Headphones

[joequo]

Hi all! One of my side interests is headphones. A good pair of 'phones will provide for a very special, intimate music listening experience. I've been a long time member of www.head-fi.org and recommend anyone else who has even a passing interest in headphones or other various music listening related gadgets have a look at that site. I personally listen to music through a pair of Symphones Magnums V4.

Cheers!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

I have a whole bunch of over-the-ear headphones, from a lot of different decades. They pop up a lot at flea markets and thrift stores, and seem to have pretty good sound reproduction, and as a musician, I'm sure as hell not able to pay $100 (or far more) for 'em. :lol:

Some notable models:

Pioneer SE-20A
Pioneer SE-30
Realistic NOVA Pro

...and some first-class United Airlines headphones that fold up that I'm pretty sure were made by Kenwood. They're probalby my go-to favorites because they're comfortable, portable and sound fantastic. I had to modify them a bit to use 'em, but meh.

 

[joequo]

I have a whole bunch of over-the-ear headphones, from a lot of different decades. They pop up a lot at flea markets and thrift stores, and seem to have pretty good sound reproduction, and as a musician, I'm sure as hell not able to pay $100 (or far more) for 'em. :lol:

Some notable models:

Pioneer SE-20A
Pioneer SE-30
Realistic NOVA Pro

...and some first-class United Airlines headphones that fold up that I'm pretty sure were made by Kenwood. They're probalby my go-to favorites because they're comfortable, portable and sound fantastic. I had to modify them a bit to use 'em, but meh.

Kind of a side note , but now that you mention pricing...the price scale for headphones is almost identical to pipes.

$100--where the good stuff typically begins
$150-250 -- Lot of nice options in this range but not the best of the best
300-700 -- Many very nice high end options here--where many meet price to performance satisfaction
1000-2000--Ultra High Grade options

But there is also the truth for pipes and headphones that there are always exceptions.
For instance, the KSC75 is like a cob--great performance for the price.
There are a couple solid options under $100 as well like the Grado SR-80
But also there will be a random gem that people will stumble upon.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

All I know is, for the $5 I paid (average) for each of them, screw it, I've got good sound. Most of the gear I have is hissy, noisy synths and samplers from the 80s, anyway, so all high-end headphones would do for me is make my setup sound even worse. :lol: Gotta love Studio Trash.

 

[joequo]

All I know is, for the $5 I paid (average) for each of them, screw it, I've got good sound. Most of the gear I have is hissy, noisy synths and samplers from the 80s, anyway, so all high-end headphones would do for me is make my setup sound even worse. :lol: Gotta love Studio Trash.

Haha hey don't sell yourself short. They call that "Lo-Fi" which is quite in style at the moment!

 

[Kyle Weiss]

More side notes... I disagree that scale you put out is identical to pipes. It's close, but... you can get into a good pipe for $60, have a great pipe at $150, an exceptional pipe for $250, and high end begins around $400 and ends around $600 before the "ultra high-grades" kick in at four figures-plus.

But I get what you're saying. The difference is, there isn't some guy able to make me high-end headphones in his garage for an unbelievable price on his lathe. :lol:


__________________________________


Re: Lo-Fi--

There's a difference between "style" and "work with what ya got." The goddamn trust fund kids are screwing up my deals because they can't keep their filthy, entitled hands off my $5 gear anymore. That's the only thing that makes it stylish. I remember days when rich kids were taught to fear and think poor people were "icky," now they all want to live like them (but know they're safe from poverty).

 

[puros_bran]

Go over to THE SITE and preach Beats or Bose... LMAO.

The vast majority of people do not have the ears to enjoy a true high end set up. Even among the self proclaimed audiophiles the diff between a $40-50 pair of phones and a $400-500 pair is name recognition placebo.

 

[Rob_In_MO]

You're right, PB. In a blind test, the results are usually quite different.


Anyway, I bought a $100 pair of Sony's from Sears back in 1992. Best sound i've ever heard from Headphones. The accuracy and low-end freq. response was incredible. They blew away anything Radio Shack had at the time.

Wish I still had them....

 

[joequo]

Go over to THE SITE and preach Beats or Bose... LMAO.

The vast majority of people do not have the ears to enjoy a true high end set up. Even among the self proclaimed audiophiles the diff between a $40-50 pair of phones and a $400-500 pair is name recognition placebo.

Whoa I totally disagree with you here! The difference between different brands and even the same brand from model to model is easy to distinguish. I'll take a blind test of $50 to 500$ headphones and win all day every day. Now, the thing that really blows my mind is the people who swear that recabling their headphones makes a huge difference. Some people with blow 500 bucks on just a cable!

 

[puros_bran]

what I said was Most People.. the vast majority.. if your one of the truly gifted ears that can tell good on ya. Really none of my business. I'm not. To many years around firearms and big trucks

 

[Kyle Weiss]

PB, it's obvious joequo's eyes ain't as good as his ears. :cyclops: :lol:

Yeah, most people will not be able to tell the difference between a white noise frequency shift at 18,000Hz to 20,000Hz. I have fantastic, sensitive Asperger's hearing. I can. I'll repeat, there are two reasons why I don't have perfect, ideal headphones: 1) I can't afford them 2) Nothing I own can reproduce sound as good as the headphones.

What I laugh about on many of these guys on audiophile sites about spec numbers, ranges, names and costs is almost no mention about the receiver or unit they're using to replicate the sound, the media in which the sound has been recorded, how it was mastered, or even the cables used in capturing/mastering the sound in the first place. All of that has electrical resistance or interference possibility, all leading to sound degradation.

Much like how the much-loved digital camera can have "One BILLION MEGAPIXELS! WOW!" if the lens is a piece of trash, all you're going to see are one billion megapixels of really bad lens.

When it comes down to it, replicated sound is NEVER perfect sound, for a majority of people who might have excellent hearing (me), even they (me) don't have perfect ears. So much of the lauded headphone/speaker talk is about as solid as "which pipe is best" here on BoB. Pure speculation mixed with some damn fine engineering and design, and unfortunately, name/specification stigma.

Want to hear unadulterated sound, perfectly, as it was intended (or rather, as only your ears perceive it)?

Attend a symphony performance at an architecturally-suited location designed for that purpose. Aural purity at its finest.

 

[joequo]

PB, it's obvious joequo's eyes ain't as good as his ears. :cyclops: :lol:

Haha! That sounds about right! My last name is actually Italian for "four eyes."

Yeah, most people will not be able to tell the difference between a white noise frequency shift at 18,000Hz to 20,000Hz. I have fantastic, sensitive Asperger's hearing. I can. I'll repeat, there are two reasons why I don't have perfect, ideal headphones: 1) I can't afford them 2) Nothing I own can reproduce sound as good as the headphones.

What I laugh about on many of these guys on audiophile sites about spec numbers, ranges, names and costs is almost no mention about the receiver or unit they're using to replicate the sound, the media in which the sound has been recorded, how it was mastered, or even the cables used in capturing/mastering the sound in the first place. All of that has electrical resistance or interference possibility, all leading to sound degradation.

I think that most audiophiles lump all of these variables together, referring to them collectively as "recording quality." I agree that more insight into what specifically makes some recordings more pleasant than others would be interesting and helpful.

Much like how the much-loved digital camera can have "One BILLION MEGAPIXELS! WOW!" if the lens is a piece of trash, all you're going to see are one billion megapixels of really bad lens.

When it comes down to it, replicated sound is NEVER perfect sound, for a majority of people who might have excellent hearing (me), even they (me) don't have perfect ears. So much of the lauded headphone/speaker talk is about as solid as "which pipe is best" here on BoB. Pure speculation mixed with some damn fine engineering and design, and unfortunately, name/specification stigma.

Want to hear unadulterated sound, perfectly, as it was intended (or rather, as only your ears perceive it)?

Attend a symphony performance at an architecturally-suited location designed for that purpose. Aural purity at its finest.

Lot of truth to this. The headphone/speaker hobby is a complex mixture of brilliance, psudoscience, expectation bias, and pleasure. Nothing beats hearing music in person for sure!

 

[Fishfuzz]

I've got a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros that I recently picked up that I really like as well as my MDR-7506 studio monitors (might even be the same as Rob used to own). Both are very good as studio monitors, which is my preferred listening experience.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

...does this mean a "speakers" thread is gonna pop up now, too? Go for it, make one, I'll join. I can't move my setup to check for model numbers at the moment. Figures as much pipesters would like good sound, too. 8)

 

[George Kaplan]

I've got some $40 JVCs and some $120 Sonys and I honestly can't tell the difference. In my case, headphones let me keep the listening hours I like without disturbing the upstairs neighbors, who's bedroom is right above my living room. To me, they're pretty utilitarian, but 99% of my friends see me as an old school audiosnob for the mere fact that I own a pair of full-sized cans, and have them plugged into an old Pioneer tube amp with a turn table sitting atop it, rather than earbuds and an mp3 player. I see no reason to correct them.

 

[Kyle Weiss]

Earbuds are fine for mp3 players, as they require less power to drive (usually at 32 ohms)... and can create some fantastic sound for their efficiency. But for long term use in the studio? I prefer the big ear cans. Less ear canal sweat. :lol:

I have a pair of iBeats (Dr. Dre's relevancy in today's rap/hip-hop world) I was given from a friend, they're ear buds, but they do sound fantastic (but are a little garish-looking). Usually, for ear buds and casual listening, the mid-priced Sony stuff sounds alright. I have a lot of ear wax, and that's just not pretty (or good for audio) when it really comes down to it.

8)

 

[puros_bran]

My phone has Beats. You know the third thing I did after rooting and unlocking it? Took Beats off. If you want Beats for way cheap just turn all the switches to the left up and on the switches on the right down on an Eq.

 

[Mr. Doody]

head-fi is a GREAT site! i'm a huge fan.

i have three sets of phones i love:

a pair of Sennheiser HD-580 around-the-ear, non-sealed cans. the model has been discontinued and/or replaced. they're inappropriate for office use 'cuz they're not sealed and the sound travels outward a bit when cranked. ask me how i know this ;-) . i use these primarily in my office at home. super light for their size.

a pair of AKG K-271 around-the-ear, sealed cans. i use these at the office at work, and love 'em to death. they've been replaced by the Mk II and now apparently the K 272.

my pride and joy though are my Ultimate Ears triple.fi 10 in-ear earphones. they're stupid-expensive, but i caught some ridiculous 30% or 4% off sale a few years ago and leapt on 'em. most of my music listening happens on the road and while i'm out-and-about, and these babies really kick ass IME.

i also have a vintage set of Sony MDR-V6 cans that i think i bought in the late 80s when i was still DJing. a few years ago i replaced the foams on 'em and my daughter uses them now when she's practicing her piano and needs to focus (or we don't need to hear!).

happy listening!

doody!

 

[Carlos]

I also have a set of AKG Studio K-271. Really good headphones for the office. For the ham shack, if I need them and that's not often at this time. I have a set of Heil Pro. But that has a boom mic on them.

My office stereo system is still evolving. I am using the headphones for some gaming on the lap top when time permits. As long as I keep the volume reasonably low, I can just use the speakers.

 

[Hermit]

I got these at Amazon for 99.42