neuroking
06-27-2003, 03:33 PM
Hey kids,
Just wanted to post about headphones. Why? Beacuse I thought one day that I would get new headphones. But like any good geek, I decided to research first. Big mistake. The next month was a winding road of back alley websites and dealing with some of the scariest ppl ever: Headphone fanatics. Okay, so it wasn't that bad. But I thought I would pass along some recommendations.
I wanted:
- headphones to work out with
- listen to music in bed
- computer games (fps)
- general music
- an 'open' pair (can hear the outside world)
- a closed pair (screw the outside world, I'm in lalaLand)
- wireless is posible
- nothing over $300 for 1 pair, total <$600
After extensive research I settled on the Sennheiser HD 580s for gaming, general music, and open design (the 600s jsut were not worth it to me for the extra $200), the shure E2c for bedtime/portable music, and the Koss Ksc-35 for running (and picked up an extra pair of kosses for ladydorkness). Note I did not get an amp. I just really didn't feel the extra $200-300 for a so-so one was worth it. Also, after reserching wireless, I realized that the only ones even worth considering were the Pioneer SE-DIR1000C or SE-XB1, neither available in the US, both over $500. I might consider them when they reach the states, since they feature Dolby Surround Headphone technology.
First the Sennheiser HD580s. Sweet sweet headphones. Very comfortable for hours at a time. Great sound quality all around, and an expansive soundstage, which is great for gaming. Some Head-Fi posters suggest the Sony cd3000 for gaming because of the strong bass, wider soundstage and closed design. I wanted to be able to hear the phone ringing, and sometimes an too expansive soundstage can hinder gaming (harder to localize sounds, like the cloaking sound in Tribes 2). The 580s are almost identical to the HD600s, which are arguably the best headphones on the market (barring the Grado-Senn argument that will never ever ever be resolved). Sennheiser is introducing the HD650s and 700s soon, so it may be worth waiting to see what the reviews of those are, and for the price drop on the 580s and 600s.
Next, the Shure E2c. While I wanted to get some Etymotic ER4S or ER4Ps I decided to go the cheaper route untilI was sure that the 'canalphone' was tolerable to me. SFor those not up on what that is, the canalphones/earbuds/earphones look like the small buds you get with most portable music players (like the SlimX or iPod), but they actaully go into your ear canal. That's right, you shove them INTO your ear. You hear nothing from the outside world, and after a little too much use, your ears can hurt, but this goes away after a week or so. Excellent sound, highs can be a little too high at times, but for $99, they are a steal.
And teh Koss KSC-35s. yeah, $35 cans will sound good. Suuuuure.... holy sh#$! Yes, they really are great phones. They are the over the ear single clip design, and they are great workout phones. You can hear the outside world, great sound (excellent bass for this style phone), pretty comfortable and nice a snug.
I reccomend gatting your cans from The Headroom, sicne they have the best exchange/return policy by far.
Also, for now I just wanted to get some great headphones at a sane price. yes, there are much better ones, and yes, all will sound better with a good amp, but the cost just seems almost illogical to me.
for more info:
Head-Fi (http://www.head-fi.org)
The Headroom (http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=1)
Audio Cubes (http://www.audiocubes.com/)
Anyhoo, just thought I'd add a little mini-review. Enjoy, and post comments on your own headphone expereinces!
Brandon
Just wanted to post about headphones. Why? Beacuse I thought one day that I would get new headphones. But like any good geek, I decided to research first. Big mistake. The next month was a winding road of back alley websites and dealing with some of the scariest ppl ever: Headphone fanatics. Okay, so it wasn't that bad. But I thought I would pass along some recommendations.
I wanted:
- headphones to work out with
- listen to music in bed
- computer games (fps)
- general music
- an 'open' pair (can hear the outside world)
- a closed pair (screw the outside world, I'm in lalaLand)
- wireless is posible
- nothing over $300 for 1 pair, total <$600
After extensive research I settled on the Sennheiser HD 580s for gaming, general music, and open design (the 600s jsut were not worth it to me for the extra $200), the shure E2c for bedtime/portable music, and the Koss Ksc-35 for running (and picked up an extra pair of kosses for ladydorkness). Note I did not get an amp. I just really didn't feel the extra $200-300 for a so-so one was worth it. Also, after reserching wireless, I realized that the only ones even worth considering were the Pioneer SE-DIR1000C or SE-XB1, neither available in the US, both over $500. I might consider them when they reach the states, since they feature Dolby Surround Headphone technology.
First the Sennheiser HD580s. Sweet sweet headphones. Very comfortable for hours at a time. Great sound quality all around, and an expansive soundstage, which is great for gaming. Some Head-Fi posters suggest the Sony cd3000 for gaming because of the strong bass, wider soundstage and closed design. I wanted to be able to hear the phone ringing, and sometimes an too expansive soundstage can hinder gaming (harder to localize sounds, like the cloaking sound in Tribes 2). The 580s are almost identical to the HD600s, which are arguably the best headphones on the market (barring the Grado-Senn argument that will never ever ever be resolved). Sennheiser is introducing the HD650s and 700s soon, so it may be worth waiting to see what the reviews of those are, and for the price drop on the 580s and 600s.
Next, the Shure E2c. While I wanted to get some Etymotic ER4S or ER4Ps I decided to go the cheaper route untilI was sure that the 'canalphone' was tolerable to me. SFor those not up on what that is, the canalphones/earbuds/earphones look like the small buds you get with most portable music players (like the SlimX or iPod), but they actaully go into your ear canal. That's right, you shove them INTO your ear. You hear nothing from the outside world, and after a little too much use, your ears can hurt, but this goes away after a week or so. Excellent sound, highs can be a little too high at times, but for $99, they are a steal.
And teh Koss KSC-35s. yeah, $35 cans will sound good. Suuuuure.... holy sh#$! Yes, they really are great phones. They are the over the ear single clip design, and they are great workout phones. You can hear the outside world, great sound (excellent bass for this style phone), pretty comfortable and nice a snug.
I reccomend gatting your cans from The Headroom, sicne they have the best exchange/return policy by far.
Also, for now I just wanted to get some great headphones at a sane price. yes, there are much better ones, and yes, all will sound better with a good amp, but the cost just seems almost illogical to me.
for more info:
Head-Fi (http://www.head-fi.org)
The Headroom (http://www.headphone.com/layout.php?topicID=1)
Audio Cubes (http://www.audiocubes.com/)
Anyhoo, just thought I'd add a little mini-review. Enjoy, and post comments on your own headphone expereinces!
Brandon