Couple things before any recommendations. Where are you going to be using them? This effects whether or not you can look at open headphones as they don't block any noise in either direction. What sort of sound do you like? Lots of bass etc. Do you mind getting second hand headphones (you can save a lot of money this way although being a member of places like head-fi helps) Do you mind building the amp? What is going to be the source?
steelseries siberia (v1) for everything, really nice headphones and most importantly very comfortable for long sessions. i got the v1 because i prefer open backs, however the v2's are closed. i could spend £1000+ but tbh if i did notice the difference it wouldnt be worth the expenditure for me
Mainly within my study. Primarily for the computer (FLAC Music, Games , TV streaming, etc). I want to be able to shut myself away from the world for a while. No particular reason to reduce extranaous audio output, I won't disturb anyone (the living room is at the other end of the house, etc). On an aesthetics front, I do actually prefer the look of closed cans tho'. This is where it gets tricky... I like a wide range of music, from classical to metal. I suppose I'm looking for as close to the source representation as possible, don't want them to exaggerate certain frequency bands or anything. I'm not against it per-se, I just think I may struggle finding much range in the secondhand market in Australia. Once I get an idea of the make / type of headphones I'm interested in, I'll investigate the market. I'm a bit wary of the hygiene issue tho', if I could get them serviced / cleaned professionally that worry may disappear. Nope I'd give it a go ! - I knew that many audiophiles do build their own amps, but I thought this was only with the v.high end gear and mainly the valve amp side of things...?! Again, I may struggle to source the parts locally, but I don't mind importing from the US / UK. I currently have my computer connected via optical to a Pioneer VSX-519V receiver. The headphone amp would take a straight stereo source from here. Thanks again, SouperAndy
Just remove the ear pads and give them a good wash when you receive them or replace them depending on the state they are in. This is the place I've got a large number of parts from to build amps before and they have a shop down under so you are good to go (all though some parts may need to be imported). As for price of building your own The Starving Student is pretty cheap to make. Just wanted to make sure you weren't going to use an onboard sound card or something similar.
Do you find any interference issues with them? What about if there is no sound for a while going to the input? Any hiss or anything? Thinking of buying some wireless headphones but many of the reviews for Sennheisers give pretty mental downfalls to them, such as crazy hiss after a minute with no input and stuff, and awful interference... Any other reccos from anyone for wireless headphone set?
Gaming - SteelSeries Siberia Blacks Movies - Medusa 5.1s Podcasting - Plantronics DSP400 Music - SteelSeries Siberia Blacks (when at home/ when it is not raining) or my CX500s when it is raining / when I am in the gym
I'll order a pair of nice Sennheiser HD 650 and a Maverick Audio Tube Magic D1 next week, that way I can upgrade to a nice amp a bit further down the road and use the Maverick as a nice DAC.
Creative Fatality things. I mostly just use them for the mic, even though the can quality is lovely, because they're too tight a fit and after several hours they start to hurt. (It amazes me that they didn't realise this pre-retail; don't they bother to test products before putting them on shelves?) I don't have any pornographic pictures of them because I don't have a pornographically high-quality camera, so this will have to do: As you can see, they're pretty good headphones.
I just ordered myself the same thing. Got good reviews and, tbh, the white look was just too much for me to resist. How've you been liking yours?
I've got the RS170s, which use the same digital system as the 180s. There's no hiss at all (it is digital...) and the range is good. If there is interference they simply cut out... They don't like the microwave at all . More specifically, they cut out when within 1.5m of a working microwave. not surprising really. No hiss develops when you're not giving them any input. Overall theyre comfortable and i love them they sound good too, although you don't get anything below 40Hz. also, you have to give them about a week to burn in. tbh, i almost returned them after the first listen! they sounded terrible. Sound amazing now though. Edit: Oh, and everyone complains about the buttons on them... really not a problem at all, it just becomes instinct.
These beauties when im at home on the PC or what ever and a generic set of bids when im out as i seem to break my headphones in seconds
I loathe that site. They like to spew out a bunch of crap and ban you if you dare ask for proof. I tried to get them to give me some measurements of various snake oil cables and other overall useless wastes of money, and I was banned.
*Bump* Was there a newer version of this thread posted since 2010? What are people's headphone setups these days? Powered/amplified/through a DAC/wireless? My gaming setup changed a while ago with the arrival of my Turtle Beach XP510s: This post is a brief review and my opinions of them so far. Despite concerns over the build quality as expressed by people in reviews of older TB models, I pulled the trigger and got these for a little over £200 with a voucher code, which was a good deal considering full retail at the time was £250. I have been very impressed with them on Xbox 360 - the wireless ability is a huge leap forward for comfortable gaming and even though I sit at a desk to play the 360 on a monitor, it's a joy not having to worry about getting a headphone cable tangled up in anything - that usually being the wheels of my office chair with wired headphones! Speaking of comfort, the headphones are extremely comfortable with soft ear cups and a cushioned headband which allow hours of wear without the slightest bit of discomfort. The ear cups enclose the ear very well and drown out almost all ambient noise. With my big noisy gaming rig running on its loudest fan mode and the 360 running beside it, I can't hear a thing with the TB's on, even in quiet parts of movies and TV shows. They are ten times as comfortable as the previous two gaming headsets I've owned, the Razer Barracuda HP-1 and the Speedlink Medusa 5.1 before them, neither of which I could wear for more than a couple of hours without getting sore ears. Where the XP510s really shine on Xbox 360 is for truly wireless chat via the XBA (Xbox Bluetooth Adapter). My many Xbox 360 wireless headsets are now obsolete as I can play and chat with the XP510s on and the mic actually attached to my head, whereas before - with wearing standard headphones and using the Microsoft wireless headset - I had to clip the headset to something like a tall glass sitting on the desk in front of me and lean towards it when I wanted to speak. There was also the issue of battery life with the Microsoft headsets. They've got pretty small batteries in them and take a long time to charge which is why I ended up with so many in the first place, because I used them in a charge/use rotation. I'd argue that the sound quality of voice comms on the Turtle Beach unit is better than the official headset as well, my Xbox Live friends responding with nothing but positive comments when asked if they can hear me clearly. The 15 hour battery life on the XP510s is accurate as I've played Halo Reach, BF3 and watched films using them for at least that long on a full charge. It's a minor concern of mine that they don't feature a user replaceable battery but considering that the Li-Ion battery in my Logitech MX Laser is still holding a 3 day charge after well over 6 years of light to medium use on an office and workshop PC, I'm hopeful that the battery in the XP510s will last at least as long as the rest of the headset itself. As you'd know if you saw my thread on the matter I bought them primarily to play Halo Reach for Xbox 360 with, but where the Turtle Beaches really come into their own is when used on a PC with a Dolby Digital Live sound card installed. Taking the Optical S/PDIF connection from my ASUS Xonar D2X and running DDL with the latest release of Uni Xonar drivers to avoid the "sewer echo" problems in BF3 which has been associated with the official ASUS driver, the XP510s blow away any pair of headphones and any other gaming headset that I've used in the past which consists of a mixture of Sennheiser, Razer and Speedlink products. I wasn't even playing BF3 when I bought these, but after months of ownership, I was only recently able to get DDL working properly in BF3 using the aforementioned Uni Xonar drivers, and with "War Tapes" mode selected in the game and the headphones set to "Game Mode Main" I have been enjoying a more immersive gaming experience than ever before. With the adjustable surround angles offered by the Turtle Beach base station and DDL, I've been able to find a surround setup that ensures I never miss a footstep or gunshot and it really has improved my scores and enjoyment of Battlefield. Quality wise, they don't feel as rugged as my old set of Speedlink Medusas or any of my Sennheiser headphones, but they are sturdier than my Razer Barracuda set and I'm confident that when looked after as a set of £200+ headphones should be, they will stand the test of time and last for years to come. All in all, I couldn't recommend these more to Xbox 360 and/or PC gamers. There's also the PX510 for PS3 and PC gamers. Turtle Beach have since released new wireless headsets for the Xbox One, PS4 and the Z300 for PC, but the latter of those three consists of only a USB wireless transmitter instead of a true digital optical connection to a base station like the XP510s, the reason being that no additional cost for an optical S/PDIF DDL sound card is incurred by the consumer. I would be very interested to try them in comparison to the XP510s, and the much lower price point means that I might do that sometime in the future.
I'm a bit of a bass head when it comes to headphones. I guess because headphones can be as obnoxious as you like without irritating any one. I used to sit 5ft from two 18" subwoofers so I've always liked bass going through me. As such when I buy headphones I don't look for quality I want quantity. I want to absolutely blow my head off. I'm using the Siberia Neckband atm. They're pretty chit hot when it comes to bass and beat driven music. I tend to listen to less obnoxious stuff when I'm on speakers like classical and chilled (Citizen Cope) and the odd Radiohead session I really miss my Earforce HPA2. They had dedicated subwoofers and an amp so they absolutely rattled your head. Sadly one of the channels seems to have died
I know only use qpad qh90's. I now have two pairs white and black. Earphones I have two sets of jays. Earphones one for the phone and one for the iPod touch. I mainly listen to old stuff and game with the headphones so they do just nicely.
