The headphones thread! [Sorry about your wallet]

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Networkn
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#705660 24-Oct-2012 13:03

I have a pair of Monster Turbine Copper Pros and I LOVE them. They sound unbelievable.

I have some M14's which I love, but sound quality fairly average, and Senn 555's which I think are good but not great.

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Send money globally for less with Wise - one free transfer up to NZ$900 (affiliate link).

siyuan

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#705665 24-Oct-2012 13:07

My collection:

Senns MX-500 ear buds: awesome budget ear buds, retired due to lack of noise blocking on the road.
Sony EX-71SL: Better noise isolation than the MX-500, much stronger bass, but sounded somewhat muffled.
Etymotics ER-4P: Excellent clarity and noise isolation, but my ear canals start to get painful after more than three hours of listening to them.
Senns HD-650: Best upgrade I've ever had, but not really portable. Only use it at work and home.

Sources:

Cowon iAudio X5L: Retired after I bought the Nexus S.
Nexus S: Excellent sound quality with Voodoo Sound applied. Primary source when on the run.
Desktop/laptop with O2+ODAC: One of the most transparent DAC/Amp combos. If you don't know what O2+ODAC combo is, you are recommended to do a bit googling. Make sure you checkout the benchmark results. Really a big bang for the bucks. But if transparent sound is not what you are after, then please ignore me :p

alasta

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#705933 24-Oct-2012 21:05

networkn:
NZtechfreak:The Bose QC15 is very highly regarded as a noise cancelling headphone.

As well they should be for that money! They are so pasticky and feel really junky though is my main concern.

I have used the QC15 and the noise cancelling effectiveness is undoubtedly a lot better than my Sennheiser PXC-250s, and I didn't think the build quality was too bad.

Unfortunately the sound quality was disappointing compared with any of my Sennheiser sets which are much brighter and more detailed while still sounding authentic. I don't find Bose gear quite as bad as some of the hysterics make out, but you can do much better at the same or even a lower price point.

NZtechfreak

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#705996 24-Oct-2012 22:06

alasta:
networkn:
NZtechfreak:The Bose QC15 is very highly regarded as a noise cancelling headphone.

As well they should be for that money! They are so pasticky and feel really junky though is my main concern.

I have used the QC15 and the noise cancelling effectiveness is undoubtedly a lot better than my Sennheiser PXC-250s, and I didn't think the build quality was too bad.

Unfortunately the sound quality was disappointing compared with any of my Sennheiser sets which are much brighter and more detailed while still sounding authentic. I don't find Bose gear quite as bad as some of the hysterics make out, but you can do much better at the same or even a lower price point.

Can you do much better in an active noise cancelling headphone though? No idea myself, just wondering out loud since those are the only ones I've seen people in audiophile forums have any kind words for.

Is it possible you're just not into their sound, since the Sennheiser sound and brightness seem very much to your liking? Sometimes brightness is equated to detail retrieval, but they aren't necessarily synonymous.

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

geekiegeek

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#706049 25-Oct-2012 05:29

NZtechfreak:
alasta:
networkn:
NZtechfreak:The Bose QC15 is very highly regarded as a noise cancelling headphone.

As well they should be for that money! They are so pasticky and feel really junky though is my main concern.

I have used the QC15 and the noise cancelling effectiveness is undoubtedly a lot better than my Sennheiser PXC-250s, and I didn't think the build quality was too bad.

Unfortunately the sound quality was disappointing compared with any of my Sennheiser sets which are much brighter and more detailed while still sounding authentic. I don't find Bose gear quite as bad as some of the hysterics make out, but you can do much better at the same or even a lower price point.

Can you do much better in an active noise cancelling headphone though? No idea myself, just wondering out loud since those are the only ones I've seen people in audiophile forums have any kind words for.

Is it possible you're just not into their sound, since the Sennheiser sound and brightness seem very much to your liking? Sometimes brightness is equated to detail retrieval, but they aren't necessarily synonymous.

Sennheiser PXC 450 are active noise cancelling and sound a lot better then the Bose (I tried both). The noise cancelling isn't quite as good as the Bose (Bose are the gold standard for this) but it is still bloody good.

timmmay

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#706064 25-Oct-2012 07:25

I tried older Bose QC3 (from memory) and the sound quality was awful. Noise cancelling was good.

Beats by Dr Dre are pretty decent, I used them at work for a couple of years. I wanted to review Phitek headphones, but they said my website would be too much exposure for them, they only sold to NZ and my website has a lot of visitors from the US/UK/etc.

da5id

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#706165 25-Oct-2012 10:54

I also have some Sony MDR-NC22 Noise Cancelling earbuds that I used to use on the train.
They sound pretty good to me, too.

Even the tight fit of the buds helps block out noise.

alasta

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#706554 25-Oct-2012 22:09

NZtechfreak:
alasta: I have used the QC15 and the noise cancelling effectiveness is undoubtedly a lot better than my Sennheiser PXC-250s, and I didn't think the build quality was too bad.

Unfortunately the sound quality was disappointing compared with any of my Sennheiser sets which are much brighter and more detailed while still sounding authentic. I don't find Bose gear quite as bad as some of the hysterics make out, but you can do much better at the same or even a lower price point.

Can you do much better in an active noise cancelling headphone though? No idea myself, just wondering out loud since those are the only ones I've seen people in audiophile forums have any kind words for.

In my experience, no, nothing else comes close to the Bose product for noise cancelling effectiveness.

Most manufacturers seem to claim about 80% - 90% effectiveness, but personally I have found that in practice it tends to be anywhere between 20% - 80% depending on the particular product and the environment. Generally noise cancelling only works with static noise, and works best if the noise is not too loud and is within a particular frequency range. My PXC-250s work well on turbofan powered airliners and on trolley and modern turbo diesel buses, but not so much on turboprop airliners, older diesel buses, or outside traffic noise.

Is it possible you're just not into their sound, since the Sennheiser sound and brightness seem very much to your liking? Sometimes brightness is equated to detail retrieval, but they aren't necessarily synonymous.

I agree with Geekiegeek above. If you're a layman listening to a Bose product for the first time they're actually quite good, but when I compare the Bose to the Sennheiser I notice quite a striking difference that goes beyond just personal taste in my view.

On another note I noticed on my way home tonight that the cable joint is coming apart at the plug of my PXC-250s so I need to think about whether I get that fixed or use it as an excuse to buy something else. It's a shame because the cable joints into the noise cancelling module and headset look extremely robust, yet strangely the joint at the plug is very poorly made.

NZtechfreak

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#706566 25-Oct-2012 22:24

alasta: I agree with Geekiegeek above. If you're a layman listening to a Bose product for the first time they're actually quite good, but when I compare the Bose to the Sennheiser I notice quite a striking difference that goes beyond just personal taste in my view.

Fair enough, I've not heard them, and I'm aware Bose reputation for SQ is not stellar amongst people who have experienced high-end headphones, just thought I would put the question to you to reflect on :)

Given how difficult it is to audition stuff here in NZ I doubt I will ever have a chance to hear the Bose, but I think I can live with that by the sounds of things.

Twitter: @nztechfreak
Blogs: HeadphoNZ.org

networkn

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#707664 27-Oct-2012 23:02

Hi There!

I'd be interested in an upgrade to my Sens HD 555's if someone wanted to make a recommendation.

NZtechfreak

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#707772 28-Oct-2012 09:48

networkn: Hi There!

I'd be interested in an upgrade to my Sens HD 555's if someone wanted to make a recommendation.

Mwoar info required!

You want full-sized cans?
Is sound isolation important?
What genres do you listen to?
What sources are you playing from? Do you have a headphone amplifier, are you listening to lots of lossy music?
What things did you like and dislike about your present headphones? In other words, what would you like your new headphone to retain and improve upon?
...and, importantly, budget? If no budget is specified I'm just going to recommend the Stax SR-009 :p

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Batman

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#707796 28-Oct-2012 10:36

networkn: Hi There!

I'd be interested in an upgrade to my Sens HD 555's if someone wanted to make a recommendation.

You likw senn sound signature?

If you want clarity get hd600

If you want midbass get hd650

Guarantee you wont want anything else

timmmay

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#707800 28-Oct-2012 10:47

I wasn't super impressed with the bass from the HD650. I agree that we need to hear more about requirements and music types listened to before we make recommendations.

As an aside, I have US$1000 headphones, headphone amp, etc, and I tend to use the $200 speakers on my desk when I'm in my office at home. It's just easier than headphones, and sound is good enough.

networkn

Networkn
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#707816 28-Oct-2012 11:19

NZtechfreak:
networkn: Hi There!

I'd be interested in an upgrade to my Sens HD 555's if someone wanted to make a recommendation.

Mwoar info required!

You want full-sized cans?
Is sound isolation important?
What genres do you listen to?
What sources are you playing from? Do you have a headphone amplifier, are you listening to lots of lossy music?
What things did you like and dislike about your present headphones? In other words, what would you like your new headphone to retain and improve upon?
...and, importantly, budget? If no budget is specified I'm just going to recommend the Stax SR-009 :p

Sorry yup I should have done that.

1) Over ears, comfort is a priority (But not more than sound quality)
2) Not critical but better if it is. My HD555's which I modded to be 595 equivalent leak sound I think
3) I have a fairly eclectic sound taste, however I like most popular Canadian artists (Yes including Celine, Nickelback, Daugherty, Simple Plan etc). I do like SOME classical music, I am not a big fan of really heavy metal, dubstep, death metal etc.
4) My PC, Laptop, Ipod Touch, and my Yamaha RX-Z7 Amp with my BDP-93 Player.
5) Well right now, I am not very happy with my current headphones because I think I broke them. I did the hd555 > hd595 mod and now they sound muffled and muddy, but I just want better sound quality, something that will raise the hair on the back of my neck and make me want to listen to my entire music collection.
6) I'd like to stay under $300, but I'd consider more for magic.

timmmay

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#707857 28-Oct-2012 12:34

Sennheiser 598? US$240 plus shipping, via a reshipper most likely.

Alternately I really rate the Audio Technica A900 quite highly, they're US$200 or at least used to be. They have most of the precision of the HD650, but the bass of the LCD2. There's also the Audio Technica AD900, the open version, which should be pretty good as well.

There are some reviews on my website headphone reviews, not for the 598s unfortunately. Check out the reviews for the 595, they should be better than those.

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