The All Purpose Advice Thread

I'm looking for a comfortable isolating closed back, that is fairly neutral with a bit of warmth and has no harsh treble spikes, and a pretty good soundstage for gaming/movies when I use them. I don't want the bass to be so ridiculous that it gets distracting. I really wanted to get a HD600 or 650 but I'm in a roommate situation where I won't have the luxury of silence all that often. Too forward mids might be a con, I had a momentum 2.0 that I liked how it sounded with music, but with games the mids made everything sound too close and I couldn't tell what was coming from where.

I am a little bitch when it comes to comfort. Anything that creates too much pressure on my head or jaw with clamp is usually too distracting to let me listen to music and I end up returning it.

I have tried the NAD Viso HP50 which had shitty earpads, the momentum 2.0 over ear which felt funny on one ear (I think the ear pads were too small maybe), and a lot of other low tier headphones. I also had the K7XX which I really liked but sold because the ear pads were actually too big and felt weird because they would basically be at the end of my jaw touching my neck. I know that sounds weird because most people actually find the K7XX very comfortable.

From trying out several headphones these are usually the ones that work best with comfort:

lightweight, moderate clamp (too light and they don't seal or slide off)
oval shaped ear pads that are deep-ish, and not so big they are on my face/neck.

If a headphone is heavy but distributes it's weight well it shouldn't be too much of a problem. This will be for at home use only.

Budget is around $400 tops, driven out of an O2 amp/hifimediy dac (will upgrade that later).

I have been looking at the Oppo PM-3, was considering the TH-X00 but the earpads look odd and it looks like there are treble spikes, and the ZMF Vibro MKII (always wanted to try a planar, Zach has a Padauk Vibro MkII on-sale for $429)

My only current headphone is an Edifier H850, a cheap chinese headphone that I got on mass drop: (http://www.edifier.com/us/en/headphones-earphones/h850-foldable-puresound). It sounds surprisingly good actually and doesn't do too many things wrong. It is very lightweight and has oval pads that fit my ears, it has a similar design to one of those older Bose AE2 headphones. I am looking for a bit of an upgrade.

 

If you can stretch to $460, there is a Paradox on HF...

http://www.head-fi.org/t/824314/lff...custom-paint-worldwide-shipping#post_13018075

 

Looking at tube amps and nearly everything I find it SET. Are there any push-pull tube amps for headphones you guys can recommend?

 

Yeah, a lot of people don't see the point in noise and echo cancellation. If you're just relying on off-axis rejection, it sounds bad, and contributes to poor intelligibility in the circumstances.

 

Honestly, most regular gamers have terrible mics, whether they are clipons or headsets It's not like one more person with popping sibilants is going to push other players off the edge. I mean sure, you can hear the difference between shitty-mic-havers and guys who use a shielded blue yeti (i always imagine them as streamers on vacation), but it's not really that important in gaming when most of your communications are short commands.
And push to talk isn't really the most efficient way to talk to people in, say, CS:GO for example; just make the mic activation volume threshold a bit higher so random noises won't do it.

 

The Laconic NBM is p-p.
If I remember correctly Leben likes to use pentode p-p. But these are shit.
Line Magnetic is another. I heard one such speaker amp, was not bad.

 

Hi Guys,

I've downloaded Sonarworks and Jriver MC22. How do I use the VST plug in with Jriver?

 

This should help you (changing out soundtoys for sonarworks).

 

Thanks I got it to work!

 

I impulse bought the Fostex th-x00 from massdrop. Little worried about the cable (planning to mod them with some SMC connectors and an ebay HE-500 replacement cable, but I need to do some more research on that. It was also a bit more than I was looking to spend. I'm considering buying the Sennheiser Momentum 2.0 since it's so cheap on amazon right now (~$213). I'm wondering if the fostex is worth it over these Senn's considering how cheap the Senn's are.

I currently don't have an amp or dac and will be buying a cheaper combo unit, probably under $400, to match the headphone I choose. As far as my preferences I'm looking for a warmer can with tight and controlled bass. I'm a little sensitive to sibilance which concerns me about the fostex, but Tyll likes the cans so it can't be too bad.

 

Speculating if there exist such a thing on Earth...

- Budget around 700 US.
- Better clarity than HD650, better speed, and preferably a bassy signature
- Goes well with Sonett (high output z tube OTL)
- Isn't very very picky of source.

 

Hmm... I think you're into unicorn territory there. Maaaaaybe an Elear sometime next year assuming used prices come down a bit.

Not a firm upgrade but the Nighthawk is good (especially with the updated pads) and plays ok with high output Z. You could also gamble on an LCD2 if Audeze has any left from the B-stock $500 sale.

Or if you're willing to play in a different sandbox, you could head into a Stax L500 or Koss ESP 950.

 

Nah, NightHawk confirmed garbage. STAX L500 means an estat amp and that alone makes me say f**k it. LCD2... oh well, I'd rather go to Headphonebar and double confirm.

 

@Griffon i agree with armaegis actually. Been playing with the Elear, with hm5 pads, feels faster and clearer than the 6x0 and is relatively bassy. And it's good off tube amps, prob good on the sonnet. I bet you can find one for 750-765 if you put up an ad.

Edit: I also want to try the LCD2 and see if I get lucky, but the sonnet might not be the amp you're looking for. Maybe keep the BD

 

@Roarke - I haven't heard either the Momentum or Fostex but I am not sure they fit the same categories. The Momentum is more of a nomadic headphone while the Fostex is more for home listening. I mean do you really want to walk around with wood cups? I'd be too scared to damage them.

 

I agree with @Cspirou. Also, I do not use my Fostex TH-X00 as a portable and the cable is not really a problem for me. It is comically long, but I got used to that quickly.

I am not seeing the $213 Momentum 2.0 atm on amazon but I did not check every seller nor variation (on-ear, over-ear, wireless, active noise reduction, colors) and the prices change. I'll guess that you are talking about the standard over-ear.

I have not heard the Momentum 2.0. I bought my girlfriend a Sennheiser Momentum (first version) over-ear ($107) last year. I listened to that some. It is too bass heavy and a bit dark for my taste but she is happy with it. It was very comfortable for me and the sound isolation is very good. I do not know what sound changes the 2.0 brought.

I bought the Fostex TH-X00 (mahogany) from Massdrop ($399) last year. I was a bit concerned about the treble spike as I can be sensitive to bright phones. I was not concerned about the reports of the bass lift as it was sub-bass and did not think that would be a problem for me. The TH-X00 is semi-closed and I am fine with that. It is also very comfortable to me. My ears fit in the cups fine. Some have a problem with that.

It turned out that I fell in love with the sound of the TH-X00. I would not have been aware of treble spike through listening. It sounds balanced to me. I really like the sub-bass when the program material contains it. It became my second favorite headphone and a very complementary difference to my other phones. I pretty much listen to three headphones in this order of frequency: HD650M - TH-X00 - HD650. They all sound different and I enjoy each of them very much.

I have listened to the TH-X00 quite a bit via the original Dragonfly plugged into my laptop and do not have a problem enjoying the sound. I think the TH-X00 must be pretty easy to drive.

I thought the TH-X00 was a bargain, the Momentum not so much.

There are a lot of variables going between your question and my answer (including personal taste). Hopefully this helps a little.

 

Momentum Over Ear is quite bassy, with super laid back treble. It has this overly warm and kinda muddy sound with little detail. Build looks and isolation is top notch though, so there's that. If that's your signature though it's not terrible at $213 or so.

TH-x00 is far and away better IMO, as long as you aren't planning to use portably and don't need great amounts of isolation. Bass has better punch and impact, with a much more clear and exciting sound. It's not laid back but I didn't have any problems with sibilance or fatiguing highs.

I agree with @Armaegis and @brencho that you're kinda describing the Elear with HM5 pads, more or less, but that price may be a tad tricky. HE-500 with a pad change also came to mind, but definitely not with that amp

 

Audioquest Nightowl maybe. Thing is the ear pads make a big difference. I really liked the Nightowl with the soft textile pads. HD650 tonality (sort of) and semi-closed sound which resulted in more bass without compromised mids. Tool sounded so good...

Keep one thing in mind, this is my impression from Essen and I was short on time. A proper audition takes an hour at least.