrated into a pair of headphones to do that for me. Digital isn't better, digital is just different. And digital is completely worthless for lots of things.

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I guess you may be right, I know next to nothing on the subject, however I do know this. A buddy of mine bought a pair of $400 senn's and brought it over to my place. The sound out of my $70 plantronics was much more detailed than his. The sound was much more full (probably because his headphones were that much better) but the detail was not there. I don't know much, but I know that.

Thanks a ton for this FAQ, will be looking into a pair of Audio-Technica's in the not-so-distant future. I wanted to add while I was in here that Sennheiser also produces the PC-150 Headset. I've had this headset well over a year and have had no problems, it's perfect for gaming (FPS included), works well for VOIP, and for someone who only uses headphones to listen to music when it's too late to use some booming speakers, these little guys put out some great sound quality. Usually they can be had in the sub $40 range. Let me say, for anyone reading this FAQ looking for a more-than-decent gaming headset, I encourage you to try out a pair of PC-150's.

That being said, stay away from the 160 line, it's just the 150's with a USB adapter that they pawn off at 30$ more than the 150's.

i allways wear headphones on my computer , and im on computer 3+ hours a day. i have had plenty with good sound quality, but they all break after 1-4 months, and have to be super glued and duct taped together , are they any , preferably around the 50$ range that will stay together for a year or 2, i dont abuse my headphones, they just get alot of use.

i got some panasonic noise cancelling headphones that cover my ears, they are amazing. IMO they are as good as the bose headphones (they cost almost as much too! lol)

I bought some Sony XD200's for £20 a few months back. They're nice and comfy once you break them in and they make noise, and that's all that matters to me as I'm not an audiophile in the slightest

AKG K81DJs

still love my ath900, audio-technica rlz!

Just got my sennheiser hd280, and had it burnt in.

the sound is crisp and superb.

update the shure range. they renamed their products and have a few more ones

My plantronics audio .90's are starting to die and I know nothing about sound. In the $30 price range what's the best set of headphones for gaming (positional audio etc)?

Sennheiser HD-201's are great for a budget. I had some for a while, then gave them to my sister. I listened to them a couple of weeks ago and wished I had them back.

They get good positional audio too?

I would describe the soundstaging as good, yes. For a $20 headphone they have excellent depth. You're not going to find anything better in that price range, for sure.

Ultrasone PROline 750 probably coming in this or next week.

I am looking for some headphones because I can't use my 7.1 sound system anymore. I do enjoy good quality equipment. But I was wondering if any one compared the Sennheiser HD-555's to the 595's, how close are they, its it worth $88 dollars(making my heart stop from great sound quality counts)? I am looking for around 100 dollars (but am not opposed to spend more assuming the worth is there)... But I also was willing to spend about $150 if I got 5.1 which i thought about getting the razer barracuda or the Medusa 5.1 Home Edition (I hear much better things about the Medusa's) But I don't know because I also hear conflicting things, like "the bass is great and very strong" then from another site i hear "the bass is quite disappointing", so I don't know what I should go for. I play A LOT of games (which is a big reason for me to get 5.1's), but at the same time I do enjoy listing to music and having a very well balanced pair of headphone's. But spending $188 on the 595's is kind of worrisome if the 555's are pretty close in comparison. What do you guys think? Are the HD headphones good at reproducing the 5.1 effects with games (ie hearing people walking behind me, to the side of me, and in the event that it happens, on top of me?) Arg I don't know what to do! Help please!


Also for those of you who want to get a headphone amp but don't want to spend a lot of money you can always DIY, here is a great article on DIY headphone amp's, not only some cool looking ones, but some cheap ones that are fantastic;
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2007/08/avr_based_headphone_amp.html

The HD555 and HD595's have a similar sonic signature. The HD595 is supposed to be more refined. It's a difference you can hear if you switch between the two in a fair comparison, I'm sure, but you're not going to see an 88% performance increase. There's probably about a 15% increase or so.

Don't get any kind of 5.1 headphones, please, if you're after fidelity.