Best closed headphones for $150 as per my requirements?

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Mirdon, Mar 2, 2017.

  1. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    Fair enough, it's early here and I'm a bit cranky.

    I'd stay away from Sony 7506, it's a heavy can that gets sweaty fast.

    For sturdiness, KRK makes a good set, but the bass might be anemic for some. Well built and comfortable, pleather pads.

    The Sennheiser HD439 uses a velour pad, is light, comfortable with a little murkiness in the mid range. The cable is thin.

    Creative Auvarna Live! has pleather pads, not the strongest build, but the best sounding with a neutral to warm sound.

    All 4 can be found for less than a $100 and isolate well.

    Edit: add KRK stuff
     
  2. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Okay, fair points. I wanted to ask the question. Now to move forward. The OP has gotten some good advice and needs to consider it and make a decision. Otherwise I'll have to get grumpy. :)
     
  3. DigMe

    DigMe Friend

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    yes, definitely. As my mother would say, "Stop all the hemming and hawing and make a decision."
     
  4. Mirdon

    Mirdon New

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    I'm really sorry if I offended anyone here. My emoticon usage were just out of habit with talking to my friends and other forums, I didn't mean for them in a derogatory form nor did I mean to sound condescending, qetadg is right, it's purely innocent. As an apology, I vow to never use emoticons here.

    I was just introduced to this forum by a fellow forumer and he told me that this forum is the go to place when trying to find the audio equipment you need. I'm very sorry, I think why I don't listen to music much is because I really really have troubles with hearing continuous audio with different instruments clashing. I can appreciate it when I'm not doing anything and laying in bed but when I'm trying to work which is 70-80% of the time, I personally prefer to hear voices, it's more gentle, more subtle, I think it's like when you're young you open the television just to keep you preoccupied but keep the volume low enough so it won't bother you. It became a habit of mine which personally for the me, really does help more than listening to music.
     
  5. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    It's all good. I ask that you consider the advice given, make a decision and then report back with results later. That way the thread will be useful to others. We like to keep the signal/noise ratio low here and produce threads with good content. I wish you luck....
     
  6. Mirdon

    Mirdon New

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    Thanks for the recommendations, I'll do an extensive research on each and one of them to see where I could get a good balance of clarity and comfort.

    Yup, definitely, I've listed every advice here, I respect and appreciate each and everyone's advices and not a single advice will be wasted. I'll also be researching them again now that I'm finally understanding what you guys are trying to say. I think for my specific use, I need headphones that has extended mids, good highs and a sharp but not booming bass. I gotta be honest I was really biased on the dt 770 based on how it looks but now, after searching the whole day, it might not be the best thing for me. I've heard recessed mids a lot on different reviews from people who owened them and I think what I needed actually was to extend those to fully understand the crisp and clear voices of the people I'm hearing. I'm also happy that I might not be needing a dac/amp at all.

    I'll also post here with my final decision, it's the least I could do to everyone who helped me and also to help people who might have the same requirements. I'll also provide my very amateurish review. It won't be pretty though since I don't know the terminologies and I'll probably just praise them because I can hear clearly.
     
  7. ultrabike

    ultrabike Measurbator - Admin

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    Everybody has different tastes. But if you ask me, a DT770 is a piece of shit, unless modded.

    An HD439 might do it, if you are looking for a closed can. I don't know about the HD598 closed, but if it's anything like the HD598 open, it's a good can.

    KSC75s are awesome, but they are open.

    PC37X suggested by @zerodeefex looks very nice. It's a gamer set and may include a mic. Haven't heard it yet, but if it's got the HD439 sound to it, I would definitively recommend.
     
  8. Whatup69

    Whatup69 New

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    Get a a900x

    /End thread
     
  9. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    What do you like about it?
     
  10. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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  11. SSL

    SSL Friend

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    Why?
     
  12. LurkerDown

    LurkerDown New

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    The 250ohm version of the DT770 was a bit too treble happy for me, but I found the 80ohm to be more balanced and potentially worth the money imo. In any case, they work great as comfy, noise isolating pillows for your ears when your roommates are blasting heavy metal at 2 am!

    From what I remember from Ischa's measurements, they seem to suggest a more V-shaped sound. Haven't heard them myself, but from I have read, many have said that they're quite a bit different from their open back counterpart.
     
  13. Mirdon

    Mirdon New

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    Thanks, it makes it easier for me to disregard the dt770 now since I find myself searching it from time to time on Amazon just for the fun of it. As for the HD439, I can't seem to find a decent seller on Amazon, cheapest brand new I could find is around $120 and $130 but they both don't ship to my Country.

    Looking at the KSC75 reminded me that I need to purchase an IEM as well, probably on the $10-$15 range, I'll only ever use them in bed though so that explains the price range or I'll probably give them to my brother to use so he would make any noise, that's like the best indirect sound cancellation solution for $10-15 if he does accept them.

    Also, you guys are right, the PC37X looks awesome, its earpads looks very comfortable too. Unfortunately they're not available on Massdrop at the moment and my money is only an Amazon balance as well but still, would recommend them to my friends if it becomes available.

    Unfortunately Amazon doesn't sell them anymore and I can't purchase out of Amazon since I only have a $160 Amazon balance. I agree, I also think that this headphones are awesome, too bad they aren't available. I uhh found some pretty similar headphones I think, it's the ATH A550Z although there are only 2 sellers on Amazon, $120 (real price I assume based on looking at ATH's website but sadly they can't ship to my location) and $180.

    These does look good, however, I don't know what kind of sound quality a $30 headphone would give me but you know what, they're so cheap that I can probably convince my brother to purchase one for himself and I could compare them.

    Sadly, I think I'm giving up on the 770s, It breaks my heart typing this since they were my first choice of headphones since they looked the best out of every headphones I've considered based on comfort and looks. I think I'll even purchase a Sony mdr7506 for $170 if it looked like that.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    UPDATE
    Very very sorry for the late response guys, a client made me rush his project so I've been busy at the moment. Digressing aside, here's my new picks based on a 2-3 day research:

    1. KRK KNS8400 - These sounds like what I was looking for, I understand that there are only a few headphones that has forwarded mids and most of them are open backs (looking at you Grado) so next best thing would probably some neutral monitoring headphones to at least make sure stuff like the bass doesn't overshadow it. These are only $111 (If I made a this decision earlier could've bought it for $100 but oh well). I have a very major question though, would the Brainwavz earpads fit on these? I have not found a single info regarding this from Amazon Q&As, various forums, reddit and countless of google search variations. It would be so awesome if they could and I would be leaning more to them even more.

    2. Ultrasone 780
    - They sound like what I was looking for as well, they even said the mids are forwarded but it has mixed reviews on its comfort. They also cost $160 (I need to pay an additional $20 for Amazon to ship them since they aren't sold by Amazon, can't get the free shipping). Also I might have to purchase new pads for it (if it's replaceable) so would probably cost me around $210 total, I don't know why I included this but I guess I've placed it here if for some reason the planets align tomorrow and Amazon sells it themselves.

    3. Sennheiser HD598cs
    - My first pick a while back and I'm only putting it above the HRM-7 is since I haven't found a solid comparison despite the latter looking to be more neutral than the former.

    4. Pioneer HRM-7
    - I forgot the exact why I included them, I think it's because they're commonly compared to the Yamaha mt220 (by commonly I mean like 2 people out of less than 10 reviews that you can find since reviews for these are so scarce) and probably because it has velour earpads.

    Tomorrow's gonna be decision day so I'm both excited and worried.
     
  14. shuto

    shuto Acquaintance

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    I like the RBH-HP2, currently my work headphones. Very comfortable, like the 598Cs, but a little bassier. They usually cost $199, but you can find them used on eBay for less.
     
  15. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    If the majority if your headphone use is for television, you don't need to find a headphone that is mid-centric. Since the content you are listening to lies mostly in a narrow bandwidth, it doesn't matter if the areas outside it are higher or lower in amplitude (barring some huge discrepancies and/or distortion) because they simply aren't in the content. Even for gaming, unless positional accuracy is critical and the game is built for it (basically your FPS's) then it doesn't matter much there either.

    Select a headphone based on comfort and price/availability. A bunch of good options have already been mentioned. Do you have a music/guitar store nearby that you can go audition headphones in?
     
  16. Case

    Case Anxious Head (Formerly Wilson)

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    @Mirdon , the Brainwavz do fit on the KRK 6400, so I think they would do so on the 8400, but I found it increased the clamping pressure to uncomfortable levels as well as making the midrange honk. I'd stay away from Ultrasone, I had one, and it was muddled mess. It was a different model than the 780, but I wouldn't risk the purchase with other options available.
     
  17. Mirdon

    Mirdon New

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    That does look good, in fact I like this design more than the DT770, I love the simplistic loaded (I guess? Best word that I could describe it) look. Unfortunately my $160 budget is an Amazon balance and I'm forced to purchase from Amazon. And since this isn't sold by Amazon on Amazon, I'm probably gonna pay around $220-$230 ($200 price + $20-$30 shipping).

    I see, I thought the vocals hanged around the mids, I guess I still have a lot to learn. I wondered as well what would happen if I would get something like the DT770 who leans on bass, how would my vocals sound if they rarely go there when watching tv shows. Ironically, I rarely play games despite being a game developer. I think when you're modeling assets for days to weeks at a time you'll eventually lose the wow factor you have when playing (that's usually what gets me to play games, the awesome visuals and stuff).

    Yup I had all the headphones recommended on a spreadsheet and I eliminated them based on a criteria. My first one was availability(stocks and shipment possibilities) to which I think a quarter or half of them got removed, then comfort and sound signature. The last contenders were the 4 I mentioned above but since I'm still fixing the spreadsheet out, I'll see if I can recheck some of their availability. As for the store, unfortunately I live in small city and they only sell instruments but never headphones.

    I guess I have been listening to jazz lately, probably my sound usage throughout the day would be:
    1. TV Shows - 70% - So very relaxing that I can't even describe it. The voices keep me preoccupied and entertained while not being intrusive. Family guy, My Wife and Kids, Martin (Though the latter 2's laughing tracks are kinda distracting at first but I got used to them eventually).
    2. Jazz - 15% - Mostly this: (https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/Digital-...50-Unforgettable-Tracks-Remastered/B008IG6HVO), I'll probably listen to half of them then go back to watching my tv shows
    3. Other genre songs - 10% - Mostly songs that I saw on YouTube and other nostalgic songs by: Rachel Platten, Shawn Mendez, Fifth Harmony, Green Day, All-American Rejects, There are many more but I only just listen to them if I somehow find myself humming a certain lyric of their song but I don't go out of my way to go to Youtube just to listen to them if the latter doesn't happen.
    4. Games - 5%, I play a game or two of League of Legends and that's probably it.

    Oh no that's terrible, and the krs6400 even looks like the krs8400 so I guess it would apply as well. What's a midrange honk though? Also thanks! I'm really looking for reasons not to consider the Ultrasone so my buyer's remorse wouldn't keep me up all night.

    ----

    Edit: Sorry guys but it's currently 2:33AM here, I think I'll hit the hay for now but I will DEFINITELY respond to any comment as soon as I wake up. Thanks again!
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2017
  18. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

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    I'd say DT770 80ohm and HD598 Cs are both very good for the money (I currently own these two). The Beyers easily have the stronger build-quality and more isolation, but the plasticky HD-model seems quite smart in its design too. Comfort is good on the Senn, but the Beyer is cushier. I really like the removable cables (one with remote) on the Senn.

    They are both somewhat V-shaped, DT770 much, much more so - the HDs sound quite middy in comparison. Both of these have some extra energy in the highs. Overall the Senns are closer to a general "neutral" sound-sig. Actually, I can't tell which one I'd go for if they were similarly priced. The Sennheiser is much easier to drive out of anything and work portably too, so there's that. You can use them anywhere.
     
  19. Mirdon

    Mirdon New

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    Thanks so much for the comparison between them, I really needed to hear a review from someone who owns both. I think I'll go with the 598cs because they're easier to drive and they have a 2 year international warranty that I could really use. I plan to purchase a much more expensive headphone along with a proper dac/amp setup in about 2 years so this could serve me well for the meantime and provide me some peace of mind during the 2 years.
     
  20. Mirdon

    Mirdon New

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    This is it guys, I've decided to purchase the 598cs for the best sound:comfort ratio based on my requirements. This leaves me with $25 to use, I'll be using the $10 to purchase a mug warmer and as for the $15, what's the best iem under $15? I originally had the SoundMAGIC ES18 in mind but unfortunately they aren't sold by Amazon and other sellers don't sell ship to my country.
     

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