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Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Are Complys really that great? As much as I like listening to my Shure 215s - they're not that comfortable to wear over long periods.

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Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
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Jade Ear Joe
But he said cheap as possible. Probably better to get cheap MEEs and then throw some complys on them.

Personally I've found my klipsch s4 to be pretty comfortable. You can find them on sale for like $30? Though there is a new version so maybe you can't find em cheap anymore

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
The SR80i have amazing sound. I was worried about the "Harsh Grado sound" that people like to tote around. However, I took the plunge and could not be happier.

That said - the Grados are open back. Therefore, they will not isolate you and people around you will be able to hear them as well (kinda like people wearing the stock apple earbuds). That openness is part of what allows the Grados to sound so great and have a wide soundstage.

I also like them because I can hear what's going on around me in the living room while still playing games or listening to music etc.


If you want isolation though - CAL would be a better choice.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Protons posted:

I listen to a lot of metal, lots of genres of it. I also like classical and jazz. Would that help narrow it down between the two?

Definitely the Grados

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Protons posted:

Ahh, but the grados are on ear, which makes them like bear traps on your head after an hour of use. I guess I'll get the CAL! I can't go wrong with either can I?

Yes the grados tend to be uncomfortable after a while. If you still want open though you could try the AD700s. Supposedly very comfortable.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

numbs posted:

ATH-M50s are the best possible headphones you can get in that price range. You won't be disappointed.

I dunno. I feel like they're being overhyped. On other forums (not SA) - I've been seeing knee-jerk GET THE M50s.

If you're willing to go up to $200, you have waaay more options.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Protons posted:

Ordered the Grado SR80i with a Good Cans carry bag. I hope they're pretty great for listening to :metal:

You won't be disappointed. They're known for sounding great with Rock.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Thornes posted:

I don't think this guy got a reply but he's looking for the same thing I'm looking for(I listen to music on my phone while on the subway.) My main concern is that I kind of treat my headphones like poo poo and stuff them in my pockets so of course the wire starts to die and I get irritable about it.

If they haven't made a headphone that can take my abuse then one of those over ear headphones that fold up would work too! I just like portability. Thank you all for offering advice to the average listener!

Maybe look into Klipsch? I heard they're newer line has a more robust headphone cord. Otherwise they definitely fit the bill.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Grado himself includes a letter in the box that talks about burn in. I've never believed in it but who knows. I just don't worry about it and use them.

Interesting point about the ad900s. I'm thinking of getting a pair.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
What's the best way to get my Grado SR80i sound into an IEM for under $100?

A pair of igis ? VSonics ?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Burt posted:

As I almost 100% use headphones on long haul plane flights I wanted some noise cancelling one so I picked up a set of Parrot ZIK at the airport. I may have a bit more disposable income than the average good so price was not a consideration but after comparing every other NC cordless sets in the shop they were hands down the best. Had them just over a week now and they are really growing on me, good sound, long battery life, excellent fit and very comfortable to wear considering the only complaint I have is that they are a bit heavy.

If you have the cash I'd recommend them, but I am not an audiophile so pinches of salt may be needed on sound quality other than my "it's excellent".

Better NC than Bose?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Hey Midorka,

What are your thoughts on the Wirecutter reviews? They've been doing a bunch of headphone reviews lately. What's notable is they've been recommending headphones that I previously had never heard of (i.e., they weren't the typical "go-to" choices). They usually get a bunch of different pairs and have various people try them which I think is interesting.

Anyhow - they just came out with the best sub-$100 review and chose these: Sony XBA-C10IP

I'd never heard of them and also can't find them at some of my normal retail choices (Amazon, B&H etc). What do you think? Heard of them before?

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-100-in-ear-headphones/

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Hey guys

I asked before but didn't get much of a response so thought I'd try again. I absolutely adore my Grado SR-80i. Is there a set of IEMs around $100 that produce a similar sound signature?

For reference, I have a pair of Shure SE215s and Klipsch S4s. I think the difference between them and the Grados is the lack of a higher end (i.e., they aren't as "bright"? Am I using that correctly?).

Will Etymotics do the trick? Any other suggestions?

One person (sorry I forgot your name!) mentioned Monster NCredible Nenergy and also thought the Grado iGis weren't so hot. I don't have the cash to jump up to Grado GR8s either.

Anyhow - thoughts?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
The Creative Aurvana Live! were on sale for $60 on Amazon yesterday - so I pretty much impulse bought them based on all the good feedback I've heard here. I was looking for a pair of closed back headphones with a big emphasis on comfort - but not so delicate or expensive that I wouldn't ever want to leave the house with them.

I mean what I really want is a pair of Momentums but I just can't swing the price.....yet.

I'll let you know my thoughts once they arrive.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
I just picked up the Creative Aurvana Lives and really like them. $60 on Amazon right now. I think they fit all your criteria

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Bea Nanner posted:

I'm looking for some solid over-ear/on-ears that are sub-$100 (ideally). Requirements are that they are portable and look cool and don't suck.

Current front runner: http://www.amazon.com/Grado-Prestig...&keywords=grado

Can anyone top that for the price range?

I love the poo poo out of my grados but I don't know about being portable. I mean yes you can take them with you and walk around etc but I don't think they're great for travel or putting them in a backpack or something. I traveled with mine twice and the left earphone came detached from the headband. I can put it back on but it constantly falls off now.

I just don't think they're made to get beat up at all.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
I've got a transatlantic flight coming up. In the past I've worn my Shure 215s but I get pretty bad ear fatigue after a while (they get uncomfortable ) and they're a pain in the rear end to put in properly when I constantly need to pull them out to hear announcements, my wife, etc.

I'm leaning towards the bose qc20s because everywhere online says they're super comfortable and attenuate alot of noise. However 300 is alot and wanted to see if there were other options. What do you guys use for long trips?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Lazyhound posted:

Wait.

What do you think "audiophile" means?

Aural Sex

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

ineptmule posted:

I'm looking for something fairly portable to replace my lost set of Apple Earbuds (yuck) to use when I'm on the move.

One really dumb consideration is that I need the housing on the jack to be pretty slim as it needs to fit into the space on my iPhone case which is only a couple of mm wider diameter than the socket. Although I guess I could use an adapter...


Budget - £80-140

Source - iPhone 5 / iPad and MacBook Pro

Isolation Requirements - Yes

Preferred Type of Headphone - I haven't yet tried IEMs that I find comfortable, but I'm ideally looking for something that's at least semi-portable.

Preferred Tonal Balance - I have a really broad taste in music so I'd prefer balanced.

Past Headphones - I have some some Sennheiser 558s (? That's from memory so may not be quite right) which I love but they're definitely 'at home' headphones. Also some Senn 201s which I use when travelling and in the office - decent budget cans for when they might take a beating.
To be honest I've been quite happy with the Apple Earbuds but I lost my pair and I want to get something better, with more isolation ideally.

Preferred Music - Rock, Metal, Electronic, Folk, Jazz, Classical, World music ... basically anything really.

Klipsch s4? Mine are pretty comfortable and you can usually score a deal if you look around

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

ilifinicus posted:

I won't regret impulse buying a pair of Sennheiser Momentum since they were at 25% off right? Right?

Oh poo poo where?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

CatelynIsAZombie posted:

Looking for a nice pair of cans, my budget's between $150 and $200ish right now, I plan to keep these at home/with the computer I do most of my listening on. I also plan to use them for monitoring a vocal mic but idk if there will be an issue with even closed cans leaking there.

I liked inner fidelity's review of the Onkyo FC3000s and figured I'd go with those until I noticed that the Sennheiser Momentums are down to like $180 on amazon now. All the reviews on these are like 2 years old so I don't know how more recent offerings stack up but are these a good deal in my price range now?

A new version of the momentums are coming out, hence the price drop

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Counterpoint: people really like the creative aurvana lives.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

GokieKS posted:

As far as I'm concerned the comfort of the Audio-Technica headphones with the 3D Wing head support is almost unmatched, but I think the HD558/598 is a more well-rounded choice in the sub-$200 range even without an amp.

I can't get my AD 900x to stay on my head. The wing system doesn't seem "tight" enough? They slide down my head. I MUCH prefer the HD598s. Those are absolutely fabulous comfort-wise. Even with glasses.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Midorka posted:

The HD598/558/650 have decently hard clamp with pretty stiff pads. I own the HD650 currently and find that the headband design is rather small vertically while the comfort is decent, but softer pads would do it a world of justice.

Before that I was coming from Grados. I guess anything is better than that huh.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
I've yet to find a headphone that plays Rush better than my SR-80s. I feel like I'm at the concert. That said - I can listen to like 2 songs and then I have to take a break but gosh do I love em.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Harminoff posted:

Looks like ATH-M50x's just went down to $129.

http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATH-M50x-Professional-Monitor-Headphones

Thinking about picking these up even though I just got a pair of hd 558's as I want something with a bit more bass.

It's a daily deal so jump today if you want it

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

cat doter posted:

I still don't know what the gently caress 'wider soundstage' is supposed to mean, is that $1000 cable adding reverb to people's music?

Like the difference between open and closed headphones?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
HD598. They are open with velour pads. Most comfortable pair of headphones I own. Usually can be found on sale in your price range.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Porta-pros?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
What about those behind the neck phones? Those could work

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
What about the new Sennheisers with ANC? I heard they're supposed to be great but a bit expensive.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
So if I want to pick up the basic Schitt stack, but I also have a pair of powered desktop speakers (M audio av40) do I need the "uber" versions?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
So what's the verdict on the new Sony vs the new Sennheiser for best ANC headphones?

Edit: I meant ANC and sound quality. Thanks for the clarification.

Lowness 72 fucked around with this message at 18:27 on Oct 13, 2016

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
I primarily use my HD598s for my pc (mostly gaming). I'd like to add a mic.

2 questions:
1. Is a modmic still the best option? Anything else I should consider?

2. I'm thinking of picking up the magni/modi stack later this year. Can you hook the mic up to the stack or does it have to connect directly to the pc (which I imagine would be weird since you'd have 2 cables going to different places).

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Max Wilco posted:

Ahaha, those were the other headphones I was looking at. Those are $150 though, which is a little too expensive.

They'll be 99 for black Friday on amazon

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Hey guys - I finally went out and got a my first DAC/AMP stack - The Magni 2 Uber / Modi 2 Uber. The music clearly sounds better but I've got an issue. The right channel is definitely louder than the left. I read about channel imbalance being an issue at low volume but it's an issue all the way around the pot. Is this common? Think the amp needs to be sent back?

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Ya I tried it with 3 different sets and even swapped the plugs going from the modi to the magni (from left to right and vice versa).

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Ha that was the first thing I checked. Thanks for suggesting though.

Ok I'm going to sleep on it. My internet has been wonky lately and has decided it won't stream anything so I can't test it with a good source test. I wish there was a simple objective way to test it so I knew I wasn't crazy!

Thanks for all your help guys.

Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe
Open backed 598? Not the 598c.

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Lowness 72
Jul 19, 2006
BUTTS LOL

Jade Ear Joe

Gwyrgyn Blood posted:

I should post up my full requirements in case there's an obvious choice in the matter:

Budget - 100-150$ USD range
Source - PC with Headphone jack.
Preferred Type of Headphone - Circumaural ideally. IEMs are a no-go.
Usage - Primarily gaming, some music. Most Importantly: Needs to be comfortable to wear with glasses for long durations.
Past Headphones - NVX XPT100, extremely comfortable, I really enjoyed these but the headband section that held the cup broke. Something with this style of cups or level of tightness would be great.
- Sennheiser HD 598 Cs, these were much too tight, became very uncomfortable with glasses after about an hour or so of use.


So I'm seeing lots of recommendations for models such as ATH-M50x, ATH-AD700X, etc, can anyone who wears glasses comment on what is/isn't comfortable?

I've also seen comments on reddit about replacement pads such as these for various models, I dunno if that'd be closer to the style i'm looking for or what but I'm not against trying something like that.

So I know you tried the 598C but have you tried the open back version? I wear glasses and they are my go to most comfortable headphone for home use. I also have the ad700x and find the wings don't offer enough support.

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