Headphones

Fun, short read- http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2013/12/29/head-fi-versus-hi-fi-beats-by-dre-and-the-future-of-the-high-end/ "Beats – by itself – is outselling the entire hi-fi industry combined, by a factor of two."

I'm looking to get a pair of closed phones for around $100. I prefer full-sized phones and in terms of importance I'd say sound quality #1, isolation #2 and everything else pretty much irrelevant. Two that have caught my eye so far are the Audio Technica ATH-ES7 and the Equation RP-21. Any other suggestions or thoughts on those two?

ive been messing around with the following dvd http://www.rotarywoofer.com/demodvdwebpage/eminentdemodvd.html the gear is as follows. laptop (ibm t43) -> single ended beta 22 -> hd 650. all generic cables. i tried that bass test with the 650s and the lowest i could hear was the 30hz clip. at lower freq. i knew the driver was moving but it was just a bunch of distortion as if the driver wanted to do something but couldnt. i dont know if the source was prohibiting it from going even down to 24hz...it very well might be the case or is it freq. range listen for ideal conditions/theoretical under lab conditions? i ask because i just tried the crossroad…

I just saw this at Audiocircles, thought I would post a link to the new headphones coming that they claim will rock the headphone world: Headphones sneak preview If this is old news, sorry.

Anyone heard of these? I was in one of the music stores here and they had a few Westones as well as this model. Never even heard of them.

I've come to a crossroads, when I was somewhat forced into downgrading to one phone some of the sting was taken out of it because I thought I'd found the perfect all-rounder for my preferences and budget in the E500's. I'm a bit of a basshead, I like my mids as well and I?m quite sensitive to sibilance so the overall balance of the E500's suits me, I know it's not the perfect phone and there's better on the market but I've always found them to be a satisfying listen that has allowed me to focus on the music not the equipment. Although the E500's satisfy me sonically I recently fell victim to the cable cracking problem, not only that but one of the soft plastic pieces a…

Gu Sensei's post of measurements of the SR-009s from a Japanese Stax thread raised some interesting discussion. While the measurements he posted are interesting as a conversation piece, there are questions about the quality of the data and methodology of the testing. The measurements are not nearly as useful as the type of through headphone measurements that our very own Tyll Hertsens has been making and posing over on the Inner Fidelity site. In the want for more objective data on stats, Tyll has graciously agreed to measure electrostats if we can send them out to him in Montana. The plan will be to coordinate people sending in their gear so that Tyll can measure…

I just got my MrSpeakers Aeon headphones yesterday. I ordered them with an XLR termination on the cable terminated assuming this meant I could use them with the balanced/XLR output on the GS-X. Then I opened the box and saw it said the headphone was a “single-ended planar magnetic headphone.” I’m confused. Is it fine to use with a balanced output? Is there any benefit? I can order the cable with a SE termination which would be better for portable use anyway.

For those who missed it (either on gadget news sites or Head-Fi), Shure has updated their lineup. http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/06/shure-shows-off-its-new-se210-se310-se420-and-se530-earphones/ Meh, nothing special though.

Alright this comparison arose out of complete boredom My Melos SHA-1 has two headphone outs and I keep the KSC75 (screen modded) plugged in at all times to act as a dummy load for the amp when it's turned on, and then plug the HP-2 (flats) in after the tubes have warmed up. Today I forgot to unplug the KSC75 and noticed they were still plugged in after I was about half way through one of the discs. So I decided to do some switching between my HP-2 and the KSC75 Also I'll say I used only one album for this comparison. My friend let me borrow his Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues box set (which is great, albeit very condensed) so I was rocking out to this all after…

Some years ago I bought a Micro Seiki MX-1 with energizer. The problem with those is that the material that was originally used for the diaphragms deteriorates. As a result it is impossible to find a pair that still works unless the diaphragms have been replaced. The pair that I bought had a new pair of diaphragms but they were not mounted correctly so I finished the job and got them to work. The problem with them is that because of incorrect mounting of the membrane on one of the mounting rings, which has insufficient tension, one of the two sides has a bit less volume and sounds a little less dynamic. Despite that fact they are still a pleasure to listen to. They sound …

I'm finding more and more that the profile of the Etys is interfering with my enjoyment of them. Allow me to explain a bit. I primarily use these headphones for listening while I'm doing yardwork (mowing), riding the motorcycle (at low levels so I can still hear the world) and while reading. The fact that the Etys protrude quite a bit outside my actual ear when properly inserted is causing some discomfort and annoyance. So what I'm wondering is what would be the cheapest route to custom-insert IEMs? The least-expensive commercial product that I've found is the UE-5c's and at $550 they are well beyond what I'm willing to spend. Anyone have any other suggestions?

Got mine in yesterday. Listened to them out of the Yamamoto... okay... so-so. Definitely higher resolution than the w5000s with much better imaging/soundstage. Bass is... well interesting. More prominent than in the w5000s and comes at you from an interesting angle (Not bad, or really even good. But interesting and different. Probably due to the massive soundstage). That was sourced with the EMU 0404 usb, i.e. my work rig. Took them home and sourced it with my Wavelength DAC and my Esoteric and powered with my SS-1. Okay pretty good as well. Definitely close to or equally detailed as the qualias. Better mids. A bit honky in the upper midrange right where it stops being…

Hi, im looking to get a new pair of headphones for $250 or less. What are the best headphones for this sort of price? I was thinking of getting the monster dnas, as they have had good reviews. Thanks in advance guys.

I've been pondering this question... If electrostatic cans are mostly just a thin filament of material .. then how do various cans have different sound signatures? Is there a crossover circuit in the headphone? Why do my Koss 950's sound so much different than my Stax 307's? What is the variable that affects sound? Curious...

Bonnie has a pair of PX 100s that she loves for the office, but needs more (our at least some) isolation. The other alternative would probably be the Urbanites. But those seen a bit visually imposing.

So I just got my Etymotic ER-4P's and they're sweet, but I want to use the foam tips and I can't figure out how to put them on. Do I just shove the tube into the clear tubing or do i take the clear tubing out? WTF!!

Reks should start up a speaker forum, since starting new forums seems to be the fotm edit: split from "What are the best headphones ever" because it went way off topic

Has anyone had a chance to listen to the new lineup to form an impression in comparison to the previous lineup? Just curious to know if they've actually changed how the headphones sound

Hey guys I'm new here so I'll post a little intro if you don't want to read skip this paragraph ! Well I'm 18 years old from Canada looking for a good pair of headphones I'm new to the whole audio world and was ironically introduced to it by gaming.... Any way I'm here looking for my first quality headphones to start I don't want anything to expensive but something with quality. I will be using the headphones at home a lot where I do have an Amp for my pc and xbox however it will have to be able to play off of my Ipod at a decent quality ( doesn't have to be its best) I've been looking at several models my friends all have beats and I personally hate them i find they'…

Cut'n'paste from an email I just got: I may have to get one just to go with the HDP I just got.

I think I like my HF-1 much better with flats. That's all I have to say about that.

Hey everyone. I know how much we all hate these threads, but I need some help. My cousin needs a closed full sized can for under $100. She already destroyed 2 pairs of K81DJs so something strong is a must. She uses them obviously unamped out of her Zune. Can you recommend something decent? Thanks

HD650 used to be the headphone to get. Everyone seem to have one at one point or another. I have heard on various occassion and I am quite familiar with the sound signature. However I have not own one, I had always planned to get one, however throughout all these time, I never got around to do it for one reason or another. Recently, I considered getting it again. However again I ended up with something else, the HE-500. I compared them, along with LCD-2, the two orthos sounded better by a significant margin to me, which made sense considering they also cost more. There is something that I have always been wondering all these years, I kept hearing people saying these…