Headphones

Great review of these closed headphones, Tyll. I was looking for exactly this kind of can for years, but I ended up with the Alessandro MS-1 (no regrets) because of the compromises in various products. There are so many posts asking (with different wordings): "what is the best closed portable headphone for me?" online, including this forum. Sennheiser, Audio-Technica, AKG, Beyerdynamic, etc. (this is before Shure and Denon came out with their new cans) all failed to meet my standards when I was shopping around. I wasn't a fan of IEMs (many people have an aversion to this style of headphone), although I did get a pair of Klipsch S4i for my iPod Shuffle 3G this Spring. T…

New kid in town No need to worry about the price, won't be less than a few grands.

OK my previous thread rambling about HD650/580 was in essence about burning out a bit and cynicism creeping in with respect to this hobby (ie, is it worth it...). I snagged a K1000 finally after a long period of hesitation -- and while I've only had it days and and running from an old Bryston integrated amp -- it's like a shot of newfound entusiasm for headphones (or new 'fro-age O0 ). This is my last significant acquisition, I have no money now. The Bryston will have to do for awhile in terms of amp. Will be playing with my current portfolio longterm to see what stays/what goes. I know many of you have already been there, but this K1000 has fired me up again. My current…

I just got a pair of these. I'm not real familiar with everything that's out there in the sub-$200 range, so I can't comment on the "are they the best $200 closed back phones ever" business. But I think they're pretty good. I was looking for not-too-expensive closed back cans for my portable. Basically, they're right at home there. They do everything pretty well. My RSA Tomahawk drives 'em with ease. They're not over bright (My ears. I'm allergic to bright, so I assume that means they're really not bright. But you never know.) They're nicer across the midrange with a Mogami Mini-Quad cable (said cable being a lot less of a pain in the ass then the coiled one that co…

Anyone? They're closed, so I am, of course, curious. Stereophile has a review of the MS 400 in the current issue. The red makes it moar bettar. But I, of course, am interested in the moar black PS 500.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-100926089806656515&hl=en http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-100926089806656515&hl=en This was posted over on HF earlier today and it deserved it's own thread. It's a Swedish film about audiophiles with a guest appearance from a unique headphone. They turn up about 30 seconds in. A small teaser...

Time for some impressions of this rare beast. The Icelandic distributor has a set on loan and they carved an entire afternoon out of the schedule for me to try it and do some comparisons. I showed up with the HE90 I built from spare parts, Aristaeus, Carbon amp and a port modded SR-007Mk2. Since they were using the built in dac on the HE-1, I just plugged both amps into as well to equalize the comparison. Over all, I like the build quality of the headphones. Imagine a HD800 built properly and you are pretty much there. The leather earpads are super nice and the headband has nice extension to even fit my large melon. I don't think they are super comfy though …

I'm absolutely interested in this thing. Comments? Predictions? Impressions? Guesses? Some people think it looks comical; I think it looks like one of the best looking headphones ever created. I seriously want one.

The new AKG K702 AKG Debuts K 702 Headphones For Recording and Broadcast Applications

I figured I would start a thread for everyone to giggle at and get excited. The current status: ALL parts have been ordered. I ordered the stuff for the cable today: 4 pin XLR m/f -> 1/4 adapter via mini mogami neglex. I'm not currently balanced, but who's to say I wont stay this way

So a while back even before I got my amp I was excited to own my new headphones and wanted to show them to a friend of mine. He comes over and puts on a song in my itunes, quickly finds the equalizer, turns the Pre-amp setting in iTunes ALL THE WAY up, takes the headphones off and quickly declares that they suck. Being a nice fellow, I just said ok and shrugged it off. My question to you is where does this kind of ignorance spawn from? How can someone be so stupid to assess sound quality when iTunes is clearly distorting it. Also he was using a 128kbps quality audio that he gave me, and I told him before hand that the quality will suck. GrRrRRRRRrRRRrRR Console m…

Howdy all, My name is Barry. I

It looks like Audeze have become headphiles. I wonder if microsuede is as sweaty as lambskin.

So after two long years of service, the cable above the left ear bud of my E500's has cracked. Because it is outside the two year limited warranty, I was wondering if it would be worth looking for someone to recable them or to send them to sure and pay for the repair. For anyone who has sent their 'phones into Shure beyond the 2 year mark... did you have to pay a $145 service fee as listed on their website? (http://www.shure.com/stellent/groups/public/@gms_gmi_web_us_pa/documents/web_resource/us_pa_doc_service_fees.pdf) Or is it likely that the repair or switch (by most accounts that's what they do) will cost less than that?

Hello everyone, Long time since I last posted, but I'm in need of a pair of closed headphones and what a better place to ask around and see how everyone is doing. So I had a son last year and listening to the speaker rig or akg 701 at night with the wife sitting next to me is pretty much impossible. A pair of closed headphones must be bought to maintain the levels of sanity in between diaper changes. Tyll highly recommends the nad viso and some other focal ones, but I remembered a couple of years ago the thunder pants were very well spoken of. Is smeggy still making these? Any other closed cans I should consider? I'd like to keep the budget below 500$. Amp ATM i…

I have the Ether/Ether C on loan and I did some listening last night vs. my HD800S. TLDR Version The Ether is legit. I like it better than any Audeze I've heard. It won't be supplanting the 800S in my collection, but this is a legit good headphone. Frequency balance issues and price are its biggest weaknesses. Bass and comfort are its biggest strengths. Long Version For reference, my chain: iPad -> Wyrd -> Yggy -> XP-10 -> DSHA-4. Pros: Ether bass is fantastic. Waaaaay better than HD800S bass. Going back and forth you can really hear the distortion on the 800S. The Ether feels like it is clear an octave lower than the 800S. The…

Ultrasone Edition 10 Headphones are $2700! - I4U News Ultrasone Offers First Open Back Headphone - Gearlog [H]ard|OCP - $2,750 Headphones Read the comments thread if you have a little time. Screenshots | [H]ard|OCP ^^ Large, sexy picture. It's a big enough picture I didn't do IMG code in case it broke H-scrolls. Google it. It's all over the Internet. I know the brand has a fairly good reputation but that's about it. That kind of price tag makes me want to run and hide under my bed. So which of you brave souls are going to take the plunge on these?

Grado SR-60. Still one of my favorite headphones. Hella uncomfortable when new. Works well out of a DAP (won't kill the battery). Sennheiser HD580 Nice all around headphones, also great for movies. Sound great with simple amps (cmoy, Govibe, etc). If I was ever in a major financial rut I could probably sell everything for just those two.

As most of you know, the new Stax Lambdas suck compared to the older models. This "fact" has puzzled me for quite a while since the same drivers mounted in either the SR-Sigma or the 4070 housings just sing. In the case of the Sigmas, the Sigma 404 out paces the other two Sigma models in every area I can think of by a large margin. To make a long story short, I picked up an old, beaten up SR-404 in Japan to test out some theories. I could have bought a new one but half the fun is to take some old, neglected banger and make them shine again. The first thing I noticed about this set was that the drivers didn't align like they should. They were only a couple of mill…

Bought a bad tube off of eBay, and it looks like something happened and it fried my right driver. I thought it was just the tube, but a few days later when I powered my amp back up with new tubes, the problem was still there. Its hard to imagine this pair being busted: it was the third headphone I bought and the only one I kept. It's been with me since 2005. Anyway, anyone ever have any experience with Sennheiser after warranty repairs? Was wondering if its worth it to mess with them or if I should just scope out a used pair, or upgrade to the HD800. Currently I'm rocking the KSC75 out of the HA-2, and it sounds great.

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

Don't ban me, please! My girlfriend has a portable DVD player that is pretty much useless when we are traveling on the interstate, because the volume doesn't get loud enough to overcome the road noise. We haven't used it on a plane yet but I imagine the situation would be similar. I have zero experience with noise canceling phones, but I'm thinking they may be what we need in this situation. I already suggested IEMs, but she doesn't want to have to jam something in her ear. Budget like $100-200, cheaper the better. She wants circumnaural phones. Comfort is a top priority, and movies are the primary medium, but I'd still like something that is at least respectable so…

Do my Dad really enjoyed himself at the NYC Meet. He liked the people and had a great time listening to the awesome rigs. He used to be an audio enthusiast (stereo/speaker, not headphone) and I think the Meet might have rekindled the flame. It's cool because he's nearing retirement and will need a hobby or he will drive my mother insane. And he's asked me to recommend a starter rig. I'd like to start him out with a rig for around $1000 (less would be good). Just an amp and cans for the time being. DAC will be down the road, maybe. He listens to a lot of classic rock and folk, with a smattering of female country. His hearing is not 100% and he has a really eno…

When I went to bozebuttons's house for a mini-meet, I got to spend a lot of time with the high end grados (the vintage RS-1 and the HP-1/2/3 especially) and I realized that the 225s doesn't have the sound that I want nor can it scale the same way that the other two phones can. So, I'm trying to get less shrill treble, a more fuller sound (esp in the low end) with better extension in the lows and a slightly bigger soundstage that keeps the grado sound. Does that sound like the MS-2i's? PS. and my 225s are woodied, which does fix the problem (with the bass and the soundstage) a small amount but not enough to my liking.

First of all my mailman is awesome. This is what it looks like right now outside my apartment. All that snow on the deck is fresh, and it's going to continue for another 5 or 6 hours. The entire town has pretty much shut down (I didn't have to go the hospital, so I spent all day comparing headphones, what a life) yet I still get my package! This pair is bone stock, NOS. Overview My K340 says "electrostatic-dynamic systems" on the earcups. I'm not sure if they are bass heavy, bass light or the third one. What I do know is that they are a NOS pair that only has around 10 or so hours on them. I've been in contact with my seller the whole time who was really fr…