I'm an idiot: the headphone saga

[Omeletpants]

So, I finally got a smartphone (iPhone) after years of Blackberry. I love Apple products but hate the phone. But that's another story. Just not the best for business

Anyway, so I have moved a bunch of videos and MP3s to this iPhone and I decide to get a nice pair of headphones for travel. I pick up these Etyomotic in ear deals and I hate burying them so deep in my ear. Then I pick up these Bower and Wilkins P5s and they are wonderful

. That problem solved.Now comes the stupid stuff.

I want to pick up a pair for my desktop so I buy another set of P5s. But the cord is too short. Ok, easy fix and I buy a 6 foot extension cable. But that makes the sound garbled. Return it and get another cable, same problem. Now I think it's my headphone jack. So I lug my iMac to apple in wood field and they tell me it's fine. Hmmmmmm. So, I return the P5s as it seems to hate all extension cables. They test the headphones and extension cable at BB and it works well on their Samsung laptop. WTF. No one can figure it out. So, I return the P5s and go to Guitar world on Sunday and end up with the Audio Technica ATH 50s. Sound good and I save $150

Over some stupid set of headphones I have now wasted my entire saturday and all Sunday morning. Still cant figure out what happened and I blew most of the weekend. I'm an idiot

 

[JosMin]

ATH-50s are pretty nice cans, definitely one of the better pairs you can get under $200. Sony MDR‑7506 are still probably the best bang for your buck. Crys will agree.

 

[Crystallas]

ATH-50s are pretty nice cans, definitely one of the better pairs you can get under $200. Sony MDR‑7506 are still probably the best bang for your buck. Crys will agree.

Did you opt for the 7506's? And if so, what are your thought on them now?

And the ATH M50s are okay. Good bass for an AT pair, not great bass, but good. AT does do one thing amazingly well now-a-days, despite not advancing much in the last 10 years. The M50s provide outstanding variable impedance(use them on a standard 6 or standard 32ohm output, and it scales nicely, just don't use them too far out of spec, you'll fry the drivers in a week or less.) Never used the other cans, can't say anything.

 

[Omeletpants]

ATH-50s are pretty nice cans, definitely one of the better pairs you can get under $200. Sony MDR‑7506 are still probably the best bang for your buck. Crys will agree.

Now that I have played with them, I also think they are very good. It's just that the P5s are even nicer.

I really wanted to try the Moda M100 because of the great reviews but no store carries them. Have to do mail order with 60 days return. These are supposed to be the best under $300

BTW, for anyone interested in a sound enhancer check out this software program from Bongiovi. I have it on my iPhone and mac and it's wonderful on most songs. It adds a lot of headroom and helps MOST music sound better.


http://www.bongioviacoustics.com/products-dpsplugin.php

 

[Crystallas]

I'm old school with cans. I'll rate the headphones based on the same categories, and design isn't one of them.

-Suspension is IMO, most important. You can narrow down something that fits your head comfortably, much easier than trying to find ideal specs, then see if it's comfortable. Not everything is comfortable for everyone.
-Driver Specs is second. If the driver specs match your liking (ie: Bass-nut or Treb-happy for two opposite types), then you can pretty much skip to comparing prices/availability.
-Cable type. I usually rewire cans that I like, but for someone who doesn't want to strip, solder, braid and sleeve a new wire, it's important to know what you're dealing with to some extent. Cheap wires can make good drivers into shit.

 

[JosMin]

Did you opt for the 7506's? And if so, what are your thought on them now?

And the ATH M50s are okay. Good bass for an AT pair, not great bass, but good. AT does do one thing amazingly well now-a-days, despite not advancing much in the last 10 years. The M50s provide outstanding variable impedance(use them on a standard 6 or standard 32ohm output, and it scales nicely, just don't use them too far out of spec, you'll fry the drivers in a week or less.) Never used the other cans, can't say anything.

Yeah, I picked up a set a few months ago. Really nice, versatile pair. Definitely on par with cans I've used that're a lot more expensive. I also traded a phono preamp to one of my buddies for a pair of Sennheiser HD280's and I really like them, as well.

 

[Crystallas]

Good deal. HD280s are solid too.

Oh yeah, figure I'll throw this in here.
I have 4 or 5 spare millet headphone amp PCBs. I've been keeping them, just because it's hard to find a good hybrid solid-state + valve state(12AE6A's or comparable) headphone amp for under 2k. If anyone is serious about building their own amp, just shoot me a PM if you're looking for one.