Bfun, what kind of headphone setup are you using these days? My Sennheiser HD 555s are in bad shape. The plastic is completely cracked and they're currently held together by duct tape. They were only $80 five years ago, so I'm not heartbroken and I was wanting to upgrade at some point anyway. I was looking at the HD 598s, 600s, and 650s. Also possibly a Schiit Magni/Modi amp/dac. What would you recommend? The 598s seem very popular at the moment, but I think they look very tacky. I'm not sure if I could live with the hideous brown and fake wood thing they have going on. If I remember correctly I think you said the 600s were the best all around headphones you've tried, and that they actually sounded better than the slightly more expensive 650s. But maybe I'm remembering wrong.
Well my everyday headphones right now are the AKG K701 paired with an early version of the AudioGD Compass. I also like the sound of the Audio Technica AD900 but it's not for everyone. There are so many good USB dacs out now I wouldn't know what to recommend anymore. 5 years ago there were about 10 on the market and now there are like 100. The 600 and 650 are really good but they are super hard to drive. I thought they sounded good on a $300 amp and then I heard them on a $800 amp designed just for them and they were so much better. Both of them have a rich and somewhat dark sound which is pleasing for long periods of time. They sound almost identical but the 650 has more bass. Some people feel that the 600 is more accurate and thus a better headphone. I've never heard the 598s. If you want I'll give you a pair of Utrasone PRO 750s. They sound really good out of almost anything. I bought them used a few years ago and never really use them. One of the speakers is about 95% volume of the other. It's almost unnoticeable but I refuse to sell them because of it. They've been re-cabled with pure silver but they guy who did it made the cable too short so it's kind of annoying. They're yours if you want them.
If you don't want money for them at least let me cover shipping. PM me and we'll work out the details. I have very little experience with good headphones other than modestly priced Sennheisers so it would be cool to get an idea of what some of the better stuff sounds like.
hd 598 = weed 600 = shrooms 650 = meth AKG 701 = heroin Ultrasones = crack Free crack samples for all. Just cover the postage. Time for Silk Road 3.0 bitches.
Back on topic, any thoughts on tube amps? Seems some people swear by them, while others say not to bother because they distort the sound.
If we make the assumption that all solid state amps are 100% accurate then you could also say that tubes distort the sound. However most enthusiast would tell you that the "distortion" is actually an improvement. It been awhile since I've went over the science behind it but in general tubes just smooth things out a little. I believe it's most noticeable on guitars. Of course it's wrong to say that all solid state amps are accurate and people actually make digital amps to sound like tube amps. So what it comes down to is this. Tube amps: Look awesome. Get hot as hell. They will burn you and other things. Kind of fragile. Have interchangeable tubes. You can actually buy different tubes to change how the amp sounds. Take 10 to 60 seconds to warm up to operation temperature. Enthusiast preferred Solid State Amps: More convenient More budget options If your looking at $200 and under you should probably consider solid state.
It looks like the tubes usually glow an amber color. The pictures look cool as hell. Like you've got some steampunk mad science stuff on your desk.
This guy is selling his Sennheiser Orpheus for $21,000. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sennheiser-HEV90-Orpheus-the-amplifier-for-HE90-and-all-STAX-pro-/301531587827?pt=UK_MP3_Player_Accessories_Headphones_Earphones&hash=item4634aee4f3 I have an Little Dot MK III which I've been wanting to sell. And an Elekit TU-882 which I should sell.
I'm thinking the Schiit Valhalla 2 might be a good first tube amp for me at $350. It's made in the USA with a 5 year warranty and a good return policy if I don't like it. Seems like a safe way to try one of these things out.
Thanks for the headphones man. They sound better than my HD555s but the difference is not huge. It might be a 5-10% improvement in sound quality if I had to put a number to it. They have more bass and seem to be better at creating a positional effect. Maybe my hearing isn't that great but I'm not really noticing the difference in volume you mentioned. The left might be a little louder, but I'm not sure. The cable looks nice but is a little awkward. Overall they are very nice headphones. Comparing them to the only other free headphones I am aware of, which are the ones they give you on airline flights, I'd say they are a 2000% improvement in sound quality.
I'd say that's a good assessment. Ultrasone have never been a very popular brand. Their performance doesn't match their retail price and their mid range phones just don't hold up well to other popular brands. For the same price you can get Sennheiser HD 650s or DT880 or Grado SR225. Still if you listen to these for a while then go to Best Buy and try the Beats or the Bose you notice how much better these are. The guy who cabled those kind of messed it up by making them too short. That silver cable was about $30 a foot so he probably under estimated on the length. He told me that it didn't make any difference in the sound quality so it's too bad he messed with it. You might be able to take that sleeve off and make it relax a little. The bass on the 750 is no joke. Take a look at this frequency response graph. The K701 and AD900 are my regulars and they are considered bass light. The HD650 is considered just a little bass heavy or almost neutral. The Pro 900 is almost the same headphone as 750.
Removing the sheathing and stretching out those headphones helped a lot. I ended up ordering the Sennheiser HD 600s. Every review I read or watched comparing the 650s and 600s said the 600s were more accurate and neutral sounding, and overall a better headphone. I also figure they have to be pretty damn good if they're still in production 20+ years after they came out. I haven't really decided on what to use for a DAC/amp. I'm torn between the Schiit Magni/Modi and the O2 DAC/Amp.
Does the O2 have the power cord on the front? You might find that annoying. Here is a really good price on the DT-990s. They're nowhere near the HD600 level but they're good for the price. Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro 250Ohm Headphones $120 After $35 Rebate + Free Shipping http://www.adorama.com/als.MVC/nspc/revisedProduct?sku=BDDT990P250&adver=new&emailprice=t&utm_term=wGb2JrV8WWpdXk:V3txYFRG3UkV3ccQJ3TQO3Q0,3TdWI-QpqSYy2rUXOpTfxyFYUkVU-BVtuSnLz80&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=Other&utm_source=rflaid62905,62905&cvosrc=affiliate.62905,62905 Rebate https://admin.4myrebate.com/Document/PreviewOffer?OfferID=497841&PDFID=39
I have long pointy ears. The shape of the sennheisers seems to work best for me. I don't find the circular shaped headphones comfortable.
Sure but the point is Beats are like Air Jordan's of headphones. Most of their profits are probably going to endorsements and marketing. I have a $99 pair of Alessandro headphones that sound way better than any $300 Beats. Maybe they only cost $10 to make but I didn't pay an extra $200 to see Dr Dre's picture on the box.
Yes things do often have a huge markup, but I think it's the lack of any attention to sound or build quality that is angering people. Beats are the headphone equivalent of the White Van Speaker scam. They're selling you the cheapest, crappiest Chinese made headphones for an astronomical markup using hard sell marketing. Compare that to Sennheiser who still build most of their stuff in Europe (Ireland or Germany), is very focused on sound quality, and generally charges less than beats for infinitely better sounding headphones. You can buy HD 650s or 600s for $150 less than Beats and they will sound a trillion times better and they weren't made by Chinese slave children with all the profits going to Dr Dre, Lil Wayne, and Kim Kardashian. I know that because Apple is about to buy them, you'll defend Beats to the death. But they're a sleazebag company.