The Headphones Thread - Page 27

looks right. I hope you are using an anti static band. Those buffers can go up in smoke because of wrong handling

For those who are looking for an easy way out there are several DIY tube amp kits. WARNING: If you dont know what you are doing - a Tube amp can kill you because of the voltages involved.

I will only give the links to those of you who are serious about building a DIY tube headphone/speaker amplifier. Tubes are cheap and easy to find...many are current production. Tubes also sound a lot nicer than solid state

PM me if you want links...

Hi I need new headphones for my new laptop :P

Budget: < $50; I'm buying through Amazon because someone gave me a $30 gift card for Christmas.

Purpose: Gaming, listening to music, watching DVDs, and did I mention gaming? Comfortability will be an issue, as these headphones will stay on my head for long periods of time. Durability is also an issue of mine. I've heard mostly good news about the HD 497, but is it as fragile as it looks?

Models I'm considering: Senn HD 497 ($40), Senn HD 465 ($54), Senn HD 201 ($18), and Senn HD 202 ($20). Any other suggestions? Which would be best suited for my needs?

Comfort - 4
Bass - 3
Price - 5
Physical Dimensions - 3
Sensitivity - 4

And check this out: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...onics&v=glance

Well, I don't like my cheap ass $20 sony clip-on headphones too much, so I have started looking for some new headphones. I'm mostly going to be listening to punk and indie rock on these, and playing CS:S. Hopefully I will be able to position people better in the game and catch them when they sneak up on me.

I want a closed ear headphone, and max price around $50
importances (0-5, 5 being highest)
Comfort - 5
Bass - 3
Price - 5
Physical Dimensions - 1
Sensitivity - 4


I've been looking at some Senn's, and here are my choices right now:
HD457 - $25
PC150 - $46
EH150 - $40
DJ HD212 - $60

What do you think are the best quality headphones for this price range gsr? Suggestions would be appreciated

Thanks, pyro

Do you think a headset will suit you better than just headphones? With the mic added in you will have voice capability on some multiplayer games.

hmmm...

Koss PortaPro II

Sennheiser HD201 ($20.00)

Senn PX-100

For the BASSHEADS out there - Senn HD-212 Pro

My desire to build an amp has yet to be sated mostly because I thought that at $60 I couldn't go wrong with a PA2V2 - how would this compare to a MINT or PPA?

Current plan is to run my nano's line out (via dock) to the amp driving my HD 555's. I don't think theres much point in amping my MDR EX71's.

Its more out of idle curiosity than anything else, but I wouldn't mind having a look at those DIY tube amp guides.

Got a set of HD580 headphones for Christmas. They sound awesome and are very compfy. Now I just need to finish putting together my amp.

Wow...PA2V2 - how the heck did you know about Gary's amps? Good stuff that can be a bit heavy on bass...but I liked what I heard.

Another option is the $79.00 Headsave GoVibe v4 http://members.shaw.ca/storage_2/headsave/index.htm

Compared to MINT...you will be hard pressed to hear any differences between amps in this class. Minor tonal differences but all of them are excellent value.

Excellent talking point too Few people in the world know that you can amplify headphones.

ckaplan - how far are you in the build process? Got pics?

I am down to the buffer chips that are backordered. They should be in next week, but we will see when they actually mail them out.

Once those come in I can mount them and start testing.

I've been lurking at head-fi - its a really great site

My laptop has a built in microphone - it may not be of the highest quality, but meh I don't really play games that have the optional voice capability.

I got a pair of BOSE QUITE COMFORT 2 and it is fairly nice. A bit over priced, but good quality.

I've tired the SHURE plugs, but the bass on it crack hard.

The B & O ones are nice.

Here are a couple of build pics. Everything but the buffers are installed. Newark has them in stock so I should get them next week. I am not going to fill the R11 buffer bandwidth spots ... at least not yet. I may fill it later just to see what the difference is. Let me know if anything is installed wrong. As it doesn't fit in the recomended enclosure on the tangentsoft site due to the pot being to high, so I am going to use the router box that I originally pondered or an altoids tin. The router box will probably win as I will have more room to mess around with.

Careful if you are soldering the buffers...Use less heat and do it quickly.

The one thing you should probably change is the LED. Make it longer so that you can have it stick out of the case. You need to know if the unit is powered up or not right? I've drained several batteries wastefully because I didnt have an LED that was visible from the outside.

Use the altoids case only if you have tools to help you drill holes etc. If you are using the tin then place a block of wood on the other side of a metal panel before drilling (so that you are actually drilling into the wood with the metal sheet in between.

Get a file to clean up the rough edges of the hole. Use insulation tape and completely tape up the insides - I used Rhino Paint and it worked really well too.

Always drill from the outside to the inside.

Get silicon glue so that you can hold the PCB etc. in place inside the chassis. Make sure you leave enough room for the 9V battery.

Use one of those "rare" altoids tins ONLY after practicing on a common tin...I have several of the rare ones waiting to be "amped" Curios George is my favorite...always draws in conversations with the ladies

I was just going to dump out the remaining mints in my wife's altoids tin and use that. As for the LED, I may move it after I get the thing working. Thanks for the advice on the drilling.

GS

I've read all these pages, and currently sit with a nice Xi fi driving a "not awful" MDR-CD2000, which are incredibly comfortable but get a touch warm to wear for long periods in the summer. Prior to now I've mostly gamed from a desktop workstation and Klipsch 5.1 surround setup.

Going laptop is really talking headphones. And as a gamer first and a music listener second I'm looking for soundstage, as in very heavy in the 3D in the environment. I read your review of the SA5000 and well of course I got tempted. I could spend that but let's just say the "budget committee" would probably love me more if I didn't. So then I thought of the SA1000, but not so sure those are much better than I have now, maybe, but not really certain. I'd also entertain a few other options if you had them, but it is unlikely I'd carry an amp with me for primarily gaming and a bit of idle time music listening. When its possible, however, I will game for very long sessions at time (mmo's - sigh), so comfort has to be high. I'm not particularly fond of the 1 piece of plastic band that seems to be prevalent in the Senn lineup, but they are not all that way and the sound is supposedly very good.

As you game, maybe not in the mmo fashion, I am sure you can appreciate what knowing what is around you is all about and how hard it will be going from a good 5.1 and 7.1 system to headphones.

SA1000 seem probably good without taking a more serious plunge
SA5000 very, very tempted given your and others strong review and the soundstage

I'm not particularly attached to closed vs open, as open might make them comfortable longer, so hence I had considered the AT 700 opens as possible.

Anyway your thoughts would be very appreciated.

Try the SA1000 first. The SA5000 is really a high fidelity instrument for use with quality amplification and with a high end source. For gaming, the SA1000 is more than sufficient, comfortable, chuckable, good bass, nice aesthetics and the headband is very comfortable.

Another good choice for gaming is the Sennheiser HD-580

I personally dont like Audio Technical headphones because of quality control issues.

Moving from speakers to headphones is actually better in terms of surround sound perception. I actually prefer headphones while playing games that require precise pinpointing of sound sources...like gunfire in CS:S for example. Speakers were nice but they didnt offer the kind of precise imaging that headphone offered.

EVERYONE:

If you are interested in listening to what stereo headphones can offer the listener in terms of a surround sound experience then download the mp3 below and listen to it using your best headphones...

Please be seated while listening because you are in for a shock

It is a big download so PLEASE SAVE IT to your hard drive first. Dont kill my bandwidth by trying to stream the track.


Here goes:

Introduction to Binaural Recordings

So yea what headphones would you guys suggest? I need something in the price range of $20 to $50. As for uses, I'll be mostly playing videogames (WoW, CS:S, etc.) and listening to music (Oldies), as well as occasionally watching DVDs. My laptop has a built-in mic so I don't need a full headset. Comfort + durability are pretty important as these headphones will be used for extended periods of time (5+ hours). I'm no audiophile; in fact I've been stuck with the crappy 25 cent headphones that came with my 5 year old walkman.

Sennheiser HD 497s + HD 201s seem like good buys - anyone have other suggestions? Thanks much !

Comfort - 5
Bass - 3
Price - 5 (must be $20 to $50, Amazon.com price)
Physical Dimensions - 3
Sensitivity - 4