The Headphone FAQ

[Neji415]

What About Creative.........I mean they're known to be one of the Best in sound...right?
I happen to have the Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headphones......and they're unbelieveable

 

[johan851]

Creative is known for gaming soundcards that have good onboard processing, and they also make some ok semi-professional PC sound products. They're not really a respected name in headphones. The big names in headphones are Sennheiser, AKG, Grado, Etymotic, and some others.

 

[Zgradis]

What About Creative.........I mean they're known to be one of the Best in sound...right?
I happen to have the Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headphones......and they're unbelieveable

I will disagree, they sound like a muffled blowhorn.

 

[burningcpu]

Hah, my headphones broke the other day so I've been listening to $1 walmart earbuds. And they are probably worse than you would expect I'm waiting on some HD202's from Newegg.

 

[burningcpu]

Wow I just got a pair of HD202's and they are awesome. I haven't ever had a good pair of headphones so I wasn't prepared for the difference. Good stuff

 

[Neji415]

well i dunt know abt the other Creative Headphones but i got the fatal1ty gaming ones for my gaimg.....and they r quite good.......plus i find them really comfy....

 

[Cyrix_2k]

Long term update of sorts on my ATH-A900s. Written for amazon.

I purchased my A900's over two years ago and am still impressed with their performance. I switch between my computer with a sound blaster sound card and an MCS Turntable (Technics) with a Stanton 681 EEE Mk2 cartidge for my source. Both utilize an MCS receiver which makes for a pretty decent headphone amplifier. I have also auditioned the 'phones through an Akai receiver + Technics SL-D202 with an older Audio-Technica cartridge and a higher-end Onkyo reciever with a CD transport.

Overall impressions are excellent. MP3's sound muddy through these headphones, even when encoded at high bit-rates. I don't understand why such a high bit-rate sounds substandard, but it does. The difference between 192 kbps encoding and 320 kbps is readily apparent and I have even A/B tested myself to prove that it was psychological. The difference is really there! Such excellent audio quality comes at a price - no longer will your MP3 collection pass muster nor will poorly mastered albums be tolerated, but the truly excellent albums sound truly amazing! Highs sparkle, lows are tightly controlled and detailed. The middle frequencies are a bit recessed leading to a non-fatiguing and "chilled out" tone. They are perfectly matched to ambient music, classic rock, alternative rock, etc. The Dark Side of the Moon simply sounds amazing! However, this is not to say they don't sound great reproducing other genres as well. I listen to fair bit of electronic music as well and they also sound great! Higher energy music does not have the life sucked out of it, but these headphones are not 'in your face' like Grados. I personally love the Audio-Technica sound (which also seems to have the effect of not pushing defects to center stage, a huge plus when listening to vinyl), but if you listen to high intensity music, perhaps a pair of Grados would be more to your liking.

Comfort is simply amazing. The 3D-Wings are supportive and essentially not felt. You can listen to these for hours with almost no fatigue, the biggest issue being weight. During the summer, they can get a bit hot as well. Isolation is excellent as they are closed cans. It is not as good as what IEMs can provide, but is certainly good for a set of cans.

The bottom line is that these are top drawer cans at a decent price. For something cheaper, I hear the ATH-A700s have 90% of the sound at half the price. They also feature the 3D-wing design.

btw, I also have the HD-202s and while they sound good for $30 headphones, they have *nothing* on the Audio-Technica's!

 

[p00kie]

How about mentioning AKG products?

 

[Zgradis]

How about mentioning AKG products?

Ok make a mention Do you know a good amount about them? Maybe you can do a small review on a product of theirs that you have?

 

[A15G]

Wow, headphones for 200+? My headphones were $8 / do you guys use high priced headphones for music editing or something? they cost so much :S

 

[Zgradis]

Wow, headphones for 200+? My headphones were $8 / do you guys use high priced headphones for music editing or something? they cost so much :S

lol until you've listened to a pair of even 100 dollar head phones, you can't imagine why people spend the money on high end headphones. Try a pair for a week and you'll never go back to anything else.

 

[A15G]

hey

lol until you've listened to a pair of even 100 dollar head phones, you can't imagine why people spend the money on high end headphones. Try a pair for a week and you'll never go back to anything else.

Hmmm...Thats quite temping hahaha. Know anywhere I can get cheap headphones around $100 like you said? Im wanting to hear the quality myself.

 

[Zgradis]

Hmmm...Thats quite temping hahaha. Know anywhere I can get cheap headphones around $100 like you said? Im wanting to hear the quality myself.

http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1223866694&sr=8-1

or

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-E2c-n-S...2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1223866836&sr=1-2

just two random thoughts that came to my head...

But I have the sennheisers and while they sound AWESOME they also loose sound, so people around you hear them. if you have some specific questions let me know

 

[johan851]

Wow, headphones for 200+? My headphones were $8 / do you guys use high priced headphones for music editing or something? they cost so much :S

The HD555's that Zgradis linked you to might be a good intro choice. You might also try something like the Alessandro MS-1's.

If you'd like to try out some good headphones without spending $100, check out the Sennheiser HD201 or the Grado SR-60. Those are both pretty inexpensive, but really good bang for the buck. I gave my sister my HD201's, and she uses them with her iPod. When I asked her if I could listen to her iPod/HD201's (this was after about a year of using modded HD580's and a good DAC, good amplifier, lossless audio files, etc...a few hundred dollars worth of equipment) I was really surprised by how good it sounded. I almost wanted them back!

 

[Zgradis]

The HD555's that Zgradis linked you to might be a good intro choice. You might also try something like the Alessandro MS-1's.

If you'd like to try out some good headphones without spending $100, check out the Sennheiser HD201 or the Grado SR-60. Those are both pretty inexpensive, but really good bang for the buck. I gave my sister my HD201's, and she uses them with her iPod. When I asked her if I could listen to her iPod/HD201's (this was after about a year of using modded HD580's and a good DAC, good amplifier, lossless audio files, etc...a few hundred dollars worth of equipment) I was really surprised by how good it sounded. I almost wanted them back!

What kind of DAC and amplifier are you using? I was looking to make a portable amp, then my headphones broke so I gave up look, still curious though

 

[supra]

a mini^3 v2 is a really solid portable amp, not much bigger then a cell phone, about 50-60 bucks to build tops, and gets 10-25 hours of battery life depending on your configuration

http://www.amb.org/audio/mini3/

and a hint, if your a student, you can easily get free opamp samples, a few a week, national semiconductor, texas Instruments, and analog devices will even cover the shipping

 

[johan851]

What kind of DAC and amplifier are you using? I was looking to make a portable amp, then my headphones broke so I gave up look, still curious though

I'm still using my Zhalou 1.3, though I did some modifications to it. I replaced the stock power inlet and the output RCA jacks, and unplugged the headphone amp section. It also has an upgraded power supply, caps, and opamps. I have an M^3 amplifier that I use as a headphone amp and a preamp.

The Mini M^3 would be a great choice as a portable amp, I agree. If I ever find that I need a portable setup, that's probably the way I'll go.

Supra - how do you get these free samples?

 

[Question]

Can someone please update the OP to include Yuin earbuds? They are probably the best earbuds in the world atm.

 

[Aynjell]

here's a vote for the Sony MDR-V6's. I've heard a lot of headphones over the last year or two, and they were the first to make me say... really? For 75$ on amazon, they're the best value I've seen so far.

HD205's are a complete failure of a device and not worth the coin. I'd rather send people to the MDR-V6 for twice as much because they won't be wasting the money on the 205's I bought. I'm sure I'll be trying some more headphones soon.

Also, Razer 5.1's I got for free aren't terrible. My girlfriend uses them quite happily due to the inline amplifier, the plush cushioning, and the open design. I don't like them for the following reasons: Too much wiring, blue leds on the side are distraction, and they are lacking in a lot of areas in regards to sound. I agree with 5.1 cans being gimmicky. But then again most of razer's products are.

 

[greetethomas]

This was a sig spammer. His deleted post was causing vB to not render the 5th page of the thread. He was banned long ago and will not be returning. Please disregard this inane post. Thanks.

-hokie