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Audiophilia: Headphones, Amps, DAPs, and Empty Wallets

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Posts

  • number13number13 Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    2w3e5cp.jpg
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    Yeah I noticed a lot of fakes when looking for my M-50s on ebay. I bought from an ebay store where the guy runs an actual brick+mortar music store and was just using ebay to increase his market presence. It ended up being like $50 more expensive than cheaper ones I could find, but I figured being an actual store it'd be far too easy to ruin his day if he was fencing fakes, it wouldn't be worth the risk to him. They were still like $20 under what I could get from stores around here.

    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Synthesis on
  • WeretacoWeretaco Cubicle Gangster Registered User regular
    So my ears are starting to not really like having IEMs in 2+ hours a day (transit to work and back) so I'm thinking about some closed back portables to switch to. Something in the $100ish range would be ideal (and in Canada), closed back (so i don't annoy other passengers), and reasonably decent looking :)

    Ideas?

    Unofficial PA IRC chat: #paforums at irc.slashnet.org
  • CormacCormac Registered User regular
    Have you thought about trying different kinds of tips or going the route of getting a custom remold of them? I use Shure Olives (PA910's)and find them to be very comfortable, but I've read that the Monster Supertips and the Comply tips are also very comfortable.

    http://www.earphonesolutions.com/acforallwemo.html

    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    These don't fold up, so they're not SUPER portable, but they're also not terribly bulky. They sound great, are very comfy, and they fall well within your budget: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B002DP1FTU

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
  • WeretacoWeretaco Cubicle Gangster Registered User regular
    Cormac wrote: »
    Have you thought about trying different kinds of tips or going the route of getting a custom remold of them? I use Shure Olives (PA910's)and find them to be very comfortable, but I've read that the Monster Supertips and the Comply tips are also very comfortable.

    http://www.earphonesolutions.com/acforallwemo.html

    I've had complys before (and love them) but I found i was having to replace them too often when I'm using them daily.

    I just rolled the dice and decide to try something I haven't seen many reviews on
    Audio Technica ATH-FC707 BLACK for $57.73 on amazon

    Unofficial PA IRC chat: #paforums at irc.slashnet.org
  • number13number13 Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Oh! I dunno if you've linked them before, because lord knows I miss these things sometimes, but I actually own those! They're really nice. The actual ear pieces do hurt my ears after wearing them for a while, but a lot of IEMs do that to me. They sound pretty great, though, so I would say they're definitely a really solid choice.

    2w3e5cp.jpg
  • number13number13 Registered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Oh! I dunno if you've linked them before, because lord knows I miss these things sometimes, but I actually own those! They're really nice. The actual ear pieces do hurt my ears after wearing them for a while, but a lot of IEMs do that to me. They sound pretty great, though, so I would say they're definitely a really solid choice.

    2w3e5cp.jpg
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Oh! I dunno if you've linked them before, because lord knows I miss these things sometimes, but I actually own those! They're really nice. The actual ear pieces do hurt my ears after wearing them for a while, but a lot of IEMs do that to me. They sound pretty great, though, so I would say they're definitely a really solid choice.

    I mentioned them by name, but didn't link them. Given the number of earbuds they come with, I'm not worried about that (I assume they'll be like my Monster iBeats, which are comfortable enough to wear for multiple hours straight but uncomfortable enough to bother me after a few minutes sometimes, hah).

    I'm tempted to jump on the seller offering Monster Turbine Pro Golds for $125, given he's got excellent feedback, but aside from the box looking very authentic, I couldn't say if they were authentic or not.
    $T2eC16F,!)8E9s4l57N+BQV88SB,Bw~~60_57.JPG

    $(KGrHqR,!lYF!uZoO+s!BQV88pnjgw~~60_57.JPG

    Looks real? Who knows? I do know that I wouldn't pay $200 for IE earbuds unless they came with an actual good PMP.

    Synthesis on
  • Joe KJoe K Registered User regular
    so... i'm looking for a set of reference speakers for some production work... anybody know of good, inexpensive (not going to say "cheap") pieces to look at?

  • aoeuiaoeui Vancouver, BCRegistered User regular
    Synthesis wrote: »
    I'm tempted to jump on the seller offering Monster Turbine Pro Golds for $125, given he's got excellent feedback, but aside from the box looking very authentic, I couldn't say if they were authentic or not.
    $T2eC16F,!)8E9s4l57N+BQV88SB,Bw~~60_57.JPG

    $(KGrHqR,!lYF!uZoO+s!BQV88pnjgw~~60_57.JPG

    Looks real? Who knows? I do know that I wouldn't pay $200 for IE earbuds unless they came with an actual good PMP.

    I looked up the auction, and I would say they are most likely fake. There are a few things to note.
    The seller does have good feedback, but he has only recently started selling these headphones.
    All of his previous auctions are for tools, sporting goods and that sort of thing, nothing even related to headphones.
    The box does look correct(as far as I know), but he is using the same pictures for all the pairs he selling. So that is not necessarily the box you are getting.
    He's selling 7(+2 he has already sold.) pairs for a very low price, and is willing to go lower.(has a make an offer option.)

    And finally, he lists that they come with 5 tips. And one of the most common tells of the fakes is that they don't come with the super tips in addition to the 5 regular tips.

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    aoeui wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    I'm tempted to jump on the seller offering Monster Turbine Pro Golds for $125, given he's got excellent feedback, but aside from the box looking very authentic, I couldn't say if they were authentic or not.
    $T2eC16F,!)8E9s4l57N+BQV88SB,Bw~~60_57.JPG

    $(KGrHqR,!lYF!uZoO+s!BQV88pnjgw~~60_57.JPG

    Looks real? Who knows? I do know that I wouldn't pay $200 for IE earbuds unless they came with an actual good PMP.

    I looked up the auction, and I would say they are most likely fake. There are a few things to note.
    The seller does have good feedback, but he has only recently started selling these headphones.
    All of his previous auctions are for tools, sporting goods and that sort of thing, nothing even related to headphones.
    The box does look correct(as far as I know), but he is using the same pictures for all the pairs he selling. So that is not necessarily the box you are getting.
    He's selling 7(+2 he has already sold.) pairs for a very low price, and is willing to go lower.(has a make an offer option.)

    And finally, he lists that they come with 5 tips. And one of the most common tells of the fakes is that they don't come with the super tips in addition to the 5 regular tips.

    That convinces me. Frankly, I can't justify spending $200 or more on earbuds because, well, money buys things. I think I'm going to go with the Denon AHC560R, even though I'm not a fan of the rigid case. Maybe I can get them for around $60.

  • aoeuiaoeui Vancouver, BCRegistered User regular
    edited October 2012
    As someone who just spent $1600 on headphones, I'm probably not an authority on reasonable or rational spending. However, I'll agree that you should stick to your budget, there are a lot of good choices in the price range.(Like the 560s) Anyone looking should remember that the improvements you'll hear are only going to get smaller and smaller the higher up in price you go. You can make leaps and bounds going from a $10 pair to a $60 one, but going from $100 to $300 may only net you a different sound, not necessarily better or one you'll like more.

    aoeui on
    Tef
  • Joe KJoe K Registered User regular
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...

  • aoeuiaoeui Vancouver, BCRegistered User regular
    Joe K wrote: »
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...
    They make me realize all the music I listen to and like is garbage. They're amazing.

  • WeretacoWeretaco Cubicle Gangster Registered User regular
    aoeui wrote: »
    Joe K wrote: »
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...
    They make me realize all the music I listen to and like is garbage. They're amazing.

    And my wife complains that I just want HD650s!

    Unofficial PA IRC chat: #paforums at irc.slashnet.org
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    I..like the music I'm listening too! O.O

    I've heard some of it performed live by the artist and....still like it!

  • aoeuiaoeui Vancouver, BCRegistered User regular
    I'm exaggerating mostly. The 800s super precise sound plus a solid state amp is harsh on less then perfect recordings.

    Also because they are new and very different from what I'm used to, I'm being overly analytical and picky about the music, instead of just enjoying it.

  • CormacCormac Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    Weretaco wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    aoeui wrote: »
    Joe K wrote: »
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...
    They make me realize all the music I listen to and like is garbage. They're amazing.

    And my wife complains that I just want HD650s!

    I bought my HD650's off of Head-fi for around half of what they cost new, and they were in 8/10 condition. They've served me well for 4 years but are in need of new pair of ear pads. With how poorly my job pays I'd have a hard time justifying spending $500 on a pair of headphones alone, but under $300 was well within what I felt comfortable spending. I then put the savings towards a very nice headphone amp, and soon after spent my tax return on a pair of Westone 3 IEM's and a Headstage Arrow 12HE portable amp when my Shure E2C's broke. I've been able to stop myself from buying anything else headphone related since then, but I've been tempted to spend a few hundred on a custom made cable for my 650's more than a few times. I've also been dragging my feet and haven't had the time lately to get a ear impression made of my ears so I can get my 3's reshelled in custom molds.

    TLDR: You can get some great deals from reputable people on the Head-Fi forums by buying used. It's what I did which worked out great, and led to spending more money on other great headphone stuff due to the savings.

    Cormac on
    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Cormac wrote: »
    Cormac wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    aoeui wrote: »
    Joe K wrote: »
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...
    They make me realize all the music I listen to and like is garbage. They're amazing.

    And my wife complains that I just want HD650s!

    I bought my HD650's off of Head-fi for around half of what they cost new, and they were in 8/10 condition. They've served me well for 4 years but are in need of new pair of ear pads. With how poorly my job pays I'd have a hard time justifying spending $500 on a pair of headphones alone, but under $300 was well within what I felt comfortable spending. I then put the savings towards a very nice headphone amp, and soon after spent my tax return on a pair of Westone 3 IEM's and a Headstage Arrow 12HE portable amp when my Shure E2C's broke. I've been able to stop myself from buying anything else headphone related since then, but I've been tempted to spend a few hundred on a custom made cable for my 650's more than a few times. I've also been dragging my feet and haven't had the time lately to get a ear impression made of my ears so I can get my 3's reshelled in custom molds.

    TLDR: You can get some great deals from reputable people on the Head-Fi forums by buying used. It's what I did which worked out great, and led to spending more money on other great headphone stuff due to the savings.

    I do this from time to time. Then I step away from my computer and think about the fact that I'm contemplating spending hundreds of dollars on a cable. That usually sobers me up.

    But then I go back to lusting for one a few weeks later. Rinse, repeat.

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
  • Donovan PuppyfuckerDonovan Puppyfucker A dagger in the dark is worth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered User regular
    That would probably be the tipping point for me. Spending hundreds of dollars on a few feet of copper wire? Once you get to that level, it's over. You may as well start buying headphones and amps that cost more than new cars...

  • number13number13 Registered User regular
    Those cables are all snake oil anyway. They might tighten things up a little bit, but man, I'm just not that particular about my sound (and I'm pretty particular, I think). But hey, if those cables are your thing, I've also got some nice beachfront property in Kansas that you might be interested in....

    2w3e5cp.jpg
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Personally, I just learned to make my own cables. It was a nice creative outlet for my desires, and I now have a bunch of extra awesome audio cables laying around.

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
  • CormacCormac Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    I mainly wanted a shorter cable because I sit less than three feet from my amp the 10 (12?) foot cable is way too long. I was only ever really looking at this cable because of dat Viablue Y-Split and the multiple sleeving options. It's actually one of the most affordable custom cables, but still very expensive which is why I never actually bought one. http://www.doublehelixcables.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1

    Cormac on
    Steam: Gridlynk | PSN: Gridlynk | FFXIV: Jarvellis Mika
  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Oh! I dunno if you've linked them before, because lord knows I miss these things sometimes, but I actually own those! They're really nice. The actual ear pieces do hurt my ears after wearing them for a while, but a lot of IEMs do that to me. They sound pretty great, though, so I would say they're definitely a really solid choice.

    By the way, Number13, I meant to ask: what do you use yours with? Because inline controls on earbuds always seem to be kind of a crapshoot, and I wanted to get a inkling of whether or not they'd work with my phone.

  • Joe KJoe K Registered User regular
    just asking again: reference speakers for production, from classical piano to electronica. any ideas?

  • number13number13 Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Oh! I dunno if you've linked them before, because lord knows I miss these things sometimes, but I actually own those! They're really nice. The actual ear pieces do hurt my ears after wearing them for a while, but a lot of IEMs do that to me. They sound pretty great, though, so I would say they're definitely a really solid choice.

    By the way, Number13, I meant to ask: what do you use yours with? Because inline controls on earbuds always seem to be kind of a crapshoot, and I wanted to get a inkling of whether or not they'd work with my phone.

    Honestly? I never use the in-line online because I've had such poor control with in-line on other IEMs. It's just kinda become second nature. I'll give it a shot tomorrow and tell you how it works for me.

    To JoeK: As far as reference, are we talking consumer reference or actual reference? Consumer-line reference, like the speakers I deal with every day, you've got either the Bowers and Wilkins CM8s or CM9s. The CM8s have a smaller footprint than the CM9s and their cones are an inch and a half smaller than the CM9s (I think 5" compared to 6 1/2"?). The midrange is actually pretty similar, but the bass on the CM9 is a lot tighter and the highs are a lot cleaner, so I prefer the CM9s more. Classical sounds really rich and warm on these speakers, and I like them a lot.

    Now, if we're talking sensitive speakers, MartinLogan's Theos or Ethos line is really nice, but the big downside to them is that they have a very narrow sweet spot because they're Electrostats. This isn't as big of a problem with the Theos or Ethos because they have a larger footprint than the normal ESLs, and if you have them set wider than say... a foot from the left and right of your TV or wherever you put them in relation to your seated position, I don't think this will be a problem. They will, however, sound distinctly different when you're standing up and walking around compared to when you're actually sitting down and listening to them. However, when your in that zone? Their reproduction and sensitivity is incredible. A lot of times it almost sounds like there are rear speakers playing when you're just playing a left and right. They are really, really neutral speakers though so don't expect a lot of bass unless you have a good sub you're gonna use with them. I really love these speakers, though. They pick up an extraordinary amount of detail.

    If you don't want something with such a narrow sweet spot, and you can still find someone who carries them, Vienna Acoustics makes some really fantastic speakers. They're also 4 Ohm, and use silk dome tweeters, which you don't find a whole lot (not that it's entirely uncommon), so they, again, pick up a really extraordinary amount of detail. The only thing about Viennas is that you really can't crank them. You get quite a bit of distortion when you push them with a powerful amplifier, so I don't really consider them a movie speaker or something I would really crank hard rock on. If you don't play your music really, really loud though, and you can find somewhere where you can listen to them (because Best Buy doesn't carry them anymore, but they're a really popular brand of speakers), I would recommend taking a look at them.

    There are a few more brands I could recommend, but those are some of the ones I'm more intimately familiar with.

    number13 on
    2w3e5cp.jpg
  • a5ehrena5ehren AtlantaRegistered User regular
    Cormac wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    aoeui wrote: »
    Joe K wrote: »
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...
    They make me realize all the music I listen to and like is garbage. They're amazing.

    And my wife complains that I just want HD650s!

    I bought my HD650's off of Head-fi for around half of what they cost new, and they were in 8/10 condition. They've served me well for 4 years but are in need of new pair of ear pads. With how poorly my job pays I'd have a hard time justifying spending $500 on a pair of headphones alone, but under $300 was well within what I felt comfortable spending. I then put the savings towards a very nice headphone amp, and soon after spent my tax return on a pair of Westone 3 IEM's and a Headstage Arrow 12HE portable amp when my Shure E2C's broke. I've been able to stop myself from buying anything else headphone related since then, but I've been tempted to spend a few hundred on a custom made cable for my 650's more than a few times. I've also been dragging my feet and haven't had the time lately to get a ear impression made of my ears so I can get my 3's reshelled in custom molds.

    TLDR: You can get some great deals from reputable people on the Head-Fi forums by buying used. It's what I did which worked out great, and led to spending more money on other great headphone stuff due to the savings.

    Yeah I got my ATH-900s for about half-price on Head-Fi several years ago. They've worked out pretty well so far, but I haven't bought an amp or anything for them. Probably going to get a USB DAC for Christmas this year, though.

  • CampyCampy Registered User regular
    edited October 2012
    Sup chaps. Owing to my microphone no longer working on my current headset, I'm going to be in the market for a new one. I have literally zero idea of what to look at, let alone buy. My last headphones were over ear surround sound (please don't hurt me), which I really liked. From what I've read I can get better surround with just one driver for each ear though?! This baffles my mind a little, but if it works it works! For this I assume I need a Dolby compatible dedicated soundcard? Other than having a microphone attached (or not if it's better to have a seperate one...), working on a budget and my ridiculously oversized head, there's not much I can think of to help you guys help me.

    Tldr: I have no ideas about headsets/earphones for gaming, maybe you do? Tell them to me!

    Campy on
  • WeretacoWeretaco Cubicle Gangster Registered User regular
    Cormac wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    Weretaco wrote: »
    aoeui wrote: »
    Joe K wrote: »
    good lord what on earth do $1600 headphones do for you? I mean, I've repaired my old $200 Sony 600's a bunch of times already ...
    They make me realize all the music I listen to and like is garbage. They're amazing.

    And my wife complains that I just want HD650s!

    I bought my HD650's off of Head-fi for around half of what they cost new, and they were in 8/10 condition. They've served me well for 4 years but are in need of new pair of ear pads. With how poorly my job pays I'd have a hard time justifying spending $500 on a pair of headphones alone, but under $300 was well within what I felt comfortable spending. I then put the savings towards a very nice headphone amp, and soon after spent my tax return on a pair of Westone 3 IEM's and a Headstage Arrow 12HE portable amp when my Shure E2C's broke. I've been able to stop myself from buying anything else headphone related since then, but I've been tempted to spend a few hundred on a custom made cable for my 650's more than a few times. I've also been dragging my feet and haven't had the time lately to get a ear impression made of my ears so I can get my 3's reshelled in custom molds.

    TLDR: You can get some great deals from reputable people on the Head-Fi forums by buying used. It's what I did which worked out great, and led to spending more money on other great headphone stuff due to the savings.

    My inner shame is that I've bought new, then resold HD650s twice before due to living circumstances....

    First time was cycling through higher end headphones trying to find what I wanted the most, second time was living in a smallish apartment where open headphones didn't work. Now that I have a dedicated comp room though, the HD650 desire is coming back. Currently using Alessandro MS-1 on a Bravo V2 amp.

    Unofficial PA IRC chat: #paforums at irc.slashnet.org
  • The Dude With HerpesThe Dude With Herpes Lehi, UTRegistered User regular
    I got my headset I ordered the other day. Pretty happy with it, but it's got a removable 3.5 cable and the one(s) that came with it are incredibly thin and feel like I'm going to break them; if my cat doesn't chew through them first.

    So I want to get a replacement cable that is sturdier; any recommendations? Should I just be able to walk into radio shack and get something? Or should I find something on monoprice or something?

    Also the headset works with an in-line mic (I guess it doesn't have anything to do with the headset itself...but one of the cables it came with has it), but is that common? It doesn't seem to do anything plugged into my PC, it doesn't read it as a mic at all.

    I dn't care about the mic thing too much I guess, right now I'm more concerned about the cable.

    Steam: Galedrid - XBL: Galedrid - PSN: Galedrid
    Origin: Galedrid - Nintendo: Galedrid/3222-6858-1045
    Blizzard: Galedrid#1367 - FFXIV: Galedrid Kingshand

  • SynthesisSynthesis Honda Today! Registered User regular
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    number13 wrote: »
    Synthesis wrote: »
    Yeah, that's sound advice. I'm not great at spotting this sort of thing, so I may need to do some research.

    It's a great price, but I would avoid it to be honest. I'm normally a huge fan of eBay and don't have a problem ordering from them, but from what I understand there are a lot of fake Turbines, Golds, and Coppers being circulated and it's very hard to discern from real and fake unless the seller shows very detailed pictures of the packaging. From what I understand, the casing itself is much cheaper than the real deal. Even the sound between the fakes and the real ones are supposed to be relatively close, what with there being so many of them in circulation apparently.

    Again, sound advice. The more I think about it, the more I'm going to bypass the whole Monster Turbine Pros. It's a double-edged sword: the Real McCoy is way, way more than I can reasonable pay, both for budgetary reasons and the fact that I wouldn't appreciate them vs. the sort of stresses I subject it the earbuds to, but a pair with a reasonable price (~$100) is perhaps likely to be fake.

    Or I could grab a pair of these, get audio quality nearly as good--well within acceptable--and not worry about it.

    Oh! I dunno if you've linked them before, because lord knows I miss these things sometimes, but I actually own those! They're really nice. The actual ear pieces do hurt my ears after wearing them for a while, but a lot of IEMs do that to me. They sound pretty great, though, so I would say they're definitely a really solid choice.

    By the way, Number13, I meant to ask: what do you use yours with? Because inline controls on earbuds always seem to be kind of a crapshoot, and I wanted to get a inkling of whether or not they'd work with my phone.

    Honestly? I never use the in-line online because I've had such poor control with in-line on other IEMs. It's just kinda become second nature. I'll give it a shot tomorrow and tell you how it works for me.

    Fair enough. It's always a crap shoot with devices.

  • TefTef Registered User regular
    Campy wrote: »
    Sup chaps. Owing to my microphone no longer working on my current headset, I'm going to be in the market for a new one. I have literally zero idea of what to look at, let alone buy. My last headphones were over ear surround sound (please don't hurt me), which I really liked. From what I've read I can get better surround with just one driver for each ear though?! This baffles my mind a little, but if it works it works! For this I assume I need a Dolby compatible dedicated soundcard? Other than having a microphone attached (or not if it's better to have a seperate one...), working on a budget and my ridiculously oversized head, there's not much I can think of to help you guys help me.

    Tldr: I have no ideas about headsets/earphones for gaming, maybe you do? Tell them to me!
    @Campy
    If you're prefectly happy with your current headset and the only problem is that the mic has died, why not just buy a new mic? A Zalman MC1 clip on mic is about $7 on amazon and that will work just fine

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
  • CampyCampy Registered User regular
    Tef wrote: »
    Campy wrote: »
    Sup chaps. Owing to my microphone no longer working on my current headset, I'm going to be in the market for a new one. I have literally zero idea of what to look at, let alone buy. My last headphones were over ear surround sound (please don't hurt me), which I really liked. From what I've read I can get better surround with just one driver for each ear though?! This baffles my mind a little, but if it works it works! For this I assume I need a Dolby compatible dedicated soundcard? Other than having a microphone attached (or not if it's better to have a seperate one...), working on a budget and my ridiculously oversized head, there's not much I can think of to help you guys help me.

    Tldr: I have no ideas about headsets/earphones for gaming, maybe you do? Tell them to me!
    @Campy
    If you're prefectly happy with your current headset and the only problem is that the mic has died, why not just buy a new mic? A Zalman MC1 clip on mic is about $7 on amazon and that will work just fine

    Pah, your sensibleness offends me!

    Seriously though, that's probably a better idea. Plenty of other gadgets I should be saving up for.

  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    so I had a fun one the other day. I've had for quite some time a pair of AD700s and a zalman clip on mic which I used with my mixamp for playing online games on the 360. Hadn't played in quite some time but had the urge to both sleeve the cables together to make it more permanent an installation and play an online game. Anyway, long story short, I sleeved the cables then I found out the mic no longer works.

    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • TefTef Registered User regular
    Campy wrote: »
    Tef wrote: »
    Campy wrote: »
    Sup chaps. Owing to my microphone no longer working on my current headset, I'm going to be in the market for a new one. I have literally zero idea of what to look at, let alone buy. My last headphones were over ear surround sound (please don't hurt me), which I really liked. From what I've read I can get better surround with just one driver for each ear though?! This baffles my mind a little, but if it works it works! For this I assume I need a Dolby compatible dedicated soundcard? Other than having a microphone attached (or not if it's better to have a seperate one...), working on a budget and my ridiculously oversized head, there's not much I can think of to help you guys help me.

    Tldr: I have no ideas about headsets/earphones for gaming, maybe you do? Tell them to me!
    @Campy
    If you're prefectly happy with your current headset and the only problem is that the mic has died, why not just buy a new mic? A Zalman MC1 clip on mic is about $7 on amazon and that will work just fine

    Pah, your sensibleness offends me!

    Seriously though, that's probably a better idea. Plenty of other gadgets I should be saving up for.

    Hey man if you want help spending your money, we're your guys! :lol:

    help a fellow forumer meet their mental health care needs because USA healthcare sucks!

    Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better

    bit.ly/2XQM1ke
    minor incidentBurtletoy
  • minor incidentminor incident expert in a dying field njRegistered User regular
    Tef wrote: »
    Campy wrote: »
    Tef wrote: »
    Campy wrote: »
    Sup chaps. Owing to my microphone no longer working on my current headset, I'm going to be in the market for a new one. I have literally zero idea of what to look at, let alone buy. My last headphones were over ear surround sound (please don't hurt me), which I really liked. From what I've read I can get better surround with just one driver for each ear though?! This baffles my mind a little, but if it works it works! For this I assume I need a Dolby compatible dedicated soundcard? Other than having a microphone attached (or not if it's better to have a seperate one...), working on a budget and my ridiculously oversized head, there's not much I can think of to help you guys help me.

    Tldr: I have no ideas about headsets/earphones for gaming, maybe you do? Tell them to me!
    @Campy
    If you're prefectly happy with your current headset and the only problem is that the mic has died, why not just buy a new mic? A Zalman MC1 clip on mic is about $7 on amazon and that will work just fine

    Pah, your sensibleness offends me!

    Seriously though, that's probably a better idea. Plenty of other gadgets I should be saving up for.

    Hey man if you want help spending your money, we're your guys! :lol:

    I worked as a home theatre designer/installer for a while. I have professional work experience in spending other people's money. It's the most fun you can have without credit card fraud.

    Everything looks beautiful when you're young and pretty
    Tef
  • Lucky CynicLucky Cynic Registered User regular
    So guys, I won a pair of Sennheiser PX360 headphones from work. They are alright. They do have somewhat tinny mids and don't have a lot of depth, but typically for $150, I mean not bad... but certainly I'm not complaining for being free.

  • number13number13 Registered User regular
    Tef wrote: »
    Campy wrote: »
    Tef wrote: »
    Campy wrote: »
    Sup chaps. Owing to my microphone no longer working on my current headset, I'm going to be in the market for a new one. I have literally zero idea of what to look at, let alone buy. My last headphones were over ear surround sound (please don't hurt me), which I really liked. From what I've read I can get better surround with just one driver for each ear though?! This baffles my mind a little, but if it works it works! For this I assume I need a Dolby compatible dedicated soundcard? Other than having a microphone attached (or not if it's better to have a seperate one...), working on a budget and my ridiculously oversized head, there's not much I can think of to help you guys help me.

    Tldr: I have no ideas about headsets/earphones for gaming, maybe you do? Tell them to me!
    @Campy
    If you're prefectly happy with your current headset and the only problem is that the mic has died, why not just buy a new mic? A Zalman MC1 clip on mic is about $7 on amazon and that will work just fine

    Pah, your sensibleness offends me!

    Seriously though, that's probably a better idea. Plenty of other gadgets I should be saving up for.

    Hey man if you want help spending your money, we're your guys! :lol:

    I worked as a home theatre designer/installer for a while. I have professional work experience in spending other people's money. It's the most fun you can have without credit card fraud.

    Same!

    2w3e5cp.jpg
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