/hpg/ - Headphone General

>Headphone purchase advice
pastebin.com/fYZLW7Ub

Please put some effort into your requests and questions.

If you dislike a suggestion, explain why and try giving a better suggestion to whomever asked.

For sub-$50 headphones and IEMs, check out infographic in >Sup Forums wiki headphone FAQ:
wiki.installgentoo.com/index.php?title=Headphones

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aliexpress.com/item/Newest-YINMAN-150ohm-Earbuds-Wooden-HIFI-Earphone-High-Impendence-Headset-Better-Than-Monk-Earburd/32779037303.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.sWDehb
rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/hd-598-cs
head-fi.org/t/800208/the-rmaa-rightmark-audio-analyzer-source-and-audio-device-measurement-thread-measurements-in-post-3-tutorial-in-post-2#post_12386879
nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/rightmark-audio-analyzer-rmaa.html
twitter.com/SFWRedditImages

How do people feel about the Shure 535s? Where would be the cheapest place to get them?

M560 (200) any thoughts?

How much snake oil have I imbibed?

aliexpress.com/item/Newest-YINMAN-150ohm-Earbuds-Wooden-HIFI-Earphone-High-Impendence-Headset-Better-Than-Monk-Earburd/32779037303.html?spm=2114.13010608.0.0.sWDehb

>buying into the chifi meme

Alright, what should I buy?
I have KZ-ATE, Koss UR-40, VE Monks (gorgeous highs, but bass is AWOL).

I don't have a real sound signature I like, I just want to hear everything clearly. Slight V-shape.

Whoah, nice OP pic.

They're super cute!

Probably the best entry 'Plug N Play' Planar otherwise find T50RP MarkII and mod them.

Just ordered a pair of Brainwavz HM2s. I know they're not popular, but still, how'd I do?

should i cop sennheisers HD 569 for $140?

Sounds like a bad deal.

What should I buy if I want to buy hd 598 but I don't want to be a pleb?

I really do not like them, I think they are terrible and even more terrible for the price. They are on ears with comfortable pads, no headband padding, and are really large which will be trouble for people with smaller heads. They have a large emphasis on bass and the treble is VERY poor and recessed. The material they are made of also shows grease really well.

Stop messing around and buy the 600

HD 598

DT880

You should buy it.

Why when you can pay like £40-50 more and get the 600? if you're gonna spend that much money on a pair of headphones it would be retarded to buy those. Just wait a little longer if you have to.

Got my 1992 STAX lambda and amp set in from japan yesterday. Total $160. About $45 of that was shipping and fees. Need to buy a new power supply but powering it at japanese voltage with my variac for the moment.

Only issues it had was a tiny exposed bit of wire on the cord I had to wrap and the pin that keeps one of the ear pieces from turning in a full circle instead of just 90 or so degrees was missing, not that it makes any kind of difference unless you're holding them in one hand.

Great headphones for the price. They look so goofy but sound so good. Good thing I guess. Probably why you can still get used ones so cheap from japan.

HD600 or K612

Oh God it's gonna snap isn't it? Should I order a spare headband just in case?

just take them off the PC, leave them on your desk or something

>not having a headphone stand

all headphones use the same drivers. they unlock more potential with software. if you know what your doing you can hack the software to give you the best sound.

What's a good headphone stand for the Sennheiser HD600?

I don't know I was just memeing.

drill a hole in the front of your PC then screw in a bolt, that's the best headphone stand

looking to go a step up from my etymotic hf5s, but er4pt's are a bit pricey for me. anything good in between?

Don't do this.

i got a Philips for $10,pretty good for price

Use any type of stand that they can hang on and stick it down to your desk with double sided tape or something. Much easier to just grab with one hand.then.

thanks pajeet

I am going to shill for a pair of headphones that I found absolutely stunning for the price, the Sennheiser HD598CS. These are the amazon exclusive closed-back version of the 598, and they have the same drivers as the old 598 from what I heard, but some say they have the drivers from the new 569.

Anyway I found these headphones have probably the best overall sound, comfort and build quality between all the mid end headphones (sub 200 bucks) that I tried.

They are easy to drive, offer good but not absolute isolation, are ridiculously comfy, seem durable as fuck, have a very nice punchy bass without bloat, but at the same time the mids are fantastic and the highs are not veiled like in the regular 598. The soundstage is amazing for closed cans, I find it also more realistic compared to the almost artificial tunnel-like soundstage of the regular 598.

Anyone else have them? Do you agree with what I said? Is there anything better for around the same price?

Honestly this. I don't even know why people recommend HD 598, since k612 are actual budget HD600. In fact, majority of people will not even be able to tell the difference between k612 and HD600.
The only reason to ever get HD598 is if you want to use them with your phone, or something like that, since they are much easier to drive. I have no fucking idea why people shill those mediocre headphones so much around here.

I'm not sure in Murrika but here the HD600 costs 300€ while the 598 can be often found for 99-130€. Also, the HD600 requires an amp, which adds to the price. The 600 costs 2x the price of the 598, but doesn't sound twice as good.

The 598 is a meme for a good reason, it has a pretty balanced sound, good comfort, and is good for vidya thanks to the retarded soundstage. If you want nigger bass and don't need to play vidya, get the other meme, the M50.

rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sennheiser/hd-598-cs

Pretty good, but I wouldn't say it's better than the open 598. They do not share the same drivers. I got the Cs on sale for $100 back on Black Friday, which for that price I'd say it's a good buy. I used them daily for a while; they're on standby now that I picked up the HD 650 last month for $300.

Are skullcandy headphones any good?

Natures way banana keeper from Walmart for like 3 bucks

The open 598 barely have any bass, this rules them out if you listen to anything electronic. 598CS, just like the review you posted say, have a pleasant balanced bass, and if you want nigger bass, you can EQ it in, the open version distorts if you EQ the bass. I sent the regular 598 back because of this, for 150€ that I paid, they had veiled highs and lacked bass a bit too much.

>also, the hd600 requires an amp

why not k7xx series user or, Q701? any personal thought?

>why people shill those mediocre headphones so much around here
It's mostly one person who is very enthusiastic/defensive about their own gear. The suggestion of that model, the HD598SE specifically, before then was rare. You might recognize the person.

>using a 600 without any amp at all

Jesus fucking christ at least get an e10k for fuck sake. Let me guess, you think amps are nothing but a headfi meme? You're so /hpg/ bro !

>OY VEY! Just buy my audio gear, goyim!

Any other rec with similar style and size of Meizu HD50?

Because k7 series AKG headphones have completely different sound signature with overblown soundstage and highs.
I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them, just that they are not an alternative for HD600. k612 have very similar sound signature and are probably the most natural sounding AKG headphones, which makes them very decent alternative to HD600 at third of the price. They are objectively worse headphones than HD600, but if you want neutral headphones and can't afford HD600 you should look into k612, not HD598.
I'm not saying that HD598 are paritcularly bad either, just that if you value natural sounding headphones, there are better options.
Stop shitposting. Some headphones require more power than integrated audio can provide, deal with it poorfag. Go and educate yourself what SPL means and why is it higher for some headphones than for other.
Really makes me wonder, are you just upset that there are people who can afford things you can't or did amps kill your family or something?

Not a regular so I need some help.

Budget: up to 110€ (can stretch it to 130 with a good reason)
Location: Germany-ish
Source: Need a USB plug
Type: Closed
Comfort: A few hours of wear, so preferably comfortable on long runs
Past Headphones: I bought into the gaymen headpones, so I first got some platronics crap priced at 50-60€ at the time, broke after a year. Had Logitech G35 for 5 years now and they were great. Was impressed with the sound so I'm looking for headphones that can match it. Unfortunately I also need a mic with it for a skype call every month or so, but don't care if it's shit as long as I can talk into it.

Actually, scratch that. I don't need a mic with it, I'll just buy a separate mic to go along with it.

>needs a USB plug

What's the standard for headphones? I got a USB one so I didn't have to go through the borderline torture of setting the headphones again through retarded realtek software because most of the time they weren't detected for some reason.

Just get some phillips fidelio x2 and stop being a pleb.

If you are looking for a hd 598, then that means you don't have enough money to buy the amp requiered to power the hd 600.

Don't listen to the bunch of faggots telling you to buy the hd 600.

If you want a can without bass, buy the ad900x

>the amp required to power the hd 600

>I never had the hd600's :)).

Standard is 1/8" and 1/4"
If you absolutely just don't want to deal with your onboard audio then get a external dac. I'm pretty sure you won't find any headphones with a USB interconnect outside of gaymen headsets.

Cool story

Anybody have experience with the Fostex TH900?

I'm worried it win't make up in sub-bass and soundstage against electrostatics enough to justify purchase.

thanks man.

I use a cheap ass hard plastic ruler as my headphone stand.

>tfw waiting for my DT 880s to arrive

Thank fuck I didn't fall for the HD 600 memes.

Not headphones but didn't want to make a thread.

Anyone know a good pair of cheap pc speakers for music?

What's the best cheap over the ear headphone (~

E10k is pretty shit desu. You'd be better off getting the Monoprice desktop headphone amp if your mobo DAC isn't noisy, or an FX DAC-6 if it is. Both output a shit ton more power and are about the same price. Or a Fulla 2 if you want to support the AMERUCAN ECONOMEY.

Did someone just say best cheap over ear headphones for under $100?

>SE535
Has a tonality that slopes down from the lows to up top. Dark. Seriously lacks treble extension.
You can swap out the stock damper for a grey 330 ohm damper, if you like. This will make the 535 less dark, but still doesn't remedy that lack of treble extension.
535 is very sensitive, picks up on hiss very easily. Impedance takes a dip in the upper frequencies, which will make it even darker sounding from anything with more than a few ohms Zout.
The Shure fit is easy for most people to wear. Cables using the MMCX connector are commonplace.
It has been a long time since I last looked, but aftermarket should sell them for around 300 USD. There may be an issue with fake models on the aftermarket.

>TH900
What audiophiles think Beats sound like.
Big bass. Midrange suckout. Treble spike.
Sensitive. Not very "closed off", the design is too leaky to isolate effectively.
>soundstage
Not intrinsic to drive principle. Has more to do with tonality, the amplitude of the frequency response.

porta pros

He is not wrong, you never had HD600. And honest question, did you ever actually try to compare how those headphones sound when powered from proper audio source compared to your phone?

I have it but I need a bit more of isolation

I don't understand what you're saying about soundstage. I mean how "far" ( tall/wide) the sound goes.

Akg k612

you make yourself look like an utter retard.

Gold Porta Pros, or Grado Sr60e?

So out of these which is better? How do they compare to the k240s mkII?

>this amp "discussion"
It seems that subjective requirement for volume and vastly different output power of electronics is a really hard concept to grasp.

Good argument.

I plug my HD600 straight into my ALC1150 output on my motherboard.

Fight me, faggots.

I shove dragon dildos up my boypucci.

My simplified translation: Soundstage isn't altered by headphones beyond the frequency response. There isn't a measurement of its width or height.

Fulla 2 FFS.

At least get something that has the specs for an HD600. The e10k is a shitty device that does not and distorts the signal on the low end because of separate circuitry for its stupid bass boost function.

Your phone has a headphone amp, like most phones in the market.

I use HD600 on mine and it sounds good. Not so much if I plug it to the computer directly.

E10K is pretty decent but the real problem is the crappy volume pot design.

You're the dumbest shill in these threads.

Fuck this mountain captcha.

Another retard, s m h.

>Thank fuck I didn't fall for the HD 600 memes.
Beyers remorse soon.

612 is more neutral, SHP's are more bright and mid focused.

SHP is a lot cheaper and has a 3.5 detachable which is handy.

Both are comfy stock, some people don't enjoy the 612 headband.

Panasonic HTX7 vs Zumreed ZHP-005. Advice?

Thanks, probably gonna go with the SHP since the AKGs are a bit out of my price range as a destitute unemployed person. Also was never wild about the headband on the k240s and it looks pretty similar.

Heh, I found the K612 brighter than the SHP9500.

I've got one of these motherboards.

The builtin amp has the HD600 sound "good", but it also makes them sound dark.

>but it also makes them sound dark
How so?

Care to do a loaded RMAA test to prove your statement?

>Care to do a loaded RMAA test to prove your statement?
Thankfully I don't need to prove anything to anybody. My absolutely unreliable ears hear a non subtle difference, and that's good enough for me.

If you're happy with your setup, that's all that matters. Otherwise, you sound like you do have the equipment and expertise to do your own testing.

RMAA testing is super easy if you have a line in device.

There is no way your motherboard makes your HD600 sound dark even with crazy high output impedance

Not him, but how do you do one of those tests?

You need a Y splitter cable and a 3.5mm male to male cable.

Plug the headphone into the Y cable and plug that into the source that you wanna test, plug the male to male on the other side of the Y cable and that goes into the line-in to test with RMAA.

head-fi.org/t/800208/the-rmaa-rightmark-audio-analyzer-source-and-audio-device-measurement-thread-measurements-in-post-3-tutorial-in-post-2#post_12386879

A simple loaded RMAA test can show you the frequency response of the source while powering a headphone.

Doing it with a simple analog loop is trivial.

Problem is putting headphones in the middle. I don't even have a mic, nevermind a good one.

I'm looking for something similar but more robust and comfortable to replace my falling apart AKG K501s. I use a fiio A5 so I have a fair amount of power to play with.

Oh, that's an interesting thing to do.

I don't have an y-splitter, but will build one at some point just to play with that.

nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/rightmark-audio-analyzer-rmaa.html

More reading on RMAA if you're interested.

>nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/02/rightmark-audio-analyzer-rmaa.html
Fun. I'll get to it at some point.

>Posted a few days ago
>Told to keep my current headphones Takstar Hi2050 instead of buying anything new for the budget I had
>Today right speaker dies
What did I do to deserve this? Decided to ask again but with a bigger budget.


>Budget
Around £100 this time

>Location
UK

>Source
PC onboard

>Type of headphone
Full size

>Open or closed
Open

>Comfort level
Comfort is pretty important to me. I wear them all day

>Sound signature
No idea. Neutral I guess?

>Past headphones
Prota pros and Takstar Hi2050

Haven't used many headphones really. Found the Takstar Hi2050 to be nice.

Budget?

AKG K612 is a good option if you like the 'AKG sound' and wanna stay within the same brand.

Just fucking re-solder the driver you pussy.

HD599, HD598se, HD558.