Audiophile thread - All about sound

[Physical_Graffiti]

Earbuds are terrible

Beats are cool - I wish I could aford them

SkullCandy headphones are pretty good (though they can become uncomfortable after a while) .

[Malkamaniac]

Beats by Dr Dre? Bose?

Holy crap these are TERRIBLE recommendations. TERRIBLE.


Cheap decent headphone: Koss Porta-Pro or Koss KC-75 (same drivers, pick the style you like best)

Mid Range:
Open: Sennheiser PX 200 - II (for portable), Senn 555 (for dedicated - might need an amp), Grado SR60/80 (for rock), Audio Technica ATH-AD700
Closed: Sony MDR-V6, Audio Technica ATH-A700


High end: Depends on what music you like, if you are dropping this much head over to head-fi. Also you will probably need an amp. I have a Beyer DT990, Senn IE8 IEMs, and a Senn HD580. You need an amp for these except the IEMs.


A note on brands:

IN GENERAL:
Sennheiser will give you a huge soundstage which I love. Senn is my favorite brand of headphones. Sometimes they might seem "laid back" to some people. The Senn IE8 IEMs are the exception, they have a huge soundstage but are also pretty heavy.

Beyer: Have a huge soundstage, ultra comfortable, great all around headphones but only really come in high end models AFAIK

Grado: I don't personally own these, they are supposedly really good for rock. Very in your face

Koss: Great cheap all around headphone

Bose: Overrated PoS. Can get MUCH better while paying much less

Beats by Dr Dre: Huge bass, nothing else. Probably good if you only want bass.


A note on open vs closed:

Open headphones allow sound in and out. They usually are much more comfortable to wear and have a better soundstage. Most of the high end dedicated non-portable headphones are open. The drawback is that everyone can hear what you are listening to.

Closed headphones: never found one I liked, although the Sony MDR-V6 is really good for the price. I said screw it and now use expensive Senn IE8 IEMs and love them way better than closed headphones.

Dude, I use them for 45 minutes to an hour a day. Relax lol.

[AlexPKeaton]

Dude, I use them for 45 minutes to an hour a day. Relax lol.

Some people are anal about hockey jerseys, I'm anal about my audio gear lol.

[Malkamaniac]

Dude, I use them for 45 minutes to an hour a day. Relax lol.

Some people are anal about hockey jerseys, I'm anal about my audio gear lol.

Totally acceptable, I just read it "like woah."

[pittsports87]

Dude, I use them for 45 minutes to an hour a day. Relax lol.

Some people are anal about hockey jerseys, I'm anal about my audio gear lol.

We can tell.

[shafnutz05]

lololololollo

[bh]

A torrent of headphone info

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

[tifosi77]

Sennheiser will give you a huge soundstage which I love. Senn is my favorite brand of headphones.

Hmmm, that's an interesting recommendation. I know Senn microphones, but have no experience with their sound reproduction products.

I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack.

The thread, she has been hijacked......

Do tell me about this widget. I've wanted a better pedal board for years (and by 'better' I mean 'any') and have read good things about the Boss.

Also, can it work in conjunction with a virtual amp emulator like a Pod or V-Amp?

[PensFanInDC]

Do tell me about this widget. I've wanted a better pedal board for years (and by 'better' I mean 'any') and have read good things about the Boss.

Also, can it work in conjunction with a virtual amp emulator like a Pod or V-Amp?

Line 6 Pod X3 Live

You can find one used from around $400, new at $500. Great pedal for the price. I use the XT Live (the previous model) and in the 6 years I've had I have had no issues.

If you want to save some cash get the XT Live for around $200 used - $300 new. The only difference between the 2 is recording capability (greater with the X3) and the ability to combine 2 tones at once (on the X3). Other than that there is very little difference.

How often do you play? Do you play gigs?

EDIT: Apparently they have changed the name of their pedals. They are now called HD (no idea why).

http://line6.com/podhd/

You can still find the XT and X3 on ebay or in guitar center etc.

[AlexPKeaton]

A torrent of headphone info

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

I assume you want something with a very flat frequency response? Most of the high end cans are very flat - unless you go with Beats or something lol. I don't think you would need a great set of cans for just guitar. Your choice would probably come down to comfort and to open/closed.

I think the AudioTechnica AD700/A700 would suit you pretty good - just pick either open or closed (AD700 = open, A700 = closed). That is a pretty general purpose midrange can that most people are very satisfied with. And for $100 on amazon you can't really beat it, it is a $250 can.

Edit: If you want to go a little cheaper, the Grados SR-60 would be solid. It is a can for rock. If you want to go more expensive, the Senn 580/595/600/650 are the definitive monitor cans. All of these are open only.

Edit 2: If you are playing gigs then go with an IEM obviously. I'm not as experienced with IEMs. I have the Senn IE8 which I love, but I hear that the Westone 3's are a lot more flat and would probably be a lot better for gigging. Also the high-end Shures are really good as well.

[PensFanInDC]

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

I think you need to ask yourself how often you play first. Are you a casual player or do you do a lot of recording?

If you're just a casual guitarist than you don't need to drop $250 on headphones. In my experience (I've been playing for 17 years) for casual jamming just wear what is most comfortable. If that happens to be a $250 pair, go for it, but I usually just use some decent over the ear headphones.

[eddysnake]

Looking to pick up speakers I can plug into my droid x for when I'm out and about or riding me bike to work, I need to be able to boogie down in all type of situations... Any recomendations?

looking at this... help a brotha out

http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-Ultraportable-Speaker-Players/dp/B001ELK2NY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302803379&sr=1-1-fkmr0

[AlexPKeaton]

Looking to pick up speakers I can plug into my droid x for when I'm out and about or riding me bike to work, I need to be able to boogie down in all type of situations... Any recomendations?

looking at this... help a brotha out

http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-Ultraportable-Speaker-Players/dp/B001ELK2NY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302803379&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Dunno anything about that speaker. The reviews look pretty good, as long as you realize that you aren't gonig to be throwing a rave with that haha.

[eddysnake]

Looking to pick up speakers I can plug into my droid x for when I'm out and about or riding me bike to work, I need to be able to boogie down in all type of situations... Any recomendations?

looking at this... help a brotha out

http://www.amazon.com/Altec-Lansing-Ultraportable-Speaker-Players/dp/B001ELK2NY/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302803379&sr=1-1-fkmr0

Dunno anything about that speaker. The reviews look pretty good, as long as you realize that you aren't gonig to be throwing a rave with that haha.

no rave here, I just need something to rock out the smooth sounds of hall and oates while I'm on my bike or a gentle walk in the rain.

[guiner]

Oh no... an audiophile thread which starts with earbuds and moves to phone connectivity... I'll come back when (if) it gets serious

[cma3585]

Audiophile in the topic while asking about replacing Apple earbuds with nothing too expensive or "classy" for working out? Interesting...

[bh]

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

I think you need to ask yourself how often you play first. Are you a casual player or do you do a lot of recording?

If you're just a casual guitarist than you don't need to drop $250 on headphones. In my experience (I've been playing for 17 years) for casual jamming just wear what is most comfortable. If that happens to be a $250 pair, go for it, but I usually just use some decent over the ear headphones.

No giging. I am a very casual player. I used to sort of be in a band, nothing too serious, but I bought a Fender Deluxe and the thing is just too load to use in my house. Also with two kids now I have no time to play except after they go to bed, so rocking out after that is not an option. I want to sell my amp because frankly I don't ever play anymore. But since I have the Boss pedal, which has amp modulation, I figure with a good set of headphones and I can put the kids to bed and then go downstairs and play without disturbing anyone. I've never really used cans for guitar playing before so I don't really know what sounds good or not? So thanks for the advice.

[bh]

A torrent of headphone info

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

I assume you want something with a very flat frequency response? Most of the high end cans are very flat - unless you go with Beats or something lol. I don't think you would need a great set of cans for just guitar. Your choice would probably come down to comfort and to open/closed.

I think the AudioTechnica AD700/A700 would suit you pretty good - just pick either open or closed (AD700 = open, A700 = closed). That is a pretty general purpose midrange can that most people are very satisfied with. And for $100 on amazon you can't really beat it, it is a $250 can.

Edit: If you want to go a little cheaper, the Grados SR-60 would be solid. It is a can for rock. If you want to go more expensive, the Senn 580/595/600/650 are the definitive monitor cans. All of these are open only.

Edit 2: If you are playing gigs then go with an IEM obviously. I'm not as experienced with IEMs. I have the Senn IE8 which I love, but I hear that the Westone 3's are a lot more flat and would probably be a lot better for gigging. Also the high-end Shures are really good as well.

Thanks APK. I don't do any gigs or recording. Just want something that sounds good for practicing. I will check these suggestions out.

[Admin]

Audiophile in the topic while asking about replacing Apple earbuds with nothing too expensive or "classy" for working out? Interesting...

Not sure why the title was changed.

[PensFanInDC]

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

I think you need to ask yourself how often you play first. Are you a casual player or do you do a lot of recording?

If you're just a casual guitarist than you don't need to drop $250 on headphones. In my experience (I've been playing for 17 years) for casual jamming just wear what is most comfortable. If that happens to be a $250 pair, go for it, but I usually just use some decent over the ear headphones.

No giging. I am a very casual player. I used to sort of be in a band, nothing too serious, but I bought a Fender Deluxe and the thing is just too load to use in my house. Also with two kids now I have no time to play except after they go to bed, so rocking out after that is not an option. I want to sell my amp because frankly I don't ever play anymore. But since I have the Boss pedal, which has amp modulation, I figure with a good set of headphones and I can put the kids to bed and then go downstairs and play without disturbing anyone. I've never really used cans for guitar playing before so I don't really know what sounds good or not? So thanks for the advice.

Since you're just playing for yourself sound quality probably isn't your priority. The differences will be minor between a $25 set and a $250 set if you're just jamming. If you were recording I would recommend (not using headphones at all) something more sensitive.

Just use whatever is most comfortable.

[Factorial]

A torrent of headphone info

Question for you, since you are so anal about audio gear ... I like to play guitar and have a Boss GT 6 pedal with a headphone jack. What would be a good set of headphone for guitar playing? Thanks for any advice.

I picked these up last year and they are fantastic:

http://www.amazon.com/Shure-SRH440-Prof ... B002DP1FTU

[Letang Is The Truth]

can we talk about surround sound in here?

[Malkamaniac]

Audiophile in the topic while asking about replacing Apple earbuds with nothing too expensive or "classy" for working out? Interesting...

Not sure why the title was changed.

Because the thread was high jacked about all sound things with APK's rant.

[cma3585]

Audio-Technica ATH-ES7...incredible. Got a refurbished pair from JR.com for 40 dollars shipped (I am not joking) about a year ago. Things are stylish and sound like monsters. I can see how they demand their retail price tag. If you ever see them for under 100 bucks, get yourself a pair if you're looking for a high quality set of headphones.

[neophool]

Beats by Dr Dre are terrible for the cost. A total ripoff. They will be outperformed significantly by a set of sub-100 dollar Sennheisers or Grados, Audio technicas.